Primordial Woods, the atmospheric black metal project of Italian musician Nicholas Senon, captures the spirit of ancient forests and deep introspection. Through albums like De Rerum Natura and Icore, Senon combines nature, philosophy, and raw emotion to create a truly immersive musical journey. In this interview, he shares the inspirations, challenges, and future plans that shape the essence of Primordial Woods.
Serial Metalbums: To start, could you introduce Primordial Woods to our readers who might be discovering your music for the first time? What inspired the creation of this one-man band, and what are the core concepts or ideas that drive the project?
Nicholas Senon: Hi everyone! I am Senon and I'm the head behind Primordial Woods, an atmospheric black metal one man band project from center Italy. The project is born with the simple goal of making music and through it let the listener feel the same emotions I feet while walking in the huge and ancient woods of my homeland, enjoying the moments that elevate our souls to a next level, through literature, arts, reflections on oneself and contemplation of nature. This is the reason which also give to the project its name, its creation was quite spontaneous as I was already working on songwriting for many other project, but while I was composing the first song (who will be Rerum Primordia in the near future) I have felt like this was something completely different from what I had wrote until then, so I decided that was the way to create something else, something more personal and before I knew it: Primordial woods was born.
Nicholas Senon: As already said in the previous question I take many inspirations from nature, literature and even philosophical concept, I found them as “guides” for our mortal lives, something that we must meet to understand better ourself, our goals, our way. I like to believe that music, or at least the “real” one, is something that give a shapes to humankind ideas, like every form of art as well, so it's our goal to leave a “footprint” of our path giving the right shape to the right concept and the sound of what will rise from it is already hidden in the conceptual idea itself. Of course other musicians inspired me through all this years of music, some are similar to the genre I play with Primordial Woods (like Agalloch, Panapticon, Drudkh, Summoning, Unreqvieted) and some others are quite or completely different like Woods of Ypres, Sylvaine, Sigur Ròs, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Howard Shore, just to mention some of them in the wide range of my music taste.
Serial Metalbums: De Rerum Natura made a strong impression as your debut, but with Icore, it feels like there’s a new depth and evolution in your sound. How would you describe the musical and conceptual progression between these two albums? What changed in your approach to songwriting, production, or the emotions you wanted to convey?
Nicholas Senon: De Rerum Natura and Icore are like two sons for me, but each of them has its proper character. De Rerum Natura is a celebration of literature, of nature and arts, Icore is the voice of something that lives in the deepest part of our self, maybe the most negative one, maybe the most realistic. For what concerns the songwriting process they have been made through the same method: write down the tracklist, focus the ideas they must express, and then give the track the sound that fits better to express that concept. The production has seen some boost in Icore, but I suppose this is just my experience in music production which is growing and I really hope the next work will be even better of course. Talking about emotions: Icore is born after a long period of self-reflection and the concept behind every track are focus on introspection and changement across life time, while De Rerum Natura as a celebration sound more dreamy and epic as I imagined it the first time the concept has taken its place in my mind.
Serial Metalbums: Can you take us through the creative process behind Icore? How did the writing unfold, and did you follow any particular method to compose the tracks and build the immersive atmosphere? And regarding the recording process, were there any specific challenges or differences compared to the making of your first album?
Nicholas Senon: Icore has been composed mostly during 2023, a really hard period for my life, a period of changement and many life problems which transformed my vision and made it darker. When I had the chance to work in the studio, I immediately understood that this full-length was going to be completely different from De Rerum Natura, my emotions at the moment were totally different, as it was for the concept I was slowly creating in my mind. I think the best way to describe Icore is a “Self-dialogue”, as the first track's name “Ode al Soliloquio” (“ode to soliloquy” in italian) suggest, as well for a travel inside ourself, where the soul elaborate the pain of life and it defeat it simply accepting it. So every single track represent a step into this travel and this dialogue, the order follow the elaboration process and the name Icore represent the “final stage”, where we leave behind this pain, where we make part of our self and we elevate ourself to Gods (Icore indeed is the blood of the Gods). This album represents a part of my life, of my self-grown and I hope that many other listeners will find themselves in it too. The most hard part in composing it was the fact that in late 2022 I had to leave my mountain house where my home studio was, so I recorded Icore with just very few gear that I had the chance to bring with me in this new home, which was not suited to be a studio of course, but in the end the album see its lights over all this technical problems.
Serial Metalbums: ”Icore” seems to explore dark and perhaps introspective themes. Could you elaborate on the ideas and stories behind this album? Is there a particular message you wanted to convey through the music and the overall atmosphere?
Nicholas Senon: Icore is a concept entirely based on introspection, on the phases of anger and acceptance that derive from the being who first feels mocked by the universe and destiny, and then realizes his nature and that of the world, and transcends to an almost divine (hence the name of the album). Let's say that the songs aim to identify the concepts of personal dialogue (Ode al soliloquio), rejection of the divine principle (Invaliditas Boni Indomiti), depression and eclipse from the world (Nix), connection with memory (Memento Essentia), acceptance of change (Extremum Calidum Ventus), ascension of the personal essence (Icore). The final Nirvana cover is a track which in my opinion perfectly fits in this concept album, as every problem comes to us unexpectedly, as “Something in the way”
Serial Metalbums: After the release of Icore, what are your plans for the future of Primordial Woods? Are you already working on new compositions, or do you have other projects in mind—musically or visually—to further expand the group’s universe? Where do you see the evolution of your music in the coming years?
Nicholas Senon: I really cannot stop myself from composing new music, indeed I will spoil here that another small release will come in the last month of 2024, but this time it'll something completely different: a 4 track EP which will not see the atmospheric black metal that my listener are getting used to hear, but something pretty different, something dark that crawl through unnamed dungeon, so get ready! At the same time, I already wrote the tracklist and the concept behind the 3rd and 4th full-length, so I still have a lot of work to do and a lot of music to show. I am actually moving myself in the research of musicians to bring Primordial Woods finally live on stage, and this quest is almost over, just some more time and we will present the lineup for the upcoming stage session.
Serial Metalbums: Atmospheric black metal occupies a unique place within the extreme metal scene. What’s your take on the current state of black metal, both in Italy and internationally? Do you find the scene moving in an inspiring direction, and are there any artists or trends that you find particularly captivating right now?
Nicholas Senon: I think that Black Metal is a subgenre of metal which is really prolific and every day some good bands rise and bring something new in the scene, even if this is not well seen by all the Black metal community. I personally think that music evolution is something that we cannot avoid, and we should all appreciate. I think that the band who are still focusing their topic on satanism or similar topics are almost ridiculous right now, their music could even be good but is wasted as it talks about nothing they really live, while they should use this chance to communicate something concrete, something that makes their life and their mind unique. I don't appreciate as well the ones who are still focusing on producing raw audio material, it's an aesthetic choice that smacks of old and already seen, and today with even the most basic gear you can record a "decent" product, I respect their choose but it does not really fit my taste and my will of expression. Italy is a really good ground for black metal bands, and I am happy to work and collaborate among them (some mention: Aerd, Duir, Dyrnwyn, Eyelessight, Morgurth, Prison of Mirrors). There are other bands that I am following with interest like Saor, Car Bard, Unreqvieted, Anomalie, Ellende, White Ward and many more, but I am really hoping to see my favourite band Agalloch back on stage soon after their announcement of some few shows all over the world.
I want to thank Serial Metalbums Staff for your interest, your interesting questions and all the readers who read this interview! Follow up Primordial Woods pages for any update and get ready to get lost in nature and in the deepest fields of your soul.
