1. Greetings, Fréderic ! Thanks for accepting our request on this interview. There are so many things to talk about with you as a member of Longing for Dawn, owner of Cyclic Law label and only representative of dark ambient projects Visions and Instincts. Firstly I would like to ask about your upcoming Longing for Dawn release. I´ve red, that you are entering the studio next month. Isn´t it too early, while your last album „A Treacherous Ascension“ was released only last year ?
Well by the time this 3rd album will be released, wich we hope in Autumn 2008, it will be almost 2 years since the release of „A treacherous Ascension“, so 2 years bettween releases is quite decent I find. And the inspiration has been there this year to compose this new album and we’re all quite satisfied with the result so far.
2. What should the new album bring ? Some kind of progress or tradiotional Longing for Dawn as we know it from previous two albums ?
A definite progress for sure, no drastic changes have been made but we’ve fine tuned our approach and have given a more spiritual depth to the music. The traditional Longing For Dawn sound is still there, we‘ve just pushed everyhting a little more…
3. There is no biography of your band on your website or myspace. Do you consider it completely useless or you want to leave it uknown ? Many doom metal bands doesn´t publish any further details about them. This fact keeps some mystery above them. Is this the thing you want to achieve ?
Well I don‘t really see the relevance of a complete biography, who did what in the past etc…
The interest is on now and with the band’s current or past activities.. yet we all have other bands or projects we work on and these are listed on our website and myspace page, so people can for sure have a good idea of what we‘ve done or are doing alongside Longing For Dawn.
4. Longing for Dawn created its unique sound on the fields of atmospheric funeral doom metal. I would say, that dark ambient soundscapes in your music has a great credit on it, don´t you think ? Compare Longing for Dawn with other bands is quite hard thing to do. Do you consider it as an advantage ?
Thank you for this comment, it’s definitely somehting I‘ve strived to accomplish since the beginning, there’s really no need for another clone of another band, there’s to many bands out there that sound alike and want to sound alike… we for sure have our inspirations but I’m glad that our personal interpretation and feelings are predominant and that we’ve acheived our oun sound and in the end stand out as a band, I see this as an advantage for sure.
5. As I said before, you participate on three musical projects – Longing for Dawn, Visions, Instincts. Which one is the most important for you ?
Longing For Dawn and Visions are the 2 most active projects of mine but they all have their equal importance to me, they’re unique and separate ways for me to express myslef and delve into various interest I have and more projects will come in time for sure…
6. As I know, each one of these projects has his own concept. What´s the difference between them ?
Well to summarize each project I’d say that Longing For Dawn deals more with raw emotions, despair, melancholy etc…it serves as a way to transcend these emotions into a positive outcome. Visions deals more with cosmology, our place on this earth and in the universe and the fundamental questions of where do we come form… Instincts, which has been on ice and unactive for some time, is a more nature inspired project, an hommage to the awe inspiring powers of our natural world.
7. As far as I know you have performed live with each one of them. Could you compare that performances and describe their atmosphere ? Weren´t you speculating about some live shows in Europe ?
With Instincts I‘ve performed live only once many years ago, it was a great experience and a very intimite evening where torches were lit with a video backdrop of splitscreened trees and a strong autumn like atmosphere . As Visions I‘ve perfomred many times now in America and Europe, the live atmosphere is quite spiritual in nature with incense and candles and a video backdrop of swirling galaxies, planets, the sun etc… it serve as an immersive aural and visual experience to aknowledge our primordial states, the fact that we are afterall only stardust… Longing For Dawn combines a lot of these elements, incense, candles, and video backdrop of trees and landscapes etc… it mixes a lot of the visual aspect of my solo projects but the feeling expressed are more emotinal and being 5 people on stage and with Stefan‘s poigant vocals and stage presence there’s a strong solemn feeling to the performances.
8. Where did you get the inspiration in making your own dark ambient musical projects and participating in doom metal band ? Was it always like this, that you wanted it or there has been some previous bands, projects or we can say „phases of your taste in music“ ?
There’s of course been phases in my musical tastes and activites, since my early teens I was a drummer in various Grindcore and Speedcore bands and by my early 20’s I decided to explore other ways of expression and started experimenting with Ambient music, and only 5 years ago did I decided to start a Doom band and bought my first guitar… so it’s been a progression of my interests and musical discoveries and need to express these in various forms, nothing was really planned, life works in mysterious and wonderful ways I must say…
9. Canada doesn´t seems to be typical doom metal or dark ambient country. Do you feel some satisfaction for your work ?
There’s some interest that is slowly being felt but I must say I’ve felt like an outsider for many years… yet I‘ve never worked with a local focus, it really does’nt matter if there’s interest here or not.
10. What was the primary motive to form Cyclic Law Records ? Are you content with that, where is the label now ? Did you expect it at the beginnings ?
Cyclic Law was first established to release the first, and as of now only Instincts album. This became the Instincts/Bustum „The Mystery Visions“ CD. I was’nt sure if there would be interest from other labels so I decided to start my own label and release this it with the help of Bustum who’s a friend and graphic artist, so we joined his work with my music for this release. Things just evolved from there, many contacts and friendships were made and I started offering other artists to release their music and now 6 years later and 22 releases and the recent establishement of a new label Twilight Foundation I‘d say I‘ve surpassed any aspirations I could have had at that time, it’s been a tremendously enriching experience.
11. Thanks for finding some time for answering my questions. I am looking forward on Longing for Dawn´s new album and wishing you good luck in your musical and perfonal life. If you have something more to say, what wasn´t questioned, you have some place on it now.
Well I thank you for this interview and your kind support and interest. For those wanting more information can visit:
http://www.cycliclaw.com
http://www.twilight-foundation.com
http://www.myspace.com/longingfordawn
http://www.myspace.com/visions





