#i mean emet is such an obvious example of this too

[asleepinawell]

this little quest chain was one of my favorites in ew because of the perspective it gave into the ancients, a very different one from what little we get from emet and hermes. there’s pretty ample proof that their society was not in any way perfect and was actually really deeply flawed to the core, but this is a look at people, individuals, and ones outside of the main bunch we talk to

put in a read more to spare your dashes

they go to speed up the aether dispersal of some creations (animals) that were killed and they call the deaths distressing and want to find a way to pay respects to the fallen and bring peace to their souls. at the wol’s suggestion they gather flowers for the dead. and they say what amounts to a prayer over the bodies. it’s so very very different from how hermes believes everyone feels and how hythlodaeus spoke of ‘returning to the star’ being beautiful (though even hythlodaeus said a brief prayer for the first boss in ktisis hyberboreia)

and yes, they still talk about life and death in terms of ‘purpose’ and this is no way refutes the callousness towards other lives we’ve seen some of the ancients display in elpis, but my personal take is that it shows that some of them at least understood on some level that there were important things missing in their culture that they needed. even if they didn’t fully grasp why, they were searching for these missing pieces. in this case, a way to process grief and acknowledge the worth of a life, even a non-human life. and they also actively ask for the new ideas the wol presents and talk about incorporating them into their lives and duties

there’s also a ton of little side quests in elpis that involve one person asking you to find or check on another person, or to carry a message to them. there’s so many people who care about each other and are just absolutely godawful at expressing it in person and need the poor wol to act as an intermediary (this happens in present day as well but it was just every 5 seconds in elpis)

there’s one striking one where one person asks you to bring a second person a message about how that second person’s concept was approved and succeeding (I forget the exact details) in the hopes that it would dissuade them from returning to the star. it didn’t dissuade them and the first person accepted that pretty calmly, but the thought was there. there was this hope that they could keep someone they cared about around longer even if the argument they tried to use to persuade them came back to that grim ideology about ‘purpose’. they lacked the framework to think about it another way, but they still tried

it’s definitely a stark contrast from the shade amaurotines we saw in shb (assuming for the sake of argument that they were accurate depictions and not biased by emet which is a big assumption), especially the ones who turned the topic of ‘should we save the lives of others on the planet or just focus on ourselves’ into a casual debate topic as a pastime. there are really terrible ways of thinking about the world that have been ingrained into the population presumably from birth. that’s not something that can easily be changed. but it could be changed. the potential was there

at a societal level the ancient world was terrible in so many ways, and ultimately doomed if it couldn’t change, but at an individual level the people had so much potential and at least some of them were trying their best to make sense of the things their society denied them and adapt their lives

my personal takeaway from all this (which is just a headcanon aka an opinion and i’m not trying to sell as canon), was that if their society could have been changed then the ancients had the potential to have produced people who could have faced meteion. i’m leaving aside the questions of the timeframe and zodiark tempering everyone because that’s not my point. my point is that the ancients weren’t inherently unable to be who was needed to save their world. the density of their aether making them unable to interact with dynamis is highly symbolic of the flaws of their society, of course, but that shouldn’t have stopped them from talking to meteion, from showing compassion and understanding and hope in the face of despair

i’m not trying to take any jabs about any characters’ decisions in the story because the actual situation they were in was extremely complicated (like hey zodiark tempering people!) and that would also miss my point. mostly i’m just saying this makes the fate of their people even more depressing. they were an entire race of people who had all the potential that the sundered humans do despite being stuck in a shit society that happened to be shit in the exact way that made dealing with meteion and the final days a seemingly insurmountable task. their near-immortality and creation powers made it even harder for them to really understand the problem, but not impossible. they had the raw potential and lacked the tools to use it to save themselves. it’s just really damned sad

[aotopmha]

I just finished Shadowbringers (5.0) and I have a lot of thoughts.

Spoiler warning!

