(Today we present Comrade Aleks’ very interesting discussion with the Swiss band Vígljós, whose latest album was released last September by Les Acteurs de l’Ombre Productions.)
These days, it’s incredibly difficult for bands of any genre to surprise listeners. Of course, not everyone is interested in the thrill of jazz syncopation in extreme metal or groundbreaking special effects performed by artificial intelligence, but you’ll agree that, despite our reverent attachment to certain genre staples, sometimes we crave something new.
The Swiss black metal band Vígljós found an original solution by basing their first album, Tome I: Apidæ, last year on etudes about the life of bees, or something similar. This year, the band of beekeepers invited a new member with his own instrument, the mellotron, and recorded a concept album about ergotism epidemics in Medieval Europe. Vígljós cleverly played with the famous imagery of Bruegel’s creepy beekeepers on the new cover, retelling the story of mass insanity and death in the universal language of music.
The unadulterated aggression of blast beats and the supreme inhuman screams set the tone of the album, but they are softened by a morbid melancholy, bitter as the noxious poison of metaphysical ergot. In short, the atypicality and originality of Tome II extends beyond the band’s visual image, and that’s truly remarkable. Of course, we couldn’t pass by a band with an imagination of such a scale, so here’s the interview with Vígljós’ collective mind.
Hail Vígljós! What’s new in your camp? Did you manage to finish all deals regarding the new album’s release?
Hey there! We’ve just returned from the last couple of shows of another extensive touring period. Now we’re taking a little break until we head out again in spring!
Was it your solo-tour or did you travel in a company of some brethren in arms?
Sadly not, we travelled alone but, in the future, would definitely want to take some artists we appreciate with us.
What are your overall impressions from the tour? Was it worth spending the time and energy?
Our investment isn’t depending on financial or personal benefits. We play live because we believe in what we’re doing. Nevertheless, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. But that’s not why we’re doing it. Travelling and diving into every local bubble is tremendously inspiring, and experiencing how differently people take our art makes it worth it in the first place. Facing another stage, infrastructure, and crowd every night is a stimulating challenge.
How far did you get with Vígljós this time? Did you expand your geography?
We played a lot of places we haven’t before, especially the Balkans. Maybe that’s the main force that keeps us going, pushing boundaries and exploring new territories. It’s the same reason why we are embarking on an extended Africa Tour next year, playing Kenya, Mozambique, Botswana, South Africa, and Angola. Metal is about breaching boundaries, and how could you do it better, than by going places unknown to you.
Tome II – ignis sacer was released on September 19, and in this place I probably need to ask you how people react to it, yet what about you? Did you revalue this material? Did you find some flaws or things that please you as its author?
We played almost all of the songs live at some point and made some tweaks and changes to them so they fit our performative pace and work well on stage. But that’s different, we’re not really the looking-back kind of people. A good album is about capturing a moment, reworking it over and over again makes it lose much of the initial magic.
You recorded at Hutch Sounds studio with Marc Obrist. How did you learn about this place? It seems that very few metal bands recorded there including Echolot where one of Vígljós’ members play.
Marc is a very old friend of ours and some of us worked with him before on various other things. When he started being a part of Zeal & Ardor, he built this studio, for recording them as well as others. His workflow, almost Rick-Rubinesque understanding of what’s important, as well as just the beautiful studio itself made us come back everytime.
From the start you used an image of beekeepers depicted in Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s work. I know that it’s difficult to create something original in almost any genre, yet you succeeded in making a certain emphasis on the visual side of Vígljós. How difficult was it to build this image and collect all parts of this work starting with theTome II – ignis sacer artwork by Adrian Smith and finishing with your own photo sessions?
Vígljós is a wholesome piece of art, or at least that’s our understanding of it. You cannot separate the music from the imagery or the lore. If an artistic vision is good, everything comes together easily. With Ignis sacer, we had the concept brewing for a while until we felt it was ripe. Then we approached Adrian Smith and let him in on our ideas. And he came up with a gorgeous peace of art.
Your first album Tome I: Apidæ dealt with bees and… their behaviours?… Tome II is a concept album based on a historical epidemic of ergotism in Europe. How did you come up with such a plot? Wasn’t it a kind of kitsch for kitsch’s sake from a start?
