Wednesday, September 11, 2013

... Pamiers is doomed : an Interview with DOCTOR DOOM !!!

Tag them as you want - retro psychedelic Rock / proto-doom / occult Sabbathy Stoner or whatever - but one thing is sure : DOCTOR DOOM made a stunning entrance in the hazy territories of classic Heavy Rock with their brilliant "DoomO" released a few months ago.
Those guys are as simple, sincere and discerning regarding their references and the genre they deliver, as their music is catchy, heavy and bluesy, but they don't forget to add their own flair to the table through an uncanny alchimy between both guitars, plus innate and expressive vocal abilities... 
No doubt that the vynil release of this masterful debut (by STB rds) will be quickly sold-out, so watch out for it before it costs you more than one ball on e-Bay !!! 

Here's an interview that was first answered in french by all band members, then translated in english by bassist Seb ...and  well, as the answers in our language were still included in the mail I got back, I decided exceptionally to post this in both versions... (just the interview, not the introduction... faut pas pousser mémé dans les orties non plus !) 


Doctor Doom released  digitally its 1st recording on May 25th and you announced its vynil release just about 3 weeks after, how the hell did this deal with STB come so quickly to you ?

Steve, from the STB Records label, contacted us after our Bandcamp page was shared over various online networks, firstly to tell us that he liked the DoomO, and then to propose a limited edition vinyl release!

Steve, du label STB Records, nous a contactés suite à la diffusion de notre page Bandcamp sur divers réseaux internet, d’abord pour nous dire que la DoomO lui plaisait, puis pour nous proposer le projet d’un tirage limité sur vynile !


Latest band pic with new drummer (Mitch, on the left)
You’re basically a quartet with O. Goirand on drums but this guy never appears on any band’s picture (at least recent ones), did he left D.D. since the recording ?

Indeed, we did split with our drummer after making the recording. When the DoomO was released he hadn’t yet been replaced, so there were only 3 of us.  The role is now filled by Michel (who also plays in the bands Worselder and Host), who played his first DoctoR DooM gig on 7th September. He is the right drummer for us, and we are honoured to have him onboard.

En effet le groupe s’est séparé de son batteur après les sessions d’enregistrement. Au moment de la sortie de la DoomO, il n’avait pas encore été remplacé, nous étions donc 3.  Le poste est désormais occupé par Michel (également batteur dans les groupes de métal Worselder & Host), qui vient tout juste de faire son premier concert avec DoctoR DooM le 7 Septembre. C’est le batteur idéal, et nous sommes honorés qu’il ait bien voulu nous rejoindre !

The vynil release will see a new cover for which you made a special contest… was that an idea from you or the label ? the original cover is cool though,  are all those different objects  representing the most essential part of your deepest passions and in which manner do you think they fit all explicitly with Doctor Doom’s identity ?

Steve proposed to take care of the artwork for the vinyl, based on our cultural references. Having appreciated his work on other productions, we gave him free rein to do his thing. He seems to have understood the vibe of our band very well, but we haven’t seen the finished product yet!
The original artwork, that you can see on our Bandcamp profile, is based on one of our own photos, showing some typical objects relating to the mindset of the band when it was formed: some “heroes”, a poster from our first gig … a sort of tribute to that which inspired the band to exist! Bear in mind that this recording was originally simply a demo recording, to help with promotion.

Steve nous a proposé de gérer le visuel du vynile, sur la base d’une définition de notre univers.  Appréciant son travail sur ses autres productions, nous lui avons laissé carte blanche. Il semble avoir bien compris l’esprit du groupe. Mais nous n’avons pas encore découvert l’artwork définitif !
Le visuel original, qu’on peut voir sur notre page Bandcamp, est basé sur une photo personnelle, montrant en effet quelques objets typiques de l’esprit du groupe à ses débuts : quelques « héros », une affiche de notre premier concert … une sorte d’hommage à tout ce qui a motivé le groupe à exister ! Sachant que cet enregistrement était destiné intialement à être une simple démo, pour nous aider à démarcher.




If I’m not wrong you seem to follow closely everything that’s related to DOOM, Heavy Rock and  psyched-out Stoner  (upcoming bands, blogs, etc…), do you have a prominent interest in what’s called retro-Heavy Rock or are you as much into Traditionnal Doom or bluesy stoner or … ?

