TRIVAX

Right now, as I type these words, the Middle East is a pot of conflict that has boiled over and threatens to expand into something truly dangerous. It is often from the most repressive regimes that the cries for freedom are the loudest. Proof of this is the black metal band TRIVAX, who have burst onto my radar this year with their tremendous album “Eloah Burns Out” and the provocative video for the song “Azrael”. Their leader Shayan hails from Iran, a country notorious for its religious conservatism.

To be a black metal band in Iran is to really be in the trenches. Now based in the UK, Shayan still finds time to visit his homeland despite the danger that puts him in...believe me, they respond to anti-religious sentiment with a lot more than a slap on the wrist and dirty looks there. But in talking to him, I discovered a dedicated freedom fighter who uses metal as a weapon of the mind.

Here now is my chat with this thoughtful and courageous musician...

WORMWOOD CHRONICLES: Greetings and hails to you, Shayan! I have utmost respect for our metal brothers in the Middle East. TRIVAX is a relatively new name to me. How long has the band been in existence and were the members in any prior bands?

SHAYAN: Greetings, Doctor - I appreciate your attention!

TRIVAX has had a number of member changes until 2019, with Sully and Matt being the other two core members of the band. Sully used to play bass in a band called SATHAMEL prior, which he departed from in 2018 just before joining us - and Matt has mainly always been in TRIVAX, although he did briefly perform in a small band called SURGICLES in 2011.

I’ve personally played in various other bands and projects, such as ARSAMES, MASTER’S CALL, DEITUS, WYRDSTAEF and other live entities… but TRIVAX has always been my main goal in life.

WC:  What led you down the metal path? Was it a particular band or even song that lit the flame?

S: It’s one of those things, I always feel that it was just meant to be… All of the characteristics of rebellion and larger than life, unadulterated expressions of Metal would fit my personality and style like a glove. It just so happened to be that I discovered it in a place where you are not meant to partake in it, otherwise you would face serious consequences for it. It was a passion which slowly developed over time, with exposure to the earlier WWF themes of the Attitude era playing a big part. I always had an open mind for it, because with “Rock” music, it just seemed to trigger a very powerful feeling within me from the beginning.

In the end, it was METALLICA who truly awakened that interest, and thus, the path that followed.

WC: You are originally from Iran. I know metal there must be extremely underground to survive. Is there a strong scene despite all the oppression? Live shows and studios must be very clandestine.

S: This is very true, especially during the years when I was partaking in the underground. In fact, the TRIVAX rehearsal place was literally positioned in an underground basement, which we’d covered in egg cases and cement to make DIY acoustics. 

Rock and Metal live shows are nearly impossible to get permits for, which for our style of music is even more difficult to acquire, and many times they will revoke the permit even hours before the show is meant to take place. So basically, it almost never happens. We are very lucky to have been amongst the very few who have actually played legitimate underground shows there and lived to tell the tale.

In terms of studios, most studios are just home studios where folks are using demoing equipment to capture full albums. There are a very limited number of actual studios now as well, but for the longest time, until maybe a few years ago, we didn’t even have the facilities to record real drums anywhere in the country.

WC: You are now based in the UK. Was there a particular threat that made you leave the homeland? Is there hope to return someday?

S: Of course, but it wasn’t a single event as such, but a multitude of them which led to this decision.

To make an appropriate reference, if I may, this is the “Path of no return”. I hope that answers your question!

WC: I understand your bassist Sultan was actually imprisoned in Syria for the crime of being a metalhead. How was he able to escape and how did you hook up with him?

S: He only managed to get away, as someone from the inside tried to contact his family and informed them of his position, which allowed them to bail him out at a high cost. Until that moment, they actually had no idea where he was, or even if he was alive. Meanwhile he was being tortured in a hidden prison somewhere, whilst being kept in the most inhumane conditions. Needless to say, I am extremely grateful that he made it out alive.

He and I originally met in 2014, when TRIVAX and his old band SATHAMEL were sharing the stage at a terrible venue in Sheffield. This, despite being an extremely poorly organised show, ended up being a very memorable one for all of us involved. We bonded over the spirit of rebellion and became good friends from there onwards.

WC: How much of an advancement is “Eloah Burns Out” over your first album? And what can you tell us about the first TRIVAX album?

S: How much of an advancement is “Eloah Burns Out” over our first album…Well, quite a lot!

