1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
Judas: Songwriting is the main focus at this point in time, there are a lot of songs already written in the production stages and there's a hell of a lot more that are soon to emerge.
Polar: Yes, preparing for our next album, which we are planning to release in January 2026, and soon I will record drums for 7 of those 8 songs (the last one will be acoustic), which has been our production tradition since 2022 - to record the drum parts first and the vocal parts last. We have also recently selected something unique to do as a single release in October this year, much of that one is already completed.
2.In 2025 you have released 2 albums, musically how do they differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
Judas: There are a few songs from the most recent album (Scar the Abyss) that are re-recorded versions of songs from the first release (...In the Choke of Existence) and they still flow together with the more recently written songs well, essentially due to the core of them emerging from similar places, be it purely from pain or a certain state of mind. With Polar now contributing to the writing and recording processes we've been far less limited in our approach to songwriting and structures, it's good to finally have all the necessary elements to better express things in a more powerful way. The roots of DSBM are still there but we can now better convey the spirit of what we're doing through different mediums, it also gives us the opportunity at times to offer a subtle nod every now and then to the old gods that carved this crooked path before us as we let the music bleed out.
Polar: The first couple of releases in 2017 were done with drum machine, and basically produced by Judas, with contributions by Scourge. From 2022 onwards (after Judas recruited me as a drummer) I have handled the production side of things. The song writing is still primarily Judas and Scourge, with me just writing the drum parts and chucking in a couple of guitar ideas here and there. Draugr and Yrsa don't write, they have contributed more as "session" players for recording and shows.
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored over the years and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters?
Judas: Suicide, Misanthropy, self-destruction and mental sickness have always been a good source of inspiration. The lyrics I write in Serpentum reflect the facing of shadows, decay of the mind, loss, hate and misery, which is also interwoven amongst anti-christian beliefs, Satanism and occult philosophies and practices. Over the years the songwriting has evolved for us individually as well as collectively, it never comes from a place of ego so we work well together and keep trying to delve deeper down into the depths of ourselves while learning and figuring out new ways to refine our sound whilst moving forward regardless of what trials stand between us and another step towards progression.
Polar: To put it simply; I'd say having a drummer write the drum parts from 2022 onwards has changed the feeling of the songs since the band started putting out material, but the inspiration and spirit has been consistent
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Serpentum'
Polar: "Serpentum" is a Latin word that translates to "of the serpent" or "of the snake" in English. The band already had that name when I was recruited as drummer.
Judas: The symbology of the snake has been something that has always intrigued me, many cultures have used it as either a symbol of fear or one of power, I prefer the latter.
Serpentum is the body and the music is the venom.
5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
Polar: "Anguish" is an 1878 oil painting by August Friedrich Schenck, depicting a mother sheep in grief over her dead lamb, surrounded by crows. The artwork is held at the national gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. It encapsulates both the inevitability of grief, and also the predatory nature of the world to capitalise on the suffering of others.
6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Polar: My favorite show was the last one we played at Nowhere Festival in Brisbane. It was such a powerful reaction from the audience. According to those who reviewed the festival - we wiped the floor with every other band that day. It was also the last show we will be playing in Australia for the immediate future, for reasons that will be explained below.
Judas: The last show was definitely my favourite so far, the energy was good and the crowd was very responsive, there were some special moments where it felt as though we shared and understood each other's pain, communing through old reopening wounds. We each put a great deal of effort into performing live to make sure everything is set to a certain standard, musically as well as in presence, corpse-paint and always try to remain true to the essence and raw destructive nature of black metal.
7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the remainder of 2025?
Polar: Serpentum is not performing in Australia right now. Our July gig booked at Crowbar in Brisbane was cancelled because the climate for extreme music has become politically strangled. The social media, virtue-signalling brigade have made it clear that aggressive, transgressive art is no longer welcome in this country unless it bows to feminist orthodoxy and PC purity tests. Our music is rooted in darkness, despair, and confrontation—not in apologising to cultural gatekeepers who seek to neuter the arts in the name of “safety.” Until that changes, I will not participate in the Australian live music scene. It is being cleansed by sanctimonious zealots on witch hunts. I will be focused on writing, recording and targeting listeners in overseas audiences. Hopefully in the future we'll be booking shows in other countries.
8.On a worldwide level, how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?
Polar: For the last couple of years our main audience for streaming has been Australian due to our regular live shows, however that has been gradually shifting towards both USA and Russia as the primary audience for our music and traffic to our website. And just recently, the USA audience has surpassed the Australian audience on streaming platforms. There is also growing interest in Germany, UK, Sweden, Canada, Poland and Turkey. No idea how this happens - people just seem to pick it up from youtube, spotify etc. I guess the countries with the biggest BM audience are going to find us.
Judas: It's been interesting to see that the music we've made has resonated with people from the other ends of the earth, some have reached out directly too which has been a humbling experience.
9.What is going on with 'Kaerulean' these days, a band that shared a lot of the same members?
Polar: Kaerulean is only related to Serpentum in that Judas recruited members from the band after it split up four years ago, including me. We all live in the same suburb of Brisbane and are old friends. Kaerulean is dead, even though Encyclopedia Metallum lists it as active. None of the members are interested in continuing it. There was never an announcement about the Kaerulean breaking up because nobody was really bothered to do so. All of the music and lyric writing for Serpentum is basically Judas, Scourge and Bile (ex guitarist) who were never members of Kaerulean. So while some of the members are the same, both bands have completely different spirits.
10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Judas: In the future I think the songs will keep getting heavier, I want to dig deeper into the emotional and crushing elements we've started tapping into.
Polar: I'd like to focus on the DSBM themes but having more push towards blast beats, shredding guitars and heaviness than typically found in that sub-genre. In terms of production, I just try to get better with every release, and that seems to be working.
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Polar: For drumming; amongst many others, I've been inspired by Absu, Aeternus, Mgla, Satyricon, Abigor, Napalm Death, Dying Fetus, Dark Funeral, Suffocation, Nordjevel. Recently I've been enjoying Negator, the new Cradle of Filth album, Tryygon's new album "Dusk" which came out in August and Blackdeath from Peterberg
Judas: Influences for me have been Avslut, Shining, Gra, Advent sorrow, Leviathan, Satanic warmaster, Carpathian forest, Xasthur, Burzum, Exiled from light, Sargeist, Ungfell, Peste noire, Ferriterium, Watain, None, Coldworld, Mephorash, Savrttjern.
And some bands I've been listening to lately are Theotoxin, Yith, Darkened nocturne slaughtercult, Absent in body, Der weg einer freiheit, Naglfar, Afsky.
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Polar: Australia’s stages have been seized by ideological tyrants, masquerading as moral crusaders, determined to sterilise the art. They call it “accountability,” but it’s censorship. They call it “safety,” but it’s control. And every band, promoter and venue that bends the knee only feeds their moral crusade. Serpentum was built on chaos, annihilation, and the raw essence of black metal. We will not neuter our art to satisfy the virtue cult or their PC inquisition. Let the weak choke on their own dogma. Black metal is war. Always has been. Always will be.
Judas: Hail Satan.
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment