{"id":3559,"date":"2016-04-07T13:55:05","date_gmt":"2016-04-07T11:55:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/livestagemusic.com\/?p=3559"},"modified":"2016-04-23T13:55:42","modified_gmt":"2016-04-23T11:55:42","slug":"exclusive-interview-forr-hellfest-fr-mass-hysteria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.livestagemusic.com\/?p=3559","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive interview forr hellfest.fr : MASS HYSTERIA"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\u201cCome see us, we will have the biggest wall of death of the weekend\u00a0!<\/em><\/strong>\u201d \u2013 <\/em><\/strong>Mouss \u2013 Le Plan, Ris Orangis \u2013 12\/05\/2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Today we are the 5th<\/sup> of December. On this day in 1560 Charles IX took the French throne, it\u2019s also the anniversary of Mozart\u2019s death in 1791 and the birth of Walt Disney in 1901. In 1941 New York became the seat of the United Nations. We are 2015 \u2013 How will Mass Hysteria make its mark on history on December 5th<\/sup> 2015\u00a0?<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mouss (vocals)<\/em>\u00a0:<\/strong> (laughs) <\/em>First we are going to try to make a mark on our own history, our tiny history. We are not an international known band, if we were then maybe we could look at the bigger picture. As a French band we are trying to be a band who define the French scene and play concerts that are remarkable, and hopefully, legendary.<\/p>\n

Fred (guitar)<\/em>\u00a0:<\/strong>\u00a0 It\u2019s not defined by a date. For the record \u2013 Mass Hysteria has been doing this for 23 years. Me \u2013 I just joined. It\u2019s a long procedure\u00a0: in France it takes a while to get things moving. I have to ask if the band is in the process of doing something kind of special right now.<\/p>\n

Mouss\u00a0:<\/strong> We are making a mark on history after a fashion with our longevity. We are trying to create smart and well researched music. We are working hard but we try to stay modest and do our best to put out good albums with good art and great tours. Like Fred said \u2013 we\u2019ve been doing this for 23 years maybe our longevity will allow us to mark history \u2013 I hope so at least\u00a0!<\/p>\n

Fred\u00a0:<\/strong> It also leaves a mark by being something non traditionally. With the internet and whatnot there are all these bands that are trying to dominate the scene. It no longer works like it used to. Media outlets are no longer interested by bands that are only a part of the French scene. They need to do something more \u2013 so it\u2019s step by step.<\/p>\n

Mass\u00a0:<\/strong> Gojira is a small exception \u2013 but they sing in English. If you want to play abroad I feel like it\u2019s always better to sing in English, especially in the electro scene, just look at Daft Punk. But there are also bands that sing in French who manage to do some dates abroad like Smash Hit Combo. Us, we play out a little, it\u2019s nice, but it takes longer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Were you surprise, or even charmed by the positive critical reception of your latest album, Mati\u00e8re Noire<\/em>\u00a0? It seems like reviews were unanimously positive\u00a0! What did you think\u00a0?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mouss\u00a0: <\/strong>Very much so\u00a0! It\u2019s above and beyond what we could have hoped for. So yes. We felt it ot the core. You see \u2013 we had some really effective promo days and got to be on the cover of Rock Hard<\/em>. We are the only French band, along with Gojira to be on the cover of Rock Hard<\/em>. It\u2019s not nothing\u00a0! Then we had The Album Of The Week<\/em> on Canal+. Certain things mark you after all\u00a0! We\u2019ve always done press for our albums, be it for national press or fanzines and webzines. But hre we felt like things were more positive than we have seen in years, the most positive since Contraddiction <\/em>I think which came out back in 1999 y\u2019know\u00a0? It\u2019s awesome to be appreciated like this\u00a0!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The cover of Rock Hard <\/em>seems to be an important step \u2013 that issue had interviews with Scorpions and Def Leppard after all\u00a0! It would have been easy for them to get the cover. Why do you think you got it\u00a0? Was it due to the quality of the album\u00a0? Or an homage to your 23 years of doing this\u00a0? Fred\u00a0:<\/strong> I think it was the combination of multiple factors. I think French media has an incentive to showcase French artists. Perhaps it\u2019s a question of national pride to not just talk about America bands, and there aren\u2019t a ton of French bands that play this style who aren\u2019t old like we are\u00a0! Maybe everyone wants to contribute to the legend in their own way.<\/p>\n

