Gorgon is one of the oldest black metal bands in France existing since 1991 and has established a very good reputation in the scene ever since. With "For Those Who Stay" they released a very nice old-school and traditional black metal album in 2024 and I had the pleasure to see the guys live a few weeks ago at Under The Black Sun. Actually I haven't read too many interviews with the band so I decided to send some questions to Christophe Chatelet. So welcome to the world of Gorgon, you are invited to dive a little bit deeper into the ideas of the band.

Michael

Hey Chris, how are you doing?

Hello, everything is going great here, we have a few concerts coming soon, so we are rehearsing often.

I must confess that I was very impressed when I saw you guys lately at Under The Black Sun festival. Did you enjoy the audience and the location?

The audience was a bit static, but it was also a way to really enjoy the concert and watch in detail what was happening on stage. In addition, as there were many bands, it's understandable that the crowd cannot physically move and cheer on all the performances of the day. But, given the merch sales and the comments received following our show, we can only be very grateful for all the support that resulted. As for the venue, nothing to complain about, its location is in a  relatively isolated area, therefore, ideal for a mass gathering with loud music. The setting also allowed you to see what is happening on stage from many view points on the site. Finally, let's not forget the organization, which as a group effort, was really professional and friendly from the moment we arrived and provided great stage conditions. We all keep very good memories from that festival.

Gorgon is one of the oldest black metal bands from France. But you had a long, 16-years lasting hibernation with the band. What was the reason for that and why did you restart in 2017?

The drummer who recorded our 4th album had warned us that he would leave the band once the sessions were finished because he was stopping playing drums. So we had to look for a new drummer and rehearsal space, and the one we had found, once all the work of learning the live tracks had been done, did not give us satisfaction during the 2 concerts we did together. It demotivated us to have to start all over again with someone new. Also, the appearance of dozens of BM bands created when it was fashionable and the style was becoming popular in the media, made us take a break, which ultimately was longer than expected. Over the years, I was always confronted with the group because a split CD with unreleased tracks was in preparation for years from 2005 (and released in 2011), our first album was re-released on CD in 2010 on the English label Totestrieb Records, then on vinyl in 2017 (while it was planned for the 20th anniversary in 2015) on the Mexican label Rex Bagude, .... Therefore, projects took a long time of preparation and kept me "in the universe" of Gorgon. This made me want to come back, especially when I saw BM groups on stage, I didn't find any energy, no hatred whatsoever, and I wondered how would it be like if we were on stage instead of them. In December 2017, I made the decision to come back and compose a mini CD, for convenience, which ultimately turned into an album, "The Veil Of Darkness" with the support of our label Osmose Productions which released it in early 2019.

Is there a special philosophy within the band?

I think that if there is a philosophy, it is more a philosophy of life and thoughts, built over time, than a determined "program" to which we must conform. Also, since it is something natural for us, we do not have to impose specific barriers on ourselves. We follow our own path.

You have released four albums before you split – are they still available as physical editions. I am honestly not the biggest fan of streaming and downloads….

Osmose Productions reissued our first 2 albums both in CD and vinyl versions in 2019 (as well as our only 1992 demo only on CD because it already existed on vinyl). Non Posse Mori Records (associated with the distributor Goetie Exhumation) reissued our next 2 albums in November 2020 in a CD digipack version. At the moment, our first 4 albums are still all available. A limited edition cassette version of the 3rd album has even existed since September 2024 on the Chaoscibel label.

“For Those Who Stay” is your latest release. I was always wondering about that cryptic album title. Maybe you can explain the meaning behind it a little bit more?

Very often, when I went to see an elderly member of my family who lived alone and far from where I lived, this person would tell me as my departure approached that I would return to my job and other daily activities, that I would be busy, while she would find herself all alone. Also, the hardest part was not for those who leave but for those who stay. I transposed this onto the concept of death where the hardest part is generally not for those who leave "to the other side", but for those who stay here and have to face this absence.

It sounds very traditional with a lot of thrash vibes on it. What are your major influences musically?

I come from this school that listened to Venom, Bathory, Bulldozer, Sarcofago, Celtic Frost, Torture, Impaled Nazarene and where sometimes purchases were made thanks to a cover with an evil, satanic side, which attracted attention. There are things that I do not want to include in the compositions of the band, but if a riff sounds good to me and is a little outside of what is generally done, then I take the plunge. After so many albums, I have to offer ideas that surprise or see us explore different sounds while remaining consistent in our approach. And I know for a fact that it will be like this in the titles to come. There are so many bands that blindly follow what is done, what pleases the masses. We prefer to stay away from that and follow our instinct, but above all, to play what we like without cheating on what we will offer to the public.

Apropos traditional, the French black metal scene is more or less quite different from other scenes with a lot of dissonant and avant-gardistic stuff. Do you want to distinguish Gorgon from that scene intentionally with that?

No, not particularly, we just do our thing without worrying about what others are doing. But if we don't fit into the same niche as other French bands, that's fine with me too. Having our own identity is more valuable than being integrated into any movement. This doesn't devalue other bands in any way, it's just that we offer what we feel, without asking if it corresponds to what's happening around us.

Which bands from France do you personally appreciate?

I like Funerarium, Excruciate 666 and a few others. I don't have a lot of time to listen to them, so I probably miss out on bands that I would like, but that's how it is.

When you played at UTBS you had three more members on the stage – are they stable members or were they just recruited for live gigs?

The drummer is the one who has been with me live since the band's return in 2019, and he is also the one behind the drums on the latest album. The 2nd guitarist and the bassist arrived a little over 2 years ago and have performed all the concerts since then in Canada, Sweden, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Romania, etc. This trio, with me, forms the official line-up of the band, and as the understanding between us is going well, we will continue together as long as possible.

Are there some more shows you're going to play in 2025 and what are the upcoming plans for next year, if you already have them?

Barring any changes, we have two consecutive concerts remaining in 2025, first in early October in western France as headliners and then at a festival.

For the following year, we'll be playing at a festival again in northern France at the end of January. For the rest of the year, between five and six dates in Italy and France are in the works, but there's nothing official that I can announce today. Some organizers, due to their structures, set up their dates more or less far in advance, others don't, so we have to wait for their final bill before promoting their events.

The final words belong to you!

A huge thank you for the exposure and support that these few lines will bring us. Even if you are not a fan of "virtual" music, this means can allow people to discover us, and then support us more actively if they later want physical copies. Also, I encourage those who do not know to go listen to part of our discography on the web, and then write to us if they want to encourage us by purchasing the CDs, vinyls or t-shirts of their choice. Their presence at our next concerts will also be a much appreciated support and also another way to discover us.