(On June 10th the Antiq label released Assiégé pour l’Eternité, a special recasting of the influential debut album by the French medieval black metal band Véhémence. In the following very interesting interview Comrade Aleks makes a deep dive into the changes wrought through this recasting with Véhémence founder Tulzcha and vocalist Hyver.)
The French band Véhémence was started as a solo project by Tulzcha, who decided to try his talent at this endeavor on his own. His first album, Assiege (2014), was noticed, and over time, Tulzcha formed a team, which today includes Antiq Records owner Leon Ghiselin (aka Hyver), drummer Thomas Leiner, and bassist Konstantin Korolev, whom you might recognize from Passéisme.
Over three albums, the project grew so much that it was decided to completely re-record the first album, revamping the arrangements, adding lead guitar parts, live drums, violin, flute, and more. Additionally, the lyrics were updated, now even more in keeping with Véhémence’s medieval fantasy, and, of course, the cover art was also updated. The songs remain recognizable, but at the same time, it’s impossible to ignore how they’ve changed for the better.
Tonight I invite you to the realms of medieval black metal with Tulzcha and Hyver as our guides.
Hi Tulzcha and Hyver! How are you? How do you prepare for the release of Véhémence’s Assiégé Pour l’Éternité? Do you plan to perform the album live?
Tulzcha: Hi and thank you for the interview! We are alive, that’s already a positive thing! We are also very excited to release Assiégé pour l’Éternité, as this album condensates the identity of Par le Sang Versé and Ordalies in a 42-min blasting moment. No live show is planned for now, it would be too difficult to put in place and we have no time for this at the moment.
Hyver: Hie! We’re good! very excited to share this album with you. As for now, no live performance is planned.
Assiégé Pour l’Éternité is a whole re-composition of Véhémence’s debut album Assiégé; there are the same tracks but the duration differs a bit, and there’s an updated lineup. Firstly, why did you decide to re-record this album? Were you so dissatisfied with the original material?
Tulzcha: Assiégé was the first album of Véhémence. At that time I was alone in the project, supported by B.R. for the vocals and lyrics. This album was very childish from the beginning to the end yet very sincere in its emotions and riffing. This was the beginning of Véhémence’s life and a new era for me as a musician, as I used to always play in various bands before, so it opened the door to “solo composition” which I preferred over “group composition”. I had the opportunity to deploy my vision of music, it was like a rebirth for me and so this is why I like this album so much. Now Véhémence really took off when Hyver joined the adventure, we released Par le Sang Versé together, and this is where the embryo that was Assiégé became a real Dragon. This is the union of our visions, talents and above all a deep friendship and respect that created the real Véhémence.
We are very complementary with Hyver: I had the riffing, the musical creativity, the sound, and he brought amazing vocals, deep lyrics, and stunning visuals to Véhémence. At the time he also advised me to have a real drummer and a decent sound engineer and this is where Thomas Leitner and Stefan Traunmüller entered, and since then we are unbreakable.
So, to answer the question more precisely, the primary reason to re-record Assiégé was to give Hyver the opportunity to definitely merge with Véhémence, letting him re-write the story with me and together become “immortal”. This is also true for Thomas and Stefan who are still there, stronger than ever. We also welcomed Konstantin Korolev, from the great band Passéisme, who played the bass on Assiégé Pour l’Éternité. Now Assiégé pour l’Éternité, Par le Sang Versé and Ordalies are part of a unified trilogy.
Hyver: Some subtleties of the composition and the lyrics were lost in the ancient sound. The album reclaimed a recording of its own, with real drums and real bass, and with a shrine renewed!
How much did you change the songs’ structure? Or how much of the original Assiégé is left there after all?
Tulzcha: Assiégé pour l’Éternité is like Assiégé that has been mixed with Ordalies and Par le Sang Versé : the basis and structure remain more or less the same, but we have added tons of new leads and folk instruments. There is not one single song that you would not recognize if you already know Assiégé, nor a single song where you will not notice a new lead, a new riff, or a flute or violin that was not there initially. This is for this reason, and all the ones explained in the previous question, that we decided to brand Assiégé pour l’Éternité as a new album. Moreover the album now has a proper sound: real drums done by Thomas (I hate programmed drums), great guitar sound, inspired lyrics, and true vocals… This is how Assiégé should have sounded right from the start!
There’s a new blood in Véhémence. How did you collaborate with KK during recording? I know that Antiq released his band Passéisme, but wasn’t it easier to find someone from France?
Tulzcha: Konstantin Korolev is a great bass player, so the collaboration was very fluid because the guy knows his topic, he plays very well and is very efficient. Also I wanted to try a bass player who plays with his fingers instead of a guitar pick, and this works very well.
Hyver: The fact that KK has a strong Pink Floyd influence brought some prog and also some new vibrations. The finger game also was a strong stance against the poor musicianship that is often seen in bass playing in black metal. The man knows how to enhance a double bass. I had worked with him in Hyver and Grylle so I knew his medieval breath was authentic!
You changed the original artwork, a logical step for a new release, but you also re-recorded lyrics entirely too. How much did you change in the texts? Did you change the songs’ plot or only some phrases?
Hyver: The artwork: using the ancient Turner’s composition to fit with a new illumination in the style of the two other albums was legit. Of course the blue and yellow tones are mandatory so we remind Assiégé. Sing anew, but remember the old times!
Also the texts needed partly some more coherence, partly some new words since they were forgotten and not available in the first CD. And thirdly they needed to fit with the Véhémence universe and the Kingdom of Arencia. Véhémence is a universe where magic elements take place and are acknowledged and some mysterious magic also happens on the top of it. It is a precise universe, with a lot of references, crossed-actions, winkles, flashbacks, and forward.
