Interview with Pete Devine of Pete’s Rock News and Views (http://petesrocknewsandviews.com)
PD: How would you describe yourself or your band as an artist?
P: Our band is a melting pot of our different influences collaborating together making a hybrid beast that has a lot of facets. Each of us has their own character and I think that’s what makes our strength. We explore so many aspects by bringing our own ideas through our inspirations. We don’t really call ourselves artist, We’re just a bunch of passionate people who love to play music.
PD: Can you tell us briefly about your background – i.e. where you’re from, how you came to make music, etc.
P: Alex and Charles come from where everybody in our area calls ” the North”. Small villages near Montreal. The idea of creating a band started after being tired of playing the same Metallica and Megadeth song. We wanted to create something on our own. At the beginning we were not really talented, but after all these years working to improve our skills, we think we have reached another level musically.
Xavier – I come from a small rural town where I befriended some metalheads. They showed me a bunch of very heavy stuff such as Mayhem, Vader, Behemoth and many more. I was already very invested in music before that. I was playing acoustic guitar and the gang needed a bassist. So, my father bought a bass and I have been playing in bands and making music ever since.
PD: Who and what inspires you to make music, both in terms of musical and other influences? What do you like to write about in your songs?
P: Charles – It was my cousin, at the beginning I was playing piano and some classic things. But when I went to his home and saw for the first time of my life, the KERRY KING, SLAYER guitar, I was like… OMG, what can you possibly be playing with this? And it was at this moment that I started to listen to metal. I fell in love instantly with the genre. When you write a song and you listen to it when it’s done, it gives you the ultimate satisfaction.
Xavier – I try to take inspiration everywhere I can, whether it is French literature, psychology, sci-fi novels, music theories, you name it! There is a lot of movie and series composer such as Joe Hisashi, Yoko Kanno and Hans Zimmer which always inspire me in wanting to do more and have a deeper understanding. As for musician goes, I would say Adam Neely and Henrik Linder have always inspired me to be a better musician.
PD: What are your aspirations as an artist?
P: Our aspiration as a musician is to make music that doesn’t leave you feeling indifferent. This is a big part of what we try to do as aspiration goes. We like to talk about what surrounds us, it helps to feel the flow and understand the message.
PD: What is the proudest moment in your music career so far?
P: To help people get through something painful, give them a smile on their faces , bring light in the darkness. Instead of reading, you have to listen to the music we make. Xavier would like to share a nice experience. One time while on tour, the bassist from one of his favorite band was asking about some of his techniques, this moment was really unreal to him.
PD: Promoting one’s music is such a challenge these days, especially with so many new artists emerging
from bedrooms in the day of the home studio. How is that going?
P: The Most important thing about this is to do it for yourself. Be proud of what you have accomplished and work so hard for. There’s so many ways to do a recipe, as long as you like what you are doing. Do it for the love of music.
PD: And how do you book and promote your live shows and tours? Any performances coming up?
P: At the moment, it’s a little bit quiet for some reason. If the opportunity shows up, we will prepare a show for sure. We don’t want to go back on stage just to go back on stage. We want to come back with a show that EVERYBODY will remember. We wrote this album with a new approach and new elements that we never had before, so we want to do the same if we do a live show.
PD: What do you think about downloading music online? What about streaming sites like Spotify?
P: I think nowadays, it is a reality that we just have to accept. Things have changed, sometimes not for the best in our personal opinions, but it is seriously killing the artists revenues. We think it’s more the relationship that individuals have with the music than anything else. In the end, it does not matter as much if you download the music or not. As long you have a good time and it makes you feel good, this is what matters the most. Spotify is a nice software concept for a distribution platform application. It does have its shortcoming and issues that can be debated forever.
PD: What song do you wish you’d written and why?
P: There’s so many good songs and artists so it is really hard to choose only one.
Playing god by Polyphia, If You (want to Dance) by Toshiki Kadomatsu, the groove that we get from these songs is just unreal. And the playing is oh my god! The feeling that hits you and go through your veins is insane.
PD: Is there anything you don’t like about the music industry, which you would change if you could?
P: Go back in the 80S, when CDs and real relation was the true instant of fake internet images on social 
media. Now everything is about smoke and mirrors. We should go back to our true values.
PD: So, what are you working on at the moment?
P: We are currently working on personal projects:
Xavier is currently working with other bands such as the block universe theory.
Charles is building his own house and Alex is really busy with his job. On the other hand, we do have some ideas on the table for new stuff.
PD: Where can we learn more about you and buy your music/merch online?
P: Go visit our Bandcamp page, follow us on social media and subscribe to our YouTube channel. This is probably your best chance to catch us and stay tuned.
Pronostic links:
Band/Artist location – Montreal, Québec
Facebook – You Tube – Soundcloud – Bandcamp – Merch – Reverbnation –
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