BLACK METAL SPIRIT: THE OATH

miércoles, 2 de septiembre de 2015

THE OATH - INTERVIEW

1. The band was created in 1999, why did you decide to create The Oath at that time? Why did you choose the name of The Oath?

Hola! The idea was pretty simple: In 1999, I (Pierre) and two very good friends of mine started the band. We simply met each other at school. At the beginning the idea was very simple: play metal music, have fun, and drink a lot of booze…

We choose this name because it was pretty catchy, efficient and focused on our primary principles: loyalty, discipline and determination… We started a while ago with that name, many years after it still sounds cool to me and the rest of the guys, so I think we made the right choice!

2. "Consequences" is your latest album to date, the fact is that until 2007 did not have maintained a roughly adjusts editions space, What happened in the band during 1999-2007, to almost not have any activity?

Several material and line-up issues unfortunately… We simply did our best when we could!

If it had depended on us, our first album would be released earlier… But when the writing process goes well, you also need to prepare your budget and studio scheduling to book everything in the better possible way. Money and time are the real guilty here, not our busy lives or our lack of inspiration…

3. Returning to "Consequences", how was the process of writing and recording the album? What is your way of working in the studio?

Our creation process always starts with an emotion! It can be a melody, a guitar or a bass riff, some keys arrangements… This is why a band like us is priceless: everyone can have an idea that gives new ones to the others. It’s like an “anti-one man band” process. Each one of us could write a cool song. But if we share our feelings we can make awesome songs together. Of course, it’s not always that simple, but when it works, it’s magic!

When we enter the studio, 90% of the album is already written. The last 10% are due to the idea or last time arrangements of our German master-producer… Time is money, so that’s why most of the details are fixed before entering in the studio!

4. Can we say "Consequences" is your album of maturity and represents the sound and style of the band?

Yes and no… Our evolution is still in progress. I mean we don’t want to make the same song and/or album again and again… Our first preoccupation is to provide to our fans (and of course to us) original and kickass tracks, with the same recipe!

I think “Consequences” is a sort of mix between different steps of our evolution. You can feel the direct and cold riffing of our 2nd album entitled “4” and the progressive and mature approach of our latest release “Sel-Destructed”. Maybe we added more electronics elements and a little bit more clean vocals lines as well, but other than that, it’s sounds 666% THE OATH! At the end, I can clearly say this is (for now) the best album we did so far. You can find emotion, catchiness, maturity and kickass production… All you need to bang your head and have some fun!!

5. The Oath sound and an album like "Consequences" is complex and varied, difficult to pigeonhole for a critical but highly recommended as a listener, come together in the heavy metal and classical, death, the black, some symphonic, how would you define your sound and what are your main influences?

Thanks for the compliments! We define ourselves as an original and unique band creating a kind of melodic extreme metal with prog’s elements usually called “Melodic Blackened Progressive Death Metal”.

As said before, with “Consequences”, we followed our way through other musical experimentations and the result is pretty awesome; but our influences and the differents metal kind we listened to are directly connected to our creativity:

We grew up with many heavy/thrash main bands during the 80’s/90’s like IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, SLAYER, MEGADETH, HELOWEEN, METALLICA… At the end of the 90’s, many extreme bands gave us a new breath, in influences terms, like the Gothenburg scene with major bands like AT THE GATES, EDGE OF SANITY, DARK TRANQUILLITY, or the first black metal melodic actors like CRADLE OF FILTH, EMPEROR, DIMMU BORGIR, etc. We could also talk about bands like PARADISE LOST or SENTENCED for the gothic mood, but there are too many awesome bands…

Just mix these opposites universes and you can see where our roots start! Maybe that’s why we created something very hard to label with the band; we really have our own “touch”.

6. At the same time the letters also offer not very common themes in the black, in what inspires you to write the texts?

Non-conformism, commitment, self-behaving… Generally, my lyrics treat about life perception in general, with a cynical point of analysis. The main theme describing someone’s existence, always torn between the mainstream way of thought/live and it’s own really based on real unique feelings and emotions…

7. If you had to choose a theme of your latest album that you best represent what would it be and why?

I want to say “Never to be seen again”. It’s not only because it’s the opening track, but mostly because you can easy get and feel what’s THE OATH musically means. Here, you can find fast and extreme guitar riffing mixed with a hardcore kind of bridge, before an atmospheric part with clean vocals and other things… Weird to say/read, but nice to hear; trust me!

