Montreal metal solo band Maudiir releases EP ‘La Part du Diable’
The artist’s discovery of Norwegian black metal inspired the new EP
Maudiir is a one-man black thrash metal project created by the Montreal musician who goes by F.
He has released two five-song EPs a year apart from each other: Le Temps Peste in February 2020 and La Part du Diable in February 2021. Both EPs tackled different themes lyrically, but they maintained a certain continuity sound-wise.
Music critic and musician Clint Listing, from The Doorway to Magazine described Maudiir’s first EP as being similar to classic 90’s black thrash but said that “proggy, almost sci-fi elements” infiltrated the second EP.
“Maudiir is pretty good black thrash, which is thrash with black metal elements thrown in,” explained Andrew Wieler, the metal director for CJLO, Concordia’s radio station. “A lot of bands have tread similar ground, but the fact that Maudiir is a one-man show is what makes it interesting and ambitious.”
The lyrics in Maudiir’s debut EP focused on the environment, consumerism, and pollution. However, since the second EP was written during the year almost every news channel spoke about American politics, F admitted to having been heavily inspired by the American elections, conspiracy theories, and major events.
“I would start a song on La Part du Diable on religion or something, and the lyrics naturally went towards what was happening politically in the United States,” F explained.
He mentioned always having been interested in lyrics that spoke about politics or everyday life, and gave Nevermore and Rush as examples.
Musical eras whose sound inspired him include 80s hard rock and metal—as well as the European scene from the 90s, with bands to the likes of Amorphis, and Norwegian 90s pure black metal.
“I would start a song on ‘La Part du Diable’ on religion or something, and the lyrics naturally went towards what was happening politically in the United States.” — Maudiir
“Before a few years ago, I had never really listened to that. I started appreciating it because I found […] the sound to be really refreshing compared to what is being made today.”
The discovery of the Norwegian black metal scene through bands such as Mayhem is what lead to him starting a black-inspired project, but with thrash and melodic roots from his favourite bands.
Despite the thematic differences between the two EPs, he clarified the continuity between them lies in the fact that lyrical inspiration came from similar sources i.e. the real world, not fantasy.
“Metal music doesn’t talk about love,” he jokingly said.
This continuity is the reason he is thinking of releasing a CD with both EPs together, though the timeframe for the future of Maudiir is still undefined, especially since he does not have a label.
“It’s up to me to decide what I’ll do [with Maudiir] and when I’ll do it. This freedom is good, in a way. I know that people who have a label have set deadlines to meet; it’s a different challenge.”
If he were to join a label, it would be primarily for distribution purposes. F mentioned that people in Europe are often interested in the type of music he makes, and the only way for him to currently reach this population is through Spotify. If he were to start distributing CDs, being associated with a label could be beneficial.
