Lone Survivors, one of the most dynamic bands emerging from the French metalcore scene, unleashed their unique blend of heavy riffs and introspective storytelling on the stage of Quantic Pub, Bucharest. As they geared up to perform alongside heavyweights like Orphaned Land, Nest of Plagues, and Science of Disorder on September 18, we had the chance to sit down with François Lescuyer, Olivier Crescence and Pierre Vaillant and dive deep into their origins, inspirations, and the cosmic narrative behind their latest album.
Hail! We are very happy to have you here for this interview! Let’s go back to the very beginning of your story. How did Lone Survivors first came together as a band and what was the initial vision you had for your music?
François Lescuyer: It was an idea of me, François, the producer of the band. I produced the main project because at that time I really wanted to go to the metal scene. Metal was the genre of my heart and I liked it very much when I was a kid. Then I contacted some people and it was Olivier who came to one of my concerts in Paris. We had a talk in the backstage and started digging for musicians. This is how it started.
Ok, what about the name of the band? I mean, every band has a story behind the name. How did you come up with “Lone Survivors” and does it hold a deeper meaning for you?
Olivier Crescence: The name of the band follows the concept album and the story in the album. So, if someone wants to know about the “Lone Survivors”, that person has to read all the lyrics and he will understand what “Lone Survivors” means. As a sneak-peek, it means humanity will survive in time. We already have a concept album about transhumanism and the future of humanity.
Thank you for the sneak-peek! Going further… Metalcore is a genre that evolves constantly. How do you stay true to your sound while also bringing something fresh to each new release?
François Lescuyer: It’s a great question! We can take the example of our latest release, our latest EP. That piece of work is inspired by the Maloya music from the Reunion Island. It is a subject that we liked because it’s from that place. So, we took inspiration from that in order to build something new within the metalcore sphere.
Olivier Crescence: We were lucky with our new guitarist. He is also a native from an island so we’ve got some good perspectives on this stuff in the metalcore genre. Good feeling. Island feeling.
That’s great! How do you approach songwriting as a band? Is it a collective process or does one of you usually take the idea?
Olivier Crescence: In the beginning, I was the one who was writing the songs and the lyrics. I led the process. Since Pierre started to be a part of the band, we tried to do something different because we are having many influences now.
Pierre Vaillant: I became a member less than one year ago, so before I arrived, there was one person who was leading the structure of the songs. Occasionally, there were two persons. However, for the new EP, I wrote three songs. After the band members played their own part, I wrote the structure; I wrote the guitar, essentially. Then, the bassist came with his contribution. The drummer, too. I gave them some ideas, I won’t deny that. But the core is their own stuff. In the future, we’ll take more time to work together. Why am I saying that? Well, because for the previous stuff, we had a very short time to record. Now, we will have more time and will make things better together.
Awesome! What’s the most unusual or unexpected place you found inspiration for your music?
François Lescuyer: Reunion Island, for sure! Excuse us, we speak a lot about Maloya every time we get the chance to do that. That’s because, you see, we didn’t do it like the real Maloya. There is no electric stuff, no instruments. Only percussions and lyrics. We adapted Maloya to fit into the metalcore genre because of two reasons: I love metalcore and I love Maloya. Why do I love the latter so much? It’s something about the island music, about the… “sunny” music. Of course, our work is totally not your typical metalcore work. It is original in this area of music.
How would you describe the French metal scene right now and what role does it play in shaping your sound as a band?
François Lescuyer: The French metal scene is really good right now. A lot of good projects are born. There is a big competition to be on stage. And it forces us to be better. I think, in the years coming, a few good bands will pop up from the French metal scene.
Are there any specific French bands or artists that you feel that have influenced Lone Survivors, either musically or in terms of scene status?
François Lescuyer: Yes, yes! Gojira.
And if we are to go further, geographically speaking?
Pierre Vaillant: Meshuggah and Tesseract! We also listen to a lot of American bands, because there are so many great groups.
Your latest album dives into a cosmic narrative. Can you walk us through the creative progress behind it?
Olivier Crescence: Yes. Like I said before, it’s about transhumanism and the future of humanity in time. The story tells the lone survivors, human survivors in time, to assure the future of humanity. And it takes place in the prehistoric time until a very far future time.
François Lescuyer: It also tells a bit of a story of a human in a different era in time. In this story, we wanted to place the transhumanism in a positive attitude, in a positive way, because we always say transhumanism is something dangerous for the people, for the humanity, and we wanted to explore the other part. Maybe it’s a tool that can help us to survive. And it’s a choice, in fact. Because we don’t know what will happen tomorrow. A climatic change? Or a story you don’t know? So we may take all the perspectives and take a decision. It talks about that a lot.
In “Enigmatic Side Effects” is a powerful shift in the narrative. What does this side effect represent in the larger story?
Olivier Crescence: In this narrative, the universe is likened to a wall, and at times, humanity experiences unforeseen side effects that influence the development of the human brain.
