INTERVIEW

(28 september 2006)

1/ How have you chosen the recording studio?

Vinz : We visited several studios, some of them were very interesting. But a few days before our final choice, Raphael from Supersonik studio (with whom the band already worked) contacted us. We knew his high skills and we took the decision to record with him very quickly.

Oliv' : Several criterias were important :the technics, the fee, and most of all, the human side of the person with whom we would have decided to work. We knew Raphael for several years, he has a very good knowledge about metal and music, he was able to suggest us some ideas about the sound and ponctual arrangements on specific parts

2/ How were the recording conditions and how  the work of mix and production was done?

Oliv' : Under the best possible conditions. Our sound engineer gave us all his support in all the steps of the recording. Supersonik is not a big studio, it’ s very intimist and the implication of everyone was very important.. For the mixing, it is more difficult to answer, we just started this process on the last week of September.

Vinz : Actually we were relatively well prepared (psychologically especially) and we kept cool and patient when things went wrong…The recording conditions, except the heat of July, were good.

Ben : We began the recording sessions in the middle of july. It was in full summer and sometimes the lunchs were a bit too long (spending a long time in the garden to tan under the sun …). But mainly, the sessions were studious. We lived a few moments of tension, but I think it’ s natural, and shows that each one of us was completely implicated in the album recording process.

3/ Which difficulties have you encountered?

Vinz : not enough rum, no fresh beers … (laughter)

Oliv' : To give the good sound to each song we composed…to find the best compromise between precision and feeling. We wanted things sound nor too clinical neither too noisy. The challenge was to give each track its own personality while keeping an homogeneity at the album.

Ben : I had personnaly a certain apprehension about my voice. As a matter of fact, the first sessions went wrong and led us to decide to stop the recording for a while. Fortunatly, the following sessions ran much better. Besides the delay, we didn’ t have major problems.

4/ And about the sound of the album, is it similar to the "The 666 X murder project"?

Oliv' :  No, absolutely not. I know that every bands say the same thing, but I really think this album is richer and better. It’ s  not only the songs themselves but also the various arrangements which were carried out. " The 666 X murder project " was recorded at home, and we are not sound engeeners. It was very different.

Ben : The sound of the new album is inevitably different. Nowadays everyone can have a music software on its computer, but it is more difficult to have brand mics, amplifiers, and to control the recording technics. We wanted a precise and powerful sound, and most of all, that leads the emotion. I think it is far enough from the current productions, the search of the " greater sound of the world" was not being our goal.

5/ How do you compose? Who writes the lyrics? Which is your process of creation?

Oliv' : The lyrics (one track appart) were written by Benoit who has very good ideas and finds good ways of describing them. About the vocals, we tried some new things in studio to give the best possible feeling on each tracks. For the music, the main part of the songs are brought by Benoit and me, and then the whole band works on the arrangments.

Ben : Actually we tried out many ways to compose. At home on a 4 tracks, live, from a guitar riff, a drums pattern… For this album, we mostly composed during the rehearsal sessions. We composed many riffs, and then, the goal was to fit them together to create new songs. Concerning the lyrics, my process has changed since I started to write. Before i wrote from a word, or a sentence i liked, it was not about a specific subject. I liked the sound of certain words, or the meanings of some sentences. I keep on writting thus but now sometimes I start a text from an idea, a subject I’ m interested in.

6/ About your lyrics. Are they as important as the music? Do they talk about a particular concept?

Vinz : If lyrics were not important, we would not put any! (laughters)

Oliv' : Clearly there is no concept. I do not think that we are a committed band. The subjects differ the ones from the others, they are only the report of things we see, hear or live. Things that shock us too.

Ben : There is no concept in the lyrics. But concerning the  album, we tried to stay coherent, not to write a song on the suicide, another on love, and the last on… cows. The album is rather dark, disturbing sometimes, but we don’ t have particular messages to spread, which does not prevent us from defending some of our ideas in our songs. I already think  about the next album, and I’ d like it sounds in a different way, may be more positive.

7/ Why have you chosen to call your last album,  Suspension?

Vinz : Mainly this is a Benoit’ s idea … And we liked it.

8/ Usually, after an album, there is a tour..

Vinz : I work on it, but it is rather difficult when you are an autoproduced band and also not very famous. The organizers have the annoying tendency to say " call me back in 2 months  I already booked the concerts… " and then, when you call back them, they say  : " I already booked the concerts, call back in 3 months… " and so on… So when we book a date, we are very happy even if it is in a small concert hall with only thirty people. Probably if we are signed by an efficient record label, it will be easier to play regulary.

Oliv' : The first step for the band for now is to find a small label to distribute the album and thus to be able to profit of this support for the concerts organization and so to play some of our new tunes, which would be very exciting.

9/ Which songs of the album are your favorites?

Vinz : YCAGD, Back to the source.

Oliv' : Of course I have some preferences, but I think I like this album in its entirety, with its tensions, its quieter moments and this release of intense energy on certain parts.

Ben : YCAGD, Still remember the pain, Back to the source.

10/ What are your projects now?

Ben : To win to the lottery (laughters).

Vinz : We already think about the next recording and perhaps to try to produce a video clip. And, above all, to play the most possible.

Oliv' : To promote this album the best way possible and to start to compose the new songs for the next one. I have the feeling that our last songs are really better than before, they sound like real songs, not just like some sequences of guitar riffs and I’ m very impatient to compose the new ones and to see where they will lead us this time.