Interview with Dylath-Leen

Interview with Dylath-Leen

Dylath-Leen – France

Interviewed by: Fonda


Bonjour Dylath-leen! ça va? Quoi de neuf? Busy promoting your new album “Semeïon”?
Bertrand : Bonjour ! Indeed, we're promoting the new album. We started before it was released, when we put online 2 new tracks "Buy me a smile" and "Adorning wounds". Then the real promo began : we had a release party in Brussels (Belgium), live shows... we are still sending promo packages to magazines, fanzines, webzines and radios and of course we reply to interviews just like today! The Internet and especially MySpace are an important way to promote our music, and get feedback from everybody, everywhere in the world, which is great.

Before I listened to the “Semeïon”, I went back again to your “Insecure” album. So, how do you compare the transgression of the music compared to your 1st one? Before it was under Thundering records also.
Igor : It's a bit hard for us to explain the change but to sum up the idea, we wanted to define our identity putting the formula we used on "Insecure" but going further. So naturally the brutal parts of the songs became more and more oppressive and the ambient parts are darker than before.

From 2002 to 2008, it took time for you to follow-up the next album. Did you guys really put much patience and perseverance in making the band's next release?
Igor : there was a first change in the band line-up after "Insecure" and we needed time to work on our first songs with the new members before writing again so we were late in proposing new songs. Moreover we wanted top-quality for the production of "Semeïon" and it costs a lot ; so we'd rather wait and release an album on which we would have no regrets. Of course we're now working a lot to prepare the next album and we don't want to waste time again...

For those who don't know, I know you are fed-up hearing this but, what's behind the band name? Does the band logo mean anything also?
Bertrand : No problem hehe ! Well, in HP Lovecraft's literature, Dylath-Leen is the largest city of the Dreamlands. It has a port, and a strange population lives there. Regarding the band logo, the tribal, it refers to our music : it can be harsh and smooth at the same time, so is the logo with its pikes and curbs!


Who usually compose the songs? Do you have a specific subject in tackling a lyric? Is it something personal or ideology per say?
Bertrand : On our first album "Insecure", Igor wrote most of the songs, and he wrote all of them on "Semeïon"...
Igor : Most of time, I bring the framework of the titles and we work together to enhance the original idea and to find the better way to couple all our own influences in order to make something coherent. Everyone have to see and feel a part of himself in the titles ; it's necessary to bear as well as we can intensify the vibes.

Your music style compromises with growls from male and female along with clear vocals. Did you really plan for the music output to be that way? Any bands that influences you guys that much?

Bertrand : well, Kathy formed the root of band in 1997. From the beginning, she used to play the guitar and growl ! So, yes, the musical draft was already there. Her vocals were mainly influenced by Karyn Crisis (CRISIS), Phil Anselmo (PANTERA) and Peter Tägtgren (HYPOCRISY). In the band we're into metal, in the widest sense. Our first album "Insecure" was a mix of all our influences : death-metal, sometimes thrash, hardcore or even black-metal... with "the Dylath-Leen atmospheric touch"

By the way, are you all French nationalities? Because your names doesn't seem like one...hmm?
Bertrand : we were all born in France. We don't know where our ancestors are from, maybe from the strange gloomy Dreamlands!!! We're citizens of the planet, anyway.

Tell us about the UG scene there, any great bandz with femme vox that you can recommend for us to support?
Bertrand : not especially from France, but you would probably like Enter Chaos or Interlock... if you don't already

Do you ever get compared to other bandz like Astarte (Greece), Darzamat (Poland), etc. or do you guys stand out from this band?
Bertrand : you should check these ones too!!! We've not really been compared to them, I think we're part of the same scene... why not share the stage one day?

Lets talk about the last MFV5, how was the experience? NBzine was able to interview Distorted from Israel who played also there. Were you able to meet up with them? How about Seraphim from Taiwan?
Igor : It was a very exciting experience. It's a great stage and an audience who knows what they want to hear, so we just can feel good in that kind of moments. We recorded a video of the show and we'll probably propose videos for the web or a DVD one day ! For the contact with the bands, it's difficult because there are a lot of people backstage and it's impossible to see everyone. We didn't see Distorted but we were introduced to Seraphim while they were arriving from the airport, unfortunately, we couldn't speak much... we spent much time with Tourettes members that time but maybe next year we'll have new possibility to meet.

How do you define woman in metal? Is it an advantage having a woman in a band?
Bertrand : maybe that was an advantage a few years ago, when we formed the band. At least it was a particularity people would notice for sure! Having a woman in a metal band, moreover a growler... and guitarist as well... that was pretty rare haha!!! Now there are a lot of "female" bands around, maybe too much to remember all of them ;)

Is there any possibility you will head off here in UAE or Asian countries like my country Philippines?
Bertrand : we'd be glad to meet you all and play there! That's not a short-run project, unfortunately. If things get a lot better for us, you could see us in your neighborhood faster than you'd think hehe!

What can we expect from Dylath-Leen in a few years to come? More album releases? Will you ever sell-out for the big labels?
Igor : Yes ! We all expect that we can become more important on the european metal scene. New album releases are the most important to me but we also hope that we can play on most important fests like Wacken or Summer Breeze and maybe sign with bigger labels... We want to produce videoclips too but for the moment we have to choose how to fund and of course music is the priority.

I always ask this: Any crazy stunts or proposals from the crowd? Or any psychopath going butt-naked or something... =)
Bertrand : ... and I always reply this hehe : "no, not yet...". So please anybody, if you read this... come at our shows and climb naked onstage, so we can say "yes" to this question hehe!

How about drinks! (most of my French friends drinks a lot!). You guys take it before, during or after the gig? Ever get so drunk you that the performance totally went sour?
Igor : We are alway sober before and during the show !!! It's a kind of respect for people who come and pay to see the gig ! And we're a strange band as we are not a stereotype of the beer drinking attitude we often see in France but in the foreign countries too. We got nothing to see with Straight edge or anything particular in that way : our only addiction is Lovecraft readings!

What mark do you want to leave in the minds of the metal listeners?
Bertrand : we had a funny message recently... the guy said "hey, actually your music rocks!" He thought we were some kind of tasteless princess-metal, before he listened to us... so, we'd like to make people go beyond their prejudice

Holyshit, I guess that's about it! So this is the part where you post your shout out! Thank you for the time! All the best for Dylath-leen!
Bertrand : Please people, support the bands you love, go to the gigs when you can and support zines... Thank you for your support, see you one day!

Have a nice day,
Bert + Dylath-Leen
http://www.myspace.com/dylathleen
www.dylath-leen.net
www.dylathleen@viola.fr