1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project? AEZH MORVARC'H is definitely a project : in the literal sense first, which means that, in the future, some freedom will be used to keep the songs constantly under process ; as liquid is always in motion, AEZH MORVARC'H will work to offer his wide range of emotions in non fixed interpretations. Secondly, in the figurative sense, AEZH MORVARC'H is both music and lyrics meant to adapt and move forward relatively to how we conceive our presence to the world : not as affected persons, posers but as conscious people, conscious on the duty to define and customize it according to our dreams and ideals, conscious of what we have inheritated of (historical lies and hidden truths) and the duty of making something great and more sincere, with honesty, out of it, in a prospective way. Our music serves a cause. All this will be cleared up by detailed explanations in our upcoming website.
2.Recently you have released an album, how would you
describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording? Actually,
it's an E.P. which has been released ; not an album yet. The album will be the
addition of the first and the second upcoming E.P.. I personnally didn't work
hard on the musical sound. Mornoz did. The main goal wasn't to have the best
production, the best tools, the best mixing... That's for commercial standards.
I prefer spending time on composing rather than sounding. But I am very grateful
of what Mornoz did, considering how much time he dedicated to
it. I just gave him a few clues and it was enough for him to reach my wishes,
bringing more meaningfull richness to the whole piece : each instrument
had to suggest different layers of water : the undertow for the bass
guitar, the waves raising as walls for the rhythm guitar, the sharp freezing
winds for the lead guitar and the galoping hooves of the horse
for the drums. All together, I wanted a sticky and humid sound to carry
our message and picture the lanscapes Morvarc'h travels through. All this gives
a visual guideline which will be more and more cultivated
as our signature in terms of sound.
3.Your lyrics cover some Breton legends and
mythology, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these
topics? Events are factual and short-lived, Legends and mythologies last
forever ; when you read a legend, you are more than just looking at a fixed
picture, you are looking through a kaleidoscopic telescope to different levels of realities mixing objective experience and
distorted perceptions. It talks to the very deep of human primordial
understanding of the world, using symbols to increase the multiplicity of
interpretations through ages and, reversely, to make things converge and
strongly take roots in the present time ; So do I through
AEZH MORVARC'H, building a bridge between the time of fantasmagoria and the time
of pragmatism, the past and the present, something far in time from today's
concerns, but so close from me in space (breton Cornwall) and so close to what
my imagination is likely to seek and create. So it was obvious
that I had to express both my artistic inspirations and cultural
commitment in my home country using this magical character of the infernal black
breton sea horse which appears in two different but linked legends of Brittany :
the legend of the submerged city of YS and the legend of the king MARC'H, uncle
of Tristan, the same one as in the very notorious legend of Tristan and Izold.
Those two legends will be the subject of future albums. Back to our topic, I
really wanted something iconic likely to include a base of litterary heritage
and also something which hadn't totally been developed like the
horse's birth and the stories seen through its eyes. AEZH MORVARC'H talks about
legends but from a different point of view and with different purposes than
advertising for christianism, if you know what I mean. Giving the legend a sweep
up was needed, in order not to remember what everyone knows but to remember what
everyone has forgotten for not having tried to look beyond the disguised
surface.
4.What are the meaning and inspiration behind
the name 'Aezh Morvarc'h?
I could have contented myself with picking
the animal to call the project MORVARC'H but, in my opinion, I would have
commited a shameful robbery : I can't, without any remorse, take over something
which is older than me, which existed
before me and still exists to everyone. MORVARC'H is the property of
humanity ; here is my ethics.
The global project, the band, the music, is not the character but
something emanating from the character, something which is not meant to be
cleared up but to be suggested. Reality is never crystal clear otherwise it's
made up for simple minds, for the masses and it becomes parodic lies. AEZH
MORVARC'H is not what we see of it, but what we hear, its blurring breath, the
reality wrapped up in its nasal fogs, literally "vapours of the sea horse"; in
other words, AEZH MORVARC'H is not MORVARC'H itself but only an image and
toxical expression of it : a gargoyle.