8. What remains today at the sound of "Consequences" of eg your 2007 album "The End of Times"?

Catchiness and inspiration! But our first album deserved a better sound… Anyway without that piece of our discography, they would not be any “Consequences”; no remorse no regrets!

9. It is very complex to capture live, in concert, the sound of an album like "Consequences" What brand of tools you use in rehearsal and you use the concert?

Yes, it’s almost impossible because of the numerous arrangements and sounds we used during the recording. We simply use our usual gears, reach on stage, plug and play!

Each gig is different because of the venue, the backline matters… welcome in the underground! But after all these years we always try to play our songs in an energetic and efficient way without forgetting the mood we built, to touch every audiences!

10. By the way, how about the recent concert in Italy and as you face the next in France?

Our open-air Italian last appearance was awesome, thanks for asking! Playing in an beautiful and natural venue with great bands and the mighty Dark Funeral was more than a chance…

Our forthcoming show in France will of course be different, but really nice too! We will play with Dagoba, which is a very popular band in France in a great venue; sure it will be an another night to remember!

11. Is there an interesting extreme scene near Lyon? What can you tell us from other bands in your area?

Yes, metal is everywhere! Even in France, which is definitely not a “metal country”… Anyway, If I had one name for you guys it has to be Aesmah. Nice and open-minded metal heads whom playing the perfect mix between Insomnium and Dark Tranquillity… Modern and old school… check them out!

12. How did you get started in music, first concerts, first cds? Why did you decide to form a band? Still having today the same enthusiasm as when you started?

I personally started with a Maiden tape and the “Murder in the rue Morgue” song when I was 10! After that, everything changed… Without this first metal experience, I can say now that my life would be very different… My first concerts were Maiden, Megadeth, Slayer during the late 80’s; simply magic…

As I said before, starting music was mostly connecting to the will to spend some time with my metal friends and have some fun!

Absolutely! It’s amazing to see how, after all these years, we still “exist” and have a lot of duties (and support) to our friends, fans, partners, medias, other bands/musicians…). We are overwhelmed because of our global investment, mostly because of our musical and human being consistencies. This commitment means a lot to us… kind of dedication.

As the last former member, I can say objectively than I’m very proud to have the band in my life after more than one decade. It’s not a daily job, it’s further than that; that’s maybe why it’s still difficult to switch between “real life” and your band after all… We are the band, but we are getting old, time runs fast and we all have responsibilities elsewhere…

13. Why did you decide Sliptrick Records will release the album? Satisfied with the work done by the label? Seguiras in the future linked to them?

This partnership is a brand new deal for them and us. In fact, we were out of contract with our past Italian label Code666 Records after 2 releases.

We sent a couple of streaming pieces to label targeted related to your music kind and ability to provide us what we looked for; simple as that!

The Sliptrick crew seems very enthusiastic and professional since the very first days of our collaboration. The promo plan just started, so it’s difficult for me to judge anything now, but I’m sure everything will go well!

14. Who designed the album cover and how it relates to the content of it?

The cover was conceived once again by the outstanding French artist Fursy Teyssier from the band Les Discrets, whom works with bands like Alcest, Agalloch and many more. As a friend of mine and a talented mind, he did what we all expected: a very dark and powerfull cover with an catchy non-conformism visual main theme!

15. What future plans do you have for the band in terms of upcoming releases, publications and concerts?

We will finish the promo around the “Consequences" release and, I hope, will play live as much as possible (according to our non-metalhead lives…).

16. Thank you very much for taking the time to Black Metal Spirit, if you want to add something for the followers of The Oath, this is the place. I hope the questions are to your liking.

Thanks to you for this nice and fresh interview! Hope all you guys will enjoy our musical universe!

If you need more information and links to social networks, please check our website: www.theoath.org

Take care and stay true to yourselves!

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