Passage
PASSAGE is a new doom metal
band, but Roby, the main mind that it is behind this project is not unknown
to us. Two years ago I have received a CD from a band called MOONLYGHT.
The guys were playing melodic death metal inspired from the Swedish scene,
but they had such a personal sound. Roby, is member of that great band
from Canada, and though I haven't listened to their music I am more than
sure that PASSAGE are not the usual doom metal band. So read the interview
that George have done for you and try to listen both of the groups taht
Roby plays....
1.COULD GIVE US A SMALL HISTORY OF THE BAND AND
ITS MEMBERS? ARE PASSAGE A TWO MEMBER BAND THAT SHOULD MAKE LIVE APPEARANCES
DIFFICULT IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE?
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Hi! Passage was founded by me (Roby) a couple
of years ago. At first, it was meant to be a solo project because I had
some ideas that didn’t fit with my main band, Moonlyght, that is a more
Progressive Dark/Death Metal affair. As I am a big fan of Katatonia, old
Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride and Anathema, I got some more “doomy” ideas
and then started to write 4 songs for a “future doom metal project”. After
recording these songs as demos, Luc (drums) who is one of my best friends
and also the ex-Moonlyght drummer got really interested in that project
and I asked him to play drums and keyboards on the forthcoming first album
that I planned to record later that year (2003). Concerning the live appearances,
we plan to do some but of course we’ll hire sessions musicians. This will
probably happen when we will sign a deal with a label to release our first
full-length, because now we are in search for this!
2.COULD YOU PLEASE ENLIGHTEN US ABOUT YOUR INFLUENCES?
WOULD YOU PUT NAMES LIKE WHILE HEAVEN WEPT, ANATHEMA,MY DYING BRIDE AND
AMORPHIS ON THE LIST? DO YOU AGREE THAT YOUR STYLE IS VERY CLOSE TO WHILE
HEAVEN WEPT?
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While Heaven Wept… I am often compared to them
but I can assure you I didn’t know that band before! I heard their latest
album only some months ago because I got curious about all these reviews
saying that Passage sounded like WHW. Strange… I don’t think Passage sounds
like them at all except maybe for some guitar riffs and some atmospheres
inside the songs. My favorite Anathema album is “Judgement” and one of
my favorite Doom album is “Turn Loose the Swans” by My Dying Bride”, so
I guess I got many influences in these albums. I could say “Brave Murder
Day” by Katatonia, “Icon” & “Draconian Times” by Paradise Lost too
are big influences for me.
3.YOU DON’T USE DEATH METAL VOCALSAL THOUGH THE
MUSIC IMPLIES THAT YOU COULD, TAKE UNDER ACCOUNT YOUR BLACK METAL PAST.
DID YOU WISH THE RESULT TO BE MORE LAMENTING AND MELANCHOLIC THAN AGGRESSIVE?
ARE YOU HAPPY WITH HOW THE VOCALS CAME OUT?
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I’m very happy with the vocals on “Passage”. I
think they suit really well the music. I could easily have used “death”
or “black” vocals along with the clean ones, but I really wanted to keep
Passage a less aggressive band than Moonlyght and I decided to not put
these kind of vocals. Passage do have some harsh vocals though, more Nick
Holmes-like if you know what I mean.
4.YOU ALSO USE FEMALE VOCALS THAT GIVE THEM A
FRESH CHARACTER UNLIKE THE OPERATIC ONES WE USUALLY HEAR. WHY DID YOU HAVE
A WOMAN SING?
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I was there in the studio, singing “It’s Gone
Too far” and we were like “ooh, something is missing”. Sebastien (the sound-engineer)
knew a really talented female singer called “Sélène” who
sang in a pop/rock cover band. He asked her and she just came in the studio
and sang the song. We were completely charmed by her wonderful voice and
knew she was the right person for Passage. I didn’t want an “operatic”
Nightwish-like voice, I wanted a more depressive, sad yet warm voice. Do
you remember “The Gallery” by Dark Tranquillity? I always liked the female
kind of vocals on that album.
5.ALTHOUGH THIS IS A DEMO WORK THE PRODUCTION
IS MAGNIFICENT. HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO GET SUCH A SOLID, HEAVYAND BALANCED
SOUND?
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We recorded the album in a very small studio called
“Nokturn”. During a rather long period of time, we worked really hard to
get the best sound possible with Sebastien, the one responsible for the
production. You have a choice when you want to record an album: you can
spend a lot of money in a big, well-known studio with a limited recording
time and all the stress that comes with it, or choose a small studio with
less equipment but an unlimited option of time to record, try many things,
mixing, etc. I prefer the second option. Working with people you know already
is a great thing too.
6.THIS ALBUM HAS MANY AMAZING IDEAS.I WANTED TO
ASK YOU IF THESE IDEAS WERE DEVELOPED THROUGH THE YEARS OR WERE THEY COMPOSED
JUST FOR THIS CD. WERE YOU ALWAYS AWARE THAT YOU’D MAKE A DOOM PROJECT
SOMEDAY?
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I first recorded these ideas some years ago on
my 8-track recorder at home. I recorded guitars, keyboards and put some
drum-machine on it, in order to get an overall idea of the songs. Of course
I listened to them hundreds and hundreds of times, so I added much more
elements in them! We worked them a lot in the studio, not only record the
album as it was meant to be. As I began to compose “doom metal” songs,
I knew I had to make a band or a project with it.
