The new Peste Noire 2013 album, self-titled ‘Peste Noire’, is OUT on the band’s self-owned label La mesnie Herlequin.


There are two versions of this, the 5th Peste Noire opus:

The super-deluxe version for the hard-working elite priced at 30 Euros.




= a DVD-sized DIGIBOOK with lyrics containing a 24-page booklet where each text is illustrated (some hand-drawn), plus an outer overlay embossed in hot gold.


















The special ‘PS’ version (‘Social Parasite’) priced at 8 Euros.

= a CD in a black and white cardboard slipcase, with an alternative layout. The poor man's version of the album.

Note for Americans: today 1 Euro = 1,282 US Dollars / 1 US Dollar = 0,7801 Euros.





To tantalise you (or not), here is a new PN interview, the first since 2009:

http://www.lamesnieherlequin.com/2013/0 ... h-version/

In this interview, PN’s leader, yours truly, talks about the new self-titled album (including the new notorious guest vocalists, the new line-up, etc.), hits back about ‘L'Ordure à l'état Pur’, and delves more deeply in Peste Noire's concept. He also gets around to speaking about his label ‘La mesnie Herlequin’, his new life in the forest and, more generally, he speculates on the future.


Excerpts-


‘I played in ALCEST. In the beginning. I composed the best riff in ‘Tristesse Hivernale’, the searing riff of ‘La Forêt du Cristal’. But at the behest of Neige, ALCEST became an Eden of elegant and overly nice fairies, the pastoral dream of a tender hobbit’s brain. To put it bluntly, ALCEST became a fairytale country. So I had to carve out my own path...I took a shit in those cute flowery groves, sodomised the fairies, and put those elves to bed with a dose of rat poison to allow the song of the toads to flourish. Yes, I made PESTE NOIRE...because PESTE NOIRE was born only to fuck shit up. (Diary of PN)’


‘With ten years of hindsight, I’ll tell you what I make: Black grotesque. Not grotesque in the profane and insulting sense, but in the literary sense. (…) If the Black Metaller is crazy only about the world of ‘Medieval Sabbaths’, apocalypses and wizards, if he doesn’t search for anything more in BM than children’s stories and has secret dreams of entering into a Harry Potter world, then he can’t access the buffoonish, the crazy, the humorous, the sarcastic, or step back and take a critical view; in short he can’t access the adult world. He only values the fantasy themes which one finds in the series ‘Goosebumps’, or the epic genre of ‘The Lord of the Rings’. Everything else he classes as ‘not noble’.’


‘The history of music is what it is, but I think that ‘Gothic’ as a style of music usurped this lovely term, which should have been allotted to Black Metal. (…) Black Metal has more of a grimacing mouth like a gargoyle, as opposed to ‘Gothic’ music, with its well-groomed ponces made up as women who sing far too much in tune. (…) To call art ‘Gothic’ was a derogatory term, used to designate the barbaric and strange aspect of French art (or art from the Île-de-France), since Gothic art originated in France. A barbaric art, of FRENCH IDENTITY so...it couldn’t be more appropriate for PN.’


‘My last album is worth three times that which is happing in the current BM scene: instead of buying three turds at ten Euros each, buy a PN album at 30 Euros. Do you complain when a car salesman tells you that a Porsche costs more than a Renault Twingo?...Our dear Black Metallers, who speak ONLY of being elite, should open a dictionary at the word ‘elite’, and learn that in the history of mankind the elite rarely experienced a lifetime on social welfare, receiving free healthcare from the NHS. Because when you think about it, I pay so many taxes that when they buy one of my CDs, ultimately they are doing nothing more than giving me back some of the money that the State steals from me to pay them to do fuck all.’


To finish, some links:

LMH: http://www.lamesnieherlequin.com/

LMH's SHOP: http://www.la6mesnie6herlequin6.bigcartel.com

By the way, LMH’s NEW EMAIL ADDRESS is: [email protected]

Haha the interview gave me a few laughs. I'm a tad dusappointed.by the cover art, but I'm sure Peste Noire will bring me more stupid charming fun.

Looks good, will read the interview right away. Can't wait to hear what the new album will sound like, I think I have to get that deluxe edition!

