This week's interview is with Ian of Octobre/Kvaathan courtesy of of Voice of Vinland zine. To view the original interview, or read it in French, visit HERE.
VoV : Hailsa Ian! First off, Octobre is quite a recent band and you recently decided to make it your main band, can you introduce it to us and explain why you decided to concentrate on it at a 100%?
Ian : Hailsa! Octobre was born spontaneously in the begining of 2009. In fact, I had absolutely no intentions to start a new band to be honest. I simply composed/recorded the track ‘’Québec Hooligan’’ spontaneously. Even if the style was totally different than what I was doing with Kvaathan I decided to use the track for this band. But after composing and recording more songs in that vain, I decided to publish them under the name Octobre.
I decided not long ago to fully concentrate on Octobre. This particular style pleases me much more than the one of Kvaathan. The mix between OI!/Punk, Metal and Folk really seems to be the best style to accompany my message and is simply more inspiring musically. The style itself evokes me more than some traditional black metal heard hundreds of time before. My interest for traditional bm faded with time and I finally got the impression that I was only putting half of myself in the music I was creating. It just seems natural to take Octobre as my main band, because of the influences you can find in it, which are musical styles I’ve been listening for a long time.
VoV : What will be Kvaathan’s future then?
Ian : Kvaathan will continue as a studio-only side-project. While I intend to bring Octobre onstage as soon as I can.
VoV : Good. Please speak about your influences? What does influences Octobre’s style?
Ian : OI!/Punk/Rac, black métal (to a certain extent) and Folk/Traditionnal music are what influences me most but I always try to do my own stuff.
Octobre - Terre Souillée
VoV : For a Quebecer, the name ‘’Octobre’’ (October) must evoke exactly what you was thinking when you chose that name. But could you explain why you have chosen that name?
Ian : The name Octobre is linked directly to the crisis of October 1970 (here in Québec)… I had that name in mind for a long time. What could be better, for an Identity band that preaches the pride and freedom of the Québécois people, than this crisis that showed the whole world that there is some of us ready to do everything to finally have our own Nation? That not all Québécois are assimilated and lobotomized? That our Patriot Fathers (1837-1839) and their fight is not forgotten?
VoV : There is no doubt about your will to promote the Quebecer identity and a future Nation. Further than that, what does Octobre represent ideologically?
Ian : Indeed, I glorify the Identity of the Québécois people. But we must not just scratch the surface. Québécois are of European descent and out ancestors were Pagans (Celt on my side). We must go back to those ancestral values that made our people, at a time in history, warriors and conquerors. Québécois must go back to their European and Pagan roots and must get rid of that defeatist attitude that has been afflicting us for too long. The warrior mentality is important when we fight that kind of battle. It brings not only the strength to fight but honor and dignity as well.
We’re lucky to be a proud people, however, there are more a more people that aren’t. There are not proud because they are lobotomized by alien cultures. I find it really hard when I see people who belong to a Nation as rich in culture and traditions as ours denigrate their roots. It’s time to teach them that they should be proud of being Québécois and that this ‘’Identity Crisis’’ that strikes us hard must stop.
When it comes to writing lyrics, I have no limits, I just let the inspiration flow. Everything that has to do with Québécois Identity, le Paganism (celt/Gaulish), Nationalism, Warrior Mentality, Honor and Dignity… And countless of other subjects.
VoV : Octobrejust like Kvaathan, is member of a movement called the ‘’Vinland Front’’. What does it represent to you? How is this association important for you?
Ian : The Vinland Front represents unity, but independence as well. We are united because we share the same Pagan and Nationalist values, and we want to promote them with arts and activism. It is not really important for me to be associated with anything. VF is not an organization like countless others. We know each other of course, but we are individuals with a unique weltanschauung above all, but our ideas meet with the two points afore mentioned. We follow the Lone-wolf philosophy and each one have their own ideas.
VoV : You seem very friendly with the NSBM scene, what do you think of it? Do you consider yourself one of them?
Ian : Indeed, I am related to that scene. Not only because I am a Nationalist but also because of some friends who are deep in it (some VF members among others). But it doesn’t mean I’m a part of it. Octobre is an Identity and Pagan band, that’s it that’s all. I don’t need any therms to describe the music I am making. I do not wish to be a part of any scene, no matter which one and I don’t even consider my music blak metal, so I can’t see how Octobre could be a National-Socialist BLACK METAL band. But be sure that I count on ‘’you know who’’ to point their fingers at me and cll me Nazi (without knowing what they are talking about), but I don’t really care to be honest.
For NSBM music in general, I’M a fan, but I think that just like in every musical scene, there’s some good and some bad bands. There are excellent ones, just like there are average, and even some so shitty that it is completely hilarious! I prefer the ones who concentrate on their own culture. Absurd, Nokturnal Mortum, Sombre Chemin, Temnozor, Seigneur Voland, Wotanorden, Pantheon etc… are all excellent bands!
VoV : What does Octobre have in store for us in the future? A demo maybe? An album?
Ian : A demo named ‘’Québec Hooligan’’ will be out soon and a project of a split with the excellent Québécois band Markland Folks is currently being planned. After that will come an album, but not before 2010.
VoV : Ok, thanks for your time! The end is yours.
