(Last November Hammerheart Records released the fantastic tenth album by the ever-intriguing French band Monolithe, and that led our Comrade Aleks into an interview with the band’s new vocalist/guitarist Quentin Verdier — a very good one that you’ll find below.)
The Parisian long-running doom band Monolithe continues its mission to explore the boundaries of the genre and this time they’ve turned to the theme of futuristic noir. They have already recorded a series of albums loosely based on the work of Stanley Kubrick, the Soviet cosmic program, and their own fantasies. Now they approach the cultural and philosophical legacy of Blade Runner and The Matrix.
Monolithe’s lineup went through some changes shortly before the album’s recording, but the founding members Sylvain Begot (guitars, keyboards, programming) and Benoit Blin (guitar) are still at the helm. Their tenth full-length Black Hole District consists of ten tracks: five instrumentals exactly one minute each interspersed with five ten-minute long compositions.
The story of the catastrophic approach of the Earth and the Moon, told in the scenery of a gloomy dystopia, is presented in the key of some kind of sci-fi (nearly progressive) death-doom. For Monolithe, this approach is not revolutionary, and Black Hole District actually continues the theme of Kosmodrom (2022) with slight variations.
The basis of the material (minus the interludes) is solid and modern death-doom – with growls, riffs, and a mostly leisurely tempo. The “prog” shell is built on the parts of the old-fashioned CS-80 synthesizer (the choice of Vangelis), a generally mobile and changeable structure of the compositions, futuristic samples, and the presence of clean vocal parts. This is where another feature of the release comes from: this conceptual album obtains the soundtrack vibe, and this effect is enhanced by the declamation, the voice of the “narrator”, who episodically conveys the theses of the story.
One thing is for sure: Black Hole District is doom metal with an idea. Although vocalist Quentin Verdier joined Monolithe’s crew in around 2023, the interview he conducted turned to be really good.
Salute! How are you? How goes the promotion of Black Hole District?
Hi, this is Quentin (vocals/guitars), everything is going great for us. The promotion of Black Hole District is going very well. We’re getting a flood of interesting interviews and glowing reviews, which is very positive for the future!
Nice to meet you Quentin! Honestly, I expected Sylvain to answer, as it seems that he always does, but it’s good to see your side of things. So how did you get in the band?
I’ve been following Monolithe since Epsilon Aurigae (2016). In the summer of 2023, their announcement about replacing Rémi as the vocalist caught my attention. I reached out to Sylvain, sharing my previous work, and then auditioned with three tracks. While my growls were solid, my clean vocals needed more refinement. The band decided to bring me on board, provided I improved in that area, and the hard work has paid off. I can now replicate the clean vocal lines originally performed by Frédéric Gervais, who also mixed and mastered Black Hole District at Studio Henosis. I’ve also taken on the role of third guitarist for live performances.
I was asked by one band, how things like that work with local media, and that pushed me to ask you the same: How does the local media support Monolithe? Do magazines like Metallian have some space for the band nowadays? Do bigger zines print reviews or interviews for free?
If you had asked us this question a few years ago, we would have had a very different perspective. Today, we’re receiving strong support in France, particularly from Metallian, which has been backing us for many years. From a local reception standpoint, it wasn’t always like this at the start of the band. I think there’s a kind of “French metal syndrome” where the music exports very well abroad and gets a much stronger reception early on compared to the local scene.
Bands like The Great Old Ones, Gorod, or bigger names like Gojira or Alcest have all experienced this difference in reception and are now succeeding both in France and internationally. I feel like French support only comes once you’ve proven yourself elsewhere, which is completely ridiculous in my opinion—but maybe it’s just in our national DNA, hahaha!
And you forgot to mention Misanthrophe! However, did the Summer Olympics opening ceremony influence that somehow — how do you think? And what do you think about that ceremony?
Indeed, Misanthrope or even Anorexia Nervosa enjoyed a bit of international success! I’m not sure if the Paris Olympics had any particular influence. I think it might have shone a spotlight on Gojira for people who knew nothing about this scene or the massive impact the band has had on French metal internationally. Beyond that, I don’t really have an opinion on the event itself.
Honestly, it felt more like an unnecessary and costly “smoke screen” aimed at making us forget the political situation and the rather unprecedented regime crisis we’re currently facing. So, I don’t have much—if any—positive commentary about the Summer Olympics, hahaha.
Monolithe’s crew updated significantly since the release of Kosmodrom. How suddenly did all these changes happen? Was it easy to replace three members at once?
