1. Greetings. You introduce yourself in a way, that is not very common oversea, on „Neurasthenie“. We could say, that it was a little bit risky. So I would like to ask you about the responses of your fans? How does your debut get along?

We could say that our approach of black metal is risky, yes, but I’m not sure if it is what you mean. As for the response of our “ fans“ and people in general, it is pretty good, some of them don’t really like “Neurasthénie“, but as weird as it may seam, conceptually, “Neurasthénie“ is not supposed to be an excellent album, it represents the primary state of soul; disgust, suffering and hatred. “Neurasthénie“ is ugly and devoid. Suffering is our best vector to beauty and light.

2. You write your lyrics either in English or in French. Why do you just write your song in one of these languages and not in the other? What differences do you find between French and English, as for your lyrics; which of them is closer to you and why?

We used to use the English tongue, but we quickly forsaken it. This is due to the fact that the english language has a neutrality, a universality that is not appriotate for what we want to vehiculate with Niflheim. The french language has (to us) much more variety and subtilities, and that is what makes its beauty. We already compared it with german which is more raw and cold and with spanish which is hot and soft. Unlike those two tongues, french has a more colorful form, it mixes rawness and softness, warth and frigidity. In fact, a bit because it is our tongue, in matters of languages, french is the most precise reflection of what we are as beings.We now use french poetry to extract the precious essence that lies in every word and to symbolise the wordless abstractions of the soul and imagination..

3. Are you anyhow limited with genre (as for Niflheim), can we expect any diversion in the future? Your music on „Neurathenie“ simply flows, we can feel out your musical enthusiasm, could you say, that the album was created without any anxiety...?

The creation and recording process of “Neurasthénie“ was done really fast, it just happened how it was meant to happen, and that didn’t let place to anxiety (Niflheim is often a healing to our anxiety and anguish). And, as you mentioned, even if “Neurasthénie” is raw and more or less primitive, there is still an underlying and quiet vibe that tends to express itself through our music. It happens that this vibe is in fact the particular soul and core of our music, and as for the future, we will let it bloom, and then, finally, flourish.

4. Could you tell me something about your upcoming album? What would you say about it to entice us? Could you somehow compare it with "Neurasthénie"?

If “Neurasthénie“ represents the horrible reaction of the soul to hatred, grief and sorrow, then our second album represents its reclusion within itself, her inner forest. It will express the incertitude and doubt, but also the opening horizons that lies in the “way“ to what we could call “the heart of things“, god or satan for some, liberty for others...but these are just different human words to symbolise one and unique thing. So, musically, it will be much different from “Neurasthénie“.


5. I must say, that the mood of your album is very captivating, the atmosphere consumed me completely... What „kind“ of mood would you say it is, how would you describe it? Does it probably reflect something? Is there any song or (part of) lyric on your album, that you really and particularly like?

Look to what we said above, it is a pretty good answer. We both like the fact that the album is cut in two parts by “Elder moons“, because it brings us to the fact that little things and moments in life have the power to “freeze“ our suffering, to take us somewhere else.

6. Your performing is pretty mysterious, you just do not show your faces... Are you more glad to let your music speak instead of you (your words...)?

Yes, we are naturally appealed by what is mysterious, weird and unknown. As for the pictures (which were done to represent the horrified and feeble soul, and not us as human beings),we just did not want to show our faces because our physical aspect has no importance, what is important is the mind, the heart, the soul that lies in it (not talking only about us) and we prefered to let “them“ talk.

7. Niflheim is a dyad, how do you work, compose? Isn´t it sometimes disturbing for you, that you have to share and discuss your ideas with somebody else? Or does the cooperation suit you well?

We compose riffs and ideas most of the time seperately, but we always forge the songs together. And no, it is not disurbing at all, Neptune and Orion are complimentary parts of the ship that is Niflheim to us, and with only Neptune or only Orion, it wouldn’t go far, it is our union that creates the greater wind that can take it away.

8. I´d dare to say, that for the most of people is music especially the way of expressing their feelings, ideas, just themselves – but there are also a plenty of other ways to expresse it, I mean just other forms of art. Why music then? - I mean, what´s the importance or meaning of the music for you, why do you confess your thoughts/feelings exactly to it...?