Mass\u00a0:<\/strong> Both factors had an impact. The longevity and the quality of the album united making it a good time for Rock Hard <\/em>to say, \u00ab\u00a0Mass Hysteria would be a good fit. They are established, a constant and they have good albums\u00a0!\u00a0\u00bb <\/em>Maybe it\u2019s because we\u2019ve gotten better and better with our last four albums that we\u2019ve done with Fred \u2013 we have returned to what we do best. It\u2019s the road \u2013 songs made for a live setting and only for a live setting. Radios and TV\u2019s we don\u2019t give a fuck about it. But if they want to invite us or play our music, no worries\u00a0! (Laughter) <\/em>We did not want to have to format our music and we don\u2019t want to have to offer something that is only an imitation of reality. As is though the planets aligned with the press. After 23 years of existence it\u2019s our turn with this new album, our eighth. For me 8 is a lucky number, it represents infinity. I like signs like this. It\u2019s my mystical side. This is our eight album and there is a sense of infinity with this longevity. Media outlets are paying attention\u00a0! Like Fred said, there aren\u2019t that many bands that have taken the time to grow and evolve in this style and we have proved that we are our thing, a remarkable entity. We have the history musically and we are really veterans of the scene\u00a0!<\/p>\n

Fred\u00a0:<\/strong> This development came without looking to get the attention of the press. You do what you do in your corner, you play a concert or two, you capture people\u2019s attention little by little and eventually you realize that you don\u2019t need massive press. Then after you get there on your own they start to approach you\u00a0! It\u2019s awesome to create something like this\u00a0! In another time it was the other way around\u00a0: You had to find a big record label to sign you to get press attention. Now for several years we haven\u2019t really cared about a label\u00a0! (Laughter) <\/em>It\u2019s awesome to be free like this \u2013 I have to ask if we aren\u2019t creating something more\u2026<\/p>\n

Mouss\u00a0:<\/strong> Real\u00a0? Authentic maybe\u00a0?<\/p>\n

Fred\u00a0:<\/strong> I think it\u2019s a force that we are only just coming to terms with. We are good in our place, and you\u2019re good in yours \u2013 people are realizing this.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This album, Mati\u00e8re Noire,<\/em> have you had a chance to digest it\u00a0?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mouss\u00a0:<\/strong> Personally it took me a few days. We got to play a residency in Nany for a week at the venue L\u2019Autre Canal to really get ready for the tour. We practiced, practiced, practiced. I still need sheets with my lyrics \u2013 it\u2019s the first time this has happened to me. I still haven\u2019t completely mastered them because there\u2019s a lot of new stuff happening in my personal life. Once the first concerts happened I messed up some of the lyrics but it wasn\u2019t too bad \u2013 I just have to work on memorizing the. Collectively though we quickly got the hang of this album. It all came together on November 13th<\/sup> 2015 wih the first show of tour, the same day of the event at Le Bataclan. We learned about it mid concert. We had just finished \u00ab\u00a0L\u2019Enfer des Dieux\u00a0\u00bb<\/em> on stage a song not based on reality, but it\u2019s story played out as we performed it. The day after we were supposed to play Le Bikini in Toulouse but everything was messed up. We had to ask if we should even play the concert. It all became very real very quickly.<\/p>\n

Fred\u00a0:<\/strong> We didn\u2019t expect to have to get used to playing it under those circumstances.<\/p>\n

Mouss\u00a0:<\/strong> We have songs that aren\u2019t based off real events but take on a whole new meaning after. Even among older songs. We were tossed into the fire really quickly in regards to emotional reaction. Today with certain songs we realize they will follow us for a long time.<\/p>\n