7.YOU USE MANY KEYS BUT YOUR MUSIC SEEMS TO BE
MORE FOCUSED ON GUITAR RIFFS. HOW IMPORTANT IS FOR A DOOM ALBUM TO SOUND
HEAVY BUT ALSO DREAMY WITHOUT OVERDOING IT WITH KEYBOARDS?
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The basic ideas comes to me first with guitar
riffs. I add keyboards only after the guitar parts are composed. I think
you don’t have to drown an album with lot of keys to create deep atmospheres,
like many bands tend to do. I really like acoustic guitars, that’s why
I have many parts in the first album.
8.WOULD YOU CALL YOUR MUSIC PROGRESSIVE IN A WAY?
I THINK THAT PARTS LIKE THE ONE IN THE SONG “IT’S GONE TOO FAR” SHOW THAT
YOU WISH TO BE SOMETHING MORE THAN JUST SLOW AND HEAVY MUSIC.
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You’re right! Some progressive or “technical”
parts in Passage are something I like very much. Not only because I like
weird rhytmics, but I think it fits well with more doomy or slow/heavy
parts. You can call it progressive, but I would rather call it variations.
9.MY FAVORITE TRACK IS “IT’SGONE TOO FAR” BECAUSE
IT IS VERY MULTIFORM BUT ALSO AS DOOM AS POSSIBLE. WHICH ONE IS YOURS AND
WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE COMPOSING PROCEDURE PASSAGE USE?
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I could’nt say I have a favorite song, but rather
favorite parts throughout the album. If I had to choose though I’d say
“Perfect World” for its simple but very catchy melody. The acoustic break
in the middle of “No Dawn Again” is something I think is a highlight. “It’s
gone too far” is a good exemple of variety in Passage songs. “Last Broken
Dream” represents the rocking and more fast side Passage while “Coma” is
an ultra-slow funeral Doom song. I’m influenced by almost everything life
brings me. I’m working in a music store, so I get influences from many
kind of music. When I compose music, I always begin the process with guitars.
I put every other instruments after but all is composed from the guitars.
10.WHICH IS, ACCORDING TO YOU, THE BEST AND WHICH
THE WORST PART IN YOUR MUSIC?
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The best could be the rich atmospheres, catchy
melodies, vocals. Worst are the lyrics… I’m not the best when it comes
to lyrics and I have to improve my English! I plan to do something for
that in the future. I have so many ideas for lyrics… I know I can do better!
11.THE LYRICS SEEM DEPRESSED AND DARK WITH SOME
HINT OF IRONY. AM I CORRECT? WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THEM?MAYBE THE
PASSAGE, THE NAME OF THE BAND HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH A CERTAIN PHILOSOPHY
OVER LIFE?
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Like the cover of the album represent, this is
the passage of pain through man. He is becoming like a dead tree with fire
burning bright around him… Lyrics are all about pain, joy, emptiness and
frustrations. They are very personal for me. You know, every step in life
is a passage to something else, to the unknown.
12.DO YOU THINK THAT THE DOOM GENRE ALTHOUGH NOT
BEING TOO POPULAR IS HAVING SOME KIND OF RENAISSANCE WITH MANY NEW BANDS
AND ALBUMS OUT THERE? OR WAS IT ALWAYS AS POPULAR AS IT IS, JUST LESS KNOWN?
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I don’t know, doom metal was born with Black Sabbath
I think… so that kind of music is there since a long time now. You’re right
when you say it’s not so popular but I like it that way because I don’t
like trends. Black Metal has become “the thing” for so many years now and
that’s really sad because that kind of music was not meant to be a trend…but
I listen to the real Black Metal stuff like Darkthrone since 1993. I don’t
think Doom Metal will ever be popular and I don’t believe it has a kind
of renaissance. Gothic metal had some peaks with Tristania, Lacuna Coil
or Theater of Tragedy some years ago though.
13.HOW IS YOUR “FINDING A LABEL” QUEST GOING SO
FAR? HOW DO LABELS TREAT ARTISTS AND MUSIC OF THE DOOM GENRE?
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Doom Metal is a cursed kind of music… It’s really
hard because labels have to believe in the band, not base their ideas on
Doom Metal sales so far. Now I realize this because I got so many excellent
reviews for “Passage” in webzines, zines, etc, but when it comes to business
with labels, it is another game. I will continue hard in my quest for this,
but I plan to send some promos in more rock-oriented labels instead.
Passage could be see as a rock band anyway, it is not so “heavy metal”!
14.IF YOUR MUSIC WERE AN EMOTION,WHAT WOULD IT
BE? IF IT WERE A PAINTING, WHAT WOULD IT SHOW?
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Probably melancholy. I definitely see Passage
as a tunnel with an old lampadary with feeble light at the other side.
Something that represent hope, but not as man thought it was…
15.THANK YOU ROBY! HAVE I FORGOTTENTO ASK YOU
ANYTHING AND YOU’D LIKE TO MENTION?
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Thanks a lot George for that great interview!
I think everything is said now! I would like to invite people to come see
our website at www.le-passage.ca
and leave us your comments! Hope that you will see our first album in a
music store near you in the near future! Doom on!
George "Volt" Tassis
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