A project steeped in the raw, unfiltered essence of early black metal, Sotherion channels the unpolished fervor of the genre’s formative years, rejecting modern sterility in favor of something primal, something urgent. Ahead of Underground for the Masses II, we spoke with BST about the roots of the act, the philosophy behind its sound, and what fuels the fire of its creation, as well as the significance of bringing this vision to a stage dedicated to black metal’s vanguard.
Hails! Thanks for taking the time to speak with us today. Sotherion is a name that’s been carving its path through the underground. What can you tell us about how this project began, and what it seeks to express or bring forth through its creation?
BST: Hailzzz. The idea and main motivation was a nostalgic tribute to the first wave and early second wave of black metal, and more specifically to a raw DIY spirit that these scenes had. Of course, in many cases, the unpolished sound was budget related and not strictly voluntary, but still, as with other scene pioneers, I find a lot of charm in their imperfection. At some point, black metal gained enough recognition for some labels to throw more money at it, giving bands access to professional studios, where producers were able to influence them into recording things “properly”, and getting rid of aspects that a technician would consider a mistake (I studied audio recording and I, too, ended up formatted that way for a time). After years of enjoying albums with excellent production from a technical point of view, played by excellent musicians, I found myself frustrated, and even bored. The soul, the excitement, and the madness of these early punk sounding bands was missing, which led me to turn myself to the demo years of some bands, punk, hardcore, death metal, old black metal, anything disgusting and nasty. That’s when I felt the need to start playing something in that vein.
Around 1999, you had the project called Balrog. Do you feel its essence still lingers within Sotherion?
BST: It started off as a reboot of Balrog in its early form, yes. I quickly realised this was something else, though, as did the first few people to whom I sent some early demos.
Moving from Balrog to Sotherion, what were some of the biggest changes in terms of both sound and your personal approach to creating music?
BST: At the core of Sotherion, there is the specific type of production I mentioned earlier, and more specifically even, a guitar tone which I stumbled upon by plugging an old Gibson into an old overdrive pedal, into a preamp, straight into my recording station, with no cabinet, no cabinet simulation, just the rawest form of guitar distortion you can imagine. The riffs were written to fit the sound, and I had a very clear vision in my head of what the final result was supposed to sound like. That would be the main difference with Balrog, which I did when I was almost twenty years younger, and not knowing very well where I was going artistically, and production wise. At that time I would, for instance, almost always keep all the ideas I had, whereas these days I end up throwing tons of mediocre riffs away.
Indeed, the raw and primal nature of Sotherion’s sound calls back to a time when black metal was less polished and more about essence than production. How do you see this approach shaping the overall impact of the music, especially in today’s landscape where production values often take center stage?
BST: Some of these bands in the early ’90s made a statement by choosing a production so harsh it would fend off all the posers. We are now 30+ years later and the scene is filled with fucking posers. Fortunately, there are still bands committed to producing menacing and filthy sounding art that would make these people uneasy, like Clandestine Blaze or Mütiilation, for example. The mission is still the same, black metal should be a music most people hate or at least feel unsafe when confronted to it, this is the way it was presented to me back then, when the first people who told me about it advised me against looking into it altogether.
Do you view your lyrics as an integral part of the music, complementing and enhancing the overall expression?
BST: Most of the time, I write music with my guts, and the result evokes images that then are used to form the words. They complete each other but it is almost as if the lyrics were a commentary on what feelings brought the music about.
The themes of decay and rebellion are recurring throughout your work. How do you see these motifs evolving, both personally and musically, as you move forward with the band?
BST: That’s too early to tell, at this point. I have only started gathering ideas for the follow up, but the whole direction is not 100% clear yet.
Now, let’s dissect the releases. With “Schwarmgeist”, from 2022, you explored themes of isolation and societal decay. How was the process of creating that demo for you, especially during the pandemic lockdowns?
