Photo by: Eclipse New Media

What exactly inspired the creation of Perpétuelle Eclipse? How does the album’s title reflect its themes? 

The creation of this album took a lot of time as we started to write it before the release of our previous album, “Tides of Despair”. We got in mind to keep going back to our roots with a more raw way of playing, and putting an accent on a sad/nostalgic ambient. The themes are as usual: sorrow, death-longing, and also literature. Each song paints it with a different way of playing. “Waltzing Among Graves” is more brutal, “When my Time has Come to Die” is epic and in a traditional ND’s style, “Perpétuelle Eclipse” is a doom song…It’s a journey between the different faces of Nocturnal Depression. 

What particular moment that led to the creation of this album? 

During a trip to Scotland, while visiting a graveyard, the idea and melodies of “Waltzing among Graves” hurt my mind. Lyrics followed instantly. Then it was in Crowley’s cottage that this idea continued. Scotland is really my personal resource place. 

How each of the tracks was created? Was there a thematic progression that you were thinking of in terms of their sequence? 

For this album, we used personal emotions but as usual we also took some literature signs like “When my Time has Come to Die” about Bram Stoker’s Dracula, “Endless Slumber” from Lovecraft and “Self-Murdered Woods” from Dante’s Inferno. All songs are following the path towards death and its liberation.

“Perpétuelle Eclipse” clearly references the endless darkness that you believe is the hallmark of death. Does anyone in the band have any beliefs that might shine some light in the gloom of eternity? 

Not really but more about the astral trip after death salvation. The song you refer to is about a character tied in a hospital bed. He is waiting for the death deliverance and finally his soul is spread in the astral. 

Which bands (if any) do you think have influenced your recent style and ethos? 

For this album, we decided to go back deeper into our roots. Our main influences were and still are Forgotten Tomb, Nargaroth, Shining, Burzum. I think our last album is going really in a melodic Black Metal style with some Athmotouches.  

What new styles or techniques did you bring to Perpétuelle Eclipse? Was there any experimentation? 

We got some songs where riffs are not long but with more changes. Instead of playing four times it’s played two times. We did several additions in melody with sometimes four guitars, when before we used only two for getting possibilities to play songs live. We tried some rhythms in a more catchysound than before. The great experimentation has been without doubt the sound quality. We entered several studios in Italy and France with some sound engineers and a professional recorder/mixer. The final result you hear was done in a direct way, without asking for hundreds of different mixes. 

How does the newer sound of PE sit alongside the older material during your shows? Does it feel very different or is it a natural progression of your sound?

New songs fit perfectly with our classic songs because they are all led by a Black Metal style that we never forget. We’ve got some direct songs with slow tempos but also some aggressive and dissonant stuff. It could be a natural progression because of time, and also due to various concepts that we put in, songs that are more dark than desperate. The greatest difference may be also the use of less clean arpeggios and passages than you found in old cds. 

How do you feel about the band now compared to when you started? Has anything changed? Are there any songs you don’t feel happy to perform anymore?

We still feel surprised than we could make ND such an important name in DSBM. We started with a tape recorder in an attic with a two-member line-up. It was impossible for me to play guitars or anything (if you heard people all around). We went away from criticism about everything, and now we have celebrated our 20 years of activity. Where are the refractors? Forgotten by everyone! When we listened to old songs, musically, they are different from new ones but they are milestones in ND’s style. We started the gigs in 2024 playing our oldest song: “And the forest answers to my call”. People enjoyed it, and me too, because it was a great circle to open the celebration by the song which started everything. 

Compared to when you first started, what is it that now fuels your creativity and gives you inspiration? Is it personal stuff, books, the state of the world or something else? Does getting older change any of your perspectives or attitudes to your music? 

We always take inspiration from all you said: personal experiences, books, look over the world/society. Often we walk in the shoes of a protagonist and let him lead by his negative feelings. This is the essence of ND with sorrow, nostalgia, anger, grief, hatred, negativism… Getting older offers us more feedback about experiences and also with the evolution of the world around us. We don’t spend our time in old memories or, like several people, with the mindset that “things were better before”. Like for music, there is a need to adapt ourselves to the new society or most of what we know will disappear… 

And lastly, PE feels like a very personal and intimate album. Are there any specific personal memories or experiences that have made their way into the record? What message were you trying to get across with this album? 

We always need to be in a specific mood for writing our stuff. This album is led by our darker feelings. It was another step in watching the splendour of death and macabre but also of isolation. For example, “Waltzing…” idea, melodies and lyrics came to my mind while I was in Greyfriars Kirkgard in Edinburgh. There is no specific message on this album, just some songs tied to death’s final moment that could be in a certain way a liberation…