The legendary Meyhnach is truly one of black metal’s finest and most important artists. The significance of his contributions to the genre cannot be overstated. Meyhnach is best known for his work with the immortal Mütiilation, the definitive French black metal band.

However, Meyhnach has taken part in a number of other stellar projects over the years. Suicide Circle, for example, is an outfit that we have been following since the release of their debut album, Shotgun Prayers (2021). Even before we heard Suicide Circle’s magnificent sophomore record, Bukkake of Souls, we knew that it would be a highlight of 2023. Bukkake of Souls dropped on December 29 and miraculously managed to exceed our already impossibly high expectations.

Meyhnach is one of my favorite and most respected musicians. He has also earned a reputation as a rather enigmatic figure. Thus, we were extremely grateful for the opportunity to discuss Bukkake of Souls with the master himself.

Greetings Meyhnach! It’s a true privilege and rare honor to speak with you! Congratulations on the release of Bukkake of Souls. Of course, it’s a phenomenal record and one that I urge our readers to check out. It’s inventive, and yet it retains the true black metal spirit of the old days. Could you please take me through the creative process for this album both in terms of composing the lyrics and the music?

Thank you. It was quite a chaotic composing process indeed. No magic recipe, a lot of work, some hallucinogens, talent maybe… who knows…

What has it been like to work with Kham, who joined on drums after Demo MMXX (2020) for Shotgun Prayers (2021)? Does he help with the songwriting and conceptual aspects? Do the two of you meet and rehearse often?

I was very satisfied with the drum parts of Kham on the first album. He’s talented. Though we didn’t communicate too much in between, it seemed natural for him and me to record Bukkake of Souls together. I composed the songs, but I gave him quite a bit of freedom with the drum parts. Metal is not his main musical influence and he keeps quite far from the scene. That’s what makes his drum skills personal and original. We rarely meet and we didn’t rehearse together physically. I sent him the music tracks and he recorded his drums in his own studio, cold and distant style.

Did everything go smoothly with Bukkake of Souls’ production?

Not so smooth really. It took like 6 months for the mix and the mastering… Now that the album is out, I realize it took nearly one year to release it. After such a period, one can lose some interest and hope… Anyway, I’m satisfied with the result, but it’s already an old thing for me.

In my opinion, Bukkake of Souls is quite different from Shotgun Prayers, which is equally excellent. How has your approach changed within Suicide Circle?

Well, as the former guitarist was not in the band anymore, I had to do all the riffs myself. I guess that brought a different approach to the ensemble of the compositions. I didn’t want to make a typical black metal album. Bukkake of Souls is grim indeed but also hypnotic, experimental, almost psychedelic if I dare to say… That makes the style of the album quite hard to label, I guess.

Bukkake of Souls features appearances by Obskuritatem and Zoldier Noiz. In addition, it showcases guest vocals by famed visual artist and musician Maxime Taccardi, whom we love! Like you, he’s a true genius. He’s a friend of yours, and I believe that you’ve acted as a mentor to him as well. You taught him how to play Mütiilation’s “Through the Funeral Maelstrom of Evil” and assisted with his magnificent cover of this song, which was released under the K.F.R banner. You likewise participated on K.F.R’s Anti (2014). As Projekt K-OZ, you shared a 2017 split with K.F.R. You also contributed to Pope Art (2019), a fantastic album by Taccardi’s project Griiim. Listeners can furthermore hear you on the recently released In Hell I Shall Be King by Kyūketsuki, another exceptional band of Taccardi’s. That is truly a mind-blowing album! Would you like to talk about what it has been like to collaborate with Taccardi on various projects?

It always went good. Max is a really creative and prolific person. I like the fact that he makes absolutely no compromises in his art and music. He’s an alien. He always supported me through all those years and we did some great collaborations. I like the fact that when we decide to work together, we do it fast and rough without useless extra talks or delay. I think it’s a common point I have with Max, we’re both impatient.

Taccardi created the first logo for Meyhnach. Do you own any of his amazing artwork?

I’m a proud owner of some of his pieces, yes. I have an original painting here in my living room, plus some blood art and prints in my cabinet of curiosities.

To rewind a bit, could you please tell me about what inspired you to found Suicide Circle, which originally included guitarist Rats? It is my understanding that you ended Mütiilation, clearly one of the best and most respected outfits in the genre, because you wanted the freedom to evolve. You definitely seem to have more than found it in Suicide Circle.

