Jolyon : For now it is a one man Death Metal project (that would be me) from France called Baneful Storm. It's under the black wings of Invictus Productions. A first EP called Invocations has been recorded in 2017.
2. So far you have released one ep, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording?
Jolyon : Lots of guitar solos, devilish vocals, fast riffs and a contemplation on the occult. Production wise it's old school, I tried to get close to the Morrisound studio sound with the help of an uncle in his home studio. The main influences are early Morbid Angel, early Death, early Deicide and more generally early death metal.
3. Your music is very heavily rooted in the mid 80's and early 90's, do you prefer the ancient sound over the more modern era of black or death metal?
Jolyon : I do, It seems to me that those ancient albums had something unique to them, something magical and powerful. I think it is because at that time, bands and musicians were still experimenting and trying to push boundaries and were getting heavier, darker and more intricate than their predecessors. I guess that's why it was so bewitching and still sounds so appealing and cult today.
Nowadays I think a lot of metal bands and producers aren't creative enough and lack passion and drive. A lot of them sound robotic and lazy... I'm not a big fan of "modern" metal even though there are sometimes great bands that emerge like "Revocation".
Overall I like it the ancient way, production wise, musically wise and I like newer bands that are keeping the torch burning and are carving new paths of experimentation.
4. Your lyrics cover a lot of occult and blasphemous topics, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the dark arts?
I just think it fits the music so well. It's about strength, power and thinking for yourself, free from dogmas, religions, indoctrination, laws and believes of the masses. About being free from weakening standards, ancient and new. The message is to follow your own path, your truth as an individual. It has nothing against Christianity and other religions in particular even though I don't think they brought anything good to the world. I understand how they can help out and bring people together though. The blasphemes are metaphorical, we have created so many communities and groups so we can take comfort in being part of something, have an identity through an already formed entity, secular or ecclesiastical. All these myths and given truths and laws and politics can also prevent us from experiencing our strengths and creativity, i think that blindly following and believing in them is an easy and dangerous path that often leads to self enslavement and spirit impoverishment.
5. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Baneful Storm'?
I was looking for a name that conveys the violence of nature forces and something dark and occult. A synonymous to Baneful would be destructive or harmful.
Translated into French it sounds like "tempête funeste".
6. Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the ep cover?
It was made by an Indonesian artist named Maulana Yakub. It represents a deadly alchemical storm. The two columns are ancient Greek inspired. I like ancient cultures and their aesthetics and symbolism.
7. On the ep you recorded everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo?
I love to compose and put together songs and demos. For the next album, I'd like to focus on composing, recording the guitars and mixing the songs. It would be great to leave the other instruments to fellow musicians!
8. On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
Lot of feedbacks and encouragement. It was great and unexpected!
9. When can we expect a full length and also where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?
I'm already working on new songs, three of them are almost finished. I also need to find musicians to record and play live with.I can't tell you when but it will see the light of day. I want to continue to play guitar and compose songs, i also do music for movies, games, commercials so if this can continue as well, that would be great!
10. 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?
Old metal albums like Abomination of desolation, altars of madness, deicide, scream bloody gore, show no mercy, hell awaits, kill'em all, black sabbath... Lately I have been listening to some ambiant music by Matt Huelmen, he's composed the original soundtrack for the two first Diablo games and the expansion. Also listening to some Vulfpeck, a funk band with great grooves and more recently discovered a 80's band called Dead can Dance that mixed rock with Balkan choir, Indian rhythms and other traditional world music. I also listen to classical and baroque music from time to time, Bach, Mozart, Lully and others. There's also Carpenter Brut that comes to mind, it's really cool retro synthwave.
11. What are some of your non musical interests?
I try to keep healthy, eco responsible, trying to recycle stuff. Made a lamp out of plumbing tubes recently and I'm thinking of building a furniture out of pieces of an old wooden pallet.
I read novels and philosophy, recently some Dostoievsky, Lovecraft and Nietzsche. I like to watch sci fi and horror movies or series as well as japanese anime, recently watched a show called the Haunting of Hillhouse. I do sports at the gym and often ride my longboard on weekends , Beer brewing interests me a lot too.
12. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you for it! Invocations Cd is out November 30th, you can pre-order it on the bandcamp page!
| Bandcamp |
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