5.According to the bandcamp pages you where looking
for some musicians, have you had any luck in finding other musicians that want to work on this project? As
mentioned in our biography, published by LADLO, Skornus accepted to join the
band with great loyalty and he's really committed to it. Isarnos also showed great interest in serving the band for an unlimited length
of time, after having recorded the drums on the upcoming second E.P. and
despite his commitment in many other bands. We are going through a period of
transition, passing from a one man band with session musicians to a stable
line-up where one instrument fits to one musician. Since
I started to play in 1996, I've never had the chance to gather so many
constructive energies so I feel very lucky and confident for the next
stages.
6.Are there any plans to make this musical project a
live band or do any shows or is this
strictly a studio project? I have plans for shows on stage and it's
definitely where I will lead the band to, very soon,
hopefully. For the first one, I would like to play for the
"Samain Festival" amongst those who support the breton primary school for which
it's organised.
7.The new album was released on Emanations, can you
tell us a little bit more about this label? Ictus from IN CAUDA VENENUM,
who is a very good friend of mine, introduced me to the boss of LADLO
productions first. A year later, they created EMANATIONS, a
division of LADLO in order to help bands, more or less confidential like us, to
make their first appearance on the Black Metal scene. To me, it's more a
subdivision as the bands whose works will be published under that name won't
move to a bigger or better distribution afterwards. EMANATIONS is supposed to be
and stay an opportunity to give a leg up and promote new bands from the
underground. Time will tell. AEZH MORVARC'H has other priorities for now. To
move from a label to another will be an extrinsic necessity, not a purpose in
itself.Making music to extend and defend breton culture
is our first ambition.
8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to
your music by fans of black metal? It's too early to tell. And honestly,
I don't really care. I just want to materialize my creations by giving birth to
a band. My aim is also to create a strong friendship through
music and sharing the pleasure to have the breton call for life
resonate.
9.Are you also involved with any other musical projects? I used to be, but AEZH MORVARC'H is enough work now to focus on. I hate
flitting from one thing to another as I hate fast-food ; It would be the best
way to put a bullet in myself. So we take it easy. The
plan is now to be strong enough. At our stage, dividing is
weakening.
10.Where do you see yourself heading into musically
during the future? The first and second EPs are a two-part album
containing the last songs I have made, dating back to 2010. My only purpose is
now to live long enough to edit or rerecord with a stable line-up what I've
composed from 1996 : some dark and tortured in an old school
way, some others epic with synths depending on the main theme of the lyrics.
So,after the next EP, all
what you will hear will be older but more mature too ; as a good wine, the
older, the better.
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? From an early age, I have been listening to three range of
music altogether : great composers, most of them from Northern and Eastern
Europe ; modern and traditional celtic music (from Ireland to Scotland, from
Wales to Brittany, from the revolutionary Alan STIVELL to the guitar virtuosos
Jean-Charles GUICHEN, Soig SIBERIL and Patrice MARZIN) ; and,
last but not least, Metal music.
I don't really update my musical listenings these
days. In fact I haven't done it since 2007, when the Metal shop 'Ifern an
Naoned' definitely closed its doors in the city where I was living at that time.
So what I am listening to now and the bands which participated in defining the
way my music has to follow are mainly : TAAKE, WINDIR, KVIST who sing in
their native language, the first ENSLAVED and BORKNAGAR albums, BURZUM,
CARPATHIAN FOREST, ABIGOR, Old SETHERIAL, old EPHEL DUATH, BLUT AUS NORD, etc.
: bands which really make me feel that they looked inside and
deep into themselves to deliver their very personal music, regardless to
the highlights or cloning who they admire.
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or
thoughts?
AEZH MORVARC'H is True Breton Black Metal...
Ma revr gant an drevadennourien ! Breizh da viken !!!*
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