I love the idea of a cheaper variety of CD, it goes along really well with the whole punk aesthetic. I'll read the interview when I can.

He didn't really say he'd be cheaper, more that his music is awesome so you should pay out the ass for it.

That explains why early Alcest had some fairly good riffs.

In the words of some guy from NWN: "I'll buy the album when I get my welfare check".

Does he remind anyone else of Vincent Gallo? Funny interview for sure though, I liked the stories about the chicken and Canadian customs.

I would preorder the aristocrat version if didn't already blew all of my cash on crack and the PN demo comp. Is this new album going to have porno zouk-techno beats too?
Great interview though.

@lord_ghengis
The art is pretty minimalist but still cool, I like it

Haha, this guy does the best interviews. I haven't really followed Peste Noire much, but I'll keep an eye on this. Macabre Transcendance still remains one of my favorite BM demos.

Pre-ordered the deluxe version a while ago, really looking forward to it as it seems to be going to be looking damn good. I actually also love the other cover and thought about getting that version too just for collector's reason. And finally there is the english version of the interview. I desperately tried to translate the french version but eventually gave up

A very good, in-depth interview. I expected nothing less. The humour is class as well, like always.

I'm hoping that this interview will clear up some misconceptions regarding the band's angle. Not that I claim supreme knowledge of it by any means, but the notion that PN was a 'joke band' seems to be widespread.

As for the new album, I'm really looking forward to it. Normally I don't get 'hyped' up for new releases because such behaviour tends to generate disappointment, but seeing as it is a) Peste Noire and b) features the man from Sühnopfer (one of the best underground BM bands, which you should definitely check out) on drums, it is hard not to expect the very best. The day my pre-order (the deluxe version of course; I owe this to myself, working 2 jobs) arrives will probably be spent locked inside my house with beer (I like the idea of a blonde beer cult). The band is largely responsible for getting me back into black metal after the tons of cheesy turd bands out there had initially started turning me away from it in favour of (neo)folk, Oi, punk and RAC.

As such, I dedicate this Leffe Blond to the impending plague.

Famine is a liar and has no respect for his own fans. But no one can deny he's a marketing genious.

Musicwise, I'm pretty certain he has lost inspiration (thus the eponymous album title), so Peste Noire should bear the same flaws as the horrible previous album. But let's hear it before judging...

By the way, the interview is mostly ridiculous and redundant with the former ones, but at least he must be aware of his own inconsistency since he feels the need of explaining his actions in such a detailed manner.

Using humour is cunning, because readers tolerate the ideas more easily than serious words. For example, compare with Vikernes: he gets bashed everywhere on the internet. Famine's ideas are similar but people tolerate them because they're less clear and wrapped in humour (which is also a good way of avoiding responsibility).

I never bought any Peste Noire release and never will, because of Famine's attitude. Does anyone think selling a CD album with a 24 page booklet for 30€ is a fair price?

PS: I bet the notorious guest vocalist from Eastern Europe is Roman Saenko.

Though Peste Noire is one of my all time favorite bands and I have absolutely loved everything they've done, you bring up a good point. Famine does get a pass for his lunatic beliefs. Oh well...

Hope you're right about Roman though. That'd be awesome to hear him on a Peste Noire record!

He's racist as fuck, but all his lyrics are in French and he doesn't do many interviews, so I guess it's easier to ignore, not that it really affects my perception of the music at all at any rate. Also he's got a charming buffoon element which makes him a bit less "Wow this guy is an asshole" than he actually is. Oh well, album should be cool.

Well, pressing limited amount of special A5 size special release is not the cheapest option either. I think its totally a fair price for 'special edition'. There is also 'social parasite' version 8€ so I don't get why to complain? If you care only about music anyway, what does it matter. When label is managed by himself, I rather pay overprice straight to artist, rather than for big label where the money goes, God knows where.

Agree. He does not call himself a racist, rather a french nationalist or whatever - if that is not being racist, what the fuck is.
I do like PN's music, but I can't stan his political opinions/beliefs/whatever...

