There are a lot of significations behind this name. Some are very personal. If you translate it to French, it's the anagram of something very close to me. It's also the name of a song from the last album of Love Lies Bleeding, my previews solo project.

We live in a world that comes to an end. An early end. And it's obvious that the vision of what the self is, is one of the reason of our end. Unable to feel any real empathy, we are just preoccupied by who we can get more and more pleasure, faster and faster. It's just fucking sad… So here is one signification of this decline of the I.

But, in another perspective, it can be seen more optimistic. One of the few soteriological issues would be to accept a solubility of the self to escape from individuality. I'm not talking about hippy things, like connecting with the love of Earth or shit like that. Just to feel the link to a greater energy, to Life, as Nietzsche describes it. What go through us, all this wave we have to accept. Amor fati, in other words…

As an entire musical style ? I doubt it. I guess everything in the world, every aspect of reality can be catalised by the music. I considere music more powerfull to describe reality than language. In music, we are not trapped in the prison of conception. It can give you more than that : you don't learn with your reason, but with your feelings. Something far more deep and primal that the language. So that, I think it's not a mater of metal or extreme metal genre. Music can deal with everything, academic or not.

I'm not in Diapsiquir anymore but they are still active. Neo Inferno is still sleeping but it may wake up one day or another. The other are still very active.

Apart from the bands, I have always worked on solo project. To be more precise: I had a solo project (Love Lies Bleeding) even before my first Black Metal band. When I stopped LLB in 2006, after 5 albums, I wanted a new personal approach of dark music.

I didn't have a very sharp idea of what I was goint to make. But something more mesmerizing, heavier… I was reading Laborit at this time, and I was in a strange point of my life. And, naturally, all met and so was born Decline of the I.

As I follow the different kind of reactions to aggressions, the albums has to be different. Their core is quiet the same, as it's still a reflection of myself, but the first one is apathetic, heavy, slow and Rebellion is much more violent, epileptic, fast…

I wouldn't change a thing to Inhibition. Of course, it's not perfect, and I see, here and there some points that could be better. But it's the exact witness of a time, with its strength and weakness. I never look back with regrets. It's like a tattoo, you know. Even if years after you think that it can be better, he is an authentic link to your past. So admit it. This is where you come from. Nothing could have been different.

Actually, it's not the same line up. Only one of the singer is the same. But the main singer, the drummer are not the same.Decline of the I is not a band. It's a manifestation of being. It's selfish, narcissistic etc. But I need to do it that way. So I work with the people I feel close to myself and think that their skill can fit with my visions. I can't say for sure that the line up will be the same for the next release… Who knows….

Glad to know that you're addicted ahah ! As you can see, there are no main influences. It's a combination of the diversity of what surrounds me and is filtered by the prism of my ego. I go through a lot of things in my life, I met a lot of different people, I listen to many types of music etc. etc. All these things have an influence on me, of course. It's doesn't mean I will copy them, but they have effects on me. And I use my music to express all these affects.

The other members didn't take part of the musical composition process, but V. wrote some lyrics. And, in the studio, we tried different arrangements, and tried different experiment on vocal, altogether..

It was very important for me to work with people I know. I know these guys for years, and I was sure that the link between us wouldn't have been for more than just professional. It's sometimes not that easy to work with me as I have some "feelings" that are difficult to communicate. With the sound, I just try to have a correlation between what I composed, have in mind, and how it has to be released. But I don't always have the right words or the right sense of technical aspects. So, best way is to talk a lot for these guys to understand how has to sound this album. A mix between violence, filth, resentment, hysteria… and they really did well the job, and were very patient with my "mh, it's great but it's not exactly THIS sound I need"… I can be a pain in the ass, sometimes…

To be honest, I wasn't really moved by LLN. I found them interesting, and thought that their approaches were very unique and personal, but I felt different ways at that time. In fact, I prefer listen to them now than back then. I met Meynach when he joined Hell Militia, but I don't see him very often…

It's hard to tell. I've had some proposals, but up to now, I don't feel ready to do it. It has to be special, and for now I've to much work with my other bands that play live. But maybe, later. Never say never !

I understand both points of view. The fact that Black metal is now something less hidden, mysterious, killed a part of its aura. But in the other hand, I can understand people involved in this scene, tired of recording demos in a cave, and play shitty gigs… There are still sincere people who keep the right spirit, anyway.

"La vie ne suffit pas".