Good morning, thank you very much for answering these questions, how is everything going in Strasbourg?
Hi, thanks to you. I am no longer living in Strasbourg, I went back under the sun of my natal South of France ! Family is sacred.
Time Lurker started around 2014, the name of the band comes from the song "Time's Lurker" by the French death metal band Catacomb, in which your uncles James Moreau and Nathalie played, how important were the figures of your uncles for you to decide to start Time Lurker? Why did you choose the name of that song to name your project? What meaning does it have?
My uncle and my aunt were very present during my childhood, so I naturally always been in this environment. I owe them a lot for the music. The name Time Lurker is a tribute to my favorite song of their band Catacomb, and a direct reference to the writings of Lovecraft, which is perfect.
Almost seven years have passed since the release of your previous album, in this time you have incorporated Sotte on vocals, is this the main difference that the listener can find between your previous album "Time Lurker" and the new "Emprise"? How did you face the composition and recording process? What brands of instruments did you use in the process?
I don’t think there is a real difference between the 1st album and Emprise. Except for the vocals of course, even if on the 1st one, Tony and Thibault sang pretty much the same way as Sotte. For Emprise I haven’t spent the same time on the mix than I spent on the 1st one, I wanted something more « raw », more « visceral ». I have an homestudio with computer and a sound card. The guitar is an old Epiphone Les Paul that an old friend gave me back in the days of my teenage years, when we had a band together. The bass is an old Hamer 5 cords from the bassist of Catacomb (I’m pretty much into recycling old things as you can see!) ; then for the drum, it’s an electronic td9 kx with drumskin. For the drum recording, I plug it to my sound card in midi so I can use sounds from different vsd then create my own.
It's surprising how the album can transport us to landscapes full of loneliness and despair in its most atmospheric aspect, but you also don't neglect moments full of intensity and greater violence. How would you describe the sound of the album for those who haven't heard it yet? What bands or styles are an influence when it comes to composing music for Time Lurker?
I would say that I have a cinematic approach of music. I compose like if i’d write a movie script. I listen to plenty of movie musics, or ambient. Then there are bands such as Krallice and Yellow Eyes that inspires me a lot.
I've previously mentioned the presence of Sotte on vocals for the new album. Were the vocals something you weren't entirely satisfied with and that's why you decided to incorporate a new member into Time Lurker? Why did you choose Sotte for this aspect? What is the album about and who was in charge of writing the lyrics? Do the lyrics adapt to the music or vice versa?
I still love the 1st album.I t’s just that Sottes’ vocals perfectly match with this album, with its story. Sotte is an artist just the way I like them. She has her own solo project (also named Sotte, a sort of noise/ambient project) in which she « knocks up » a lot. I love her raw, direct approach in her own style. I heard a demo track if her in which she screamed exactly like in Emprise and I immediately felt in love with her voice. In addition,, we have a lot of bands we both love, such as Luror, which is not common ! In the album, Sotte and I relate our past, our experiences under influence of toxic people, drugs, alcohol etc ; Emprise summarise all of this.
The release of “Emprise” is once again in the hands of Les Acteurs de l'Ombre Productions, how did the connection with this record label come about? Have you felt more pressure when it came to composing this second album? Will there be future releases of “Emprise” in other formats?
The connexion with Les Acteurs de l’Ombre was made for the 1st album. They already had released an album of Paramnesia, a band I played in for a moment, so I had their contact. I asked them if they were ok to release thia album. To be honest, I released Emprise without any pressure at all. After all this time, I have more and more confidence in myself and my music. And I completey trust Les Acteurs de l’Ombre.
Who was in charge of the album cover design? What does this cover represent and how does it relate to the content of the album?
The cover design is an artwork by Derek Setzer. I discovered his work in 2019 on the website CultNation and I immeditely felt in love with this piece. So I purchased it with the idea that it will be used for a further project. Personnally, I see this woman with her quiet, almost peaced posture, letting herself go under the influence of her own demons . But I surely do not want to decree my vision on this cover, everyone can see what he wants in it.
Beyond the fact that you have taken care of the entire process of mixing, mastering and recording the sound of the album, the figure of Deha also appears in them, how has the whole process been, is it something you have taken care of yourself or have you had some outside help?
Yes, I manage the recording and the mix because I love tha part of the job. I find it very artistic because then, I have a total control on my music. Deha did the mastering, he is an awesome sound engineer, and honestly its better like this,mastering is above my technicial capacities.
Have you ever thought about being able to offer a concert with Time Lurker recruiting music for them? With which bands would you like to go on tour?
I worked on it in 2018, in reaction to the great return I had on the first album but it was not really conclusive. It’s really difficult to reproduce Time Lurkers’ music live so I gave up the idea for the moment.
What can you tell us about the tradition of French black metal throughout these years? And today, how would you describe the black metal scene in Alsace?
Since I went back home, I live in the countryside. I am no longer in touch with people from the scene and I don’t go to concerts anymore. I’m not really aware of what’s going on on the scene today. However, I really appreciate the one man band « Vertige » ; I love his approach of black metal,
How did you get started in music: first concerts you attended, first albums you bought? What event in your life made you want to be a musician?
It came naturally with my aunts. I always lived in it and as far as remember,I always played music. I had a synth when I was young and played a lot with it. I stiill remember the 1st albums my uncle gave me « Altar of Madness » of Morbid Angel, «Necroticism – Descanting the Insalubrious » from Carcass and « Slowly we Rot » from Obituary .
What album represents the essence of black metal for you? What latest albums have you bought?
I started black metal quite late actually, with Carpathian Forest, Windir and Shining.. Then Altar of Plagues inspired me the most for Time Lurker. Lately, I’m listening a lot to a brasilian ban « Kaatayra » which I love. It’s hard to define the essence of black metal and this genre is hudge. In one word, I would say « sincerity ».
Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions for Black Metal Spirit, if you want to add something for Time Lurker fans this is the place. I hope you like the questions.
Thank you for your interest in my work. It means a lot for me.
Mick
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Soul Butcher - Goat Cunt 2,99 €
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario