Talking with Vyas Manalan about "Path of Ascension"

Hello all, today i bring you an interview with Vyas from Diabolus Arcanium, a Black Metal band from Chennai, India. The focus of the conversation was the new work, “Path of Ascension” but not only, we ended up talking about the Black scene and some more. Check it out.

MeP: Hello Vyas, welcome to my blog. Let's start with the presentations so everyone knows who DA are.

Vyas: We are a 5 piece symphonic Black Metal band from Chennai, India. We were formerly called Fortified Destruction until 2013.

MeP: There were some changes in the band's line up. Did these new members brought something new to the band or something got lost with the ones who left?

Vyas: The changes were quite essential as the previous members had a different ideology and it did not mix well with the band's wave length; the new members, on the other hand, seem to be on the same boat as the band so it is working quite well.

MeP: Did the new members participate on the making of the album?

Vyas: No, "Path of Ascension" (PoA) was recorded before the lineup change.

MeP: Now focusing on PoA, is it a conceptual album? What's the main message/theme?

Vyas: Ahh... well, PoA is kinda like a conceptual album which takes the listeners on a first person adventure towards an ascension to reality (the realization that Jesus Christ is fake as fuck).

MeP: You come from a country with various religions and followers. How is it for you and others to play Black Metal there? Give us an insight of the Indian scene.

Vyas: India definitely has dozens of cultures and religions but there are not many bands that write songs related to religion (we are probably the only band that writes straight up Anti-Christian stuff...I'm not sure about any other Satanic bands here). ‘Till now we haven't faced any problems whatsoever.

MeP: Despite being so direct in your work, was it difficult to find a label/management team to work with? Tell us how it is to work with Transcending Obscurity (label) and Proximity Productions (management)?

Vyas: Since Harsha of Proximity Productions is my cousin I chose him to handle the management and he has done a great job until now by elevating the band to great heights; we got an offer from Transcending Obscurity after they heard one of our songs and shared their interest to release an album of ours… we worked things out between us and it has proved to be quite successful!

MeP: Judging by the track “Of Fire And Ashes” (see below) we can expect songs in the line of old school Mayhem or Emperor, with well created symphonic arrangements and compositions, with an aura of black epicness? True?

Vyas: True! Especially since we are heavily influenced by Emperor, Dimmu Borgir and Mayhem (90’s era). The orchestral arrangements might come in as a surprise to some, though.

MeP: I’ve read some reviews about PoA and they all favor it. How does the band reacts to it? Being this your debut do you think it raises too many expectations for the following works?

Vyas: We honestly did not expect such a good reaction from the critic’s hahaha, we will work harder and deliver the next album with higher quality.

MeP: Talking about the future, what are the plans? Do you intend to play more in India or are you aiming for wider horizons?

Vyas: We definitely are aiming for wider horizons and also a few more shows in India. “Path of Ascension” is the first of an album trilogy, we are hitting the studios in a couple of months to record the next one and hopefully get it released next year this same time.

MeP: Now at a bigger scale, what do you think of the Black scene worldwide nowadays?

Vyas: Black Metal has clearly evolved a lot; I believe that it has a wide range of listeners nowadays and that the fan-base is rapidly increasing.

MeP: As a final question, I usually leave these lines for the band to express themselves, to leave a message for their fans. This is it, use it well.

Vyas: Thank you for the support! Stay Diabolic! \m/

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