Tag: Interview

Lovelorn Dolls Interview (Kristell Lowagie, Bernard Daubresse) – 01/2024

Hot off the release of their brand new EP “Beautiful Chaos” (read our full review), we were given the absolute privilege of catching up with the creative duo behind Belgian gothic band Lovelorn Dolls to ask a few questions. Please enjoy our interview with Kristell Lowagie (Lyrics, Vocals, Arrangements) and Bernard Daubresse (Music, Programming, Guitars, Production).

Thank you for agreeing to this interview. It’s a pleasure to be speaking with you! For those who may not be familiar with Lovelorn Dolls, would you mind briefly introducing yourselves and describing the band’s music to our readers?

Kristell : Hi. Bernard is a writer/composer/guitarist, I’m a singer/songwriter/composer. The Lovelorn Dolls sound is gothic rock, enhanced with a visual worthy of a fantasy film.

You just released a new EP titled “Beautiful Chaos”, which we reviewed very positively on our website. How has the reception been elsewhere?

Kristell : As I speak to you, the EP has only been out for 24 hours, so it’s still difficult to analyze, but so far, the reactions have been very positive. As we were absent for 5 years, people are happy to see us again, and we are also happy to connect to our listeners again.

The new single on the EP was mixed by the female-fronted industrial metal duo Helalyn Flowers. Did you trust them to do a good job since they had already remixed Lovelorn Dolls songs in the past?

Kristell : Of course ! I have been a fan of Helalyn Flowers since their very beginnings. I didn’t know them personally and I was already listening to their songs. Then, Lovelorn Dolls had the honor of becoming their colleague by joining the same label, Alfa Matrix. We hired Maxx Maryan several times as our producer and it’s a match made in heaven.

While on the topic of remixes, we enjoyed the remixed versions of the new single. How does it feel to have your material re-envisioned by other artists? And do you have a favourite?

Bernard : I must say that it is an honor to have talented artists offer you a new view on your work. Regarding Beautiful Chaos I would say that the remix of Antidote for Annie is my favorite because it reuses guitars… and I love guitars above all else.

Kristell : My personal favorite is the one from AudioPyre, with its more industrial sound.

We also love the chibi artwork on the EP and the ‘cute but creepy’ vibe of the visuals which fit the music perfectly. This has been a common thread with many of your releases. Who is responsible for these illustrations, and the concepts behind them?

Kristell : I am responsible for it. These visuals are a mix of my love for Tim Burton, mangas, the surrealist lowbrow movement. Until 2017, I always called on other artists for our designs: Gogo Melone, Natalie Shau, to name a few. Then, I immersed myself in the visual arts (photography-graphic design) for several years, I learned lots of things and now I do everything myself. I also use AI to enhance creations.

I like a lot of different styles of music. I’m not limited to hard rock or metal.

Kristell Lowagie

In addition, you just brought out the music video for “Beautiful Chaos”. It looks as though you had some fun shooting it. Was this your first time acting and performing in front of a green screen?

Kristell : Yes. In fact, we used my photo studio to turn it into a video studio! And we took the opportunity to do everything ourselves! It was the first time we made a green screen video, we also did post production and editing. It was a great experience, and we’re going to do it again very soon!

Your last album was Darker Ages, which is notable for its more gothic style and for standing in contrast to much of your other work (both musically and visually). Can you perhaps explain this change in direction, and why your new material appears to be shifting away from this darker tone?

Bernard : Darker Ages was composed in two stages. In 2015 I wrote two pieces then health problems prevented me from continuing for almost two years after which writing the album was a kind of catharsis. It could only be dark. With the upcoming album we still remain on a dark side but the color has returned.

Speaking of new material, I hear there is a new album coming this year. Can you tell us much about it?

Kristell : The album is completely finished. There will be 12 titles, sad little girls, and unexpected guests. Be prepared to be very surprised. The sound is really good, our producer Maxx from Helalyn Flowers has outdone himself.

