Intronaut interview

"I think the new record is much heavier than the last"

08/03/2013 @ 13:56
Among the bands that changed the course of the modern extreme sound, Intronaut never ceased to evolve without losing their vision they strike back with their fourth album, "Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words With Tones)". Although now, seven years after debuted with "Void", seems to have been a bit fended-off from their swampy roots, nonetheless they don't lose their identity a bit and provide another great work to an already impressive career. On the occasion of the new album, we took some time of one of the leaders of the band, Sacha Dunable (guitar, vocals), who told us about their new achievement, Bereft and about the last time they visited Greece.

IntronautHello Sacha. Initially congratulations for your new record. How do you feel about it?
Thanks! I love it. We spent a lot of time making it and I think the end result shows that.

What do the listeners have to expect from "Habitual Levitations" and how does it differentiate from your previous albums?
It's the next step in our progression as a band. I think it’s a bit heavier overall, and maybe a little 'weirder' for lack of a better term. We tried to step out of our comfort zones as much as possible in order to stay fresh.

Intronaut - Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words With Tones)Listening to your new record it seems to me that your sludgy influences got reduced to the minimum while the progressive element plays a key role. Do you think that this is the sound that serves you better?
Honestly I think both elements are still very much there. The idea has always been to mix those two elements, though maybe the balance goes one way more than the other sometimes. I actually think this is a much heavier record than the last!

In addition to the previous question, your vocals are completely clean for the first time. Do you think that this way they fit better to the music?
Yeah, I mean it just feels more natural to me now than screaming into a mic. I still love our old music, and even enjoy playing those songs, but writing that kind of brutal stuff just doesn’t feel natural to me right now.

Intronaut"Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words With Tones)" is a beautiful title and I think it predisposes the listener for a spiritual levitation that your music offers. Is that the case or does it mean something different?
I’d like to leave that up to each person to interpret, but I will say that I really like your interpretation! There really is no wrong answer there.

Is there a particular concept behind "Habitual Levitations"?
Not this time around. We had somewhat strict concepts on the last couple records and decided to keep this one as kind of a general theme where the songs are kind of related, but not completely tied together.

Your lyrics are deep sentimental with a pessimistic view on the world. Are you inspired from your personal experiences?
Definitely. I wouldn’t say its all pessimistic though. I didn’t write all of the lyrics, but speaking for myself, it’s more about recognizing things that are potentially depressing about the world or existence in general and trying to be optimistic about it.

IntronautI hope you don't mind talking a little bit about your other band, Bereft. How did this come up? Is this to be considered as a one-time project or a full time band?
I have been friends with all those guys for a long time and we have talked about doing that record for years. Derek, the drummer, actually recorded most of our new album besides drums. We are taking time off now that Intronaut is getting busy again and Abysmal Dawn gets ready for a new record, but we will do more for sure.

Were there things you wanted to express with Bereft that with Intronaut you couldn't?
Yeah, well Bereft is meant to be a tribute to classic European doom metal, the Peaceville stuff. Intronaut doesn’t really go down that road.

IntronautI personally loved "Leichenhaus" and I placed it among my favorite records for 2012. What kind of reception did you get? Is there any chance to listen something new anytime soon?
Thanks! I think it was generally well received. The band isn’t that active just because it’s hard to schedule. We’ve only played like five shows. We will do another record, just not sure when. Maybe in the next year.

Two years ago you played live in Greece along with Red Fang and The Ocean? Do you remember anything? Did you like it?
Of course, we loved it! We actually played there in 2007 as well. The fans have been great both times, and the club/promoters too. The last time was a little tough on us because we had to fly in from Germany directly after a show, get in and play, then go back to the airport to go back to Germany and play another show, so we didn't sleep much for those few days. It was well worth it though!

IntronautAre there any plans for a European tour? Any chance to see you again in Greece (as headliners I hope)? Any other plans in general?
We are coming to Europe for a tour around Roadburn in April, but unfortunately no Greece this time. We come back to the states after that, and then hopefully back to Europe again later this year.

Last question: Which were your number one record of 2012 and why?
I hear lots of music every year that I love. I think for metal/hard stuff, I liked Enslaved’s last record, or maybe Dysrhythmia’s latest the most.

That's it Sacha. Thank you for your time and keep up the good work. The last words are yours.
Thank you for listening!
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