Hailing from NYC, Black Satellite, led by frontwoman Larissa Vale, is creating waves in the rock scene with a sound that’s fusing industrial and metal influences. The band continues to break new ground through ceaseless hard work and non-stop touring. Black Satellite recently concluded a UK & Europe tour with Cradle of Filth Fall 2024 and is hitting the road Spring 2025 with Coal Chamber. The band recently concluded writing and recording their sophomore record “Aftermath”, mixed by veteran producer Ben Grosse (Marilyn Manson, Breaking Benjamin, Filter) with tracks produced by Kane Churko (Papa Roach, In This Moment).
A few days before playing for the first time in Portugal, Larissa had a nice conversation with Metal Imperium. Read the interview here...
M.I. - You’ve been touring with Cradle of Filth and Butcher Babies here in Europe. How is the tour going?
It's been going great. We've been having so much fun. This is our first European tour and it's just been really great to see the crowd getting really into it each night.
M.I. - How compatible are Black Satellite and Cradle of Filth? Do you think you have fans in common?
It is really interesting, because it's totally a different thing obviously. We've done two US tours with them last year and we saw that people were into it. I don't know if people want to hear black metal the whole night, so you kind of break it up. We're more on the industrial side and then there's Butcher Babies and Cradle of Filth and I think it's just a really interesting tour package and it seems to be working quite well.
M.I. – Well, these days it is possible to have a tour like this. A few decades ago it wasn't really possible because if it was black metal it had to be black metal all the way through.
That's what I thought too going into it but, like I said, we tested the waters at the two tours we did with them last year and we were like “Let's take it to Europe!”, so it's good people are more open-minded now.
M.I. - How complicated is it sharing a nightliner with the other bands for weeks in a row?
I mean, we're actually in a van because Butcher Babies and Cradle of Filth are sharing the bus and I think there's 18 people on there, there's absolutely no room. So, we're we're in a little van and we have hotels and the whole band shares one room and, for example, last night there was only one bed in the hotel, so me and my drummer had to sleep on the floor. I did that the night before that as well.
M.I. - And hotels allow this? Four people sleeping in one room?
Absolutely not, but we just have a system.
M.I. - So the hotel is not included in your budget? The record company pays for the hotel?
We're funding it! It's nice to have a normal shower too. In the past few days, we’ve slept two hours, 3 hours, so finally today I had the opportunity to shower and do my hair again and I feel like a whole brand new human being.
M.I. - The tour with Coal Chamber has been postponed to March 2025. How important are tours for Black Satellite?
I think it's extremely important to grow our fanbase. We've done 11 US tours. This is our first Europe tour and so it's just building on all of the stuff that we've already done.
M.I. - You have been doing tours with Cradle of Filth and you have postoned one with Coal Chamber. You're getting slots in important bills!
It's really been great and we're really grateful for the opportunities. We have really great management and we put everything that we have into each show and all of our passion and inspiration. I think it might just feel like another day on the road for us but, for the crowd, this might be something that they remember for their lifetime, so we have to give it 100% or even 110% every single night. It doesn't matter how we feel, how many shows we've done, we need to give them something to remember.
M.I. - Next week, you’ll be playing in Portugal... this will be your 1st gig in portuguese territory. What are your expectations?
I don't really know, it's kind of interesting… we don't know what to expect each night in each different country. When we hear the intro music playing, we get up there and within the first few seconds we know… “we own this crowd”, so I'm excited, it's like the russian roulette each night.
M.I. - For the portuguese audience that isn’t familiar with the band, what can you tell us about Black Satellite? How and when did it all start?
It's kind of interesting because I don't have a lot of female vocal inspirations, which is kind of funny. So the way that I sing it's just all of the bands that I loved growing up and it doesn't really matter what body I'm in, I just want to sound just as intimidating and aggressive as all of the male vocalists I grew up listening to.
M.I. - Tell us about those vocalists! Who are they?
Jonathan Davis and Marilyn Manson mainly.
M.I. - How old were you when you realised rock n’ roll had to be part of your life? When you realised you wanted to live this life as a musician?