Bernard : What I can say about this album is that we tried to compose the best songs possible every time.  So you have a sort of « all killer, no filler » album.

It seems like a while has passed since you performed on stage. Are you planning any upcoming tours?

Bernard : Unfortunately we do not have any concrete opportunities for concerts…   yet! But of course we are very open for that.

The music of Lovelorn Dolls is often compared to the likes of Lacuna Coil, The Birthday Massacre, and Theatre of Tragedy. And deservedly so, as fans of any of those bands will undoubtedly love your music. But it seems there has been some difficulty in reaching that audience. Why do you think Lovelorn Dolls has had such challenges with exposure? Is it part of the reason why you changed your name at some point?

Bernard : We changed the name Lovelorn into Lovelorn Dolls only because there was already in italian band called Lovelorn.  But it was a good idea anyway to add « dolls » because dolls are often present in our visuals.  As for the challenges regarding the band’s visibility to potential fans, I don’t really know. I sometimes read comments from people who love it after listening… but who didn’t know the group before. I would prefer that we were a little better known and that people could choose to like us… or not, knowingly. That said, this interview will certainly help give us more exposure.

Kristell, you were the founding member of Skeptical Minds correct? Can you describe your time in that band, and why you decided to move onto different projects?

Kristell : Correct. I created Skeptical Minds with Vincent Lacrosse (who also left the project) in 2002. We immediately found a particular industrial electro sound. Michel came to add guitars. We lived some great years with incredible experiences for my part: holding your first album in your hands, delivering it to the world, receiving a wonderful welcome in return, going on unforgettable dates. When the main composer Vincent left, the musical tone changed and I no longer recognized myself in it. I also preferred to leave, in search of my next partner… Bernard!

It was simple between us. It was easy. No hassle. No need to speak to understand each other. 

Kristell Lowagie

You have covered a diverse range of musical styles in your career, including singing for a symphonic metal band during your time with Valkyre. You are clearly very versatile with your ability. So what is it that draws you to gothic and electro-pop music in particular over all other styles?

Kristell : I like a lot of different styles of music. I’m not limited to hard rock or metal. My music library is very broad, ranging from trip hop, pop, new wave, and metal. I think that each person remains very closely attached to what they loved during their adolescence, and will unconsciously reproduce it. For me it’s Depeche Mode, Placebo, Garbage, The Smashing Pumpkins or Bat For Lashes.

One of your past projects was the rock-metal opera The Road to Consciousness, where you and your musical partner in Lovelorn Dolls originally met. What was it about that experience that made you both realise that you wanted to start your own band together?

Kristell : It was simple between us. It was easy. No hassle. No need to speak to understand each other. When we make a song, it’s a direct match. It can’t be explained, but it’s magical, and what’s more, we’re very good friends!! We have a lot of fun together!

You also branched out on your own and released a solo project called SIN SIN. How liberating was it to work independently? Can you see yourself doing something like that again?

Kristell : It was a project I had to do. I had these songs, and these songs needed to officially exist. It’s very rewarding to create everything from A to Z. Plus, you can really afford anything, there are no limits. At this point, I don’t know if I would do it again. But you should never say never…

You are affectionately known as Ladyhell in some circles. Should we be concerned?

Kristell (laughing) : This is the best question I’ve ever been asked. It’s a kind of joke we had at the beginning of Lovelorn Dolls. To call myself Ladyhell, and Bernard, for his part, Corpus Christi. But today, we feel much better (laughing) and you can simply call us Kristell and Bernard.

Would you be interested in having a profile page on our website?

Kristell : My pleasure !

Thanks so much again for your time. Is there anything else you would like to add?

Bernard : Thank you for having us. 

We are really looking forward to share more music with you.

