Greetings!
Tonight, Lachryma Christi brings you an interview with a very special black metal band from Greece, Melan Selas.
Melan Selas play quite a different style of black metal. Unique, in fact.
For those who don't know, Melan Selas are a duo, where D.K. does all the music, and Astraea does all the vocal parts. They have been around since 2015, and have released an EP and two albums. They will be releasing their next full length Zephyrean Hymns in September through The Circle Music, and it is one of the most impressive black metal albums I have heard this year, so far.
Let's see what they have to tell us!
What does Melan Selas mean, as a name for a band? Why did you choose this name?
Melan Selas literally means Black Light, the words are greek and the name indicates a contradiction, but also symbolizes the union of darkness and light, these two elements as one. The idea of this name came by Astraea's father and we thought it sounded nicely, it happened to fit totally with the aesthetics and of course the content of our music, so we kept it, it was ideal.
Since Melan Selas is actually a duo (D.K. performing all the instrumental part, and Astraea performing all the vocal parts), how does it work for you in terms of composing?
D.K. composes the music and after both members having agreed on the result, Astraea creates the lyrics and the vocal lines and adds them on it. It works like that most of the times. Music composition is D.K.'s part and everything that has to do with the vocals is Astraea's. Our goal is that both members are fully satisfied with the final result.
How would you name the style of music you play, if you name it at all?
We identify our music generally as black metal, atmospheric and epic more specifically. We are definitely close to the hellenic black metal feeling but then, we also have a few black/thrash bursts in our music. The final outcome is a combination of all the above.
Your music is very different from most bands of the kind. Where do you get your inspiration for it?
Our inspiration comes from the music we are listening to, our various readings and, of course, life in general.
What are your lyrics usually about?
The lyrics are about nature and the human connection with it, ancient times are always the fundamental source of inspiration at this field, and everything that is presented through the lyrics comes from a philosophical point of view about life.
Do you ever play live, or plan to? If yes, how would it work in terms of musicians for all the instrumental part?
We had two live shows in the past with session musicians and unfortunately due to covid we couldn't continue playing at that point. Now, we are willing to play live again and we hope that our first upcoming live show for the season will be really soon, after the release of the new album.
Melan Selas have been around for quite a while already. How do you see your journey so far? Are you where you aimed to be by now?
We keep creating our art, expressing our thoughts through our music and this is something we cannot live without, this is all that matters to us. We continue on this road following our hearts.
You have signed a deal with The Circle Music earlier this year. How did that come up?
We were searching for a label for the release of our new material and communicated with The Circle Music. They appeared honestly interested in our music, believing in what we do, so we felt that our connection was the best choice for us.
Melan Selas are releasing a new album called Zephyrean Hymns later this year. Lachryma Christi had the pleasure of listening to it already. But for those who haven't yet, how would you describe it? What can people expect?
"Zephyrean Hymns" is a journey to which we hope that the listener will accompany us, on every little episode of it described on each track, being able to sense the great meanings behind the simple words, breathing the refreshing air of the spiritual transformation that comes with the storytelling in it. Musically, the album is one step further in Melan Selas' path, always true though to our unique identity established by our previous works.
What are the plans for Melan Selas for the near future, besides releasing the new album? What's in store for the band?
At this point, our major goal is to promote and present our new album to the audience the best way possible. Hopefully having quite a few live shows very soon.
Is there anything else you'd like to add to anyone reading this interview?
We would like to thank you very much for this interview and we also thank all the people that felt our music speaking in their hearts and supported us so far. Our new album "Zephyrean Hymns" comes out on September 2023 via The Circle
Music and pre-orders have already started! Cheers!
You can read a review for Zephyrean Hymns here: https://lachrymachristizine.blogspot.com/2023/06/review-melan-selas-upcoming-album.html
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