Idols For Dinner – Interview

French deathcore newcomers Idols For Dinner release their debut album, ‘Tenants Of A Dying World’ at the end of January.

Planet Mosh took the opportunity to catch up with vocalist Cristofer Rousseau, to find out more about the band, the album and what them both tick…

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First of all, could you give us a bit of background to the band – who you are, where you’re from, what bands you were in before and how you came together?

We are a deathcore band from Paris in France.  We formed in 2007, and basically our name was Corpse Division, but it sounded like a brutal death metal band and this is not the music that we play. We met each other when we were teenagers:  for example I met Morgan Tama, our guitar player, when we were at college.

What are your musical influences?

We are fans of all kind of metal music, from black metal to technical death metal.  I must admit that Idols For Dinner is a lot influenced by bands like The Black Dahlia Murder or All Shall Perish.

How would you describe the band’s sound?

It’s a big melting pot of death metal and hardcore.  Black metal is also a great influence for us, we love weird and melancholic atmospheres.

What does the band’s name, Idols For Dinner, mean?

To me, it means that we eat idols (religious idols or consumerism idols).  We reject some models imposed by society.

Could you talk us through the album?  First of all, what is the significance of the title, ‘Tenant Of A Declining World’?

It means that the world which we live in is rented.  If you want to live correctly you must pay with many sacrifices.  You’ve got a very hard job which make you feel depressive, you have to retain your instinct; you must follow rules that are not correctly conceived but which are irremovable.  I wouldn’t have chosen the word “tenant” if we were not in global economic crisis period.

Could you talk us through the individual tracks on the album, especially their subject material and what you are trying to say about the subjects you are addressing in the lyrics?

‘Legally Instituted Murder’ is a reference to Plato’s ‘Republic’.  The philosopher is chosen by people to reign but it seems that he isn’t has clever has people expected… the decision of this King/philosopher are not appreciated by the people which decide to execute him.  ‘Perpetual Decline’ is about nervous breakdown. The song may be easily summed up by this verse:  “You don’t know what it’s like to stay alive when you fall”.

‘Scarlet’ is about relationships with other humans and especially the ones of the other sex.  All the rock stars say that they use (that) to have sex with many women… but we are not rock stars, so we have something else to say:  relationship with other people and especially with women are full of difficulties and sometime it’s very painful. ‘Prosthetic Memories’ is a dialogue with a brother which has never existed. It’s about mental chaos and the alienation that new media create.

‘Mask Of Sorrow’ is about the fact that we use to have some identifications to models to feel stronger. This song is a reference to Ian Fleming, whom I’m a big fan of:  he created James Bond, a character which is so strong that he can face every situation.  I think everybody would like to be a superman but existence is cruel.

Have you been pleased with the reception the album has received, from both critics and fans, so far?

For now we have some nice echoes, so it’s cool., I think that people enjoy the equilibrium between melodies and brutality. ,We have already written new songs which are still very brutal and melodic as the same time but we are currently trying a lot of experimentations in our music.

The album was mastered by Jonas Kjellgren, best known for his work with Scar Symmetry and Pain:  how important was it for you to have someone with such credentials, such experience, such a massive knowledge of the genre, have his fingerprints on the project?

Jonas Kjellgren is a great sound engineer and I am a huge fan of Pain, so it was normal to ask him to make the mastering.

Have you any plans to tour to support the album’s release?

For now we have many shows in France and we are looking for some shows in Europe.  I’d really like to travel a lot.  My grandfather and my mother are Russian so I would be very proud to play there and to meet concretely this culture.

Have you any plans for UK dates?

Yes.  We’ve got twelve shows in UK in March.  They will be announced very soon.  Hope to see you there.

‘Tenant Of A Declining World’ is released on January 29^th on M&O Music.

www.facebook.com/IdolsForDinner