Monarque
Day by day the Canadian extreme Metal scene, especially the Black Metal one, becomes stronger and stronger. Because the band's last official material called "Threne" saw the daylight a while ago, I decided to ask a few questions to the mighty leader Monarque himself! And look what I got for you metalheads around the world.
Arcana Noctis: Hello Monarque! What's up new out there?
Monarque: Hey Raul! Out here, well, working on new material when time permits so, a couple of new tracks coming up!
Arcana Noctis: Let's start this interview with the very beginning of your career, and tell us what are the most important moments until today when the old "Ad Nauseam" demo, recorded back in 2005, was re-released under the banner of Sepulchral Productions from Quebec!
Monarque: Well, I've been working hard for almost 6 years now, to create my own Black Metal. I'm not claiming to be original, but I put my heart and soul in everything I touch. A lot of good things have happened in the Monarque camp since 2003, of course the release of my demo in 2005 was a big step for me, but until now, 2 tours, a couple of splits with bands I respect, and a lot of side-projects have kept me busy. I'm sure there is a lot more to come!
Arcana Noctis: What will be the major differences between the old demo and the new concept, apart from the 4 new songs recorded on it?
Monarque: Well, instead of a programmed drum, I yet again used the talented Auster (Esker, Veneficium, Utlagr, Superior Enlightenment) as a session drummer, this bringing a lot of new dynamics to the songs. I also re-recorded all the vocals, guitars, and bass. I had the help of Le Mort (who was a live session for the band at that time) to do guitars as well, and my good friend Atheos for the few synths. I see this release as a complete new album, not only the reworked demo. The original demo was limited to 100 at the time, so now this Black Metal propaganda can be shared on a bigger scale.
Arcana Noctis: At the very beginning this band called Monarque was a one-man band, but what's the status today?
Monarque: I am still a one-man band. I tried to make it a full band, but it just didn't work out. So I'm keeping the full control of everything that I create, and I ask for friends to help me out on a few issues that I just can't myself.
Arcana Noctis: I wrote that out there in Canada, Quebec region precisely, we can find a very interesting Black Metal scene, a reborn of the Norwegian Black Metal from the 90s. What is all about exactly?
Monarque: I think you have it right. I also see this sort of as a Norway #2. In that sense, I'm not saying that we are copying them, we all have our own sounds and ideas, but I mean that there is a good amount of bands lately that have appeared with very original material, something we hadn't in the past few years. The scene is still blooming, but the essence is there, and there is more to come.
Arcana Noctis: Your band plays Black Metal, sometimes melodic, sometimes very raw! What could you tell us about the musical content imagined by Monarque, about the combination of 2 very interesting extreme Metal styles: the Raw Black Metal and the Melodic Black Metal?
Monarque: I'm trying to explore different horizons within the Black Metal genre. I am guided by my feelings and I'm not following any trendy type of Black Metal. I do what I do because I like it. Always doing the same thing would be very boring, that's why I tend to explore more and more...
Arcana Noctis: The cover artwork is very minimalist; I could say in the purest Dark Throne way! Why don't you try to imagine something more expressive, something that very easily could express the musical content of your materials?
Monarque: See answer in question above.
Arcana Noctis: The lyrical content brings in front of us a poetical dimension in the purest French tradition of the 19th century. Could you please tell us what is your point of view concerning the band lyrics?
Monarque: My lyrics are very poetical. Sometimes I used texts written before the songs, sometimes I write lyrics after the music is done. It all refers to my feelings yet again. My texts are for the most part very blasphemous, while others are more personal or occult.
Arcana Noctis: You chose to name the band Monarque, and the instrumentalist too! Do you fell to be superior to the others? What means exactly for you this word Monarque?
Monarque: I chose this name for the band and myself because I am the band. Do I feel superior to other people, certainly. Everyone, no. It is all a question of perceptions. Monarque means a lot to me, it is a symbol, an extension of myself. I chose this name because I am ruling my creations, I am the king in my darkness and art, and no one can take that away from me.
Arcana Noctis: As we can see you're using the French language in your lyrics! Do you think that is the most important way to express your feelings, or is it a resistance against the Anglophones?
Monarque: French is my mother tongue. A lot of bands are writing in English just hoping they'll get more popular, fuck that! This is the language I speak everyday, and Monarque has up to now, always been a francophone project.
Arcana Noctis: Last year you played an interesting tour with Utlagr between 9.02 and 22.03.2008 under the banner of "Traditions And Blasphemes" imagined by your label Sepulchral Productions! Tell us a few things about this tour and what are your feelings after one year!
Monarque: This was an awesome experience. I was not signed so Sepulchral at the time, after seeing how we performed live, he asked to sign me. The tour was an amazing event. We did killer shows, met a lot of cool people, got drunk all the time. There was a lot of action, there was even a bomb alert during one of our set in Quebec, fights, beautiful landscapes on the road, really, an amazing experience.
Arcana Noctis: As I have already stated you are a Sepulchral Productions band, as Utlagr is! How did you find this label and what should we know about the other bands signed with the home recordings I've mentioned above?
