There’s
no need for any kind of grandiose introduction. Human Serpent is a
great band from Greece that every black metal maniac should check
out, especially if you’re looking for something that is more than
just mere music. Human Serpent has deeper symbolism as opposed to the
usual “Hail Satan” platitudes so common in the genre.
Morbid hails! To get this interview underway, can you please tell us what the band is all about and the core philosophy behind it?
Human Serpent is the physical, tangible manifestation of that side of our expression that derives from the deepest depths of our insanity. The way we have chosen to live our lives has reached that point of inner maturity where we are really, in absolute Practice, Ourselves! Not just another shell of the same old and molded ideals of the herds and their recycled "ethics". We choose to embody Denial in its utter and undivided totality.. We would much rather live in pain, than "live" the perpetual preservation of the slow decay... We are just like a huge piece of glass... There may be a day on which we break into a thousand pieces and nothing is left of us but pieces of broken glass, still we are never going to bend. Glass is never going to bend! Not for anyone! Not for anything! Human Serpent is the core of chaos immersed into the heart of our indivisibility of our being.
What is the connotation behind the name of your band?
Man is just another animal among the billions that have inhabited this planet, however it must be the only one that never understood its worth in the tightly-linked chain of life. Man can level everything to the ground just as easily as he can create something out of almost nothing. The name Human Serpent is the simplest way which we can express the "mindset" of everything that made Man an organic waste that is constantly flirting with self-destruction. An animal, a life form with the venom and the habits of a serpent.
You have a song called “Fuck Normality” – can you please elaborate on the theme and tell us what the song is all about? What is normality by your definition and what is detestable about it?
The main idea behind Fuck Normality is the head-on-collision course that we have chosen to take against the ever-decaying carcass of society and its rules...
As well as, that our individuality, both in terms of our physical essence and our imperious existential idea, will never become a temple of need-worshiping, but rather a beast whose thirst of creation can never be fully quenched... Because creation is the only thing that remains bottomless even when cast into the void of Time... And creation, in the form that we perceive and feel it, is never going to recognize rules, nor gods, nor kings, nor masters, nor castes, nor norms. Those are for those who seek "quietness" and "calmness"... The sheep before their slaughter are quiet and calm... And as things have been shaped in such a way both as a whole for humanity and in our personal lives, we have reached the point that one can be either calm or free.
How
would you describe your sound to those who haven’t heard it before?
What are your biggest inspirations?
Our biggest inspiration is life itself and behind that word every notion of the raw rage and intact sadness that we feel is present in our sound, shines through. The sound that is the most direct and immediate thing behind all our feelings... And what I have understood through a lot of personal experiences is that, the one loyal to a certain sound, or a certain album has delved deep into the labyrinth of personal and inner "search" and stimuli, with music being their only company... So, I wouldn't want to urge anyone-who may very well never had heard of us before-to do so based on a "label" or anything of that kind.. Everything has become so easily served in our individual golden platter, that by pressing some buttons on any keyboard, any and every one can find our music and then be the sole judge on if they find any sort of interest in our music or not...
How has the response been so far for your latest album, “Heirlooms Eternal”? Are you content with the reactions? Have people understood the essence of your art?
We are proud of Heirlooms Eternal and there is not even the slightest thing that we would have changed. We create music so that we can externalize all the shit that floods our souls... Each time that we go through the process of creating a full-length, we do so for us first. And each of our releases has a unique story behind it, because even if it's something done subconsciously, everything about what we are is experiential. This is something that almost instinctively influences everything and mostly the overall perception of how we are going to tread in regards with the composition and sound of that particular time period that a Human Serpent release is given shape. One of the biggest examples that we can give you is that we wanted Heirlooms Eternal to be our most "too filthy" album so far and many were displeased with that. A complete opposite of our most "too clean" album, For I, The Misanthropist... No matter how hard you might try there is no chance that everyone is going to like what you will come up with and this is something we really don't care about. As I said before, everything that we do, we do firstly and ultimately for ourselves. Yet, one thing that we understood by the release of Heirlooms Eternal is that those who were able to truly "feel" it, who were able to really experience it in its wholeness, chose to leave themselves be drifted into the deep, ravenous emptiness of its abyss.. And that was exactly what we were aiming for... We created an album with essence, with a beginning, a middle and an end, not just individual tracks to be uploaded in a playlist somewhere on Spotify.. Also, it was the album with the fastest, in practice, support by those still loyal towards the actual physical formats... Already the Tape format has been sold-out and we are currently in the process of printing the second press edition of our Digipack format which will include a bonus track..
