Les Noires Productions Artist- Herrschaft Interview is up
1. I know Herrschaft has 15 yrs and several albums. What makes Herrschaft keep going?
After 15 years, the perspective of showing off onstage, get drunk and drugged aftershow and feel the heat with fans is still strong, so there is no reason to stop, are they? :).
2. With LE FESTIN DU LION you are no longer with Code 666 but Les Noires Productions. Tell us about why the change?
For what we've seen, life is difficult for all small Metal labels these days. And on our side, we are bad partners, issuing one album once every 5 years only ! :). So we weren't on the plans for Code666 this time, it was time to part ways!
In parallel our plans were not fitting the schedule of some other labels we had contact with, and we really wanted to release album in 2019. It made us rethink our approach in nowadays context.
Honestly, we control our music composing and producing from A to Z, we already had all necessary contacts for distribution and PR, we had the shoulders... The added value of a 3rd party label would be minimal.
So at the end we decided to make a deal with our close friends from Les Noires Production and issued our album in family ! Some monthes later, we don't regret it !
3. I see its distributed thru season of Mist are they partnered with Les Noires Productions
Zoé created good bonds with the SOM team some years before, when he was playing with The CNK. Our previous label was working with them too, so it was a no brainer to continue the adventure with Les Noires Productions.
4. In 5 words explain the current sound of Herrschaft to someone about to listen for 1st time?
Mind your ears, boy, seriously !
5. How does the artwork play to the theme of LE FESTIN DU LION ?
We wanted to have an esoteric, satanic approach for this album. But of course we made it our way! So we came up with this image of a confused Satan, looking over humanity, and talking to his acolyte like "look, they don't need us anymore, they're doing all this shit on their own!". Both amused and disapointed, you see? It has become the red wire of the album. When we did the photoshoot, working with our talented friend Aurelie R., we kept the spirit but added more ambiance, with this naked begging humanity, with a "Le radeau de la méduse" touch.
6. The Kovenant, Oomph!, Kontrust, Manes, Rammstein, Red Harvest, Shining (NO), Aborym and The Amenta are band I hear with Herrschaft new album. What bands are influencing you?
If we take into account all members' influences, and if you add Combichrist, some old school Black Metal and White Zombie, it's quite the same !
7. Over the past 15 yrs how has the Digital age changed recording, promotion and touring for an extreme underground band like Herrschaft?
For the music, it changed nothing as we are independent in our sound from the start and that's our trademark. We're armed to go on again and again !
For the rest, honestly I'd say that we struggle to keep on, like many, in a world too fast to cope with.
We decided to keep on playing a bastard style that will always be deeply loved by core fans and despised by the masses. The opposite of a bankable project !
So despite we had some highlights, the chance to play in Wacken last year, for example, good opportunities are always hard to catch. Promotion now sounds like prostitution, touring sounds like rape, everything is now getting too fast and too dumb for us.
It feeds our music, of course, but sometimes I feel like this confused Satan looking over the world now.
8. Industrial or Metal at the core of it all which side is Herrschaft more akin too?
Our own trademark is not to choose ! :) Herrschaft will always be 50% Electronica, 50% Metal, 100% Satan.
9. If you could make a proper video for any track off of LE FESTIN DU LION which would it be and how would it look?
It will be "Technosatan" of course, and we currently are in a project of shooting the sequel of our first movie clip... Be a little patient, as I can't say more, but of course, it will keep the same disturbing and cynical spirit of the first one (that, of course, you have to see here: https://youtu.be/nmZvdyeDNyA).
10. What is the scene like in Paris for Electro Industrial Metal? Are any bands that deserve some press from home?
Yes, hopefully these last years some new bands showed up in the style, pimping up Electro-Metal with their own touch, refreshing the scene. You should definitely check SHAARGHOT, SYNDRO-SYS and FREAK INJECTION for example.
11. Live or studio which drives the band more?
We're historically a studio band, in the way we love to take time to build, shape, break, redo our songs before we consider them perfect. Zoe and I have been working like this from the start, and it often explain why we take so much time to release each album ! :) But the last 4 years brought big changes, which make us fit for live shows, and really enjoying it.
We wiped away the line up, parting ways with MzX the previous singer, switching a drummer to a singer (that's me!), and embarking two killer guys as new drummer (Liv) and new bassist (Dany). It changed everything, fostered creativity and pushed us to build on top of our sound a new visual impact, including light show and live visuals.
12. How does imagine and visuals make Herrschaft stand out in 2019?
Well, we heavily rely on Satan to help us on that. Again, yes.
13. Does members of Herrschaft have other projects you would like my readers to know about or check out?
Yes ! It's been the case for years, as we are an open couple ! Zoe has had many collaborations with other bands, CNK being the most known. But now, the drummer and the bassist are doing this too !
Nowadays there are two projects to follow-up : Zoé and Liv are adding live fire to AMBASSADOR 21, and Dany is leading his new killer Punk/Cold/Wave band called JE T'AIME, which you really need to check out - Zoé being not far from this one also (as this little bastard is everywhere).
14. If it was all to end today what do you want Herrschaft to be remembered for?
We always did what we wanted, when we wanted, the way we wanted. All by ourselves. Whatever the result, the imperfections, the critics, the result makes us very proud. And this is precisely the reason why it's not going to end today :)
15. Any closing thoughts here?
Thanks for your interview, take care and stay brutal!
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