by Dan Dellechiaie | November 5, 2026
Most of the bands who applied for the dark bands interview series need to go back to kindergarten to learn how to spell and how to follow directions. But there were a few bands who did follow the directions and sent me typo-free emails. Thank you.
One of those competent bands, this post-black/blackgaze band from Canada, named Manicouagan, ended their perfectly structured email with this line: “We are basically just four super nice dudes yelling about climate change, end stage capitalism, and the possibility that being more generous and interconnected might just be the way out of all this.”
That line and their insanely good debut EP orchid sold me. I sat down with Manicouagan on the edge of an ancient astroid crater as they prepared to record some new tracks.
I usually interview bands who have a new LP coming out. But with your two-song EP orchid, you guys impressed me more than ten tracks would. Tell me about these songs: “Paradise Lost/Opportunity Cost” and “On the Evolutionary Advantage of Giving.” What are they about?
Sage (guitar, vocals): Thanks so much! We worked really hard getting those sounds in the studio and spent lots of time on the mix. We’re a total DIY band, so it was all recorded in our rehearsal space. We’re particularly happy that we managed to get away without using any drum replacements, those are all natural sounds. “Paradise Lost/Opportunity Cost” is all about billionaires messing up the environment, millionaires enabling them because they profit also, and the rest of us getting fucked over. Parts of the cadence and tone are borrowed from “The Vanity of Human Wishes” by Samuel Johnson, which is about how the church state twists faith and authority for greed and domination. “On the Evolutionary Advantage of Giving” is about how this could all be considerably better if we were maybe just a little more generous.
Blackgaze is probably my favorite of the new genres of metal. What do you guys enjoy about it?
Joseph (guitar, vocals): I absolutely love thoughtful music. The clean expanses and spacious tones are something I love. When mixed with the raw intensity of black metal, it really hits some of my favourite aspects of modern music. I didn’t know you could have this much fun writing!
Where does your band’s name come from?
Sage: There’s a lake in western Quebec with that name. It’s in a depression made by a 5km wide asteroid (that’s about 51 football fields) that hit there about 280 million years ago. Now that it has been dammed and filled with water, it looks like the O from a black metal logo. I always wanted to name a dark metal band after that, so when this thing started to come together I pitched it and everyone else liked it too.
What’s the origin story of Manicouagan? You mentioned in your email that you guys played in Neck of the Woods, Balance, Din, Darker the Sky, and The Waning Light.
Joseph: Sage and I have been playing together on and off since 1999. We always kept in touch, even when not actively playing together, and this is our third band. Seth and Sage played together in Waging War for a short time around 2013. Jeff is friends with a previous guitarist Sage and Joseph played with, and that’s how we met him. He was already playing with Sage in Phantom Lamb when he joined Manicouagan.
Sage: Yeah, I’ve been really lucky to have a long history of working with really good people. Joseph is one of the best bassists I know, so I ask him to play in every band I start. He hates playing bass, so he always ends up doing something else. In this case, guitar!
Jeff from Manicouagan
Talk to me about the Canadian black metal/metal scene. What are some things that make your scene special?
Joseph: Vancouver has a bunch of amazing musicians, and a lot of great heavy bands. From Strapping Young Lad, to Archspire, to Punch Drunk, to Liminal Shroud. People are really friendly and very supportive of one another in Van. We love Mares of Thrace, from Calgary! That said, we don’t know anything about the metal scene that’s east of New Westminister.
Sage: Vancouver is kind of an outpost. We still have to drive to Seattle to see some bands that consider stopping in Toronto as having checked the “Canada” box off on their world tour. So it makes us kind of weird and insular, but it also makes our local metal scene really tight. It’s full of folks that play in multiple bands together and full of musicians that go to their friends’ bands shows. Everyone is really supportive. We have a couple of local promoters, Journeyman Productions and The Invisible Orange, that go out of their way to put on a few local fests and run about 150 shows between them every year. It’s pretty easy to want to support their efforts when we can. We also have a few other festivals in BC. Armstrong Metal Fest is crazy. It’s been going on for over a decade. A new fest popped up in Victoria this year called Mosh the Rock.
What role does anger play in society?
