Latest / HEAVY Music Interviews / Finding Comfort In Grief With MANUEL GAGNEUX From ZEAL & ARDOR

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Finding Comfort In Grief With MANUEL GAGNEUX From ZEAL & ARDOR · HEAVY Music Interviews

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Knock.
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: Yeah the Manuel from zeeln Arder. I'm here to uh
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: subvertically plug my new album and uh we were going
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: to try to package it into normal questions, but in
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: essence this is an ad.
• 0:37
  Speaker 3: Well send mine. How about you today, madame?
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us, Oh good man.
• 0:43
  Speaker 4: So Zilinada released your fourth album, Grief just last Friday, Mate,
• 0:47
  Speaker 4: So I know it hasn't been long when has the
• 0:49
  Speaker 4: only reception being.
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  Speaker 2: It's been pretty much what I expected because it's it's not,
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: as I want to say.
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: Heavy as the other records, So some.
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: People are kind of but hurt, and other people are
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: really into it.
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: So it's a good mix.
• 1:05
  Speaker 4: I gotta say from my point if you that you
• 1:07
  Speaker 4: really put together something rebarkable, mate, Like it's probably one
• 1:10
  Speaker 4: of the most engaging, addictive and consuming slaves and music
• 1:14
  Speaker 4: I've ever.
• 1:14
  Speaker 3: Had the pleasure of listening to.
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: Mate.
• 1:15
  Speaker 3: So from Mike Corner, well done, dude.
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: Thanks, that's amazing to hear.
• 1:19
  Speaker 3: Yah, it's really good, right, but.
• 1:22
  Speaker 4: There's so much going on there, so it's interesting to
• 1:25
  Speaker 4: know how you would describe it musically.
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: Oh damn.
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: I think it's just a collection of songs that I
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: was really into. It's kind of like tapas, you know,
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: where you have like different small dishes. You can have
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: a little bit of that, a little bit of this.
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: It's it's the opposite of a concept album. I guess
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: it's just yeah, I mean there's a concept to it,
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: but it's not like you're not going to get like
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: twol hours of nerding over it, because there's a meaning
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: between every single song.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: No n songs and I like them, so.
• 1:58
  Speaker 3: Just just appreciate them for that are basically yeah. Yeah, yeah.
• 2:03
  Speaker 4: So you've been quote as saying that I wanted to
• 2:06
  Speaker 4: expand on what we had and introduce new colors. That's
• 2:10
  Speaker 4: such different when it comes to music talking about colors,
• 2:12
  Speaker 4: Like can you explain that I.
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: Just didn't want to see genres?
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  Speaker 2: But just for instance, like this is the first record
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  Speaker 2: where we actually have like an uplifting song, like a
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: genuinely kind of a happy one or a cheeky one,
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  Speaker 2: And I think that sort of thing is what I
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: call colors.
• 2:33
  Speaker 4: Right, more and more moods, I guess colors and moods
• 2:37
  Speaker 4: are sort of a clack together.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: Moods is a way better word.
• 2:41
  Speaker 3: You've got to go back and rewrite everything.
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's going to cost me.
• 2:49
  Speaker 5: One thing I love about your music made is like
• 2:51
  Speaker 5: each of your four albums has been universally praised and successful,
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  Speaker 5: but on the next one you continue experimenting with this
• 2:58
  Speaker 5: sound rather than playing it safe with what you know works.
• 3:00
  Speaker 4: Like is that a conscious effort from album album or
• 3:03
  Speaker 4: is it just natural regression?
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: I guess, well it is kind of because I first,
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: I just don't want to be a cover band of
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: ourselves where you you know where it's just kind of execution.
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: And because we have to play these songs and if
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: we don't really like them, our live shows are going
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: to be the most boring thing you can imagine. So
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: I'd rather spectacularly fail than just, you know, be all reliable.
• 3:28
  Speaker 6: I guess.
• 3:31
  Speaker 4: I really enjoyed the song pouring out like it's heavy
• 3:34
  Speaker 4: as fun, but it also features electronics and other sounds.
• 3:37
  Speaker 4: It technically should soften it, but they don't, like can
• 3:41
  Speaker 4: you run as through that song?
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: It's well done.
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's just basically how anxiety this sounds to me.
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: So there it's just getting exteddingly faster.
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  Speaker 1: There's these these tempo.
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: Tempo changes, and I mean there's a lot of whispering
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: and a lot of like like you said, different stuf
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: that shouldn't on paper make it heavier, but because we're
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: kind of opposing them with actual heavy stuff, it kind
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: of works. And you know, the softer bits make the
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: harder bits seem more harder. To put it very eloquently, yeah,
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  Speaker 2: and it culminates in like a they're like a techno
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  Speaker 2: hardcore kick thing in the end, which it's just a
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: different flavor of heaviness, but it still kind of is heaviness,
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: but it's just kind of kind of bugs with your ig,
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: messes with your perception of it.
