Heretoir plunges back into melancholy.
Two years after a prolific year, the German combo led by David “Eklatanz” Conrad (vocals/guitar, ex-Agrypnie, live for Austere, Dornenreich), Matthias “Nathanael” Settele (bass/vocals/guitar/flute, Bonjour Tristesse, ex-King Apathy, ex-Thränenkind) and Nils Groth (drums, Emissary of Suffering, ex-Fäulnis, ex-Ophis, ex-Thränenkind) unveils its fourth album, Solastalgia, via AOP Records.
Guitarists Max F. (ex-King Apathy, ex-Thränenkind) and Kevin Storm (Fleetburner, ex-Heidevolk, live for Gaerea, Kalmah, Saor, Shining…) are still part of the band, but did not participate in writing the album.
The album opens with The Ashen Falls, the first track to be unveiled, which I must have listened to a hundred times already but still find as incredible as the first time: after a distant introduction comes the blaze, the screams, and the crazy intensity that is so characteristic of them. Eklatanz‘s vocals are as striking as ever, whether saturated or clear, allowing themselves to relax on the choruses, then we move on to the long Season of Grief, another previously revealed creation that offers a much more progressive approach, beginning with infinite gentleness to lull us. A few screams appear, heralding the heart-wrenching saturation that allows the track to follow its course between the various tortured passages and moments of calm, before finally joining You Are the Night, which heralds a lighter atmosphere. While riffs keep this soaring touch, they eventually transform into heavier rhythms to darken the composition, while the vocalist lets loose, allowing us to navigate to Inertia, which is just waiting to explode. The detonation comes at just the right moment, allowing the musicians to let go, first with violence, then with rather hazy tones that flow beautifully into Rain, a rather luminous piano interlude that allows us to catch our breath before moving on to Dreamgatherer. The track is also quite long, anchoring itself first in an imposing tranquility before letting fury tint the picture to give it a different intensity, breaking down to better rebuild itself and disappear into nothingness, giving way to the acoustic introduction of The Heart of December, which leaves room for clear vocals. It gradually transforms into a distant cry, perfectly accompanying its intoxicating rhythm before disappearing in turn to make way for Burial, which begins with a thick and oppressive saturation, even aggressive during the jerky passages. As usual, the band perfectly manages the progression with waves of saving saturation before reaching the long eponymous composition, Solastalgia, which begins by hypnotizing us with a certain gentleness, but we can sense from the percussion that it will break, returning to the visceral, haunting sound we love. While the composition was already very heavy, the drums make it even more suffocating, allowing it to reach its full potential, but also creating an even more powerful contrast with the more refined moments of relaxation, such as the finale, which provides the transition to The Same Hell MMXXV, an acoustic demo released two years ago, but which remains in line with the desired calm. Just when we think the album is over, the musicians have one last surprise in store for us, a cover of In Flames‘ Metaphor, which seamlessly fits into Heretoir‘s repertoire, allowing for one last immersion in melancholy, particularly during the central break.
Heretoir quickly established itself for me as one of the masters of musical sadness, and despite its different musical personalities that coexist naturally, every aspect of its music speaks to me intimately. Solastalgia will join its peers among the best releases of the year.
95/100
A few questions to David “Eklatanz” Conrad, founder and now singer/guitarist for the German Post-Black Metal band Heretoir about the release of their new album, Solastalgia.
Hello and first of all, thank you very much for your time! How would you introduce the band Heretoir without using the musical labels, such as “Black Metal”, “Post-Black Metal” or any other subgenres?
David “Eklatanz” Conrad (vocals/guitar): Hello! I would say that Heretoir is a band that creates atmospheric music imbued with a strong sense of melancholy and a particular sadness, but also with energy and powerful force. A glimmer of hope often plays a key role in this.
According to the internet, the name Heretoir is the combination of “here” from “heretic” and the French syllable “-toir”. Do you remember how you created it, and how do you link it to the music you play?
Eklatanz: It’s been a long time since the name was created, but I still think it’s fitting for the band. For us, the meaning of the name lies less in the literal translation of “heretic” and much more in finding our own way through life and mastering the challenges of human existence in the modern age. This theme runs through our music to this day, so the band name still seems to fit well.
Heretoir will release its fourth album Solastalgia in a few weeks. How do you feel about it? Do you already have any feedback?
Eklatanz: In general, all of us in the band are extremely happy with the album. I think it’s the most sophisticated and versatile album we’ve ever written in terms of composition. It contains some elements that are new for us, in a way the album is more modern, than its predecessor, but at the same time it retains everything that has distinguished our music so far. It’s therefore a typical Heretoir album with a new look. I think that suits the songs very well overall, and the feedback so far has been extremely positive. We are very happy that not only we ourselves like the album, but also the fans, our friends and many music journalists.
How would you sum Solastalgia’s identity up in only three words, and what does Solastalgia mean?
Eklatanz: The use of only three words for this task is hard. I would say: Melancholic extinction songs. “Solastalgia” is a philosophical neologism that describes the pain someone feels when they are affected by the loss of the natural world. It is therefore less about a patriotic, nation state-oriented concept of home and more about the ecological component of loss. I think most people have a certain connection to the natural world or to the familiar surroundings of their childhood or place of residence. When this familiar, beloved environment disappears, for example because it is destroyed in the course of industrial growth, feelings of grief or the pain of loss can be described with the term solastalgia.
Heretoir was first a one-man band, then welcoming live members, and permanent members for years now. How did the evolution happen, and how did you recruit the musicians?