Monarque: Yes, Sepulchral released the "Ad Nauseam" album, in March 2009. You can check out his website to learn more about other bands on that same label. Lots of good stuff up to now actually.
Arcana Noctis: At the same label you signed the other band you're playing with, Sui Caedere! The brand new album called "Threne" is finally out thanks to this label; and it introduces for us a torturing Doom/Black Metal very well emphasized by the lyrical content that brings in front of us very interesting lines made by Emile Nelligan, a very known poet from the Quebec area! Can you give us more details about this band and its album?
Monarque: This was a completely different experience for me than with Monarque, since I was only singing songs that I had not even written. Emile Nelligan died in an asylum, he was a really tortured individual, and I tried to sing his poems the best I could. I am quite proud with the result. The second album will not be so conceptual, but still very different from what we hear here in Quebec's Metal scene.
Arcana Noctis: Apart from the 2 bands I've mentioned above you are playing in some other projects such as Monarkh, Carrion Wraith and Blackwind. What could you tell us about your activity in the 3 bands I've mentioned above?
Monarque: Monarkh is another experiment, this is my Dark Ambient/Noise project, nightmarish soundscapes. Carrion Wraith was a conceptual depressive Black Metal project, our album has been recorded in one week only! Improvised, with yet such a flowing dark mood to it. Our album is out on Ars Magna Recordings. I am not a member of Blackwind anymore. I did my first live shows as a guitarist with them, and recorded guitars on their full length, that's it.
Arcana Noctis: Also, I know that you are very involved in the Canadian underground extreme Metal scene thanks to your label called Les Productions Hérétiques founded in 2007! Did you released something until now, and what are your plans concerning the future of your label?
Monarque: Yes, I have released a few things. The first Csejthe release, as well as the Blackwind full length. I have also released the Culte d'Ebola MCD, the Pestroyer limited demo tape, as well as various Monarque items. I will release the first Chasse-Gallerie CD this autumn!!! Be sure to check it out at www.productionsheretiques.com!
Arcana Noctis: In the end I'd like you to tell us what are your future plans concerning all the bands you're playing with, but especially when a new Monarque album will be realised?
Monarque: Well, the future is uncertain. I am working on a few splits with Monarque, but for a full length, I cannot inform anyone yet, as I don't know myself! I am the full time bassist in Pestroyer, this is my main project besides Monarque now. There is also a new Sui Caedere on the way, and a few new projects I cannot talk about yet.
Arcana Noctis: As you can see we arrived to the end! I hope to hear soon about you and I wish you good luck in all your activities. You have the last word to conclude the interview!
Monarque: Thank you very much for your interest in my projects! Best luck with your webzine!
Arcana Noctis: Hello Monarque! What's up new out there?
Monarque: Hey Raul! Out here, well, working on new material when time permits so, a couple of new tracks coming up!Arcana Noctis: Let's start this interview with the very beginning of your career, and tell us what are the most important moments until today when the old "Ad Nauseam" demo, recorded back in 2005, was re-released under the banner of Sepulchral Productions from Quebec!
Monarque: Well, I've been working hard for almost 6 years now, to create my own Black Metal. I'm not claiming to be original, but I put my heart and soul in everything I touch. A lot of good things have happened in the Monarque camp since 2003, of course the release of my demo in 2005 was a big step for me, but until now, 2 tours, a couple of splits with bands I respect, and a lot of side-projects have kept me busy. I'm sure there is a lot more to come!
Arcana Noctis: What will be the major differences between the old demo and the new concept, apart from the 4 new songs recorded on it?
Monarque: Well, instead of a programmed drum, I yet again used the talented Auster (Esker, Veneficium, Utlagr, Superior Enlightenment) as a session drummer, this bringing a lot of new dynamics to the songs. I also re-recorded all the vocals, guitars, and bass. I had the help of Le Mort (who was a live session for the band at that time) to do guitars as well, and my good friend Atheos for the few synths. I see this release as a complete new album, not only the reworked demo. The original demo was limited to 100 at the time, so now this Black Metal propaganda can be shared on a bigger scale.
Arcana Noctis: At the very beginning this band called Monarque was a one-man band, but what's the status today?
Monarque: I am still a one-man band. I tried to make it a full band, but it just didn't work out. So I'm keeping the full control of everything that I create, and I ask for friends to help me out on a few issues that I just can't myself.
Arcana Noctis: I wrote that out there in Canada, Quebec region precisely, we can find a very interesting Black Metal scene, a reborn of the Norwegian Black Metal from the 90s. What is all about exactly?
Monarque: I think you have it right. I also see this sort of as a Norway #2. In that sense, I'm not saying that we are copying them, we all have our own sounds and ideas, but I mean that there is a good amount of bands lately that have appeared with very original material, something we hadn't in the past few years. The scene is still blooming, but the essence is there, and there is more to come.
Arcana Noctis: Your band plays Black Metal, sometimes melodic, sometimes very raw! What could you tell us about the musical content imagined by Monarque, about the combination of 2 very interesting extreme Metal styles: the Raw Black Metal and the Melodic Black Metal?
