Hi! Can you tell us about the journey of Nothing New in Heaven from its inception in 2010 to the release of "Live For Me, Die For Me" in 2023?
Alex: Hey! Nothing New in Heaven is a project that was lying dormant in a file 14 years ago, and I tried to awaken it a couple of times over the years by attempting to turn the project into a band. But it was with Simon joining on vocals in 2022 and the release of our first EP, "Of Passion and Pain," in the same year that we found a rhythm and scheduled the release of "Live for Me, Die for Me" in 2023.
How did the meeting on a bus in Finland after a Children of Bodom concert lead to the formation of Nothing New in Heaven?
Alex: We are both heavily influenced by Children of Bodom. We both had the same reflex of going to Helsinki when we saw that the band was going to play their final concert. We didn't know each other, we went there separately, and after the show, we were lucky enough to take the same bus. He heard us speaking French, came over, we talked about music, and went for beers together. He talked to me about his voice, I talked to him about my melodic death project, and we were really motivated to try to give a new impetus to NNIH. The booze had made us euphoric, but the motivation remained even after sobering up!
What inspired the title "Live For Me, Die For Me"?
Alex: The little story behind the title "Live for Me, Die for Me," is with a Skyfire song that I love, even though I don't understand the lyrics - except for this phrase, that I feel like I can make out at some point. I found it catchy and used it for NNIH, since it fit quite well with the themes addressed in the vocals.
How do you think the influences of bands like Children of Bodom, Norther, and Wintersun have shaped your sound and style?
Alex: I started making music after discovering these bands; they're kind of the music tutors I never had. A song by Children of Bodom taught me more about music theory than 4 years of playing the recorder in middle school! By listening closely, you can easily notice that there's a bit of these three bands in the construction of the tracks, in the rhythm of the vocals, and the overall atmosphere.
Alexandre, as the founder of the band, what was your vision when you started Nothing New in Heaven, and how do you feel it has evolved over the years?
Alex: The project dates back to 2010, and at that time, I wanted to venture into music and try to make a living out of it. I tried to launch NNIH in Reims and Metz, but I never managed to have a complete lineup. Eventually, I had to scale back my plans, until having to reluctantly putting NNIH aside for several years. It was after temporarily joining another band around 2017 that I learned to use music production software and delved back into my old compositions.
Simon, originally meant to participate in the first EP only, what made you decide to join the project as the official vocalist, and how has your role evolved within the band?
Simon: Initially, Alex just asked me to sing on the first EP of NNIH, because it was vocals that had always been missing from any potential releases. I was really motivated to join the project, and he suggested I officially join the lineup after the release of "Of Passion and Pain." We had the same musical references, which allowed me to directly identify what he had in mind for the vocals, while I would also bring an outside perspective and ideas to feed NNIH's compositions.
Could you describe the songwriting process within the band? How do you collaborate to create your music?
Alex: I handle composition, lyrics, and arrangements, and I usually already have the finished song in mind when we move on to the vocal recording phase. The potential complication here is that the geographical distance prevents us from seeing each other as often as we'd like, and Simon often has the daunting task of discovering both lyrics and arrangements at the moment of recording. But since we're totally on the same page, he quickly integrates phrasings and naturally offers up alterations that have me say, "That sounds like an idea I could’ve had!"
What themes or messages do you aim to convey through your lyrics?
Alex: Nothing New in Heaven depicts a rather nihilistic view of religion. Basically, it starts from the principle that if there is indeed a heaven, what would make us believe that it's not as much of a mess up there as it is on Earth, and what sacrifices are believers willing to make to maintain this illusion? Criticizing religion in the metal scene is quite common, but we try to make it effective and engaging.
How has the French metal scene influenced Nothing New in Heaven, and what sets it apart from other metal scenes around the world?
Alex: NNIH is a project mainly inspired by Finnish and Scandinavian bands, so it's not easy to talk about the influence of the French scene in this case! I don't think France is known for a specific style over another; the French metal scene is quite diverse. However, there is a symphonic death metal band that resonates with us quite a bit called (Marion from) Aephanemer; we would like to be able to meet them at some point!
"Live For Me, Die For Me" was released independently. What challenges did you face in the process, and what advantages did being independent bring to the band?
Alex: The first EP, "Of Passion and Pain," was already an independent release; organizing everything ourselves allows us to move at our own pace without external pressures. Being self-sufficient from recording to distribution forces us to be on all fronts at the same time, but the experience from our first release reasserted this idea. We don't have to answer to anyone, and it suits us just fine. In any case, it's a working method that suits us very well for now!
Can you share any memorable experiences or challenges you encountered while recording "Live For Me, Die For Me"?
Alex: Recording the instruments didn't pose any problems in itself; I had time to do that, at peace in my living room. But when Simon came to record the vocals, it was the height of summer. That is to say my place was stiflingly hot, and since I work in the restaurant industry, I had improbable hours that prevented me from recording it in a single day. Between the heat and the fatigue, we were clearly not at our best for the vocal recording, to the point that we had to schedule another session several weeks later to finish and correct certain tracks that didn't satisfy us. But we're super proud of the final result!
What are your goals moving forward?
In the near future, we would focus on promoting "Live for Me, Die for Me" and start recording our next EP. The goal is to release 1 CD per year to even out the fact that we can't perform live due to our current lineup consisting solely of a singer and a guitarist.
Finally, any big announcements for the future?
We still have a lot of material to fuel NNIH's upcoming CDs, but we would like the project to take a new direction after the third EP. It will also depend on where we’re at in our personal lives, but in any case, we can't wait to share it all with you!