PW: Firstly congratulations on the album, I have really been enjoying it; firstly though I wanted to address the unfortunate break up of the band. There were some impassioned statements made about this some time ago on your MySpace page, which I first saw via messages on an internet forum, these were met by a lot of disappointment at the time as it appeared the album was never going to get made. Can you tell us what exactly happened?

Fursy : Thanks for your nice words regarding the album. Concerning the split, we decided not to awake the bad memories in answering that kind of question. It has been a difficult moment within the band, and things have been cleared. Everything's alright now.

PW: Obviously the decision was made after this to record the album before splitting up. I take it things between you were resolved to a large extent, allowing you all to put any differences aside?

Fursy: Actually, the band split up right after the troubled moments we had. The album has been recorded but Amesoeurs already disbanded.

PW: I take it that you had plenty of ideas for the album and it would have been a real shame not to bring them to fruition. Would I be right in thinking that completing the album was done for your own satisfaction as much as for any fans?

Fursy: Yes, you're right. We didn't work so hard for nothing. I mean, the band was created years ago, and we spoke a lot about the concept, ideas, pictures, music, wishes so far.. And not to record the album would have really been in the first hand, a lot of time lost, and in the second hand, a big frustration for us.

PW: You released an EP ‘Ruines Humaines’ back in 2006. How would you say you have developed your musical ideas between that and the new album?

Neige: The characteristic that I appreciate and reproach at the same time to the MCD is that it's dealing too much with emotions in a direct way. This is 3 tracks concentration of really violent and overflowing melancholy. We wanted the album to deal more about the imaginary "Amesoeurs city" of our concept. Something that generates images, fantasies in our mind. I think we keep our primary sadness but made the music more evocative.

PW: The first thing that strikes about the album is the fantastic artwork on the sleeve. At first it had me thinking of a post apocalyptic vision of the future but I came to realise that perhaps this was a world where humanity was still alive and devastation here was actually caused by pollution and mankind’s neglect. Was this the idea behind it?

Neige: This cover is amazing, we love it so much too. It shows exactly the Amesoeurs universe we had in our minds during all these years; a kind of metaphorical city that would be a reflection of how we perceive real urban world, raising its darkest and most fascinating aspects. I never imagined we would materialize this vision in such a faithful way. Everything is here.

PW: I also love the image on the inside of the cover, a surgeon with a pigs head. Is that perhaps open to interpretation or is there some specific meaning behind the unnerving portrait?

Fursy: Hehe, we loved the concept of "pig doctors" for years with Neige, which became a kind of private joke, and also a complete part of the Amesoeurs' concept. Actually, the doctors are usually people in who you trust, in who you have hope. They are responsible of your life. Pigs are vulgar, dirty and above all animal. Mixing them is quite absurd, ironical and disturbing.

Neigh: I share Fursy's views. I personally have a kind of hospital phobia, and this picture represent to my eyes the fear of giving your life to someone like you, that just made studies of opening your body and being responsible for your life.

PW: There are lots of different elements within your sound, post punk, shoegaze and black metal all combine, but enough of journalists attempting to classify you. In your own words how would you describe it?

Fursy: I heard about Blackwave as well. What does it mean? To me it's more Rockwaveblackpostpunkcoldofthecitybynight hahaha. It's ridiculous how people attempt to classify everything, it seems that without any label they are not able to listen to music. We don't care about it. We play music and for the most it's rock or metal. That's all.

Neigh: We play metal from Gotham City !

PW: I noted a few other bands in my review; there was an emphasis on groups from the 80’s I found but obviously with a much more advanced modern edge to the sound. I name-checked The Cure, The Pixies and The Smiths, all bands I personally grew up listening to. Would you agree that there is a certain amount of inspiration for what they were doing all those years ago surfacing in your music?

Neige : Of course we agree, and would even say that without these bands Amesoeurs would never have existed, especially for Joy Division and Depeche Mode, who I admire and were a big source of inspiration and not only on a musical point of view. These influences were mainly in the creating process of Amesoeurs because I listened to them as the soundtrack of my urban visions.

PW: I notice both Neige and Audrey are responsible for the lyrics although one number ‘Recueillment’ is attributed to Baudelaire ‘Les Fleurs Du Mal.’ Can you give us non French speakers any insight into the lyrical themes here please?

