The Ritual speaks exclusively to Revenant Marquis

Revenant Marquis is a solo black metal project from Wales that is steeped in supernatural and mysterious rituals. The creator of these has released four rituals (albums to us mere mortals) in two years, with the latest ‘Youth in Ribbons’ released digitally in the UK today via Death Kvlt Productions.

Nate from The Ritual, our extreme metal show, was given exclusive access to the mysterious entity known simply as ‘S’ to get an in-depth understanding of the mystery that is ‘Revenant Marquis’.

Nate: Hello and thank you for taking the time to talk to me about your solo black metal project ‘Revenant Marquis’ here on TotalRock. Firstly, I must ask where did the inspiration for the name of your project comes from? I believe that the name means a nobleman that has risen from the dead?

S: You are correct. After many years of isolation away from my purpose and away from recording, it felt like a void or a death. Returning, after all, that time was an involuntary resurrection and happened organically.

Nate: As a solo black metal project you have been extremely busy with 4 album releases in the last 2 years, with the latest being released ‪on January 20th.‬ Do you plan to release as much music each year in the future or is there an underlying desire to be creative at present and release as much music as possible?

S: These rituals happen as they happen. I do not force or plan anything into being, It appears and has to be documented. If I’m only summoned to create a small amount at any given time then so be it. I cannot predict the output I’m afraid, and it’s out of my hands in many regards.

Nate: Your latest album due to be released “Youth in Ribbons’ has a series of tracks that seem to tell a story. Is there a particular story behind this release?

S: You are very astute. Yes, the whole record is very much a connected piece, where each ritual reflects it’s former and informs on the latter. YIR came together very fast and from a very arduous, torturous place. It is without question the most potent of all my releases and was like lancing a boil for poison or needing to vomit. It had to be released. I cannot go into conceptual details unfortunately as the mechanism of the whole piece would lose resonance with the listener, which would defeat the purpose of YIR. I will say this however, there are areas of total blackness in humanity, slithering in the blood, rotting with your ancestors and slumbering inside the mundanity of the present. There are hallways no one wants to walk, circles we won’t step within, and that is YIR. It is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Nate: Do you ever plan to play live or is this something that you would like to keep as secretive as possible?

S: I have been asked this on many occasions, very recently by Crypt of the Wizard. Perhaps. It would have to be spontaneous, and palpable ritual or there would be no point. I do not want to showcase hollow showmanship or a bastardisation of the original intent. That would be comical and a self-parody. Working on promotional materials can also offer up these problems, and it is a difficult alchemy in the same sense. You want to always capture the same truth and spirit of the recorded rituals. It is problematic.
If I was to do anything live it would have to be a ceremony to achieve some kind of a purpose. All involved, and attending could participate and that could be something not without merit.

Nate: What inspires you to create your rituals and extreme music in general? Is there an end goal to this process?

S: I assure you I am not posturing, and this will be seen by many as sensationalism, but I can only be honest when I say that everything I do is for the Devil. It has been this way since I was about five years old and he made himself known to me. That is always the motivation, anything else is redundant for me. The process is the craft, and the goal is the ritual rather than the end product. This is not a gimmick, it is absolute.
I strayed from His path briefly for those years in which I alluded to earlier, I left my study, I left my rituals and I lost my connection to the Devil. That will not happen again.

Nate: If you had to describe to someone ‘Revenant Marquis’ who has never heard your music before – how would you describe it to them?

S: Honest

Nate: You use a very lo-fi sound that is reminiscent of 90’s black metal – can you please tell me your biggest influences that have given you your inspiration?

S: I am not young. I grew up in with the first and second wave of black metal, demo tapes, mixtapes so this is the era that lit my predilections. That sound informs the feel of what I put my hand to.

Nate: Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.

S: You are very welcome, you have shown a perception of the output that must be honoured.

Youth in Ribbons is out digitally today via Death Kvlt Productions https://deathkvltproductions.bandcamp.com/album/youth-in-ribbons