Interviews About Albums: Emptiness - Nowhere Speaks (2026)
In this new interview, we sat down with the Belgian Avant-Garde/Death Metal/Black Metal band Emptiness to ask questions about their album, "Fractured State".
1. Nowhere Speaks follows the radically minimalist and distortion-free Vide. How did that
experience shape the direction of this new album, and what made you feel it was the
right time to embrace density and physicality again?
Since “Nothing But The Whole”, we had been following a path of gradually dissolving our sound,
using frustration and unhealthy experimentation as creative tools. We wanted to reach what the
word “Emptiness” truly evokes and makes us feel.
With “Vide”, we felt we had finally reached that destination. We had taken that idea as far as it
could go. It was time to start giving again instead of constantly taking away. We wanted to
reconnect with the band's original DNA, become a little more direct, while carrying everything
we had learned through those years of experimentation.
“Nowhere Speaks” feels like a return. Not to where we started, but to who we've become.
2. The opening track, "Nothing But The Whole (Part 2)," directly references one of your
earlier albums. What inspired you to revisit that chapter of EMPTINESS' history, and how
does it connect to the themes of Nowhere Speaks?
We always write albums as complete journeys rather than collections of songs.
“Nothing But The Whole” ended very abruptly, cutting off in the middle of a riff. It left the listener
frustrated, with no resolution, suddenly thrown back into reality.
When we realized “Nowhere Speaks” was reconnecting with the spirit of that era, we loved the
idea of returning to that unfinished riff twelve years later, finally letting it unfold and using it as
the gateway to another dimension.
It's another bad trip, somehow connected to “Nothing But The Whole”, but it's also its own entity.
The two worlds are linked, even if they remain distinct.
At the end of “Nowhere Speaks”, we play the opening riff of “Nothing But The Whole”, bringing
everything full circle.
Everything is nothing. Nothing is the whole.
3. You've described EMPTINESS as a band that doesn't move in straight lines, with each album
evolving naturally from the last. Do you begin writing with a clear artistic vision, or does each
record reveal its identity gradually during the creative process?
We always take time between albums to reinvent ourselves. Before we even write a note, we
need to find an idea, a direction, something we truly want to devote ourselves to.
For us, the concept, the goal, and the journey always come before the music. We're searching
for sensations rather than songs. We try to connect with something that feels beyond us,
somewhere else. Once that connection exists, the music naturally follows.
At that point, the music itself, and even our own expectations, almost become secondary.
4. "The Clash of Forces" serves as the album's lead single. What made this song the
ideal introduction to Nowhere Speaks, and how does it reflect the album's overall
atmosphere?
It's probably the most direct song on the record. It's built around a fairly simple, riff-driven
structure, which naturally made it the closest thing we had to a single.
But it's still Emptiness. Even at our most straightforward, we're not exactly an easy band to get
into.
5. Jérémie oversees the production while Olivier is responsible for the band's visual
identity, giving EMPTINESS complete creative control. How important is that
independence in maintaining the band's artistic integrity after nearly three decades?
It's something we're very proud of. Having complete control over both our sound and visual
identity allows us to stay true to ourselves and avoid compromises.
Our work has always been very hands-on. Olivier and I each have our own field, and together
we can shape every aspect of Emptiness exactly as we imagine it. That's probably one of the
reasons we still feel inspired after all these years.
6. Much of your music seems to explore psychological and existential spaces rather than
telling conventional stories. What themes or questions were at the center of Nowhere
Speaks, and what emotions did you hope to evoke in listeners?
The foundation of our work is to place the listener in an uncomfortable position, confronting
them with worlds that may feel strangely familiar, yet where they clearly don't belong.
Humanity has never been the center of our universe. We like to challenge that arrogance, that
ego. To remind ourselves that there are forces, dimensions, and forms of knowledge infinitely
greater than anything we can understand.
Usually our albums take place in worlds that still feel connected to our own Earth, creating the
unsettling feeling of no longer being welcome at home.
With “Nowhere Speaks”, we're much farther away from anything familiar. You're witnessing
something completely alien, confronting a knowledge that was never meant for us. We have no
place there, and whatever inhabits that world certainly doesn't want us there.
7. Recording the album live in the studio is an approach that demands a different level of
interaction between musicians. How did that method influence the performances, and did
it lead to any unexpected moments during the sessions?
Our writing process is very conceptual and often quite cerebral. The downside is that you can
lose sight of what makes music magical: people connecting in a room, making the air vibrate
together, leaving space for chance and for something unexpected to happen.
Once the compositions had reached the demo stage, we brought the full band together. They're
incredible musicians and extraordinary people, and they gave life to ideas that were initially very
intellectual. They brought feeling, groove, and spontaneity.
We recorded the entire rhythmic foundation live, all in the same room, without a click track or
headphones. Just a few microphones, tape rolling, and no listening back between takes. We
simply trusted the moment.
8. Since your formation in 1998, EMPTINESS has continuously challenged expectations
of what extreme music can be. Looking ahead, do you feel there are still unexplored
territories you want to reach, or is the goal simply to continue following wherever the
music naturally leads?
After every album, we feel completely emptied. We never know where we're going next. It takes
time before new ideas slowly begin to refill that reservoir of inspiration.
We live in an infinite world that's constantly transforming. There's no reason to start repeating
ourselves, and we have no doubt there's always something left to uncover.
We don't want to force anything. The next record will reveal itself when it's ready, just as every
Emptiness album always has.
Nowhere Speaks is out now on Season of Mist.
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