I stepped into Final Fantasy 14 as someone who already knows the story, so much of my emotional response to the story has turned into an intellectual response.

What did X foreshadow?

How does X plot thread connect to Y plot thread?

Because I've consumed the story so many times via the playthroughs of others, much of my early playthrough especially was looking into details and extra dialog.

But even after probably the dozens and dozens of playthroughs I've seen, actually playing the game has still left me in awe.

And this is because of one simple and I think pretty obvious fact:

The spectacle has meaning.

There is substance and that substance is portrayed in really cool, meaningful ways within the gameplay experience.

To me one strong example is how the entirety of the final zone of Shadowbringers gives depth to Emet-Selch as a character just by existing.

It shows you his mindset and what he is fighting for just by characterizing the people he and the rest of the Convocation lead from his perspective.

It plays double duty, too because all of the Ascians we've met so far gain that little bit of context to their actions, as well.

It's that narrative theming that became so prominent with the Stormblood dungeons combined with a side cast of characters with much more diverse motivations.

I think the reason why Stormblood and ARR (especially their base stories) are considered such roadblocks by many isn't just the generic reason of slow story pacing many (including myself) bring up, but the very specific why of the pacing being frustrating: the base motivations of most of the factions, and thus side cast, in base Stormblood and ARR are pretty generic.

On top of that, in ARR specifically, not only are the motivations of most of the side characters you meet generic along with the dialog often being long-winded, but you also keep having to go all over the place, and never really stick around to just explore one place at a time to really remember any of them, even if they might have nuggets of interesting wold building to them.

Heavensward and Stormblood fixed how scattered ARR's story pacing was, but Stormblood especially still struggled with incorporating unique perspectives into the narrative.

Although there were differences in the rebellions and freedom fighters, along with the specific enemies of Doma and Ala Mhigo, the base motivation was the same for most of the factions you meet: they were too strongly defeated by the oppression to have the will to rise up again, so the heroes had to rekindle their will to fight.

I think the reason why the Azim Steppe has ended up being so beloved by many is because, among other things, it finally had some variance in terms of perspectives and recruiting a faction to your cause.

Sadu, Magni and Cirina and their factions are so memorable because they are so different from one another in terms of principles that drive them and their people.

And I think well-defined, specific perspectives are also the reason why many people love the patch content of Stormblood so much. Fordola, Yotsuyu and the crazy twists and turns of 4.4 and 4.5 just keep the story fresh.

And I think this is also why Heavensward doesn't get as bad of a reputation as Stormblood and ARR do in terms of pacing: the main players have strong perspectives.

I think this is even true for ARR's final stretch, Gaius and his group are a considerable step-up in comparison to any of the other antagonistic forces in the ARR base game in terms of depth.

Pretty much every single faction within Shadowbringers has distinct principles and these principles are all tied to the main characters of each of the area you visit.

So you have an anchor of familiarity and well-defined perspectives.

(Which Alphinaud and Tataru were in HW and Lyse, Yugiri and Gosetsu were in StB, Lyse especially suffered because she kept being put face to face with the same perspective over and over again, so Hien had to eventually happen to get her character truly moving.)

Add to all of that an incredibly even spread of information the story gives out: each area has really important story reveals and twists tied to them, which spreads out the substance in just the right way where just as the story starts to slow down, something happens to shake up the status quo.

There are slow points during Shadowbringers, but everything always leads to some sort of payoff by the end.

I think it's one of the best fantasy narratives I've ever encountered behind hundreds of hours of pretty imperfect fantasy writing.

And that's why FF14 is so hard to recommend. You can't just skip those hundreds of hours of imperfect fantasy writing because it builds the foundation that makes all of the cool stuff have true weight.

But it is pretty much perfect slow burn writing to me and I think anyone who can put up with it is rewarded handsomely.

To wrap around to the sense of awe I felt during these last few hours of the game, it was awe of the spectacle, awe of the meaning, but also awe at how it brings together everything that came before.

