Lying Figures Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new ep?

We broke up with Ludo (bass player) after the release of the EP, replaced by Fred with whom we had already worked on 'Words here are nothing' from the first demo 'From nowhere to nothing'. With this new line up, we have done promotional things: interviews, EP's reviews, and gigs of course.


2.Recently you have released a new ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the new recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

Actually, 'A world of my own' was published in May 2014, but we needed time to settle this line-up story and various things before focusing on the promo...Since 'From nowhere to nothing', our music has become more personal, there are more harmonies between the guitars, songs are more complex, closer from what we are looking for.


3.The band has been around since 2008 but waited until 2013 to release any music, can you tell us a little bit more about the 5 year wait?

We faced so many line up problems that we couldn’t release anything, that’s why. And of course in 5 years, the writing level increases so we preferred to forget some old songs to focus on new ones.


4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?

Our subjects are sensibly the same than the debut. Thibault write lyrics about madness on every kind : human madness, mental torture, obscurity of our world. We all have a darkness part in our hearts, our feelings... & some things more abstract.


5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Lying Figures'?

'Lying Figure' is a disturbing creature in the game 'Silent Hill'

It's a dark universe who speaks to us


6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

We have played with some great bands like Goatess (swe), Father Merrin (F), Oruga (F), SunStare (F) in 'doomworld' but also more bands from death metal, heavy, thrash, etc.

Our music can match with many kind of metal bands.

On stage, we can unleashed ourselves, our sound is heavy, powerful and the public seems to like our presentations.



7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

We hope to play more often in France and Europe , booking a tour would be great too


8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

Some labels have already contacted us, but we’re waiting to record the first album to seriously look for a label who can be really interested by our music.


9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of doom and death metal?

We always received some good reviews from different webzines around the world. Moreover most of our orders from the bandcamp come from east Europe and US so we guess our music is appreciated worldwide. Some great doom death metal bands seems to like our sound, it is a great honor to have their congrats


10.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?

Charles (drummer) play also guitars in Ataraxis (death metal) , Thibault (vocals) sing also in Octavion (indus metal) and he have 2 solo projects: Deinos Mastema (black metal) and Rotten Mood (post rock)


11.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

We’re currently writing some new songs. We play two of them live. We’re becoming more demanding with our music, we try to built bigger songs to make the Lying Figures concept evolve. I think we’ll have a new album for September 2016, we hope so, but nothing sure about that.


12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Many sounds from doom death scene like Paradise Lost, Daylight Dies, Saturnus, Katatonia, Anathema,etc

But also bands from black metal, death metal, pop-rock too why not..

Each one of us have different influences.


13.What are some of your non musical interests?

Horror movies, mangas, literature...


14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Thanks for this interview, support the underground

stay doomed !

Derketa/InDeath We Meet/Ibex Moon Records/2015 CD Re-Issue Review

  Derketa  are  a  band  from  Pennsylvania  that  has  been  around  since  the  mid  80's  and  plays  a  very  dark  and  heavy  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "In  Death  We  Meet"  which  was  will  be  re-issued  on  June  16th,  2015  by  Ibex  Moon  Records  and  also  contains  bonus  tracks.

  Thunder  and  rain  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some bells  and  a  few  seconds  alter  the  music  starts  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  doom  metal  direction  which  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  are  also  very  dark  and  melodic  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  start  dominating  the  songs.

  A   good  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  after  awhile  the   music  starts  adding  in  more  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the music  remains  true  to  the  90's  era  of  death/doom  metal  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  whole  album  remains  true  to  a  very  dark  and  heavy sound  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording  and  they  also  close  the  re-issued  version  of  the  recording  with  a  cover  of  Sepultura's  "Troops  Of  Doom".

  Derketa  remains  true  to  the  doom/death  metal  sound  that  they  have  been  known  for  and  creates  a  very  dark  and  heavy  sounding  recording,  the  production  sounds  very professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  nightmares  and  curses.

  In my opinion  Derketa  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres, you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS INCLUDE  "Goddess  Of  Death"  "Until  Our  Death"  and  "Witchburned".  8  out  of  10.  

   

Khemmis/Absolution/20 Buck Spin/2015 CD Review

  Khemmis  are  a  band  from  Denver,  Colorado  that  plays  a  mixture  of  stoner, sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Absolution"  which  will be  released  in  July  by  20  Buck  Spin.

  A  very  slow,  dark  and  heavy  doom  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  a  few  seconds  later t hat  also  become  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  some  of  the  riffs  also  bring  in  elements  of  retro  and  stoner  rock  and  when  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  70's  influenced  clean  singing  vocals.

  Deep  death  metal  growls  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  music  also  brings  in  psychedelic  sounds  at  times  and  there  are  also  a  few  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  music  also mixes  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  along  with  the  whole  album  sticks  to  a  very   musical  direction  from beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording  and  the  last  track  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars.

  Khemmis  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  slowest  and  heaviest  parts  of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  them  together  with  a  touch  of  death  and  post  metal  to  create  a  musical  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  fantasy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Khemmis  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Serpentine"  and  "Antidiluvian".  8  out  of  10. 

