(In February we had the pleasure of premiering and reviewing the newest album by the French doom band Carcolh, which is out now on Sleeping Church Records. Today we present Comrade Aleks‘ new interview with Carcolh vocalist Sébastien Fanton, and he again proves to be a wonderful conversationist.)
Five men from Bordeaux love and know how to make smart, traditional, almost textbook doom metal. And why not! Most of them did it years before Carcolh, and, let’s face it, they are professionals in their field.
“Carcolh” is a mythical half-snake, half-snail from French folklore, but this does not mean that the guys are “barely dragging their feet.” They managed to tell six stories in the 46 minutes of their third full-length Twilight of the Mortals, revealing in their own way the nature of human tragedies in the sublunary world.
This album shows that Carcolh maybe do not progress in a global sense of the word, but confidently move forward enriching their soundscapes with a lot of new nuances and semi-colours. All the instruments sound heavy, clear, rational, and tasteful. Sébastien Fanton’s vocal lines are harmonious and noble, matching the themes performed by his colleagues. Twilight of the Mortals is far from monotonous; its pace varies from the furious gallop of “The Battle Is Lost” to the crushing dirge of “My Prayers Are for Rain” or the twelve-minute long, multifaceted, and saturated “Empty Thrones”.
This material isn’t something one could easily digest in a case you aren’t into traditional doom metal, yet we did the interview with Sébastien, and it may help you to get how cool Carcolh are.
Hi Sebastien! How’s life treating you? How is it on your side?
Hi Alexey! Life treats us pretty well as individuals. We all have a roof over our heads, enough to eat every day, and we even manage to meet up from time to time, to play some music with the sole purpose of annoying our guitarist Quentin’s neighbors. They hate metal and especially doom. Don’t worry, I can divulge their names and addresses for possible reprisals. So you see, everything is fine for us, we are pretty healthy and caring people who know how to live in their time.
It seems, the burden was so heavy, that it took quiet a lot of time to finish your third album Twilight of the Mortals. What slowed you down?
Your question gave me a little nostalgic smile… yes, we took our time. Some songs like “Empty Thrones” or “My Prayers Are for Rain” were written a long time ago, immediately after the release of our previous album. The other songs were composed and then perfected. Some were not kept because they did not really fit the general atmosphere of the album, add to that professional reconversion and moves. Time passed between The Life and Works of Death and Twilight of the Mortals, but it seems that the tormented souls who appreciated the previous one have not forgotten us and seem to like this one even more, which really warms the heart! We can feel that it is more than a “blue thumb” on social networks…
What kind of other feedback did you get from the listeners? It seems that for some period a lot of bands and their fans exist separately. Like, “Okay, I push like”’ under their news, I support underground”. But some people don’t bother even to push the button.
On the few shows we’ve been able to give, we’ve had very good feedback. A couple once told me they traveled several hundred kilometers to come see us play, which is extremely heartwarming. It’s clear that someone who comes up to you after the concert with a smile from ear to ear to tell you that they liked your set or your album, is probably one of the most gratifying things in the world. It’s always cool to have positive comments on social networks, but there are certainly people, myself included, who buy CDs or vinyl records of bands they discover on the internet without ever leaving a single “like” under a post.
The title of Twilight of the Mortals sounds opposite to Twilight of the Gods. What do you put in the album’s name?
The most powerful men on the planet, due to their personal financial wealth, have acquired an almost divine status today; I’m not telling you anything new. All their pseudo-political decisions are solely motivated by the lure of gain, which is deeply incompatible with an ecological emergency and respect for all other existence. It has always been like this, but today it has all become uncontrollable. It is therefore the decline of mortals, because it is obvious that humanity already has one foot in the grave. The magnificent artwork of J.R Erebe perfectly represents this feeling of inevitable destiny.
How do you feel it in France? The French revolution was a trademark centuries ago, but after that it was all the same as in any other country in the world. And people still praise the ghost of former freedom, as they didn’t notice that they have less and less of it every day. By the way, do you feel yourself more free nowadays?
Huge problem, yes and no. I don’t really know what to say. It seems like we have more personal time than ever, and alongside that we see our rights that we took for granted disappearing one after the other. The leveling down and the number of “influencers” who express themselves on the networks is growing; we are dictated what is good or not. It has always existed but today any idiot can express himself and influence others. Disinformation from wherever it comes deprives us of our intellectual freedoms, we become docile and accustomed to the worst. The political class understood this a long time ago. We should impose collective listening to Napalm Death from a young age in schools.
I didn’t see the lyrics yet, but the songs’ titles are soaked in the feeling of defeat, desolation, and despair. Maybe death and destruction a bit too. How would you describe the lyrical themes if the album?
