Following their debut with « Pessimismes », Détresse return with « Misères », a more direct, aggressive, and stripped-down new release.
Based in Vienna, but with deep roots in Québec, the band delves into a raw vision of human decay, suffering, and the absence of hope in the modern world. In an interview with Metal Imperium, S.P. and C.S. discuss the project's sonic evolution, the conceptual weight of the single « Verrottet », and what it means to keep Black Metal authentic and unfiltered.
M.I. - Let’s begin with the title « Misères ». It is a very powerful and bleak word. What does « misery » mean to DÉTRESSE, and why did it become the central concept of this album?
S.P.: Misères or « misery » is a very powerful word indeed. It embodies past and current hardship, demise and the sheer despair humanity has struggled with ever since. It perfectly sets the stage for everything we aim to say and approach with this album.
M.I. - Your debut, « Pessimismes », already established a very dark and uncompromising worldview. Would you say « Misères » is a continuation of that vision, or has your perspective on humanity changed since the first album?
S.P.: It is most certainly a continuation of that very vision. Following our preceding album « Pessimismes » rather shortly the world hasn‘t changed in a way altering our perspective.
M.I. - The first single, « Verrottet », portrays humanity as corrupted, lost and consumed by its own decay, with no hope of redemption. Is this purely an artistic vision, or do you genuinely believe humanity is heading towards a self-inflicted demise?
S.P.: I do believe that humanity is heading towards its self-inflicted demise and has already reached the point of no return. The world will recover and go on, but humanity‘s time on earth is limited. The question is, how much time do we have left and how do we choose to spend it?
At the same time, our lyrics always shed light on the past as well as the present. They raise the question, what has changed from old times? What has remained the same? And wasn‘t demise always present throughout human history?
M.I. - Why did you choose « Verrottet » as the first glimpse into « Misères »? What does this particular song represent within the album as a whole?
S.P: « Verrottet » perfectly captures the album's essence, which is why we chose to release this as the first song. It is a raw, very direct song without messing around. The recurring lyric line « Verrottet, Verloren, Verbrannt » (rotten, lost, burnt) carries a lot of weight and symbolism, a trinity burning itself in the mind of the listener.
M.I. - Compared with « Pessimismes », « Misères » reportedly cuts back on atmospheric passages in favour of greater intensity, harsher riffing and a more relentless approach. What prompted this evolution?
S.P.: After finishing our first album « Pessimismes » it became clear to us that this is the direction to move forward with Détresse as a band. The atmospheric passages fit the themes of our debut very well, but ultimately we wanted to reduce them and focus on a more direct musical style, following the topics you can find on « Misères ».
M.I. - Did this change happen naturally during the songwriting process, or did you consciously decide that the second album needed to be more aggressive and direct?
S.P.: We consciously decided on that evolution, as written this is how we see Détresse evolve as a band in the future.
M.I. - The album explores oppression, deprivation and despair, while blurring the boundaries between past and present. What real-world or historical circumstances influenced the writing of « Misères »?
C.S.: A topic that is personal to me, that inspires me a lot when writing lyrics is the place where I’m from, Québec, and how the events didn’t exactly go how some of us wished they went in history. I’m talking about the struggles of a population, the misery that affected some of them, the fights, the hope and the hopelessness. Québec was a harsh place to settle in, in the 1600s, and then came countless challenges through the years. All these hardships inspire me a lot.
S.P.: For me, there is no single historical event my lyrics focus on. It’s more about the misery and hardships marking times long gone and how they translate into our modern-era world, raising this question and making them in a way universal, as I already described earlier in the interview.
M.I. - Despite the extremely harsh musical language, there is a very human dimension to the album. Was it important for you to portray suffering as something tangible and part of everyday existence rather than as an abstract concept?
S.P.: To me, suffering cannot be an abstract concept in itself, as it has been and is still very present in our world. If you look at human history, mankind has always suffered in various forms and it was therefore important to us, to make it something you could grasp when listening to the album or reading our lyrics. If you try to put this in an abstract concept, it loses its sharpness and therefore becomes distant - which is not at all what we want to portray.
M.I. - DÉTRESSE is a cross-continental collaboration between Austria and Québec. How does the geographical distance affect the band's creative process? Does working across two countries create difficulties, or does it bring something unique to the music?
