Interview with the Band Phoebus the Knight (France)
By Mick Michaels
COSMICK VIEW: Hello! Welcome to The Cosmick View.
Thank you for taking some time out of your day to chat with me, it's greatly
appreciated.
CV: Do you feel Heavy Metal music in general is viewed differently by fans
in Europe compared to fans elsewhere ,especially in America ,and if so why?
Guillaume: I don't find that this style of music is seen differently in Europe than in the US. I think that some styles are more represented in some continents than in others …like black metal or symphonic metal for example. On the other hand we can feel a huge divide within France. Indeed this style of music is not very appreciated in this country, and this one is even denigrated or hated by the majority of the population.
Axel: Metal is a Hydra with many heads, in the United States it is more Heavy metal, in Norway more Black Metal and in Germany more Power Metal. Such a rich musical genre naturally adapts to its audience.
Adrien D.: I would say that music is perceived differently more from fans of a genre than from a country. Black Metal fans won’t obligatory pay attention to the same things in other genres compared to Heavy Metal fans for example. And it’s that way if we speak only about exclusive people but most metal fans listen to a lot of genres with just a handful they reject fully. I would say the country difference is more about the attitude to the music in live shows. Some culture will be calmer than others during a concert for example but still… it’s all generalities. It’s really difficult to make a cohesive point about topic like those with a lot of variables.
CV: What do you feel makes Heavy Metal music so alluring to the fans?
What is it about the music that personally resonates so strongly with you?
Axel: Metal is a complex and technical musical genre. In a world where everything drives us to ease and idleness, it embodies a sanctuary where our souls can rise.
Adrien D.: Actually, metal braces a lot of influences, be it musically or from
literature. Metal regroups so much different ambiances, sounds, style of
harmonic writing or vocals and also type of lyrics, universes, story and all of
that grouped with the power and the grandeur the codes of this style bring to
the music. A lot of people can relate to any band that will produce a music
near to their tastes or passions. You can be a fan of motorbikes or a fan of
fantasy, or even a folk music fan, you will find a metal band that suits you
and will make feel good.
Guillaume: This style of music can be seen as an outlet, a kind of catharsis.
It's a way to let off steam and to deal with themes or subjects that we
wouldn't necessarily tackle in life or in society.
CV: Has Metal splintered into too many sub-genres in your opinion, thus, making
it harder for newer bands to actually classify themselves as one style over
another? Is it confusing for fans as well?
Axel: A style as complex as metal must always innovate to go further musically, the more sub-genres it will have, the richer it will be and the more new fans will be able to embrace the cause.
Adrien. D.: On my end, I don’t think it’s possible to innovate by creating
really new music. Everything has been written, every harmonies, almost all melodic
structures, we’re only recycling stuffs now, be it in metal or any other genre.
We only have twelve notes in occidental music. So, to be creative, you have to
melt genres together to be creative and bring something fresh to the listeners.
With Phoebus the Knight for example, I try to bring more true classical
orchestral writing to the music along with folk elements to some traditional
power metal. And when I say true classical writing, it means writing in the
fashion of sometimes Bach, sometimes Rachmaninov or sometimes more in the
fashion of movie music like William’s for example and even quote in the music
the full orchestral score of renowned work like the Requiem of Brahms. I also
use prog rock and black metal as influences. Melting all those genres in a
cohesive way is what I think is being innovative today cause if your melting is
carefully done and done with love, you create a new sound. And I’m far from
being the one that melts genres together so that will create more new subgenres
but I’m all in for it cause the more the music is rich, the better it is. But,
on the other hand, being innovative doesn’t necessarily create a new subgenre.
We didn’t create one for example. And sometimes, some subgenres are just not
new genres at all.
Guillaume: On my end, I think so. Personally, I'm just of the opinion to say that we make "metal" and that's all. If people want to put us in a box, let them. But to label yourself as a sub-genre is for me a way to restrain yourself artistically. All we want to do is make good metal music around a specific theme and story. I don't care about the rest; I don't want to lose people with all these categories.