I arrived at a pivotal moment in the band’s career. In this new lineup, I was the first to be inducted in November 2023 after Rémi, who had held the same position since 2015, left. It’s always a significant responsibility to succeed a long-term frontman, but I am immensely grateful to Sylvain and the other members for trusting me so quickly and, most importantly, for giving me this opportunity, which I hope to deserve for as long as possible.
Then, the ups and downs of life, sometimes involving a lack of time and/or motivation, led Matthieu (keyboards) and Olivier (bass) to leave Monolithe and embark on new adventures. At that moment, the rest of the group decided to call Vincent, a very close friend of the band, to take on the role of bassist. His passionate involvement, skills with the instrument, and immense joviality made for a swift and successful integration.
The same goes for Axel, who joined on keyboards. I knew him before Monolithe; he played in the symphonic black metal band of a former guitarist from my band. I knew that his background as a professional musician would be an excellent asset for the band. I suggested him and then introduced him to the others, and we were all blown away by his virtuosity, motivation to bring new sounds to the songs, and especially his cheerful demeanor combined with an unwavering sense of humor!
According to this, how did you organize the recording sessions of Black Hole District?
When I joined the band, everything was already set in terms of composition and the writing process. I discovered the demos and the entire concept around the album, and I was quickly set on writing my growling parts.
In my other band, Acedia Mundi, we worked pretty much in an “old school” way—someone would write a riff, and we would try to shape a song together without any specific methods. With Monolithe, it was a bit different because I had all the equipment to record vocals at home. So, I created my parts hand in hand with Sylvain, who had a clear idea of what he wanted regarding placement, tones, and intentions. This was the easiest way for me to settle into the band quickly and immerse myself in the Monolithe universe.
Once all the music was recorded (starting with the drums, then my death vocals, and finally Olivier’s bass lines), Frédéric Gervais (Orakle, Cor Serpentii, Khôra) from Studio Henosis did a phenomenal job with the mixing and mastering. He also worked on the clean vocal parts, bringing an “Arcturus” vibe with his ethereal and majestic singing style reminiscent of Garm (Kristoffer Rygg).
Did Sylvain write all the lyrics or did you change some parts together during these sessions?
As with every album, Sylvain wrote all the lyrics. By the time I joined the band, everything was already written. My task was simply to immerse myself in the lyrics and convey the emotions they were meant to express as faithfully as possible. Of course, my contribution involved suggesting specific interpretations or placements, which we refined together with Sylvain.
This is the band’s tenth full-length album, and there are ten tracks – five one-minute-long instrumentals and five ten-minute-long pieces with vocals. There’s no doubt that it was intentional, so how did you calculate the tracks’ duration this time?
Monolithe‘s conceptual approach has always been deeply rooted in the symbolism of numbers. This structuring reflects the fact that Black Hole District is the band’s tenth release, featuring ten tracks, with five ten-minute pieces interspersed with one-minute interludes. Each album ties back to its position in our discography.
The inclusion of these interludes between songs allows for a narrative flow, helping to weave the story together.
Our obsession with numbers began during the composition of the first album. The aesthetic of the Roman numeral I immediately tied in with the band’s name, making it an obvious choice for the title. At that time, we didn’t know if there would even be a second album, but when it was decided to create a sequel to Monolithe I, continuing in the same vein felt natural. Over time, we’ve taken this concept further, especially with the shift in how we name our albums after completing the first cycle.
Moreover, imposing this time constraint on ourselves elevates the compositional process, forcing us to distill each piece to its essential elements. Writing tracks with a specific duration is something we’ve been doing for a while now, and we’ve developed techniques to achieve this while keeping everything sounding right and cohesive.
Do you feel that you got rid of the image of a funeral doom band with one-hour-long tracks? Don’t you think to return one day to that shape?
It’s true that Monolithe initially gained recognition as a funeral doom band with long, almost one-hour tracks that defined our early work. That era was a significant part of our identity and helped us stand out, but evolution is a natural and necessary process for any artist. Over time, we’ve explored different structures and approaches, including more concise compositions like those on Black Hole District.
We don’t feel confined by any one label or format anymore. Shifting away from the “50 minutes track” format allowed us to experiment, expand our narrative possibilities, and reach a broader audience. That said, our roots are always there, and we deeply respect that part of our history. As for returning to that shape—never say never. If the inspiration struck and it felt right artistically, we wouldn’t hesitate to revisit those long-form compositions.
The plot of Black Hole District borrows some ideas from Blade Runner and a few other movies (or books). How long did you compose your story? Did you have to leave some of its turns outside the album?
