Line-up problems mainly. The bassist left due to health problems, and our drummer took a long break. Then there was the whole mixing phase, looking for a label, ... A lot of work on the underside of the Obsidyen iceberg.
2.In November you have a new album coming out, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
Musically, the first difference comes from the writing process itself. For the first album, I was very uncertain about the musical direction. You can feel this when you hear the differences between the first and second parts of « Antediluvian Scriptum ». Even the themes wander between pure Old Testament mythology, Atlantis and the Anunnaki... Most of the tracks are slow, the lyrics are searching for their meaning. This album is a transition between the first band I had, from which Obsidyen stems, and now. For our upcoming album, « Litany Of Iah », I've created a concept that's more refined and precise, and musically speaking, I decided to remove the limits I had imposed on myself. Several tracks were composed shortly after the release of the first album, and it was then that I finally understood what I wanted for this project, in terms of sound and riffing. It's more mature, much more technical and violent, yet controlled. The production is much more polished, while retaining our identity as a raw, atmospheric yet powerful sound.
3.On the new album you focused more on Egyptian themes, can you tell us a little bit more about the aspects of Egyptian lore that you focused on with your songwriting?
The album takes place in a rotating era when the population has forgotten the old gods and welcomed new ones. There's a "Cult of the Serpent", present not only in Egypt, but all over the world, which was born around this time. I associate this cult with the Ancient Astronauts. Above all, I've tried to see things through the eyes of an Egyptian living in this place at this time. There's some contemporary vocabulary I can't use. Some descriptions of places, people or situations may seem abstract or metaphorical, but it's all a question of cultural and temporal point of view. In their time, there was no way to describe a spaceship or a reptilian creature, which is why I speak of "glowing celestial boats" and "serpent kings".
4.On the first album lyrically you went more into Ancient Astronauts, Atlantis and Biblical Mythology. Are you inspired by the writings of Erich Von Daniken, Zecharia Stitchin or other authors that cover these topics?
Absolutely, yes. I've been fascinated by ufology and forbidden archeology since childhood. I'm an amateur ufologist myself. Obsidyen not only explores themes about Ancient Astronauts, but also about tales of lost advanced civilizations. The Great Flood is the perfect myth to start with. Initially, I only wanted to tackle religious and nihilistic themes, but it's already been done over and over again. It was when I was writing the lyrics for the first album that I realized that I'd better talk about subjects I really know and believe in. When it comes to art, you have to be authentic with yourself, you have to believe in what you're transmitting. That's how it came about, because I sincerely believe that humanity is not alone, and never has been, and it's not necessarily a good thing you know ? For example, you have the « Dark Forest hypothesis », where then intelligent beings ahead of us who could arrive and exterminate us... or become gods for us... And what would explain the silence of the universe is that other civilizations are hiding from these predators, or are already exterminated. I find it much more disturbing and frightening than Satanism, murder, madness and all those overused themes in black metal... In a gentler approach, when you look up at the sky at night and wonder wistfully if, among all those stars, in all that cosmic immensity, there's someone at the other end of the universe looking down at you and wondering the same thing... Finally, when you visit Roman ruins and vestiges, old castles, pyramids etc... You feel deep, inexplicable nostalgia within you. A deep sense of belonging comes over you, fascinated by what life would have been like in the past, in a bygone era that you will never know. It is by combining the two previous concepts that the energy of the band is defined. These subjects inspires me and there's so much to tell.
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Obsidyen'?
Obsidian is a lava stone used since the dawn of time for sharp tools and weapons. As a lithotherapy enthusiast, I love this stone for its black color, sometimes speckled with white, reminding me the Yin of the Yang. Minerals carry energy and secrets, and are witnesses to the past. When I created the project in 2019, I chose this name by adding the "Y", as a nod to a person with whom I share this passion and these beliefs, and who made me aware of all this when we were young.
6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
The human race turns away from the sky and the sun, to pray to the moon and gods from the underground, at the risk of awakening dark forces we can't control. The sky gods are always there, observing events neutrally, leaving humanity the choice of realizing the consequences of their actions. Each piece of the artwork represents a track on the album. The idea was to represent something simple in appearance, but with details in every place you look, just like the frescoes and engravings of ancient Egypt. I absolutely wanted to represent the concept of the album, and the real challenge was to create a stereotyped visual without falling into cliché and caricature.
7.Originally the band started out as a solo project, what was the decision behind evolving into a full line up?
The reasons are very long to explain, but to sum up, we had to perform live with a progressive death-metal band for which i was the drummer. Obsidyen's founding members, « Drey » and « Kharon », were also part of it. But we had some line-up problems shortly before the show, which we couldn't cancel. So I decided to play guitar and do the vocals, so that we could quickly find a drummer, instead of both singer and guitarist, and do the gig. The Obsidyen songs were much easier to work on, and honestly, much better than the death-metal songs we had. They liked it and decided to focus on it, abandoning the old band. The only thing to remember is that, if only this race against time hadn't happened, Obsidyen would have remained a solo project, or even never existed as it does today.
8.Has the band done any live shows or open to the idea?
Yes, of course. It's true that we're very discreet about it, because we've been more involved in private events than in big shows. The band was created and launched just before and during the Covid-19 period. But there have also been a few line-up problems, notably the death of « Drey », the departure of « Luxus », « Sonn »'s health problems and « Damian »'s recent long break, all of which have curtailed our live shows opportunities. Fortunately, we're coming on strong, And we're going to be very present in 2024.
9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?
Referring back to the first album, I could see that what attracted people's curiosity were the visual concepts and themes. Strange to see a grey alien on the cover of a black metal album, isn't it? I know that the band's theme attracts a lot of people because of its originality. People are curious and that's what saved us. On the other hand, and I quite agree, we had a hard time convincing people musically with the first album because our post-black was 10 years out of date, the composition lacked maturity and the production is horrible. I think that in a few years' time, it will have its charm, and people will give it a second chance. Nevertheless, we've had an enormous amount of support and good feedback, from Quebec, South America, Russia and even the Middle East! Now, I can't wait to hear the feedback on « Litany Of Iah », because so far, the few people who have been able to listen to it have loved it.
10.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
Our new bassist, Svart, is the driving force behind « Supplices », black-metal from Occitanie (France). They have a new album in production. Kharon also has a solo project in the pipeline. For my part, I have a side-project called « Tombale » which also has a new album in production.
11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
I've already started writing the next chapter, which will be set in a different geographical region and culture, which is very rich in stories of Ancient Astronauts. And all I can say is that we'll be keeping the same atmospheric approach with an emphasis on the traditional sound, in order to capture the mythological aura and preserve immersion and authenticity at its very best.
12.What are some of the bands or musical styles the band members are listening to nowadays?
At the moment, Svart listens to everything, essentially post-black, black metal, brutal death, grind death, HxC, post-HxC... Kharon listens to a lot of technical death metal. As for me these days, I grind albums like « Das Tor » or « Im Wald » by « Paysage d'Hiver ». « Darkspace I/II/III/IIII » which i'm meditatively obsessed. « Vampyroteuthis Infernalis » in the same genre. More recently, I've been listening to Heretoir's, latest album, which is sublime.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you for this interview, thanks to those who support us, and to the critics who keep us going, See you all on November 17, for an epic journey in ancient Egypt. Watch the skies.
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