Fred\u00a0:<\/strong> We still have a lot of dates so things can still evolve. We\u2019re starting with just small club shows and eventually will tackle bigger festivals. We have to keep going though even if it does feel a little weird. People sense our dedication and I think the concerts now are crazier than ever. Something happened on that level.<\/p>\n

Mouss\u00a0:<\/strong> There\u2019s a small seed of madness that didn\u2019t exist before \u2013 a new dimension.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In regards to the setlist, lately you have had a tendency to focus on the last four records [Une Somme de D\u00e9tails (2007), Failles (2009), L\u2019Arm\u00e9e des Ombres (2012), Mati\u00e8re Noire (2015)], <\/em>has playing older material become frustrating\u00a0?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mouss\u00a0:<\/strong> Yes and no. We still play music from our first two records but we play nothing from our third or fourth because they reflect a time when I think we were a little lost. We would play those songs if they were as good as the others. Now we try to meet what the fans want and what we want. Those two albums rarely get a positive response which confirms our sentiment so we don\u2019t play them because we don\u2019t feel like it, and the fans don\u2019t want them.<\/p>\n

Fred\u00a0:<\/strong> It\u2019s true that the band improved before things got weird. People don\u2019t all agree though but I think that this strange step benefited the band. It helped our growth and it could have been worse, it gave us time to breath. The band got to regenerate and then raise the bar once more with its greatest successes to date.<\/p>\n

Mouss\u00a0:<\/strong> I agree 100% and I would add that with the release of the third album we were just a little to comfortable. But with the two following albums we were a lot less comfortable and so we felt obliged to make something much better. This is what happened with Une Somme de D\u00e9tails<\/em> the first record we did with Fred. With this type of music if you are to comfortable you can forget why you started doing this in the first place. Maybe I\u2019m just psychoanalyzing\u00a0! (Laughter)<\/em> But I think to make good rock you need to be a little pissed\u00a0!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mouss, if we take the time to read your thank you\u2019s on the album booklet we see why we might need to worry about the future of the band. Is your future still tied into Mass Hysteria\u00a0?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, yes, yes\u2026 I lost my parents during the creation of this album and that was a blow. I realized what I missed with them and all those years that were taken up by my work. I feel like I missed a lot in these last few years of my life. I have a lot of regrets in a 23 year career with eight albums. During the composition phase I found myself lagging behind. Normally I filled up folders with lyrics and then I try to filter them out to get the best. Here I didn\u2019t get to do that\u2026 I didn\u2019t feel right. Eventually the day came to enter the studio and I was rushing trying to put out the best lyrics I could. Then I had to go an sing them in a studio. I don\u2019t really like being in the studio, but I end up figuring it out. You get it when you don\u2019t have to think about it. But here with the loss of my parents things weighed on me. I felt tired and I thought of the time I wasn\u2019t dedicating to my children. So I said \u00ab\u00a0I am going to do this album then tour, and then take a break\u00a0\u00bb <\/em>I did think about stopping Mass Hysteria and giving time to my family and to engage in projects that my wife wanted \u2013 especially since she became her own boss. So I just want to take a break of 2 or 3 years. Psychologically I think I need it. I\u2019m thinking of me, my family and our income. It\u2019s something that I\u2019ve only done intermittently and it needs to be taken to a new level. So I\u2019m going to take a break after the tour. But things are only just beginning \u2013 it might be another few years before we back off\u00a0!<\/p>\n

Fred\u00a0:<\/strong> It\u2019s a legitimate question that we are all asking ourselves. When you are 44 and you play rock and roll you don\u2019t know what tomorrow holds. So you have to develop a career alongside and dedicate some time to it, time that doesn\u2019t go into the band. It\u2019s hard to imagine getting old witha guitar in hand still playing metal. Maybe we will continue to play albums, it\u2019s the fear of confronting reality that stops us from dedicating ourselves to this 100%. On a personal level I\u2019m afraid of stopping music and then finding work at age 60.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So let\u2019s talk about the 2016 edition of Hellfest \u2013 what interests you\u00a0?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mouss\u00a0:<\/strong> It\u2019s amazing\u00a0!\u00a0 [Yann (guitar) enters the room] <\/em>Hey Yann\u00a0!\u00a0 Come here, it\u2019s for Hellfest\u00a0! For me, there\u2019s Rammstein a band I have never seen live, and who I am super excited for. I have always wanted to see them but never really had the chance. The idea of playing on the same stage as them gives me goosebumps. There\u2019s a lot of great bands, Strife for example \u2013 I have never seen them and I love them\u00a0!<\/p>\n

