Séb : Hello and many thanks for asking. Vincent and I decided in 2009/2010 to create Nocturn with a bunch of old friends who had already
played together on several previous local metal bands .I was abroad a few years and came back at that time, and as all of us, with the objective to mix
all our influences on a melodic black/death basis and have some fun by playing a kind of duo/duel between the guitars
and the keyboards. We realized 2 EP, had a few line up changes like almost every bands, and we are now releasing our first album,
"Like a seed of Dust".
Vince : Nocturn is a melodic death/black project with various influences. Seb founded the band, then called me to renew our past collaboration in music.
We released a first EP in 2013, had a few live dates until 2015,until we had to face a big line-up change.
We took the time we needed to get the perfect members for Nocturn, and with the new team we entered in studio in summer 2018. The mixing and mastering were performed in summer 2019,
and after a while seeking for a good label, we signed with Sliptrick Records, that we thank for their trust in our project, in february 2020. The next album is in advanced process.
2.In September you have a new album coming out, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording?
Vince : We always wanted to play something dark, speed, but with no limits of in songwriting influences or orchestrations. Black and death metal are present in our music,
but also a backing of heavy/speed metal, thrash metal, classical music...
The keyboards orchestrations explore various parts from choir melodies to teknical beats, we try to keep rich instrumentation's and harmonies between the instruments without becoming a mess.
Seb : The main style is mainly death metal, but we also love other styles and the fun for us was to add something else and different on every song, so you can sometimes find a reggae riff or
some little electro/techno moments. Anything that we liked and without fixing us any limits because it's not "trve"
or something else, just to have fun. A big patchwork.
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have explored so far with the music?
Vince : Death, life, war, love, destruction, anger, drugs, hope, duality, fragility of existence... Some texts are allegories told like a story, some are thoughts, some may be personnal.
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Nocturn'?
Vince : I like the night. The veil of darkness covering the land, predators hungry for flesh, creatures of evil hidden in the shadows or in our hearts...
Not about the Skyrim deadras !
Seb : We tried a few other names but this one was really the one we prefered.
5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented in the album cover?
Vince : It was created by Jean-Philippe Sonnet at Threadbare artwork. I was seeking for a drawing that represented beauty and fragility of life, decay and rebirth.
Our album is released for the fall, that perfectly suits with the concept.
6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Vince : Our best shows were in little and medium stages at Chambéry, at the Brin d'Zinc and at the APEJS. People were completely crazy, it was a killer public both times. Our performance was good, but we always can do better.
7.On the new album you also have a few guests, can you tell us a little bit more about who they are and also their contributions on the recording?
Vince : The first album guest is now part of the band, it was Sophie , singer and composer in her project 'From Hell with Love'. She performed all the clean female vocals of the album
and a part of dual voice with her harsh vocals upon 'The wraith in bloodied wings'. It worked so perfectly that she joined our crew definitely a few while after, and now I share
the microphone with her in dual voices.
Gilles Croset is a saxophonist that we met as the friend of a friend, who gently helped us with his instrument for a very special part in the song 'Under the Darkest Sea'.
We were glad to record a real saxo instead of the emulated sound on keyboards.
The other guests were a surprise for me too, because our two producers Rob and Arnaud who are also extremely talented singers in their own bands,
came behind the microphone to perform backing vocals, and they recorded killing material.
Rob Carson is the engineer who recorded us at his Carsonian Studio Solutions, and the singer of Xaon (they record their 3rd album lately). He came to perform with Léo and I for the gang vocals
on several songs : Pandaemonium, Liberhate and Odyssey. He was also a real support in some complexes studio situations and dilemmas, findind solutions to every production matter we faced.
Arnaud Ménard is the engineer who recorded all the bass guitars and vocal additionnal contents, and mixed our album with this incredible sound in his Sicarius Productions studio.
He is vocal teacher at 'Ecole La Sirène and also the singer of Alkemyst. He performed the vocal harmony with Sophie upon the song 'Infernale', and the melting of their crystal voices sounds incredibly good.
8.The new album is coming out on 'Sliptrick Records', how did you get in contact with this label?
We contacted many labels but as a little band we had some propositions that was not always interesting, with A&R good reviews but no good deals in sight before Sliptrick Records proposition.
Carlo, their A&R, and the team took the time to really listen to our album before making us a proposition, and they were honests.
We took the time we needed to find a label, because autoproductions are complicated to promote and it's important for the future of Nocturn. The next album is under preparation and
everyone is hot to play the past and the next songs.
9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of melodic black and death metal?
Some years ago, I started to invite people all over the world to like our music.
I was positively surprised by very good feedbacks, and we have people that liked our music almost everywhere : Europa, Russia, North and South America, Africa, India, Indonesia, Japan...
It's great !!
10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Vince : We will continue to play a melodic and technical death/black metal, and Sophie will sing more harsh vocal parts.
The next album will be in the same vein that the wraith in blooded wings, liberhate... with still many types of passages and ambiences.
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Vince : When I was young I studied classical piano in a music school during some years, that explain my neo-classical tastes sometimes.
I fell into distorded guitars when I discovered Scorpions, Deep Purple, Van Halen, Clapton, Aerosmith, AC/DC ...
I discovered something that could aggressive and beautiful at the same time and it surely defined my taste for metal music.
I still listen to old school heavy metal, thrash, death black metal. Bands like Iron Maiden, Blind Guardian, Gamma Ray, Angra, Sepultura, Pantera, Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer,
Death, Cradle, Immortal, Dying foetus, Dimmu, Behemoth,Children of Bodom, Godkiller, Summoning, Dissection, The Faceless, Origin, SOAD, Dagoba, Rammstein, Guns'n Roses, Hendrix,
only a part of each's discography; also mostly classical, blues and rock influences, there are countless .
But during the songwriting processes I don't listen much music, to avoid parasitizing the creation and fully express myself.
Seb : About the influences, they are really a lot and really different too ! We could say from Chuck Schuldiner to Jean michel Jarre for example !
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Vince : Thanks again to our producers Arnaud and Rob, and to all the artists involved in this project. I hope you will enjoy this album.
Thanks to you and to A Different Shade Of Black Metalzine for your interest, and hails to your audience ! Cheers !
Seb : Thank you again for this interview and your interest in our music, we hope you will appreciate it. Cheers
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