A culmination, but not yet an ending, and not even the actual ending of Shadowbringers at that.

This story is awesome. Go give it a try: Final Fantasy 14 has a free trial of up to level 70 content with no restrictions on playtime, so you'll have a while to decide how you gel with it.

[undyinglament]

why do you love asahi so much? not at all meant to be a dig/insult or anything like that i promise/// im just genuinely curious what sparked it since like you said he doesn't have a big fan following- and i also just like hearing about why people love their faves asdghgf

//So before I started playing XIV there were two characters that I knew I would love; Zenos and Emet-Selch. I can usually predict my own taste pretty well and I was absolutely right - I adore them both. There isn't really anyone who fully grabs my fixation in XIV until stormblood when Zenos is introduced

Im also quite predictable when it comes to a few tastes in characters; I like short bastards, I like the 'right hand man' trope esp when it comes with that undying loyalty and undying devotion, I just generally like villains (this one is obvious), I have a fun habit of adoring characters with bowl cuts or bob cuts w that straight cut fringe - and bonus points when those characters are absolutely terrible.

(My mind has gone blank so i cant think of more examples but here are a few -)

So I get through Stormblood and Ive finally gotten to Zenos content, I love him I adore him

and then the game hands me this motherfucker

Smug bastard piece of shit who is everything I adore; and hes tied in with my current favourite character. Hes mean, hes jealous, he's petty, hes literally in love with Zenos. He's pretty and his seiyuu does a wonderful job. I also do just like having characters who more directly challenge the WoL because its more interesting than people liking them.

He also has a lot of unexplored lore that I really wanted to feel out and make for myself, which is generally why I prefer writing more minor characters. Also very often I wont write my favourite character in a piece of media but instead a character who can interact with them(case in point, my absolute love for ardyn izuna is why i am now a verstael fucker - because i wanted to write with ardyns instead of writing ardyn). (this has not worked with asahi because he. will not let me approach zenos. but its fine bc i have fandaniel)

On the mention of Fandaniel, i love him so much too and a lot of that is because he's wearing asahis skin so bonus; two pieces of shit for the price of one.

the tldr is that square enix made him just for me and im very grateful

[sparrowwritings]

Final Fantasy Writing Challenge Day Twenty-Four: Clocks

Day Twenty-Three -- Masterpost -- Day Twenty-Five

Two members of the Convocation of Fourteen sat at the same bench located outside of the governing hall. Each had similar strained expressions as they looked over the identical gaudy invitations in their hands. They also both had the fronts of their robes, their gloves, and their red masks caked in a tiny, shimmering substance.

"How much effort do you think Hythlodaeus put into making these?" Artemis-as-Azem asked. Since the other members of the Convocation had taken their leave, her act of pretending to be her twin had been relaxed for the moment. Insofar as looking actively annoyed was her way of doing so.

"Knowing him, the maximum amount to make this awful thing look the worst. If only to further embarrass us when we received it." Emet-Selch drawled. He shook the card and more shining fragments of that substance Hythlodaeus had created fell to the ground. He had been “inspired” by the incident that destroyed the Hall of Glass. Not too long later a concept known as "glitter" had been created. And used for occasional pranks by the Chief of the Bureau of the Architect against his friends. Much to their dismay, he had released the concept to the public, and so everyone in the Convocation already knew what glitter was when Azem and Emet-Selch had opened their cards and the substance had exploded all over them.

"Remind me again why we should bother replying?" She asked while looking over the deliberately juvenile handwriting. It was an invitation to join Hythlodaeus in attending a lecture headed by the leading expert in Time manipulation. That he had sent in lieu of asking in person because the answer would have been a firm no from both Artemis and Hades. 

One would think that a glitter-bomb laden card would have confirmed the disinterest of both parties. That person would also assume that Azem and Emet-Selch were reasonable people with even more reasonable friends. They would be wrong.

