Devil Empire started in Tunisia in 1999 and was built through long-term work with North African musicians. From the beginning, the band was drawn to death metal brutality, symphonic black metal atmosphere, orchestral layers, and dramatic arrangements.
More than twenty years later, that foundation is still intact. The band has moved through major changes in the underground, from tape trading to streaming, from local isolation to international collaboration, without losing its core. Today, Devil Empire exists between Tunisia and Europe, with a history shaped by persistence and cross-continental collaboration, that runs through the music, the way the band works, and the way it sees its place within both African metal and the wider extreme underground.
“Longevity does not happen by accident.”
Devil Empire have been active since 1999. What has kept the band alive across different eras, and what has changed most in the way you write and work now?
Longevity does not happen by accident. Devil Empire survived the shift from tape trading to streaming, from isolation to international networking. What kept the band alive was conviction. The biggest change has been maturity in the writing process. The early material was driven by instinct and raw aggression. Now the writing is more deliberate. Atmosphere, narrative flow, and sonic layering are all handled with much more control. The chaos is still there. The difference is that now it is directed by experience.
You describe the band as based between Tunisia and Europe, with an international lineup. How did those connections form, and how does that split shape the band day to day?
The international structure was never planned. It developed naturally through years of underground connections, collaboration, and mutual respect within the extreme metal network. Tunisia is the origin and the foundation. Europe gave the band room to expand and a wider operational reach. That split creates challenges, but it also gives the band strength. It demands coordination, discipline, and clear planning. Geography does not divide Devil Empire. It adds depth to what the band is.
When you say Devil Empire has “strong roots connected to Africa and the global underground”, what does that look like in real life?
For us, it means coming up without much around us. In the early days, extreme metal in Tunisia had very little infrastructure, so we had to create our own space and do a lot of it ourselves, including building our own studio. That African root is part of the band’s real experience – independence, persistence, and finding a way forward. At the same time, years of collaboration, media coverage, and international relationships pushed the band beyond borders. Devil Empire stands with a local origin and a global presence at once.
“The emotional climate of this project is shaped by Mediterranean and North African realities.”
You list Limbonic Art, Belphegor, and Old Man’s Child as FFO. What do you take from that world, and what do you make sure stays distinct so it still feels like Devil Empire?
From that lineage, we take atmosphere, intensity, orchestration, and discipline in composition. What we refuse is imitation. Devil Empire does not recreate Scandinavian mythology or follow fixed aesthetic formulas. The emotional climate of this project is shaped by Mediterranean and North African realities, with different landscapes, different tensions, and different history. Influence is part of the foundation. Identity defines the result.
You’re an active live band with plans for international shows and festivals. What does a Devil Empire set need to feel like, and what kind of rooms or audiences bring out the best in the band?
After years in the underground, Devil Empire understands that a live set has to carry more than performance alone. On stage, the band represents years of persistence, underground loyalty, and identity. Over time, that has grown into a stage culture of its own: disciplined, confrontational, and fully committed. The strongest performances happen where the audience is engaged and uncompromising. Small underground venues often sharpen that energy, while festivals help the band reach further. For Devil Empire, the live show is about continuity in motion.
Listen to Devil Empire on Spotify.
