Kenya shamanic black metal band CHOVU had formed in Nairobi, spending its growth as a band in Kajiado. With that the band has gone on to release their debut EP "Whatsorceryisthis". The band has taken the time to talk to us about, the debut EP, why they picked this genre in particular, and the future plans ahead.


1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or did it come out just like that? 

The name Chovu means something bad in old swahili and came from our guitarist after a dark moment of life.We started out as a thrash inspired band called Rot Paper Jesus but then we hit a point of life where our minds and psychology was taken by darkness. It is then that our guitarist suggested the name which aligned with our vision of switching completely to black metal.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

This genre gave us an identity since extreme metal in Kenya was at its dying age. We did not like this. We Decided to carry the vilest, disgusting bloody flag of it all. We also were familiar with the colonial rot of religion being the cause of the decline of true expression, so we were at war we had to pick the sharpest darkest of genres.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

We did know each other. The Kenyan scene isn't that big. We know all 800 or something of us, by face or name or band shirt. Some members played together in different bands. We all actually met and formed in a studio by an old Kenyan band called Seeds of Datura.

4. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?

We are a Kajiado based band, but we play in Nairobi mostly and other regions. The whole scene is in Nairobi basically, although we have struggled to push it across other regions in Kenya. Extreme bands in Kenya I would recommend are...Inoath, Mortal Soul, Seeds Of Datura, Irony Destroyed, Last Years Tragedy, Petrika, among others we have quite a good selection of active and inactive bands.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

We are inspired to create by the mighty Imbege , a forgotten African Deity who is trapped in the soil awaiting the fall of the colonial religion. We are also inspired by ancestral memory and folklore we were told as children.

6. What are your songs about? (What specific themes do they cover?)

Our songs are a reveal of the hidden truth of our history. We were not heretics, but we shall be, in order to return our gods to their altars. We are an archive of African information that is passed by word of mouth. We cover taboos, mystics, shamanism, culture and narratives all African.

7. Do you write your own songs? (Discuss the songwriting process in detail.)

We do write only by our hands. I basically research on a concept by visiting a local tribe and sharing stories with them and with the concept i approach the band with the theme and the guitarists throw in riffs that align with the energy and so do the bassist and drummer. Once we layer out a theme, we also travel to these tribal villages to play in the environment and live their lifestyle, before eventually returning to the cities for a studio recording which we record live always and with the demos, we find the right magician of sound to work with.

8. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?

Our latest release UFALME WA MALI was the first time we had dived to west African concepts mixing them with some East African narratives. A gem of an album that has only stories of blood sweat and tears and deaths. We have also this year re-released previous Eps that had been taken for granted by distributors we worked with, hoping to award them with life. What to expect is the release of our darkest work so far and ALOT of use of African instruments and chants in the album.

9. Do you have any new music in the works?

All I can say is, an album and an EP are heading your way consecutively.

10. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?

We have done a lot of local tours in Kenya and also played in Uganda and South Africa. In our minds the goal is to play in Botswana, the promised land of Kenya, and then focus on Asia and Europe, which we tried before but Visa issues had been a problem, and we learnt the hard way.

11. What plans do you have for the rest of this year?

This remaining bit of the year is mostly creation and drawing inspiration and a whole new look to the band. A hybrid growth due to change in lineup for some positions thus also exploring sound options that will project the Shamanism we are looking for.

12. Where can we find you online, listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?

Bandcamp (chovuofficial) YouTube (chovu) we should be on a few streaming platforms for our newest album but for the rest find them on Bandcamp and YouTube. For merchandise buy directly from our official social media pages before we have a collaboration with a distribution company to help make it easier.

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