I personally think boycotting a nationalist/racist band is completely stupid and brainwashed when it comes to extreme metal. But a lot of metalheads boycott this kind of bands. Famine knows it, that's why he made contradictory allegations on the topic. Let me explain:
On the first demos, Peste Noire was openly NS, using a swastika, attacking Jews in the credits, etc. Then Famine took distance from the NSBM scene, probably because he realized he could sell more copies from his first album if he presented himself as a non-racist Satanist nationalist than as a racist Pagan NS (keep in mind the different currents within the black metal scene: Satanist, bestial war metal, Pagan/viking/folk, nationalist, NS).
Then Peste Noire became a celebrity band, and now that Famine has his own financially-supporting audience, he can allow himself to make engaged statements, for example the chapter about the 3 kind of humans (Karls, Jarls and Thralls) in his latest interview, which is nothing less than mythologically-oriented theoretic racism, such as varg Vikernes's ideas (by the way, Vikernes also denies being a national-socialist because he's against socialism, exactly as Famine).




He publishes an interview every time he releases a new album.




If I spent 8€ on buying a simple cardboard-inserted CD, I wouldn't like being called a "social parasite". When I buy someone a product of his own, showing financial support, I don't like being spat in the face as a reward.
As a label owner, I send jewel case CDs with inserted booklets at the same price: 8€. And I wouldn't sell cardboard-inserted CDs for more than 6€ per copy, because obviously the manufacturing cost is cheaper.
But the question is not about commercial policies, which after all any company boss has the right to choose in a free market society. The question is about respecting the people who make you live by buying your products.




That's your choice and I respect it. As I said, any seller has the right to choose the price of his own products, and any buyer has the right to buy them, as long as there is no fraud.

Calling yourself a nationalist is being racist?

Ok.

Yes when it means the darkies need to get out.

Which is not what nationalism means.

But its what he's saying and calling Nationalist.

Firstly, I was responding to the suggestion that calling yourself a nationalist in itself is an act of racism. People who truly believe this have no conception of those terms and are perfect candidates for joining Antifa to fight a non-existent "fascist" enemy and live among Eastern-European squatters, which is what I suspect our Portuguese friend is already doing.

Secondly, yes, Famine wants to kick all "darkies" out, so that his country will be the reincarnation of Vichy France with room only for true Aryans such as Dieudonné:



Maybe the expulsion of "darkies" will make room for the Viking-like Indria to rejoin the ranks of Kommando Peste Noire:



And Caucasian hegemony will ensure that the examplary defenders of white supremacy, such as Alexandre Dumas (behold those blue eyes!), are reinstalled into their former glory:



Really, people are taking this way too seriously.

@Panflute, please explain us in details how you define nationalism. Here's how I define it: when a human community who shares the same genetic and cultural heritage wants to preserve it. Racism is bound to nationalism, since multicultural/multiracial nations tend to be a mess. Famine said that French nationalism is "milder" and more tolerant than German nationalism, but if you understand French, you should read the lyrics to "J'avais rêvé du Nord" or "Folkfuck Folie":

Sur lequel plus jamais croiser
L’éternelle aversion ébène.

This means he does never want to see a Black man ("ebony aversion") anymore.


Boum ! Encore un bougnoule et j'poignarde...

The bold word was censored, in order to avoid legal problems (this is completely understable because French law has forbidden such words). It means "sandnigger". The line goes like "I'll stab the next sandnigger I see".


About Indria, he was just the most competent metal bass player in the area, that's why he also plays/played in Alcest. Famine didn't choose him because of his Asian descent, and he clearly explains in the interview that he used Indria as a racial alibi when Peste Noire had problems crossing the Canadian border.

Anyway, believe what you want and support who you want. I'm not telling anyone that racism is to be boycotted here. Just that I'd rather explain frankly my ideas (as long as the law allows it) than using alibis and pretexts in order to confuse people.

To define nationalism, I'll do the self-indulgent and lift a relevant quote from one my papers (translated from Spanish):



In short, while there are definitely areas of correspondence to be found between Nationalism and racism, they are not one and the same. Nationalism, rather than a political current in itself, is often the aspect of another ideology, and that ideology may vary from libertarian Anarchism to Fascism. As such, it may also be an aspect of racism (or rather racism may be an aspect of Nationalism).