Yann\u00a0:<\/strong> I\u2019m more interested in the tents since in general I have seen the headliners 50 times\u00a0! I mean fine, I\u2019m exagerating a little but still. For me I\u2019m looking forward to Hangman\u2019s Chair\u00a0: they are friends of ours. Dopethrone\u00a0: I love. Asphyx too. Once on the site I like to walk around and discover extreme metal acts. In general I take the schedule and try to take the time to see bands I don\u2019t know. I discover stuff and if it pleases me I check them out live. There\u2019s also Turnstile, Converge and Walls of Jericho \u2013 I love those bands\u00a0!<\/p>\n

Mouss\u00a0:<\/strong> Anthrax, dammit\u00a0! I\u2019m not even a huge fan, even if I really admire Scott Ian. I saw them a few weeks ago in Paris opening for Slayer and I was blown away. I hope they are as good at Hellfest. Gojira and No One Is Innocent are friends too\u00a0!<\/p>\n

Fred\u00a0:<\/strong> And the last concert of Black Sabbath in France and I\u2019m a Kvelertake fan.<\/p>\n

Yann\u00a0:<\/strong> Le Bal des Enrag\u00e9s, Terrorizer\u2026<\/p>\n

Mouss\u00a0:<\/strong> Joe Satriani! Surfing With The Alien<\/em> : what an album! Voivod, UK Subs, Toy Dolls: there are tons of awesome things\u00a0! Even Ratos de Porao, I thought they broke up\u00a0! They have Torche too\u00a0! I loved the presentation of Sick Of It All last time I saw them. I was blown away -those dudes are older than us but still fit and hardcore. Total respect. I\u2019m not a huge Twisted Sister fan but I would love to see them\u00a0!<\/p>\n

Yann\u00a0:<\/strong> I saw them at Heavy Montreal and was blown away. Musically it\u2019s great and Dee Snider destroys the stage. Deicide will be awesome too\u00a0!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I will let you wrap up\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mouss\u00a0:<\/strong> See you at Hellfest\u2026<\/p>\n

Yann\u00a0:<\/strong> And support the French scene. Even if you come see us in concert you don\u2019t understand how it is for bands like Lofofora, No One Is Innocent or Tagada Jones.<\/p>\n

Mouss\u00a0:<\/strong> And it\u2019s just as hard for new bands\u00a0!<\/p>\n

Yann\u00a0:<\/strong> The French scene has no reason to be jealous though \u2013 we have tons of great bands. Gojira is the best example\u00a0: for me they are one of the best bands in the world.<\/p>\n

Mouss\u00a0:<\/strong> So see you at Hellfest and support the French scene\u00a0! Come see us, we will have the biggest wall of death of the weekend\u00a0!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Interview: Wombat.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

@La Plan, Ris Orangis \u2013 12\/05\/2015<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Many thanks to Roger (Replica) and John (tour manager)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cCome see us, we will have the biggest wall of death of the weekend\u00a0!\u201d \u2013 Mouss \u2013 Le Plan, Ris Orangis \u2013 12\/05\/2015 \u00a0 \u00a0 Today we are the 5th of December. On this day in 1560 Charles IX took the French throne, it\u2019s also the anniversary of Mozart\u2019s death in 1791 and the birth […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1427,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press_releases"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.livestagemusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.livestagemusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.livestagemusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.livestagemusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1427"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.livestagemusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3559"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.livestagemusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3559\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3560,"href":"https:\/\/www.livestagemusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3559\/revisions\/3560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.livestagemusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.livestagemusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.livestagemusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}