With the self-titled album in 2007 and its follow-up from a year late, ‘Flandriae’, the Belgian band Taranis surprised with its authentic blend of Black Metal, Thrash Metal and Heavy Metal. For sure it didn’t bring anything new to the table, but, especially at that time, it felt like a grand return to the sound of the Metal Gods of the 80’s. Yet, after these two album sand a couple of shows the band was laid to rest. So great was the pleasure when I learned that Björn, the inspirer of Taranis, had revived his band and was working on a follow-up to ‘Flandriae’ on his own – now released through the band longterm companions of Iron Pegasus Records. I dug up my contact with him and asked him about the how and why of this very welcome second coming of Taranis…
Hi there Björn, welcome to our pages. When I noticed there was a new Taranis record coming up, I started digging up our old conversations and found out that we had been in contact for the last time in 2009. Almost a lifetime ago! Of course I knew you carried the band to the grave in the early 10’s, but I never understood the reason why. But for sure, even more interesting to know is the reason what made you resurrect Taranis about a decade later. Can you take us along with you in the past 10 to 12 years?
Well, the last Taranis shows date from the period when I ran my own metal pub. However, due to circumstances at the time, I ended up in a very stormy period which caused my first marriage to fall apart and I lost everything. Yes, divorce, bankruptcy, depression, everything came up but I climbed out!
Meanwhile I have been happily married for 10 years, have 2 very naughty (their mother’s character of course!) sons together and we have a booming courier business together. Raising 2 little boys plus running our own business is hugely time consuming. So we started a company during this time and in recent years I have only been involved in a fixed night round that I drive every day.
Because of this I haven’t done concerts for years, all the time went to work and family! However, I do have a lot of time to listen to music and potcasts and the night scenery among the Flemish farm roads helps to bring the necessary atmosphere! So inspiration bubbled up more and more until it boiled over and had to come out. The choice was hereby quickly made to swing Taranis back into hang for this purpose! My heavy backpack from the past, my musical inspiration and the influence of long, lonely working nights became the main ingredients of the Taranis cocktail that would follow.
If we go back in time even a bit more, I really loved the raw energy of the first two albums, the self-titled album from 2007 and ‘Flandriae’ from one year later, both put out by Iron Pegasus Records. How do you look back on that first period of the band on a musical and sentimental side of things?
On a personal level, I look at these albums completely differently compared to the new album. Then I had a completely different life which of course you also experience in making music. I was also a lot younger then and my feelings were different than they are now. What did remain the same is my musical inspiration and my interest in history and the shadow side of life, this will probably never change. However, I am still very satisfied with my previous albums and would not want to change anything, these albums are a part of me and my past.
If we fast-forward to ‘Postmortem Spheres’, your third album that was released in the fall of 2023 on focus on that a little, to me it really feels like a natural continuation of the sound that you already served on ‘Flandriae’. Even to such extent that it is hard to believe that there really is a 15 year gaping abyss between both albums… How would you compare both albums?
Well, I am actually a little surprised by that that you are asking this question because most claim that the new album is completely different, haha. But I can understand you somewhere. Taranis is an expression of my musical inspiration and my feelings. Because my musical tastes still haven’t changed and my interests are also still the same, this stretches through like a thread in Taranis. The main ingredient for creating new songs was and still is, expressing my feelings. Put my feelings along with the inspiration of the music I listen to together in a blender and you get Taranis! This is probably why you can still compare every Taranis song to each other and hear the same atmosphere in it.
When I wrote “Flandriae” I was already starting to delve a bit more into the “dark” and the “occult” while on the debut album more my interest in history, mainly our own Flemish history, prevailed. When writing lyrics for the new album I started to delve even more into the dark side of life, maybe this also provides a common thread between the two albums.
Continuing a bit on the previous question, ‘Taranis’ was a bit more of an evil sounding Thrash Metal album, while ‘Flandriae’ has more distinct occult and classic metal feel to it. To me it always felt so strongly connected to those Eastern European bands like Root or Master’s Hammer. ‘Postmortem Spheres’ to me purveys an even deeper feeling of that archetypical sound, mainly due to some more atmospheric elements, yet it also seems to be even more regressive in a rock-‘n-roll kind of sound. While there is by no means any need to categorize everything, how would you yourself characterize the nature of your new album?