As much as I can still get behind the idea for ‘SIN’, I have to admit that the execution of the said idea was suboptimal in many ways. Whilst the songwriting itself is still fairly special, I do think that’s about the only part of the album that actually checks out - everything else regarding the performance, production to the overall packaging and the release of it were heavily flawed, in my own opinion.

Where “Eloah Burns Out” truly shines in comparison, is that it perfectly encapsulates the current capabilities of TRIVAX as an artistic entity - and the overwhelmingly enthusiastic response to the album is a true testament to that. Perhaps, one day, it will be worth revisiting ‘SIN’ to repackage those same ideas, but we shall see…

WC: The video for “Azrael” is breath-taking! How long did this take to put together? It looks as professional as anything on Nuclear Blast or Metal Blade.

S: Great to hear that! 

The production for this video was fairly multi-layered and it involved a large team of people, with myself and Alex De Moller (Morbid Angle) being at the center of the project.We spent roughly about 18 months on the project, although there were several delays and pauses in the middle as well. But the idea itself was something that I had written down as far back as 2019.

WC: DEATH is the overwhelming subject on the new album. How have you experienced death and what does it mean to you personally?

S: Well, obviously I am still here - haha.

Of course, it’s a very important part of the matrix and the universe which we live in, because it’s an unavoidable fate of everything that exists. This is all the way from the stars in the galaxy, all the way to the life of an ant. All face the same fate. For me personally, I had some unique experiences related to this, which I have difficulty explaining, really… which is probably why I wrote so much music about it.

However, the closest I have come to it, is perhaps the state of ego-death induced by my previous psychedelic experiences. I learned a lot from those.

WC: After first hearing “Azrael”, I was surprised by the moodiness of “Silent Contemplation” and “Memento Mori”. How important to you was it to communicate this softer, less brutal side of TRIVAX?

S: To be honest, I’ve always had a very diverse approach when it comes to experiencing music, both as a songwriter but also as a listener. When I wrote these passages, they were fueled by similar feelings as what gave birth to ‘Azrael’ - but I felt it necessary to use different creative muscles to complete them.

This wasn’t a conscious effort, though - but rather an entirely organic one which felt right at the moment. I think that “Silent Contemplation”, despite its calmness, is just as volatile as the faster and heavier tracks on the album. If anything, the malevolence behind it is quite alarming and overwhelming even to myself, mainly because I know where it came from…

WC:  The final epic track is written and performed completely in Farsi. I believe the song deals with the death of God and the solar system. How critical was it for you to do this in your native tongue?

S: Again, this was a purely organic process. Initially, I wanted this to be an instrumental piece, as the complexity of the emotions within it made it really hard to express it in words. Luckily, I discovered that I have an extra arm in creativity and lyric writing, which was my native tongue of Farsi, and it is the language behind much of history’s greatest literature. This allowed me a different way of expression, which happened to befit the track perfectly.

There is a haunting nature to it, which I’d have never pulled off using just English, as much as I do enjoy writing in that language.

WC:  As I write this, the tension in the Middle East is at an all time high following the Hamas terror attacks and Israeli invasion of Gaza. Is there any political or social message that can be taken from the new album or is it completely apolitical?

S: This is a solid question - I want you to look at it from a different perspective:

Our message has always been one of freedom, and one of an anti-totalitarian and anti-authoritarian approach to life and the world in general. It is one of empowerment.

Whilst we do not ever sing about politics - are there any legislations, policies or actions which go against the message above? If so, that is where we are politically defined, not by our own ideological stance, but rather by the consequence of our actions. The definition of politics is also ever-changing, and I despise the notion of ever buying into anything wholesale, as most right-wing / left-wing herds do. Even within the band, we are all entitled to different beliefs, but the thing that unites us is the urge for freedom above all else.

This is why a lot of times when people ask if we are an “Anti-Islamic” band, I always say that, directly we are not - but our mere existence is something which opposes that ideology.

I hope that answers your question.

WC:  Has TRIVAX ever performed live, either in Europe or the Mideast? Are there plans for live actions in the future?

S: Indeed - we have done a few first-time appearances this year including Romania, Netherlands and Germany, but for next year we hope to spread our message as far and wide as possible!

WC: Are there any thoughts for what comes after “Eloah Burns Out” or is it too early for that?

S: A bit too early - but as far as our camp is concerned, we already know exactly what the upcoming steps are going to be. Exciting chapters are ahead!

WC: If you could have dinner with any 3 people from history, who would they be?

S: Alexander the Great, Terence McKenna and Jesus of Nazareth.

WC:  Any final messages for fans of the band?

S: Stay free!

TRIVAX