S.P.: These days, all three of us reside in Vienna, Austria, so there is no geographical distance possibly affecting the band’s creative process anymore. It also makes it easier for playing shows and touring as we aim to be and remain an active live band. Nevertheless, Détresse remains a band with members from both continents, as our origins are certainly tied to who we are. And to us, this adds something unique to the music.
C.S.: I think it is still pertinent to mention the combination of Austria and Québec, as it explains the usage of both German and French in our songs, our French band name, so far our album names, and as I said before, the history of Québec plays a major part in the French lyrics of some tracks.
M.I. - How does songwriting actually work within DÉTRESSE? Does one member usually bring the basic compositions to the band, or are the songs developed collectively?
C.S.: We could consider S.P. as our main songwriter, working on the skeleton of the songs, the arrangements, and everything that creates our sound. L.S. and C.S. then contribute with the final touches to create the DÉTRESSE sound.
S.P.: It is indeed me doing the raw composition and, to a certain extent, the songwriting as well as arrangements for the band. However, Détresse is to be seen as a joint effort so to me it doesn’t play a big role who does which part. Everyone in the band is an equal member and has a say in what should be in the final song or not. For the drums, even in the studio small changes are sometimes made at the last minute. L.S. is a very capable drummer with a good feeling for the music itself and a love for details, all of which can be heard in the final output.
The lyrics are written by me and C.S. and on this album we have Vestal, from the French Black Metal band Merrimack as a special guest contributing both the lyrics as well as vocals for the track « Les Nuits Jaunes ».
M.I. - You describe your approach as Black Metal « without frills, gimmicks, or trends ». What does authentic Black Metal mean to you in 2026, when the genre has expanded in so many different directions?
S.P.: To me, authentic Black Metal means anything that is honest and pure from the heart. Nowadays it seems that there are more and more bands focussing on extensive shows with costumes and sometimes big, expensive productions. While I do believe that a good and fitting show is always important to underline the music, it should never be the main focus. Well written, honest music will always stand the test of time. Whether that is, what you may call, traditional Black Metal or one of its subgenres doesn’t matter. What does, is that the creator manages to express something with it.
M.I. - Do you think there is still such a thing as « pure » Black Metal, or is that idea itself an illusion?
S.P.: I think the genre of Black Metal has become too deep and complex to keep focussing on a term like « pure » Black Metal these days. While Détresse is clearly more on the traditional sounding side, there are many more bands which, to me, are still considered Black Metal but sound very different from what we do. I have been and am still active in other bands or projects myself, of different subgenres, expressing different sides of myself. Our perception as well as the listener’s also changes consistently. If you try to put rules on what to consider « pure » and therefore closing off everything else, that is merely a form of unnecessary gatekeeping.
M.I. - There is very little optimism in DÉTRESSE's music. Do you believe art needs to offer some form of hope, or can confronting hopelessness itself have value?
S.P.: It is important to confront and shed light on topics people might want to avoid or overlook in everyday life. If we always place ourselves in the cushioned environment we know and created for ourselves, it blocks the ability to grow further. And hope can be found in all sorts of things, even in ones that might not seem that way in the first place. So yes, confronting hopelessness has a big value in itself and can be found in all sorts of art, not only music.
C.S.: In general sad or tragic art pieces, being music or visual art, touches me way more, as they carry a strong emotion or a strong message, and, to a certain extent, create a profound effervescence within me, something I thrive on. I don’t need a touch of hope to make me feel better.
M.I. - When you immerse yourselves in themes of human suffering, decay and despair during the creative process, does it ever become emotionally exhausting? And what keeps you returning to these subjects?
S.P.: It does, but music also serves as an outlet, which is why we keep returning to those subjects.
C.S.: I totally agree that creating this sort of music is a way of channeling anger, sadness and such, and ultimately improves my mood or get over things that might affect me. I don’t find it draining at all.
M.I. - Finally, if humanity really is as rotten and doomed as « Verrottet » suggests, what keeps you creating music? Why continue making art in a world that « Misères » portrays as so deeply broken?
S.P.: If humanity really is as rotten and doomed as this song suggests, why not go ahead and provide the fitting soundtrack? And isn’t art itself a big part of what keeps the world worth living?
At this point, I want to thank you for the interview and the very interesting questions.
For Portuguese version, click here
Listen to Détresse, on Spotify
Questions by Sónia Fonseca