The fact that there is such a thing as juridical nationalism means that you cannot say that the act of calling yourself nationalist in itself is in any way racist, as is asserted by the Portuguese Antifa adept. Even the desire to form borders based on elemental traits does not automatically lead to racism, there it may be a distant poetic ideal or an aspiration, or formulated outside of race (look at the Iberian regionalisms, for example). Famine was 100% correct when he said that French nationalism is less radical and racist than its German 'equivalent'. German nationalism is the product of centuries of German feudal tradition, which dictated that one's social status be based on lineage; blood, while in France it is much more the desire of centralisation that called for a unification of the people living under it. (Very) Bluntly put, in German nationalism, the people define the nation (hence "völkisch", "people-ish"), while in French nationalism, the nation much rather defines the people.

More to the point, it keeps surprising me that Peste Noire's lyrics are often interpreted as speaking literal truths about their writer, while hardly anybody ever put forward the idea that Jeff Hanneman applied for a job as death camp commander when he wrote "Angel of Death". Then why do people like to pretend Famine eats Algerians for breakfast? Musicians and lyricists (and artists in general[1]) are well-known for incorporating their deepest, most irrational thoughts into music because it adds to its authenticity. When one reads the lyrics of a track such as "J'avais rêvé du Nord" one is transported to the banlieues of France and feels the deeply layered rage of indigenous Europeans when they see their own cities overrun by immigrants. That does not mean that, on a rational level, they are all black-bashing nazi fetishists. I won't deny that Famine is very outspoken politically, but the whole concept of Peste Noire dictates that the music be approached on a poetic and sentimental level - not a rational one. The paradox of wanting to protect the indigenous French people who themselves turn out to be the most horrible, uncultivated lowlifes of the country, is central to the band's concept, especially on L'Ordure (see: "La condi hu") and the latest two interviews.

You say the use of irony serves to bypass censors. I say the irony is genuine. The reason why PN and the whole NS(BM) scene are so far apart is that, while the former is extreme, their band leader knows how to put things into perspective - he delivers his nationalism with a strong sense of wit and cynicism exactly because those elements are essential to the French nation in the first place. I cringe at French NSBM bands who sing in bad German because they are stuck in their wet dreams of Hitlerism no less than white rappers are stuck in their wet dreams of American slums. Nazi Germany as an exotic ideal, who would've thought it. To which point Famine is serious about his views does not matter. The fact that he even associates with/admires people of exotic descent (see previous pictures) proves that he is not even in the same ballpark as nazi bullyboys, as his enemies so often claim in order to serve their obscure interests. Could you imagine Stahlgewitter with an Asian bass player? Honor with a black guy on drums? Even for irony's sake or to bypass censors? What about Kolovrat incorporating zouk influences? RaHoWa reforming with Rob Trujillo? There are obviously more factors at play here. Because while Famine admitted he used Indria as an alibi to bypass censors, he also stated on many occasions how he genuinely respects him and considers him the best player in the French black metal scene (with which I would agree). So he openly states the best bass player of French BM is Asian. Just like he says the best comedian of the country is Cameroonean, and the best author was of black origin.

[1] Dutch writer Ferdinand Bordewijk (1884-1965) is known, among other works, for his short stories Blokken (Blocks; 1931), on a utopian communist society, and Bint (1934) on a high school principal who models his school after fascism. When, in the midst of the controversy sparked by Bint, a critic - obviously a pleb who did not even remotely capture the essence of the book - asked Bordewijk whether he had fascist sympathies. To this he responded: "Why yes, I am a fascist. Just like I was a communist when I wrote Blocks."

Oh God, this thread needs less equality-nazi butthurt and more appreciation for Famine's cynical sense of humour and an actual conversation about the new album. The interview was fun to read, his criticism of a typical "BRVTAL EVUL" metalhead is glorious.

Also, people who don't know what nationalism is really should stop embarrassing themselves, making it synonymous to racism is a bad joke.

I also find it sad to see great bands, such as Swedish punk band Ultima Thule, getting accused of racism (and other unpleasant stuff that follows - e.g. nazism, for whatever reason) just because they cultivate their own culture and history. Hell, I've even heard of Sabaton getting their fair deal of this kind of criticism (apparently lyrics about the Polish soldiers fighting with Nazis make Sabaton a nazi band). People must get their "politically correct" brainwashed heads out of their asses once in a while.