• 4:31
  Speaker 5: That's pretty much exactly how how I've felt with it,
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  Speaker 5: because it's so much going on in there that normally
• 4:36
  Speaker 5: I listen to and just.
• 4:37
  Speaker 4: Kind of like that sucks, But it's like that actually
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  Speaker 4: makes it better.
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  Speaker 3: If you've got an uncanny knack of during that, bro,
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  Speaker 3: it's good.
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: Yeah, but just tell me I for a fuck up
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: one day. Don't be polite like that's that's interesting.
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  Speaker 4: One thing you'll always get with me is, honestly, whether
• 4:53
  Speaker 4: you want to hear it or not, excellent.
• 4:58
  Speaker 3: Great for Thols.
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  Speaker 4: Different in the fact that you're elected to have your
• 5:01
  Speaker 4: touring band in seven years join you in the studio
• 5:03
  Speaker 4: rather than complained the whole album yourself, Like what made
• 5:06
  Speaker 4: you decide to do that on this album?
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  Speaker 2: Well, I mean yeah, like I said, like you said there,
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: they've been in the band for seven years.
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: It's just kind of feels late.
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: Honestly than anything else, uh, because yeah, at this point,
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  Speaker 2: they're like, zeal Arteri is at its best when we
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: play live, and that's because of those five people. And
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: they should also just get some cash from the album.
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: It's as simple as that.
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  Speaker 2: And they they played it's obvious that I'm not the
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: best bassist in the band.
• 5:36
  Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, it was it awkward to start it in
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  Speaker 4: the studio. They're like I used to play live before,
• 5:44
  Speaker 4: but in the studio you're all working together, Like was
• 5:47
  Speaker 4: it awkward? I got I guess for you, because you're
• 5:49
  Speaker 4: or less given away complete creative control, haven't you.
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: I mean I was more afraid of it than it
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  Speaker 2: was actually bad in the end, because as soon as
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: they started playing, I was super relieved because I noticed
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: they didn't do stuff or how ideas that I would
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: never have had, and for that it's just better. And
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: like within the first ten minutes it all dissolved. But
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: I was kind of I was kind of anxious before
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: it actually began.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, bet you were.
• 6:15
  Speaker 4: As part of that, you also featured three vocals for
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  Speaker 4: the first time on the album.
• 6:20
  Speaker 3: Did you even know those guys could sing before?
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: Yeah? Yeah, yeah, I mean they sing on stage too,
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: all right. Yeah, So the.
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: Thing is like we don't really have like a main
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: front singer back singer type setup. It's just like three
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: front singers or like main vocalists, and I think it
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: really shows on the record. So oh yeah, those motherfuckers
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: couldn't belt.
• 6:45
  Speaker 3: How did you go working out?
• 6:46
  Speaker 4: He did want both when they do play live, but
• 6:49
  Speaker 4: when you normally write the song, so you'd write them
• 6:50
  Speaker 4: for yourself of course, Like how did you work out
• 6:53
  Speaker 4: which was it because you could be bothered singing that bit?
• 6:56
  Speaker 3: Or did you write it for their vocal style?
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: It's a bit of bun.
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: So I know where their registers are, so I know
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  Speaker 2: Mark is more like the low bloomy guy and Dennis
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: can do the high stuff better. So it just kind
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: of they naturally went to where they're supposed to be.
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: It wasn't like a real big decision. Thing just kind
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: of happened.
• 7:19
  Speaker 4: And you're also self producing album, right life Is that
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  Speaker 4: an easy thing to do when it comes to your
• 7:24
  Speaker 4: own music, Like you've got to be critical of your
• 7:26
  Speaker 4: own stuff.
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  Speaker 2: I guess I mean the producing thing, yeah, because I
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: know what I like and I for me, it's the
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: most fun part because I get to, you know, trash
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: it out. I could get to try weird techno drums
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: and songs. But the mixing wasn't done by me, And
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: I think it is good to have like a pair
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: of ears who is not involved in everything else, just
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: mixing it. And that was done by Adrian Bushby who
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: did Foo Fighters and Muse, but also the Spice Girls,
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: and I think already in the middle there Spice Fighters Spice.
• 8:09
  Speaker 4: The amount of creativity and you made for one person
• 8:12
  Speaker 4: it is scary and it's amazing at the same time.
• 8:14
  Speaker 3: But where does it come from? Man?
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  Speaker 6: Like?
• 8:16
  Speaker 3: Do you do you sit down.
