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BACK
 PENUMBRA
- Disjointed Symphonic Beauty
By Adrian 'The Energizer' Bromley
There
is something very classy about the latest release from French gothic/avant-garde/classical
metal septet Penumbra. A lot of it, found on The Last Bewitchment
(Season Of Mist) has to do with the majestic flow of the album.
There is a lot going on and the use of a choir and ace production
only further elevates the beauty of this album.
Seeing
that so much has gone into this recording, how does the band compare
the new album to what the band had done with their debut disc Emanate
on Serenades Records?
Start singer Jarlaath, "With the first album we were well aware
there were some weaknesses on it (sound and arrangements), but it
was indeed the debut disc for a young band. We wanted people, the
labels and the media to see that Penumbra had enormous potential
and that when it came time for a second album we would be able to
produce something great. With that in mind we composed and worked
on our second opus. We knew how important this second album was
and we knew we had to do something very special and powerful. We
worked hard to make sure we properly mixed all the styles, from
metal to classical music, together as one and flow smoothly."
The
creative process for the band and the studio must be hell, especially
with seven people in the band. There must be a lot of ideas thrown
around or is it rather an easy process?
"Yes,
we do have to work around that," says the singer. "We
naturally decided upon the following work ethic. Four of us compose
all the tracks or the main musical structures (both guitarists,
the keyboard player and myself). Then each is free to suggest his/her
own ideas and to modify certain lines if it is really necessary
for the tracks. But given the great number of people within the
band and the great number of ideas that are suggested, we let the
composer of the track the final choice. You see, this is a balance
between a democratic and totalitarian system! I think that for us
this is the best way of working because we take into account all
the musicians' opinions, while at the same time respecting the vision
of the one who composed the track."
Penumbra
has been compared with numerous bands out there over the last while,
Therion and Nightwish for example. Personally, except for the odd
time, I don't think Penumbra and the aforementioned bands sound
anything alike. Does it bother the band that these comparisons arise,
or were they expecting them?
"The
public needs comparisons to identify the music of a band it doesn't
know," replies Jarlaath. "Comparisons are all the more
important since metal has diversified itself over these last ten
years. That is why we naturally accept these comparisons moreso
than with bands we are fond of. We remain convinced that our music
is very personal. I even begin reading reviews on other bands mentioning
Penumbra as a reference in the same way as Therion or Nightwish
is referred to in our reviews. Believe me, it is very gratifying
for a musician and it boosts our excitement in what we do."
When
you played back this album for the first time, what was your reaction
to it? What kind of reaction do you want fans to have?
"I
think we are just grateful to have assembled an album that we are
proud to have in stores. If we weren't happy with the new recording,
we wouldn't have released it. You need to be very honest with yourself
and others. We just want our fans to be excited about what we have
done with our new album and the evolution of the band from the early
days. We had a lot of problems with our previous label and many
bands would have given up, but we have so much passion for creating
metal music that it propelled us to carry on."
In
closing I ask, how does Jarlaath (and the rest of the musicians)
stay interested in the work of Penumbra?
"The
musical experimentation field of Penumbra is indefinite. The mix
of all styles offers us indefinite possibilities of evolution. This
is what I find to be really interesting concerning any future compositions.
Since the beginning of Penumbra, we never wanted to limit ourselves
to a precise style because it is difficult to evolve. Then we will
be able in the future to incorporate more classical elements, or
more heavy/gothic guitars or more death/black influences. We still
don't know how our music will evolve but you can see the great variety
of possibilities. And one thing is for sure; we plan to make a different
album each time out. We don't want to release an album that sounds
the same as the last one we put out. We want each album to be different,
but have some cohesiveness to the music of Penumbra and what we
have done in the past. You will see with the next album. Penumbra
will go further into this concept and will surprise you once more."
PENUMBRA
is:
Krysten - female vocals
Jarlaath - vocals / oboe
Néo - guitars
Dorian - guitars
Zoltan - keyboards
Agon - bass
Garlic - drums
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