Sage: It’s a natural response to what’s going on. Fascism is obviously on the rise worldwide, climate change denial is a huge problem, the wealth gap is crazier now than it has ever been. Think about that last one. There are people that have more wealth relative to the population base than any king or emperor ever held previously. That’s fucked. But, like, you also need to celebrate the little things. It’s pretty hard to be mad all the time. Your blood pressure can’t fucking handle it. If there’s no joy, then what is there to fight for?
Joseph from Manicouagan
Tape, vinyl, CD, or eight-track?
Joseph: Vinyl. I like the warmth. I never really got into it, but my friend kept giving me a record for my birthday every year, so I finally broke down and set up all the components I had so I could listen to them.
Jeff (drums): I also love the warmth of vinyl. I don’t put records on often, but when I do it’s something special.
Sage: I’m the oldest guy, and I gave up physical media as soon as it was viable to do so.
Why do you think physical media has made a comeback?
Sage: OK, I don’t USE physical media, but I love making it. Tapes are great because they’re an inexpensive leap into the world of making physicals for DIY bands. People love to collect them, and I love doing the artwork for them. They’re total nostalgia for me because I’m of an age where tapes were the main medium for music. I learned guitar by wearing tapes right out. Rewind, fuck up, rewind, fuck up, rewind, get it right.
I remember unwrapping them, reading all the liner notes on those little panels, spinning them on a pen to rewind them so I could save the batteries in my Walkman for listening...I think I need to book a full blood panel now. Where’s my A535?
Sage from Manicouagan
Who are your favorite dark bands?
Joseph: I love Deafheaven. Their debut Roads to Judah has “Violet” and “Unrequited”, two songs I will never tire of hearing. Lantlôs’ record Melting Sun is incredible. It conveys such a great sense of longing. It has so much space, and very thoughtful writing. The lead track “Azure Chimes” is the only song I’ve ever bothered to learn to play on guitar haha. My favourite artist is Devin Townsend, and it’s been an incredible treat to have had him as a local for so many years. A real treat to see him in small venues, before the world finally caught on to his genius.
Sage: I grew up weird and introverted, so I was naturally drawn to stuff like The Cure, The Smiths, Depeche Mode, Joy Division, Bauhaus, Nine Inch Nails, and stuff like that. As I got into heavier music, those same vibes followed. These days, I listen to lots of MØL, Alcest, Wolves in the Throne Room, Cult Leader, An Autumn, and Drab Majesty.
Favorite horror movies/books?
Seth (bass, vocals): I really love any horror movie that leaves questions unanswered. I often say that the best horror movies have one of two things; either that the threat is unknowable, or that it is inescapable. John Carpenter’s The Thing does both of these perfectly and has an ending people still debate 40 years later, but that’s a bit of a basic answer.
It Follows and They Look Like People are two more horror movies I absolutely adore and pretty much any found footage film.
For books, I’m a big fan of Jason Pargin. He weaves a lot of absurdity into his writing while still hitting really strong emotional beats. In particular, the “John Dies at the End” series, which is like Lovecraftian horror with dick jokes, is a solid read. I also really love the book and series that follows Jade City by Fonda Lee; a pseudo-mafia drama except the mafia is made up of superhuman martial artists.
Seth from Manicouagan
What’s next for Manicouagan?
Sage: We’re just starting the process of recording another two song EP. Joseph wrote a pair of songs called “Muninn” and “Huginn”, which are the names of Odin’s ravens. That will be a fun process. I kind of managed the recording of the first two songs. Joseph will manage these ones. I’m excited to see how it turns out.
Who are your favorite bands you've played with, your comrades, your day ones?
Sage: I’m gonna rattle off a bunch of local bands that I love. Most of them are good friends, some we’ve played shows with. The Haunting Party, The Hallowed Catharsis, Of Modern Architecture, Burnt Lung, Burn Pattern, Empress, Jisei, Blackthrone Ascension, Nameless King, Hísemtuks Hími•n, The Thing, Night Mirrors, Liminal Shroud, Wormwitch, Truent, Omnia Nihil, Eye of Doom, Cultovar... I could go on and on.
Like I said, we’re in a neat little pocket. Mountains to the east and a border to the south make for a strange bubble for things to evolve in a way that they maybe don’t if you’re more connected artistically to the world around you.
Anyone you’d like to thank?
Sage: OMG. Everyone. Everyone has been really supportive. We love hearing from everybody, too, so feel free to connect with us at: linktr.ee/manicouagan