Ian : Thanks for the interview. OI!
VoV : Hailsa Ian! First off, Octobre is quite a recent band and you recently decided to make it your main band, can you introduce it to us and explain why you decided to concentrate on it at a 100%?Ian : Hailsa! Octobre was born spontaneously in the begining of 2009. In fact, I had absolutely no intentions to start a new band to be honest. I simply composed/recorded the track ‘’Québec Hooligan’’ spontaneously. Even if the style was totally different than what I was doing with Kvaathan I decided to use the track for this band. But after composing and recording more songs in that vain, I decided to publish them under the name Octobre.
I decided not long ago to fully concentrate on Octobre. This particular style pleases me much more than the one of Kvaathan. The mix between OI!/Punk, Metal and Folk really seems to be the best style to accompany my message and is simply more inspiring musically. The style itself evokes me more than some traditional black metal heard hundreds of time before. My interest for traditional bm faded with time and I finally got the impression that I was only putting half of myself in the music I was creating. It just seems natural to take Octobre as my main band, because of the influences you can find in it, which are musical styles I’ve been listening for a long time.VoV : What will be Kvaathan’s future then?
Ian : Kvaathan will continue as a studio-only side-project. While I intend to bring Octobre onstage as soon as I can.
VoV : Good. Please speak about your influences? What does influences Octobre’s style?
Ian : OI!/Punk/Rac, black métal (to a certain extent) and Folk/Traditionnal music are what influences me most but I always try to do my own stuff.
Octobre - Terre Souillée
VoV : For a Quebecer, the name ‘’Octobre’’ (October) must evoke exactly what you was thinking when you chose that name. But could you explain why you have chosen that name?
Ian : The name Octobre is linked directly to the crisis of October 1970 (here in Québec)… I had that name in mind for a long time. What could be better, for an Identity band that preaches the pride and freedom of the Québécois people, than this crisis that showed the whole world that there is some of us ready to do everything to finally have our own Nation? That not all Québécois are assimilated and lobotomized? That our Patriot Fathers (1837-1839) and their fight is not forgotten?
VoV : There is no doubt about your will to promote the Quebecer identity and a future Nation. Further than that, what does Octobre represent ideologically?
Ian : Indeed, I glorify the Identity of the Québécois people. But we must not just scratch the surface. Québécois are of European descent and out ancestors were Pagans (Celt on my side). We must go back to those ancestral values that made our people, at a time in history, warriors and conquerors. Québécois must go back to their European and Pagan roots and must get rid of that defeatist attitude that has been afflicting us for too long. The warrior mentality is important when we fight that kind of battle. It brings not only the strength to fight but honor and dignity as well.
We’re lucky to be a proud people, however, there are more a more people that aren’t. There are not proud because they are lobotomized by alien cultures. I find it really hard when I see people who belong to a Nation as rich in culture and traditions as ours denigrate their roots. It’s time to teach them that they should be proud of being Québécois and that this ‘’Identity Crisis’’ that strikes us hard must stop.
When it comes to writing lyrics, I have no limits, I just let the inspiration flow. Everything that has to do with Québécois Identity, le Paganism (celt/Gaulish), Nationalism, Warrior Mentality, Honor and Dignity… And countless of other subjects.
VoV : Octobrejust like Kvaathan, is member of a movement called the ‘’Vinland Front’’. What does it represent to you? How is this association important for you?
Ian : The Vinland Front represents unity, but independence as well. We are united because we share the same Pagan and Nationalist values, and we want to promote them with arts and activism. It is not really important for me to be associated with anything. VF is not an organization like countless others. We know each other of course, but we are individuals with a unique weltanschauung above all, but our ideas meet with the two points afore mentioned. We follow the Lone-wolf philosophy and each one have their own ideas.
VoV : You seem very friendly with the NSBM scene, what do you think of it? Do you consider yourself one of them?Ian : Indeed, I am related to that scene. Not only because I am a Nationalist but also because of some friends who are deep in it (some VF members among others). But it doesn’t mean I’m a part of it. Octobre is an Identity and Pagan band, that’s it that’s all. I don’t need any therms to describe the music I am making. I do not wish to be a part of any scene, no matter which one and I don’t even consider my music blak metal, so I can’t see how Octobre could be a National-Socialist BLACK METAL band. But be sure that I count on ‘’you know who’’ to point their fingers at me and cll me Nazi (without knowing what they are talking about), but I don’t really care to be honest.
For NSBM music in general, I’M a fan, but I think that just like in every musical scene, there’s some good and some bad bands. There are excellent ones, just like there are average, and even some so shitty that it is completely hilarious! I prefer the ones who concentrate on their own culture. Absurd, Nokturnal Mortum, Sombre Chemin, Temnozor, Seigneur Voland, Wotanorden, Pantheon etc… are all excellent bands!
VoV : What does Octobre have in store for us in the future? A demo maybe? An album?
Ian : A demo named ‘’Québec Hooligan’’ will be out soon and a project of a split with the excellent Québécois band Markland Folks is currently being planned. After that will come an album, but not before 2010.
VoV : Ok, thanks for your time! The end is yours.
Ian : Thanks for the interview. OI!
Check out some music by Octobre HERE.
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