CV: How would you describe the current state of the music business considering we are now living in a COVID aware, and maybe even feared world? Have things drastically changed long-term for artists and bands given the recent pandemic? What are your thoughts?
Guillaume:
I think things have changed since COVID. Not necessarily on the creation itself
but on the way to create. A lot of bands had to adapt, create and compose from
a distance, record at home and so on. And personally, I am a fan of believing
that the home studio is the future. Today you can create entire albums by
staying at home and working on the sound you want to have. This period also
forced bands to rethink their styles, the way they spend their money, the way
they travel and so on. And I think that's a good thing for the music industry.
Axel: It is changing and it is far from easy, it is up to us musicians to fight these new challenges, and to innovate in the presentation of our work to the public. Fear prevents faith.
Adrien D.: Let’s face it; COVID has been a disaster for a lot of us. A lot are forced to change job, it’s more and more difficult to make a living out of creation. But it’s not only because of COVID. The music business model in metal is not beautiful today. There are so many bands trying to pierce through because of the home studio democratization, so many offers, and so little listeners interested in hearing something new. You add to this that the people in charge of organizing live shows don’t pay small bands anymore as every band is replaceable for them. We’ve reached a point where you must pay to play in some settings, for being an opening act for bigger bands for example. You’re not recognized for your talent and music anymore. If you’re not lucky enough to be favored by the industry, you must pay to have an article in a printed magazine, you have to pay monthly fees for booking (instead of a percentage on the income from a booked show, as before), you have to pay for playing, you have to pay everything in the beginning even if you have a label and you don’t get this money back before a long time, if you ever get it back.
Making a metal career with your own band has become something you do on the very, very long run while investing most of your personal money in it but with a lot less chance of success than before because of the very big number of bands, of various quality, available. You really need to have the passion to do it and an iron will if you want to succeed. That implies to have at least three different jobs at the same time…your job for your salary, your job of musician and your administrative job for the band. In my case you can add a composer, arranger, mixer and music producer. That’s a lot of energy and dedication but, of course, I’m very happy to do it. However, I think that artists should take the center of the business preoccupations in a normal world cause without us; nobody could listen to music or even make a living out of it.
CV: What do you feel makes your band and
its particular approach to songwriting work? What keeps the band together and
making music?
Adrien D.: I think that the story Axel wrote will bring enthusiasm to a lot of fantasy, metal and history fans as it is greatly written with a lot of depth and complexity. The fact that I wrote the music in connection with it, with a different approach than usual symphonic metal using real classical orchestral writing in a lot of passages makes the whole work unique. I think our music has the theater-like quality of opera, the grandiose and beauty of classical music, the power of metal and the depth of a unique well-crafted story. The message we carry and the desire to help people to dream, as well as our strong friendship, keeps the band together and standing.
Axel: We have one common goal, to make Phoebus the Knight a rich universe both musically and from a literary point of view and to make this universe known to as many people as possible. This is our quest and together we walk through the difficult life of an artist with this sole objective in mind.
Guillaume: A lot to say here! I think we have a pretty unique concept. We've seen concept bands in the past, but not like ours. We are all connected by a common history and passion. We believe in the project and we work hard to make it works. Our music has a lot of different influences, each instrument has its own influences and sometimes, some of these influences don't belong to the metal world at all, which makes us stand out from the crowd.
CV: On a more global view, how do you see your band’s music and songwriting
separating itself from just being another Heavy Metal act?
Adrien D.: As we said before, the fact that all the music Phoebus the Knight is written in a total emphasis with its story makes it quite unique. It is composed like a metal opera with a big orchestra, some powerful moments, some darker and some tender ones. You will hear leitmotivs that will come back in different shapes to remind the listener important events and emotions of previous songs, different voices for different characters and an orchestra that is written with depth and colors to offer a vast palette. The point is to get you to travel to another world and live an epic story! The fact that we also change the metal style under the symphonic part to adapt to the subject of the song while keeping our identity makes our records very versatile and keeps the listener open to surprise. I think that is also one of our strengths. You never know what to expect with us!