The songs’ themes have remained, but in a sense with only a few words, the story became more precise. “Le Sang Respire Encore” lyrics took a new breath and comes now in the circle of the overthrowing of the Kingdom of Arencia. It’s a cornerstone of the event, because it’s the time the 4 heirs are killed so the bloodline of the Dead King is cut. I used what I heard from BR’s vocals, and only needed to add or change a few words.
As if… the story was already written!
Some songs like “Assiégé Pour l’Eternité” or “Chant d’Honneur” needed no lyrical change, so to say. A few additions though to make the concept more bright.
I found your sum-up of each song’s lyrics in the press-sheet, is it something you’re tired of discussing?
Hyver: No I could go on for hours. I have infos about the Besieged Man, in Assiégé. He was betrayed, in multiple ways, and now he finds he only can act by throwing himself in the abyss.
Véhémence is a universe, and plotlines in this universe. You can ask me about details, characters, and so on. Everything can be explained and discussed!
However… how did you come up with the “Celestial Chivalry” / “De Célestes Cavalcades” concept? Is it based on some historical or mythical characters?
Hyver: “De Célestes Cavalcades” was already written, with a main theme about joustering and tournaments, but not a precise concept. “Celestial Chivalry” now, is a concept that fitted well the ancient and new lyrics of the song. The sword is heavenly and the body of the knight is earthly. Both answer to a quest of absolute, in the heavens. The Knights Rule or Way is the invitation to the journey to the stars.
“Celestial Chivalry” is a real concept, now defined in the XXth century, but well existing in the Middle Ages. Lancelot, Galahad, Arthur, Yvain, and others: Celestial Knights; their quests are situated in the concept. They don’t seek the Grail for themselves, they seek it for the GOOD and for their fellow humans. They are not all wise, not all fully good or perfect knights, but they look for the good.
They have control upon their destiny, they are not victims of times. They are not obeying a law, they are following a path. Animals by body (Arthur is literally a BEAR, Yvain is a Lion), they are humans by their swords, which is an incarnation of their spirituality. Dragons, Monsters, are an incarnation of their weaknesses and fears.
“Heavens Chivalry which I behold, have a prayer for those who are on Earth” Dante.
When you refer to “medieval” culture or stories in general in lots in your songs, do you try to fit everything in a specific age or do you use it just as a background for your own stories?
Hyver: It’s more than a background, and it’s not narrow like a specific event. It’s just the spirit of the Middle Ages. It’s a culture, and a way to be, to think, and to act.
The last Véhémence album Ordalies was released four years ago. Do you have some new songs which you’re ready to release as an LP or EP? By the way, does a smaller format like EPs or splits fit your vision of the band?
Tulzcha: I have a lot of riffs ready, some of them very old, some quite new. Hyver recently discovered some forgotten gems that I had sent him years ago (more or less during the Par le Sang Versé album and sometimes even before). So yes, we have materials but I want a fresh new guitar sound for the future Véhémence release, so I am currently working on it. Also I have less and less time to create music these past years, so it’s good to have a huge bucket of riffs on the table to work on.
Regarding EPs, we already released an acoustic one, a very limited edition called les Devises Héroïques and we made a riddle game for our fans — 6 of them have won a physical copy of Assiégé pour l’Éternité. So we are ready to do more if we think it is worth it. We don’t want to release the unwanted songs of an album in EPs, it’s disrespectful to our fans.
Regarding the splits, this is exactly the same as I just mentioned for EPs. We have one good 12-min song that is in its final form and could serve for a split, but I am looking for good compositions from the other band too. I want the band we will collaborate with to be in the same state of mind as us. If I don’t like the music proposed by the other band or if I don’t find it amazing, it will not work. I am very demanding when it comes to music, be it with myself or the others.
Hyver: Some new and older tunes exist. But the gems need some polishing, to be proper. As Tulzcha said, we hold immense respect to our supporters and fans; we want them to have the best experience to dive into the immense universe of Véhémence. Véhémence has a meaning: Vehe (to carry) Mens (the spirit). So the spirit has to be polished and varnished and the vehicle (same semantic root yes!) has to be tuned to it. A treasure, yes, in a shrine that is itself a treasure and a rare piece.
The vehicle is the prophet of the divine, and thus, divine itself by nature and destination.
After all, the Grail is the recipient, and is as precious as the liquid in it.
You look for the Holy? Look for the Grail. You look for the Mens? Look for the Véhicle. Sword and arm, Act and Word. Guitar and Lyrical work.
Now, as Tulzcha said, we are looking for the right Gold Nuggets to start the Goldsmithery. The Guitar Sound. Starting from there, we will start the hammering, finding the gems, drawing the lines and the decorative motives.
What’s your further plans regarding Véhémence?
Tulzcha: Taking pleasure in creating music at our own pace is the key principle of our creation process. We craft riffs and lyrics like a blacksmith, we aim for authenticity first and will never be able to release 1 album a year. I can for instance enter into a kind of hibernation phase and stop playing the guitar for one entire year before getting struck by inspiration and release 3 new songs.
Hyver : That Tulzcha said with such winged words, and, giving pleasure with poetry, universe, shaping the characters of the songs, exploring complex interactions of magic and marvel.
Hyver, Antiq Records already released a bunch of albums this year, do you have something else in the label’s schedule?
You might adore Hanternoz, Zmyrna, and there is a bunch of other things I can’t wait for you to listen to!!!
New Hyver albums as well, but it’s raw. But full of nice feelings!
https://vehemencembm.bandcamp.com/album/assi-g-pour-l-ternit
https://antiqofficial.bandcamp.com/