"That he put so much effort into this means he's required to attend and desperate enough for company that he ensured we would at least address the card." Hades sighed and ran a hand down his mask. Some of the glitter dislodged itself and fluttered in the air around him. "At the very least we need to see him in person for the technique to get rid of this damnable stuff."

"And give him time to beg us to go." Artemis dusted at a sleeve in a vain attempt to dislodge more sparkles. "I never attended any classes involving time. Is Kronos really that dreadful?"

"From what I've heard, he's an unpleasant individual and delights in his unpleasantness."

"So there are two of you in the city."

Hades sniffed. "My unpleasantness is limited to the few people I bother to be around. His is a public spectacle."

She put a hand to her chest dramatically. "I'm touched you would grace us with the true extent of your personality."

"Your sarcasm is much appreciated." A quiet silence fell over the two of them. Eventually, he was the one that spoke again. "So you're going?"

"Ugh," Artemis slouched in her seat. "I'm going to have to. With Hythlodaeus miserable and Apollo trying to keep up his spirits, someone else has to be there to make sure he doesn’t take negative criticism so personally. I’ve heard that Kronos lectures are entertaining, at least.”

"You're attending the Time manipulation lecture?"

Both of the seated folk froze, only relaxing when they realized who the speaker was. Elidibus gave a kind smile, as if the two were speaking of normal things and hadn't accidentally revealed the secret of Azem. Besides, he already knew it. 

Artemis recovered quickly enough to answer first. "Yes, actually."

"I suppose I might pop in…" Emet-Selch said lightly. "I've yet to see the latest developments in that field."

"May I join you and your friends, then?" Elidibus had his hands behind him, looking all the more like his actual age. "I've been curious about Kronos' lectures but I haven't had the opportunity to attend yet."

The two older Convocation members (well, one and one imposter member) gave each other a look. As one they shrugged. "Why not?" They answered simultaneously.

------

"So now that I've had to waste half my lecture on going over the basics, shall we proceed to the heart of why I'm standing here?" The body language and voice of Kronos didn't even try to disguise how utterly displeased he was with how things were proceeding. From the way that Hythlodaeus was sunk into his chair and covering his mask with his hands this was an expected, if undesired, result. Artemis could see why he needed the company. Being alone and dying of secondhand embarrassment in front of a hall full of promising students was far lessened when there were more people he knew that could share in it. 

At least Elidibus still seemed interested in the topic, seated as he was to her right. Hythlodaeus was in the seat to her left, a veritable puddle of forlorn mumbling. Apollo patted their friend on the head from his spot on the Chief's other side. Emet-Selch had taken the seat to the Emissary's right, more than glad to not need to directly hear the quiet pleading for the torture to end. That was his excuse, anyway. Artemis suspected that he wanted to be certain that the young man wouldn't be bothered by any other attendee during the lecture.

Hades could be soft hearted like that, when he thought no one was paying attention. 

Back onstage, Kronos received the answers (or lack thereof) that he must have been searching for, because he quickly snapped his fingers. A display consisting of a large line, followed by several generic people shapes and a timepiece appeared above him. He didn't bother looking before he spoke. “Now, seeing as most beings experience time in a linear fashion, and we’re now all aware of how it moves forward and splits,” A wave of his hand took the singular line and split one end into multiple ones. The people shapes floated until one sat at the end of each line and changed color according to which line they went to. One shape, white in color, stayed on the still-connected part of the line. “The obvious next question becomes: Is it possible to move backwards through time to change an outcome? I say yes.” 

Artemis blinked, then leaned forward to see how he came to this conclusion. From the corner of her eye, she could see Apollo stopping his comforting gestures to curiously look towards the stage. Hythlodaeus had even perked up enough to be sitting properly in his chair. 

