LA RUMEUR DES CHAINES
"our lyrics are a second key to understand the music"
(September 2006)
Why did you name the band La Rumeur des Chaînes.....and what's this Ink and Feather..
actually
we didn't want any name for the band, just a title for this album
so it's just a Project?
yes,
nothing else called "la rumeur des chaines" will ever be issued. we
quoted this name from Alex lyrics, cos we wanted it a bit enigmatic and
original..and french also! then, about ink and feather… it's mostly because of
our website (NB www.ink-and-feather.com)...
we wanted it to host all our future projects (not only la rumeur des chaines)
so there are already new projects planed?
yes of course, it's ony a matter of time… but, there are a lot of directions we want to explore, and it's not always easy to do it under a single band name, so, that's why we chose this "single-projects" strategy
ok...
from where came the idea of mixing Jazz and Black Metal
it came by chance... you're maybe particularly refering to Erytheme, which is our most jazzy song. Alex composed the main theme of this song, wanting it to be quite strange and original for an extreme metal song. in it original version, erytheme was not so jazzy, and really shorter. It's only when we decided to record it that we enhanced brass parts and created a real mix between BM and jazz
so it wasn't the main aim creating a new genre or something like this....
well, not at first, but then, we realized that walking bass could sound really nice over tremolo picking riffs and it was quite a challenge to make of the whole stuff a coherent style. the only regret is that we missed a real drummer for this aspect
is it important beeing independent in the things which you’re creating? is the independece of your mind important for you?
it's important for me to create what I cannot listen to elsewhere. I have a lot of different influences, bands in which I like different aspects of their music, and then I suppose that I make it live together when I'm writing
why there are just three songs on the album?
because
it's only what we managed to write in 5 years of work
so better good songs than many songs or?
no, actually there has been several other songs that we didn't include in the cd, because they were too old, too cold (sorry), too different.. but even like that you can feel a certain evolution in the 3 LRDC songs. I'm really slow when writing, and I've never managed to finish a song in less than one year. It's building up riffs by riffs, and then I can pass 2 months just to find the better way to make two parts fit together
why sorry? :-) ....you like Darkthrone?
yes I like them, even I don't know their whole discography by heart.. it's one of the bands I like to listen to when I need raw BM
i don't realy like them so how came it that you hear (Black) Metal....which Band was the beginning?
hehe, so how did it start.. well with Cradle at the every beginning (not that original, I must say), but I think Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas has been the real first opportunity to realize my need of darker music and then I've slowly dived through underground
you like french black metal bands? (like Blut aus Nord)
oh yes, this one especially! we have a good BM scene, from raw black to symphonic and some bands more "special". Blut aus Nord is one of them, Deathspell Omega as well... I'm maybe not the right person to list the best french metal bands, but these two bands are in my favourites
can you identify yourself with the black metal szene....or do you just think it's a small community where everybody likes the same kind of music?
I'm not especially looking for contacts in the scene, I'm just a fan, buying Cds, going to concerts, but people I like are generally far away from metal community
Well,
i like you're opinion :-)
what shall be the song at your funeral?
what a question, most of time people respect dyings last will only if they agree with it.. so what could be nice, a band of friends playing unplugged pagan songs around a big fire so that they can have a nice moment
so paganism is important for you? and what's your personal aim for your live? making good music? beeing happy? driving a porsche at the age of 50? having good frieds? is natur important for you?
I'm not a paganist, even if I have nothing against old religions symbols and mythology... but a just a historical interest, just because it's a part of european culture, because I like to know about my past and the one of my neighbours. But in a way, it's only "contradiction spirit": if all of this was taught at school, nobody would find any interest in these myths. but I'm not saying that education programs have to be changed… so what was the next?
aim
of you're live
well
big question... it's quite simple, manage to find a way to keep time for music,
trying to find other interesting stuff to write, and learn a lot about foreign
cultures and countries
but
it's stil a big program
time
runs too fast…
yep
so what kind of music do you listen to in general? can you name some bands (not only french...) :-)
(you began with french bands) I share my time between metal (Enslaved, Opeth, Primordial, Sigh..), classical, and other stuff (Alamaailman Vasarat, Emir Kusturica, Django Reinhardt) for example
Django Reinhardt???
I"m
more and more interested by all the gipsy/klezmer/balkan sounding stuff
klezmer
is great
but
gipsy jazz is what I prefer
i played it on violin...(klezmer)
WOW…
I know who to call for an eventual future klezmer project ;-)
no i quited playing violin....the sound was soo uuurrrgggh, but if you're searching for a piano.....call me ;-) why are the lyrics in french? .... i mean many bands are singing in english....why not you?
you mean you're english isn't that good?
it's a part of the reason. it's more easy to master an original (again!) style of writing when it's your mother tongue. we'd have had less possibilities if we had chosen english. so that's true that less people can understand our lyrics, but at least, we don't rip them off because we propose something more personal
anyway… nobody is really listening to screamed vocals, isn't it?
lyrics are a part of the music....
so
it should be important
it
is. our lyrics are a second key to understand the music, and the artwork as well
is there a concept behind the texts?
in fact, we wanted to translate alex lyrics into english... but it's somehow impossible. at least for us. they're like subtitles in a dumb movie (Note/Editor: dumb movie: b/w slapstick movie). they're somehow bringing clues about what's happening in the musical landscape. lyrics are like alex’ interpretation of what's happening along the music structure, but it's sounds a bit stupid explained like that
how were the reactions to you're album? good? bad? too strange?
strangely good especially in germany. I didn't imagine you'll like this kind of messy stuff. No one said "oh it's rubbish it isn't TRUE this can't be named as music" etc... but it was quite surprising to see how people would react confronted to an UFO-song like rytheme, for example. not such bad reactions, people who disliked (especially in forums) have been quite polite. the other interesting stuff was to see the differences between countries
who did the artwork?
Lucian Stanculescu, a friend of mine. I know he was drawing and making sculptures, but it's only when I assisted to one of his exhibitions that I understood that it would be a big chance if he'd accept to draw our artwork
i
like the artwork realy....it fits to the music
the
funny stuff is that he had already several pictures abour ideas we had for a
long time with alex (have a look at Lucian’s Galleries at: http://first.resonance.free.fr/
you can visit the full "mindscapes" section, there's a lot of dark and original stuff for a guy who's not at all into dark musics
what do you think about the medium music? a change for expressing youself... or also a danger (like NSBM)
for me it's a full way to express myself, i'm quite unable to write, for example, so everything I have to say becomes riffs. then, about the way that lyrics are used sometimes...for me they bring another dimension, a context to music. I don't really like when a special message is broadcasted but if people see it another way... about NSBM for me it's not amazing if such themas are exploited by extreme metal bands, because they push perversion and all the stuff further and further.. the real danger is the influence they can have on youngsters, who can easily be influenced and make bullshit, so I don't support it for this reason and I'm maybe naive but I can't manage to think these bands really believe in all their ns stuff
just
a way to say "look, we are more evil than our satanist neighbour"
oh yes of course....they are just searching for an extreme for beeing different in comparrision to the others....
what do you think about extreme religions....like satanims? do you believe in a religion?
i'm
quite sure that we'll have a lot of stalinist BM bands in a few years
stalinist or satanist?
no
i don't, but i understand people need it to live stalinist
and do you believe?
no
okay.....i think the intie is getting to the end.... last words?
yep it's been a pleasure to have this interview with you. an occasion to speak about more personal stuff. i don't like those interviews just about the new album and the next tour... there are sooo boring
yes
they are, it's a good way to turn it differently
Questions/Thoughts? (or whatever):