Interview: Provectus

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

- I always wanted to do something different from what all other people do, and i always had a touch for creative and artistic matters. So if it was not music... I would probably be doing something else creative like drawing, illustrations and various visual work.

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

-Enjoy the smaller things in life: Watch horror movies, or well put together mangas's. Listen to a good album... it can be a variety of things. Even casually play some video games... and much more.

-Those things only add to my creativity pool, u have so much different aspects and influences from various sources. Expand the mind to expand your creativity, is how i look at it. And u can always find new sources and angles that add to it.

How long has your band been around?

- Since 2015

Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?

-I come from Belgium. There is not a huge Black Metal scene here, though what we have is mostly good quality music from own soil. Our own scene did not really influence our personal music, we rather take our inspiration out of Scandinavian Black Metal in general.

How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?

- A life has an expiration date, like all life. And the fact people always will be oriented by time, even make or break by time... Time always dictates our flow of existence. Some use it very beneficial, and some never have enough! PROVECTUS is the Latin phrase for: time progressing, going on... or in short TIME.

-People might not realise it like i see it, yet time has a firmer grip on lives then we realise.

- And last but not least: everything in our music is existential oriented, yet often cosmic based where time is lineair. Where conventional rules and indication of time are always in a straight line.

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

- Defintely our last one to start with: Belgian Black Metal Night in my hometown at an amazing venue with even more amazing bands! From my personal p.o.v. it's mostly the combination of the bands u play with, and if the venue is amazing that's a bonus. I can not really pin point exactly what shows, because from when we started we had a lot of amazing shows! And there are more to come.

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

- Biebob (Also for nostalgic reasons) Great stage, and amazing sound! I woul still like to play at the Trix venue, and Graspop... and while we are at it Wacken!

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

-Tsjuder, Nargaroth, Immortal, Naglfar, Taake, Ragnarok, Dark Funeral !

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

- My best advice would be: If u fall just get up and keep going. Struggles and pitfalls will be everywhere down the road. Just keep going at it and chase your dream. Don't desire to much in one time, let everything go in a natural way, that's still the best approach. If u keep true to yourself and your ideas, u will get there. Even if there is no lift off the first years, it can still happen.

-Note to younger self: If i knew what i know now, i would handle certain musical aspects different from how i used to do it...and give the same speech probably :) keep going on man, u got this! (Then again u are young to learn all ways of life thus music aswell)

If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?

- Probably to tell myself to get my facts straight about what really matters in life (because if u are young u have this warped vision of how the world is). And probably bestow the knowledge i have now on my younger self.

- And perhaps steer myself in a better direction from start. So i knew already what course in life is the best, and what actions to take, and what to avoid at all cost.

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

- Pro semper Absentis: In a nutshell, it's about loss and how do u navigate within that? Not only loss of people, loss of many matters... Life can be rough, and over the years i had my share of demons aswell... The song longs to give a last glimp at those matters, yet u have to let go... and go on!

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

- What i like to play the most: Bane of Existence, Passage Into the Void, Pro Semper Absentis, Disordered Phenomenon, Postero Mundi, Fractured Entity.

-Insania est Infinitas, Pro Semper Absentis, Disordered Phenomenon would be requests often.

(With the new album, I bet the requests will shift fast and in more numbers)

What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

- Actually it flows very organic and natural, perhaps due we all have a taste for Black Metal in general. Our process consists of just playing what we feel inside and hit people all over the E.Q. spectrum.

There is always a lead writer(s) we bounce our ideas back and fort, and from that multi perspective magic happens. Never did we have a roadblock writing, or that we felt like what now? I am glad our music is born in this fast pace forth flowing fasion.

-Of course there are always anchors we start from: our conceptual theme, the meaning we define to each track...from there it is almost a auto-fill in the blanks process... I can proudly say our creative process is solid!

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

- Humanity and it's flaws, Existential crisis amongs mankind, and even the individual. Bring a message bigger than life,...make people understand there is more to it!

-Every song and message is formulated with such a strong, honest and powerfull narrative... brought in such a deeper philosophical fasion, everyone could make it their own story (just like interpreting a book)

Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?

- It happens, though never of the nature it's a bridge to far. Sometimes it could be a good thing even, to keep aligned to each other. One hive mind makes one powerfull band i like to think. There are a lot of matters u have to discuss and need to happen for the band, so it's logical not always being able to agree instantly. Then again we are going strong, and even if something bigger might happen, i am sure we will fix it for the sake of everyone.

-Honesty and have open cards to each other does a lot!

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

- Many more years of Provectus, and who knows... perhaps undertake a second musical project.

The next thing coming up is a live show with Patroness (band) that where present on stage during our last live-performance. We will be supporting there new album release aswell live on the 4th of June next month..

- And on the 5th of June: Our official release of our 'own crafted beer': Lucid Nightmare! We had a pre-taste already that went down very good, and a succesful pre-launch. So Bottems Up :)