EDIT: "I have values, I love my race more than the others, I have a sense of honour, duty, justice, and I fight our society because it perverts these notions, but honestly ‘the people’ can go fuck themselves, white or not." He seems like a person you could drink a beer with. xD Pride of being a European person ("white person") is as normal as it can get - being proud of who he is, where he came from, of his peoples' history, accomplishments and thousands-years-old cultural heritage. It's not like he's smashing the non-Europeans into the ground with the club he's holding, Jaysus Christ...

Exactly. People are always inclinced to make stuff up or play the 'guilty-by-association' game for the sole purpose of defaming: "You are friends with this guy, who got photographed with that skinhead so you must be a bloodthirsty nazi!"; "You wrote me a nazism-themed letter when you were a teenager so that means I know everything about your political views now that you are in your thirties!"

Ultima Thule is fantastic, by the way. I love how, in spite the disapproval of Sweden's rampant P.C. mobs, they still managed to sell thousands of records all over the world.

It's called a halo effect, but in fact it's sadly the effect of leftist indoctrination. Nazis are the "ultimate evil" (don't get me wrong - they were bad, and neo-nazis are just plain dumb [then again Famine/Peste Noire is NOT nazi]) and everyone who opposes e.g. homosexuality emancipation or multiculturalism is a potential "nazi"/"fascist". Sharing a single, minor characteristic does not make them "nazi", just like being anti-semitic does not make Varg Vikernes a bloodthirsty jihadist.

Don't you guys understand that if you find Famine "cool, nice, sympathetic", it's because he does his best in his interviews to pretend to be like that, so that readers may say "oh, he's a really funny guy, I'd like to have a beer with him". But if you knew him personally, you would know that he's in fact a bastard, a liar, an untrustworthy person. I was in contact with him back in the early 2000's, I can confirm you that his attitude completely changed between his past underground phase and his current celebrity phase (which by the way will not last eternally, since trends are essentially ephemereal). If you want any detail just ask.

I'm not the only one, just read how he disrespects some people he worked with in the past, such as Neige (Peste Noire co-founder) or Fureiss (who released PN's first and second album, because Drakkar didn't want to). This guy uses people in order to elevate his own band, and throws them to the bin afterwards, like a used handkerchief. Don't you find irrelevant to sing about "honour" and "fidelity" when you behave this way?

Besides, I do consider myself as a National-Socialist and as a racist, but of course it doesn't prevent me from admiring some non-White personalities... It just has nothing to do with my belief in racial hierarchy! Some races are superior to others, that doesn't exclude individual exceptions (what has done Famine but quote exceptions?).

We could go on and on about nationalism and racism, but even if that would be an interesting debate in which I would have lots of things to say, I fear we might get off-topic.

We cannot speak about the content of an album still to be released, so what I basically want to say here is that :
- Peste Noire's music (as a whole) is very overrated
- the band is famous for extra-musical reasons
- Peste Noire fanboys could buy Famine's shit if he sold it as an artistical-valued product
- the latest album was an artistic regression.

Let me develop the last point. La Sanie des Siècles was more a collection of re-recorded demo songs with a clean production than a proper first album. I reviewed it (in French) back in 2006 and found it decent, but not great. Folkfuck Folie explored the dark, morbid dimension of sexuality, with musical hints of thrash and pretty unusual, distorted song structures. Ballade cuntre... mixed the black metal elements with folk rock and hard rock, with a rural concept. Both albums were kind of pioneers on a lyrical and musical ground. But what did L'Ordure à l'état pur pioneer?

Nothing, it just went back to the morbid sexuality and rural concepts, with a professional studio production and more pronounced punk influences. This album was at the same time a step backward and a blatant proof that Famine's inspiration went short.

That's why I think the new album will probably be disappointing as well.

(As a conclusive precision, I may add that I would not criticize his personal attitude if he didn't put his private life so much in the foreground in a self-promotional manner.)

What Portuguese friend, may I ask?

No one's saying he IS a "funny, trustworthy, honourable guy", he SEEMS like one, he SEEMS to be an intelligent person that I personally would have a conversation with. I respect your opinion of him, but I would have to meet him personally to put things into perspective.



