Good morning, thank you very much for answering these questions, how is everything going in France?
M. : Hello, thank you for your interest in Lunar Tombfields. All is well here.
1. The band starts up around the year 2020, a turbulent time derived from the wave of Covid-19, is there any relationship between this fact and creating the band in this period? Why did you choose the name Lunar? Tombfields and what does it refer to?
M. : Indeed, the real birth of Lunar Tombfields is linked to the period of the first confinement that France experienced. Some of the ideas had already been in my head for a while, but it was really this particular context that gave me the opportunity to bring them to life.
The term "Lunar" refers to the moon and the stars in general. This is related to the central theme of our first album when humanity turned to the stars and the gods for answers about the path to follow. The term "Tombfields" refers to the failures of these destinies, the mistakes made and repeated over and over again, the forgiveness never formulated, the cemeteries ever more crowded and the betrayals never forgiven.
2. Last year's release of your first album “The Eternal Harvest” had a more than acceptable response from the press and public, with an ambitious sound that is surprising given that there are only two members in the band. Have you been defining the sound of this first album? How did you arrange among yourselves to work on this first album?
M. : I composed the four tracks of the album, drew the concept and wrote the texts before proposing to Ä. to come and play drums on the record. His arrival in the project allowed us to redefine certain aspects and to make many arrangements, to finally record what became The Eternal Harvest a few months later. Of course, we had our influences in mind at the time, but we didn't have any idea of the precise sound we wanted to achieve. It all came together in the studio.
3. You return with “An Arrow to the Sun” with only a year difference from the previous one, have you had time to modify anything in your sound between both albums? What has the writing and recording process of this new album been like? What brands of instruments have you used in the process?
M. : We were aware of the things we needed to improve after the release of The Eternal Harvest, such as the decision to shorten the songs. We wanted to create something more direct, more primal and more epic at the same time, in keeping with our respective tastes.
We've always worked in the same way since the birth of the project. I think up the concept for the album and compose the framework for each track. Then Ä. adds his parts and takes care of the arrangements. New ideas are grafted on as the demos progress. This is how each track takes shape. Then I take care of the lyrics. The fact that we're just two brains sharing the same vision means that things move relatively quickly.
It was recorded at Heldscalla Studio by Raph Henry, then mixed and mastered by Neb Xort at Drudenhaus Studio. We're very happy to have worked with such talented people. They managed to give this album the sound we wanted it to have.
4. In your sound, various elements and styles come together within black metal, there are sections that can be described as post metal, there are influences of melodic black and without discarding the influences of the French black sound, I also think that there are sections that are reminiscent of the sound of Scandinavian melodic black bands, how would you describe the sound of the new album for those who have not heard it yet? What bands, styles and influences have helped you define your sound?
It's true that our influences are manifold, and one of Lunar Tombfields' mantras is not to put up any barriers. We both listen to very different things, and I think that comes across in our songwriting. I won't speak for Ä., but my influences easily range from Bölzer to Krallice, via Wolves in the Throne Room, Ultra Silvam or Alcest.
As far as the sound is concerned, we had a few ideas in mind but no definite direction. It was only in the studio that everything really took shape.
5. Your lyrics have a dark theme, related to death if I'm not mistaken, can you talk more about the texts of your songs, who writes them and why you delve into this theme? Do the lyrics adapt to the music? or vice versa?
The themes on the new album directly echo those on The Eternal Harvest. An Arrow to the Sun was written as a sequel to the latter, even if the two albums turn out to be very different musically speaking. The fatalism and contemplation of the first album are replaced by a new sense of urgency, combativeness and rage. The demons of history, the errors of times past and present, and biased beliefs have triumphed over cloudless skies. An Arrow to the Sun is the last gasp of a beleaguered humanity with nothing left to lose.
We always know what the song is going to be about before we write it, but the lyrics adapt to the music, not the other way round.
6. The sound of French bands like Deathspell Omega, Peste Noire or Blut Aus Nord seem to have guided your proposal, without forgetting the weight of the post and melancholic sound that can be the influence of a band like Alcest, well, a bit sweeping home, what? What is your opinion on the current state of the French black sound and do you consciously think you have picked up influences from these bands?
You mention three names I'm particularly fond of. Deathspell Omega, Blut Aus Nord and Alcest have all helped shape the way I play and compose on different scales.
I've always had an ambivalent feeling about the French scene. I love some bands enormously, while the majority leave me completely indifferent. I freely admit that the French scene is really in a class of its own, but I don't always find my place in it, far from it.
