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INDEX
INTERVIEWS
GUESTBOOK
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OLD
SCHOOL DEATH METAL/ FRANCE
1. Can you introduce the band in a few lines? When was it created? Who are the musicians and where do they come from musically?
The band was created in 20Fr15, we come from very small bands, we did a lot things before Confessor A.D (Some punk hardcore, some rock'n roll and some black metal). Aksel especially with his solo project STAV (Black/ death). The band is composed of Aksel (Bass/ vocals), Kilian (Guitars) and Julien (Drums).
2. I find your music to be very influenced by old school metal from the end 80's and 90's, but it doesn't necessarily integrate the more bestial or necro aspects of newer old school metal genres... Are you old metallers, or is this the way you feel? Did you voluntary avoid the more modern old school approaches, or did it come naturally?
We aim to make
things simple and efficient. For Kilian and myself, there's a punk
hardcore influences that tends to this simplicity. Aksel brings
a black/ death touch. The blending of your various influences results
in our sound and our compositions.
For example, we were influenced
a lot of by Carcass or Darkthrone (All albums), but also Voivod;
Celtic frost, Obituary, etc...Speaking for myself (Drums), I don't
have the necessary skills to come up with very technical parts,
so we try to focus on the arrangements, the cool riffs. Many bands
already master the necro genre, so we don't need to do the same...
We
all agree on the more modern and overproduced recordings, it is
not for us, this is a voluntary approach. We will even choose a
simpler production next time, with simpler compositions and efficient
riffs. We don't want the music to be too over-thought, we are more
interested in the instant and everything happens with the unexpected.
We are all thirty something, so I can't way we are old metallers,
but we live our way.
3. Can you roughly introduce your first MCD? How long did the composition take? How did the recording occur and who took care of it? Was it a pleasure to record the songs, or did you face some problems before reaching a satisfying result?
This first
mcd was meant to be a simple demo, but it turned into a MCD thanks
to the work of Gab from Nihilistic prod! So this is a first shot
for the basis of the band's identity: The sound, the musical arrangements,
etc... All of this remains to be defined, but it will come naturally
thanks to the feedbacks.
Speaking for myself, it's the first
time one of my recordings is distributed to this scale.
The
composition and the recording occurred naturally, we took our time,
we recorded at the Museion studio (R.I.P). It took one year to finish
the CD, but it's rather due to our schedules than to our creative
habilities, we remain non-professional. It is very satisfying to
record and work on the sound, we avoid the disputes on details so
that it remains a pleasure.
4. Who produced the illustrations we can find on the MCD? The cover and the back image seem to come from the same person, is this a band member?
Kilian, who is the guitarist but also an artist, has produced the visuals of the band. I was also involved with some band photos? One more time everything is quite simple, but I think it is also quite efficient.
5. What does a CONFESSOR A.D. gig look like? Is your music very different in live conditions (Concerts, rehearsals) or on recordings?
Unfortunately
it doesn't look like a lot of things, because we were able to play
live only once in 2012. This is a schedule problem again.
The
music is always different in live or recording conditions, that
is the interest of concerts: You can see the guts and presence of
the band. For us, it globally occurred rather well, even if we went
without lyrics... This, never again.
6. Here's a question a couple of peoples asked me: Why did you choose the Confessor name? What does it mean for you? Were you aware about the existence of the English doom band? (Since they remain something like a 2nd or 3rd grade band on a level of recognition, one might wonder if you knew about them?)
The idea was
to gather the confessions of serial killers, to deal with dark events
and murder. It came spontaneously during a brainstorming... No link
can be made with the American band, except for the fact we both
play metal.
Then, to say they are 2nd or 3rd grade, I'm
not responsible for this comment. Many peoples are still listening
to Confessor, they had an original sound and they were quite avant
garde at the time I think. It was too late when we were aware about
their existence. I listened to their music, I respect their work,
and there's no question of trying to take advantage of their notoriety.
No one worries about the fact there are 5 Penetrators in the world,
including 3 in South America...
7. Do you think black metal should necessarily be cold?
Yes, and also rock'n roll, but it's only a sticker.
