1. Hello, Laurent. As a band, you are not showed on promo shoots as carved "evil" persons, on black-and-white photographies and so on. Can we say that Mourning Dawn means for you a express of musical ideas than a personal loses?
Hello. First of all, I have to say that I hate those people who use those grim make-up and “promo” shoots to give an aura to their music. For example, I don’t understand why Shining express the need to give these ridiculous shows. Maybe the dark goth teens like this, but hey, I don’t play for this people… I’m from those who think music don’t care about names, etiquettes, or all theses shitty promotional thing… We are just Mourning Dawn, playing some depressive music, I think people don’t care how I wear, or how I am in my everyday life.
Anyway, Mourning Dawn comes from the idea to create the most depressive music I can do, reflecting all the dark side of my personality, with honesty and integrity.
2. Debut cover is fabulous! Although it seems strictly horror-like, more than "spooky feeling" it gives sense of loneliness. From where the photo comes and was I succesful in guess of the meaning? If not, correct me...
It was a picture created by David Cragne, who worked in the past with Blut Aus Nord. I liked the vibe on this picture. It’s like an organic stone, a sort of “natural” tomb. Yeah you’re right, I was searching for a cover that talk about time, loneliness, and darkness… This dark grey/green was the perfect color for this. Moreover, I want a cover that reminds me about the past, nostalgia, melancholy… Don’t know where the picture was taken, sorry.
3. We´ll stay focused on cover theme. In a past you focused more on sceneries, dark pictures of nature. Why that change?
Because Mourning Dawn, is much dark than before. There was some kind of hope in our past releases, the dawn vs the mourning if you want héhé… I wanted covers that talked about despair. David did a very very great work for the “straight to the past” demo…
But since “the freezing hand of reason”, Mourning Dawn became much, very much dark, and so on, the cover goes on… There’s no hope, there’s no light (or so brief..), we’re already dead, héhé.
4. How is it, to compose such a long songs? Does the recording caused some problems to you? It must be tought especially for the drummer the keep the tempo same for a long time. Although you are not slow paced band, Doom metal plays quite important role in Mourning dawn.
Music comes as it comes… I work hard to obtain the right atmosphere, that’s all I want. The recording of the first album caused me some problems as I was really depressed, and you know it’s very hard to create when you take tons of medics…
No problems for the drummer if he’s good, ahah ! But you’re right, I’m before all, a doom fanatic. Bands like Bethlehem, Deinonychus, or mostly funeral bands like Shape Of Despair, Winter, Evoken, gave me the need to make my own music. And you’ll see on the next album how doom/black metal can sound… Fast vs slow, but heavy all the way…
5. Are you setting up some recording policy? For example that every song must have some particular variety, one or more interesting moments?
Not really. I like when the songs got many riffs and various atmospheres, but I’m not trying to follow some schemas. I compose how it comes to me. But, I can search for THE riff during many days héhé, and I have to say I’m not able to compose songs under 6 minutes, ahah.
6. I think that ambient parts are elegantly placed in a music. Not only they fill in the atmosphere but they are absolutely supplementing the idea of cover art. It also forces a listener to think what will come next.
I added ambient parts to give some “breath” to the listener, and to point out the difference between metal/ambient, it gives some strength to the metal parts and add to the atmosphere. I’m not sure I’ll add pure ambient parts in the future, as I think it’s too cliché. But don’t be afraid, there will be many many ambient parts, but played on clean guitar…
7. There is a really weird start in my favourite song "Grey flood" :-). Must say that this is the aspect which I like in Mourning Dawn most...the uncommonness. Opening of the song is like from the time of black and white films and the following guitars are the most versatile on album. What was the idea behind the song?
Yeah the samples you can hear on this song are taken from old 78 trs (1896 and 1914) played on an old gramophone… so you have the same sound as it was played a hundred years ago. I liked the feelings expressed with this. It makes me really sad and introspective, dreaming of times I wanted to live… This song talks about soldiers during the wars, their hate against the enemy, and the patriotism. I used a poem from Wilfred Owen (a poet-soldier from the great war) to illustrate this.
8. You started as a one-man band. Laurent, you were the founder? Why do you decided to take in additional members? It was because of stage performance?
I’m the founder, I compose all the songs, lyrics… Mourning Dawn is MY thing you know… Bandmates know this and agree with. I decide to let Md become a real band when I was asked to make some gigs… I had some friends who were really enthusiastic with this… ans so the story begins…
9. We passed to another groups... What are yours favourites in a genre? And from your country? France is a really great nest of a bands, if comes to metal music.
I’m before all a fan of depressive music and old school death metal… In the dark/doom scene I’m quite found of Bethelehem (old), Deinonychus, Shining, old Katatonia, Silencer, Abyssic hate etc… In France, I don’t know any band that plays in this doom/dark genre… But in the doom/death scene, there is Ataraxie, Inborn Suffering (my other band héhé), Funeralium… But personnaly, my all times faves will be carcass, Dismember, Napalm Death, Sepultura… You know, old school is the best school héhé
10. Eastern bands are often taking nature as a inspiration for their music. Do you think that France or yours native country inspires you in music or life?
Definitly yes, concerning Mourning Dawn. I’m a patriot (but, please, this is not nationalism), and I love History. The first album was composed thinking about the “Belle époque” era, and the life of soldiers during the great war in France.
On the other hand, I supposed you talked about pagan or other bands inspired by nature. We have lot of bands there. For example, I think about Heol Telwen who’s a very very talented bands who plays celtic black metal, I recommend it to you if you don’t know them.
11. I would like to thank you for a interview, I quite enjoyed the making of questions. Stay in the making of great music. Stay in line...
Thanks for all.
Hope to get some news from you for the 2nd album.
Stay sick