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News

Temtris Interview (Genevieve Rodda) – 01/2024

No matter which way you slice it, Australian heavy metal band TEMTRIS had a fantastic 2023. With the success of their concept album “Khaos Divine”, and the positive reception of their first tour across Europe, we thought now would be a perfect time to check in with the band, and were lucky enough to catch up with lead singer Genevieve Rodda to ask a few questions.

First of all, we just want to say congratulations on the success of your new album. I believe we were one of the first publications to write a review for Khaos Divine, and it seems like our verdict was spot on judging by the critical consensus that has followed. Not to mention the fact that Khaos Divine is now making its way into many best album lists for 2023. How does it feel to have such a widely acclaimed release? Does it put any pressure on you for the next album?

Thank you for such kind words regarding our latest album Khaos Divine!

We have made a few best albums lists for 2023 and it is amazing.

We always hope we can improve on every album release but still bring fresh music to the table. It does get harder each album but we still enjoy the writing process.

Where did the idea come from to write a concept album like Khaos Divine? Especially one with such a dark and dystopian timeline? Even though your previous albums have often been centred around various themes, this still feels like it is new territory for the band. Was the songwriting or recording process much different this time around?

The concept of this album came together during a covid lockdown.

I talked to the band about writing a futuristic album and having a main female character that was strong and almost super hero like. We built the story from there. It actually all came together very quickly.

If we were only able to describe this album to a friend by mentioning an album that was released by another metal band, we would pick Queensrÿche’s ‘Operation Mindcrime’. And not just because of the similarity that we noticed at times with Geoff Tate’s vocals, but it has the same vibe about it and raises the bar and expectation. Would you agree with this choice?

It would be a reasonable choice in line with many other great concept albums.

Operation Mindcrime is an iconic album to be compared to.

One of my main vocal influences is Geoff Tate so it is not surprising that the vocal style is similar in some songs.

In our review we predicted that “Evolution of Hate” would become the third single for the album. However, it feels like you made the right call to release “The Lies Become the Truth” instead, given that this has become such a huge fan favourite. Do you put a lot of this song’s appeal down to the nature of the lyrics, and how difficult it has become in recent times to discern what is factual and what is not in our everyday lives?

We picked the Lies Become The Truth as our 3rd single because it is such a fan favourite of the album. When playing it live the song really goes down well with our audience. The lyrics do speak to many these days too and the chorus is powerful.

I talked to the band about writing a futuristic album and having a main female character that was strong and almost super hero like.

Genevieve Rodda

While we are addressing things that are a challenge in the world right now, how do you feel about the current state of the music industry? We heard that Spotify recently announced changes to their royalty policy. Is it fair to say that the music gig is getting even tougher these days? Especially for new bands who are just starting out?

We have been slogging it out in our industry for many years now and it definitely has not got any easier.

There are less venues to play. Selling product such as cds is not as easy since streaming has become the norm. You definitely would not get into the industry to make money.

You just recently returned from your first tour in Europe. Can you describe that experience? We understand that it has been a dream of yours for a while, so was it everything that you hoped? And did your partnership with WormHoleDeath help to make this a reality?

We did play the UK and Europe in September and it was a lot of fun. The tour I put together with my own contacts and it was so successful we are coming back in 2024 and I am currently booking shows as we speak. It was not easy to do this being so far away and having not booked shows in Europe before but it all worked out in the end.

The music scene is definitely alive and well in Europe and the response we received was nothing short of amazing.

You have once said that seeing you perform live is the ultimate way to experience your music. However, given the geographical distance between you and many of your international fanbase makes this more challenging, are there any plans to perhaps release a live CD/DVD recording in future?

You cannot beat seeing a band live and experiencing the energy and vibe that comes with the music.

We have put together live footage from our Ritual Warfare tour and we are trying to find someone who can put this together for us to release as a live DVD.

