Interview: Belore
Photo by Fanny Ardisson
Epic black metal with mystery, fantasy, and heroism befits the French artist Belore, a black metal act that embodies those characteristics in a way that surpasses most striving for such recognition. Embodied in the music is a sense of nature and wonder, often overlooked in black metal. There’s a sense that you’re wandering the landscapes of a foreign world, taking the listener to a place of wonder.
Blacforje is honored to have Belore speak with us about their music, who they are as a person, and what we can expect in the future from the artist. Enjoy the interview!
Thanks for joining Blacforje for an interview! I’m honored! For starters, you’re based in France, right? What part?
Hi! And thanks a lot for your interest in Belore. Yes, I’m based in Marseille, in the southern part of France, close to the sea and not far to the French Alps.
Your most recent album titled Artefacts was released in 2021. Have you been working on any new music recently? If so, can you tell us anything about it?
Yes, a third album is planned for the 5th of April, and it’s called Easter Tales. I decided to continue the story after the events of Artefacts. On the last song, you follow the new king, leading a procession composed with knights, civilians, and farmers to explore the eastern lands that are undiscovered yet. The new album talks about some events and quests happening during this campaign, but almost the events upcoming at the capital during the absence of the king.
Like the previous albums, I’ve composed, recorded, mixed, and mastered the all opus, with the help of Charlie for the drums. But this time, I asked Ella Zlotos (Saor, Ephemeral) to record the whistles. The result is amazing and brings the epic-ness over the top! This album will follow the vibes of Artefacts, with new inspirations, more orchestrations, and a better audio production.
Ederiel, our live guitarist, has also designed the map of Belore’s world, to help people better understand the stories behind the songs.
'Eastern Tales' by Belore - artwork by Aleksandra Klepacka
What inspires your musical writing, both lyrically and thematically?
My inspirations come by medieval fantasy worlds, mountains, and video games. What an original and stunning answer right? To be more specific, I love dark fantasy books and universes like The Witcher, The Book of the Fallen, Tolkien, and H.P Lovecraft (for those who everyone knows). Concerning video games, I’m a huge fan of the World of Warcraft universe. I almost have all the books and love those written by Christie Golden. I always liked the contrast that can give the mix between a wonderful, fantastic world where everything seems possible, and the harsh reality of life, inevitable and dramatic events. The music of Belore is full of contrast, always swinging between light and darkness, even more on the next album where the events in the story bring darker songs as the album approaches the end.
Also, I’ve always lived close to the French Alps, and try to hike as much as I could during the year. The majesty of the mountains is a huge help to picture atmospheres when I compose. Sometimes, I bring a mini home studio into a wooden house in the mountains, having time alone to compose.
Photo by Fanny Ardisson
How would you describe the sound and atmosphere of Belore? I’m curious how you would personally describe your music.
It’s a mix between epic and atmospheric black metal, but a black metal full of light, hope ,and feelings. I have precise pictures in my head when I compose, write the lyrics, that the music follows as much as it can. But I also want people to appropriate my music with their own imagination. I love to put nature’s ambiances during the song because immersion is very important for me. It's a music you can listen to with headphones, close your eyes, and let you carry though fantastic worlds. It’s almost a problem for me, because when I’m in the mixing part of an album, I like to listen to it with headphones, laying on my bed to make sure the tracks follow each other correctly. But I almost fall asleep every time before the end!
Are you a spiritual or philosophical person? Does faith or a particular worldview influence you both as an individual and as an artist? If so, can you tell us a little bit about it?
I have strictly no spiritual or philosophical belief; I’m a down-to-earth person. My influences come from places, music, or stories that talk to my emotions, not from a way of life or spiritual thinking.
Who are you as a person outside of music? What are some of the things you enjoy?
Outside the music I have a full time job, like most of the people! But even when I’m working, I’m always thinking about Belore and can’t stop working on it the second I have a free time. I also love spending my time watching documentaries on almost everything, but mostly history. I’m a sports lover, especially football (“Soccer” for you, my American friends. I still love you. Don't worry.). I play when I can, but I’m not very good at it, to be honest. For years I’ve been a part of a Medieval combat team, mostly for training. But with the music, it was impossible for me to keep the distance. But I’ve recruited them (“Clan Ligefer” from Marseille) for the new video clip!
'Artefacts' by Belore - artwork by Romain Défélix
When it comes to France, I’ve never been, but I do hope to visit someday. If I were to visit only one town/city, where should I go?
It’s really hard to choose ONE city, because every town is full of marvelous things around them. It depends on what you are looking for. If you like mountains, sea, sun, Mediterranean colors but also castles, you should go on the French Riviera. You can have a coffee on the beach at 8 am, hike across wonderful plains and lakes at +2,000m for 10 am (Mercantour National Park), and eat pasta in Italy for your evening. You also have glorious Medieval villages like Entrevaux, Gourdon, Eze, etc. It’s an area full of surprises.
Last question for ya: I’ve eaten French fries my entire life. They’re delicious. Yet, I’m starting to think the whole “French” thing is a farce. You guys don’t seem to ever talk about them. Have we Americans been lied to?
The French fries are French! It’s a true story. Some historians look into the situation, and apparently, they were invented at the end of the XVIIe century in Paris on the banks of the Seine. But the actual form was popularized during the middle of the XIXe, by a German guy (Jean-Frédéric Krieger) in Belgium! And he learned the art of French fries in Paris - Montmartre. French fries are more popular in Belgium than in France now. Et voilà!
