Formed in Tunisia in 2022, Valak emerged from a desire to channel darkness, rebellion, and a deeply personal artistic vision into Black Metal. In this interview, Lord Vladimir discusses the band’s origins, its role within the new generation of the Tunisian extreme metal scene, the creative process behind its music, and the darker themes that define its identity. He also looks back on the Tunisian Black Metal compilation Thorns of the Crescent Moon, Valak’s debut EP We Are VALAK Legion, and reveals what lies ahead for the band.
Asmoth: Valak was formed in Tunisia in 2023. Could you tell us how the band came together and what you wanted to express when you first started the project?
Lord Vladimir: I formed Valak in early 2022, born from dark desires that are often buried beneath the surface. I started the project with my very close friend Balor, the band’s original bassist, and later brought together the rest of the members. For me, Valak represents an extreme attitude and a way to express my personal philosophy, as well as to criticize the things I reject and dislike in life, especially when it comes to spirituality. In that sense, Valak is deeply personal to me, it's not simply a musical project, but an outlet for my thoughts, beliefs, and darker visions.
Asmoth: Tunisia has an active but relatively underground extreme metal scene. How has being part of the Tunisian scene influenced Valak, both musically and in the way you approach the band?
Lord Vladimir: Being part of the Tunisian extreme metal scene has definitely shaped Valak, both musically and mentally. But I want to proudly emphasize that we were among the first Black Metal bands of the new generation to help bring the Tunisian scene back to life and make it active again. That experience taught us that you can't wait for recognition before you start creating. You have to build everything yourself and keep moving forward even when the audience is small. For us, the underground mentality is not a limitation, it is part of our strength. We would rather remain true to our vision and build something authentic than compromise our identity simply to become more visible and commercial shit !
Asmoth: Your influences include bands such as Gorgoroth, Dark Funeral and Archgoat. What is it about these bands that appeals to you, and which other artists have helped shape Valak's sound?
Lord Vladimir: Gorgoroth’s cold and ritualistic approach, Dark Funeral’s intensity and speed, and Archgoat’s raw, filthy and primitive sound are all elements that resonate strongly with Valak. At the same time, Valak isn’t based on copying any particular band, we take inspiration from many different artists and eras of extreme music, including Tsjuder, Urgehal, Marduk, Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult and Behexen, while also carrying the influence of my Hardcore Punk background and the energy of the underground scene. All these influences come together naturally through our own vision, our experiences, and the atmosphere we want Valak to create.
Asmoth: Since the beginning of Valak, how do you feel your music and your approach to black metal have evolved? Are there elements of your early material that you still want to keep today?
Lord Vladimir: Since the beginning of Valak, I feel that our music has become more mature and more focused, while still keeping the raw and aggressive spirit that was there from the start. In the beginning, we were mainly focused on creating something dark, intense and authentic, but over time we’ve developed a clearer identity and a better understanding of how we want Valak to sound, you can call it maturity in music but for sure there are definitely elements from our early material that we want to keep: the rawness, aggression, darkness and most importantly the genuine underground spirit. Those are essential parts of Valak, and even as our music evolves, I don’t think we should ever lose them.
Asmoth: How do you usually approach songwriting within Valak? Does a song generally start with a guitar riff, a particular atmosphere, or an idea that you then develop into a complete composition?
Lord Vladimir: I usually don’t like sharing the behind the scenes process of creating our music because I always want to preserve a sense of obscurity and mystery for the fans. But it’s okay, I can tell you a little bit : Songwriting in Valak always starts with the me writing lyrics, which is the opposite of how most bands work. I usually write the lyrics first and arrange them around riffs. Then I give them to Balor and Aziz, along with some references, so they can compose the riffs around the ideas. After that, I write the drum parts. Once the song has been edited, refined, and perfected, we add our final touches (synths, noise, ambience, and other atmospheric elements ..) before recording everything.
Asmoth: Your music deals with dark themes such as Satanism, anti-Christianity, war and death. What role do these themes play in your music, and how do you translate them into your lyrics and atmosphere?
