Interview with thrash death metal band from France - MORTAL SCEPTER.
Recenze/review - MORTAL SCEPTER - Ethereal Dominance (2025):
Ave MORTAL SCEPTER! I haven't found any interviews with you in Czech anywhere. So, first of all, could you please introduce the band to readers who don't know you yet? Feel free to start from the very beginning and take us through the entire history of MORTAL SCEPTER.
Mortal Scepter was formed back in 2012 in Dunkirk, in the north of France. We were just a bunch of long-time friends wanting to play the music we loved – aggressive thrash and death metal. Our first demo came out in 2014, followed by the EP As Time Sharpens the Sentence. In 2018, we released our debut album Where Light Suffocates, which already showed our mix of Germanic thrash and early death metal. After some years of writing and refining our sound, we are now back with our second album Ethereal Dominance. One important detail: we’ve kept the exact same line-up since the very beginning. That stability is something we’re really proud of.
This year you are releasing your new album, "Ethereal Dominance." Once again, it's dark, rough, and honest thrash/black metal. Did you approach the recording differently than last time, or did you stick to tried and tested methods?
Yes, definitely. We learned a lot from Where Light Suffocates, especially what we didn’t want to repeat. This time we were better prepared, both as musicians and in terms of production. We recorded with Raph Henry, who already knew our music and really understood what we were aiming for. We also recorded with a click track, which made a big difference in tightness. Then the mastering was done by Benoît Roux. The result is more organic, more powerful, and much closer to how Mortal Scepter actually sounds.
The new album seems to me to be a lot more complicated, perhaps less accessible at first, but at the same time incredibly dark and evil. Was that intentional? How did the album come about and how did you compose the music?
It was intentional, yes. From the very beginning, we wanted Ethereal Dominance to be darker, more technical, and more varied than the first album. We started writing just after Where Light Suffocates was released, but the first attempts didn’t satisfy us at all. Then Covid arrived, which slowed things down. In the end, it took us about two years to finish nine songs, and we even set one aside because it wasn’t at the same level. The writing process is collective – everyone brings riffs and ideas, and then we build the songs together. Some came quickly, like the 10-minute closer Into the Wolves Den, while others took weeks of work.
I have "Ethereal Dominance" on my MP3 player and I have to say that I am literally absorbed by it. It's not just great ideas, but also the sound, which is devastating in a word. I'm sitting on the tram, for example, and suddenly I find myself tapping my foot. I feel like starting to party. If I weren't a man of a certain age, I probably would. Where did you record the album and who is credited with the mastering?
We recorded with Raph Henry at Heldscalla Studio (France), and it was an excellent experience. He’s known us since the first album, and, just like us, he hates the way it sounds. So he knew exactly how to get the best out of us. The whole process with him was both fun and rewarding—we all grew as musicians working alongside him. The mastering was made by Benoît Roux who immediately understood what we were aiming for and delivered exactly what we needed. We’re really happy with how it all turned out. Together they gave the album the punch and clarity we were missing before.
Who wrote the lyrics for "Ethereal Dominance"? What are they about? Where do you get your inspiration for the themes?
Valentin Vanhaute (bass/vocals) writes almost all the lyrics. The main themes are inspired by science fiction and cosmic horror. Authors like Peter Watts (Blindsight) or Liu Cixin (The Three-Body problem) were important influences. The lyrics deal with subjects such as the Fermi paradox, the indifference of the universe, the end of civilizations… but always through the lens of thrash and death metal aggression.
Who designed the cover for "Ethereal Dominance"? I really like his work. How did you choose the cover design?
The artwork was done by our longtime friend Jon Whiplash. He also worked on our previous releases. We only gave him two directions: it had to be sci-fi/horror, and in a comic-book style reminiscent of Philippe Druillet. He immediately captured the spirit of the album. The result fits perfectly with the music – threatening, futuristic, and violent.
Let's go back to the beginning... What was the initial impulse that led you to form the band? And why thrash black metal? It's not exactly a style that will bring you great "fame."
At the beginning it was simple: we were friends who grew up together, playing the music we loved. We were obsessed with bands like Kreator, Sadus, Massacra, Sepultura, and Death. Thrash and death metal felt natural for us – it’s aggressive, fast, dark, and powerful. We never expected fame, we just wanted to create our own contribution to that tradition.
You come from France and play extreme thrash/black metal. Our readers would definitely be interested to know how your metal scene works. To tell you the truth, lately I've been hearing only great bands from you (I love SKELETHAL!). Does that mean that the scene is currently very strong in your country? What about concerts, how many people attend?
The French scene has always had legendary bands like Loudblast, Agressor, Massacra, or Mercyless, and today it’s still very strong and diverse. Bands like our close friends Skelethal are proof of the energy and quality coming out of France. The underground is alive, even if it’s not always easy to find decent venues to play. As for attendance, it really depends on the city and the line-up. People do come to shows, but of course it’s not the same numbers you’d see in countries like Germany where extreme metal is a bit more popular.
Your music shows that you are influenced by both the American thrash death metal school and old European bands. How about you as fans? Do you prefer the original metal of the nineties or do you also draw inspiration from new albums? If so, I'd be interested to know which bands had/have the biggest influence on MORTAL SCEPTER.
Both ! If a riff was killer in 1985, it still is in 2025! We are definitely influenced by the classics – German thrash, early US death, Atheist, Pestilence, Sepultura’s Beneath the Remains – but we also listen to newer bands. We love the energy of bands like Vektor or some of the modern techno-thrash scene, for example. Inspiration comes from everywhere as long as it’s honest and aggressive.
What about you and concerts in general? Are you a band that plays as many concerts as possible, or are you very selective? Do you have any dreams, such as a band you'd like to tour or festival with, or a city where you'd like to perform?
We love playing live, but we’re still a bit selective about the shows we take. Over the last few years we’ve been rather quiet, so we didn’t have that many opportunities. That said, we truly enjoyed the ones we did play—like Necrowretch’s release party, opening for Misanthrope and Loudblast, or playing the Anthems of Steel festival, among others. Now with the release of Ethereal Dominance we really hope to get more chances to hit the stage. There are honestly too many places we’d love to play to name them all! Many festivals look exciting, and we’d love to discover new cities and countries through our music. Playing in the Czech Republic, at Thrash Nightmare Festival for example, would be amazing!
What does MORTAL SCEPTER have planned for the coming months? If you have anything on your mind that you would like to say to fans, labels, or promoters, here's your chance…
Right now, our main focus is promoting Ethereal Dominance and bringing it to the stage as much as possible. We don’t want to wait another six years before the next album, but at the same time we won’t rush anything—the goal is always to do even better next time. In the meantime, we’ll work hard, play shows, and keep pushing Mortal Scepter forward. To promoters: get in touch, we’re definitely interested in playing wherever possible! And to everyone else, don’t hesitate to send us a message and let us know what you think of Ethereal Dominance—we’ll be more than happy to answer.d.
I'm going to listen to your new album, "Ethereal Dominance," again. I have to say that for me personally, it's basically a perfect thrash/black metal work. A total inferno. I wish you all the best with the album, may it reach as many fans as possible. It deserves it. I wish you all the best in your personal lives as well. Thank you for the interview and I'm already looking forward to seeing you live sometime!
Thanks a lot for the support and for spreading the word about Ethereal Dominance in Czech Republic! We hope to see you all at a show soon. Ethereal Dominance Shall Prevail!
Recenze/review - MORTAL SCEPTER - Ethereal Dominance (2025):
Recenze/review - MORTAL SCEPTER - Where Light Suffocates (2019):
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