We got to talk to Chants of Maldoror a Deathrock band from Italy that started in 1994. Although, no longer active as a band, Chants of Maldoror remain loved by their fans and know people would love to know what they have been up to! This interview was written by Ian, Alice Something, and myself (Morticia) we hope you enjoy this band interview with Chants of Maldoror! We had so much fun talking with them! Get some tea, coffee or whatever you wanna drink and enjoy the read!
It sounds like outside of the music you collaborated on you’re all pretty
artistic on your own in other ways, what media or forms of art do you all do?
Do you focus on similar themes to those you focused on in Chants of
Maldoror or do something else entirely? - Alice Something
Adolphe: Unfortunately, I totally lack of perseverance and self-discipline, so I've never managed to finish a painting in my entire life, even if painting is perhaps my greatest love... My most recent projects were more mixed-media oriented, with organic materials and dead things... for what about themes and inspirations, let's say that they are close to the Chants of Maldoror’s ones.
David: My favorite artistic medium is music, but recently I've become interested in video production for the making of the video clips of my current band, Sorry, Heels. Another medium I like is digital graphics, but it's more related to my profession. Surely the experience with Chants of Maldoror has left a mark, but I don't look at the past for my current artistic productions.
Echo: The artistic medium that I have always preferred is cinematic and video storytelling, because it allows you to create a parallel world made up of stories, images and certainly music and sounds. An unsurpassed mix in which creativity can express itself in all its forms. The love for music (which unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to devote myself to in recent years) and for painting, however, are the basis of everything. The artistic experience with Chants of Maldoror remains one of the most beautiful and meaningful experiences of my life. We were young, ambitious, full of energy and so much more... a beautiful story!
Fabiano (Loren): Yes. Some would say that I am an “artist”, but I’ve never been too keen with this definition, especially with the laughable reality of today’s art. If I have to, I prefer to define myself as a “creative person”. Anyway, other than music, I do drawings and watercolors in the vein of the Symbolist artists of the past centuries… so I’m not going too far from the Chants of Maldoror concept, I believe.
Can you tell me about Sacred Legion? When did you start that band, and how
has it been going so far? - Morticia
Fabiano (Loren): Sacred Legion started as a trio at the end of 2017, after an attempt to create some instrumental music at home, all by myself. Other than playing guitar, I am now on voice duties too, and it is really challenging, as I had never really sung before, except some cheesy backing vocals in live situations. I can tell you that this band is my protest against the current state of death rock, gothic rock, post-punk - you name it -, which I see as totally insincere, standardized and homogenized, both in sound and attitude, for the most part. What I am trying to do is to bring the bar back to the right point, to the right spirit. People won’t understand it? I don’t give two shits. Anyway, our debut record, “The Silent Lineage”, came out in December 2020 and I must say it went well! We are right now closing the pre-production stage of our new album, for which we already have the first single out, a happy little tune named “Assassin Times”.
Echo, what have you been up to lately, have you gone to any fun productions lately? Tell us about it. -Morticia
Echo: Immediately after the experience with Chants I dedicated myself to the production of videos and short films! There would be so much to tell... the set is the most beautiful place in the world (after the stage ;) ) On the musical front, instead, I had the opportunity to collaborate with the Roman industrial band “Malato”. A fun and interesting experience that led us to make a lot of noise around... I remember with particular fondness a concert in Istanbul where we met fantastic guys, accustomed to the most extreme, totally noisy music. Later I no longer found creative synergy with other people and I did everything by myself (painting, design, etc.) After a break of about three years for the birth of my second child, in the last few months I've been dedicating myself mainly to interior design and the creation of very special mosaics.... the infinite ways of art!
So why did you all name the band Chants Of Maldoror? Was it for the literature of Les Chants de Maldoror? Or something else? - Collab question by Morticia and Ian
Adolphe: I remember that it was our friend Matteo, the lead singer of the Spiritual Bats, who came out with that idea while we were discussing which moniker to choose...we immediately thought it was simply perfect, because Lautrèamont was always a huge inspiration for us!
It has come to our attention that a lot of your fans felt you were channeling Rozz Williams on stage, with the vocals, and stage performances you made, but the entire band seemed to work like a poem dancing into oblivion. Was there any influence of Rozz and literature connected to how you made your music? -Morticia
Adolphe: Well, during the Ritual Death and Thy Hurting Heaven eras, Rozz Williams was definitely one of our biggest influences; at the time we were very young and musically inexperienced, so I guess it's quite normal that our influences would come out so clearly, barely filtered by a musical personality who was still in the making ... His art was certainly an inspiration to us, I also remember that on Thy Hurting Heaven’s credits we mentioned him among the "Immortals", along with poets, writers and philosophers of the past centuries ... I must also say that overtime our musical interests had broadened considerably, and at that point Rozz was still an influence, for sure, but not the most relevant anymore in our way to make music.
