EMQ’s With eOn
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with French Groove Metal band, eOn. Huge thanks to them for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
(Flo singer): We’re born in the Fury of dying 90’s, and our band eOn has never been a prisoner of a style. For us, the last release is the perfect mix of Punk anger, the precision of Thrash, and the violence of Death Metal. The band’s music goes further to the extreme, but the Hardcore roots still live on. Since the band hired our friend Nicolas Muller as the drummer (ex Svart Crown), with more and more cutting guitar riffs, eOn melts a solid technique with a wide Metal culture. It’s terrifying yet clever music, allied with really impressive live performances that push the band to a high standard level.
(Romain Bass guitar): Our band is a real story of friendship, we are practically friends since high school, we would not have the band we would still spend time together etc. Besides, this is the strength of our music. We shared the stage with bands like Black Bomb A, Dagoba and opened for Hate breed and Sepultura and now we have a new release Kalash Blood and Bones part 1.
How did you come up with your band name?
(Kader, lead guitar): It came just like that, I was drinking a whisky with the first singer in his house, he was really older than me and a fan of Overkill, and at that time I was a student in physics and chemistry. On this occasion he made me listen to a track of an album of Overkill, there is a sound transcription of experiments that took place in a particle collider, and from there came the elements of noise: eOn
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
(Kader, lead guitar): We are from the south-east of France, we live on the Mediterranean coast, the local scene in our region is very prolific and bands from our region make a lot of talk about them, like Akiavel, Landmarks, Heart Attack and so many others and all in very different styles.
What is your latest release?
(Kader, lead guitar): Our last EP “Kalash, Blood and Bones” was released at the end of the year, and 4 clips (Heads on Pikes / Come Down / Welcome to the Pyramid / Highlanders) on the 7 tracks are already available and the objective and to make a clip per song to also affirm by the visual the essence and the mood of the group.
Who have been your greatest influences?
Our biggest influences are the big players of Hard Core like Madball and Hatebreed, Thrash metal like Slayer, but also Carcass Napalm Death or Pantera as the heavy who keeps the culture of the catchy guitar riff.
What first got you into music?
(Kader, lead guitar): For each of us it is first of all the passion for music through the instrument itself, then when we started (we were teenagers) and well just to imitate our idols, then you get carried away and play music becomes vital.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
(Kader, lead guitar): For me, it would be Megadeth or Mad Ball these two bands have brought me so many thanks to their music to me to face life.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
(Kader, lead guitar): For us, it would simply be the Hellfest because we are French, and the French public considers that you are recognized when you participate. It reminds me that at the beginning it was called the Fury Fest and in the promo booklet we talk about our first record so it would be a nice loop.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
(Flo, singer): One night during a show, a girl throws at us a tampax tampon with her phone number written on it… it was pretty weird because the tampon was a used one. None of us called back the girl.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
(Kader, lead guitar): There are really a lot of people who have been following us since the beginning and who have even become friends. It’s a real fan base that responds to every release of the record. Moreover, for this record they push us to play the promo game of social networks, etc. It is the same with some bands that are fans of our music and are “more known”: they think that we deserve much more recognition. So, for all this support and advice, we thank them from the bottom of our hearts.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
(Kader, lead guitar): Dimebag Darrel.
(Ranko, Drum): Vinnie Paul.
(Flo, singer): Taylor Hawkins.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
(Kader, lead guitar): As a musician, what I prefer most is the stage, each time I have the impression of experiencing an excitement, a physical and spiritual fullness. Because you are really in the exchange you and the audience for a moment forget all the shit that happens in life and you just enjoy the moment, besides we then love to meet the audience at the booth because somewhere you pursue this party atmosphere. I hate everything that has to do with administration, contract, negotiation, promotion planning.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
(Kader, lead guitar): For me to change the music industry is wishful thinking, indeed everyone thought that with the Internet people would discover the underground, but that only strengthened the mass culture. Besides, at least before there was a selection by the record companies, a budget and time to develop an artist, now they’re just waiting to see how famous you are on social media and offer you fake record projects, books or movies hoping to make the buzz via followers. So, I can’t tell you what to change.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
(Kader, lead guitar): Pantera – “The Great Southern Trendkill”.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
(Kader, lead guitar): For me the best is the vinyl, because the cover is big, and you are in a real way of listening to the entire album, it forces you to settle in this world that goes at a thousand times an hour. For information we have never released vinyl and we will do it during the release of the second EP Kalash Blood and Bones part 2, the vinyl will be composed of both EP’s.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
(Kader, lead guitar): The last big one, Marseilles opening for Sepultura, because I remember back in secondary school with my Walkman and my “Chaos A.D.” cassette or seeing them on TV and suddenly 20 years later open for them but it’s just a crazy thing in my life.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
(Kader, lead guitar): If I wasn’t a musician, I’d be a weightlifter or a sports shooter, but anyway we’re not professional musicians like most underground Metal artists. I am a physics chemistry teacher in everyday life, only our drummer “Ranko” Nicolas Muller is, he produces records, he is one of the best French extreme Metal drummers so he plays the mercenary for other musical projects, He used to play in Svart Crown, and if he wasn’t a musician, he’d be a wrestler. Flo Au Chant has a company for which he makes clips for artists quite famous in France, Romain the bassist mounts turrets on war ships, and Olivier the second guitarist works in computer security
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
(Kader, lead guitar): As a guitarist sorry but only guitar hero’s and rhythmic session for the jam after after the dinner: Malmsteen, Slash, Marty Friedman, Mike Portnoy, Billy Sheean
What’s next for the band?
(Kader Lead Guitar): We want to play everywhere; at the moment it is difficult to get a place in beautiful festivals. We are the kind of band that can be found at a fest of Hardcore, Death Metal, “mainstream” Metal, or during an extreme sports competition. We are ready to move everywhere in France and Europe. It would be a chance for us but also for the promoter or the programmer because we would be the cherry on the blast beat of the evening.
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
(Olivier, rhythm guitar): Every links about us here:
https://linktr.ee/eon_metal
Elementofnoise.com
Facebook.com/eOn.official.page
Instagram.com/eon_element_of_noise_official
Tiktok.com/@eon_element_of_noise
Tentaclesindustries.bigcartel.com
Eon-official.bandcamp.com
Spotify
Apple Music
Music Video – Highlanders https://youtu.be/1yLrF5cbqXk
Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll or a Tea Cake
(Ranko drums): Ah it’s a bun!
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
(Kader Lead Guitar): Yes, do not forget to enjoy life by going out to concerts, festivals, small or large because meetings and exchange is the salt of life. Moreover, we have never seen a “rock’n’roll” level “legendary” story start alone in front of a screen.
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