Yes, it might get quite off-topic + your opinions would not be well received by "tolerant" individuals + you might get banned for spreading "politically incorrect" message. We all know how this kind of internet debates end up.



I don't see Peste Noire's music as very overrated, it always have been interesting and quite avant-garde. I like "Ballade Cuntre Lo Anemi Francor" very much, it's very post-punkish, and the last album is the most experimental one of their entire catalogue, but not quite as good as the previous ones.

Everyone wants to meet Famine and become friends with him because he's a celebrity. If you went to a PN gig and tried to talk to him in private, I'm not sure he would be open. You would need a kind of VIP access, and there would be a huge fan queue.

Anyway, I want to add something important:
Peste Noire is not just a music band. It's a commercial concept, including imagery, clothing, collector items, celebrity gossip, ideological kit, and of course music products (CDs and vinyls).

Famine is not a pioneer in this field. Many rappers created their own clothing brand. Do you know Thor Steinar? It's a clothing brand exclusively designed for White Nationalists.

That's what we can call pseudo subversive consumption.

Yet twentieth century music history learned us that mixing art/politics with marketing always results in artistic/political disaster.

You're talking as if PN's fanbase was in size of Metallica's. I don't want to become friends with Famine or anything of this sort ("celebrity" factor doesn't even matter, he could be a president of France for all I care). I just said he seems like an intelligent cynical (I value both qualities) person. Just like when saying that "he seems like a person I could drink a beer with" I didn't mean that I literally want to drink a beer with him.



lol. Every recognizable band has their own t-shirts and other merch. It's pretty hard to record new music without any money coming in, especially if you don't play gigs.

Always leave it to the people on this forum to turn a black metal thread into a nazism/racism one. So lame.


Anyway

I don't care much for personality drama but this picked my curiosity. He seems agreeable enough on his posts on NWN. I remember him being more confrontational in the past, but that's about it. Were you in contact with him personally, or through the internet/whatever? What's the french scene(i.e. people who know Famine)opinion on him as a whole?


No matter how much of a big of an asshole Famine is/isn't, I'm still going to enjoy the PN albums.

He contacted me via e-mail around 2001 (I still have his mails). He wanted to create a kind of French Pagan inner circle. I traded my first demo tape against his (that's how I got the famous Dor Daedeloth demo, which he now seems to call a bootleg). I never met him but I met Neige in Paris some months later. Neige told me he was kinda psychotic. After 2002, Famine stopped replying my e-mails without any explanation. He was supposed to send me his new stuff (the 2nd PN demo and the split with Sombre Chemin), but he never did.
We never talked to each other in private since then. When I posted on his blog, he pretended to debate with me first, then he deleted my posts, blocked my account and began to insult me and spread all kind of false gossip about me.
(He seems to consider me as a competitor, which is really stupid)




People who know him personally? I don't know. From what I read on the internet, he has a lot of fanboys. Everybody wants to meet him and become his friend. The negative/dubious critics are really minor compared to the massive praise he gets. In fact, he attracts all trend followers. For example, a lot of anonymous guys who suck his dick on his blog were posting on my former messageboard 5 years ago. Some of them signed on his label, so I guess it's an opportunistic move.
Some former friends of mine saw him at a gig, he was so drunk that he annoyed the security team until he eventually got fired. That's all they told me about him.
Even people who don't like him wait impatiently for the release of his new album... He focuses all the attention.




The international black metal scene has become so mediocre that I understand how you might enjoy PN more than the rest. I am myself curious to hear the new album, just to know if my prediction is right. As a positive note, the artworks are pretty good, especially the deluxe edition, which colors (blue and gold) remind me of the French Kingdom blazon. Expensive, but good designer.

Objectively, the whole PN discography is not as great as everyone says it is, and it's been regressing since 2009.

Well, you'd be surprised to see how many kids who listen to Marylin Manson and Metallica also like Peste Noire. I'm not kidding here, I've met the case several times.

In terms of merchandising success, PN can compare to Shining and Watain.

