Ever since coming onto my radar early last year with The Impending Fall of the Stars, Inherits the Void is a band I’ve had in pretty constant rotation. That album was a great fusion of the melodic and atmospheric sides of black metal, but I was itching for more. Sole member A. is now back with Scars of Yesteryears, an album that turns the melodic aspects of the band up to 11 in addition to demonstrating a marked evolution in songwriting ability. A. was kind enough to answer my questions regarding the genesis and inspirations behind Inherits the Void, and some of the themes of the new album. Read about this and more after the jump…

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Hello and thank you for taking the time to speak with us! What is your musical background, and how did Inherits the Void arise out of that?

Hi Colin, thank you very much for this interview! Inherits The Void is a solo project that born in 2020. Previously I was in a Melodic Death Metal band in which I was guitarist and singer-guitarist for a while. It was an initial and first project in which I gradually learned to compose over almost 10 years. Already there, the songs were influenced by Scandinavian Death Metal while trying to add a more Floridian touch. Unfortunately, everyone’s priorities led the group to split in 2019. From there, I wanted to create a musical project in which I could give free rein to my inspirations, without constraints, and by following my personal desires. This is how Inherits The Void was born.

2023’s The Impending Fall of the Stars was my first introduction to the band, getting hooked off of the first single “Sullen Laments of the Wanderers” alone. Was the response to that album anything like you had hoped?

First of all, you should know that “The Impending Fall Of The Stars” was the album that allowed me to expose my first musical loves after my first album “Monolith Of Light” which was more “experimental” for me in the influences it brought. I’m very happy with the response The Impending received after its release! As a one-man band (with the difficulties that entails), I didn’t expect so much visibility and so many positive reviews. Seeing that the album was on many people’s AOTY lists really touched me. I hope it will be the same for “Scars Of Yesteryears”, with which I tried to surpass what had previously been done.

Scars of Yesteryears will be released only about a year and a half after Fall of the Stars, yet feels like a major evolution in terms of songwriting and overall sound. Was the shift away from the more spacey, atmospheric sound of the previous release intentional during the process of writing the album?

First of all, thank you for these words. I’ve really tried to go further in writing and composing and so I’m happy if it’s noticeable. Regarding the atmosphere of the album, I would say that, yes, it is intentional. With this new album, I wanted to highlight the melodic side more than the atmospheric aspect. The production reflects this change and therefore deliberately supports this direction. That said, for the previous one, the cosmic/atmospheric orientation was not deliberate during the composition process. In my opinion, these two albums are certainly different in certain aspects but the backbone remains the same.

Continuing with the stylistic change to one more akin to early melodic black/death metal, were there any artists in particular that inspired this during the making of the album?

Even if they have always been there, some musical influences predominated now in the composition process. I am thinking in particular of bands such as Sacramentum, Vinterland, Noctes and Mork Gryning. More broadly, a good part of the No Fashion Records label’s roaster can also be cited, with bands such as Dissection, Ablaze My Sorrow, Decameron, etc. Also, in some songs from the new album there are nods to groups like Katatonia (early), In Flames (early) or even Dark Tranquillity. As you can see, we mostly stick with Scandinavian influences haha.

A few of my favorite moments on the album are the abrupt shifts at 2:57 in “The Orchard of Grief” and 2:42 in “L’Eternelle Course Des Astres” – the former almost feels like something a progressive metal band would do, whereas the latter is simple enough but hits extremely hard. Additionally, the galloping climax of “The Endless Glow of Twilight”. Any insights into the creation of these moments?

One thing I really appreciated on Fall of the Stars – and certainly continued with Scars – is that the album feels like a journey rather than a disparate collection of individual songs. Was this a conscious decision when making both albums?

Yes absolutely, it’s a desire to create a thread and continuity throughout the album. It’s a job that involves a lot of listening to find a logical order for the songs. It’s not always easy, I must admit. For example, the initial order was not the same, there was always at least one song that was out of place. This is why I am happy to have come across the choice as it is proposed, I find that the songs follow each other well and offer interesting rhythmic and dynamic variations. I hope that people who listen to the album will be sensitive to it. In any case, I thank you for noticing it because it is also something that enters into an overall reflection of the process of creation/production of the album.

The theme of the album is described as the scars left by struggle, revolution, and the like; were there any specific historical events that inspired this? Undoubtedly the Francophone world has a vast wealth of history to draw from in this regard.

The inspirations are numerous and, you are right, often drawn from French history. I’m thinking in particular of the song “Ashes Of Grievance” which is inspired by the episode of “La Commune de Paris” which was a period of popular insurrection in the 19th century, and the creation of a popular assembly. It is an episode of social conquest repressed in blood. The lyrics relate – in a metaphorical aspect – the broken dreams of thousands of people and the decline of their ideals. Other songs address broader themes, notably the heritage left on Earth by Humanity and the ephemeral nature of human beings or the vices of some which lead to the loss of all. In short, the inspirations are numerous as you can see, but perhaps the people who listen will find other meanings in the lyrics.

Whatever constitutes “true” black metal could (and probably will) be debated on endlessly; as a musician where do you see Inherits the Void within the genre, and does it perhaps exist outside of it?

It’s an eternal debate indeed haha. I’m often amused to find that ITV style varies from person to person. Some consider the project as Melodic BM, others as Atmospheric BM, Post-Black Atmospheric, etc. For my part, I don’t attach particular importance to the style that people linked to ITV even if I claim to make Black Metal in the broad sense of the term. I would say that ITV makes Melodic Black Metal, but influenced by many other trends from Extreme Metal. The music label is a way to hook fans of a particular style, as is the artwork. I’m not the first to operate like this, but it’s ultimately quite reductive and it makes us miss out on great experiences. I would say that ITV makes Melodic Black Metal, but influenced by many other trends from Extreme Metal.

What are some of your favorite releases of 2024 so far?

I’m a little behind on the 2024 releases that I would have wanted to listen to [ed. note: you’re not the only one!]. There are a lot of new things and it’s not always easy to keep them up. Three albums that I like a lot are the latest GRIFFON (“De Republica”, BM France), PALEFROID (“L’Appel”, BM, France) and WITCH VOMIT (“Funeral Sanctum”, DM USA). I also discovered a one-man band that I listen quite often. It is VOHA – “Majestic Nightside Symphony” which offers very nice hints of the second BM Symphonic wave of the late 1990s. Finally, I am impatiently waiting to receive the latest ULCERATE which looks awesome from the one song I listened for now.

Lastly, you’ve had a very productive couple of years. Anything currently planned for the future of Inherits the Void?

I’ve been very active because as a one man band, the main activity is composition (haha). It’s an activity that I really enjoy and helps me to relax. When I have some free time, I try to compose new things. I’m going to start composing the next album very soon. Some ideas are already written. However, I may try my hand at another musical project before tackling the next ITV. Some compositions are already ready and I will see if they are interesting enough to be made public. To be continued!

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Eternal hails to A. for his time!

For more on Scars of Yesteryears, check out our full album review.

— Colin

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Scars of Yesteryears will be available June 21 on Avantgarde Music. For more information on Inherits the Void, check out their Facebook and Instagram pages.