Peste Noire is probably one of the most famous black metal bands from France, after Antekhrist... and if you don't count Burzum, of course, as Varg Vikernes relocated to central France (Salon-la-Tour) after being released from Norwegian prison in late 2009.
But Peste Noire is heterodox. They always have been. Much more controversial than Burzum, Darkthrone, Neraines or even Mayhem, the band seems to literally thrive on being as edgy and provocative as possible.
Many of Peste Noire's releases have been hailed as classics of the modern black metal soundscape: "La Sanie Des Siècles", "Folkfuck Folie", "L'Ordrure à l'État Pur" and more recently "Le Retour des Pastouraux".
What is left, then, for Famine and the rest of the "KPN" crew...? The answer he gave in a recent interview may surprise you.
Famine Plans To Turn Peste Noire Into a "Gangsta Rap" Band
In an interview with the French webzine Boutique Black Metal, Famine (real name, Ludovic Faure) claimed that Peste Noire was at the "top" of the black metal "game" for so long, he felt he had become complacent with being black metal's apex predator.
We have been on top of the [black metal] game for so long, it's not unusual for us to be thinking about alternatives... what other projects should we take on? [...] Clearly we already dominated the [black metal] scene for close to two decades.
While he sees black metal as a dying breed of "soy music", due to the recent flow of metalcore groupies turning into Watain fans, Famine views rap - and specifically, gangsta rap - as an "inherently fascist" genre, which could overtake black metal in the future if the situation is left unchecked.
In his own words:
What is left for Peste Noire to assert its dominance even more? [...] When you look at rap, it is inherently a very fascist music style. It is obsessed with violence, disciplining the weak, military rhythms, and the rule of the strong over the feeble. [...] Where black metal has lost its edge and become soy music, rap is on the ascendancy. [...] Maybe the next Peste Noire album will be rap instead of metal.
The proliferation of fake metal bands has long been a subject of debate in the scene. Not just by Famine, but also by Dead and Euronymous in old 90s interviews. You can read more about their views in the "Heavy Metal Master Class" book published recently this year.
Nonetheless, is Famine overreacting to the "decadence" of black metal? This is also covered in the interview.
Famine Talks Black Metal Decadence...
He also has an answer for people thinking along those lines.
In the old days black metal was intimidating, it was militant. You had to be extreme to be accepted. Today it's the opposite. Most of those who gravitate towards black metal do so out of failure, out of resignation. They are not underground by choice, but by necessity. They wanted to be rock stars, but failed, and turned to the style least likely to reject them, black metal.
While Famine is mostly a provocateur that gets off of provoking mixed reactions, there is a grain of truth to his statement. Many so called "underground" musicians jump at the first chance they get to go mainstream, despite having previously condemned the mainstream as "sell outs"... see Emperor, among others.
Still, is gangsta rap really the solutions...? Of all music genres? Lol.
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