At some point, every artist requires the need to explore different musical universes. With Mütiilation, it was something impossible ’cause it’s a style and an audience that refuse any kind of evolution. Thus, I experimented with Meyhnach and then after with Suicide Circle, which definitely has an ambient-like approach. At the end, you get this tentacular monster that makes up the entire body of my work.

I know that you aren’t fond of making live appearances, but do you think we’ll have the opportunity to see Suicide Circle perform live in the future?

No chance, live music is not my stuff.

Before Suicide Circle was conceived, you started your solo project Meyhnach. Will we hear a third album from that venture soon? Of course, I loved Non Omnis Moriar (2017) and Miseria de Profundis (2022).

Nothing really planned yet.

Clearly, with Mütiilation, you left behind immortal music as well as some iconic images. For Mütiilation’s classic third record, Black Millenium (Grimly Reborn) (2001), you wrote a beautiful statement: “I’m fed up to see children take my place, so it’s time to strike back and spread Evil! The old cult bands should prevail and show to this world they will survive any trend. We have to crush those well thinking pigs who made Black Metal something common and accepted. Who are they to steal our glory?” Indeed, it’s a shame to see the rise of all of these bland, weak, and commercial acts that lack soul. A lot of them quite honestly make me want to kill myself, so I understand why you said that you were dead for a while. But, yes, hope can be found in visionaries like Kvarforth; the pioneering artist Cernunnus has long resumed his black metallic activities; and a certain popular band by a Norwegian living in France released a new track this year. That said, does the overall wretched state of modern black metal still fuel you to keep putting the posers in their place with your superiority?

It’s very rare that I can find some new releases that please me. I stick to my old favorites of the ’90s most of the time. This said, some very good albums and some talented new bands are released every year. The problem is that there’s too many uninteresting bands. If you do a bit of work to dig in this pile of unoriginal shit, you can find some gems!

You recorded War Funeral March (1994) by the historic Vlad Tepes. You also provided some backing vocals for this release. Do you have any recollections of working on that demo that you would like to share?

It’s a long time ago and I keep full memory of it… but nothing to share.

Mütiilation is the first band that comes to mind when I think of French black metal. However, a lot of the French groups, and, in particular, your comrades that were also part of Les Légions Noires do not receive the recognition they deserve. In one sense, it’s a beautiful thing that a lot of great music has mostly stayed out of the hands of those who lack the capacity to properly understand it. In another sense, it’s always frustrating when due recognition isn’t granted. How would you like your brother bands from the past to be remembered? And what are your hopes for French black metal these days, besides the wish that the clone bands and wimps will fuck off?

Those people you mention have led their musical careers in their own way, not sure they wanted recognition. I can’t talk in their name anyway, remember them like they wanted you to see them. And not sure I want to speak in the name of the French black metal scene in general. I’m not selling hope.

You provided some vocals for Efraah Enhsikaah’s debut, One Thousand Vultures Waiting to Be Fed, which dropped this October. How did that collaboration come to be?

People know people, they work together, they collaborate… When Efraah Enhsikaah contacted me the first time, they sent me some music and lyrics and I accepted to record some vocal parts. After that, we lost contact for some years, and I thought the project was buried. In the end, it came out recently and I have to say, it’s a very good album.

I enjoyed the documentary Bleu Blanc Satan: Early French Black Metal (2017), which was a Noisey France production. Obviously, a lot of black metal films are absolute mockeries. What made you realize that this one would be done in an honest way and ultimately agree to participate?

At the beginning, I had no clue if it would be serious, and I was really distrustful. Then I met the guys and I saw that it would be ok. Anyway, if you don’t try, you get nothing. What I wasn’t sure about until the end was how they would make the cut considering the amount of rushes they had. This is what makes the final result good or not. It finally went good and the experience was interesting. But I want to add that being on screen is not really my thing anyway. I won’t do something like that in the future.

Can I please get your thoughts on Frank Sinatra since your version of “My Way” is my very favorite? Have you ever considered maybe taking on Barry Manilow like a certain defunct Swedish act?

No, but why not, haha.

“My Way” was something I had to cover, maybe to be in this fucking pantheon of artists that covered it too. It was impulsive and very controversial for a black metal band, but fuck it.

Is there anything that we didn’t cover that you would like to discuss?

Thanks for the interview and for showing interest.

(Bukkake of Souls dropped on December 29 via Osmose Productions. Order this masterpiece here.)