The touring didn’t stop after you got back to Australia, as you continued to travel across the country, including a gig in Perth for the first time. You also attended Lagerfest where you played alongside The Halo Effect, Lagerstein, Beyond The Black, and Devilskin, and then supporting Metal Church shortly afterwards. While being on the same lineup as high-profile bands is nothing novel for you, I’m curious how it felt to share the stage with two other female-fronted bands at Lagerfest? Is this a sign that women are becoming more prevalent in the genre? Did you have any interaction backstage?

Yes we were very lucky to be offered to play those shows when we returned to Australia.

Female Fronted bands are definitely becoming more prominent overseas and here in Australia.

The two female fronted bands at Lagerfest, Devilskin and Beyond The Black actually hit the ground running when they arrived at the venue and there was no time to chat as soundchecks and load ins take up all their time.

As for Metal Church, we are good friends with that band and we had a great time playing with them again and catching up before and after the show.

We always hope we can improve on every album release but still bring fresh music to the table.

Genevieve Rodda

With everything that happened surrounding Temtris last year, how do you plan to top it? What are the next steps for the band?

We are currently writing songs and have an idea on the next album direction.

I am also booking shows in Europe for 2024. After having such a great time we have to come back.

You have mentioned in the past that Bruce Dickinson has been a strong influence for you as a vocalist. How did it feel then to be able to play at the Cart & Horses in the UK this year, which is regarded as the birthplace of Iron Maiden?

Yes Bruce is my main influence along with Geoff Tate.

I was very excited to play the Cart’s n Horses on our tour. The venue is very cool and to tick that off our list as somewhere we have played is amazing !

Have there been any female metal performers that have influenced or inspired you in your career? Or anyone that you would love to maybe collaborate with?

I am a huge fan of Doro Pesch and have followed her since the Warlock days. I think to play a show with Doro would be amazing and it is definitely on my bucket list to do.

When did you realise you had such a powerful instrument with your voice, and that it was perfectly suited for heavy metal? Do you take any steps or precautions to protect it when you know you will be doing a lot shows?

I first learnt to play guitar at about 12 years old. I was writing my own songs and realised I could sing. I started singing lessons and my vocal teacher wanted me to do opera. I was not interested in that style and joined my first band at 14 with Anthony Fox. We were covering metal songs with the occasional original thrown in.

Before I toured Europe I had a pretty heavy rehearsal schedule to get my voice ready for the shows. This included vocal exercises for about 45mins in the morning. Plus rehearsing the hour plus set 4 times a week. It payed off for me and I would do the same again for our touring schedule.

Has singing in a more traditional heavy metal style made it easier or harder for you to get recognised? Are people ever surprised when they hear you sing for the first time?

I think it’s more trendy to be doing Death Vocals in a metal band now or even symphonic vocals are more popular with female vocalists. But I’d prefer to stay true to what I like to sing and if I am getting compared to Geoff Tate or Bruce Dickinson then that makes me pretty damn happy.

We couldn’t help but notice the social media posts where you are often brandishing CDs that you are currently listening to at the time. With consumers now finding out that they don’t actually “own” some of the digital content they purchase, as seen recently when Sony removed access to over 1,000 Discovery videos, do you think the idea of music ownership will regain popularity, and we’ll start to see a resurgence of physical media? Or has that ship already sailed?

It’s hard to say, the younger generation are happy to download but I love a physical copy. Albums are a complete package with artwork, photos and lyrics. You don’t get that with streaming. We still sell cds and fans love them. I’d like to think they are here to stay.

We want to thank you for supporting us and agreeing to have a profile page on our website. Is there anything else we could do to make it better?

Thank you for all your support, it has been amazing and helps us get reach to new fans in other countries. If you have any contacts for festivals or venues please pass them on.

Thanks again for your time. Is there anything else you would like to add?

No, thank you !

We hope we can get you to a Temtris show to see what we are like live and meet up in person.

That would be cool.

