Interview – Metal Eclipse Reviews

Pegah Interviews Lying Figures!

Pegah

Hey guys! We’re back with another interview, this time with French Doom/Death Metal band Lying Figures. Formed in 2012 in Nancy, the band began shaping their identity through the 2013 demo From Nowhere to Nothing and the EP A World Of My Own (2014). Over the years, Lying Figures steadily developed its voice within the underground Metal scene, leading to the release of its debut album The Abstract Escape in 2017 — an evocative journey through fractured psyches, dark emotions, and oppressive atmospheres. Its latest album, Inheritance, released in November 2024, marks a new chapter in the band’s evolution. A full review of the album is also available on our website.

From Classical Music, to Metal, and Beyond – Interview with Thomas Vikström (Therion)

Vicky

As a Symphonic Metal enthusiast, my heart is overfilled with joy when I tell you that I have recently spoken with Thomas Vikström (whom I must thank once again for this opportunity!), Therion’s talented lead vocalist, about his entire career, and numerous preferences, including his beverage of choice, and a top 20 songs he currently loves. Enjoy reading this interview and don’t forget to get back to us with some feedback.

Interview: Deconstructing the Night – Asenath Blake’s Philosophy of Black Metal

Metalcatto

We’ve done many interviews at MER now—some nerdy, some about war, some about mental struggles—but today, I bring you something different. Asenath Blake is here to talk to us about her work, and more importantly, about its philosophy. That’s not new in metal; so many black metal musicians are inspired by old books. But how about one that gets us out of our comfort zone?

Creating Amid Conflict: Denis (Die Entweihung) on Life, Music, and Resistance

Metalcatto

This interview has taken forever to complete. Mostly because of me being busy running this tiny Metal empire, but it was worth it to return to our humble origins—before wealth and fame corrupted us. Die Entweihung has the honor of being the first band we covered in True Kvlt. The raw MeloDeath project, led by Denis Tereschenko from Belarus, who also happens to live in Israel right now and is heavily political, made me have so many questions. And yes! I know this is a brutally heated and controversial subject. I’ll do my best to not misrepresent anyone and… who am I kidding? You’ll kill each other on IG anyway. Let’s go!

Contracts & Concept Albums: Metal Meets the Law with Fia from Exiled Hope

Metalcatto & Vicky

As usual, I want our interviews to be about more than just the albums.I know many artists will sigh at this, since they see an opportunity for ruthless self-promotion slip away—but that’s not the case, people! We want to give you layers, and today we have Fia from Exiled Hope, someone who’s aiming to become a lawyer and defend your (yes, your!) rights against the predatory hands of the merchants of death. (That’s the music industry, of course.). But first, we asked Fia a bit about Apocrypha, her latest album—you know, the one Vicky reviewed here!

Claiming Space in Black Metal: An Interview with Hedonistica from Völva

Hi there, my beloved blog-dwellers. It’s been a long time since we had an interview. However, that doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten about you—the people who can read for longer than three minutes! (The blog stats show that not only do you exist, but you also come back often.) Anyway, we talked to Hedonistica from Völva, one of the most interesting Black Metal bands out there. Why? Because it’s actually rebellious and controversial without being edgy. But “Catto, how’s that even possible?” Read below, kiddo!

Interview: Gunn-Hilde Erstad of Rendezvous Point on Musicianship, Physical Performance, and Navigating the Prog Scene

Hi there, my fellow basement-dwellers! We’ve had another interview, but this time, we’re aiming to educate you a bit, especially you, our musician demographic that needs to learn how to take care of your body since four energy drinks mixed with donuts are no healthy dinner. We’ve got Gunn-Hilde Erstad from Rendezvous Point, who happens to be a PhD candidate researching physical performance in musicians. But enough talking, let’s hear from her!

Interview with Tony Petrocelly from Construct of Lethe: Metal and mental health

Welcome back, everyone! I’ve hinted on many occasions that this section will mostly focus on interviewing people in unconventional parts of the Metal scene. However, at MER, we’re also strong advocates for mental health, and if you haven’t listened to A Kindness Dealt in Venom, you should. It’s a harrowing journey through the demons inside most of us. I met Tony in the most ironic way: he texted me to correct an enormous mistake in our Construct of Lethe review. He was understanding, and I could tell he was someone with a great eye for detail. Given the personal nature of this album, I couldn’t help but invite him for an interview.

Join our feline attempt to overthrow our human masters here!

Exploring South Africa’s Metal Scene: An Interview with Keenan Oakes of Wildernessking & Constelletia

Alright, my fellow basement dwellers, we have our first but not last interview for MER. I had the privilege of speaking with THE band in South African Black Metal. Even if you know nothing about South Africa (shame on you!), you know that Wildernessking (Wilderness and king, do you get it?) is the most important Black/Post Metal band coming from the deep south (Not Alabama, you American-centered people!). Destiny crossed my path with Keenan because I was the first person to get a digital copy of The Writing of Gods in the Sand. Exploiting my special status, I managed to convince Keenan to open this section for us. Needless to say, Keenan is an awesome and fun guy that I can’t wait to have a beer with. But putting my fanaticism aside, I did try to keep it together and ask him questions like his influences, which are close to what you’d expect.