Interviews About Albums: PyraH - Veni Vidi Delevi (2024)

In this new interview, we sat down with the French Metal band PyraH to ask questions about their album, "Veni Vidi Delevi".

1. What can you say about this new EP/CD?

PyraH’s upcoming album “Veni Vidi Delevi” is the result of 3+ years of long, hard work from each and every bandmate. Following several major line-up changes and introspective sessions about whether to keep the name, the style or change everything that made the band what it was up to that point, “VVD” is a brutal and self-actualized opus that PyraH could not be more proud of. It was finally released on September 20th of 2024 and the band could not be more rejoiced about the sweat and tears that went into it, as well as grateful to Wormhole Death’s incredibly helpful staff that followed and supported us from the darkness to the light.

2. What is the meaning of the EP/CD name?

The name “Veni Vidi Delevi” is of course a nod to the classical saying of Imperator Caesar during the Roman conquest of Asia-Minor, specifically his victory at the Battle of Zela, after suffering several crushing losses to the Ptolemaic Empire in Egypt. Especially relevant is the fact that Rome was in a state of civil war and on the verge of collapsing at that time; we thought it a good reflection of what was happening to PyraH from the release of our 2nd album and for the next 5 years, culminating in the achievement of “VVD”.

While experimenting with Latin translations of expressions like “I destroyed”, “I crushed”, “I delivered”, etc... We came up with “Delevi” in lieu of “Vici”, which is probably a butchered translation but we like how it sounds. The title of the album is also the title and “chorus” of one of the tracks, and it is sung in both Latin and English for the sake of clarity and rhythm.

Also, it is our quirky way of celebrating our fruitful collaboration with a label and a recording studio that are both in Italy, a very charming and warm country that welcomed us with its spectacular architecture and awe-inspiring landscapes.

3. Which one is the composer of the CD/EP?

Everybody in the band writes their own parts. We are four composers and four musicians with very different musical backgrounds and tastes, and we wanted to input as many influences as we could. We really like the idea of mixing genres and exploring uncharted territories, and we would love to do way more in our next project. We also loved working very closely with the two passionate studio engineers who actively participated in the completion of the album with contributing ideas and synth parts that serve as a perfect blanket and elevate the soundscape of the tracks.

4. If you had to pick one song, which one would you pick?

We loved working on and we love performing all of the songs from the album, sure, but if we had to pick one, we probably would go with “Sea of Faces” as it is the most representative of the previous answer; it is quite a longer track, and there is something for everyone: clean melodies with hauntingly melancholic vocals, crushing riffs and breakdowns, sing-along choruses, and experimental/technical parts for the nerds. We find it important to talk to the broadest demographics possible as we are all humans, we all need to work together, and if that means crying to the same chorus, headbanging in unison, or whacking each other in the pit, we’re here for it.

5. Is there a special message in this EP/CD? If there is what it is?

We want to communicate how important it is to never let go of your goals, even when things are dire, do whatever you can to set yourself up for victory; and if you ever fail, you get to try again with more knowledge, more experience, and more spirit. Several songs on the album talk about what other people see in us, what we see in other people, and how oftentimes that’s not the full picture. Life can throw whatever it wants at you or at the ones you love, what matters is how you stand up to it and fulfill your needs and desires.

There is a lot of introspection about one’s own suffering and difficulties going through it all, and we believe our lyrics and music serve as a way to expunge life’s many obstacles in a relatable manner and give tools to whoever is listening so they can get out there, live, and win.

6. Are there some lyrics that you'd love to share?

The melodic bridge of “Sea of Faces” goes like this:

“We’re increasingly numerous

But I’ve never felt so alone

The throngs swarm around

In a sea of faces, I am but a wave”

We think it is pretty representative of a message we are trying to pass to people which is to recognize and deal with loneliness, which is rising at an alarming rate in recent generations. Many things have become a 15-minute clout chase, a never-ending cycle of virtual relevancy, and it completely detracts us from what really matters, which is most often found not on the other side of a screen, but rather in very near proximity; your loved ones, your family, and of course, yourself. We should open up to the world, of course, but like anything, there is a balance; and should you fall from that tightrope, you can hurt yourself and others way more than you could imagine.

7. Which inspirations have been important for this album? Like musically or friends, family, someone you'd love to thank especially?

Musical inspirations for this album were very eclectic, but to put it broadly we picked a lot of things up from genres we really like, especially in modern metal, like metalcore, deathcore, and the kind of revival of nu-metal that has been happening in the past decade. We also get a lot of inspiration from more traditional genres like thrash and old-school or melodic death metal. Many non-metal genres found their way into our music as well, as we take inspiration from electronic music and world music.

Naturally, we would like to thank our friends and family who were always at our side through the thick and thin of the line-up changes and periods of despair that affected us. We would also like to thank Wormhole Death for always believing in PyraH not only as a musical project but as people who needed all the help they could get to overcome the difficult process of bringing life to the album. We would like to extend our thanks to MathLab Studio Recording / The Grid EUROPE which is the wonderful place and staff that welcomed us in Italy and where all of the magic of recording the tracks happened; and finally to Red Beard Studios from our dear own France for the integration of the self-recorded vocals and the final mixing and mastering of “Veni Vidi Delevi”. We feel like not enough credit is ever given to the minds behind the scenes, all the while it makes for a huge part of the experience of any media, and especially music.

8. Something to add?

Dare and put your trust in the hands of the right people, believe in yourself most of all, and don’t let anything bring you down: we’re all going to make it.