“After all, time is a progression. One step begets another begets another. What many forget is that negative progression can also occur.” Kronos gestured to the audience. “Have any of you had to be diverted from the path you were taking because of construction? Don’t bother answering, of course you have. What happens when you must trace back your steps is negative progression. Your goal is just as far as it was when you had gotten started. The energy you had saved up to go forward is spent doubling back.” He gestured at the diagram. “Similarly, if you can figure out the energy it costs to move forward in time, all one needs is double that to go backwards. Multiply exponentially by the amount of time you need to travel and you will find yourself when you need to be.” Their seats were close enough that Artemis could see the proud smirk on his face. “Simple, really.”

“But can you actually change anything?” A voice called out from the audience. “All you’re proposing is the means to move backwards! Wouldn’t the changes you make affect your reasoning for going into the past in the first place?” Kronos glared in the direction it came from. 

“I’m getting to that.” He snapped. Quite literally, as he snapped his fingers and the figures moved around again. The red colored one moved slowly from its split in the timeline back to where the white colored one was stationed. The timepiece turned backwards to reflect this. “Now as the fool suggested there lies the possibility that, should you obtain enough energy to move backwards in time, you can cause the future you were trying to prevent in the first place. Thus, your self in this future must needs travel to when you arrived and cause the events that lead to you traveling, ad infinitum. This is what’s known as a Closed Time Loop, and many have theorized that it is the only possible outcome for attempting to change the past.” The red figure, having made its way to the combined timeline, moved in the direction of its split, only to move backwards again. Again, the timepiece moved backwards or forwards depending on how the red figure was moving.

“There is some…” Kronos paused, then said the word as if it were a curse. “Merit...to that theory. There are certain events that one cannot rightly prevent on one’s own. The rise of a virulent disease, for example, could be warned about. However, the disease could still spread before any preventative measures can be taken and cause the damage you had gone to the past to prevent. Similarly, natural disasters are just as difficult to prevent from actually happening. How then, can one effectively change the future?” 

Artemis looked to her right in time to see Elidibus on the edge of his seat. Even Emet-Selch seemed like he was actually paying attention and not just half sleeping through the lecture.

“Again, the solution is simple.” Kronos picked up the white figure from the timeline. “You must remove the person who will cause the most damage to the future you are trying to prevent.” A loud murmur went out through the hall that he ignored. “With that person away, the progression of events must change the outcome of the future. Thus your mission will be complete.”

“What do you mean by remove?” A student from two rows up called out. 

The man rolled his head (and presumably his eyes) hard enough that Artemis was sure his mask was going to dislodge itself from his face. Not that it would have taken much, considering how it was perched on his large, sharp nose. “Not anything as base as killing the person. I mean actually remove the person from the situation entirely. Isolate them in a place where the event won’t be able to touch them while everyone more competent takes care of prevention and recovery.” 

“But how--” 

The timepiece onstage made a blaring sound, shutting up the student. Kronos looked pleased. “That’s all the time I have to explain these very simple concepts to all of you. I’m obliged to tell you that if you wish to learn more, my papers on the equations behind moving backwards in time and how one would be able to isolate the person who would cause the most damage in the future one is trying to prevent are readily available. I won’t be taking any questions.” With that, he quickly made his exit.

Artemis didn’t look at Hythlodaeus, instead turning her focus onto Elidibus. “So...what did you think?”

The young man was practically buzzing with energy. “His grasp of Time and the mechanics of how it works are astounding. I would like to attend more of Kronos’ lectures.” 

She looked past him towards Emet-Selch. He looked like he just ate something sour. “So you didn’t think he was...rough?”

Elidibus nodded. “Oh he was certainly terse. An uncommon trait, of course, but refreshing to see one teach with such a method.” He looked up with an easy smile. “Although I will say I’m far more pleased to have been invited to see Kronos with two of my brothers than I am in seeing the man himself. Thank you for allowing me to join you both.”

The impact her heart made inside her chest was utterly unnecessary. Even if she’d wanted to, Artemis couldn’t have stopped the warm and gooey smile from spreading on her face. “Thank you for joining us.” 

A throat clearing noise drew her attention back to Emet-Selch. The red of his mask made it harder to tell, but he definitely had the remains of a flush on his cheeks. She was going to tease him about it later. “I second the thanks. If you wish to try out other lectures, be sure to talk to us.”

The emissary nodded fast enough that his hood threatened to fall off. “For certain.” He then peaked around Artemis towards Hythlodaeus and Apollo. “I would also like you both to join us the next time, if neither of you mind. Perhaps the next lecture won’t be quite so humiliating for the Chief of the Bureau of the Architect.” 

She turned her head in time to see Hythlodaeus, having gotten his second wind from Kronos finishing his lecture, melt back into his seat with a prolonged groan. “If I’m still in one piece after all of the complaints I’ll have to field, just say the word and I’ll be there.” His words were muffled between his hands, but they were clear enough to hear even among the exiting crowd.

“And I’m always fine with going where Azem goes.” Apollo smiled back at Elidibus with a slight flick of his hair extensions to remind those in the know that he was pretending to be Artemis.

“Then it’s settled.” The young man stood up with a slight bounce. “At a future date, the five of us shall see another lecture.”

“Perhaps we could attend something by Astraeaus?” Emet-Selch suggested. “Gossip says that some of his work had gotten stolen, and I’m keen to see if there’s any truth to it.”

“What does he create?” 

That started a discussion that lasted until the group had left the Akademia grounds altogether.

[doomedandstoned]

Witchthroat Serpent Picks The Perfect Poison

~Interview by Steph LeSaux~

When Billy asked for new contributions to D&S from European contributors some months ago, I almost immediately proposed interviewing French bands and now here we are, starting with a rising star from the land of cassoulet (understood as the area of Toulouse, France’s 5th largest city). I speak of the mighty WITCHTHROAT SERPENT!

With a vinyl press of their debut album released by Emetic Records and by Svart Records for the record following, my guess is you've probably heard about their groovy, occult-infused doom or saw the bewitching artwork of last year's Sang-Dragon cross your timeline at least a couple of times.   If not, you’ve missed out some very mesmerizing and heady stuff and so now here’s your chance to really dive in their psyched-out witchery, as I interview Witchthroat Serpent drummer, Niko Lass.

Sang-Dragon by Witchthroat Serpent

How are you and the Serpent doing?   It looks like you started 2017 quietly or were you guys working on your new album?

You’re right, we played only one gig in our area recently.   And, yes, you have the right feeling, we are working on a new album.   All the songs are almost written and we are currently practicing them and thinking about arrangements, planning to record in early 2018 and release the album sometime afterwards.

Sang-Dragon received a very positive response from fans worldwide.   What made this possible, in your opinion?   Was it more the improvement between albums or the change of label for the vinyl release?

Yes, we are very happy with the feedback about Sang-Dragon and really proud of the album, both with the sound recording and our performance, but also with the writing of the songs and lyrics.   Our concept goes further and we experimented with some new approaches, like adding organs on two songs, "Behind Green Eyes" on the album and "Striped Dragon" on our upcoming 7” EP. I think the main change for this recording was to enter Drudenhaus Studio and to work with Benoît, who skillfully drove us to magnify our music and sounds in exactly the right way.   The change of label for the vinyl release was indeed a great opportunity for us, but it should be noted that all the promotion was done for the CD release.   The vinyl was released eight months later.

The sound is so fat that your entire body shivers like a straw.

There’s never too much support to get from outside in the underground doom scene, but was it a deliberate choice to work with three different labels for a CD, vinyl or tape version -- or is it just how things happened?   How are things planned for the third album?

In a way, it was a forced choice.   Deadlight offered us a CD release only, so for both albums we needed to search for a new label to release tapes and vinyls.   For the first album, we released the tape with Zanjeer Zani Productions.   It was obvious to work with our brothers at Necrocosm Productions and Emetic Records contacted us for the vinyl release early in 2015.   For us it was unexpected, so we immediately accepted the offer.   For Sang-Dragon it was a bit different, as we got a bunch of labels offering us their help so we needed to choose where to go.   For the third album, nothing is firm.   A full simultaneous CD/tape/vinyl release would certainly be more effective.