Skeptical Minds Interview (Michel, Karolina) – 12/2023

SKEPTICAL MINDS has just released a brand new concept album titled “Kharon”, which represents the second instalment in their ‘Omega Thanatos’ trilogy. The band’s sound is often described as a mix of electro/industrial music combined with two very important ingredients – heavy guitar riffs and a melodic female voice. And on that note, we were extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to mail questions to both Karolina (Vocals) and Michel (Guitars/Electro) prior to the release date. Enjoy our full interview below!

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer some of our questions. We really appreciate the opportunity, especially since we realise this must be a very busy time for you right now with the new album coming out this month. 

Michel : Thank you for this interview and your interest to the band 😉

It’s a pleasure to answer those questions 😊 Let’s go !

How is the band feeling about the next chapter in the Omega Thanatos trilogy finally being released, and what can fans look forward to both musically and story-wise with the release of “Kharon”?

We are very excited to release this album and very impatient, as we lost 3 years with the Covid situation. The album was supposed to be released in 2020, but we preferred to wait until the situation comes back to normal before doing anything. For us, to release an album without being able to promote it on stage is a nonsense and as a self-produced band, it’s important to be able to promote it live, as the concerts and the merch sales are the main revenues for a band, in order to recover the investments. 😉 As “Kharon” is the second part of the “Omega Thanatos” trilogy, yes, the fans can expect to have a music album and another support that tells the story in a second way. The 3 albums of the trilogy will have CD + book and maybe other surprises.

Did the Covid-19 pandemic have any impact on the production and timing of this new release? Or did it influence any of the album’s themes or songwriting?

Yes, as you can read on the previous answer, the album was supposed to be released in 2020 and now, we are 3 years later. There was no influence on the songwriting because all was recorded before but we could have plenty of time to work on the production until we reach the best result possible. Without being pretentious, we can say that is our best production so far. You can hear that immediately.

KHARON takes place in the world between our world and the realm of dead people. It’s the transition world, where you have to cross the Styx and Acheron river to reach the other world.

Michel

We are lucky to have listened to the new album and to have previewed an early chapter of the comic book, and we are definitely impressed by the consistency displayed across both formats in terms of tone and vision. How difficult was it to create such a strong synergy between the two mediums this time around? Did you face any challenges?

Yeah ! Lucky you 😉 hehe.

The biggest challenge was to learn about the process during the OMEGA THANATOS album. For this first try, things were new for us and we didn’t know how to deal to combine music composition with a comic book. We wrote a script together with Alain Poncelet, our graphic designer, and after that, he worked on his side on the comic book and we worked on our side with the music.

When we finished, we received the comic book drawings and we realized that the music didn’t fit with the visual… it wouldn’t work… so, we had to re-compose the music in order to fit the visual side of the story. Then, we understood how we should work.

For this album, we knew how to deal with the project. We wrote a scenario, Alain made some sketches and based on those, we could easily find the inspiration that would fit with Alain’s drawings.

The big difference with this trilogy is that you have to compose like a soundtrack of the story.

You have some guidelines, that can be seen as limits, but on the other side, the story allows you to go outside your usual musical stuff and we can play or combine new elements that we wouldn’t probably put on a normal Skeptical Minds album.

You released “Desert” as the first single from the album earlier this month, and this was accompanied by a lyric video featuring some of the amazing illustrations in the comic. If we’re not mistaken this is the first time that you have produced this style of video before, and the format makes a lot of sense for this type of project. Can we expect to see more promo material like this in future? 

You said it right. More and more bands are used now to producing lyric videos. We never did that before, but as we combine comic drawings and story, it was like obvious to do so. It’s like a logical extension of the concept. Certainly, you can expect more stuff like this and probably, in the next videoclips, we’ll also add some live video takes of the band… but certainly that the global spirit will turn around the concept : music, band, comic universe. Few singles will follow. Stay tuned and we hope you’ll like the next ones. But globally, we like what is sober and straight to the point. It fits with how we see the project. Sometimes, too much is too much and the attention goes somewhere else. As people say : “less is more”. That’s something we like and it keeps the focus easier on what we want to show. Too many things create dispersion or chaos 😉

What has the reception been like to the new single? And given the conceptual and narrative nature of the project, did you have any issues when it came to deciding on the first song to release? For instance, were you ever worried about giving away potential spoilers? Or was it a relatively easy choice?