When I was literally six or seven years old. It's the only dream that I've ever had in my life. I've never wanted to do anything else. I remember being literally in third grade trying to start a band with my classmates. They kind of sucked, so I was like “I guess I'll just do karaoke at home!”.
M.I. - Which bands influenced you soundwise?
Marilyn Manson, Korn, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Rob Zombie, that kind of stuff.
M.I. - Why have you opted for the name “Black Satellite”. What’s its meaning to you?
I wish I had a really interesting story for this but I thought it sounded cool when I was 15 years old and then it just stuck.
M.I. - Are you able to create new material with the non-stop touring you’ve embarked on?
I don't think it necessarily complicates it. I love to just keep moving, I don't like to be home for too long. Obviously we squeezed in some time to go to Vegas last year to record some new music as well. Those are going to be the new releases that are coming out right before the Coal Chamber tour and earlier this year we were just knocking out like three music videos. I just really love to keep working, I always want to be busy, so I think it's actually really great to fill those gaps in our touring schedule.
M.I. - What inspires you to write the lyrics and the music? Being on tour influences your writing somehow?
That's a good question! I get to watch so many other bands perform and I know other people that we tour with. I make it a point to really watch their show as much as I can because it's just like free education. These are people have been doing it 20 plus years and, you know, what a gift it is to be able to watch them each day and be like “Oh, that was really cool! Maybe I should try something like that!”. With all of the 12 tours that we've done, I'm just constantly soaking it in, so I feel like our show is getting to a really good spot. Even with the chemistry with the band members and everything, it's just so solid that we're just like “Well, how much crazier can we make this show?”. We're launching ourselves off the risers and jumping and freaking the crowd out! It's just so much fun!
M.I. - The band’s been getting ravishing reviews. Do you think people still read reviews and might be influenced by them?
Honestly I'm not really sure but even if only a few people read it, that's still extremely valuable because, like I said, at this point, we're just trying to grow our fan base, one person at a time, so it's not like I would ever exclude it, I still think it's a really great thing.
M.I. - The single “Broken” from your sophomore album has been out for over a year. When will the album “Aftermath” be released? What can fans expect from it? What’s been causing the delay?
We were going to actually launch another single, it was supposed to be in August before the Coal Chamber tour that got postponed, so we had to shift our release schedule into next year a little bit. So we're going to be launching some brand new singles probably in mid February and maybe, a few weeks after that, a couple more singles and maybe the album by the summertime hopefully.
M.I. - And what's causing all these delays? Why do you keep on postponing it?
I think it's really helpful to launch music right on the cusp of these big tours, so when that Coal Chamber tour got postponed, we just had to change our plans a little bit.
M.I. - The record was mixed by veteran producer Ben Grosse with tracks produced by Kane Churko. How pleased are you with the final result?
So pleased!! These are people that I've always looked up to their work. Ben Grosse has done a lot of albums that I really love and the same with Kane Churko and it's just so cool to grow up and then get to work with people that inspired you when you were younger. The album is already produced and everything's ready.
M.I. - Now listening to it, do you think “Oh, we should change that and that”? Do you have that feeling?
I know a lot of musicians are like that but I just try to let go, you know? It's like “Okay, I already did it! It's done! I'm just going to put it out into the world!”. Even if I like something or I’m not really into it so much, I'm just giving it away to the fans, it's not even mine anymore! It becomes their songs too.
M.I. - Do you believe that Black Satellite being named one of Alternative Press’ “12 Bands You Need to Know” in a print issue of the magazine might have contributed to your success?
It's definitely a lot of validation, for sure! You know, you're always waiting for the first person to give their stamp of approval and then it kind of opens it up! A couple of weeks ago, we were in the print issue of Metal Hammer and then online they also wrote “Four new metal bands you need to check out this week!” and we were included in that! I didn't even know it and someone else sent it to me and I was like “Oh my God! This is so cool!”. I'm so honoured and very flattered.
M.I. - Being a full-time musician is easier or more difficult than you anticipated?
Better than anything I can imagine! As soon as we started touring, I was like “Okay! This is where I need to be! I'm never going home ever again and I think my family was like “Oh, fuck, I think we lost her!” (laughts).
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Questions by Sónia Fonseca
