 |
| This interview was made in collaboration with Last Cathedral Records |
Marche Funèbre have spent years exploring the many shades of Doom Metal, balancing crushing heaviness with melancholy, beauty, despair and moments of hope. In this interview, Arne Vandenhoeck (vocals) reflects on the emotional identity of the Belgian band, the role of melody and melancholy in their music, the arrival of guitarist Fré de Schepper, and the creative process behind their upcoming sixth album. He also discusses Don’t, Marche Funèbre’s contribution to Last Cathedral Records’ compilation The Final Witness, and the band's place within the ever-diverse landscape of Doom Metal.
Asmoth: There is a certain tension in Marche Funèbre between beauty and despair. When you listen back to your own music, which side of that contrast do you think defines the band the most?
Arne Vandenhoeck: I guess looking at that contrast, beauty will prevail. In the end we might sing about despair, but usually we will look for the glimmer of hope instead of total bleakness. That being said, we all get touched by a beautiful melody, although that is not the main goal when we are writing songs.
Asmoth: A song can describe grief without necessarily being sad from beginning to end. Do you see melancholy as an emotion to express, or as a space in which the listener can enter?
Arne Vandenhoeck: Well, for sure melancholy is a big part of our nature as a doom metal band and its members. We put this in our sound naturally, and logically our listeners are invited to get into that space as well. But we are not shy to incorporate other emotions as well in our music. If there’s one thing that defines us, it will be that we are not a one-dimensional band. As long as we all like the song we’re writing, it can land on an album, regardless of how ‘sad’ or whatever it is.
Asmoth: Literature is listed among Marche Funèbre’s lyrical themes. Has a book, character or particular piece of writing ever affected the direction of a song without being directly adapted into it?
Arne Vandenhoeck: No, our literature references were always direct, like using existing poems of dead poets, like EA Poe, Lord Byron, Emily Dickinson etc. It’s been a while since we used this theme by the way, it was mainly Peter (who left the band in 2023) who came up with great literature references and texts.
Asmoth: The arrival of Fré de Schepper on guitar in 2024 brought a new member into a band with a long-established identity. What did you discover about Marche Funèbre through this new dynamic?
Arne Vandenhoeck: The art of enjoying being in a band, going on tour, making music together. Not saying that this was all gone, but Fré’s enthusiasm gave us a taste of how wonderful being in a band with like-minded members should be. Apart from that he brought a bunch of great ideas to the table, all fresh, without drifting too far from our sound.
Asmoth: After several albums, do you still keep unfinished ideas from one release for another, or does each album represent a clean break from what came before?
Arne Vandenhoeck: So far, we always started with a clean slate. That’s why we also released our ‘Echoes From beyond’ EP last year, as we still had some unreleased material with the former line-up. Meanwhile we’re in full recording mode for our 6th album, due out next year. Funnily enough, for the first time ever we have some songs that didn’t make it to the recording session that we won’t leave behind this time (as we did a few times in the past).
Asmoth: When a Marche Funèbre song reaches one of its most intense moments, what matters more to you: making it emotionally overwhelming or making it musically memorable?
Arne Vandenhoeck: Music will also come first for us, but let’s not make this a contradiction, as it shouldn’t be one. Like said earlier, the song comes first, but obviously every song needs some memorable hooks, melodies or riffs. We will never put out songs that don’t have something to say for us.
Asmoth: Don’t is your contribution to The Final Witness. What made this particular song feel appropriate for a compilation that brings together so many different faces of Doom Metal?
Arne Vandenhoeck: Glad we can talk about ‘Don’t’. This song was meant to land on our ‘After The Storm’ album, but due to the length restrictions of a vinyl release, we swapped it with ‘Palace of Broken Dreams’ (which became a fan favorite instantly!). I really love ‘Don’t’, so we were glad Last Cathedral asked to contribute the song for this great compilation! Excellent choice, hehe. It’s also one of those trademark songs where we blend some other genre in our doom, in this case death metal!
Asmoth: Listening to The Final Witness as a whole, where do you think Marche Funèbre sits within this collection? Do you recognize something of your own musical identity in the other participating bands?
Arne Vandenhoeck: To be fair, I haven’t heard all the song yet, but obviously some bands tap from the same source of inspiration as we do, like for instance our good friends of Officium Triste, or the boys and girl from Ocean of Grief to name but a few that shared a stage with us. The cool thing though, is that every band in the doom metal spectrum sounds original in their own way, as this kind of music is only made by real fans of the genre. No point in copying someone else, as there’s no money to make or fame to gain you know. Only dedicated musicians following their own path and dedicating their own time and inspiration to honor a musical style as intense as doom metal.