I know you all have a pretty consequential background, but are you conscious that for a band that has existed only five short years, Witchthroat Serpent is already a name to be reckoned with in this overcrowded scene and pretty much has been since its creation.

We try our best to be active as much as we can.   Like you said, we got great feedback in reviews, interviews, and offers from labels, but for now the next step is to play on bigger stages, international festivals, and to tour more.  We are still a DIY band, organizing tours by ourselves and dealing directly with promoters.   Merchandising sales help us to finance studio recordings and to manufacture tees and goodies.  We divide tasks between us and right now each one of us is really busy.   We will see what happens in the future, but for sure we will keep the flame alive as much as we can.

2016 turned out to be a very complete year for the band, with this brilliant new album, a French-Spanish tour, great festivals, and so on.   What’s been the best moment for the band and you personally, as a member?

As we like touring a lot, spending time in the van is the opportunity to talk about our experiences, find new ideas, and test our new material.   The best moments were on stage, for sure, like playing on the big stage at Motocultor Festival where each drum hit is like a hammer, but also meeting fine people and friends on the road.   Sometimes we didn’t expect much from a gig and then we got completely knocked out by the crowd and/or the welcome from the promoters.   Yes, 2016 was awesome, but 2017 also promises to be a great year, with the release of our first 7" EP called Striped Dragon on Svart Records, followed by the Rising Sun Tour in Belgium, East Germany, and France.

Witchthroat Serpent by Witchthroat Serpent

How would you compare your appearance at Hellfest in 2015 to Motocultor in 2016?   Both were certainly great experiences, but what was better: playing at 15:00 on the main stage of a medium-sized festival or playing at 10:30 in the morning on the small stage of a mammoth festival?

Without a doubt, it was better to play at 15:00 at the Motocultor Festival for the simple reason that the audience was there, the tent was completely full.   It was really motivating to play our songs there.   The problem with the Hellfest gig on Sunday at 10:30 is that people were standing in line waiting to enter while we were playing our set.   Not only was it really early, but having to wait something like 30 minutes to enter the festival area was exactly the amount of time we had to play on stage.   People were there at the end of our set, but it is a great experience to play on the Valley Stage.   The sound is so fat that your entire body shivers like a straw.

I remember being in contact with you often two years ago, when we tried to set up a little tour with Barabbas & Witchthroat Serpent, but fuck, it was pretty hard to make anything happen and we finally gave up that time.   It looks, though, like things evolved positively for you with more regular gigs and this June your longest tour to date in France and most of all Germany. I guess this still required a huge amount of work to make it happen?   Are you impatient to draw and quarter some new eardrums again?

Yeah, it’s always difficult to set up a tour when you are a young band and some periods are not good for it.   We decided to do a tour in June, following an offer from the St. Helena Festival in Munich.  As it is 14 hours to drive from Toulouse, we decided to set up a tour.   The period was good for us, so I tried to seek promoters who would be interested in making it happen.   Some friends helped us to find additional gigs in Germany, because as we’ve never played there with Witchthroat Serpent, we’ve got no contacts.   To my surprise, we got a good amount of responses and the tour was booked pretty quickly.  The tour starts in a few weeks and, yes, we are very impatient to hit the stage again and play for the first time in Germany.

All the invisible world around us has meaning, you just need to feel and appreciate it.

The artwork of Sang-Dragon was pretty classic and simple at first sight, yet very eye-catching and it enhanced the whole identity of the album.   Were those some of the main specifications you asked for?   Will you be working with the same artist again in the future?

