The Old Dead Tree - a French institution whose music has always been of a deeply artful and personal nature has returned. Let the fanfare sound! For in this month of frigid winter, The Old Dead Tree will release their return-to-form LP, "Second Thoughts", via Season of Mist. Friendship, tragedy and heartbreak have been the driving influences for this band, and their gorgeous brand of dark progressive metal has placed them in the fold of the greats: Paradise Lost, Katatonia and Opeth. To understand The Old Dead Tree's music is to understand the value of life's many deep moments: mourning, renewal, doubt and redemption.

It is truly an honor to have the opportunity to interview someone who is, in my opinion, one of the greatest metal vocalists I've ever had the pleasure of hearing. And this band happens to be an epitaph of class whose dignified approach to their craft will surely help to preserve a most brilliant future for their genre.

This band has seen their fair share of turmoil, and during this interview frontman, Manuel Munoz, casts an expositional light upon some of the trying times The Old Dead Tree has experienced over the years along with the ideas/concepts behind their new album.

Jeger

Greetings, Manuel, and welcome to MetalBite. I've been following The Old Dead Tree since 2019 when I happened across your EP, "The End", and became enthralled by it. The Old Dead Tree has been a French institution since 1997, and you've seen your share of turmoil throughout your career. Can you tell us a bit about the band's formative years?

I was 19 when we started playing together. From the beginning, a strong friendship was built between the members of the band. In 1999, our drummer Frédéric committed suicide. Despite this tragic event, we decided to keep playing music together and four years after his death, we released our first album called The Nameless Disease. All the lyrics are about how I dealt with his decision. This album had quite a success in Europe and we got to tour with bands we admired like Paradise Lost, Katatonia or Opeth. After this first chapter, we released two more albums in 2005 and 2007 and toured Europe with Epica and as a headliner. We eventually parted ways in 2009.

The Old Dead Tree has undergone a couple of splits: one was due to creative differences and the other was due to geographical challenges, but you've persevered despite these difficulties. What would you say has been the driving force behind the undying spirit of The Old Dead Tree?

Friendship has always been our greatest strength and our greatest weakness. We remained close to each other despite the distance and the time. Most of the members moved far from Paris, but we kept gathering once a year to play our old material for fun and to go to the restaurant with our families, the technical staff and the band's relatives. Most of the people we worked with in the 2000's are still with us now. The Old Dead Tree is some kind of a second family for many of us.

Your debut LP, "The Nameless Disease", is one that seems to mean a lot to The Old Dead Tree as evidenced by the fact that you reunited in 2013 in order to celebrate its tenth anniversary. What stands out about this album when compared to your other recordings?

This was a very good first album. And the fact that the lyrics were tragically personal touched the audience. Still now, people come to me after the shows to tell me that they've been through a similar experience, and that our songs really helped them to overcome the pain. Hopefully, both the albums that followed did not carry such a heavy burden. And even if I consider that "The Perpetual Motion" for example is better than The Nameless Disease, there is no way it could mean as much to the fans.

I genuinely admire your talents as a vocalist. You have a very broad range, and your style is oft delightfully dramatic. What can you tell us about your artistic background? Are you formally trained and do you have any background in theater?

Actually, I only had a few singing lessons back in 2019, as we were about to release the EP The End. I never felt comfortable with schools and musical theory. I always preferred finding my own path. It slowed down my progression because I had to understand by myself, little by little, what I was able to do with my voice. But it helped me building something more personal I think. I never acted in theater, but for me, our songs have to tell a story and they need a deeply committed narrator to deliver it. I go deep inside myself to get the emotions needed, especially on stage. Sometimes it can be really disturbing and I need some time to put myself together.

You had a series of live performances scheduled in 2019 in support of your aforementioned EP, "The End", but they were all canceled due to COVID, except for the sold out Paris show, which was rescheduled for 2022. I imagine it must've been a deeply meaningful performance.

Oh yes. We were under a lot of stress. We had announced that we would be playing a two hour show, and as we all live far from each other, it was complex preparation. The venue was filled with people who traveled from Germany, Norway or Spain. It reminded us that we were not alone in this adventure. The band meant a lot to many. This evening had a huge impact on our decision to put the band back together for real and to get back to composing music seriously.

There's a notable sentimental value to "The End". Was it intended to be your farewell record?