7. For the new album you recorded with Raphaël Henry from Heldscalla studio and mixed with Benoit Roux from Drudenhaus studio, I think this is a difference with respect to the previous album. What were you looking for with this change of studios in the album recording process? What do you think you have improved or modified with respect to the previous album?
M. : We have ambitions with this album and we want to give ourselves the means to achieve them. Raphaël Henry has already worked with a number of acquaintances who have highly recommended him. And we'd like to thank them for it, because the human and musical encounter was of the highest quality. We're very satisfied with his work, he was really the third man in the band during the two weeks of recording. On the other hand, we had in mind from the start to work with Benoît from Drudenhaus Studio. The two men know each other very well and are used to working together, which made things extremely straightforward.
I think the sound of the new album is clearer, more limpid, warmer, but also more powerful and deeper. Raph and Benoît understood very quickly where we were going with this record. We're really pleased with the production, and there's no doubt that we'll be working with them again in the future.
8. The figure of Sözo Tozö appears as the person in charge of the album cover, I don't know if he was also in charge of the previous album, but he does follow a fairly continuous line, why did you decide to work with Sözo and what do you want to represent with this cover?
M. : Denis Forkas, the artist we worked with on the first album, was not available. I'd seen a number of Sözo Tozö's works on the net, and we both agreed that his work would fit in perfectly with our universe. So we contacted him and gave him precise instructions on the album's themes, lyrics and moods. The rest is the result of our discussions, but above all of his talent.
9. What remains unchanged is the connection with Les Acteurs de l'Ombre Productions. Do you feel comfortable with a French record label that has been committed to you from the beginning with physical editions where vinyl appears as the flagship? ?maybe a casssette edition?
M. : We know most of the LADLO members personally, and they're very committed to what they do. The collaboration on this second album went off without a hitch. We do what they expect of us and they do what we expect of them, that's all. Naturally, we're delighted to see our work released on vinyl. There are no plans for cassettes at the moment, but who knows in the future.
10. Despite being a band of two musicians, you have offered the occasional concert, how do you organize yourself to take your music live with only two members in the band? How important is it for you to be able to offer concerts? Do you have more concerts scheduled? Which bands would you like to be able to offer a mini tour with?
M. : We call on two long-time friends who are excellent musicians.
We've always played live with all our projects. For us, it's the realization of our art. The music we play is very organic, very visceral, and it makes perfect sense to express it on stage, in connection with the crowd.
We have a nine-date tour of France and Belgium starting at the end of October, as well as the release party for An Arrow to the Sun at the end of November at our home in Nantes. Several festivals will soon be announced or have just been announced, such as Forest Fest. Other things are in the pipeline. We plan to play a lot to promote the album, both in France and abroad.
We'd like to tour with a number of bands, but we don't have any specific names. We just need to share the same values and vision.
11. How were your beginnings in music: first concerts you attended, first albums you bought? What happened in your lives that pushed you to want to be musicians?
M. : In a fairly classic way, when I was nine years old, I stumbled across my father's Kiss and Iron Maiden records. Since then, my musical path has continued to evolve as I've met new people, particularly in my teens, when friends and my insatiable thirst for new discoveries brought more and more things to my ears. Naturally, I wanted to become a musician myself, buying a guitar, then two, then three. I'm self-taught, whereas Ä. comes from a family of musicians. His father is a professional guitar player and he went to drumming school at a very early age.
My first concert had absolutely no connection with the world of rock or heavy metal. My first extreme metal concert was Mayhem, which is a very special memory for a young teenager!
12. What album represents for you the essence of black metal? What latest albums have you bought?
M. : It's a question to which I could give so many answers. But if I have to pick just a few: Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, Darkthrone's A Blaze in the Northern Sky, Gorgoroth's Pentagram, Dissection's Storm of the Light's Bane and Deathspell Omega's Si Monvmentvm Reqvires, Circvmspice.
The latest Black Metal records I've bought are the following: All Stillborn Fires, Lick my Heart by Kringa, The Pact by Negative Plane and Heimdal by Enslaved. Three excellent records. But I'm buying more 70s progressive rock and electronic music at the moment.
13. Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions for Black Metal Spirit, if you want to add something for Lunar Tombfields fans this is the place. I hope the questions are to your liking.
M. : Thank you for your interest in Lunar Tombfields. An Arrow to the Sun was released a few days ago and we hope it finds its audience. We're in a hurry to defend it everywhere, so promoters, take note!
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