The choice was not easy because we wanted to release all of the songs haha. Very difficult to choose because each one has its identity, its universe. And all of us have the same problem if you ask us to choose just one song. What made us choose Desert is because all of us love to play it live, it’s a song that provides us a great groove and feeling when we practice. So, we decided to release this one for that reason. Expect few other songs to be released soon too because we want all of them to be a single too !!! 😉 It’s like they have 3 different lives : one on the album, one on stage when we’ll play them and one as single with their own visual 😉

We’re assuming that some of you must be comic book fans yourselves. So in that case, can you list some of your favourite comic series? Were there any titles in particular that influenced or inspired the Omega Thanatos trilogy?

The most “comic book fan” is obviously Alain Poncelet, the official 5th Skeptical Minds member with his killing pencils ! I was myself a big comic book fan when I was younger. Alain is a fan of dark things mostly. I know that he’s fan of Liberatore or Moebius for example.

I was fan of the smurfs !!! ok, after I grew up and I like dark science fiction things but also heroic fantasy stories like “Thorgal”, “ l’Incal ”, etc…

Around 2008, we had the project to combine comic book and music, but it was like a project for the future, without knowing how it would be possible to do that… we kept that in a corner of our head until we discussed about that with Alain Poncelet few years after. He was in, and that’s how it started ! 😉 We had our own idea about the story. We didn’t take any element from our beloved series. We just sat down and discussed between ourselves. We took some elements from the Greek mythology, but without making any mythologic story. It’s more like use some references to create our own fiction. As Greek and as fan of Greek mythology, it was like obvious to include some elements in the project.

The big difference with this trilogy is that you have to compose like a soundtrack of the story.

Michel

Now that you have finished “Kharon”, does your attention now turn to the next instalment? Have you already started mapping out songs or ideas for the third part of the trilogy? And is there anything you can reveal about it at this early stage?

Not at all 😊 we just know that the three parts of the trilogy take place in 3 different worlds.

The first happened on earth. KHARON takes place in the world between our world and the realm of dead people. It’s the transition world, where you have to cross the Styx and Acheron river to reach the other world. KHARON is the boatman that takes you on the other side. For the moment, we just know that the third and final part will happen in the dark world of THANATOS. The album will certainly be darker, more aggressive, more deadly but no idea yet about its content 😉

We just focus on KHARON for now, promote it and play it live in 2024. During 2024, we’ll start to build the next one and then, we’ll able to reveal more.

Skeptical Minds have gained a lot of attention in Belgium for their powerful live performances, and you have previously released a live audio CD and a double live DVD to immortalise some of these concerts. Do you plan on touring again in support of this new album, and if so, will you be incorporating elements of the new comic book episode on stage? Is there a chance we could see another live recording released?

Turn all your questions into affirmations and you get all the answers. You are right, we will play the new material on stage and when it’s possible to combine with projections on stage, we’ll for sure mix visual comic universe and music.

Live recording is not planned yet but if an opportunity appears, for sure we’ll do it 😉

You know, we don’t plan always everything… we follow the flow of our own Styx river and we see where it leads, and we catch all the opportunities we meet during our journey.

For now, we focus on booking dates. We’ll start to announce them soon. Stay tune and come to have the surprise on stage.

For sure, you can expect intense shows with the maximum of energy we can provide, as we like to do. Believe me, the new material sounds very massive on stage. Wait and see…

Your band name, Skeptical Minds, sounds like a healthy recommendation these days given the current state of the world and the issues we face in determining which information is trustworthy or not. How did you come up with the name? And did you ever imagine that it would have the sort of relevance that we see today?