Why music? Mostly because it does not have to interact with words, it talks by itself, in its own particular language which has an immense power and vasts horizons, and also because we have particular habilities with it, but we also cherrish any other form of art.

9. Which instrument is your favourite? Is there any, that would have a better „ability“ of expressing things then other instruments – in your opinion?

Let’s say that drums are the step’s sound of the body who walks courageously to his dream of flesh, bass is the echoes of his toughts, guitars are the vibrations of the mind who hit the wall of his prison to free himself from fears. Keyboard is the aura of the being who shines to illuminate the path of thruth, strings (violins and cello in the future) are the souls who are honest with themselves and chants are simply the heart, tortured and beautiful, of the orchestra..


10. I´d like to ask you about your label, you have a contract with. Forteresse, Sombres Forets, Niflheim, these are the best and the most original bands in Canada. I have already asked Annatar, don´t you think, that it has something to do with the fact, that you all come from Quebec? You don´t seem to belong to those oversea rats, which are not very favourite in Europe.

Physical emplacement is not important. There are diamonds and maggots everywhere. Concerning the label, we are very satisfied of myrkhaal’s work.

11. What kind of music do you like the most? I mean both generally (quiescent, hard, atmospherical music, … ) and concretely, your favourite genres and especially bands/composers/musicians, you really like... Just tell me about your taste in music.

Almost everything... it only has to be honest and impassioned. From Radiohead and Daniel Bélanger, to Arsis and Nile. Passing by Yann Tiersen and Apocalypstica. We also really appreciate classical composers as Mozart, Rachmaninov, Mendelssohn. In terms of black metal : Beatrik, Shining, Peste Noire, Xasthur, Burzum (obviously) and many others. A band that we respect a lot is Alcest because it is filled by the same purity that we want to show ourselves.

12. I´d like to ask you about your general attitude to black metal scene, if you know, what I mean. How yould you characterize or what would you say about this music, its philosophy, history and also people, who deal with it?

Black metal is just a human appelation for a music that takes its essence directly from feelings. Most of the popular music we hear comes from radio, and it is for most of the time, joyful, happy (violet/pink, easter style music!). That is why most “black metallers“ think they must vehiculate darkness, violence and unholiness because it is opposite to popular music. But they forget that the “joy“ and “happiness“ in popular music are empty. Any artist must not see only light or darkness, but concentrate on colors. This being said, we do not consider ourselves as “true black metallers“.

13. I´d like to ask you about some of your sources of inspiration besides music? Are there – for instance – some artists, writers/books, movies, that impressed you a lot or affected you?

There is too much things that inspire us to enumerate them all. Briefly, we could say that movies like American Beauty, Edward Scissorhands, Pay it forward, Seven, Saw, authors like Werber, Baudelaire, Suskind, Bach and painters like Dali, Doré, Kittelsen, Picasso, Beksinski, Giffie have had an important impact on us. Personally (Orion), the recent book that shook me a lot, is Le vide by Patrick Sénécal and for me (Neptune) Jonathan Livingston, Seagull by Richard Bach is one of the most beautiful story I have read.


14. Tell me about something, you like and you deal with in your spare time – besides music again :) Is there anything, that you couldn´t imagine your day/life without?

Solitude, reflexion, aknowledgement...and a cigaret with my coffee. (Orion)...and me playing acoustic guitar besides (Neptune)...

15. I´d be interested in your general view of world, society? And please, don´t speak just about the bad things (like most people do, when you ask them such a question :), there certainly must be something, you like about them...

We cannot explain this properly and entirely in an interview (our past answers may give you some hints). We prefer to focus on the inner world and not the outer, a world we can fulfill as we wish, with what we like and without the problems of external relations. We are rather individualistic persons (do not confuse with selfishness) and we cherrish to few people we like. And again, there are maggots and diamonds everywhere...

16. Are you rather extroversive, communicative, do you percieve the world well, or rather introverted?

We simply have complementary natures.

16. Thanks for everything... Mortem zine wishes you good luck into the future... The last lines are yours.

...Pourquoi s’éterniser?