Well, the lifecycle of a beehive as well as the effects of ergotism can be very powerful allegories for things that are right or wrong in our daily world. We much more see them as fable-like narratives that give us another angle to look at things. And music, especially Metal, lives from good stories and dramaturgy. Calling it kitsch is probably the wrong word for it, maybe enhancing reality with a touch of fantasy and mysticism would be more accurate. And honestly, cut us some slack, the world is dull and grey enough, a touch of kitsch won’t hurt.
At the same time, your music is deep-rooted in ’90s black metal… I can’t use the “Second Wave” definition, because Mercyful Fate or Venom barely have something in common with black metal besides some visual aspects and lyrics… however, it’s interesting that you tried to renew the sound but not too much, as you managed to keep the balance between this “root” sound and some modifications. Did you have to struggle in order to keep it?
Our sound came together quite naturally, just by who we are as a group and what we listen to. Apparently we’re a good mix. There wasn’t a lot of struggle really.
Did you search for a specific, different vibe for the new songs, as their concept differs from the one you put intoTome I: Apidæ?
Recording music, like taking a photo, is always momentary. We resonated with each other, shared visions and creative inputs, and at some point, decided what kind of sound and drive we want to pursuit. Like carving a crystal from a rock, the raw material was there and we had to figure out how to make it shine in this context. We have a very playful approach towards music and that’s probably benefitting us a lot in that regard.
How did you find a place for the mellotron? I absolutely appreciate how it is woven into the canvas of Tome II.
Thanks! Funnily enough, as we were looking for a bass player, the person we asked just showed up with this setup and it made complete sense to us. It was what Bob Ross would probably call a “happy accident.”
You tell the story of the ergotism phenomenon in European history through this album, and it is considered an effect on society. Civil unrests, witch crazes, social meltdowns, etc. – just like you mentioned in the press release. Did you think that nowadays disturbances of such kind may be a result of not just psychological but also physical poisoning?
I’m sorry I don’t understand this question.
I mean don’t you think that the world’s madness today could be a result of a real epidemic of a similar kind?
No, there is no physical “stupidity virus” of some kind. We use this narrative as an allegory. The challenges we face these days are not some fungus on our crops but the overwhelming impact of technology. Everything is possible — with AI, everything is plausable, everything is subjective, and everything is possibly just adding to the constant white noise that’s surrounding us. We dropped out of evolution and “nature” long ago, and as a result the challenges we face are entirely self-made. It is our own, and only our own, responsibility to envision and create another world.
You also say that you honour this way “the impact that Claviceps (and later LSD) and drugs in general had and still have on art, music, as well as the terror and depravity they brought upon us.” Honestly I don’t know anything about Claviceps influences on art besides a medieval engraving that depicts the ill and Vígljós itself. Can you enlighten me on this topic?
Claviceps is believed to have been actively consumed by artists such as Bosch or Brueghel. A lot of, what we would call medieval psychedelia, is believed to source from Claviceps trips. The Isenheim Altar in Colmar would be another example that depicts this. And then of course LSD got synthesized from it later which led to a whole another explosion of art and music.
Oh, I should learn this story better. By the way, how much of it is in Tome II? Does it help to create under influences?
Substances might help you to see the world from a different angle, but experiencing them is very subjective. Recording an album whilst being drunk, stoned, or high might be a lucky shot or would feel great on an individual basis, but the goal we’re striving for has to be to create something that extends beyond a spontaneous delirious outburst. Possibly other artists can do it, but we’d rather infuse our art with the influences we take from past experiences.
Do you already have ideas for Tome III? How do you see the band’s prospects?
We had a brief exchange of ideas a couple of days ago. Exploring the perception of the material realm as a whole would be worth a deep dive. But there’s no fixed schedule yet. If we feel there’s another story to tell, there will be another tome.
I got you! Thank you very much for this interview! I wish you all the best with Vígljós. Did we skip something important?
Hopefully not, thanks for these intriguing questions! Take care, be queer, do crime!
https://www.facebook.com/vigljos
https://ladlo.bandcamp.com/album/tome-ii-ignis-sacer