CV: Can an artist truly be unique? Some would argue there is no such thing as
being unique; that it’s nothing more than a compounding of influences making an
artist who or what they are. Would this then say that artists today are
destined to be just copies of those who have already come to pass?
Adrien D.: For me, there are a lot of artists that make music that is not unique, but also a lot of them who are making unique music! Of course, each band makes music from a pile of influences but the question is how do they do that? It’s the way of doing it and the way to treat emotions through music that makes you unique. If you listen to an artist and are able to say “It makes me think of that band and that band but they’re not sounding like them, actually no other band sound like them despite their influences that are recognizable”, then it’s a unique artist, period! I think also the way you feel while listening to an artist can be unique. For example, there is no other band that sound and feel like Rammstein even if there are other Indus bands with a low voice. How they did it, their sound, their lyrics, their ideas, their singer, their ambiance…it all makes them unique.
Guillaume: Certainly not! Each artist is unique just as each human being is unique. Can we say that a child is nothing more than a copy of his parents? Of course not, we all come from somewhere, and it's the same for music. Every artist, at one time or another, has been inspired by something, and it is not necessarily music. We will always be compared to someone else, for good or bad. All that matters is to create and enjoy ourselves. If we look a little bit we will always find similar things in artists, the main thing now is to detach ourselves from this image and move forward.
CV: Are there life lessons to learn being in a Heavy Metal band that you feel cannot be taught elsewhere? If so, what are they?
Guillaume: I don't think it teaches us more than any other group or style. If you want your band to work you have to, create, promote, work as a team and play shows. The only thing that this style has taught me is to work and above all not to give up.
Adrien D.: I think that metal teaches you to play in a certain way that needs high rigor. Also, Symphonic Metal especially makes you learn how to write for an orchestra and that develop your brain a lot. Also, I think that metal being a style that was apart from the others for a long time, it teaches you to love what you love without shame, to stand tall and proud for it, and to be yourself no matter what. It sounds cliché but I feel it’s true.
CV: What do you feel makes someone a “rock star”?
Does being a rock star automatically make one iconic or are the two completely
different in your opinion?
Guillaume: For me these are completely different things. The concept of "rock star" was fashionable in the 80/90s. Today what makes the difference is the charisma, the attitude of a person. And I don't believe that a person's attitude is tied to his or her profession. And well, drugs, sex and alcohol were fun in the 80's, but now this image belongs to the past, it's time to move on.
Adrien D.: I simply don’t believe in rock stars. Rock stars are made by people wanting an idol or by media wanting a product to sell, so they make an Idol for people needing one. That doesn’t mean that the art of a rock star will be bad of course, but I can’t ignore this side of things. Let’s remember that artists are, before all, craftsmen and craftswomen of art, not some kind of divine entity.
CV: What's next for you? What can fans expect to see coming as the world looks
to surmount a new normal laced with a load of restrictions?
Guillaume: A new style of metal…something more epic, open, authentic and covered by a story. Phoebus the Knight is not just a metal band; it's a story, with a beginning, people, intrigues, adventures, battles and so on. Music is only a part of our story, there is much more to come!
Axel: We will proudly release our first Album “Ferrum Fero Ferro Feror” on January 23rd in digital and on January the 30th in physical. The homonymous novel should follow in the following months.
CV: Thank you again for spending sometime talking and
sharing with our readers. It was a pleasure. I wish you all the best and continued
success.
Axel: Thank you Cosmick View for this talk! It was a pleasure for us too!
Guillaume: Thank you for welcoming us, have a nice day!
AdrienD.: Thank you very much for this interview! Wish you all the best!
Check out
Phoebus the Knight at:
Official: https://phoebustheknight.fr/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phoebus.the.knight/
Twitter: https://www.instagram.com/phoebus_the_knight/
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