Le Silence Des Ruines is a name you see popping up ever so often in connection to martial industrial and neofolk, but you’d be forgiven if you’ve never actually heard the project: even though Le Silence Des Ruines has been active for more than ten years, their discography isn’t exactly extensive. And their physical discography is even shorter. Prior to this year, they only had one EP and a split available on a physical format. Luckily, Steinklang realized what a grievous state of things this was, and released the newest album, Prophéties d’un Misanthrope, on CD. Wanting to find out more, we reached out to Le Silence Des Ruines. Sole member Nicolas F. graciously answered our questions.
Le Silence Des Ruines was born between 2008 and 2009 from another project. At that time, I had some tracks that sounded very ambient and martial. I thought that the tracks didn’t fit with this project, Nicolas explains the origins of the band. Over time, Le Silence Des Ruines – which translates to The Silence of the Ruins – evolved from a side-project to Nicolas’ main musical outlet:
– Over time, LSDR has become an integral part of my being.
The aforementioned other project is the more neofolk-oriented Jörvallr, who’ve released two releases, a split and an album, via SkullLine in 2009 and 2015. Though the project has been quiet for a long while, Jörvallr’s final chapter hasn’t been written:
– Jörvallr is not dead. In fact, it’s a matter of time and material. I can’t get it out of my head. Maybe one day Jörvallr will come back, Nicolas muses and adds that it may be sooner than expected – who knows?
As already mentioned, Le Silence Des Ruines’ newest album, Prophéties D’Un Misanthrope was released earlier this year, marking the project’s first full-length release on a physical format. The two earlier albums have been released as digital only.
– The album Quis ut Deus was supposed to be released on Heldenland, the label of Soldat D of Waffenruhe on digipack and Vinyl. When Soldat D. tragically passed away, I decided to release the album for free, Nicolas recounts the unfortunate events relating to the second album.
Nicolas tells me that the new album is important to him, as it is very intimate. It is inspired by visions and dreams he had a few years ago – which obviously reveals who the misanthrope in the name is:
– Since I was a child, I have been prone to lucid dreams. Sometimes I am well aware of dreaming and I can interact in the dream. It’s funny sometimes because you are free to do whatever you want. But this experience was not fun at all… I saw hell, Nicolas reveals the apocalyptic visions behind the album.
– I have seen fire, blood, war, the collapse of humanity… such a strange experience. This lasted a few months. Then, it stopped. I thought I was going crazy. I exorcised these visions by composing the album, he concludes.
The project has been active for well over a decade now, with the first, self-titled EP having been released in 2010 by Spanish label Marbe Negre. Throughout the years, the project’s evolution has been intrinsically tied to Nicolas’ own:
– In the beginning, LSDR sounded very martial. I was younger and only inspired by the history of war, he begins. But soon the focus of the project expanded and became more personal.
– I am a soul who never stops philosophizing about everything. My own past, my history, my experiences caught up with me. I found myself facing my own wars. My whole life has been punctuated by spiritual search, the elevation of my soul. I am not interested in the material world. It burns, it disappears. The flesh is weak. It rots, it becomes dust. I like to think that inner strength is more glorious and maybe immortal, he waxes somewhat poetical.
Generally, Nicolas says, Le Silence Des Ruines’ lyrical themes circle around his own thoughts and views on humanity today. Suffice to say, naming him a misanthrope seems apt – of the apocalyptic kind:
– I don’t like this world. I’ve never liked it. Since my childhood, I have always rejected it. I always said that LSDR is my weapon and my shield against this modern world. I am here, in this world with my body, but my soul wanders in other times and places, he proclaims.
– The older I get, the less I understand this world. I think we are reaching a point of no return. It’s like something is brewing, something is about to being, he adds.
And, looking at the world today, who can disagree?
In a suitably, gloomily quotable fashion, Nicolas sums up what inspires Le Silence Des Ruines these days:
– The only things that inspire me are punishment and death. LSDR are the ruins, the future will and must be ruins.
In previous years, he says, he could have named books, artists, historical events and such that inspire him to make music. Now, that’s no longer the case. It seems indeed, like the misanthropical path of Le Silence Des Ruines goes ever deeper into isolation from the modern world at large. His disillusion seems to reach even to the music scene:
– To be honest, I don’t think anything, he replies when I ask what he thinks of the current state of neofolk and martial industrial. He mentions two names he’s come across lately, both with releases on Steinklang, Ignoto Militi and Dieux Des Cimetières (and we thank him for the gracious namedrop! -ed), but that’s pretty much it.
– I’m still listening to the classic neofolk and industrial bands of the 80’s, 90’s and early 00’s. Same thing for the cold wave band or even metal bands. I am truly stuck in the past, Nicolas admits. And says it’s not so much an antipathy against new music, but a lack of time to discover new music. Again, we here at Only Death Is Real HQ can only concur: so much new music, so little time, and so much of that new music is absolutely not worth the time of day.
Finally, we must of course ask Nicolas about future plans with Le Silence Des Ruines. Anything new on the horizon?
– I have some ambient/martial tracks that I would like to release. I talked with a young label about releasing an album on tape. But I have to work on some tracks the mix and the mastering. I’m too busy in my personal life right now, he reveals.
So maybe don’t hold your breath.
However, as a sidenote, Jörvallr’s self-titled 2015 album was recently added to Spotify, so if you’re unfamiliar with the project, go check it out. And, if you haven’t already heard it, make sure to check out Prophéties d’un Misanthrope – and snag a copy on CD before it sells out.
Only Death Is Real 