Les Bâtards du Roi’s quest continues.
Only a year has passed since their last album, but Regicide (vocals/guitar), Æni (guitar/clean vocals), and Daemonicus (drums), now joined by Barron (bass), are already unveiling their new chapter, the EP Ici Meurt Ma Joie, still backed by Les Acteurs De L’Ombre Productions.
Melancholy immediately resurfaces alongside a sense of unease thanks to the title track, Ici meurt ma joie, which is the first to guide us into the darkness, offering a fairly calm introduction followed by a heart-wrenching scream and then a cloud of piercing riffs that carry on their visceral style. While the track is obviously dominated by Regicide’s screams, Æni’s clear vocals at times heighten the intense contrast, leading us toward the majestic final, and then to Et la nuit s’éternise, which in turn captivates us in the blink of an eye, first creating an unsettling atmosphere only to surprise us with the arrival of Diffamie (Galibot), who contributes to the vocal section with his gentleness, then his rage. Où pourrit la lumière, the third track, is already the last one, and although it quickly becomes heavier than the others, it still brings a touch of Old School energy to close out the EP, letting the roars echo the furious blast beats as the four bandmates let loose on their instruments, creating an epic conclusion to their adventure in every sense.
Far too short but incredibly intense, Ici Meurt Ma Joie allows the band to recount a new chapter of their medieval adventure, blending darkness with Dantesque melodies. If you’re not yet familiar with Les Bâtards du Roi, it’s never too late to hop on board and let yourself be spellbound!
95/100
A few questions for the French Melodic Black Metal band Les Bâtards du Roi on the occasion of the release of their new EP, Ici Meurt ma Joie.
Hello, and first of all, thank you for taking the time to speak with me! Without using musical labels like “Black Metal,” how would you describe Les Bâtards du Roi?
Les Bâtards du Roi: I’d say that Les Bâtards du Roi is, above all, dark, melodic, and epic music with a strong narrative element. We love the contrasts between violence, melancholy, and more romantic passages. The idea is to create a world into which the listener can immerse themselves, with characters, landscapes, and emotions that evolve over the course of our albums. We don’t just want to offer songs, we want to tell a story that continues to live on even after the music ends.
Why did you choose this name, and how do you develop your world through visuals and the themes you explore?
Les Bâtards du Roi: The name Les Bâtards du Roi evokes something medieval, but also a sense of marginalization, rejection, and the search for identity. It fits well with the world we’re creating, in which the characters are confronted with a hostile world and their own destinies. We wanted to build a cohesive universe from the very beginning. The lyrics, album covers, costumes, and visuals all contribute to this same story. We’re working on a long-term narrative arc, with characters and settings that connect from one album to the next. It’s a way to give the project more depth and offer listeners multiple layers of interpretation.
Your new EP, Ici Meurt ma Joie, is coming out soon, how are things going within the band? Have you gotten any feedback on it?
Les Bâtards du Roi: We feel great, and above all, we feel like the band is reaching a new milestone. These past few months have been particularly intense, between Hellfest, the shows, and the tour with Aephanemer. All of this gives us a lot of energy for what’s next. The initial feedback on the EP has been encouraging. We’re happy to see that people are just as interested in the music as they are in the world we’re building around it. Ici Meurt ma Joie is a somewhat unique release in our discography: it bridges the gap between what we’ve built so far and what we’re preparing for the future. So we’re eager to see how it’s received.
Ici Meurt ma Joie is coming out a year after your last album, what prompted you to create new music so quickly, especially since you’re doing so many shows?
Les Bâtards du Roi: The EP had been part of our overall vision for some time. We wanted to tell this chapter of our story without waiting several years, especially since it plays an important role in the transition to the next album. Gigs do take a lot of time and energy, but songwriting remains at the heart of what we do. We had ideas we wanted to bring to life and an artistic direction that was already well defined. It would have been a shame to slow down that momentum. The EP also allows us to continue evolving our music while preparing a third album, which is of paramount importance to us.
How did the songwriting process for Ici Meurt ma Joie go? The lineup recently expanded with the addition of Barron, your new bassist, what prompted you to return to being a quartet?
Les Bâtards du Roi: The songwriting builds on our previous work, but we wanted to explore certain atmospheres and emotions more deeply. We already had a pretty clear vision of what this EP was meant to represent in our story, which gave us a framework while still allowing us musical freedom. As for Barron, his arrival allows us to return to a four-piece lineup, with a dedicated bassist. This is important for the band’s balance, both personally and musically. We want to build a solid, lasting lineup capable of realizing our ambitions both on stage and in the studio. His addition is therefore part of our effort to further structure the project for the years to come.
The band’s sound remains rooted in Melodic Black Metal, but there’s a bit more clean vocals, is that because your influences have evolved?
Les Bâtards du Roi: Our influences inevitably evolve over time, but clean vocals primarily serve a need for expression. We really love melody and contrasts, and the vocals allow us to bring a different emotional dimension, sometimes more fragile or more human. In a project as narrative-driven as ours, clean vocals can also give certain characters and situations more depth. We don’t try to incorporate an element simply because we like it at the moment—it has to have a reason to be in the song. The key is to maintain our identity while still allowing ourselves the freedom to explore new things.
The songs on the EP continue the story from the previous album—how do you develop your narrative? I get the impression that some of the songs are based on personal experiences, is that the case? Galibot’s Diffamie also appears on the track Et la Nuit s’éternise, how did that collaboration come about?
