Exclusive Interview: Deviant talk “Primitive Society”!

“Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy s*** we don’t need. We’re the middle children of history, man” ~ Fight Club

Last month we reviewed the debut EP of upcoming French Hardcore act Deviant, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Bastien Renon at Headquarter Corp at Massy Palaiseau, Essonne. A ripper of a hidden gem, we were granted the opportunity to have a chat with the band about it…

We love the classic 90’s Hardcore sound of “Primitive Society“. How have you found the reaction to it so far? “We’ve been trying to get that ’90’s’ sound for our EP, and for our sound in general. This raw sound, coming directly from the amp really pleases us. It was therefore a pleasure to have such positive feedbacks on this much sought-after sound, especially on the bass sound. We’d like to thank Bastien from Headquarter Corp for understanding and especially to guide us.“

The sample from the David Fincher/Brad Pitt/Edward Norton 1999 film “Fight Club” in the intro is a really interesting socially aware choice that resonates with us. How did your choice of that one come about? “The movie Fight Club is a masterpiece by David Fincher, the whole group agrees on this point. We tried to finish the intro with a voice, supported by feedback. A rather pessimistic discourse, but which leads the listener to question his way of living, seeing and understanding things. So we remembered this monologue made by Brad Pitt in the dirty cellar of the bar: “advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy s*** we don’t need. We’re the middle children of the history, man”. We think It leads us to question ourselves, to rediscover our “primitive” side, and to break the norms that have been imposed on us. The cover of the EP (designed by @leboyski_tt) is close to our band name (Deviant) and of course to this movie.“

The guitar tone on the EP is fantastic! What gear are you using to get that? In a World where endorsements help bands make ends meet, would you be happy to change up your gear in exchange for one? “Antonin use a Jackson Warrior with EMG 81-85 Zakk Wylde mics  and Killian play on a Charvel Joe Duplantier Pro-Mod SD S2HH with Duncan Designed HB mics , our amp head use for the record is a Peavy 6505 considered as the perfect amp for “extremes” music, an aggressive tone and the more you push it up, the more it gets heavier. For the bass Nicolas play on a Fender Precision Deluxe active special, and the relatable “darkglass” pedal which gives this smooth and crush lines.  In the future, we would be truly happy to work with some luthiers to create instruments that fit perfectly to our play style or be endorsed by Charvel or Peavy.“

You were set to share a stage with Spanish Hardcore crew Corrosive and fellow French bands Crossed Hands and Set To Change but missed out on that due to the Great Plague of 2020. Did you think of holding back the release of the EP until you were able to play shows? Has the time allowed you to write any new material? “Yes, we wanted to wait for the resumption of the concerts to release the EP (on streaming platforms and on CD). We were looking for consistency in our approach. The covid, and especially the containment, have unfortunately been prolonged, so we had to review our strategy. It’s been almost 2 years that we were working on the project, with the creation of the band, the writing, the rehearsals, the recording… And we still don’t know when the concerts will start again (We admit that it’s quite frustrating not to be able to play). We wanted to show quite quickly our know-how, and what we play, that’s why we released our EP on November 26th. It is available on all streaming platforms and in CD format on our BandCamp. Containment allowed us each on our own to write new things, to compose, to revise some parts (which are not in the EP ;)) to improve them. We’re really trying to turn this rather bizarre period to our advantage. We can already assure you that you won’t be disappointed with the next releases!“

If you could go out and play a show tomorrow, who would you like to share a stage with? Would you rather play a sweaty dive bar or a small festival? “If we had to share a stage with 5 groups, it would be: Malevolence, the Worst Doubt (Band from Paris), our buddies from Crossed Hands (cancelled show) and Train Fantome (which is a rap collective) and Kublai Khan. The best would be to open for Brian Mcknight or Trace Adkins… but we know we shouldn’t count too much on it haha. A small outdoor festival would be a real pleasure too. First because it’s been a long time since we’ve been out and it would be good for all of us, and also because we love the very cool atmosphere of festivals!“

How has having the experience of being in other bands (My Ink Leads Fools, Beneath a Godless Sky, Little Animal) helped you progress Deviant? “The past formations gave us knowledge in a lot other parts of being in a band, like network and practicing management, the work on our sound identity and our gears too. And mostly, being patient.“

“Primitive Society” by Deviant is out now and available over at bandcamp.