Interview Skog

In this interview, we explore the revival of Skog and the re-recording of "En Suivant le Cortège Funèbre." Join us as we dive into the motivations, challenges, and reflections behind this project.

1. What inspired you to revive Skog after all these years and re-record "En Suivant le Cortège Funèbre"?

I was a beginner at the time in recording music and didn't really know how to do it. I recorded the original version with the means at hand but I've never been satisfied with the result. The sound is rather poor quality and sometimes, the guitars are not even in tune... My ear was not as sharp as today, you know... I really didn't like what I've done and decided to stop the project and create another one, Mortis Mutilati, to restart on a good basis.

A few months ago, I was feeling nostalgic and gave a listen to the album and started playing the riffs, and I said to myself: "Damn, those riffs are not that bad when the sound is good!" and that's it, I re-recorded the album.

2. How has your musical style or approach changed since you first recorded the album?

I was a teenager at the time and I was listening to almost only Black-Metal because you had to be "true"... Most teenagers are stupid, isn't it? Like everyone, I was one of them.

I'm an adult now and I listen to everything that sounds good to me. I'm a big fan of hard-rock and glam-metal but this is not something you can hear in Skog as I kept the original scores intact without any modification. I keep my influences from other styles for Mortis Mutilati.

3. Can you tell us about the process of re-recording the album? Were there any significant challenges or surprises?

Well, I recorded the "new" album in my home-studio all by myself. It was not so challenging, nothing really technical to play but the surprise was good when I heard the result (even though it was not mixed yet). I never thought that the songs from Skog could be that great! I wish my "me" from the past could hear it! I was like: "fuck yeah, not bad for a 15 years old guy!"

4. What emotions or themes do you aim to convey through the music and lyrics of "En Suivant le Cortège Funèbre"?

Once again, I was a teenager so I wrote the lyrics of what I had in mind at the time. Schooling was the worst part of my life and I hated everyone there and I used Skog to discharge all those negative stuffs to stay healthy. I was 15 years old and you're full of useless anxiety at that age so I also used that as a fuel for the music. This might sound a bit childish, I was young...

If I had to rewrite the lyrics and music today, of course, it would have been more elaborate.

5. How do you feel the black metal scene in Paris has evolved since Skog's inception in 2008?

I was often hanging out at shows back in the days, the scene was not so bad, but it's not the case anymore. I don't keep myself informed anymore of what happens in the Parisian or even French scene. All the new bands all fit into a mold and when you've heard one of them, you heard them all... Black-Metal has lost all its wealth and all its charm... Unfortunately.

6. What does the album title "En Suivant le Cortège Funèbre" mean to you, and how does it reflect the overall concept of the album?

The title echoes my hatred for the school system and all of my classmates. Walking in the rows really made me think about following a funeral procession. Fun fact, I actually work in the funeral services now.

7. Can you share any memorable moments or experiences from the original recording sessions or the live gigs you played in Paris?

It was kind of memorable because it was my first "real" recording session but nothing really fun happened. I had way more pleasure recording the new version, also because the recording conditions were of course better. Live shows were pretty cool but were not as pro as we are today and this gave me doubts on being good or not. I don't have that concern anymore today so I enjoy playing live even more now.

8. What influenced your decision to keep Skog as a one-man band rather than collaborating with other musicians?

Music has always been really personal to me, so I always kept the decision to have my own projects as one-man-bands and Skog is no exception. It's also a concern of pride, nothing is more satisfying than listening to an album and thinking "it's all me". I also had no choice back in time as I was the only Black-Metal in my area and had no car, no train, no bus, in fact, nothing to move and meet other musicians.

9. After this final recording, do you have any plans for future projects, whether within the black metal genre or in other musical directions?

Skog is not going to last, there's no new material to be released. We will play a few shows and then the band will go back to the darkness, where it belongs. I revived it only to give it a worthy farewell.

But things will continue with Mortis Mutilati, indeed, we have a new album in the making, but I don't have a release date to announce yet as we're still in the recording process. I also play in a hard-rock band called Sleazy Town, we just released a double album, nothing to do with Back-Metal but the music still rocks, trust me! I have Voahrt, a dungeon synth project releasing stuffs from time to time on Bandcamp and finally I play in some friends' bands when they need a hand to help.

10. How do you hope listeners will receive the re-recorded album, and what do you want them to take away from it?

What I hope is that listeners will also give a listen to the original version that also contains some demo tracks even older. Even if I don't like it, I'm still attached to it as I recorded it with all my soul, even if my skills weren't as  good as today. I hope people will enjoy both versions.

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