METAL COSMOS (Greece)
The Oath are a new and very hopeful band hailing from France that indulge in a mixture of atmospheric black metal, Swedish death metal and thrash.
As it happens they are releasing their sophomore effort entitled, "4", so we got in touch with guitarist/vocalist Pierre "D444" and asked him to tell us about the record and the band in general.
1. Are you satisfied with the final result of "4"?
Yes of course, we are completely satisfied by the final result of "4". We have no regrets, "4" sounds killer like I've ever dreamed of. Kristian "Khole" Kohlmannslehner at Kolhekeller studio (Germany – Crematory, Agathodaimon, Siege even, Benighted…) did a really good job!
2. Is there something could be better? Why you name the album "4"?
No, I don't think so… This album is great like that! We'll see what can be changed on our next release!
This title is very symbolic. First of all "4", as a number, is understood by every countries and cultures all over the world. Everyone can pronounce it in his own language. But there's another important meaning here: we wrote, produced and recorded this album with a 4 united members line-up. But I'm sure there're many other ways of understanding…
3. Comparing with your debut one (I have never heard of it so far), what are the differences?
There're many differences between "The end of times" and "4".
There are very important… In fact our first album "The end of times" was recorded with less money and time. We did the record sessions in our own rehearsal room with our sound engineer. For "4" we spend four weeks in a professional studio. Here is the biggest difference. And "4" contains the best tracks we've never composed, with a very powerful and organic sound. Nevertheless "The end of times" is an album I still am very proud of. It was a big step in the history of the band and we have collected positives returns from the entire world.
4. If you could change something in "4" what is this?
Nothing! As II said before, this release is great like that.
5. How is the reaction of the fans toward your latest effort so far?
Very very great in fact. Maybe because nobody did not wait for us at this level and also because we've made a cool and powerful stuff, a real double effect! People of very cool in general with us… that's great!
6. How could you describe your music to someone who have never listen to you before?
As a kind of black/death metal with symphonic arrangements mixed with classical heavy and thrash influences… We grow up with Maiden, Megadeth, Slayer or Helloween and we put what we prefer in Scandinavian bands like Necrophobic, Naglfar, stuff like that…
For information, our label says "Blackened death metal: Think about the best parts of Dimmu Borgir, At The Gates and Emperor mixed together!". But I'm not fan of this kind of description, because when they read that, people after are logically less objectives…
7. What was your main influences creating "4"?
Just us, and what we want to play, to listen to. All or songs are composed like that: someone has an idea whom gives a new idea to someone else, etc…
We know when we've got something interesting when every member is quite excited by the new material, and when we bang our head during the rehearsal! We really enjoyed cold guitars riffs, inspired arrangements and powerful melodies…
8. What was this force you starting your own band? How may years you are involved with the music?
All began when I was 12, when I listened to the Iron Maiden track "Murder in the rue morgue"… This moment was the real beginning of my metal head life! I took my time to make my own band… That was 10 years ago in 1999 when, with a friend we deceide to make ouor own music based on all stuff we like at this period. The Oath became a serious project when we had our own rehearsal room in 2002.
9. How do you support your new work so far?
We trying to play the most as possible to promote this new album live. And we've got an agency in Germany whose in charge of promoting this album too… We are trying to do the more things we can to push the band…
10. Tell us few things about the lyrics of the album.
These lyrics are very personal. I wrote 70% of the lyrics in this album, the rest was written by our bass player Carcharoth. For my part they are all about my own introspective vision of life in general and mostly mine. Quite difficult to explain but a real inexhaustible source of inspiration... Like a non–conformist, misanthrope and independent glance on the world we are confronted with day after day in our life, in our mind, our heart…
11. How important are the lyrics to you?
For me, the are very important… They are the soul behind the music. When you know (and you understand) the lyrics, the music takes another dimension. Especially if you are the one who wrote them!
12. Are there any messages behind the lyrics?
Yes of course! Everyone can find them with his own way of thinking…
13. Do you have any new songs ready?
Today we've got 4/5 news tracks. For my parts I've already wrote 6/7 lyrics… Until February, we don't have so many gigs, so I hope we will create more new songs!
We have a little more than a year before returning to studio in Germany. We are still in our timing, that's fine.
14. Is there any songs from any other bands who would like to be yours?
It's a very difficult question… Actually, maybe "Destroy everything" from Hatebreed. The most catchy and efficient hardcore track ever!
15. Explain us also the album cover?
All the artwork, including cover, photo sessions has been created by a friend of us. He did a fantastic job! We really like the result of his work. Otherwise, there're many ways of understanding this cover because you can find many meanings behind this image; like beauty and destruction, life and death, filth and light… everybody could see many things. Finally, this cover is really coherent with the global concept of the album; it works well.
16. Except The Oath is there any projects some of your current members participate to?
Yes, PeterPal (keyboards) plays bass in a band rock/metal called "Cynical Tales". That's all.
17. How is your relationship with other French bands. Could you suggest us some other great (for your opinion) French Bands to check out?
Well in fact. The French metal scene is very important. That's why, this is unbelievable to be ignored by all the media supports, even by the few specialized ones… It's such a shame!
Anyway, the band I can recommend to everyone are bands like Benighted, Gojira, Dagoba, Kronos, Destinity, Sup, The Old Dead Tree…
18. Ok let us know now your latest favourites and then go to all time classic favourites?
These days I'm listening to the Pain, Nevermore, Zonaria, Devian or Misery Index latest albums… and also non-metal stuff like Depeche Mode, Perry Blake… It's often very eclectic cause it depends of my mood!
For the all time classic favourites, the list is too long as you can imagine! But you can surely find that kind of cult pieces: Maiden (Live after death, Seventh son…all); Megadeth (Countdown to extinction, Youthanasia…); Helloween (Keepers of the 7th keys part 1 & 2); Slayer (South of heaven, Reign in blood…), Anthrax (Persistence of time…), early Theatre of tragedy and Amorphis, Paradise Lost (Draconian Times), Necrophobic (The nocturnal Silence…), Obituary (Cause of death), all Death albums, Dimmu Borgir (Enthrone Darkness Triumphant), Cradle of Filth (Vampire, dusk and her embrace), Naglfar (Diabolical)…
19. What' s your greatest live show so far?
Curiously a very old gig. It was in 2002, around our second demo released. It was in a very small and spooky club in our town. More than 150 people were in a very very small place. The atmosphere was overexcited and wet… Almost everyone were topless at the heart of winter and the walls were sweating; that was just amazing…
20. Tell us few things concerning your feature plans
These days we are trying to play live the much as we can to promote this new release. We've got some gigs in France, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Germany planned for 2009. And we also trying to composed some new tracks in order to go back to the studio around spring 2010…
21. Do you feel that your music ambitions are accomplished with The Oath? Do you have something "bigger" in your mind that you'd like to achieve with the band someday?
You know I'm totally satisfied by our current situation. We can always look forward and dream about better conditions, label kind, great festivals… But I can't forget the place I came from. I started the band many years ago without any claims. I'm still here as a metal head who really enjoy playing with his friends or in front of many other metal freaks! All that happens is great! If something better comes, well we'll take it like we take every thing in ours life: with a smile and a huge beer!
22. Wish you all the best with your new album. Thank you very much for your time. Last words are yours!
Thank you! Thanks again for this interesting interview. Hope one day we could play and have some fun in your great country with you guys! Take a look to our myspace page www.myspace.com/theoath666 to hear how our new album sounds! Hope you'll like it! Cheers from France, take care and stay metal!