You know, we chose that name 22 years ago when we created the band. In fact, even at that time, we thought that what we see and what we hear may be right or false… it’s important to be able to have your own opinion about things. It’s also important for us to be able to have a critical mind about everything. I think that since centuries, we have people who dominate, people who follow, people who accept, people who refuse, philosophers (people who think and try to explain), people who judge etc… and most of people have masks… what you see first is rarely what is behind the mask

That was the starting point… we always interpretate or judge a situation.. but appearance can be very different of how things really are.

The first albums were based on that concept – what we see or what we think is not what it is…

The songs spoke about different women who had different destinies, all had a dark side or dark experiences… At first sight, we never see that, but we wanted to show what was behind their masks.

Today, that’s true that the name of the band can seem very “actual” 😉 but I think that today, if you are Skeptical, people want to put immediately a conspiracy theory sticker on the face 😉 let’s say we are just Skeptical Minds 😉

Karolina, can you tell us a little about your background? How did you come to join Skeptical Minds as the lead singer? Were you inspired by any other vocalists?

Karolina : hello ! Thank you for your questions. It’s a pleasure for me to answer them.

As far as I remember, I always loved to sing. I am a self taught singer and I mostly loved music thanx to my father who was rock guitar player. Home, I heard mostly rock from the 70ies, metal from the 80ies and blues. After, I discovered folk music which I love a lot too.

Two of my favourite influences are Nightwish and Loreena Mc Kennitt.

I joined Skeptical Minds in 2008. In that time, I was looking for musicians and the band was looking for a singer. I was leaving in The Netherlands and a common friend of us, Stéphane Odent (Stépix) organized a meeting in Amsterdam on 20th sept 2008. Skeptical Minds came to audition me there. We spent a fantastic day all together and it was like we knew each other since years… Since that day, I’m the singer of the band and I never regretted one second that choice.

We are like a family and that’s the most important.

Don’t try to be someone you are not, even if you love that someone.

Karolina

How does it feel to be portrayed as the main protagonist in a comic book? Can you describe the process of how artist Alain Poncelet transformed you into an illustrated character? Was there much acting involved?

As Alain said, it was obvious for him that the protagonist of the book looked like me. On stage, it’s a bit like people see the protagonist of the comic book on stage. It came from Alain and everybody thought it was obvious and good idea. Alain was free to draw the story as he sees it. We didn’t impose him anything about his scripts. He had full liberty. When he had something to propose, he came to us with his sketches and we discussed them. But discussions were easy because his vision was great and everybody agreed immediately.

There was no acting, no transformation. I did nothing for that, Alain’s imagination did 😊

What general advice would you give to someone looking to follow your lead and become a vocalist in a metal band?   

First of all, do what YOU feel you want to do. Don’t try to be someone you are not, even if you love that someone. Maybe you love Tarja and you try to copy her even if her voice is not in your range. It cannot work. You can be inspired, you can learn from all the people you admire, but try to assimilate what they provide you and try to process all that to create your own stuff. Believe me, it’s powerful and the feeling is great to feel you can have your own creativity. We all have influences, we all use them consciously or not, but try to be yourself and make things that fit you and make you feel great. Be proud of what you do if you put all your heart in what you do. If people like or not, you cannot control or impose. But if you are proud of what you do, it’s already reaching a goal.

Metal or not metal, I think that advice is valid for any music you want to do. Be yourself !

Would you be open to having a profile page on our website?

Ah ! that is an unexpected proposition 😉

Of course, no problem !

Thanks again for the interview. Before we go, can you please confirm how fans will be able to accesss the latest album and comic book? Will they be available to purchase physically as well as digitally?

The album is now available on Bandcamp and all the streaming platforms.

Beginning 2024, physical objects will be released too but we want to combine their release with a live release show, singing session with the band and Alain Poncelet and his magic drawings 😉

Is there anything more you would like to add?

Of course : Watch Your Back !!! We are back !!!