I really like bands with their own special sound, and certainly already a dark occult atmosphere. That’s why I have indeed been a fan of Master’s Hammer for a long time, for example. For me, these are one by one very underrated bands because admit it, who from the new generation still knows them?
As for the Eastern European comparison, most bands from those regions indeed have something more primitive and dark in them. Perhaps a remnant in the genes of the turbulent times of their ancestors?? That you make this comparison with Taranis I can only be grateful for! In the early and mid-80s, there were plenty of heavy metal bands coming out with their own distinct sound that I have been listening to since childhood. I think the guys from Eastern Europe can only agree. The mix of 80’s heavy metal, occultism and early black metal creates this special “black ‘n heavy” sound as I call it myself. The more new bands come out, the more I tend to go back to this “black ‘n heavy” mix because in my opinion the new charge has completely lost the feeling of the past, which I think is a shame, never forget your roots! So the more I listen to new releases, the more I miss the feeling of the old bands, the result of this lack is “Postmortem Spheres”!
And if you’re wondering where my musical inspiration comes from, check out my playlist on Spotify “Metal for metals!” Yes, I also listen to Spotify, but mainly for practical reasons haha!
Speaking of inspiration and influences, although there is not a direct comparison, in both the first two albums and also on ‘Postmortem Spheres’ I can’t deny getting a bit of an Ancient Rites feeling. Especially in the drum sound, the way of forging certain melodies and the use of a croaking sort of vocals. Of course I am aware of the importance of Ancient Rites on the Belgian Black Metal scene in general, but I always wondered whether you could relate to this brain wave of mine…
My musical inspiration certainly includes a bit of Ancient Rites, they are pioneers! So I see this mainly as a compliment! In addition, Gunther has a much greater interest in history than I do, but this unlikely also makes for a comparison. Ancient Rites also has everything I like in metal, heavy/thrashy riffs, atmosphere and interesting lyrics and above all no trendy shit haha!
Taking the topic of the previous question to a bit of wider scope, how would you, as a veteran, describe the Belgian (Black) Metal scene? I am particularly interested in your view and idea on the contemporary Belgian Black Metal scene as I have been majorly impressed by a lot of bands that your scene spawned over the past few years. To me it were really bands like Forbidden Temple, Moenen Of Xezbeth and Perverted Ceremony that peaked my interest in occult sounding Black Metal. Do you see any considerable differences between nowadays’ scene and the one from the early days?
On the one hand I am proud of how many good metal bands our country has, but on the other hand I regret that it is mainly the “new batch” of bands that are currently taking over. There has been a new wave of (black) metal for a while now (not only in Belgium) with a lot of strange influences from “post metal to metalcore”, that’s really not my cup of tea! Of course, I can only applaud the bands that still bring metal as it originally was!
On the other hand, there are many underground bands that still pass on the old flame, such as the one you mention, for example. It’s a shame that these are less seen by bookers and concert organizers. So in the underground scene I definitely see similarities with the past.
Not at all in the mainstream anymore! Bands that are now being pushed and are achieving success in Belgium usually all sound the same, are in the same line and all go to exactly the same studio to record their album because they all want the same “modern” sound… With them I especially miss the “real” feeling and it seems as if they don’t mean it. The “new” bands have deviated so far from the original metal ingredients that I listen to them with disgust, sorry, I’m an conservative old school maniac but that’s me!!
Back to ‘Postmortem Spheres’ then. The first two albums had a strong connection to medieval folklore, religion and (local) historical topics in general, obviously the same applies to ‘Postmorten Spheres’. Songs like ‘The Soulbridge (Zuienkerke Anno 1504)’ probably wraps up a very exciting story. Can you tell a bit more about the theme of this new album?
The very first notes and events of “the soul bridge” date from around 1541 and to this day the “soul bridge” still stands in the polders of Zuienkerke. One day a much hated, miserly farmer died in Zuienkerke. The coroner came to the scene, coffined the corpse and brought the coffin with a white cart and 2 horses to the church a little further away. When he arrived at the bridge, he accidentally drove the front wheel of the cart into a wall, causing the coffin to fall into the water! They started looking for the coffin with the help of some onlookers, but in vain. The coffin was never found again. Later, people regularly saw the water bubbling up next to the soul bridge, which is why people have told it for generations that the farmer wandered around there and never found peace. That is what “The soul bridge” is about.