Eklatanz: Basically we are all longtime friends. Matthias and me, for example, know each other since we were teenagers and visited the same local Metal clubs. So for us it was a quite natural process to find people who are interested in being a part of the band. We are super happy with the current lineup and are looking forward to write new music and to play great shows together.
Despite being a five-piece band on stage, only three of you are credited for Solastalgia’s creation. How does the creation process happen within the band? Did it become easier to create music with time?
Eklatanz: The band started as a solo-project of mine. After a few years friends joined, so that we were able to play live shows. Matthias is part of the band for 15 years and he wrote a lot of albums for bands like King Apathy, Bonjour Tristesse and others. Nils joined the band in 2017 and since he is a great drummer it really made sense to start to write songs together. I am not the fastest songwriter so it was nice to get some support from Matthias and Nils. Nightsphere was the first record Matthias, Nils and myself wrote together and it worked so well that we decided we would continue this for future releases. We all have quite diverse musical tastes and bring different skills and talents to the table. This mix works very well, and we have noticed that we are now able to work on more songs in less time without compromising on quality. We are particularly pleased with our latest album Solastalgia and are delighted that our collaboration is bearing such fruit.
The band’s sound is made of a seizing blend of Post-Black Metal with many other influences, whether they are dark or atmospheric ones. Which bands would you quote as your main influences?
Eklatanz: There are many. For the Atmospheric Black Metal parts i would say Wolves in the Throne Room, early Ulver, Agalloch and Alcest. In terms of Post Rock, we really love Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky. Our Melodic Metal parts are influenced by MeloDeath bands like In Flames and Dark Tranquillity and maybe even Architects. The mellow acoustic elements remind some people of Empyrium.
Where do you find your inspiration to create music and lyrics?
Eklatanz: All three of us have shared sources of inspiration, but also very different ones. I like to write music in the moment or to process emotions. Matthias spends a lot of time outdoors and finds inspiration for Heretoir on hikes in the woods. Nils is an absolute music nerd and draws many ideas from his extensive record collection. What unites us all is that we feel a certain world-weariness, a dissatisfaction with the world as it is. This unites us and drives each of us. This dissatisfaction, which sometimes expresses itself in sadness, sometimes in anger, can be felt in our songs. Weltschmerz, or Solastalgia on the new album, is at the core of our music.
Do you have a favorite song on Solastalgia? Maybe the most intense for you personally, or the hardest one to achieve for the album.
Eklatanz: I could name many. For me personally, The Ashen Falls is very important. It describes the depressing reality one experiences in our world of wage labor. The financial pressure to waste one’s life every day from early morning until late at night in jobs that are either meaningless, destructive to the environment, or poorly paid and harmful to one’s health, mental well-being, or social life is the scourge of humanity within our capitalist economy. I find it difficult to accept this world order and have had some pretty bad experiences myself in jobs that at first sounded good. We humans should live, build positive connections with other people and nature, and not vegetate in repetitive jobs and exist for work or money. The Ashen Falls describes these issues, and I feel the emotional intensity especially when we play the song live.
Solastalgia made you enter the roster of AOP Records, how did this collaboration begin, and how is it to work with them?
Eklatanz: In fact, we had already released our mini-album Wastelands and the re-release of our debut album through AOP Records. We were already very happy with that. It all started when Sven contacted us and asked if we wanted to work with him. We met with him, discussed the details and decided to join his label. We like many of the bands in his roster, are very impressed with what he does and are looking forward to holding the physical copies of Solastalgia in our hands.
I never had the opportunity to see Heretoir on stage, how do you live a concert from your point of view? Do you have some preshow or post-show ritual?
Eklatanz: We are not one of the “ritual-bands”. Usually everyone is warming up before the show, we hang out together, discuss some details and then we shake hands and enter the stage. It feels great every single time. After the show there are hugs and a lot of happy faces.
Heretoir is announced to open for Der Weg Einer Freiheit’s European tour this Fall, how do you get prepared for this tour? Are you excited to be part of such an intensive run?
Eklatanz: We are really happy to be a part of this tour. We toured with Der Weg einer Freiheit before and we really like the people in the band. Of course there is a lot to do in terms of preparation. We practice a lot, buy new equipment and order new merch and there is a ton of other planning to do. We are extremely grateful to have our manager Anne and our booking agent Alex. Without their work and dedication we could not do it. The opportunity to present our new songs together with DWEF is awesome and we are really looking forward to hit the road in September.
Are there any artists you would like to collaborate with? Whether it is for just a song, or an album, a cover art…
Eklatanz: There are many. I don’t want to say too much, but we would love to work together with our friends in Harakiri for the Sky in the future for a song or two. Maybe we are still working on some surprises in terms of collaborations…
Have you ever heard of the French Metal scene? Are there any bands you know and like?
Eklatanz: Of course we are huge fans of Alcest, Les Discrets and Gojira. We like several other French bands, but we don’t really know a lot about the scene in France. We are curious to meet our French fans and learn something about the scene during our shows in Grenoble and Paris in autumn.
Last and funny question: which dish would you compare Heretoir’s music with?
Eklatanz: This is a very tough question. Maybe something that consists of cold and warm ingredients, that makes you somehow happy, but leaves a kind of melancholic ache in your stomach 😉
That was the last question for me, so thank you very much for your time and your music, last words are yours!
Eklatanz: Thank you very much for this interview and the opportunity to talk all things Heretoir with you.