NOIRE: I won't ask you to introduce yourself for evident reasons but let's focus on your story a bit...

Archaon: I'm Archaon, 1349's guitarist. Ravn, our vocalist wanted to call the band 1349 and with the former guitarist, wanted to play more primitive black metal music. They wanted to play pure guitar, drums without romanticizing and maintain hardcore music. That was the mission from the beginning. I joined a year later (1998) and I started to write music instantly. A year after, Frost joined the band too. We recorded our first EP, 1349, in 2001 without a label contract. Our debut album, Liberation, was born in 2003.

NOIRE: Frost was a a session member at first.

Archaon: Yes, for half a year or so. And he liked the music so much that he decided to joined the band. Helpful for us, of course.

NOIRE: Indeed, because he was already known from his incredible drumming skills.

Archaon: There's a couple of sides to that. When you have such a profile into your band, you know that he can have priorities, like playing elsewhere, but he said he only wanted two bands full time. We had to accept that he might be busy with Satyricon but he wants to play with us as often as possible and he does! If he's busy with Satyricon, we are blessed to have another great drummer to take his place.

NOIRE: Do you think Frost pushed the band further into extreme BM?

Archaon: Absolutely, he plays an important part of the game, yes.

NOIRE : Why did you want to call the band after the year of the Norwegian Black Plague?

Archaon: It's indeed the year the Black Plague came onto Bergen, in Norway. It wiped out the population. It's a really dark story of course, very suiting for black metal.

NOIRE : We have a black and death band in France inspired by the greek black plague episode, called Maladist.

Archaon: I will listen to them, thank you!

NOIRE : The title of your latest album, "The Wolf and the King", comes from an old alchemy symbol about purity and purification. I discussed with the band Bliss Of Flesh about metempsychosis. Do you relate to this concept of spiritual rebirth?

Archaon: We are entangled into concepts like that, we want to put meaning into it. We are inspired by literature, music and are deeply intrigued by outer world elements. Our interest are kind of holistic. Our bassist, Seidemann, was interested by magic in his younger years. The idea of this alchemic symbol is to become the better version of yourself through suffering, to reach the optimal version of yourself in the end.

NOIRE : You seem well acquainted with hermeticism. Do you think that black metal can hold a secret occult meaning and how does that connect to your own compositions?

Archaon: The nature of black metal has got this extradimensional aspect in it. As death and thrash at the time weren't involved into that kind of themes, we explored them in a more sophisticated manner. With black metal taking another perspective on music, it opened to a lot of different inputs, where we question (we all do in the band) our surroundings, our existence and nature. It's a really important part of black metal to have a dimension included into it, an extra layer of philosophy. The bigger fear, in my eyes is to lock oneself into one concept. It's important to keep an opened mind so we can benefit from that.

NOIRE : What is the essence of black metal to you?

Archaon: Black Metal has a rebellious element in its core and inspires a certain freedom, that I don't think you can find in any other metal genre. There is freedom you must find and preserve in the genre. In the same time, we were united around one angle and didn't want the genre to be so washed out, keep black metal into a traditional form. Within that core, within those instruments, narrow the elements down to widen the perspective. It's about how to express extreme feelings and techniques, as speed. NOIRE : It's not only a catharsis, as we read everywhere.

Archaon: Speed is only a way of expressing ourself and composing. It's about emotions. Every song has its own identity, to have ingredients. Not too much, not too little, but what serves the composition.

NOIRE : Every instrument, every lyrics is a story in itself. And your live shows as well. They are highly visuals and intense. I saw you at Tyrant Fest for instance. Do you consider the stage as the physical fulfillement of this purification through chaos?

Archaon: In a way, yes absolutely. During a live, you take out the energy, it's an outlet for ourselves and our dark energies, where we can express them, take them out and alter to another persona, and object that to the outer worlds. Like theater, in a way, but with a real frame.

Thanks to Muscadeath, M&O Office Agency and Archeon from 1349.