Lord Vladimir: These themes are a fundamental part of Valak’s identity and our way of expressing the darker side of human existence. Satanism, for me, is an extreme attitude and a way of expressing my blasphemy against the “ruler.” You can interpret the ruler however you want (God, society, police, religion lies, customs, or traditions ..) Through my philosophy, I touch something inside you, and then you translate it through your own perspective and understand it as your own experience. I’m very honest when it comes to art, even in my paintings-artworks, I always express what I have inside me. Satan is simply the strongest symbol I can use to express that rebellion.
About theme of sexual violence, it represents one of the most unholy ways of desecrating what is considered holy. I base many of my themes on my personal experiences in life, the bad things I see around me, and the contradictions I observe in religion and society. The same goes for themes of war and death, which are also shaped by my own experiences, as well as my nightmares and personal feelings. For me, these aren’t just dark themes chosen for shock value. They come from things I have experienced, witnessed, imagined, or felt and I transform all of that into art through Valak.
Asmoth: Valak released the split Throns of the Crescent Moon in 2025. What can you tell us about this release, how did this collaboration come about, and what does it represent in the band's development?
Lord Vladimir: Thorns of the Crescent Moon is a 100% Tunisian split album countains 15 Black Metal bands from different styles and generations, coordinated by me and released via Black Metal artists channel, that it was released under my name rather than Valak’s. However, it's a very important release to us as a band and to Tunisia as a country because it's the first time in our local scene (besides the first one titled "Narcotized" featured Ayyur, Al-Namrood and Thul-Qarnayn in 2008, but this 2025 one is the first time as full Tunisian bands) and I’m really proud of it, history was made by me, and that’s what matters most to me. As for coordinating the split, it wasn’t easy to contact and get in touch with every band, especially when there might be problems or disagreements between some of them. But this is where I think one of my strongest points comes in: organizing and bringing everyone together. Thorns of the Crescent Moon was an important release for us. It wasn’t simply a musical collaboration; it was also a meeting point between bands that share the same spirit and mindset toward Black Metal and the underground.
Asmoth: Looking back at We Are VALAK Legion, what do you think this release represents for the band? Does it reflect the sound you wanted to establish, or do you already feel ready to explore new directions?
Lord Vladimir: Well I see it as the foundation of what Valak represents. It was our first EP, so it was very important for us to establish our identity and the atmosphere we wanted to create. I think it reflects the sound and attitude we wanted to introduce at that point : raw, cold and evil. At the same time, I don't see it as a limit for the band. Valak is constantly evolving, and I already feel ready to explore new directions while keeping the core identity of the band intact. We want to become more intense, more mature and more personal with each release. We Are VALAK Legion represents where we started, but it definitely doesn't represent where we will stop.
Asmoth: You also released Live at Nox Inferno - 07.02.2026. What was this live release meant to capture, and how important was it for you to document Valak's live energy and atmosphere?
Lord Vladimir: Nox Inferno - 07.02.2026 was a full ritual that we performed live to show the audience, and especially the critics, that we’re not here to joke around. We play Black Metal from its origins, but in our own way. Everything that atmosphere represented happened that night, we literally killed it on stage ! We wanted the audience to directly feel our message and the connection between us and them. I think it was important to document this moment because live energy can be very different from what you hear on a studio recording. We wanted to preserve a piece of Valak’s live identity and give people who weren’t there the chance to experience a little bit of that atmosphere. It’s also a document of an important moment in the band’s journey, and something we can look back on in the future.
Asmoth: After We Are VALAK Legion and Live at Nox Inferno, what are the next steps for Valak? Are you working on new material, and in which direction would you like to take the band's music in the future?
Lord Vladimir: Definitely, we are already working on new material. I don't want to reveal too much about the next release, but I can say that we're currently in the composition phase, so I can say that I'm taking Valak into a darker, more aggressive and more mature direction. We want to keep the raw spirit while pushing the atmosphere, songwriting and brutality further. For me, Valak must keep evolving without losing its identity. We are not interested in simply repeating what we did on We Are VALAK Legion. The next material will be a natural evolution of what Valak is, but with more darkness, violence and experimentation. We are taking our time with it because we want the next release to represent exactly where Valak stands at this point of our journey.