APOPLEXY is a rather young band, thus certainly not many of us are
acquainted with the band's history. So, can you tell me more about this 'dark' chapter of APOPLEXY?

- In fact we're not a young band any more. We started to play seven years ago when I joined other people who were looking for a guitarist to create a band. But we could not play correctly. So slowly we've learned but we've changed our vocalist, our guitarist, and our drummer. So now we're five members in APOPLEXY. Stephanne our drummer, Dimitri our vocalist, Laurent our bassist, Joanny and me -Romain- at the guitars. Laurent will leave soon and we already have a new bassist called Manu. I can say that We've been really existing for 5 years now. We have recorded our first album "Infection" 3 years ago. The problem is that we had no contact at all and we've done a really bad promotion. So only few people know us. We try to change that now.

"Life, Thoughts And Destiny" definitely appears as incredibly impressive work in terms of sound production. Let me, therefore, assume that Downtown is one of the best studios in Strasbourg. Would that be correct?

- It's not only the best, it is the only one! They're only few people in France who know how to record extreme metal band. Didier Houbre does a great job. He's always overbooked and works so hard. One good point is that this studio is really cheaper than normal studio because it's not into really into business. We're satisfied of the sound of "Life..." We've spent about 6 month to mix the album. It was difficult. The only bad point is the drum sound. But we dindn't use samples like most of death metal bands. The sound is the sound of a real drum. And this is really hard and boring to mix.

The CD's inlay features the following phrase: "This record has been made with the help of..." and then follows the list of certain individuals. I'm wondering if they somehow participated in the recording session or what?

- There was just Thomas who's created with us the keybord part on the song "Silence" who came in the studio to record it. This was because we don't use keyboard normaly. All the other people have help us for the creation of the booklet. Some of them have corected our lyrics, Yan's taken photos, and 3 girls came as model for their eyes.

Apart from the fact your debut work stands against the background of most of death metal acts visually (the artwork and layout would fit some doom metal band perfectly, don't you think so?), it also breaks the cliches lyrics-wise. I believe, Joanny appears as a huge Lovecraft's fan? What is your personal opinion on that mythological cycle of Cthulhu once invented by Mister Lovecraft?

- You're right. Joanny is completly fan of Cthulhu. I don't now this universe well. But I like the atmosphere Lovecraft has created. The same than you can find in some video game like Resident Evil. I don't believe in such things but I like them because they make me dreaming. I'm also into Tolkien. It's amazing how far into details he goes in his universe in the book "Lord Of The Rings". I don't now if our album looks like a doom one. But it's sure that we really wanted to break with all the death metal cliches. This is because we wanted the cover really contrasting with the music. A relaxing pic with a violent music. Of course, It's important to make a nice CD (Cover, Booklet....). But music must be the most important thing. They're so many bands who hide behind provocative pic or lyrics.

Furthermore, "Beerfly" and "The Exemplary Father" lyrically differ a lot from other tracks featured on "Life, Thoughts And Destiny". What do they speak about?

- "Exemplary..." just speaks about incest. But with really simple word, just like it happens in this kind of familly. I mean easilly, secretly, just like if it would be natural. "Beerfly" is something different. It is the story of Dimitri. One day he was working (that's so hard for him hehe!) and he was thursty. So he wanted to drink a beer but when he started to drink, there was a death fly in the beer. So the song is about the horror he felt by having this deathfly in his mouth.

Do you wish to make any comments on the French death metal scene? Metal scene in the whole...? This far I've heard only INHUMATE, PSALM and DISABLED when it comes to death, MISANTHROPE, SCARVE, KALISIA, SUP and DEAD SOULS RISING speaking about doom / dark wave stuff and, of course, many black metal acts, such as AKHENATON (ex-DAEMONIUM), SETH, ANOREXIA NERVOSA, BLUT AUS NORD, FORBIDDEN SITE, FOREST OF SOULS, YYRKOON (obviously, even if one country's scene is poor, there will be thousands of BM bands anyway)...

- What can I say. It is true. It is not because there are not a lot of famous band that there is no band at all. When we play we meet a lot of new young bands and they play really good music. I have real difficulties to understand why a band his signed or not. Because quiet ofently it's not the best band wich is signed. In the case of INHUMATE, they're doing a really good job of promotion. It is so much work....I remember Fred was writing about one undred letters each days. It's crazy.

What about that Keep Bleeding Productions? If I'm not mistaken, "Life, Thoughts And Destiny" appears as a second CD in their roster; what was the first one? Does this company come from the same country as you do?