The lyrics are related to what I answered in the previous question. I wouldn’t say it’s a concept, but that there is a common point between them, simply. “Empty Thrones” is about kings and queens who leave this world in agony to take refuge in the heavens, leaving their “subjects” to decline on a land reduced to a desert where nothing grows anymore. The meaning of my lyrics is often hidden under a layer of bad poetry. In “The Battle Is Lost” it is about drowning, arrogance, the insignificance of man facing the force of the elements. For the rest, I leave the pleasure to those who are interested to interpret the lyrics in their own way and according to their feelings.
Well, the press-release says that you were “pushing though boundaries” this time. Do you feel this way indeed?
Yes. We have mostly crossed the line in terms of madness because of the curse that hangs over this band. If you play doom, you have to suffer.
So how much did you suffer in the process of giving birth to these songs?
A lot of suffering. We force ourselves to compose our songs on our knees, on shards of glass that tear at our flesh: this is our daily life. Doom isn’t all recognition and fame.
What makes you proud of the new songs? Do you feel that you surpassed yourself this time?
Yes, we are really happy with the result. Olivier and Quentin really spent a lot of time working on the harmonies in “twin guitars” and everyone practices their instrument on their own. Obviously there are always personalities in the group who are more into amber rum and hops than regular rehearsals, but I don’t want to offend anyone. There is a beautiful alchemy in Carcolh that we must not destroy. As for surpassing ourselves, I would modestly say that we are doing our best to be the greatest group in the history of music.
My prayers are with Carcolh! So let it be! How often do you have to organize the band’s gigs DIY? How do such things bother you?
Not very often, actually. Most of the time, we’re offered to play. I’m thinking in particular of Cabale Prod, which is an association of passionate activists. The guys have a label, a radio show, organize concerts, and have had us play several times in our region. Sometimes, other bands contact us directly. But organizing a concert is a job in itself; you have to manage the reception of the bands, the food, the accommodation, etc. So I admit that we are very indebted to the people who invest their time and energy to get us out of our cave.
I read Obituary’s and Sentenced’s biography not long ago and was surprised with the fact that both bands almost didn’t give a damn regarding the instruments they played. Did you update your equipment since the previous album The Life and Works of Death?
You know, I’m the singer; my equipment is limited to a clean t-shirt to come to rehearsals. As for the others: Quentin invested in an arcade machine, Matt bought a set of new strings for his bass, and Ben plays on a Playschool drum kit. Fortunately, there’s Olivier to counterbalance all this amateurism; he’s a compulsive buyer of equipment. His pedalboard is affectionately nicknamed “the enterprise”; it requires electricity from a power plant to function.
More seriously, everyone chose their equipment scrupulously in order to give the most organic sound possible to Carcolh’s music. Did you notice that I saved as much time as possible in order not to answer this much too intimate question? I remind you that singers are wankers who are not very concerned. But I must also mention the work of Raph Henry from Heldscalla studio, who, despite many psychological wanderings during the recording of the album, allowed us to achieve this gargantuan sound result.
What are your ambitions regarding the gigs? How far are you going to reach this year?
We would like to participate in some festivals, and here in France, there are very beautiful things happening. I am thinking in particular of “Courts of Chaos”, “Anthems of Steel” or even “Pyrenean Warriors”… Playing outside would be great too, “Hammer of Doom” in Germany for example. We have the right to dream. We have already shared the stage with our friends from Barabbas and Nornes, it was hot! I hope we will have the opportunity to do these kind of typically doom dates again.
Well… Did you ever play in Guernsey? I remember that there was one of death-doom in times of yore. Earthcorpse.
Um…no, I admit I don’t know Earthcorpse either. I saw that it was a band from the ’90s, a great period for doom death where everything was to be done, I’ll give it a listen, thanks for the info.
I saw that The Bottle Doom Lazy Band released a new album in the autumn of 2024. Did you play with them since then?
No, not at all! Here is a doom band with a very strong personality! I know that Matt, our bassist, is in contact with one of the members of The Bottle Doom Lazy Band, that would also be a great idea for a concert… we have a French scene that is rather well-supplied with very good doom bands, things are happening!
Did anyone in your surrounding discuss an idea of a French Doom Festival? Or was the moment lost some years ago?
Not at the moment to my knowledge.
I interviewed two French bands in December and asked them about their attitude towards the show the government launched with the Olympic Games in August 2024. Was it worth it?
Beyond the sporting performance that I fully respect, the rest is just a masquerade aimed at making France a showcase, misleading. The homeland of human rights has not been for a long time. The hospitals here are appealing for donations to survive and there is no more money for education, because it brings nothing to our government of bankers and their entourage. I don’t give a damn about the Olympic Games, therefore.
What are your further plans for 2025 regarding Carcolh?
We have already started writing more songs. Playing concerts. Meeting people who love our music. Spreading Twilight of the Mortals all over the galaxy, and beyond. Thank you very much for this interview and the interest you have shown us for quite a few years now… lots of love!
Yep, thanks for the interview Sebastien! It was good to talk again. Did we skip anything?
“It is not necessary for eagles to be crows” (Sitting Bull).
https://sleepingchurchrecords.bandcamp.com/album/twilight-of-the-mortals