The Metal Crypt - Blinded By Faith Interview

Interviews

Interview with Daniel and Pascal (guitars)
Interview conducted by Michel Renaud

Date online: March 11, 2001

You had a stable line-up for a while but guitarist Sébastien Lessard was recently replaced by Pascal Côté. How did Pascal's integration into the band go?

Daniel : Pascal's integration is going well. He has good musical experience and that helps us a lot especially in the songwriting. I think he is 100% motivated, just like everyone else in the band and it's important for us that all the members be on the same wavelength.

Pascal: Did you encounter any "pitfalls" when moving from Power Metal-type compositions to Black Metal-type? I mean the actual writing process. How did that go for you?

Pascal: Yes, a little bit with Black Metal picking. In Blinded by Faith, the pickings are very fast. I had to adapt to that. As for the song writing process, all members contribute ideas and we choose the best ones. I like that approach. It doesn't matter if it's a Black, Death or Power Metal riff, a good riff is a good riff! I'm very happy in Blinded by Faith!

Tommy's voice is often compared to Dani Filth's. Do you see that as a good thing? What does Tommy think about this?

Daniel: I don't see that as a bad thing because that's the goal Tom wanted to reach for the first demo. Our ambitions for the band have changed a lot since that time, and he was just impressed by Dani so, for his pleasure, he wanted to reach that genre of high screams and I think he did it! He's a lot more confident now and that's the reason why I think it's a good thing for him as well as for us. Tom is proud to have tried it, but that screaming genre has made its time. I mean...you'll see different but still "extreme" vocals on the first forthcoming full-length album.

You've made it quite clear recently that Blinded by Faith is not a Black Metal band in the ideological sense of the term, but rather that it is only musically that you can be associated with Black Metal. Would you care to expand on this?

Daniel: I wish to make it quite clear for everyone yeah 'cause this is the big mistake. We are NOT a black metal band because we don't adhere in any ways to those ideologies. We create music with our own feelings. I can't deny that we take some influences in Black Metal, but also a lot is from melodic Death Metal.

I think this is a problem that new metal bands all have to face... What kind of music they are playing??? In Blinded by Faith, we prefer high-pitched vocals and keyboard melodies rather than death metal growls and ultra loud guitars but we are not praying for Satan or the Vikings etc... You understand..? So is this Black Metal ?? Death Metal ??? Musically it has similarity to Black Metal... but nothing more.

What do you think of "real" or "true" Black Metal?

Daniel: True black metal is not only music, it is also a way of life. It is, in a manner of speaking, a kind of religion and those who claim the contrary are ridiculous morons who don't even know what they are following. True Black metal has to do with darkness, evil, occultism, pain etc..Like I said before, this is a way of life and we don't want to follow it.

It is my understanding that Blinded by Faith's new material will expand into new horizons, drawing influences from more metal genres than the earlier stuff. Can you fill me in on this?

Daniel: The new material will remain "extreme" in the vocals, the music will be more melodic and more catchy. Maybe it will be a little less athmospheric. Yes, we want to expend our horizons but I think the primary thing is for us to have pleasure in playing with your friends, we will make music we love and we won't drastically change our music style. We've gained more confidence and experience since the first studio session and we will put more time and money in the next project.

The first 500 copies of your demo CD "Veiled Hideousness" sold out pretty quickly. How are sales going now? Are you selling a lot outside of your home province?

Daniel: The sales have dropped a little since the first batch but there's still an interest for the demo in Quebec City. Elsewhere, I think the interest is always present but the resources are limited because we are not distributed on a large scale. The fact that "Veiled Hideousness" is an EP doesn't help either. Also, a lot of people have dowloaded the entire CD so why would they buy it ? :) In fact, this demo has sold well and it's now time to present our new stuff. I'm pretty sure that the interest for the demo will reappear with the first album.

You were a finalist at the Polliwog contest. Do you feel this gave you much exposure, and if yes, at what level? (You may want to give a brief explanation of what Polliwog is)

Daniel: The Polliwog contest was a great event. Yes, it gave to us good exposure with critics and articles in VOIR Magazine in Montreal and Quebec City. A little appearance at Musique Plus and other little articles about us have been written in various media. Nothing big, but a very good experience. The Polliwog is a provincial contest for the musical relief. I'm just waiting to know if this had a bigger impact for us the next time we play in Montreal!

Can your fans expect to see you live in 2001? Any dates set yet?

Daniel: We have 2 dates booked for the moment; the first one will take place at the Petit Café Campus in Montreal on March 30th and the second is for May 25th in Beaupré with HANKER. There are two or three other shows that should be announced soon.

Your plans are to record a full-length album before the end of 2001. How's the writing process going for that?

Daniel: We have encountered some minor problems since the launch of "Veiled Hideousness" and that's one of the reasons for which we have not advanced a lot in the writing process. But now, it's going well and we will try to make up for the lost time. Another thing is that we don't have all the time we'd want to put on the songs we have written so far, so it takes more time that if we could work full time on our music.

The lyrics in Veiled Hideousness are very well thought-out. Are you going to touch the same type of subjects on the album, and will the lyrics be as "deep", or do you want to ease down a little bit? (it is my understanding that some people just didn't "get it"?)

Daniel: You got it! The lyrics on the demo are good but yet too heavy to catch the sense. (And they do have a sense !! :) We'll try to do something easier to comprehend but still intelligent. Something with a touch of philosophy but using words and lines that are easier to comprehend for everyone.

Who are the main songwriters?

Daniel: For the lyrics, it's Tattoo. I write a little, like the song "Veiled Hideousness". For the music it's Tattoo, Tommy, Sébastien (ex-guitarist) and me who composed the songs on the demo. The new material is written by Tattoo, Tommy, Pascal and myself.

I guess we can expect an early 2002 release? Will that be an independent release or do you have a label interested in releasing the album?

Daniel: Yes, you can expect it around that time, but are we going to be on a label ? I have no idea. I hope so but if it must be an independent release, we'll do the best we can to produce a professional release.

Your demo CD has an impressive production, considering it's a demo. Are you thinking about going to the same studio for the album, or are you going for a more professional studio?

Daniel; We will not return to Tuxedo Productions. Not that it's a bad place, but because they are not equipped to welcome Blinded by Faith for the next production that will be a lot more professional. Yes, those guys can be proud or their production work on "Veiled Hideousness". The result has exceeded our expectations for a demo CD.

What do you think of the Quebec City metal scene?

Daniel: The Quebec City metal scene has had a little boost lately since there was nothing very interesting between 1997 and 1999. There's still a lack of promoters interested in booking big metal gigs here, but it's been a long time since I've seen a healthy local scene like today.

That's about all I got, thanks for your time! Here comes the standard final question: Anything else you would like to add?

Daniel: Like I said during this interview, check out for the first forthcoming album. It should be out at the end of 2001. Don't forget to get in touch and visit our website for concerts updates. Visit us on mp3.com!!! See you at the shows, and a very big thanks to you Michel for your time!!

Pascal: Well, thank you Michel for everything you're doing for us. We appreciate this. You are a great supporter of Metal scene in Canada!!! Stay Metal!!!

Other information about Blinded By Faith on this site

Review: Veiled Hideousness

Review: Chernobyl Survivor

Review: Under an Occult Sun