We are lucky enough to benefit from a certain fashion trend, or at least some sort of revival of vintage rock and its derivatives. However, like no doubt many artists in this scene, we are simply continuing to discover artists who play music in a style that we have always liked.
We are big fans of the greats from the 60s and 70s: Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Rory Gallagher, The Who … which brought us to Metal, and from there to masses of smaller bands, old and new, that we discover every day through all these specialised blogs and Facebook pages: Graveyard, Witchcraft, Blues Pills, Horisont, Kadavar .. but also Demian, Bubble Puppy, Coven, Jerusalem… It is surprising to see the number of high quality artists who have been around since the mid 60s and have remained practically unknown!

Nous avons la chance de profiter d’un certain effet de mode, tout du moins d’un certain revival pour le rock vintage et ses dérivés.  Cependant, comme probablement beaucoup d’artistes de ce milieu, nous continuons simplement à découvrir des artistes dans un registre que nous avons toujours aimé.
Nous sommes de grands fans des géants des années 60/70 : Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Rory Gallagher, the Who … qui nous ont amené au Métal, pour ensuite nous ramener vers des tonnes de groupes plus mineurs, anciens comme récents, qu’on découvre encore quotidiennement à travers tous ces blogs et pages Facebook dédiés : Graveyard, Witchcraft, Blues Pills, Horisont, Kadavar … mais aussi Demian, Bubble Puppy, Coven, Jerusalem … Il est surprenant de voir la quantité de groupes de très haute qualité présents dès le milieu des années 60, restés quasiment dans l’anonymat !


In your opinion, what’s to be original in today’s scene ?( have a male singer ? christian lyrics ? an esquimo as drummer ? … )

Seeing how we are playing in a style that has already been thoroughly perfected for 40 years, we aren’t well placed to talk about originality! What counts for us is sharing our music and our world, we like that which sounds good, that is all.

Vu qu’on évolue dans un style déjà parfaitement maîtrisé il y a 40ans, nous serions mal placés pour parler d’originalité ! Ce qui compte pour nous c’est de partager notre musique et notre univers, et on aime ce qui sonne, tout simplement.


What’s your opinion about Nuclear Blast rds signing Orchid, Kadavar, Witchcraft, Graveyard… ? one can at least note how things evolve extremely quickly (in terms of touring, promotion, video-clips, etc…) for those bands, from the second you sign there it seems you enter another dimension … would you be ready for such development in Doctor Doom ?

It’s hugely rewarding for all these bands, that we love. Having a deal with a big label such as Nuclear Blast is certainly the reward for experience, musical maturity, professionalism and great talent. The label must fit the artist, it is also a bigger commitment, which fits into a very professional approach. We recently had the great pleasure of learning about Blues Pills being signed by Nuclear Blast, they totally earned it!
DoctoR DooM is a small brand new project. We still have much progress to make, experience to gain, and most of all, we are amateurs, with other activities, families etc. so we can’t dedicate 100% of our time to the band. STB records is a label perfectly suited to our stature, for this first EP. But maybe one day?

C’est extrêmement gratifiant pour tous ces groupes, qu’on adore. Avoir un engagement avec un gros label comme Nuclear Blast est certainement aussi la récompense d’une expérience, d’une maturité musicale, d’un professionnalisme et d’un grand talent. Le label doit être à la mesure de l’artiste. C’est aussi un engagement plus grand, qui s’inscrit dans une démarche très pro. Nous avons appris récemment avec grand plaisir que le groupe Blues Pills rejoignait Nuclear Blast, ils le méritent totalement !
DoctoR DooM est un petit groupe, tout nouveau. Nous devons encore progresser, acquérir de l’expérience, et surtout nous sommes amateurs, avec des activités à côté, des familles … nous ne pouvons pas consacrer 100% de notre temps au groupe. STB Records est un label tout à fait à notre mesure, pour ce premier EP. Mais peut-être un jour ?


Many bands praise Black Sabbath for being the godfathers of Doom and often add a couple of obscure names from the 70’s for the good measure, what’s your opinion on this ?  I guess this could be the contrary for you, am I wrong ? it seems that some of your influences are also from the 60’s period , who are the godfathers of HEAVY music for you guys ?

Can we really answer that as one voice? Coven could be the first to present a firmly occult atmosphere, but the fatherhood of heavy music goes undeniably to Black Sabbath, until proven otherwise!
The influences of DoctoR DooM are very varied in fact. We try to mix in a bit of everything we love into our music, without forbidding anything. Our more recent discoveries come from the end of the 60s, indeed, but we are also greatly influenced by the more recent work of bands such as Horisont and Graveyard.