‘Postmortem Spheres’ is an album that you, as far as I was able to figure out, recorded completely by yourself, in the sense that you played all instruments and contributed vocals as well. In the first incarnation of the band you have at least always had a drummer recording together with you. How would you describe the difference in the creative process between being on your own completely or having a more or less ‘regular’ band?
For the new album I indeed created the drum parts completely myself using a drum sampler. I wanted to keep the atmosphere that was in me and I don’t think going into the studio with someone would help this. I literally locked myself in my attic for 5 months and absolutely wanted to be alone to write everything out from my feelings to the fullest. This was winter 2022 – 2023 without heating in my attic and poor lighting, so ideal for giving way to my dark feelings haha.
However, on the previous albums I worked in a similar way but less intensely, later the drum parts were played in the studio by a session drummer. It wasn’t originally my intention to do it this way, I was planning to go back into the studio with a real drummer but Costa from “Iron Pegasus” thought it sounded really good with the sampler and it saved money and time out! To be honest, I don’t think it sounds bad and many will probably not even realize that it is a sampler! But I have learned from this, no drum sampler anymore because this does not fit with the olds school metal experience!
Picking up on the line-up question, you now have a full-fledged four-member band with Hendrik Vanwynsberghe, who recorded the drums on the debut LP, returning to the fold and the addition of two new members that I personally never heard of. What made you decide to expand Taranis to a full band again?
Ooo, I think you know the other members too, man! Kwel is the man behind “Goat Torment” and used to be a session guitarist with Taranis during the time of “Flandriae”! Y is the driving force and singer/guitarist in “Darkest Mind” and guitarist in “Ars Veneficium”. They used to play in several well-known underground bands back in the days,so known guys right? Of course, I have known Hennix for the longest time, we founded “Demonizer” together a long time ago.
All of them are professional musicians with whom I am on the same level in terms of musical interest, so old school to the bone haha! We have known each other for a long time and have a special bond with each other, which makes the magic during playing much stronger. The first rehearsal with this line-up gave me goosebumps and our first show only made this even stronger! That’s why we made the choice to evolve into a band of 4 people instead of my own oneman project. The magic and atmosphere is there so we have to take advantage of it! I continue to write the basis for new songs so that the typical Taranis sound is preserved and then work them together into an end result.
Personally I of course do remember your show with Pentacle and Pentagram (Chile) that I organised in Rotterdam in 2009, but I can’t really recall many other flyers of shows that Taranis was a part of. Is playing live something that is back in your future plans? And, more generally, 2024 is still young, what can we expect from Taranis in the coming period?
Well, we did a total of about 10 shows between 2006 and 2012, but no more than that. However, we currently live in completely different times where records are still sold at a minimum. The only way to make yourself heard is to play live. Like I said, there is a huge magic between us as band members and we only want one thing, to play as many shows as possible! We have currently completed 2 shows and have 4 more planned, so we are on a roll, pay attention!
We are still looking for additional shows, especially Benelux, France and Germany, but it is not easy! As I said before, bookers are receiving an oversupply of “new” bands and are being overwhelmed with requests! I fear that the scene is going to destroy its own in this way, but look, we are part of it too, so…
And, last but not least, a question that is somewhat in my own interest, ‘Postmortem Spheres’ has so far only been released on CD while the first two albums were also issued on vinyl, my most beloved format. Is there any chance we will be able to get ‘Postmorten Spheres’ on vinyl as well?
Well, the intention is to indeed release the new album on vinyl, but unfortunately there’s a force delay. The album will certainly be released on vinyl, even with a completely different artwork than the CD version but you will have to be patient for a while. Everything about the artwork is ready to be submitted, but I will have to pull Costa’s ears again to speed up haha! But the vinyl version will definitely come!
Alright Björn, thanks for your insider’s view on this second coming of Taranis, I do particularly hope you will now stay with us for a while longer. Anyway, for you, the honor is to conclude the interview with a few final words…
This time you can be sure that you are not immediately rid of Taranis! We have only just started and the path we want to take is open! Get ready for more and new Taranis material and hopefully we will hit the stage in your area!!
Hail to the old school metal hordes who keep the dark flame burning and thanks for the support!!