• 8:17
  Speaker 4: And have bursts of creativity where you write stuff where
• 8:20
  Speaker 4: you're always sinking.
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: Or it's I'm really not romantic about it. I just
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: I just write a lot.
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: I go into my room at nine am, come out
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  Speaker 2: at midnight, and maybe I made shitty music all day.
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: Maybe there's a good song in there. But as long
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: as I keep at it. It's it's fine. It's just
• 8:38
  Speaker 2: by volume actually not by juniors, exception of some bullshit.
• 8:44
  Speaker 4: So what would say the ratio is of of writing
• 8:47
  Speaker 4: songs to keeping them to throwing them out?
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: I would say like five percent are good? Yeah right
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: and yeah yeah, So there's.
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: Like nineteen songs that are not great like that, the
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: will that they will never see the out of day.
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: But it's like mining, you know, you just kind of
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: keep at it and sometimes you find a diamond or
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: I can't think of any other mineral.
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: Gold, gold, silver, cobalt.
• 9:16
  Speaker 4: As we mentioned before, My life, you've morphed your sound
• 9:19
  Speaker 4: a bit on every album that you've made. So along
• 9:21
  Speaker 4: those lines, how much musical growth herrections left in the Selenada.
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: That's that's it. We don't. I hope. I hope a lot.
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: I think the fact that I'm not that I still
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: I'm still curious to what's possible speaks to to to.
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: I think there's still something here.
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: But the moment I tell you that no, this is
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: this is exactly how I want it to be, that's
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: the moment I'm probably gonna have to stop making music
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: because they have nothing to look for anymore.
• 9:51
  Speaker 4: Very cool all right, well you have my guinea pig,
• 9:54
  Speaker 4: hey man, because I'm starting a new new segment that
• 9:56
  Speaker 4: I'm gonna do and you're the first one. So I'm
• 9:59
  Speaker 4: gonna show you a couple of fighters that I've dug
• 10:01
  Speaker 4: up from the internet and tell me the story behind them.
• 10:04
  Speaker 3: What's going on? All right?
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: Is that? Let's do it?
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: All right?
• 10:08
  Speaker 3: God? Which fun that was there?
• 10:14
  Speaker 4: Like?
• 10:14
  Speaker 3: What's gone? What's gone on with that?
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: This is just my Tuesday morning outfit.
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: No, this was a shoot for for Metal Hammer UK
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: and they said, we have a brilliant rd man.
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: Well you're gonna love it.
• 10:27
  Speaker 6: Yeah, so we're gonna have you cry black tears.
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: And I guess yeah. You can see how stoked they
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: am on that.
• 10:36
  Speaker 3: Happy about it?
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: Oh yeah, that was They toiled on that for hours
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: on end. That took that just took us a good
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: night's sleep.
• 10:52
  Speaker 3: All right, I'll go one more for you. Where is it?
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: Obs?
• 11:00
  Speaker 3: It's fun? What were you so angry about?
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: I think so someone might have stepped on my toe.
• 11:07
  Speaker 6: You know.
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: Sometimes they try to steal my set list like mid
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: mid mid set, and I'm glad they get a souvenir,
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: but like I still have to know.
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: What songs are gonna play. So that looks like one
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: of those situations.
• 11:25
  Speaker 3: Well let's full of tam. I'll go for you, but
• 11:27
  Speaker 3: I can talk to you for hours, but grief is
• 11:29
  Speaker 3: out now. It is a fantastic piece of work.
• 11:32
  Speaker 4: My congratulations, well done and made a pleasure speak when
• 11:35
  Speaker 4: you have you make it out to Austraire what I.
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: Said, Oh yeah, oh yeah, me too.
• 11:39
  Speaker 6: Beware not.
• 12:01
  Speaker 5: To got.
• 12:16
  Speaker 3: No rise to the flash.
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: Were lost to.
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: Long to.
• 12:33
  Speaker 7: I still was that to Cassie. Oh but bust left clean.
• 13:03
  Speaker 6: Fuckumb.
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: None need to set about it loose, so I had
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: to ast out of it.
• 13:13
  Speaker 6: None need to come aloud.
• 13:16
  Speaker 4: We'll find out without glosity cottle, don't bottle, fuck, don't.
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: Doosity dot don't bottle for you.
• 13:40
  Speaker 7: I still must that that you don't yes of all
• 13:50
  Speaker 7: the lies you drop, dumb.
• 14:13
  Speaker 4: You r c t fa cat tord fog doorn.
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: Us c g fas t fay.
• 14:37
  Speaker 7: Come to.
• 14:42
  Speaker 2: You f.
• 15:01
  Speaker 4: As a.
• 15:04
  Speaker 3: As a as a
• 15:10
  Speaker 6: As a