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In this new interview, the French sludge metal band Black Chair Rite talks to us about their first album and the writing / recording process behind this record!
Photo: LionsHugo
Hey Black Chair Rite! For those who will discover your band through this interview, could you introduce yourselves and describe your sound?
We are a sludge metal band, which we like to call "Mountain Sludge", because we come from the French Alps. Our sound is raw, furious, loud and alive. The best way to get an idea is to watch the "Trucks" video on our YouTube channel, the images and sound are stronger than words!
The band members are David (guitar and vocals), Mehdi (drums and backing vocals), Jordan (bass) and Joachim (guitar).
How would you describe your local scene?
It's alive! There are plenty of good bands like The Third Project, Ecclesia, Parjure, Until Therapy, From Hell With Love... We've shared the stage with bands from other styles too, like The Midnight Computers, a cold wave project that rocks.
Let's talk about your first album. How long did you work on it?
We've been working on this release for two years and we feel like it's not finished yet. We're about to start the first concerts where we'll have our beautiful CD on the merch table (and a nice backdrop made by Distrolution Merch). We're currently thinking about when to put the album on streaming platforms.
How would you describe your writing process for this album and where did you find your inspiration?
David, Mehdi and Jordan wrote a first version of the songs in early 2020. Later that year, Joachim joined the band and we worked together on the new arrangements. We all listen to a lot of different music and styles, black metal, sludge, hardcore, rap, folk, etc. We agreed to gravitate around bands like Crowbar, Killing Joke, Redscale, Paradise Lost, Neurosis, Mars Red Sky... as main influences, then each of us adds a bit of our own touch.
It's a framework we find healthy, we're not afraid to stray from it, but we know what the general spirit is around which we want to play. Everyone is included in the writing process, we're free to try any idea. In the end, we choose what works best for the songs.
Can you tell us about the album artwork? What's the idea behind the visual?
The cover is a painting done by Mehdi, the drummer. It's a desolate landscape, without any sign of life, everything is burned, it looks like ash and fire. Rather nihilistic like our lyrics. It reflects the destruction of our environment and ourselves.
It's not too dark either, there's room for light. In our music, there's a cathartic aspect, it's a space where we can let out our anger and frustration. We also have an old school French romantic influence, which consists of making something beautiful out of dirt and depression. The tree roots sinking into the earth are a reference to the album title and the first song "Your rotting entrails", the story of a madman who killed his wife to keep her close and obey him forever. There's the logo on the moon, Batman style.
Hugo did the photos and layout for the digipack. Dissidence Design created the band logos.
The last words are for you. If you have other ongoing projects or a message to pass on, now's the time!
At the moment, we don't have a distributor, so if you want an album, just contact us on social media! Stay tuned for upcoming releases and concerts, we're already working on the next album and playing live as much as possible!