8. Do you think death metal should necessarily be morbid?
It can really
be better, but it's only a sticker. These stickers help the maniacs
to understand each others and it's a part of the metal culture,
then there are the abuses and trends... What matters is the metal,
and the music.
9. You come from Strasbourg. A few years ago, the scene of your area was quite active, and old school metal seemed to gather quite an amount of supporters, but I have somewhat the feeling it has calmed down... Can you tell us more? Which bands kicked your ass lately during gigs?
The local scene
is still active. Inhumate is still on stage, many little bands make
the scene of Alsace alive, in various genres: Stones tells, Armageddon
death squad, Iron bastards, S.core… There are places such as "La
maison bleue" or "Le diamant d'or", or also "Le
grillen".
So nothing calmed down in the east. Old school
metal still has its supporters, even if they more regularly go to
Germany or Switzerland because the events are more interesting.
Unfortunately, I don't have the time to go and see the gigs,
because I live in a quite far area, but I plan to solve this problem
for the promotion of the Cd.
10. Being musicians or "creators', are you afraid of oblivion?
Before taking oblivion in account, we must focus on creation. But thanks to the Internet, there always remains something.
11. It becomes harder and harder from self-produced bands to sell their CDs, to bring peoples to their gigs (Unless they already have a little name), or sometimes even to simply be listened on Youtube... Do you believe the record "market" could evolve in another direction than the current constant decreasing? How do you see the evolution of what we once called the underground and of the totally self-produced bands? To play in a band, will this unfortunately become a simple hobby without much importance, were peoples will compose songs without real deep meaning?
To play music
is to share, so it's important to sell, or at least to spread the
music; As long as there will be passionate peoples (Such as Nihilistic)
it will be possible.
It is also the other side of the hyper-connected
society, no more effort is needed to access the music of the whole
world, you can give your opinion, listen, share things so easily...
It's somewhat of the modern paradox. We have access to so many things
that we consume everything foolishly, going from a song to another,
it's not really sharing but it's the way it is.
I also
do this kind of things... But at the same time, you are able to
discover so many sounds you would have never heard about.
Internet
is a great medium for small self-produced bands such as ourselves,
without internet we might not have the luck to find a label... Or
we might have to do trades, in my opinion it remains the best way
to spread music, even if it's an outdated way or distribution.
That's
why I'm more and more interested in the South American scene, they
seem to be 15 years late, but they are quite efficient taking both
from the internet and the old school trading.
For me it's the
more interesting phenomenon of the last 10 years, Eastern Europe
is also quite good in this meaning, and these two scenes are perhaps
those that will survive us.
Personally speaking, what I miss
the most are the magazines or the paper zines, with a CD sampler,
this was really great.
Speaking about gigs, I think it was always
this way in France. The gigs were always empty of audience, unless
it was for the older big bands coming back with shitty albums (Such
as "Trust, I despise them...), and at the same time peoples
complain about the lack of activity in the local scenes... Perhaps
only the bigger pop events don't have the problem... I'm thinking
about the hellfest.....
12. Are you listening to old school metal only, or do other kinds of music to be quite close in the approach (Punk hardcore or grindcore) also please you hears? Which recordings often came back on your turntables recently? Are you rather focused on the older classic albums, or some newer recordings also kick your ass?
Personally
speaking, I'm eclectic but very classical. I force myself to listen
to the new stuffs. The last the Crown is particularly great. I also
listen to the new releases of the bigger bands, such as Deicide
or Malevolent creation. I'm not that much into grind anymore, but
I still play "Symphonies of sickness" or a good old Napalm
from time to time.
Globally speaking, we are very eclectic and
we listen to the new release of the classic bands, out of curiosity:
Aura Noir, Voivod, or some black metal bands...
13. What are the future projects of the band? Something special to announce? Feel free to conclude.
We are slowly
working on a new record project. We come up with a lot of music
during the rehearsals, but few is finally kept for the compositions.
We are also working on the identity of the band, but before all
we want to spend a good time together, to have fun and relax from
our crazy daily lives. For me, the band is a real parenthesis.
Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/Confessormetalstrass
Listen:
https://nihilisticholocaustrecs.bandcamp.com
