Interview with SKAPHOS (2/2)

Automatic translation. Improvements are constantly being worked on.

Skaphos was founded in Lyon in 2018. We continue our interview with the apocalyptic death metallers about their new album “The Descent”. Missed the first part? No problem, you can read it here .

Orkus: How did you come up with the band name?
Jérémy Tronyo: At first the band was called Bathyscaphe, but we thought the name was too long. Skaphos was the second idea and sounded great right from the start. It comes from ancient Greek and means “boat”. We had the idea of crossing the Styx, as if you were going from life to death in a boat. That would have been the fate of the sailors. With giant octopuses and other horrors of the deep sea.

O: The album cover also turned out particularly well! How did this come about?
JT: We took the first album cover “Bathyscape” by Laurine Metura, which was already a really great artwork, and asked Paolo Girardi to rework it in his style. And we were not disappointed.

O: The vinyl version is also first class. What do you personally like best about vinyl? Apart from the fact that the brilliant artwork really stands out?
JT: We like the fact that the label Les Acteurs de l’Ombre tried to give the vinyl a sea/wave color. Not just blue and white, but they tried to capture the feeling of sea spray. And it looks fantastic on the LP. It’s also our second vinyl record, so we’re still very happy to have such a new item on our shelves.

O: Your live shows have already become legendary. What are you most looking forward to on the next tour?
JT: Our next tour is our first in Europe as headliners, so we are under a lot of pressure and hope that everything goes smoothly. There are cities we already know, so it’s nice to get back there and discover new places. We have people contacting us because we’ve met them on past tours and we’re looking forward to seeing them again. Also, we are touring with our friends from Antania (USA), so we know this will be a good tour.

O: There are also a few stops in Germany. How were your experiences with German fans so far? – And are there any differences compared to, say, fans from your home country?
JT: For us, Germany is the best country in the EU for metal music, so we really enjoy playing here because the people are always nice and talkative after the shows. The Germans are really supportive of underground music and it’s always a great time for us.

O: What is the death/black metal scene like in France?
JT: Black metal is doing really well, there are a lot of great bands, but we do more blackened death metal, and there are not so many bands that play “black death metal” in the style of Behemoth, Hate, Ulcerate etc.. One of the best bands for us was Svart Crown, but unfortunately they broke up a few years ago. But Skaphos is not a band that tours a lot in France; actually, with our release on LADLO, we are trying to enlarge our French community because we believe there is a place for this kind of music that is not played often enough.

O: What are your plans for the future?
JT: Tours! Always. Working on new music and bringing it to as many people as possible. We are also working on a movie, but to find out more about it you should follow us on our social media!

Heinrich Zeschner

Line-up:
Stéphan Petitjean – vocals, guitar
Jérémy Tronyo – guitar, background vocals
Théo Langlois – bass
Nathan Faure – drums

You can also find out more in our May/June issue.