When we first met Pol and Marta of Branca Studio at the Day of Doom festival in Barcelona, we immediately fell in love with each other’s art, so later we asked Pol if he would like to make cover art representative of our band name with a vintage touch, because he is the master to go to.   The day after we got the first draft of the cover, we immediately knew it would fit perfectly with our album.   Then we asked him to make the complete layout for the Sang-Dragon CD, vinyl, tapes, and t-shirts.   We are really happy with his work for this album.   For the third album, we will surely request his services again as we think he fits perfectly with Witchthroat Serpent’s music: straight and raw, occult and disturbing, all packaged with a touch of vintage eroticism.   Pol is The Man!

Sang-Dragon marked a real improvement in the band’s sound and identity. Can it augur that people will definitely forget to mention any Electric Wizard influence for the next album?!   More seriously, what can we expect from the third album?

In a way, Electric Wizard created a new kind of doom metal with a filthy and nihilistic approach, the way we like to play our music.   For listeners, it’s more secure to mention a well-known band as reference, easier to catalogue, easier to expose a new band to friends.   Our third album will, of course, be different from Sang-Dragon, maybe more doom or more grunge, but don’t expect a technical metal album!   We are Witchthroat Serpent and like serpents we are moulting, but we will always remain serpents!

What’s the general idea behind introducing themes of witchery, dragons, and magic in Witchthroat Serpent?   Is that inseparable from your lyrics and general concept or can we someday expect a song, for example, about the disaster of the commercial union between Monsanto and Bayer, which could also probably fit with a blackened atmosphere?

All of this is a part of our lives.   Nature provides us with all we need, from healing to poison -- and some plants can do both, depending on the dose.   Dealing with herbs, plants, and trees is another way of creating, a source of knowledge used in shamanism and overall in most of the ancestral cultures.   All the invisible world around us has meaning, you just need to feel and appreciate it.   About the disaster you mention above, yes we know about it, but don’t expect Witchthroat Serpent to deal with it.   We are not a political band, because all of fucking politics involves money and people in submission.  We prefer to focus on the primitive approach of human beings and the magic all around us.

What would be the next reasonable step for Witchthroat Serpent and your next dream for the band?   To play in the United States with your mates of Beastmaker, in Japan, or...?   Any particular bands you’d like to tour with?

Ah yes, a Japanese tour could be awesome!   Next step is the Striped Dragon 7” EP, followed by the Rising Sun Tour in June, then we will open for Cough in Paris on August 16th at Gibus Live.   In October, we are going to play at the Hell’Oween festival in Saintes and then we will focus on recording the third full-length.   Of course, playing in the U.S. with the mighty Beastmaker could be fucking great; we will see what the future reserves for us.   All things come to those who wait. Like Branca Studio would say, DOOM LIFE!

Like serpents we are moulting, but we will always remain serpents...

I know Sektarism, one of the other bands you’re playing in, is about to release a second album, so here’s your chance to speak about it, Niko.   Also, any news about new Witchthroat Serpent merch and maybe some final words?

Yes, Sektarism is has released La Mort de l’Infidèle on Zanjeer Zani productions, my first experience with Drudenhaus Studio since 2013.   It’s a live studio recording, as oppressive and possessed as every Sektarism release.   As for Witchthroat Serpent merchandising, both Sang-Dragon tapes and red vinyl are sold out.   We will release a new t-shirt together with the Striped Dragon 7” EP and repress the Sang-Dragon t-shirt for the Rising Sun Tour.

Thanks for your time and all the best!

Many thanks, Steph, for this interview.   Always a pleasure to cross your path.   See you on the road!

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Rising Sun Tour

June 19th - Antwerpen, Belgium at Kid's Kaffee June 20th - Berlin, Germany at Tiefgrund June 21st - Dresden, Germany at Ostpol June 22nd - Leipzig, Germany at Black Label Pub June 23rd - Nuremberg, Germany at Kunstverein June 24th - Munich, Germany at St. Helena Festival June 25th - Paris, France at Dr. Feelgood