On the occasion of the uderground event of the year, Storming the Gates, but also the interest in the band, Spyros Tribos contacted the guitarist of Enthroned Serpent, Silezor, to talk to us about all the above!!

–Good afternoon Silezor and thank you very much for this interview.
Silezor: Good afternoon Spyros, my pleasure, thank you very much for giving us the opportunity to do this interview, in the context of Storming The Gates Underground Black Metal Festival.

1.How did the idea for the name “Enthroned Serpent” come about?
Silezor: The name “Enthroned Serpent” was agreed between the band members as we believe that it is more imposing than the previous one and fits better to the feeling that our music produces.

2.What is the theme that influences your lyrics?
Silezor: Mostly it’s darkness, mysticism and generally a counter to religious dogmas that divide people and put them in boxes. Also the Reptile, as the main inspiration of a symbolic entity with multifaceted meanings.

3. What is the history of the band and how was it created?
Silezor: Enthroned Serpent was formed in 2008 under the name “Ancient Witchcraft” by Kalidor on guitars, starting with the composition of tracks and some live performances.
In 2014, with the addition of Adrahil on bass as an additional founding member, the band adopted a different character establishing the name “Enthroned Serpent”.
After the release of the Demo “Ancient Witchcraft” (2016) and the EP “Towards the Unknown” (2018), more changes had to be made to the line-up of the band, reaching the current era along with my addition to the band as a guitarist in 2020 and after 2 several difficult years with what was happening in the world, the composition of our first album started again ending up in the recordings.
Finally, in 2023 the most recent member, Naxash on drums, was added, completing the current line-up.

4. What is the importance of Black Metal for the band members?
Silezor: The importance it has for us is great, since we grew up with this music.
Black Metal is the genre that has spoken to us the most and in itself contains many sides and a huge history, while at the same time it is the one that includes the greatest variety, in branches and sections, so everyone can find what attracts him the most,
through his spectrum.

5. What is the aesthetic and musical approach of Enthroned Serpent?
Silezor: First of all, our aesthetic and musical approach has changed on our new album, which is currently in the mixing process.
In general, different members have passed from almost all positions, except Kalidor who is the one who created the band and started the first form of Enthroned Serpent.
Everyone brought something different to the band and as a result there was no fixed aesthetic. However, since the release of the EP “Towards the Unknown” in 2018, our basic aesthetic and approach is now clear. We play a Black Metal combined with Death Metal playing mainly by the guitars, based on complex guitar riffs, chaotic melodies and permanently aggressive drums and misanthropic vocals that combine the classic Black Metal style with Death growls as complementary, which make our music bind and create a permanent question to the listener, on what will be different as our piece is in progress. We do not like the constant repetition of points and riffs and therefore we try to compose and combine all the ideas of the others, so that the result is never what is expected for the listener.
We have achieved this by bringing together the unique influences that each one has from his personal life and his sounds, as we grow and evolve every day as people above all, and as musicians secondarily.

6. What are your main influences from other bands or artists?
Silezor: We are mainly influenced by the sound of Black & Death Metal of the 90’s.
Back then, mainly Black Metal was at the time when various bands from Scandinavia and the rest of Europe, began to experiment, in order to escape from the classical style and sound that existed until then, creating to a large extent, the Black Metal of today.
In terms of our influences, we have a long list, combining all the bands we like individually, but our strongest influences are Dissection, Immortal, Mayhem, Dark Funeral, Morbid Angel, Slayer etc.

7. How do you assess the evolution of the Greek Black Metal scene?
Silezor: There are now many remarkable bands in the Greek Black Metal scene, a lot of development but also great ideas in terms of composition.
Bands that appear through a huge cauldron and offer really remarkable work, since Greece has many underground bands and let alone Black Metal, which in our country is very widespread.
It makes us very happy, and gives us hope that there is a new world, and younger generations that our scene needs, to search and listen to the different and dark that Black Metal offers, in this mass of shallow and very bad music that overwhelms us every day.

8. What is the mission or philosophy you want to convey through your music?
Silezor: The philosophy of “Enthroned Serpent” is to convey through music, the love we have for this genre, in our own way.

9. What is the importance of religion and mythology in your music?
Silezor: For “Enthroned Serpent” religion and mythology play a symbolic role and lyrical inspiration.
However, religion is a topic that we often address in our lyrics, because it worries and troubles us permanently, since it has been proven for years now that it sows discord, hatred, dislike for the different. For example, if one person’s beliefs out there don’t align with another’s, then automatically, either on one side or both, negative emotions, racism, false pride in which religion is “better” and which is “worse” are created. The result is judged and the conclusion is drawn, that man is such a closed-minded being and forms an opinion about the other, exclusively from a detail in life, without really knowing anything about the one opposite him. This situation will never stop, let alone in such a religious country as Greece.

Enthroned Serpent will be confronted with all this and will go against religious establishments and events, writing lyrics that address all these themes of false rivalry, intolerance and hatred caused by religion and its offshoots. Enthroned Serpent will be confronted with all this and will go against religious establishments and events, writing lyrics that address all these themes of false rivalry, intolerance and hatred caused by religion and its offshoots.

10. What is your reaction to political or social issues through your music?
Silezor: Socio-political themes are not a source of inspiration, lyrically for us but they are a source of energy to write harder music with what we are experiencing.

11. What does your participation in the underground event of the year, Storming The Gates, mean to you?
Silezor: For us it is an honor that the organizers decided to invite us to this festival, which is the largest to date.
We would like to take advantage of this opportunity and show to the world our work through this concert, since the material that will be played will be mainly from our upcoming album.

12. What can people expect from you at such an important event?
Silezor: We are in a phase where we are quite active on stage, with our last live show being on 02/02/2024 at Temple, which had a good response and positive words from the people who attended, so we are in a good flow as a band and this will bring better performance and dynamism to the stage.
The only sure thing is that there will be a lot of headbanging, mosh-pits, plenty of Black Metal and a suitable atmosphere, presenting all our different compositions, in a satisfying set-list, while at the same time we will give our best.

13. Do you think that the underground scene needs such events?
Silezor: Certainly, the underground scene needs such events from people who love and support what they do, as of course is the case with “Storming The Gates”.
A thumbs up to Nikos, Sakis and all the people who frame this event.

14. What do you think of this year’s lineup of Storming The Gates?
Silezor: This year’s lineup is the biggest there has been and for this very reason it took 2 days to fit all the bands.
The names of the headliners on all 2 days of the festival are very strong, and by themselves they are enough to attract enough people.
There is a great variety in the branches of the genre so the viewer will surely enjoy it since almost the entire spectrum of Black Metal
is covered.

15. How much do you think participating in Storming The Gates will help Enthroned Serpent?
Silezor: This participation brings us in contact with people in the field, since it is important with the conditions that exist in the country we live in, to be united and cooperate with each other.
It will help us personally promote our music to people who did not know us until now, in order to acquire new listeners and take our next steps in the field of Black Metal and the domestic scene and beyond.

– Thank you very much for your time, close this communication as you wish.
Silezor: And I thank you very much for this interview.
We will be glad to see you under the board of BUMS along with all the other bands and I would personally like to thank the organizers of Storming The Gates for this opportunity to show and present our material to people who are very familiar with the genre and may appreciate it more.
Good luck Spyros from me and the band.
#EmbraceTheSerpent #WeAreEnthronedSerpent
-Silezor