- Well, for the moment it's not really a company because it's our association. It's here for two reason. The first one is to protect APOPLEXY with the law. Because when you hearn money, you have to proove that it doesn't go to each member personaly. If not, you have to pay taxe. The second reason is that we try hard to make thing move in Strasbourg by making underground band playing in our town. This year we've made EPITOME and REINFECTION from Poland come to play with us. But it's really difficult because there is not a lot of public. With 150 person it's a good show. So we have to find a solution to have a cheaper organisation to be able to pay bands. The first prodution of Keep Bleeding was our first album. But we're thinking about a compilation of all band from Strasbourg or Alsace.

What is your attitude to police in general? Have you had any problems with this institute's representatives? In my country, those who're involved in metal scene this way or another, appear as public enemy number one for the "guardians of law"...

- We don't have this problem here. Of course, people usually don't like metal but we have place to play and finally it is just like rock music. So I don't think that we have problem with the police. After it depend of people. If you've a bad attitude you will have problem easilly than other people because of the way you're dressed. But you know rock and metal don't afraid people here. It was like that 10 or 20 years ago. Now the real problem comes from all young people in big cities who are listening to rap music. They increase the violence, just like if they want to take USA as a model. So I'm not against the police but the problem is that they don't do anything against this people. They canno't because of political reason. As most of this people have foreigne roots, when they arrest them it is automaticaly compare to racist acts (shit happens... "Anti-nationalistic" terror is the way I call it - ED). That's bad it sould not. We have laws here and they sould be the same for everyone. So we really have the feeling that police just here to make people paying taxes with their car.

Tell us what do the words "confession" and "repentance" mean to you? Do you believe in either regretting or repenting your sins ("sins" judging by christian morale, of course)?

- I don't beleive in christian moral and most generaly in all religion. I beleive that there is a god. But not a good or a bad one. Just a power which is behind life. Something that was here before the beginning. Why should a god be the right one and not an other one? It's stupid. So people could pass their life by making bad things and just before they die with saying "Oh I regret, I was a sinner" they could reach heaven.... It has no sense. Religion sould be just a kind of love and respect of eachother and not a reason to kill people.

Do you know anything regarding Russia? What is your attitude to the country of mine as well as it's people? Any Russian bands youíve heard lately?

- I'm not into politics. Everything is so sad. For me it's really difficult to understand problem of other countries because what could appear bad for us could be normal for them. But honestly when I look at east of Europe, I'm really scared. We had this fucking 39-45 war and it sould be an exemplar. But more and more I've the feeling that people forget it.  Or maybe it is just because of money like each time. So about Russia, I don't know a lot of things and no band to. Sorry. (But let me know good ones). Just that you have a new president. It seems that you have economical difficulties. I will say that medias don't give a good picture of your country. They show it as very violent, very poor and completely under the rules of the russian maffia (one more fact utterly proving that Western politicians and mass media wish to see and show my country a "barbarian" one. Third world's State, you know. Oh man, I hate this bullshit! - ED). So I really 'd like to know the truth. Well, it's so nice to learn about other culture and people.

Your singer carries the name Dimitri and, perhaps, you know it's originally a Russian name. Consequently I wonder if he has any Russian roots or whatever...?

- In France it's quiet common to have 2 or more name. And Dimitri is the second official name of ourt singer. He chose it because he prefers compare to his first name which is Loic. Sorry, I don't now the story of his familly.

Is there anything we might call as "French mentality"? Any special
characteristics distinguishing the people of France from other nations residing around the globe?

- Yes, we all have at least a 30 cm pennis. HEHE. No really, it's difficult to say. I think that each nation has some specific characteristics. Just because of the culture, the place of the country or people roots. Have you ever tried to describe yourself to someone. It's hard. So I think that if everywere in the world, people say the same thing about French people, this sould be a specific caracteristic of us. But We're not walking in the street with a cup and a piece of bread under the arm!

What innovative concepts would you like to focus upon in your future
recordings (of course, if there will be any... (innovative concepts, I mean))?

- It's not easy to innove. And we've never pretended to do that. We're not like many band who say that they make something really new and give crazy name to their music when finally it's just metal. We play death metal just like we like it. We will write song just as we used to do. Each song we write is different from the other one because we always try to do better. I don't say that each time we succeed but we try. So they will be for sure a difference between "Life..." and our next album. Just like there's one between "Infection" and "Life..." But I can not say that it will be innovative. We don't focus on that. We will see.

AT LAST... your final words can be laid down here...

- First thanks. And thanks to all metal fans in the underground support. They make us and all the underground band Live. This is important because it is because of the number and the difference that Metal is rich. The business kills by making money with a uniformity.

APOPLEXY contact -
Email: lorentz@titus.u-strasbg.fr