Pouvons-nous vraiment répondre à cette question comme un seul homme ??? Coven pourrait être le 1er groupe a proposer un univers résolument occulte, mais la paternité de la musique lourde revient incontestablement à Black Sabbath, jusqu’à preuve du contraire !
Les influences de DoctoR DooM sont très diverses, en fait. Nous essayons de mêler un peu tout ce qu’on aime dans notre musique, sans rien nous interdire. Nos plus récentes découvertes viennent en effet de la fin des années 60, mais nous sommes aussi très inspirés par les compositions plus hard-rock d’Horisont ou Graveyard.


I know you’re a young band and have not toured yet outside your area, but what do you expect from your own country for D.D. ? your style is not very represented among french bands, how do you situate the band within our scene ?


Playing Retro Rock in France, with english lyrics is a bit like playing Raï in Sweden! It isn’t part of the cultural identity of our country, but we are still very well received here, more so in real life (through gigs) than online, however.
We were fortunate enough to have been invited to perform our first concert in excellent conditions, and pretty much every gig has brought us another one, always with a great atmosphere and wonderful reception. Our style is also reasonably accessible, while remaining very Rock based, which allows us to participate in a variety of events.

But there are also some really good events in France, the “Stoner” wave is finding its place, and we would be honoured to be able to perform at some of the events in our country.

Jouer du rock rétro en France, et chanter en Anglais, c’est un peu comme faire du Raï en Suède ! Ce n’est pas l’identité propre de notre pays, mais nous recevons quand même un très bon accueil ici, davantage dans la vraie vie (via nos concerts) que par internet, cependant.
Nous avons eu la chance d’être invités à faire notre 1er concert dans d’excellentes conditions, et depuis chaque concert en a amené un autre, toujours avec un très bon esprit et un super accueil. Nous faisons aussi un style relativement accessible, tout en restant bien rock, ce qui nous permet de participer à des évènements très divers.
Mais il y aussi de très bonnes scènes en France, la vague « Stoner » y creuse son trou, et on serait honorés de pouvoir se produire dans certains spots de notre pays.


What’s next after the EP  release ? any gig plans beside the Doom Over Karalis fest ? any T-shirt planed ?


We plan to start our next recordings straight after the Doom Over Karalis festival in October. Difficult so say exactly what our plans are, but we now have our own suitably equipped studio, several new tunes, and we aren’t in a hurry! We are probably going to put together a sufficient amount of tracks for an LP, but nothing is set in stone yet.
We have 2 local gigs before October, which will allow us to break in the new set with Michel on drums. After that we will probably be more picky about gig proposals, to keep our time free for recording.

We have several T-Shirt prototypes in the works, but we are still tweaking the design before putting out a definitive version.

Nous prévoyons de commencer les prochains enregistrements immédiatement après le festival Doom Over Karalis d’octobre. Difficile de te dire précisément ce que nous allons faire, mais nous avons maintenant notre propre studio équipé, plusieurs nouveaux morceaux, et nous ne sommes pas pressés !  Nous allons probablement chercher à réaliser une durée suffisante pour un LP, mais rien n’est encore bien défini.
Nous avons 2 dates locales, avant octobre, qui nous permetteront de roder le nouveau set avec Michel à la batterie.  Ensuite, nous serons probablement un peu plus sélectifs sur les propositions de concerts, pour nous dégager du temps pour enregistrer.
Nous avons plusieurs prototypes de T-Shirt, en effet ! Mais nous travaillons encore sur le design avant de proposer une version définitive.


- Now please allow me to ask a few stupid questions to you !

STB or BST (Bestial Satanic Terror) ?
TBS Terrific Black Sabbath!

Doom over Karalis or Club Med of Santa Teresa ?
Doom Over Karalis IN Club Med of Santa Teresa

Doc Gyneco or Doc from Back to the future ?
Emmett Brown, of course, for Zeus’ sake!
Emmett Brown, évidemment, Nom de Zeus !

(A world of) Doomo or (a Belgian) EPo ?
The DoomO, delivered intravenously
Le DoomO en intraveineuse

Graveyard or Witchcraft ?
Honestly, how do you expect us to answer that???
Comment peux-tu sincèrement imaginer que nous puissions répondre à cette question ???

Thanx Doc, kenavo  !!!
Thank you, man, Rock On!




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