Interview
Salut , welcome to Acier Doux Metalzine , are you ready for an interview ? Which cools things happened in the camp of the bands you are playing in lately ?
Hi Acier Doux, the last cool event was for a Manilla road’s opening, the public, friends of Silver Machine and Manillac were so great. During the show, Guigui had a problem with his guitar and we need to stop the song, after ten seconds, i hear someone who shout behind me « drum solo !! drum solo!! ». It was Mark Shelton … no pressure under me .
For the new fans and metalheads, give us a brief bio Tentation . When did you start playing heavy Metal ? how were your early years as a band ?
In the beginning, i wasn’t in the band of Tentation wich started in 2012 with Darquos (Vocal and drums), Guix (Bass) and Guillaume (Guitar). They cover some Trance song just for the pleasure and they record a demo of Bruixes, the first Tentation song. After few months, Darquos wanted to stop playin’ drums and only sing, the better he lives. We were in the same Metalheads association, so they ask me to take the place behind the drums. After a first apparition on a special guest show with Elevenstorm in 2014, we start to compose our first EP. We record it in my studio in january 2015, David Genet at Cochise studio mix and master the 6 songs and the Ep out in june 2015 on Infernö Rec. For Cd and tapes and on Impious Desescration Rec. for vinyle version.
Your new EP ” Tentation ” was released recently. How do you feel about it ? Anxious to read the flow of reviews and to play some gigs?
It’s not really a new EP, it’s just a repress version with some extra tracks like 2 demos and 1 live new songs. Feedback were great great, it’s amazing for us . We never had any ambition with this record, just the pleasure to share our passion. We’re going to play on 3 great festival in france (Heavy Metal Ritual at Tarbes, Rising Fest at Dijon and Skull fest at Colmar) and we’re going to meet some amazing band like Ross the boss, Crystal viper, Evil Invaders, Witchbound and our friends of Lonewolf, Blaspheme, Hürlement and Electric shock.
Your last EP was released by Impious Desecration Records ! How did you get in touch with Olivier and how does things occur ? Do you feel especially proud about seeing your music released on Impious Desecration Records ?
Darquos meet Olivier on a Thrash festival at Bressuirs, he spoke about our project to record some songs for an EP, and Olivier has been directly interessed for Impious Desescration Rec. When we had finished to mix « Bruixes » and « L’ épreuve du sang », we send them to Olivier and also to Fabien from Infernö records. They show us a real motivation to out our music. We are proud to collaborate with this 2 amazing labels, Olivier and Fabien give the chance to our french scene to show their talent with a true spirit. So many great french bands like Sacral night, Demonic Oath, Hexecutor, Citadelle, Cadaveric Fumes, Elevenstorm out their first demo on IDR or Infernö.
Tell us about your weekly practices ! How many times a week do you rehearse , and in what kind of conditions does it occur ? Is it in an old garage, a hangar, in your own house ? Maybe there are affordable ” rehearsing studios ” in France ?
Well, we don’t have a really regular practice in rehearsal, we play when we have some new material to work or some shows. We can stay some weeks to do nothing. We all have jobs, familly, some other projects and also, we organise together a great Heavy Metal festival (Pyrenean Warriors Open Air) and it’s a very big work, every day. For practice, i manage a loca at “L’art ou cochon”, it’s an amazing place with a true anarchiste spirit, very punk. A lot of Metal, garage and hardcore bands can practice in a cool condition, it’s smellswork, rock n roll and beer.
When you write songs, do you focus on the intensity / energy, bizarre sounding riffs, catchy sounding parts… What do you have in mind, what’s your goal during the process of creation ?
We just have in mind to want to headbang our fucking heads ! If guitar riff kick our ass, we keep it, if not, it goes in trash. We just want to have pleasure and give good music to our Pyrenean friends & fans all over the world. When we finish a song, we send it to our friends for their opinion, they tell us if it’s cool or not, it’s very important for us to have some real returns from our brothers.
How long did you spend to compose and record the EP ? Is it about months or years ? Is it always easy to find a guitar part to follow this killer riff you found ? . Does everything happen “live” in the rehearsal room, or do you need to record songs and take some distance to hear what’s not efficient enough?
We try to catch the first energy, we don’t like to change 100 times the songs, and when we try to polish up too much, songs lose of their flavor. We don’t want to make a performance , juste write some great chorus which tempts us to sing.
Can you tell us the sources of inspiration behind your rather lyrics ?
Darquos love to speak about occult stories, spiritism and personnal history.
Why you choose the French language for the realses lyrics , it’s reminds me of the early French Metal scene ?
In first, the 80’s french Metal scene is our principal influence. The like that sound, and writing in french send us more emotion and poetic feels. Also, if you heared Darquos speaking English, you’ll don’ t ask me why… !
I noticed that you playing with another band called Höly Ghözt can you tell me more about that and did you record something with it?
Yes, i play with Höly Ghözt and i’m back in the band for ten years. It’s one of my first band when we start in 1990. We have out 3 demos, 1 album and 1 Ep. We change so many time of line up last years but i hope now it’s ok. We are actually in studio to record our new album, we play Heavy Metal and our influence are Gamma ray, Wasp, Dio, Iron Maiden, Deep purple, Scorpions and Kiss.
You music is pure Heavy Metal I think it’s a quite putridly fitting description. Which band was the biggest influence for the sickening sounds of Tentation ?
No hesitation with Sortilège. it’s the Darquos favorite band & one of the best for the other Tentation members. This band have a really big impact on our music. We can’t copy ’em cause we don’t have their talent, but it’s a wonderfull inspiration for us. I can also quote you Blaspheme, H Bomb, Adx, Ponce Pilate, Venin , Malediction. It’s very impressive to meet sometimes some of these incredible bands (the ones who continue) and to be friend with some members. Tentation give us the chance to meet our idols, there is no price for this.
Thank you very much and congratulations for your great work. If you wish to add something , go ahead ……
Thanks so much for your nice words, you make a great job too, it’s important to see people who work for Heavy Metal. I need to learn more about tunisian Heavy Metal scene. Cheers .
Interviewer : Speedskullcrusher