Can you tell us a little about your image and the gas-masks? Do you associate yourselves with the whole bestial/war metal scene?
No, there is absolutely no association with the bestial/war metal scene. There are many reasons for why we choose to wear gas masks... But in one simple sentence, we can say that it reflects an allegorical side of humanity... Take, for example, the photo session of Heirlooms Eternal, one of us doesn't wear a gas mask, but rather, a black shroud covering his face. The reason for that is once again allegorical, it expresses the untameable of our souls.. Our souls that are without any kind of limitations.. And when one finds themselves choosing to jump into their personal abyss, one can transcend any and all limitations... There are no limitations in the vast seas of Chaos! There, one can only find the true Redemption! Without a glimpse on the other side, there can be no Redemption! With taking into consideration and embracing the human limitations and the rules of society, there can be no Redemption! Redemption is a personal and unique, in its true essence, journey for each and one of us.. Something similar to our Birth and Death...
Your thoughts on sentiments like “metal is one big brotherhood”?
Things are never absolute, there are many sides and many faces that one can see...
Do you think things like war, genocide, famine, disease, serial killers, etc., are a necessary sort of Darwinism to curb the ever growing population?
Darwin's law is a law which applies to all forms of life on our planet, yet, I strongly believe that it doesn't have much to do with regulating the population of each species, but rather, it has everything to do with the evolution and progress of said species. Me, personally, I believe that we, as a species, have reached that certain point where there can be no law-be that in physics or any other field of science-that can lead us out of the shit-that we dug ourselves in – and into any form of positive evolution... The process of our self-destruction has begun for many centuries now and the point of no return has already escaped our sight..
What’s some killer bands and albums that you’ve been listening to lately?
There are endless lists of albums and bands-from a huge variety of music genres-that I would like to mention, that I could go on forever...
Still, at this moment, I am currently listening to Swordwielder – System Overlord, a 2019 LP. Swordwielder is a killer Amebix/Axegrinder worshiping crust/punk band from Sweden that I find myself listening to very regularly since the first time I came across their music. I really believe that, beyond their more than obvious influences, their music has something that sounds both unique and fresh to my ears.
Do you draw any inspiration from cinema? What are some of your favourite films?
Subconsciously, there is no doubt that we are being influenced by all forms of art and, certainly, by cinema.. There are too many movies that we love! So many that it would be impossible to list here. Still, I would like to mention 4 movies I saw this past year that I feel have that "something" special to offer and surely, a great amount of food for thought..
They
live (1988)
Her
(2013)
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
El
hoyo (2019)
What do you think of humanist ideals in black metal? Are they relevant or do you consider them an abomination?
The only thing that I feel is an abomination in black metal, in music and in any form of art, in general, is those who embrace any and all kinds of authoritarian political ideals and practices. Also, abominations are all kinds of herds inside black metal.. Lastly, we would like to use this opportunity to say a huge FUCK YOU to all those who have assumed the role of Depositary of the "ethics" of black metal...
For
the end, tell us how you foresee the future of humanity taking into
account all the bullshit that's happened lately. Will we ever be
truly free or is this the beginning of a new dark age? Thanks for
your time!
Taking a look back, in history, constant recycling can be seen... No matter the time period, mankind has always been living in "trenches", yet there are those "intervals", like the one that we are currently living, when mankind really shows its true and ugliest face... It would be extremely funny to me if mankind felt "free" 10, 20 or 50 years ago... When was mankind, in total, really and actually free? It is completely subjective, how each and every one of us perceives the notion of freedom.. Me? I just keep on reminding myself of something that I mentioned above also, You can either be Calm or Free...
