Wedding in Hades

After the release of their first self-titled demo, Wedding in Hades signs a record deal with the famous russian Doom Label SOLITUDE PRODUCTIONS/BADMOODMAN MUSIC including the release, the promotion and a worldwide distribution of their debut full-length album "Elements of Disorder"Here is an interview from S.Toutain : Bass & Vocals of this great  doom/goth metal band from France.

Getting started, I would like you to tell me a few words about the creation and the development of the band?
Stef: The band was founded in late 2006, at this time I was already playing with Vincent for two years but our former band just went to split. We chose to start a brand new project without really having any idea of what it would be or sound like. Then Vincent quickly found one keyboardist and one guitarist and the four of us gathered together for the first time. Looking backwards to these wee hours of the band, it was pretty funny because we didn’t have any song to play except a couple of riffs… A few weeks later I wrote “Centuries of Men” which was actually our first song.

Which is the current line-up of the band?
Stef: From day one to now the line-up has always been the same: Vincent Lahaeye on drums, Olivier Raoult on Keyboards, Damien Simon on guitars and Stéphane Toutain on bass and vocals.

Your music has a very diverse sound. To people who may not have heard of Wedding in Hades, how would you describe your sound to them?
Stef: Tough question… I think that our sound is kinda unique. We all have many influences and none of us is bounded into any specific style. Our sound is a combination between old school Doom/Death and Gothic Metal featuring elements of Gothic Rock and Black Metal, and anyone into one of this genre should check our songs out and will certainly enjoy some of our tunes. All of our tracks also seem to be wrapped by a depressive and sad atmosphere which helps to create some kind of homogeneity all along the record.

Give me some more details about your debut "Elements Of Disorder"
Stef: “Elements of Disorder” is the result of two years of hard working and introduces the tracks almost as we’re able to play them live and without many over-dubs. We actually felt the need to record this album at this point of our career. It took almost ten days of recording sessions and a lot of stress too because Vincent caught meningitis a couple days earlier and broke into the studio just after being released from the hospital. You should have seen his face and his blood-stained eyes! He was really giving the creeps. We already had to cancel studio sessions once three months earlier so he tried to get his job done with a huge load of morphine to ease the pain… he was exhausted but finally did it.

What was the source of inspiration behind the creation of the album and how happy are yourself with the final album, does it come up to your expectations?
Stef: The emotions and the feelings are the only source of inspiration in the writing process of our music; they help to create something like a vibe. Basically this album was recorded a year and a half ago and we’re still satisfied of what we’ve done even after all this time. But more than the album in itself, the signature on Solitude Productions went beyond all our expectations. This label is definitely the most amazing and active in Doom Metal of every genre. Having our debut album released by them was our greatest reward, which we are truly proud of.

Which are the main themes of your songs? Who writes your lyrics?
Stef: I write all the lyrics. Most of them like “Safety” talk about my own inner frustrations and fears. “As You Die” is about the brutal loss of a relative that I experienced myself ten years ago and from which I still suffer today. Each song talks about a different element of the disorder which affects my brain and that is what the album’s title stands for.

Are you pleased by the reviews so far?
Stef: We paid a lotta attention to the first reviews, we were really glad to read such good comments about our album. Then after reading 20 or 25 of them I felt annoyed by their lack of originality, everyone seems to try to compare to this or that without trying to focus on the record itself. Of course we also had a couple of bad ones and I remember this moron who really amused us while he wrote that I was singing like Lou Reed… We still laugh about this one!

What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music?
Stef: I’m more into bands like Type O Negative, Fields of the Nephilim, Joy Division or The Sisters of Mercy. Vincent is mostly influenced by progressive rock bands as Marillion and Rush. Damien has always been a Black Metal fan, and Olivier has a Pop/Rock background. Despite this we all share common influences My Dying Bride, Empyrium, Pink Floyd or Black Sabbath. Damien and me have always both enjoyed Dark Folk too and especially Death in June.

What is music for you?
Stef: Basically a form of expression and communication. To me it’s also my best friend with whom I never spend a day without. Sometimes it’s a sanctuary that grants me peace of mind in which I hide from others.

Has the band had any opportunities to do any live shows, if so what are some of the best shows that the group has played?
Stef: We do not often perform live shows for several reasons. We’re all too much involved in our family lives and our jobs to allow enough time to live performances which requires a long time travelling. Maybe the future will bring us the opportunity to play in Eastern Europe countries which is for me the best spot but that will depend upon many conditions. Nowadays we don’t accept any gig which doesn’t worth the price or fit in our expectations.

What is planned and what do you hope to experience as a band in the future?
Stef:  An official video of our song “Widow” has just been released a few days ago to help in the promotion of Elements of Disorder. We’ve also planned to get back in studio next spring. We’re still working on these new materials but the writing of this second record is almost complete by now. We’ll also try to focus on an official website for the band in the forthcoming months. We’ve no other special expectations at this present moment as the band is quite young, but maybe later in the future we’ll attempt different other things… but I don’t know yet and to be frank I’ve never tried to see that far in the future.

A message to all the people that support you?
Stef: Well I think that we have already thank a lot of times everyone who deserved it but never thank enough the guys of our label Solitude Productions / BadMoodMan Music for giving us our chance! And of course, you Kostas for this interview.

Thank you Stef.All the best.

Kostas Sotiriou