Benjamin Guerry
The Great Old Ones
Hi! Yes, a lot of things to do since the release of the album. But reviews of "Cosmicism" are great so it's always a pleasure.
Before we enter the depth of the album, I wonder about the strong fascination with H.P. Lovecraft, it surely seems that you are not just a mere fan, yet you regard the writer's creations as a sort of a guiding light. Does Lovecraft hold all the answers only for us to keep seeking in his writing?
Lovecraft's work is above all literature, but it is true that his writings also represent a certain vision of the world. I don't always agree with what he expresses, but he is a fascinating character, who expresses his feelings through his work, as we can do with our music. And we are still discovering a lot about him, even if some experts, like S.T. Joshi in his Lovecraft biography "I am Providence", have already explored the subject well.
There is a part of self-destruction which has a certain importance. But for Lovecraft, even this self-destruction is insignificant, because the "threat" comes from outside. What we do with our lives is ultimately of little importance. Cosmic forces that we cannot imagine exist, live their lives, eternal or not. Our brain is not made to understand this. And the few people with even a brief vision of these secrets can only succumb to madness.
We do not know if these entities are vulnerable to time, or anything else. The concept of "end" may not exist for them. It is generally rather the end for the protagonists who meet them. But it's the same thing, this "end" doesn't mean much. Death does not matter more, because we are talking rather of a transformation. If the writings of Lovecraft are fascinating, it is also because it gives very little information concerning these entities, what they do, and what they want. The only thing we know is that Man cannot understand this, and is only going to disappear.
It is all a question of emotions. As I said before, this philosophy represents the link between all the stories. So each part of each song depends on what we say, and the emotion we want to express.
We try to evaluate for each album so yes, I think it's the most ambitious project for us. Technically we experiment more things in Cosmicism. Leo Isnard made a fantastic work on drums, with no frontier except our creation and imagination. We are proud of all our albums of course, but Cosmicism is special for us.
I think this is more about the ensemble. Or course we paid attention on each parts, on guitar solos, on melodic lines of the bass, but it's all the time to serve the ambiance. Arrangements are important, and permit to finish a song. It's for that we use some analog synths this time. They serve the atmosphere and bring the listener deeper where we want to bring him.
Since the beginning of the band, I write alone all parts of each instruments, and it was the same for "Cosmicism". But to be honest, it was harder this time, because I really wanted to propose, as you say, an album with diversity. I spent a lot of time testing parts, trying certain things. When I listen to the finished album, I can hardly remember all this time spent composing! Maybe it's one of the difficulties to write music alone but it's my way to make the music of TGOO. Of course, all members actively participate in the arrangements, and definitely bring each song to life.
Thanks! I wanted a real epic song, in terms of structure and rhythm, a song which tells a story, with a long introduction. Dramatic sensation is important for me, so it's for that the part just after the atmospheric introduction has a sad feeling, and well represents the inexorable march of Shub-Niggurath. This entity is generally associated to the woods, so I imagined the main part as a cavalcade in the middle of stellar trees. The heavy guitar solo was written by Gart and Aurélien, and it is perfect to represent that. But, as in Lovecraft's stories, the end is necessarily into madness and death, so I wrote a very doom part, representing evil revelations and the fall of the spirit.
It's a hard question because we only make the music we like. Of course, we are not evil and maybe chaotic like bands like Mayhem or Emperor. These bands came from a particular period, and it's not a good idea to try to make the same thing. But these bands are my roots, and there are dramatic feelings and very strong emotions in their music, who make them singular. And I think it's the same thing for The Great Old Ones". We want to put strong emotions in our songs, we don't want to be just a band with easy music, but develop our own style. Listeners are sensitive to that, and maybe it's for that we have our own audience.
It's an important step for us because it's our first video clip. We felt this was the good moment to make it. I had long spotted the work of Zev Deans for Ghost, Behemoth, and especially for Portal, so I saw the clip a lot of times. I love his universe, the very gloomy and dark side of his productions. So we contacted him and, being a fan of Lovecraft, he immediately accepted. The song "of Dementia" is based on Cthulhu so he was very inspired. We are very happy with the rendering, and the parallel between the abyss and the depths of the cosmos is perfectly suited to the concept of the song and the album.
Live shows are very important to us. We work a lot to offer a real Lovecraftian trip, both in terms of lights and our stage outfits and decorations. The volume brings a feeling of power, and our rage is stronger. This makes our performance very intense and timeless. We do our best with our means so that each concert is an experience.
Regarding one shots, we will play in England, Norway, at Hellfest and Graspop, and a few others. We are working with our booker for a European tour but nothing to announce yet!
Thanks for your support!
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