Black_socciety: L'Acephale

L'Acephale began as a solo project of Set Sothis Nox La, who remains the leader and mind of the group. The other members joined later to fill in their respective roles.

"Acephale" is French for "Headless".

Acephale was a secret society and journal in France just before WWII set up by Georges Bataille; they felt that the modern world was sterile and wanted to to go back to a spirituality that was more in line with tradition, "a spirit of the body and not a Christ god". Bataille was heavily influenced by Nietzsche, but specifically rejected fascism.

Formed for the Reason of Unleashing Sonic Destruction & Corruption through Epistemic Terrorism and Bibliophilistic Atavism. Acephale, based on the ideas and motivations of the early 20th century artist, philosopher, esoteric, secret circle and journal of the same name.

Most prominent amongst its members, Georges Bataille, whose writings gave life blood to that and this project. Acéphale from the Latin a-cephalus, headless or without a chief; Our monikers: Religion. Sociologie. Philosophie & The Sacred Conjuration. An ensemble fiercely religious in a Nietzschean manner, currently resurrected in this incarnation fusing equal portions Epistemic Terrorism and Literary Atavism basing its transmission in the combination of both Black Metal and Folk elements.

Conceived initially by Set Sothis Nox La on a steady diet of Wolfthorn, Les Joyaux De La Princesse, Corrupted, Toroidh, Hate Forest, Drudkh, Krzysztof Penderecki, Veljo Tormis, Henryk Górecki, Huun Huur Tu, A.V.A and various Tibetan and world folk musics in the cauldron of ceremonial birth.

Now currently embodying several co-conspirators building on that foundation with additional elements percussive bacchanal, Volkisch metal tinges and multi-vocal assault. Finding further insight from such luminaries as the thelemic prankster Kenneth Grant, Heathen epics such as the Eddas and the Sagas, to German Romantic writings (such as Ludwig Tieck, Georg Heym, Georg Trakl amongst others), The Kosmischer Kreis(Alfred Schuler, Stefan George, Karl Wolfskehl) and the writings of the french Decadents, Surrealistic writers like Latréaumont and Unica Zurn. As well as writings related to Ouilipo (aka "Ouvroir de littérature otentielle") and authors such as Robert Walser,Bruno Schulz, Rene Daumal, Clark Ashton Smith, Arthur Machen and James Havoc.

To the films of Ingmar Bergman and Brothers Quay, and such artists as Hans Bellmer, Suehiro Maruo, Andre Masson, Frantiek Kupka, Franz Von Stuck and the great Austin Osman Spare. While celebrating such folkways and beliefs prior to this modern era be they Odinist, Druidic, Chöd or many other belief systems wherein the balance of everyday life remains close to the earth: Life not separate from spirituality, but a spirituality infused with the base material. Not the "as above, so below" philosophy of Hermetic thought where one spiritual entity reigns above, but closer to the concept of Radical Traditionalism. Our philosophies, perhaps best quantified with the Batillean statement that we stand as "a war machine against received ideas."

Mord und Totschlag