LORD LUPUS - Interview EN Samnite Dungeon Synth from the Abbruzes

NOIRE: Hi Lord Lupus, can you introduce yourself?

LORD LUPUS: Hello, and thank you for the opportunity. I am Lord Lupus from the Italic land of Abruzzo, a wanderer between sound, myth, and memory. My work is born in the deep landscapes of the spirit, places where ancient echoes continue to stir beneath the surface of the modern world. Through synthesizers and instruments typical of my region, I seek to evoke fragments of forgotten times, the breath of the forests, the silence of the mountains, the distant footsteps of ancient warriors and deities. My music is not just about sound, but about opening small passages between eras, where past and present can meet for a moment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RDA1EL4IxNbWM&v=A1EL4IxNbWM

LORD LUPUS - "Amongst The Ruins" (Vault Lab | Moonlit Castle Records)

NOIRE: What are your inspirations for your music?

LORD LUPUS: Nature is one of the strongest influences: forests, mountains, the wind, and the silence of remote places. In those landscapes, I feel something very ancient still lives, something that speaks a language older than words.

I am deeply inspired by the mythology and traditions of the Italic peoples, by the tribes who inhabited these magical and glorious lands. I often imagine forgotten warriors, lost deities, and sacred landscapes emerging from the mists of time.

And musically, synthesizers allow me to transform these visions into sound, creating melodies that echo across the centuries.

Ultimately, my music is an attempt to translate these visions—nature, myth, and memory—into a sonic ritual.

"Nature is one of my strongest influences" (Lord Lupus)

NOIRE: Your album “Viteliù” will be released on spring. How did you start working on this composition?

LORD LUPUS: The journey that led to Viteliù began about a year and a half ago, although some of the roots of this album go much further back in time. Some tracks were composed years ago and remained hidden, like forgotten relics. Over the past year and a half, I've taken them back, reworked them, and improved them, allowing them to evolve into their current form.

This album isn't simply a collection of songs: it's a ritual, a journey into the ancient spirit of the Italian lands.

I'd like to give a special thanks to my best friend and brother-in-arms, Lupus Nemesis, who meticulously oversaw every detail of the mix and mastering. His work gave the sound strength and depth. Together, we also composed a very significant track: "Hirpus harpe tahè kyui".The title comes from an ancient Osco-Samnite phrase meaning "wolves fight for freedom." For me, this song encapsulates the spirit of resistance, of our roots, and of the indomitable will of our people.

I also want to thank Moonlit Castle Records, who saw potential in me and chose to bring me under their banner. Their support made it possible to bring this vision to life.

"In a certain sense, my music is an offering for the gods." (Lord Lupus)

Viteliù was born from memory and the ancient fire that still burns beneath our land, in our hearts and in our steel; it will never be extinguished.

NOIRE: Your music is inspired by Italic and Samnites folklore. Can you tell more about this aspect?

LORD LUPUS: The ancient Italic world, particularly the Samnite tribes of the Apennines and the lands we now call Abruzzo, is one of the deepest sources of my inspiration.

They were proud and indomitable mountain peoples, tribes forged by forests, stone, and war. Many of them lived as warrior-herders, crossing the mountains with their flocks, yet ready at any moment to take up spear and shield when the tribe called them to battle. Their life was hard but sacred, tied to the rhythms of the seasons and the ancient laws of their ancestors.

Their gods were not distant entities. The divine lived in the woods, in the storms, on the mountaintops, and in the silence of the wild places. The Italic peoples sensed that the land itself was alive and inhabited by the sacred. Their gods were ancient and stern powers, demanding strength, honor, and sacrifice.

But beyond the gods, there is also the memory of their ancestors. The spirits of those who walked these lands before us: the shepherds who became warriors, the tribes who resisted great enemies, the battles fought in the Apennine mountains. Their blood, their courage, and their spirit continue to echo in these landscapes.

Through my music, I seek to reawaken these shadows of the past: the sound of war horns in the valleys, the sacred fires lit at night and the silent presence of ancestors who watch beyond time.

In a certain sense, my music is an offering to the gods, to the warriors, and to the ancient spirit of the Italic lands that still live proud and strong.

MOONLIT CASTLE BANDCAMP

NOIRE: What is the link between Viteliù and sacred spring(Ver Sacrum)?

LORD LUPUS: The connection between Viteliù and the Ver Sacrum, the Sacred Spring, is profound.

In the tradition of the ancient Italic peoples, the Ver Sacrum was a sacred vow made to the gods in times of crisis. Entire generations of young people were consecrated to the deities and, once grown, left their homeland to found new tribes and new destinies. They followed sacred signs from nature, often animals considered messengers of the gods.

Among the Italic peoples, the wolf and the bull were sacred animals and spiritual guides. They represented strength, instinct, and the will of the gods manifested in the natural world. These were not just physical movements, but true acts of spiritual rebirth guided by the sacred.

The name Viteliù itself carries a powerful meaning. It is the ancient Italic name for Italy, the "land of the bull," a symbol of strength, fertility, and identity for the Italic tribes.

This symbol became even stronger during the Social War, when the Italic peoples united against Rome. Their coins featured a highly significant image: the sacred Italic bull crushing the Roman she-wolf. It was the reawakening of an ancient identity and the will of a people fighting for their freedom.

For me, the spirit of Ver Sacrum and the meaning of Viteliù converge precisely in this idea of ​​rebirth, struggle, and destiny guided by gods and ancestors.

The album carries with it the same fire: memory, sacred vows, ancient battles, and the eternal will of a people who never accepted extinction.

NOIRE: Will we be able to see you play “Viteliù” on stage this year?

It's very likely. I feel like the time is finally ripe to bring some Lord Lupus live sessions to the stage here in Italy.

LORD LUPUS: Recently the Dungeon Synth scene has been growing steadily and taking deeper roots in the underground. More and more people are discovering this type of music and its atmospheres of ancient worlds, forgotten myths, and dark landscapes. Therefore, I feel the time has come to take these sounds beyond the studio and transform them into a live experience.

I intend to start playing my music live, transforming these compositions into something that can be experienced in the moment, almost like a sonic ritual where sound, memory, and ancestral spirit meet.

Before concluding, I want to thank you for the opportunity to talk about my work and the world that exists behind my project.

May the Great Mother Maja, ancient spirit of the mountains, bless and protect you. Hirpus harpe tahè kyui!