The basic problem is that you seem to have a personal feud with Famine that dates back many years, and you base the conclusion that 'Famine is an asshole and betrays his fans' on the fact that you didn't get along with him some years ago and are still bitter about it. "If you knew him personally" implies that you had been his best friend for several years, while from what I understand from the LMH comments and your own website is that this 'deep personal relationship' in fact refers to a brief exchange of letters from back when the first demo was released. Have you ever met him personally, for example? I just don't see where the authority with which you try to lecture us on who Famine truly is, is derived from.

The fact that there are other people which he disrespects does not prove that he's an asshole. If he disrespects them, I'm sure there's a reason for that other than his sudden 'celebrity'. Otherwise it would not explain why he still respects Indria despite the fact that he now plays in Alcest, Neige's band. I understand that Fureiss still owes Famine royalties, for example. Now I have no particular interest in getting into their personal matters, but your assertion that Famine uses people and disrespects them solely because of his status seems too simplistic, as it doesn't explain his different disposition towards different people.

As for your claims that:
- PN's music is overrated: this is a claim that depends very much on perspective. Anyone can take something that is widely appreciated and say it's 'overrated'. That's a subjective observation, not an argument against it.
- The band is famous for extra-musical reasons: the band is famous for having a concept that is broader than just the music, but is integrated with the music. Had PN copied Transilvanian Hunger 5 times, I can assure you they wouldn't be where they are now. They have big mouths, but they are successful exactly because they live up to their big words.
- The latest album was a regression: I disagree once again. What L'Ordure added was that it linked seemlessly the concepts of mediaeval aesthetics, modern decadence and subsequent radicalism. Much more than the previous efforts, it was an album on which the music followed the text letter by letter, exactly as was pointed out in the interview. This gave the album a whole new dimension of musical and poetic synthesis, which may have been present on previous albums, but not nearly to the same extent. For example, Ballade's lyrics were mostly corrupted texts based on existing chants and hymns. L'Ordure is the poetic pinnacle of the band.



And what do you base this on? Have you ever been to a concert? Have you ever requested to meet him or other band members personally? Again, it seems like a case of sour grapes because you were personally rejected by Famine and can only put this into perspective by claiming he rejects everyone because he is such an asshole. This may be a blatant ad hominem, but after having observed your hissy-fits with Famine on LMH and your own website, it is hard to see this separately from the discussion at hand.

Everytime I see the name "Soleil Blanc Productions" pop up, it's because you are trying to soil Peste Noire's name. I don't know if it is coincidence that I only know your label and bands through discussions about Peste Noire, but it seems at least a bit ironic to be calling other people 'marketing geniuses'. Particularly because your arguments do not convince me at all. It's a commercial concept because there is merchandise and music products? Famine runs a label through which he releases his own music and other products. Collector's items? Like the time when he re-released Lorraine Rehearsal and all of his demos because he wasn't interested in creating super-obscure items that noone could buy? Of course, Famine runs a label and tries to make a living of his band, which is, I may add, his goddamned right. But if this makes PN a 'commercial concept', the same applies to virtually every other band out there.

Finally, let's assume that what all you're saying is true. Let's assume that Famine is an asshole who uses people in order to commercially exploit his overrated band. Then why do you bring it up on every single occasion? Why do you venture off to LMH and 'confront' Famine? Why do you publish personal correspondences from over a decade ago? Is it a strong sense of justice, or do you have some personal agenda, I wonder?



Aren't you the one who asked him just a month ago to do a split with him under the guise of a 'musical confrontation'?

I've never met such person (even on the internet), I'm not kidding here.



I have no idea how can you measure an underground band's commercial success. Do you know their income figures or what? And even if PN is successful in this field, how is this even relevant? Does selling t-shirts somehow affects their music? No, its as inaccessible to an average listener as it ever was. You seem to be negatively obsessed with the band.

The bullshit Famine posted for me goes far beyond most of Vikernes' ramblings, and it's easy to see why it's more acceptable for many: putting it in nearly sarcastic, "grotesque" style, as opposed to the all-knowing mentor style of Varg. It is also easy to see the dude is clearly a narcissistic asshole with rockstar attitude. Anyway, getting into the music I really like only debut album, I'll probably check out the new album on the Internet and buy the cheap version if I enjoy it.

And one more time...