BST: These were very stimulating times, and I was blessed with the privilege of getting paid to stay home, sheltered from most human interaction for a few months, which was amazing. Not having to deal with society made me realise just how much I despised the human race, especially when witnessing the mass madness happening, the rotten media exploiting the cattle-people’s distress, etc.. This was very inspiring and the time I had on my hands helped me create all of the music for the demo, the album and even the split EP that just got released recently, within a pretty short time period. Having a home studio, this was perfect.
Speaking of the album “Vermine” from 2024, I’d like to dive deeper into certain songs. “La mort pour compagnon” and “Fallen” are quite intriguing. What can you tell us more about these tracks and the themes you explore in them?
BST: These two songs actually display the most blatant sarcasm that is present on the whole album. I do enjoy a good mockery, as anyone close to me would tell you. “La mort pour compagnon” is a caricature of humanity in the way it agglutinates itself around federative notions to prosper and go forward, eventually towards certain decay and death. It is a nihilistic representation of the futility of any project really, even a musical scene including our own, yet it is soaked with a passion that I, ironically, possess for this (these) lost cause (s). In a similar way, “Fallen” is a harsh look in the mirror that all of us aging rockers should take at some point. We yearn for spotlights, yet we bear signs of the passage of time that make us uninteresting if not plainly unpleasant to watch. We chant hymns to strength, yet our own bodies fail us more and more with each passing year, making us parodies of our former selves. Should we not have died many years ago and left a pleasant memory for people to remember? I’m guessing we should all dress like Mgła to avoid further disgrace but the ego is a difficult thing to tame, right?
Your recent split “Inter Mortuos Liber” with Sanctvs was released at the beginning of 2025 through Sepulchral Productions. How did this collaboration come to be, and what drew you to work alongside Sanctvs for this offering?
BST: XT is a friend, and an artist I respect, so when I ended the “Vermine” session with some tracks that didn’t quite fit the album but I thought would make a nice face of a split release, the opportunity presented itself and I didn’t have to think about it too much.
Is there any particular composition within Sotherion’s discography that holds a special place in your heart?
BST: Probably the demo, as these two songs were the very first drafts, the purest expression, all instinct, no intellect, even their lyrics which are barely coherent at times but just reflect the urgency I had to spit something out.
And now… let us move from recorded works to the stage—live performances carry a different kind of intensity. You’re set to perform at Underground for the Masses II. What does playing at this event mean to you?
BST: I was lucky to perform at Underground for the Masses last year as a session guitarist for the reborn Hell Militia, and had a terrific time there. The venue is amazing, the crew is excellent, the local food and drinks were very enjoyable, and of course the bill is selected with a lot of taste. This is exactly the type of underground festival that I love attending, so being able to play there is wonderful.
Sotherion at Underground for the Masses II
© Nexion Arts and Anca Kivart
Underground for the Masses brings together bands that have shaped black metal while still pushing its boundaries. Do you feel a sense of kinship with the others on the lineup?
BST: Some of these bands are friends and people I have a lot of artistic respect for, but I must say I am very excited to share the stage with Tsatthoggua, whose debut album was so strange and off putting I still am blown away when I listen to it these days.
Is there a particular track from your discography that you’re especially eager to perform live at this particular event?
BST: “Shrine of the Chosen” is always special to me.
Why?
BST: It is the very first track I wrote for this project, and there is a cathartic aspect to it which really put me in a trance on stage.
From rehearsal to execution, what does your preparation for a show like this look like?
BST: We actually do not rehearse that much, just once or twice before every show, everyone knows what to practice at home, and we’ve done this enough to be confident without having to prepare more than this.
Once the final note rings out and the stage falls silent, what do you hope remains with those who experienced Sotherion live that night?
BST: If I had to think too much about that I would probably end up doubting myself and not giving 100%. We just let ourselves be carried by the set and we don’t look back.
What is the next step for Sotherion?
BST: The next step will be the second album, which I am currently working on. At this point I can’t give much information about it, other than there might be a special limited release with some part of the music being recorded as a one man project, and maybe some other as a live band. It’s not all clear and definite but these are ideas I have on my mind anyway, for now.
The final words are yours.
BST: Many thanks for the time you put into this interview and your interest in this project. Looking forward to summoning old traditions together, under the influence of some old spirit.
