WINTEREVE- French gothic/doom metal act WINTEREVE was incepted in 2013 by Mary (lead vocals) and Armand (guitar).

Interview conducted on May, 15, 2020

By Dan Locke

French female-fronted gothic doom metal act WINTEREVE was incepted in 2013 by Mary (vocals) and Armand (guitar) with the aim of creating music to convey their innermost sense of artistic and poetic beauty through sorrow, darkness and depression. Early influences range from Tiamat , Paradise Lost and Dead Can Dance to Draconian , Katatonia or Dark Sanctuary , to name but just a few. WINTEREVE do not rely on the well-known “Beauty & the Beast” dynamics, though, since all vocal melodies are written and performed by Mary (with some backing vocals occasionally provided by live members on stage when necessary). Their sophomore album “ October Dark ” marks the first collaboration with Dan Swanö, who handled mastering duties at Unisound studio in March 2020.

Band Members: Mary (chant clair, chant lyrique et guttural), Armand (guitare), Didier (guitare), Seb (basse)

Mary (all vocals), Armand (lead guitar), Didier (rythm guitar), Seb (bass)

What is your upbringing?

Hi! Both Mary (vocals) and yours truly (Armand, lead guitar) were born and raised in Lorraine in the North Eastern part of France, not far from the German and Luxemburgish borders. We have university degrees and are basically products of the middle-class segment of the population.


How did you discover music?

Mary: My parents listened to a lot of French pop back in the day and also to mainstream rock (Queen, The Police, U2…) so, like many musicians, my very first musical encounters took place in the family environment.

Armand: For my part, I also started to get interested in music thanks to my mother who was very much into British and American classic rock and hard rock (her favorite band being Creedence Clearwater Revival) and even a little bit of heavy metal (Black Sabbath and WASP in particular).


How did you start to writing music together?

A: Back in 2013 I was playing in a death metal band which I came to realize wasn’t going anywhere, and at the same time I had been stacking tons of doom/death riffs that did not fit into that band, so one day I decided to look for a singer who could help me breathe life into these song ideas. That’s when I came across an ad that Mary had posted online. I checked out some recordings and live videos of her former band and I quickly understood that her voice and vocal range would be a perfect match for the project I had in mind. So I got in touch with her and since we shared the same passion for everything gothic, dark, and doom, it didn’t take long before Wintereve was born.


Armand- Do you remember how you got your first guitar?

Yes, I do. As a student, I grew obsessed with the famous Flying V and I remember spending a whole summer working on a factory floor to buy a black Epiphone I had spotted at a local retailer. On my last working day, I went straight to the shop and almost cried as I drove back home with my new beloved one lying in her case on the back seat.


And do you still have it?

Yes sure, I play it from time to time but I don’t use it for gigs or recording sessions though it is still in very good condition.


Mary- How did you learn how to sing?

M: Actually I’ve been singing since my teenage years but I never took proper singing lessons. I’m basically self-taught. I found the best way to become a singer is to train your voice into as many different music genres and influences as possible until you are technically confident enough to build and develop your own vocal style. At least that’s how it worked for me.


How the band did gets its name?

A: Back then we had shortlisted several possible band names, but eventually settled for this one because it bears different meanings: an ancient pagan celebration, a metaphor for death to come or the time of year when the band was actually incepted. Some people even thought it was a combination of “winter” and “rêve” (“dream” in French), which also sounds fine to us.


How did you form your band?

A: Following the release of the “Première Danse Macabre” demo in 2014, we decided to recruit a full line up in order to play our material live. After a few auditions, Sébastien (bass) and Didier (rhythm guitar) joined the band, and they are still permanent members to this day.


How was the first performance? And was that on Nov. 8, 2014 in Lorraine France?

A: Yes, that’s correct. We played our very first show at a small but quite popular venue in the area called No Man’s Land. The show went really well and the audience was very responsive.


How different in the recording process between your first demo and you latest CD?

M: It’s night and day, really! The demo is a home studio recording we did all by ourselves from beginning to end, whereas the making of new album “October Dark” required three different studios, including Dan Swanö’s Unisound where the mastering took place.


Tell me about the making of the video “We All Been Alone”? It reminds me of an old Dracula movie?

A: That’s probably because of the bleak atmosphere and the black and white quality of the video, I suppose? But the Dracula reference does make sense indeed, as we are huge fans of old B&W horror movies, one of my favorite movies ever being “Nosferatu”. As for the “We All Die Alone” video, it was shot by a friend of ours in an old forest not far from our place, and is based on an original script by Mary.


What is your favorite track on the album?

A: That’s a very difficult one. I do like all the songs on this album, but if you press me I think I’d pick the opening track “Olima” since I think it is a good representation of where the band is standing right now and where it is heading for the future.


