Guitarist Chris along with Vocalist Auré of Visceral Band Akiavel Interview
28th June 2021Hailing from France, Akiavel are the new melodeath masters! No other band sounds like them. Akiavel are visceral combination of Groove, Thrash, Black and Old-school Death Metal, with melodic riffs, and a touch of hardcore. No other band sounds like them.
We caught up with guitarist Christ and vocalist Auré for a furry chat.
What have you got Chris?
Chris: I have two dogs, they are sisters, they came from a dog shelter when they were 3 months old..
Now they are 3-years-old and their names are Suna (sand in japanese) because of her colors and Cooky, because when I first saw her I knew she was nuts.
and she definitely looks a little crazy.
Auré?
Auré: Hi! Yes! I’m an animal lover! I’ve done 15 years of animal protection work, I’ve adopted a lot. I even organized charity concerts for animal shelters.
Today I have an 18-year-old black cat, his name is Devin Towncat! He meows a lot! You never feel alone with him!
I adopted a lizard (Physignathus) that was being mistreated a year and a half ago, I think she’s 3 or 4 years old. Her name is Aileen Wuornos, because she kills insects everyday for food!
Since she grew up she’s so beautiful with amazing colors! I love her so much!
And last I adopted 2 baby turtles. Their names are Morla (from the movie Neverending Story) and A’Tuin (from the book Discworld). They were born in September 2020. Beautiful babies!
That’s some collection of pets you have and you’ve earned our total respect for inspired names too,
We’re all Discworld fans in the office as well. Such a shame death couldn’t take a holiday for Terry (Pratchett RIP)
What weird quirks do your pets have?
Chris: I don’t know if it’s a weird thing, but I find it crazy (and not very nice). My dog will catch a bird who is going to take off. Right out of the air, she will catch him with an amazing jump!
That’s got to be a sight to see..
Auré: My cat remains my favorite star! I make a lot of videos because he always does something very funny! When I still had my dog (Mayhem, RIP), with the cat it was like a cartoon! The cat climbed in the kitchen cabinet, and dropped food. When he was satisfied with that, the poor dog who waited wisely, would eat! Or they would wake each other from their naps and scare each other… Together they were very funny!
They do sound like a couple of mischief makers. Have you taught any of them anything unusual?
Chris: Just to make them sit down is an absolutely miraculous thing.
Ahh yes.. the challenge of a dog.. We know it all too well.
Auré : I taught my dog to sing! “If you are happy and you know it, say wouuu”! And he knew to answer!
That’s amazing. Maybe have a duet as a bonus track on an album.
This past year has been totally unprecedented and forced alot of us into numerous lockdowns etc. How have your pets helped you cope?
Chris: I’m lucky, I have a big garden and the house is too. I don’t go out, I don’t like the theatre, restaurants, shopping etc. etc. I’m a little reclusive and I prefer to stay at home to focus on personal things, music first, so it was like a normal period for me, and the dogs have the life of queens so … they don’t see the difference either.
Auré: : My cat wondered why I spent so much time at his house! Haha! Otherwise during the confinement I redid the terrarium for my lizard, it’s been busy for me. Now she has a little more play space, and she’s so pretty that I take hours just to look at her!
Have you always been an animal lover?
Chris: Always. I prefer animals to humans by far, their hearts are pure, humans don’t deserve animals.
I always have dogs, but when I was younger I had rats too, but not exotic animals, no.
Auré : Yes as I said I saved a lot of animals. Their innocence has always touched me. My mom is very close to animals too.
When I was a teenager I adopted a rat who was my best friend. I used to take her everywhere! When I went shopping, even when I passed my baccalaureate! I tattooed her on my leg when she died. I loved her very much.
Have you dressed them up at all?
Chris: Hahahaha! No they would destroy it immediately! I will put them in a hat or something, just to laugh at them, but they remove it immediately.
Auré : Haha! No!! Other than putting sunglasses or a cap on my dog to take a picture, I don’t do that!
How do they react to you practicing or writing at home?
Chris: They absolutely don’t care lol
Also, no my pets don’t influence my music. To be honest, I don’t know how I make music. I just pick up my guitar and I compose riffs and melodies.
Auré : On composition no. Sometimes when I write my cat comes on my lap.
I made a playlist on Spotify with the sounds of the forest and I see that my lizard is reactive, so I put her music on to please her!
Who is kind enough to take of your animals when you’re away?
Chris: My family.
Auré : My sisters. They live near me, They send me photos and videos every day. They’re awesome!
That’s amazing that you get constant updates.
Speaking of practicing, what’s next for Akiavel?
Chris: We just released our new album, Vae Victis! For the third album, we have our own music studio, so we can record it when we want.
Auré : Yes. We have a lot of projects to come! Still so much more this year!
Have you anything you’d like to say to your fans/followers?
Chris:Just thank you, we work hard to make the best music we can.
Auré : Thank you for your support and to follow us! If you weren’t here with us, we wouldn’t exist!
Thank you for your time. It’s been a pleasure as always
Chris: Thanks to you!
Auré : Thank you! This is an interesting interview, unusual and important! Our animal friends take up so much space in our lives! Thank you for giving them a voice!
Thank you Auré, we do try to be a little different here at All About The Rock