Monarque: I'm trying to explore different horizons within the Black Metal genre. I am guided by my feelings and I'm not following any trendy type of Black Metal. I do what I do because I like it. Always doing the same thing would be very boring, that's why I tend to explore more and more...
Arcana Noctis: The cover artwork is very minimalist; I could say in the purest Dark Throne way! Why don't you try to imagine something more expressive, something that very easily could express the musical content of your materials?
Monarque: See answer in question above.
Arcana Noctis: The lyrical content brings in front of us a poetical dimension in the purest French tradition of the 19th century. Could you please tell us what is your point of view concerning the band lyrics?
Monarque: My lyrics are very poetical. Sometimes I used texts written before the songs, sometimes I write lyrics after the music is done. It all refers to my feelings yet again. My texts are for the most part very blasphemous, while others are more personal or occult.
Arcana Noctis: You chose to name the band Monarque, and the instrumentalist too! Do you fell to be superior to the others? What means exactly for you this word Monarque?
Monarque: I chose this name for the band and myself because I am the band. Do I feel superior to other people, certainly. Everyone, no. It is all a question of perceptions. Monarque means a lot to me, it is a symbol, an extension of myself. I chose this name because I am ruling my creations, I am the king in my darkness and art, and no one can take that away from me.
Arcana Noctis: As we can see you're using the French language in your lyrics! Do you think that is the most important way to express your feelings, or is it a resistance against the Anglophones?
Monarque: French is my mother tongue. A lot of bands are writing in English just hoping they'll get more popular, fuck that! This is the language I speak everyday, and Monarque has up to now, always been a francophone project.
Arcana Noctis: Last year you played an interesting tour with Utlagr between 9.02 and 22.03.2008 under the banner of "Traditions And Blasphemes" imagined by your label Sepulchral Productions! Tell us a few things about this tour and what are your feelings after one year!
Monarque: This was an awesome experience. I was not signed so Sepulchral at the time, after seeing how we performed live, he asked to sign me. The tour was an amazing event. We did killer shows, met a lot of cool people, got drunk all the time. There was a lot of action, there was even a bomb alert during one of our set in Quebec, fights, beautiful landscapes on the road, really, an amazing experience.
Arcana Noctis: As I have already stated you are a Sepulchral Productions band, as Utlagr is! How did you find this label and what should we know about the other bands signed with the home recordings I've mentioned above?
Monarque: Yes, Sepulchral released the "Ad Nauseam" album, in March 2009. You can check out his website to learn more about other bands on that same label. Lots of good stuff up to now actually.
Arcana Noctis: At the same label you signed the other band you're playing with, Sui Caedere! The brand new album called "Threne" is finally out thanks to this label; and it introduces for us a torturing Doom/Black Metal very well emphasized by the lyrical content that brings in front of us very interesting lines made by Emile Nelligan, a very known poet from the Quebec area! Can you give us more details about this band and its album?
Monarque: This was a completely different experience for me than with Monarque, since I was only singing songs that I had not even written. Emile Nelligan died in an asylum, he was a really tortured individual, and I tried to sing his poems the best I could. I am quite proud with the result. The second album will not be so conceptual, but still very different from what we hear here in Quebec's Metal scene.
Arcana Noctis: Apart from the 2 bands I've mentioned above you are playing in some other projects such as Monarkh, Carrion Wraith and Blackwind. What could you tell us about your activity in the 3 bands I've mentioned above?
Monarque: Monarkh is another experiment, this is my Dark Ambient/Noise project, nightmarish soundscapes. Carrion Wraith was a conceptual depressive Black Metal project, our album has been recorded in one week only! Improvised, with yet such a flowing dark mood to it. Our album is out on Ars Magna Recordings. I am not a member of Blackwind anymore. I did my first live shows as a guitarist with them, and recorded guitars on their full length, that's it.
Arcana Noctis: Also, I know that you are very involved in the Canadian underground extreme Metal scene thanks to your label called Les Productions Hérétiques founded in 2007! Did you released something until now, and what are your plans concerning the future of your label?
Monarque: Yes, I have released a few things. The first Csejthe release, as well as the Blackwind full length. I have also released the Culte d'Ebola MCD, the Pestroyer limited demo tape, as well as various Monarque items. I will release the first Chasse-Gallerie CD this autumn!!! Be sure to check it out at www.productionsheretiques.com!
Arcana Noctis: In the end I'd like you to tell us what are your future plans concerning all the bands you're playing with, but especially when a new Monarque album will be realised?
Monarque: Well, the future is uncertain. I am working on a few splits with Monarque, but for a full length, I cannot inform anyone yet, as I don't know myself! I am the full time bassist in Pestroyer, this is my main project besides Monarque now. There is also a new Sui Caedere on the way, and a few new projects I cannot talk about yet.
Arcana Noctis: As you can see we arrived to the end! I hope to hear soon about you and I wish you good luck in all your activities. You have the last word to conclude the interview!
Monarque: Thank you very much for your interest in my projects! Best luck with your webzine!