Moanaa/Descent/2014 CD Review

  Moanaa  are  a  band  from  Poland  that plays  an  atmospheric  form  of  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Descent".

  Acoustic  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some elements  of  indie  and  post  rock  and  after  a  few  minutes  the  music  goes  into  a  heavier  direction  and  also  adds  in growls  that  also  bring  in  a  touch  of  death  metal  and  hardcore  along  with  some  solos  and  leads  that  are  very  dark  and  melodic  and  a good  portion  of t he  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Psychedelic  sounds  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  you  can  also  hear  a  small  amount  of   clean  singing  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  the  vocals  also  mix  in  a  rough  yet  melodic  tone  at  times and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  music  gets  more  atmospheric  and  the vocals  also  start  to  incorporate  more  high  pitched  screams  and  the  whole  album  sticks  to  a  slow  musical  direction  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Moanaa  plays  a  style  of  sludge  metal  that is  very  heavy,  melodic  and  atmospheric  sounding  and  also  adds in  elements  of  hardcore,  post  rock  and  death  metal  to  create  a  musical  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while the  lyrics  cover  personal  struggles  and  depression  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Moanaa  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  sludge  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sunset  Growing  Old"  "Zero"  and  "Away".  8  out  of  10.       

Lanthanien/Nocturnalgica/2015 EP Review

  Lanthanien  are  a  band  from  Argentina  that  plays  a  symphonic  and  gothic  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their self  released  2015  ep  "Nocturnalgica".

  Depressive  sounding  keyboards  along  with  choirs  and  a  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  and  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  symphonic  elements  and  after  awhile  operatic  female  vocals  start  becoming  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Deep  death  metal  growls  can  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  along  with  a  small  amount  of  whispers  and  as  the  ep  progresses  black  metal  screams  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  orchestras  and  elements  of  classical  music  into  their  gothic/doom  sound  and  there  are  also  some  parts  where  the  music  speeds  up  a  bit  and  plays  in  a  few  blast  beats  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  being  utilized.

  Lanthanein  plays  a  very  symphonic  and  melodic  style  style  of  gothic  doom  metal  that  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  death  metal  and  a  touch  of  black  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Spanish  and  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion Lanthanein  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  and  gothic  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Nocturnalgica" and  "A  Orillas  Del  Silencio".  8  out  of  10. 

Trapped Within Burning Machinery/The Fifth Elements/Midnite Collective/Black Voodoo Records/2015 Full Length Review

  Trapped  Within  Burning  Machinery  are  a  band  from  California  that  plays  a  heavy  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album "The  Fifth  Element"  which  will  be  released  in  July as  a  joint  effort  between  Midnite  Collective  and  Black  Voodoo  Records.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  and  after  a  minute  clean  singing  vocals start  to  kick  in  giving  the  music  more  of  a  post  rock  feeling  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  getting  more  heavy  and  melodic and  also  adds  in  sludge  style  high  pitched  screams  and  doom  metal  riffing  along  with  a  few  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

There  seems  to  be  a  good  balance between  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  throughout  the  recording  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  bring  a  melodic  post  metal  feeling  to  the  bands  musical  style  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  you  can  also  hear  a  touch  of  doom/death  metal  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  a  small  amount  of  growling  vocals  and  some  parts  also  bring  in  a  very  atmospheric  and  depressive  feeling  and  the  whole  album  sticks  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.   

  Trapped  Within  Burning  Machinery  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  some  of the  more  modern  post  and  sludge  metal  sounds  and  mixes  them  with  90's  style  doom/death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Anti  Existence,  Misanthropy,  Industrialism,  and  Drugs.

  In  my  opinion  Trapped  Within  Burning  Machinery  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  with  a  touch  of  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Korben  Dallas"  and  "Mr  Shadow".  8  out  of  10..   

Hellrad/Things Never Change/2015 CD Review

  Hellrad  are  a  band  from  Pennsylvania  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  and  stoner  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  album  "Things  Never  Change".

  Air  raid  siren  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  distorted  reverb  which  leads  up  to  a  more  heavy  and  dark  style  of  doom  metal  that  is  also  very  heavily  mixed  in  with  sludge  and  spoken  word  samples  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  great  amount  of  stoner  rock  style  melodies.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are long  and  epic in  length  and  after  awhile  grim  screams  start  becoming  a  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  the  vocals  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  growls  at  times  and  some  of  the  tracks  also add  in  influences  of  70's  rock/proto  metal  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful sound  to  them and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they remain  true  to  the  styles  of  sludge,  stoner  and  doom.

  Hellrad  takes  the  slowest,  darkest  and  heaviest  style  of  sludge,  stoner and  doom  metal and  mixers  them  together  to  create  their  own  approach  to  the genre,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  drugs,  addictions  and  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hellrad  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Street  Zombies"  "Dope  Fiend  Jesus"  and  "15  Years  And  COunting".  8  out  of  10.