They are from France, and tells about this band, as main creator, new generation from this country. Quite a lot in this right, because band this it average. Brutal death metal in their realization, it paralyses already today. Future times, it seems that they can be only kinder for them.
Welcome Flav! Your debut album entitled has been available for a few months now and probably you know, how maniax and press react on this stuff? Exactly, how looks reviews of your debut album?
For this time, I can proudly say that the reviews are rather good !!! In general, people like our songs because it is a good compromise between technical music and brutal stuff. We are rather satisfied because it was the impression that we wanted to give. People like the ways the songs are composed. Certain says we have a big originality whereas others says we still have to find ours. I will not quote all the bands people says we sounds like, because the list will be too long and even contains bands that we even don't know !!! On a another hand, we didn't know if the sound would please people. But it seems that they are globaly satisfied. Some points could be improved, like the lack of volume on the backing vocal... But this is generally good, people are far more indulgent than us, who spent hours and hours on this album...
We must talk little about your pasts. In 1997 you started as Trepanation and played death/grind music. Why did you decide to give up grind and concentrate on death metal?
I think this is simply how we grew up... But it's true that in late 1998, when we renamed the band as BYATIS, we decided to play more like a death metal band than like a grind one, even if we never said : "From this day, we will no more play grind !!" Today, we felt no more concerned about these questions of classification. No matter how we are described, no matter if there is a riff in such song that sounds black metal, trash or even heavy metal, this is our music, this is just metal.
Whether Trepanation release anything with this name? And where metal collectors can find this stuff?
Well, Trepanation story is very short comparing to Byatis one... Only one year, our first band for all of us, so we didn't release anything, except some old crap tapes (laugh) ! Sorry for the metal collectors...
BYATIS, like many others bands on metal scene on all world, in pasts has some lineup changes. Can you say more about this? What is the current lineup of the band now?
They were not too many changes in the last years. The greatest number of changes occured in the first year. On those times, we were five. The bassist, Gilles, and the second guitarist left the band in this year. Marc (vocals) then took the bass guitar and we played with only three musicians for several months. Phildar finally joined us in the late 1998. This line-up (Flav (guitar/backing vocals), Vincent (drums), Phildar (guitar), Marc (bass/vocals) ) was the most stable we had because we stayed together until summer 2002. Marc decided to left the band after five years. The next day, we asked our old bassist, Gilles, Vincent's brother, to join us one more time. And finally, Phildar took the main vocals. Here is the actual line-up, the most powerful in my opinion !
Byatis plays fucking brutal death metal. I must say, that you did a great job on the new album. I like your music very fucking much, and in my review I highly appreciated your songs! I did not be able after all, to make otherwise he he. Do you have any special expectations from "In Dark Abysses Of Memory"?
Thanks a lot ! Nice that you appreciate our music ! What we expect from this album is to extend our reputation in the world wide in order to make more and more gigs ! It would be also welcome to found a new label for the next album, because our deal with Skull Fucked is only limited for promotion and distribution of this album. And finding a bigger label is one of the aim of this deal.
But, before your debut album, you recorded only one demo - "Race Of Cain". Interests me, which one was this material? Whether today, you notice some concrete differences among "In Dark Abysses Of Memory" and "Race Of Cain"?
Oh yes, there are a huge differences !!! "Race of Cain" was made of our two first recordings in 1999 and 2000. As it were the first, we made a lot of mistakes, and we were also not enough ready and prepared. For each recording we spent two days for two songs, whereas we made "In Dark Abysses Of Memory" in eleven days. So the sound is far more better on this last, not only because of the extra time we spent, but also because we recorded in a professional studio. If you heard songs from this demo, you will also note that the songs are not as good, they are less mature.
Byatis is recommended and described as a 'new generation of French brutal death metal'. What do you think about it? Do you think about Byatis music in this way?
Honestly, I don't know what to think of this description ! Skull Fucked presented us as a band from a french new generation, but I think it was just in a marketing purpose. We don't feel that our music belong to some french musical influence...
When we are talking about new French brutal scene, tell me which bands would you like to add to this "new generation"? Interests you this, what at present happens, on your metal yard
About "new generation of french brutal death metal", it is true that the french metal scene become more and more interesting, especially recent bands like Recueil Morbide, Kronos, or Korum. To answer more precisely to the previous question, I can say that Skull Fucked certainly thought about these bands when he talked about this new generation.