“Six Feet Under” is one of my favorites tunes. It features dark, introspective lyrics, and the lines “The skies of hell fell on my garden” and “I am doomed to dig my grave six feet under…” are very dear to me. What inspired this song?
Olivier Crescence: Those are my favorite lines, too. The story goes as it follows: at a time, not far from now, we made Earth not livable for us. So, in the story, we need to dig our place under the ground to live because the air was not respirable. So, the story, it’s about a person who is under Earth for 300 years, 500 years and he is hungry, but it was his fault. The fault of humanity, of the global warming. This is the inspiration for the lyrics.
”Ground Zero” has an epic closing feel. Can you say some more words about this?
Olivier Crescence: The ending of “Ground Zero” feels like the start of something new—perhaps a future shaped by transhumanism, where one day we might witness multiple forms of humanity across different planets, each with unique bodies and ways of existence. Different shapes of minds, too. It feels like an open territory. And it’s meant to open your eyes, shape your perspective of the world and the universe.
Is this where the story ends, or is there more to explore in the future?
François Lescuyer: The story stops here for the concept album. But we have a signature of the band which has been created through this debut album, which is a concept album. And we keep the signature, the way we are grooving and we are writing, the way we are making the songs. And so, I’m sure that we can make some other new stuff, but we’re always respecting our debut album.
The entire album talks about reconnecting with outer space. What does the idea of reconnecting mean to you, and how do you imagine humanity’s place in the cosmos evolving?
Pierre Vaillant: Your question is really interesting! It’s fucking deep! You learned a lot about the albums and the lyrics… Impressive! Now to respond to it… The side effects of humanity’s beginnings are elements we’ve lost along the way, as we’ve become disconnected from our own narrative. Ultimately, the story revolves around our quest to reconnect with that pure, universal essence—often referred to as God, or whatever name you choose. By the end of the tale, we make strides toward this reconnection, but since it unfolds in the future, the outcome remains uncertain.
What’s your favorite track from the new album and what makes it stand out for you?
Pierre Vaillant: “Dig Where You Stand“. Great energy. Aggressive and made for the stage. We’ve built some songs to headbang on the stage.
Lone Survivors performing at Quantic Pub, 18.09.2024
© M&O Office PR Agency
Oh, one more sneak-peek? Since you’re about to hit the stage of Quantic, which songs from the new album are you most excited to play live there?
François Lescuyer: I would say “There is No Other Way“. It’s a new song which I think and I feel resonates better on stage than on EP. Sometimes it’s like that. You make a production, it’s good on the EP, but when you play it, there is no energy… The other way around is the case of the aforementioned track…
This happens with a lot of bands. Sometimes, it’s a totally different experience to listen to a song at home than to hear it live. And this somehow leads me to the next question… Is there a particular track that you love, but feel like it doesn’t fit in a live setting?
François Lescuyer: Yes! “Ground Zero“. It’s a great song, but it’s fucking long. So on stage, maybe sometimes you lose some people because you have to be a strong listener to be focused on the track from the beginning to the end.
Olivier Crescence: But it’s a very powerful song on stage, too. We love to play it when we have time to play it.
How do you feel about performing in Romania?
François Lescuyer: Romania is a special place for us. Despite the fact we are a band in development, we were summoned here many times! It’s quite unusual, because you don’t use to go so far away from your home so many times. We played here in 2022 for the first tour, Eurotour. We played in Craiova. Then we played at Metalhead Meeting in July, in Bucharest, and now we play again in Bucharest. So we… We like Bucharest. We like Romania and Bucharest. We came a lot here, and it’s so cool. It’s a nerve of metal here. And Quantic Pub is really beautiful. The stage is huge. We are really excited. We want to go and be cowboys on stage.
You’ve built a deep connection with your fans over the years. What’s one fan interaction that really stuck with you during a show or on a tour?
François Lescuyer: I would speak about an interaction with a Romanian fan. We were at the Metalhead Meeting and he was waiting for us to begin the gig. He was so mad to see us and he hugged us a lot before the show. Wow… It is a great feeling to see these people being so crazy about you right before the show. On top of that, we were so happy to see that people know the songs and know us.
Social media is important for many bands. How does the band Lone Survivors engage with fans online and do you think it has changed the way you interact with your audience?
François Lescuyer: It’s not an easy part for us because we are… old. It’s more for the young generation. We love playing music, composing music, living on the road for the music. That’s our way of existing. When it comes to social media, we try to learn and try to be better. It’s difficult for us. Not an easy stuff. We are learning the toys of the young people.
What’s next for Lone Survivors? Any upcoming projects?
François Lescuyer: We would like to release some new material. Also, we want to have a big tour.
That’s great! Do you have a final message for the fans?
François Lescuyer: We love Romania! We love our Romanian fans! We are excited to play here. Also, we want to say “hi” to Crimena from Craiova.
