Black Spikes are an exciting experimental metal band blending everything from black metal to trap into their heavy, aggressive sound. The release of their new concept album YDOS is imminent (unless you’re reading this after August 28th, in which case it has already been released!).

I talked with vocalist Agni to discuss the narrative arc of the new album, the themes and concepts behind it, and the band’s biggest musical influences.

Reuel

Hello Agni! It’s a pleasure to chat with you! How are you doing?

Agni

Hello! Thank you for having me! I’m doing great — we’re in a very exciting period right now. YDOS is finally about to be released, and we’re really looking forward to sharing the whole album with people.

Reuel

You will soon release the new album! How would you describe Ydos to our readers who have never heard your music before?

Agni

YDOS is a concept album about human vices. We imagined a pure land where different vices are born, take on their own forms, and begin their journey towards us — humans. Each song represents a different vice or stage of this story, so the album has a strong narrative running through it.
Musically, it’s very much Black Spikes — heavy, dark and aggressive, but also melodic, electronic and experimental. We don’t really like putting ourselves into one box, so our music takes many different turns, leading to very different emotions.

Reuel

Exciting! You combine many different styles into your music: black metal, trap, djent… In your own eyes, what is the thread that ties all these styles together into something uniquely yours?

Agni

I think the thread is simply us. We’re not trying to deliberately mix genres just to sound unusual. We write whatever feels right for a particular song and emotion. If a trap beat works better than a traditional metal rhythm, we use it. If a black metal part makes the atmosphere darker, it belongs there.
And I think our visual side is also a big part of that identity. Music, lyrics, costumes, makeup, masks, choreography and videos are all connected for us. We want Black Spikes to feel like a whole world, rather than just a collection of songs.

Reuel

The album opens with a mother giving birth to human vices on Motina and ends with everything turning to dust on Dulkės. Did you write these ten tracks in chronological order to fit that arc, or did the storyline come together after the songs were finished?

Agni

The full story became clearer as we were creating the album. Some ideas for the songs already existed and then found their vice, while others were created specifically around a particular vice and its story.
MOTINA became the beginning of the vices — it was the first song we wrote for this album. DULKĖS, however, wasn’t the last song we wrote. It simply felt like the natural ending, where everything eventually disappears.
So it wasn’t a case of writing ten songs strictly from beginning to end. It was more like building a puzzle and gradually discovering how all the pieces fit together.

Reuel

When you write a concept album like Ydos, does focusing on a specific theme, like the vices in this case, restrict what you can talk about, or does it actually broaden your scope through the lens of that theme?

Agni

Yes, it restricts it. But at the same time, it’s easier when you already have a direction. When you have a specific theme, you can dig deeper into it, dedicating the whole album to the story.
It doesn’t mean there’s less to talk about — quite the opposite. You can look at the concept from many different perspectives. A vice can be a demon, a character, a feeling, or even a part of yourself.

Reuel

Beautiful! If all the tracks on Ydos came to life and became real people, which one of these songs would you be most excited to meet? And which would you like to avoid?

Agni

I’ve already met SENAS DEMONAS — I bet we all have.


Actually, a conversation with a particular person inspired Sime and me to create the story behind this song, as we both wrote the lyrics. We met an elderly person – an exceptional and talented personality, but someone who had been broken by a life that wasn’t easy on him. His life was coming to an end, and the main things he had to teach us were how to manipulate people, never share your true plans, never open up and never trust anybody.


It made me think: maybe we’re the ones who grow these vices ourselves. And if we were more honest and open, maybe these demons wouldn’t grow within us.

Reuel

I really loved the switches from clean to harsh vocals. The way you switch made the contrast more visible and more enjoyable. How do you decide what parts get clean vocals and which get harsh? Is that driven by the lyrics, the energy of the music, or a mix of both?

Agni

It’s definitely both. For the story to be told in an organic way, everything has to be connected. The lyrics, vocal technique, character and music all must match. And that’s not an easy task to achieve.

Reuel

Indeed. If someone has never heard Black Spikes before, which track off Ydos should they listen to first to get the best overall picture of your sound?

Agni

That’s a difficult question. I don’t think we can easily pick one song that completely describes our sound, because the songs differ so much.
In that sense, I would probably pick MARA. The song switches direction so many times that it’s almost impossible to attach it to one specific metal genre.

Reuel

What musicians can you credit as the ones who inspired you, personally, in your life or career as a musician?

Agni

There are so many that it’s difficult to name just a few. I grew up listening to very different kinds of music, which made me open to almost every genre.
But I think it’s important to mention a few names that have influenced me during my journey with Black Spikes.
Halestorm and The Pretty Reckless were very important in the beginning. When we formed Black Spikes, we started by practicing covers of these bands, and I loved both vocalists.
Then me and Sime fell in love with In This Moment and their stage presence. That inspired us to start creating our own performances and to think about Black Spikes as something bigger than just music.
And Tatiana from Jinjer was the person who inspired me to start my own journey into harsh vocals. She has this beautiful combination of being a lady and a true beast at the same time — I love it.

Reuel

Great names! Thank you for your time, Agni! Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Agni

I’d just like to say thank you to everyone who has supported Black Spikes so far. YDOS is a very important album for us, and we put a huge amount of ourselves into it — not only musically, but also visually and emotionally.
We really hope people will listen to it as a whole and take their own journey through the story.
And, of course, we can’t wait to bring YDOS to the stage.