I must admit, that you are band playing very technically. Surely, you will not negate?!
One can think that we play very technically but I'm not sure that this is what can describe best our music. We don't play a technical music because we want it too be technical, but we just play what sounds best for us. If it's easy to play, it's also great !!! If it's more difficult, we will try to play it and work hard if it's necessary. Our riffs are not so complicated but I think people are rather disturbed by our songs scheme, which are sometimes tortured, I must admit it !
I know, that inspire you most of brutal death metal bands. But I know too, that you like listen music of Moussorgsky, Beethoven, Paganini. Such variety, helps you in some manner to compose better music?
Yes, I think this is a very important thing. I will not be able to compose a song which will sound really original if I listen Cannibal Corpse all the day (even if it's a wonderful band that I love !!). But what I want to explain here, it's that my brain tend to repeat what I heard all day long. So I prefer to listen to the most various kind of music when I compose songs. But it doesn't mean that I will listen to country music or R&B !!!
"In Dark Abysses Of Memory" was re-recorded. Can you explain all the events concerning your recording session? I ask, because now your album sounds great!
Well, this is a looonnnng story. We first recorded the album in april 2002 by ourselves in our cellars with few microphones, a mixing table, and a PC. The result sounded quite good, considering the means employed and our total lack of experience in home tudio. In June 2002, Marc left the band before recording the bass guitar, so I had to record it by myself. Skull Fucked contacted us in the summer in order to help us on the promotion and the distribution of the album. In September, Phildar recorded the voice again. We were finally ready to send it to duplication in December, but Fred from Inhumate suggested us to record the album completely in a professional studio ! He and Phil argued that it could be better for the impact of the album. And there were right ! So we entered in February 2003 in the Midnight Studio. We had to wait a lot before the final product because we didn't take enough days for mixing and mastering in February. But finally we received the mastering in July, and we decided to release it for September 2003. You know all now !
Whether Byatis is a concert band? When I look on your fotos, I see that you must have sick and murderous performances! I think, that you do not like to stand as pegs, but you sweep floor own hairs.
Yes, you're right !! We think that it is crucial for a metal band to be as raging as possible !! If you want that the audience live your music, you first have to live it by yourself !!! In a concert, visual things are very important since humans stay more receptive with their eyes. And anyway, headbanging is one of the reason for which we all love metal so much, isn't it ???
Possible, that I make a mistake, but rather you did not play of too many arts.... Surely would be well, to change this in futures!
Some people says about thirty gigs is good for an amateur band like us, but we also find that this is not enough. We wish too play more often, and farther !!! In a another hand, we played with bands like Vader or Aborted last year, it helped us a lot and gave us a huge motivation !
Skull Fucked is the label set up by Fred from Inhumate. I know him, and I know, that he supports the underground scene all the time! Have you known him for a long time? How did it happen that you decided to work together? Nobody except him, was not interested of Byatis?
Well, I think Fred got interested in Byatis after reading an interview of the band (our first one) in 2002. We didn't know him before and we even did'nt know Inhumate. But I was very impressed when I first saw the huge number of gigs on their website and that they made four albums ! I have a huge respect for this band and for its career. We started to tallk by mail and then, I believe that he listen to "Race of Cain", and we finally decided to work together. But we definitively got much more contacts with Philippe Catt who is in charge of our contract. And indeed, nobody expect them was interested of Byatis !!!
Say me, what really means your name? I heard, that this has something common with Lovecraft?
Byatis is indeed a creature from Lovecraft's bestiary. A huge snake with a giant eye, multiples tentacles and a barb, the god of forgiveness. On the beginning, our texts used to deal with this mythology, like Morbid Angel. It's no longer the case today, however this name keep a sense for us and we still use this symbol. Phildar who make the cover of the album gave its own representation of the monster, which symbolize all the evil that threaten our decadent civilization.
That's all today bro. Let's finish with the question about second album. When can we expect it?
The next album is being composed in the same way as the "Nornes" trilogy. It will be a full concept album where the lyrics and the music will be more linked together. We will try to emphasize Byatis' personnality and make something even more agressive and melodic. It will certainly take one year to finish it, so maybe for 2005? Thank you and thanks to all people who support us !!!
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Skowron
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