Loren can you tell us the type of art that fascinates you lately? Does anything inspire you right now? - Morticia
Fabiano (Loren): Artistically, I think we’re living wretched times. I really don’t listen to much contemporary music and don’t follow many of today’s artists. I am not interested in the circus, I am looking for some soul, for the depth… which is kinda rare today, and I’m always drawn to the past. As far as Fine Arts go, to me the only really good contemporary ones are Agostino Arrivabene and Yoann Lossel.
There also seems to be a lot of language around spirituality in your lyrics. How are your views about life reflected in your work? - Ian
Adolphe: Actually, in most of my lyrics I have always told about my inner struggles, my traumas, my fears, but in a very symbolic way ... I have always been fascinated by religions from an "aesthetic" point of view, but in substance I would define myself as an atheist naturalist.
What are some books that interest each of you? - Morticia
Adolphe: It's not easy to answer, the books that interest me are so many... in recent times I'm particularly passionate about the work of Yukio Mishima.
Fabiano (Loren): I can tell you what are my all-times favorite books: “The Great Initiates” by Edouard Shuré; “Hymns To The Night” by Novalis; “The Secret Book” by Gabriele D’Annunzio, “De Profundis” by Oscar Wilde, and “The Reign Of Quantity” by René Guénon.
David: Biographies of artists and musicians. The most recent ones I've read are "Cured- The Tale Of Two Imaginary Boys" by Lol Tolhurst, "Dream Baby Dream - Suicide" by Kris Needs, "Virgin Prunes, the Faculties of a Broken Heart" by Rolf Vasellari... I've also recently read essays on hallucinogenic substances and psychedelic culture.
Echo: For some time now I have mainly been reading texts on pedagogy and psychology, an interest however mostly linked to my profession.
Do you have any tips or words of wisdom for other bands that are starting? -Morticia
(A lot of people like this question cause they like advice)
Echo: Put your back into it but stay, at least a little, with your feet on the ground. Music is a magical world that manages to transport you to a strong and overwhelming dimension, it can sometimes happen that it absorbs you until you forget everything else...
Fabiano (Loren): Do what you like and what you feel that suits you. Do the stuff you’d want to listen to, and don’t care for anything else. But do it with honesty and with the right attitude, the best way you can.
David M: Produce a lot, experiment, be very curious and, above all, have fun when you create.
What are some things each of you do today that make you happy? -Morticia
Adolphe: Beauty makes me happy, whether it occurs in nature or in human work... it makes me happy to climb a mountain and go to Paris, get a new tattoo and find new pieces for my personal “Wunderkammer”.
Fabiano (Loren): Playing music, drawing, watching horror movies, reading books, collecting old comics and records.
David: Having free time to invest in creative activities such as composing music or putting myself behind the stove, or traveling and visiting new places, but above all cuddling and taking care of my two kittens, Luna and Milù.
If you all could choose a mystical creature, what would each of you be? -Morticia
Adolphe: If I had to choose, I would say I would like to be Adolphe, the unicorn that Venus keeps as a pet in her garden in Aubrey Beardsley's novel "Venus and Tannhauser"… I believe he lived a delightful existence, if you have read it you know what I mean...
David M: Perhaps a Sphinx, because I'm fascinated by felines, or a creature of the sea depths.
Fabiano (Loren): A Chimera... or a Gorgon.
Why did you choose to share Chants of Maldoror history on social media? Was it realizing that you had many fans that would appreciate you sharing your stuff? I think this is really important because there is so little information about the band, and many people love the band. -Morticia
Adolphe: The idea of sharing it on social media came from the observation that it was difficult to find information and documents about the band online... it seemed a pity that all these images were lost, so we decided to make them available for everyone.
Is there anything each of you are working on right now? Any side projects, art or anything? -Morticia
David M: Currently I'm concentrating on composing the songs for Sorry, Heels’ new work; it will be different from "SHE", which was composed as a duo: now we are arranging as a band and will therefore have a more heterogeneous contamination. It's slowly taking shape, it doesn't have a clear identity yet but I'm already starting to think about the artwork that will accompany it and the kind of suggestions I'd like to come out.
Links to all things Chants of Maldoror
Thank you for reading be sure to follow Chants of Maldoror on their social media! - Morticia, Ian, and Alice Something