Last week you released a lyric video to “Call of the Void”. After the Covid-19 virus is over are you going to remake the video?

M: Yes it’s very likely that we will shoot a video as soon as the situation comes back to “normal” and if conditions allow us to do so. I don’t know yet whether we’ll choose to make a video for this particular song but we definitely look forward to release an actual video to promote the album.


How do you stay healthy while touring?

A: To tell you the truth, we’ve not had the opportunity to do a proper tour so far! But I can say we pay very much attention to our health and diet in our daily lives and we try to do our best to keep as fit as possible. I can imagine it’s not an easy thing to keep up with when you’re on the road, though.


What are you’re feeling about streaming music?

M: It’s something everyone in the industry must adapt to since it has definitely changed the way people relate to music today. Streaming actually has good sides and bad sides. I myself happened to have found out about very cool stuff through streaming sites. What does really matter is to show these bands some support afterwards. This is what will make a real difference in the end. But metal fans are known to be quite faithful supporters of the bands they love, buying records and merch and going to the shows on a regular basis, so streaming is not that much of a problem here I think.


Digital vs. vinyl?

A: When given the chance I will always prefer a LP record over mp3 files. As an avid collector I like to hold the object in my hands, to look at the cover artwork and to read the lyrics while playing the record. You can’t get that feeling out of listening to digital files. But if you look into my computer and mobile phone you will also find mp3 files of songs and albums I have bought until I can pick a physical version.

Any plans to tour?

A: Not yet, right now we’re rehearsing with our new drummer and getting ready to hit the stage again as soon as conditions allow it, hopefully by this summer’s end.


What song from the past is in your mind right now? And what is the meaning that song means to you?

M: That’s John Wesley’s “Rome is burning”, because I’m listening to the CD right now! I got to know about him on a Nightwish tour in the late 90s. He was the opening act, and I immediately fell in love with his music. It was an intense show, and yet it was just him singing and playing an acoustic guitar. Not many singers can do that, you know.


How do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?

A: Obviously the main effect will be on live activities, I think, and on all social gatherings, by extension. Some bands are now trying to find alternative solutions, e.g. streaming online performances, because playing live is how most bands do make a living these days. Still, I hope it‘s only temporary and we won’t have to get used to attending concerts from behind a screen.


What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?

M: We actually used the better part of this downtime to prepare the release of the new album “October Dark”, but for me it was also a chance to take some time out to do things I had set aside for too long, like reading or watching movies and catching up on new series.

A: Many people were afraid to end up getting bored to death during the lockdown, but that wasn’t the case for me. I feel there’s always plenty of things to do at home, not mentioning picking up a guitar or working on new music in the studio, so staying inside was not really a problem.

Mary- Since many parts of the world is now having food shortage. How do you feel about artificially fat livestock?

M: Since we don’t eat any meat or fish, the only possible answer to this question is that we are very much concerned with environmental issues and are definitely opposed to all forms of animal abuse or trade. I guess you can call us vegans, but we are not activists and Wintereve is certainly not a political band.


Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?

M: Not really. I can’t wait to start cycling and trekking again, though.


Lots of people are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Are you planning to do something like that?

A: That’s possible. We haven’t really thought about it for the moment, but if we set up online live performances, I suppose it won’t happen on a nightly basis.


Do you think it will be possible to make a living doing concerts this way?

A: I can only think of it as a temporary solution to help bands get through this difficult period of time. Everyone is expecting regular live activities to resume by the end of the year, so let’s hope so.


How it is that bandcamp has started waiving all fees, so you now get full revenue shares of your music?

M: That was a good initiative, of course, but as far as I know, I’m afraid it was a one-off thing. More measures like this will probably have to be put into effect if we don’t see through the end of the crisis in the next few weeks or months.


First it was an article in the New York Times, then Rolling Stones talked about it and finally Live Nation CEO said that concerts may not start again until fall of 2021. Do you think this could happen?

M: I hope not! Of course you can’t rule it out completely as no one really knows how this whole virus thing will unfold, but I can’t imagine this situation to drag on until the fall of 2021. It’s very likely that some vaccine will be at hand by then.


What about Holographic concerts in our living room?

A: I haven’t thought of that before! But I don’t think that sort of thing will appeal to me.


How do you see yourself in the next five years?

A: I don’t know. If not already dead I will probably be writing and playing music somewhere, it’s in my blood.


Anything you would like to say in closing?

M & A: First we would like to thank you very much for this in-depth interview, and we would also like to greet and extend our gratitude to all the fans and people who have supported Wintereve so far. Keep music and the underground alive! Doom on and most of all, stay safe! Cheers from France.

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