Definitely. After the short Anniversary tour we had in 2013, we had some money left and we thought it would be a good thing to use it to finish the unreleased songs and to record them. The project took a long time because Julien Metternich, the video maker we've been working with since 2003 wanted to make a documentary about the band. we thought it could be great to gather both these products together as a farewell gift for the fans.

You're on the cusp of releasing a brilliant new LP in "Second Thoughts", scheduled for a December 6 release via Season of Mist. This feels like a very personal piece.

When we started discussing about reuniting for good, I was filled with doubts. Would we be able to reach the same level of quality we had? Would our music be relevant after so many years? I was not sure it was worthy to put our friendship at risk on this. So, in order to know where we stood, Nicolas Chevrollier and I composed the song Terrified and it was a total blast! It convinced Season Of Mist - our historical recording company - that we were back for good and it allowed us to play Hellfest before 10,000 people who welcomed us like if we never stopped.

Writing a full length album was of course more complicated. We had tons of ideas, but it's been often difficult to decide which one to keep and which one to turn down. The older I get the less certainties I have. In a way, most of the songs of "Second Thoughts" deal with having doubts and taking responsibilities.

"Better Off Dead" is one track from the new album that really stands out for me. It appears to be a song that's centered around family. It's very dark indeed, and it's more of a soliloquy than an actual song. It bridges over to the much heavier "Without a Second Thought". From what sort of experiences did you draw inspiration for these two tracks?

When Nicolas Cornolo and I started working on this, we knew that it would be a three song story. And as soon as I started to hum some vocal melodies, I had the first sentence of the song in mind "Please, I want to know, I need the truth…". This was all about a secret. This idea drove the rest of the story step by step. Regarding the secret these songs are about, I'm happy the story is not based on a real experience!

There's a cultural, almost historical vibe to parts of "Second Thoughts". What are some of the ways by which you've been inspired by French culture and History?

I use to take inspiration everywhere I can. It can come from something I or a relative of mine have been through. It can also come from situations my imagination built from scratch, and sometimes it comes from stories I've  read or watched. Besides my accent, I don't think that the fact that I'm French really influenced the way we sound.

What does The Old Dead Tree's live performance schedule look like in support of "Second Thoughts"?

Of course we're eager to tour and perform the new songs on stage. We already played some new material during the Fall. We now work with an important booking agency, and some gigs will be announced soon. We never played the US yet and we would love to do so!

Do you have a message for your followers?

First, I want you thank you David for giving us the opportunity to address your audience. That means a lot to us. As a band we fell many times but we always got back on our feet and kept going. We worked very hard to create this album we're really proud of. If you take the time to listen carefully to "Second Thoughts", you will discover an infinity of layers, a forest of ideas. Behind the songs that may sound simple, there are sad stories and tortuous roads.

When Zack exited Dead For Days I was worried that talent and passion that he's got for extreme music will be lost. I was worried that problems that they were having will burn him out and throw him on the tracks of everyday boredom and lack of willingness, but instead he decided to start a new project - a furious ass kicking to anyone interested, but from a slightly different angle than what he used to. God Dementia is the name of his new band/project and if death/grind is something that interests you than don't skip that one. With everything that happened over the last couple of years and with the new album out in the open, I had to find out whatever happened, when it happened and who did what. And why.

Tom

Hey Zack!! Thanks for finding time to answer some questions. It’s been quite a few years since the last time I interviewed you for MetalBite.com, what have you been doing?

Yeah it has been a while. I've been just preparing my latest project after I quit Dead For Days. That’s kind of when I realized, wow I really enjoy writing music! I should do that more! So I did just that.

And what a great idea that was, new album has been available for couple of months now, people like?

Yeah so far we have very positive responses. I mean, you never know what you have until you release it to the vast areas of the internet. So far there has been no negatives so that’s very encouraging.

How did you come up with a name of the band, what would you like people to think when they hear it?

Ah the band name... let me just say that it is very difficult nowadays to come up with a name because everything that you think sounds cool already has been taken. God Dementia has a versatile meaning: it’s about turning a positive into a negative which is happening a lot around us. Turning a concept into a demented view. Lots of social or religious views start out as great ideas and then people get their dirty hands on it and twist it to their own benefit. Think about religion or capitalism or socialism. On paper they sound great but yeah... people...

Tell us about rest of the dudes in the band, are they permanent members? It seems Dead For Days turned Reign Inferno and then ended up God Dementia LOL?!

Yeah we pretty much are all the three bands minus one troublemaker. Band drama you know! Some people just want to cause problems rather than make music. That chapter is done finally and we can focus on making sweet grind core slash death metal!