Les Bâtards du Roi: The story is conceived as a long-term project. We’ve outlined a general framework and the major milestones we want to cover, but each album has its own identity and its own themes. We try to strike a balance between the continuity of the narrative and the opportunity to explore new settings, new atmospheres, and new characters. There’s inevitably an element of personal experience in the way we write. Even when the lyrics are set in a fictional world, the emotions that fuel them can be very personal. I think that’s also what allows everyone to connect with the songs in their own way. For Diffamie, we wanted to bring a different vocal tone to Et la Nuit s’éternise. Her contribution blends seamlessly with the song’s atmosphere and adds an extra dimension to it. We’re very happy to have been able to bring this collaboration with her to life – she’s one of our close friends, and she embodied the witch character just as well, if not even better, than we’d hoped.
You just finished a tour with Aephanemer, how was it organized? How did the shows with them go?
Les Bâtards du Roi: We had the opportunity to join Aephanemer for the last five dates of their French tour. It was a wonderful chance for us to play in new cities, in front of audiences that were sometimes different from the ones we usually encounter. The shows went very well, both on and off stage. Sharing the road with a band that already has a wealth of stage experience is always enriching. It allows us to learn, exchange ideas, and gain perspective on our own development. We also saw how important these tours are for introducing our music to new people. This is exactly the kind of experience we hope to have more of in the future.
Ici Meurt ma Joie is being released by LADLO again, how is the collaboration with them going?
Les Bâtards du Roi: We’re working with Les Acteurs de l’Ombre Productions for the second time in a row, following Les Chemins de l’exil last year, and this collaboration has allowed us to develop the project and bring real continuity to our releases. It’s invaluable to be able to rely on a label that knows our history and understands the world we’re building. For our part, we’ve also evolved a great deal. Today, we’re looking to further structure the band and take things to the next level, particularly when it comes to our live performances. We want to continue nurturing this relationship, with a shared vision of what Les Bâtards du Roi can become.
Regarding the EP cover, created by Primerose Illustrations, how was it designed? What were the guidelines?
Les Bâtards du Roi: We wanted the cover art to capture the unique atmosphere of this new chapter: something dark, mysterious, and almost frozen in time. The story takes us to a strange village whose inhabitants seem trapped by a curse. So the image had to evoke that sense of unease and limbo. We place great importance on consistency between the music and the visuals. The cover art shouldn’t simply illustrate the title, it should offer a glimpse into the world the listener is about to enter. Our collaboration with Primrose Illustrations is part of this effort to give each stage of our story a strong visual identity.
Speaking of your costumes and characters, how did you create them?
Les Bâtards du Roi: The costumes are a natural extension of our world. Since our music tells a story, we wanted that aspect to be present on stage as well, without having to explain everything to the audience. We started with a medieval fantasy theme, using silhouettes and elements that help identify the characters and reinforce the band’s atmosphere. It’s not just about wearing a costume for aesthetic reasons: we want the whole look to contribute to the immersion and coherence of the project. It’s also something we hope to continue developing as we perform more concerts.
I’d already seen you at the Douceur Noire festival earlier this year, what memories do you have of that show? How have you evolved the show to deliver what I saw at Petit Bain?
Les Bâtards du Roi: We have very fond memories of that time, and it’s always interesting to reconnect with people who’ve seen us play before and can see how we’ve evolved. No concert is ever exactly the same as the one before, and we try to improve with every performance. In particular, we’re working on our stage presence, the flow of the songs, and how the atmosphere builds during the set. We want the audience to be drawn into our world from the very first notes and to leave feeling like they’ve experienced something cohesive. The band’s growth also depends on this groundwork, beyond the songwriting itself.
What are Les Bâtards du Roi’s next projects following the release of the EP?
Les Bâtards du Roi: Our priority is the third album. It’s meant to wrap up the first major chapter of our story, and we’ve been thinking about it for a long time. We have a well-defined artistic direction, and we want to take the time needed to make an album that lives up to our ambitions. At the same time, we want to continue developing the band’s live presence, increase our concert opportunities, and reach new audiences, especially abroad. We’ve reached several important milestones recently, but we see this as a starting point rather than an endpoint.
Which bands do you dream of playing with? I’ll let you imagine your dream show with Les Bâtards du Roi as the opening act, along with three other bands.
Les Bâtards du Roi: I’d go with a lineup featuring Windir, Behemoth, and Kanonenfieber. Windir for its epic and melodic sound, but also for the considerable influence it’s had on our music. Behemoth for their ability to push the boundaries of artistic ambition and stage performance which inspires us. Finally, Kanonenfieber as an iconic figure of the new Melodic Black/Death Metal scene, but also for their approach to live shows, where staging is conceived as an essential component of the project, just like the music and visual identity. It is in this holistic and coherent approach to live performance that we fully see ourselves reflected. This lineup would bring together different facets of what moves us about this music. And opening for such a show would obviously be a dream, one that is, by definition, unattainable, because of Windir.
Do you have any relevant works to compare Les Bâtards du Roi’s music to? Whether it’s a movie, TV series, or book…
Les Bâtards du Roi: I’m thinking of The Lord of the Rings, especially in terms of building a coherent world, the landscapes, the sense of exile, and the tragic nature of the journey. What particularly interests me is the way the characters go through trials that transform them, and how each stage contributes to a larger narrative. We’re obviously not trying to directly replicate that work in our music, but there’s a similar desire to create a world in which listeners can immerse themselves. I love the idea that an album can be approached as a journey, with its moments of tension, melancholy, and turning points.
So that was my last question, thank you for your time, the final words are yours!
Les Bâtards du Roi: Thank you Acta Infernalis for the interview and to everyone who has supported us since our beginnings. Thanks also to those who are discovering the band today and taking the time to step into our world. Ici Meurt ma Joie comes out on October 16 and marks a new chapter in our story. We’re already looking ahead to what’s next, so stay tuned: the journey is far from over!