Last summer, Philly metal group Parius put out their biggest release to date. Their third LP, The Eldritch Realm, meant a new kind of success for the band. With an overwhelmingly positive reception after the fact, singer Louis Thierry reflected on one year inside The Eldritch Realm and what this concept album means for the band as a whole.

You have 3 albums released so far. What makes TER (The Eldritch Realm going forward) unique? How does it describe the growth and change that your band has gone through since your debut album?

The Eldritch Realm is definitely our most defining release to date. The first album was just a collection of songs we built over time when we were pretty young (15-17). We did an EP next and that was something Ryan, our guitarist, wrote himself and was going to use for a different project. Eventually he decided to use it for Parius and he and I finished it up. The Eldritch Realm was really the first time we all came together to sit down and write something as a band. Because of that we feel like it's a much better representation of what "Parius" sounds like. Our influences are still very much there, but I like to think we managed to make something that sounds our own at the same time.

What was the writing and recording process like? Does someone usually take the lead and then others build off of that? Or is it mostly a group effort with equal participation? What stands out to you about the recording process?

Our writing process usually involves Ryan coming up with material like a main riff and we'll choose the ones we like and try to work them into songs. Crashing Black Moon was the most collaborative song on the album with Kenny, our bassist, really coming up with the backbone of the song.

Writing TER didn't take all that long if I recall correctly. I think we had a few ideas to work with in the beginning after ditching a lot of older material, and we managed to write most of the album over a 6 month period. The recording process, on the other hand took far longer. It might actually have taken us twice as long to record it as it did to write the damn thing. It took me, specifically, a very long time to track the vocals. Our producer/engineer Chris Kelly did a fantastic job and really let our music come to life, but syncing up schedules could be difficult. There was a good amount of experimentation while recording, which was awesome, but it made the whole process much slower. Every recording session was always a blast. we really get along with Chris, so it's just a fun time whenever we're there. One memory I have is of the last recording session Ryan and I went to celebrate being done with a hearty 2for5(tm) from McDonalds. Knowing it was finally (almost) done was bittersweet because it was such a blast, but we really wanted to get it wrapped up.

What does TER say to you as a band? And what does it say about you as a band? What story is the music telling, and what message are you trying to tell listeners?

TER was a really big step forward for us in a lot of ways. It was the first time people started to enjoy and notice our music. It shows that we can grow as a band with each release and we can push ourselves to write better songs each time we try. Literally, TER tells a story of a man cursed by eternal life. He contemplates death and seeks out a way to free himself from this life in order to find what lies in the next. There isn't a whole lot of deeper meaning to the story, but when I was writing the lyrics for it the theme I had in mind was being caught in a cycle. It can be the day to day grind or just a situation you aren't happy with and want to get out of.

Were there any difficulties in putting this project together?

Other than the lengthy recording process, I would say it took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to convey with my lyrics. I knew that I wanted TER to be a concept album, or, at the very least, tied together by a theme, and I struggled to find that. I think I ended up writing a lot of the lyrics in between recording sessions because I needed the fire under me to just start writing something. The music, on the other hand, flowed relatively easily with only a few minor things we got hung up with along the way.

Do you all have a favorite track? And why? If some have the same favorite, why is that too?

I asked the guys and we agreed if we had to choose one it would be Crashing Black Moon. It's our longest and wildest song to date and it really was the song we collaborated the most on. There's a little piece of all of us in there and the theatrics help to make a song that stand out to a lot of different people.

I love the album art, what's the story behind it? Why did you choose the "goosebumps" kind of look? Does it tie into the songs in any way or was it simply an artistic preference?

Personally, the art is one of the things about TER I'm most proud of. One day Ryan mentioned to me, offhandedly, that it might be cool to have an album cover like a Boris-Karloff-movie poster; the old horror movies from the 30's. As soon as he said that I fell in love with the idea. The subjects in the artwork tie directly into the places and characters in the story of the album. Lilith, the mysterious force that goads and guides the main character forward, Sepharial, the cosmic entity that tries to hinder the main character, and the lychgate, a kind of barrier the main character has to pass during his journey. The real star is the artist, Stephen Andrade. I happened to find while surfing the internet. His style matched what I wanted so acutely and he was a pleasure to work with. He really made it come to life!

What's the reception been like from listeners? You toured following the release. Did fans enjoy the new stuff live?

The reception was, frankly, a little overwhelming. We didn't suddenly become a huge band overnight or anything, but it was the first time our music really made its way around to people. Listeners really connected with what we had done. A good amount of websites that reviewed the album came back with some really nice things to say about it. There will always be people who aren't as into your music as others and that's another thing to learn to deal with, but, luckily, the positive outweighed the negative. We went on two small tours and it went better than we ever could have imagined. It was the first time that people we didn't know at all came out to our shows to listen to us play our songs, and in places that aren't Philadelphia! We met some great people that really enjoyed what we had to offer.

Favorite song to play live and why?

I'd say either Eldritch or Crashing Black Moon. Eldritch starts off with a great intensity that can get a show off to a good start. Crashing Black Moon feels like a big climactic closer, so they always feel like a great way to bookend a set.

Who are some of your favorite bands? Was TER inspired by anything? What are your influences?

Some influences, to name a few, would be Opeth, Obscura, Dream Theater, and Between the Buried and Me. A band Ryan and I were obsessed with called Enfold Darkness, and their first album "Our Cursed Rapture" was a big inspiration to him on the riffier sections of the album.

In celebration of the album’s one year anniversary, Parius has released an exclusive The Eldritch Realm wall flags, available on their BandCamp.

Parius Reflects On One Year In "The Eldritch Realm"