What about the cover for the album, care to explain meaning behind it, who is responsible for it?

The cover was done by the very talented Raphael Gabrio of Insane Visions. What I wanted to capture there is how we are. You pretty much have shit shoved down your throat forcing us to consume and constantly being watched till we are barely human anymore. Just shred of a person that’s constantly being preyed on based on its religious or social delusions. Consuming the delusional. Raphael did a great job, I gave him a vision and he made it insane! Maybe that’s why he calls his work Insane Visions.....

You are credited with composing and arranging music and writing lyrics on Consuming The Delusional, but even though bass lines you could probably do, I’ve never seen you behind drum kit, care to elaborate?

LOL, I've never touched drums in my life, it’s just something that is just too much for me and frankly I have huge respect for death metal drummers to be able to pull that off. The whole cd is a collaboration of all of our talents we all play different instruments, like Rick for example is a great drummer but even greater guitar shredder!

Rick on guitar is something I’ve never seen but if he’s not behind drums than who is and how do you mean collaboration of all your talents?

We are in search of a drummer because the drummer is Mr. EZ Drummer from Toontrack (drum machine). If we won't find a decent candidate Rick would pick up his drum sticks one more time. I would really like him to play the guitar he’s talented as hell and no one really knows about that because he’s always been a drummer. But yeah, if ya know a good guy let me know!

Enough about that, tell me about recording process, is that the same studio you’ve used with Dead For Days?

The recording was done at Comatose Studios in Kankakee IL by Dennis Pleckham who is also involved with a very popular doom metal band Bongripper. He did a fantastic job on mixing and mastering and we will definitely work with him again for our follow up. We did a lot of work at my house and brought the files to him to mix. With the technology that is available nowadays you can do a lot of preproduction at the comforts of your own home.

Great job indeed, album is powerful and it’s a great mix of death and grind sound I’m also pleasantly surprised with the inclusion of many new pieces to your new puzzle, there is even few solos in there, yours?

Hell no! I’m not a soloist I actually look like I play guitar hero compared to Rick. Very talented guy, we worked on the solos together but 90% of them is just him being awesome!

You’ve mentioned that you got some new stuff prepared already, leftovers from last session or brand new never used?

I always have stuff brewing. I love death metal and always create something in my spare time. We actually have 10 songs ready to go and we should go to the studio in a few months. Just need the guys to check the songs out and tell me what can be improved. And there’s stuff for a 3rd release already, I can’t stop!

Keep going man and never stop. Every time you put something out you improve on all levels. I like what Cody did with vocals on the album, they sound angry and demand attention, was it all him or did you have a say so with vocals too?

It’s all him, he’s an angry dude and you need that in death metal! Of course we worked together but his style is all him. He delivers the message and he can do it in a way that you can understand which is awesome.

Which brings us to our next question. You wrote all the lyrics and I see you being pissed of about quite a few things, there’s society, religion, life, media and some more. You seem very conscious about what is going on with the world and not afraid to talk about it. What gets you going the most?

I would say ignorance, bullshit arguments and just plain stupidity. Common sense is pretty much gone. I think social media exposed the idiots of our society and I sometimes miss the pre-Facebook era when I was not aware of all the fucktards that are out there stating their shitty opinions and have even shittier people agree with them. I would say people get me going the most.

We could talk for hours about what you just said. Completely agree. Since you are the guy that writes most of the stuff tell me this…how do you do it, where, on what, what do you use and what guitar do you play?

I do it right at home, I have a mini studio that is perfect for writing. It’s awesome the way technology progressed! I use a drum machine and recording software and bam! Song is done. So fast if you’re in the creative mood. Really enjoy it.

Who is responsible for cooking up the sound of the album, I hear mix of many different influences in there, was it your idea, was it in any way premeditated?

I listen to a lot of different bands and a lot of them influence me during the writing process. It’s by no means premeditated it just happens, I don’t try to sound like a certain band. It’s just kind of whatever I’m into at the moment. If I listen to a lot of grind core the songs that are going to come out are going to be grindy and so on.

I just used a word cooking and it got me thinking…you’re pretty good in the kitchen so can you share your favorite dish lately and how do you prepare it?

Mmmm cooking....
I just did potato pancakes. I prepare it with brutality! Lol

Potato pancakes…did you grate them or did you GRIND those suckers LOL. And the last one….when are the shirts gonna be in? LOL

Ah shit... they're coming I promise. Everything takes so much time. It’s frustrating.