Hacride Interview is up 9/8/2009
- As your a new band to most of us tell us a bit about Hacride.
The band is around since 2001, we released a first album on Listenable in 2004 called “Deviant Current Signal”, the second “Amoeba” came out in 2007 it is the one who really helped us going aboard, we played European festivals like Brutal Assault, Summer Breeze, Graspop, Metal Camp… and did two tours with Dying Fetus and Divine Heresy. Here we come again with our new album “Lazarus” which had a good response so far. We are very happy about it.
2. Your debut CD just came out on Listenable tell us how you came to work with the label?
So as I said in the question before it’s our third album, and the third one on the label ;). In 2004, we just sent a demo like everyone and the label was interested, he wanted to release a CD fast which was “Deviant Current Signal” made of songs from the demo. That’s why we consider “Deviant Current Signal” sometimes more like a rerecorded demo even if it has every sound and composition quality of an album but the concept side is not pushed as in “Amoeba” or “Lazarus”.
3. the 1st track To walk among them is amazing did you get any grief for putting a 15 min track as the 1st song?
The funny thing here is that when I composed this song it was even longer than 15 minutes and I had to cut some parts. But yes it was kind of hard to work on it. This song is like a summary of the whole album, it sets the scene for the tracks coming after. It’s like a skeleton so it was very crucial for us.
4. You sound is a mix of MESHUGGAH , SOLEFALD, ULVER, ISIS, DREAM THEATER and NEUROSIS to my ears have any of these bands influenced you?
We like those bands you named, except SOLEFALD which I don’t really know (will check it out then). Meshuggah have been a big influence on the two previous albums but less on “Lazarus”. We all listen to different kind of music anyway so it’s hard to tell, our bassist Ben is really into Metal from Symphony X to Dimmu Borgir, our drummer, Olivier listens to lot of jazz, the singer, Sam has a hardcore and electro background and I listen myself to a lot of world music and progressive rock. The main core for everyone is metal though but with lot of variety.
5. France seems to be a strong home to avant metal these days with bands like Old Dead Tree & Gojira and labels like Season of Mist & Holy & Listenable etc. Do you have a good live scene for the more experimental styles as well?
Modern Metal is doing good in France, we have lot of very good bands and something is really happening. There are not that many progressive but a lot of polyrythmical bands lately. It’s very nice to be part of a scene which is evolving and changing.
6. How has Hacride sound changed form demo days to your CD on Listenable?
Again it’s our third album ;) so compared to the previous albums we wanted to have a more organic sound. That’s why we went to a jazz rock studio to record the drums. We didn’t want to have this compressed heavy metal sound but something still massive but much more natural.
7. Will there be any videos for Larazus CD or maybe a DVD???
We did one for the previous album and the song “Perturbed” ( which you can see here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?
8. What is a live show like for Hacride is it raw and just music or is there a stage show involved?
We don’t have that much fancy stuff on stage but two side drops inspired by the album cover and hiding the bass and guitars stuff to make the scene more clean if I can say. We also travel with our sound and light engineer who know us by heart and they do a great job. Our job as musicians is to provide the energy. You have to come and see so you can judge, that’s not something I can tell.
9. Are the lyrics written 1st or is the music created then the words around the emotion of the sounds??
The music is written first, Sam is writing the lyrics from the concept we took and his inspiration is coming from the music. He kind of dives completely in the music and then comes with feelings and the lyrics that go with it.
10. Do the members of Hacride perform in other projects metal or non metal?
Sam has another band which is called Mistaken Element where he is guitarist this time but it’s hard for him to tour with that band cause for exemple we are touring every weekend except one before Christmas. It’s nearly impossible to have another band then.
11. If you were asked 5 yrs from now where do you see the band ? will you still be a band then or can you not see another 5 yrs as Hacride..
We did 8 years total, 2 as a band touring quite a lot in Europe so if we passed that I guess we can do more, We are a family. I think no one in the band imagines to do something else anyway. When we don’t tour during one month it feels very weird. We use to be together with our technicians and tour manager, it’s hard to imagine our life without it now even if sometimes it’s hard. Specially cause we have to tour every weekend and work in the week to pay the bills which are not covered by the concerts. I’m a guitar teacher anyway so I’m still playing even for my job.
12. for each of the band members what was the band or album that made you want to play music and why?
I can’t say for the others sorry but for me it is when I was a young teenage and listened to Nirvana. I though it was very cool and that’s why I started to play guitar.
13. If there was any band you could tour with who would it be and why?
We’d like to tour with Mastodon, Opeth, Porcupine Tree or Enslaved. Why? Cause we all love their music of course J
14. Whats you thoughts on the digital age of music, promotion and internet radio. Do you miss the days of old were radio, print magazines and CD/ Vinyl promotion?
I think it’s a pity to make so much in an album to get the sound we want when the people will listen to it on mp3 on a computer cause the quality is then just gone. But apart from that I’m not against technology. The idea of having access to everything on a computer is nice but it’s also generalising music and people tend to pass to quickly to another song, cause there’s just too much to listen to J
15 are you fans of Myspace, Facebook and twitter or do they annoy you?
I got a myspace and a facebook, I have to admit but I don’t spend that much time on it. Actually I’m not so lucky with internet so I tend not to go that much. Our bassist is more into this stuff, he is the one taking care of the myspace.
16. thanks you for your time any closing thoughts here
Thank you for your questions and your support. We just hope to see you on the road one day.
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