Neige: "Recueillement" that means "meditation" is speaking about the night falling on the city, awaking the writer's nostalgia and melancholy. He describes how the night is raising worries and low instincts in human hearts and wants to be apart from this. As you see, this is just a perfect lyric for Amesoeurs.

PW: I’m being a bit lazy here looking on the Code666 forum where somebody has commented “I wish the black metal, post-rock and shoegaze elements were implemented together more instead of individually track by track.” Personally I think it works very well the way you have done things but were you ever tempted combine everything together a bit more?

Fursy: Interesting. Yes, it could have been good too but I'm not sure that the kaleidoscopic feeling would have been so present in this case. If you make it homogeneous, it'll sound like a whole block, without faces. We've chosen to separate each song in this way, and to me it works quite well!

Neige: That's precisely what I personally didn't want. Each song must express a specific theme, a specific side of the Amesoeurs world. I knew that this would make a lot of people not like our music or just a few songs here and there, but we don't mind, we took this choice and assume it completely.

PW: I absolutely love the varied vocals on ‘Heurt.’ Again I do not entirely understand the lyrics but it sounds as though there is a lot of emotion packed into things here as they go from whispers to screams. I guess that as Audrey wrote these lyrics it is quite a personal song?

Neige: Yes Audrey wrote the lyrics and it deals with the loss of faith and innocence. She would speak about it better than I do but as for me I see it like the feeling you can have being betrayed by all in what you believed (god, love, the value of man etc..) and wants to start everything again, prepared to brave the trials of life stronger and alone.

PW: Whilst talking about emotion, the album takes you through a lot. At times things are very fragile, at others angry and nihilistic, there is despondency and even mental duress within its folds. Would you agree, or am I reading too much into things? I am assuming these were perhaps emotions you wanted to convey within your musical landscape?

Neige: You are totally right, we voluntarily wanted to encompass an almost unlimited ensemble of emotion, from extreme fragility, sweetness to hard coldness, melancholy and anger.

PW: Was it ever a consideration to have Audrey handle all the vocals on the album? Neige’s more blackened approach puts a different dimension on some parts and are certainly effective when used. I also wondered if there was ever the thought of you both singing as a duet at any point?

Neige: We were not opposed at all to the idea of both singing in a song, just that we didn't have a song that allowed us to do this. The only moment our two voices are on a same track is on Recueillement, but this is not a real duet.

PW: I guess by now feedback is starting to come in, what has the reaction to the album been like?

Fursy: As far as I've seen, reactions and opinions are varied. I think that black metal listeners in general don't like it at all, because it's really far from their tastes. But due to the orientation Amesoeurs took, I think that new listeners came as well. We have had a lot of good comments, and good reviews too but people usually speak much more when they like something than when they don't like. Let's wait a little bit longer!

PW: I noticed you played live once in 2005, guessing this was very much a one off and not sure if I would particularly want to share the new album live in a room full of other people. I guess the question is would you have liked to have played some of the songs here in the live environment?

Fursy: The live show was a good moment for us hehe, very funny. Playing live would have been excellent, and it's for me the only regret I have about the band's split. And even if it is personal, my opinion is that this music can easily been played and enjoyed live.

Neige: If we didn't split up, for sure we would have liked to play some shows (though I am not even sure we would have the time to do it). I think this music can suit very well in a live context.

PW: I am sure I read somewhere that Neige said that although he will have no further involvement in Amesoeurs, the rest of the group were welcome to carry on without him? Is this perhaps a possibility in the future?

Fursy: No. The band is definitely off. In my opinion and if I’m honest, I don't want any concept band no more and Neige carried Amesoeurs the most. I'm not that interested in continuing this project.

PW: Final question is what does the future hold for you all musically, I am assuming that Peste Noire, Alcest are still active concerns at the moment?

Fursy: My project Les Discrets (in which Winterhalter plays drums once again) has just been signed on Prophecy Productions for a 5 album contract. The first album is going to be recorded in June, for a release date in Autumn 2009. We plan to play live too!

Neige: At the moment I am recording the Lantlôs album's vocals and I plan to come back to Germany during summer for recording the new Alcest. Also a USA/Canada tour is planned for November, still with Alcest.

Fursy: Thanks for this interesting interview. I hope that it completes your vision of our music!

Neige: Thank you!

For more on the band check out http://www.myspace.com/amesoeurs

Interviewed by Pete Woods

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