The plot of Black Hole District indeed draws inspiration from Blade Runner and other sci-fi classics, both in movies and literature. These works have such rich worlds and themes that naturally resonate with the ideas we wanted to explore—identity, consciousness, AI and the human (or post-human) condition in a futuristic and dystopian context.
The composition of the story was a gradual process, intertwined with the music itself. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly how long it took, as the narrative and the music evolved together. Some ideas sparked spontaneously, while others required more deliberate development to align with the overarching concept and tone of the album. But I think Sylvain could speak more about this, as he’s been behind all the music and the concept of every Monolithe album since day one!
As for leaving parts of the story out—absolutely. When creating a conceptual album, there’s always more material than can fit into the final work. Some narrative turns and even thematic explorations didn’t make it onto the album. This wasn’t necessarily a loss; rather, it was a way to keep the story tight and focused, ensuring that the listener could follow the central arc without it becoming overwhelming or fragmented.
Monolithe tends to sci-fi narratives, and it reflects through your songs in many ways. Did you discuss the possibility of using AI in your music?
That’s an interesting question. Many artists rightly reject the use of AI in their compositions, and I fully agree with that perspective. However, I’ve noticed more and more artists reclaiming the tool to incorporate it into their work. With themes like ours, it could indeed offer an interesting creative angle. That said, AI should always remain a means to an end, not the end itself. For now, I think we’ll stay quite hesitant, if not entirely resistant, to the idea of using it in Monolithe, hahaha.
The official press release points out that you used CS-80 synthesizer for this album. Were you influenced by the Blade Runner soundtrack as well? Did you use any other specific equipment or did you try some new settings during the session?
It’s obvious that with a concept-album inspired by Blade Runner, we had to pay homage to Vangelis’ soundtrack. This included a much more extensive use of sounds like those from the CS-80 and atmospheres typically drawn from all those great sci-fi cinema classics as The Matrix, Dark City or Ghost in The Shell. The major innovation, however, is the more pronounced use of clean vocals compared to previous albums. This is something we plan to develop further on future releases. Now that I’ve worked on my singing to replicate Frédéric Gervais’ parts for the scene, I’ll be much more capable of creating those sections myself in addition to the growling parts.
Did you watch the Monolith (2022) movie? A kind of far speculation on Kubrick’s theme.
I can only speak for myself, and unfortunately, I haven’t seen that movie. So I can’t elaborate further on the question. However, I’ll check it out with great interest! As a sci-fi enthusiast, I’m always open to discovering new things, just like everyone else in the band.
Okay, what’s the last movie you saw?
I recently watched The Substance by Coraline Fargeat, and both the themes and the masterful direction blew me away! On another note, I revisited a classic I hadn’t seen in over 10 years since my film studies: Wings of Desire by Wim Wenders. This time, I was able to fully appreciate the poetic depth of the film without being stuck in the constant analytical mindset of a student!
For a long time the band managed to find new ways to express its creativity and almost each time you have composed something different, inventing new plots or developing older concepts. Do you feel that there’s more you can offer in future? Don’t you feel yourself exhausted to some point?
Creativity is a dynamic force, and while it’s true that we constantly push ourselves to explore new ideas, develop unique plots, and innovate within our sound, we don’t see this process as exhausting. On the contrary, it’s invigorating. Each project presents an opportunity to challenge ourselves and discover new dimensions of our art.
Of course, there are moments when the creative process feels demanding (and more specifically with Monolithe). But we view it as a necessary tension that fuels growth. It’s in those moments of struggle or introspection that some of our best ideas are born. As for the future, we believe there’s still plenty to explore. Music, storytelling, and concepts are virtually limitless in their potential.
Nothing is set in stone at the moment, but Sylvain is working on the next project with a new concept that will explore extraterrestrial communication methods far removed from our human modes of expression. After Blade Runner, I imagine we might draw some inspiration from the fantastic film Arrival (2016) by Denis Villeneuve, hahaha.
How frequently do you plan to play the new material live? How tight is your gig schedule for the rest of the year?
We’d like to resume playing concerts as soon as possible and on a more regular basis. We haven’t performed in two years, and we’re more than eager to get back on stage to play the new material. This summer, we signed with a booking agent, so we’re hoping he’ll work diligently to plan some great gigs for us in 2025!
Thanks for the interview Quentin! It turned out really good, and I appreciate your time! Did we skip something important? How would you like to finish our conversation?
Thank you for these very interesting questions and for the support given to Monolithe! Long live No Clean Singing!
https://hammerheart.bandcamp.com/album/black-hole-district
https://monolithe.bandcamp.com/album/black-hole-district