Future Palace set course for their third album.
In 2024, Maria Lessing (vocals), Manuel Kohlert (guitar) and Johannes Frenzel (drums) continue their partnership with Arising Empire to unveil Distortion, then embark on a European tour.
The album begins in dissonance with the introduction of Uncontrolled, but modern sounds soon take over to accommodate Maria‘s vocal parts, which shift easily from catchy clean vocals to snarling saturated ones. The sound becomes heavier when Malphas follows, also offering more complex, convoluted leafs to fuel that palpable sense of unease before the fury of the break, but the final heady chorus leads us into a kind of soothing quietude on Panic Paralysis, where the heavy riffs remain relatively simple. Screams add a touch of aggression to the heady composition, before Trap influences infuse The Echoes of Disparity, where the musicians welcome Charlie Rolfe (As Everything Unfolds), creating an interesting, energetic duet to which you can both headbang and dance. Dreamstate mixes soaring Electro tones and an effective rhythm with the vocal parts, and the track moves naturally from one atmosphere to another before returning to mysterious tones in the opening moments of Decarabia, where the dancefloor ambience nevertheless remains predominant. Aggression naturally resurfaces from time to time, particularly on the break, then becomes quasi-permanent with In Too Deep, leaving the catchy choruses to work their magic between two waves of rage before returning to an Industrial approach on Rays of Light, offering the jerky rhythm numerous samples and keyboards, creating an interesting relief on which the band plays. The wild moshpart will undoubtedly have its effect before the soothing passage and final chorus, then the approach becomes colder and more imposing for A Fool on a Devil’s Reins, letting the vocalist show off her talents with impressive diversity, but the band again offers us calmer tones when They Take What They Want, creating a kind of disquieting duality when the most virulent moments appear. The final touch is provided by Amethyst and its many influences, which give rhythm to the composition while providing catchy tones at all times.
Future Palace‘s modern catchy approach is perfectly managed between their different roots, moving from energetic Metalcore to more emotional moments with remarkable naturalness. Distortion is sure to please their fans!
80/100
A few questions to the band Future Palace about their new album Distortion.
Hello and first of all, thank you very much for your time! How could you introduce the band Future Palace without using the word “Metal”?
Manuel Kohlert (guitar): Future Palace is a trio from Berlin, Germany that mixes heavy music with Pop and Electronic elements.
What does the name Future Palace mean to you, and how is the link with the music you create?
Manuel: The name started as an idea for creating a future together as a band and transformed into a mantra that signifies the core message of the band: to always believe in a better future.
The band is about to release its third full-length Distortion. How do you feel about it? Do you already have any feedback?
Manuel: We are very excited to release these new songs and get to play them live. So far the feedback has been great, yet only a few people heard the entire album.
How would you sum Distortion’s identity up in only three words?
Maria Lessing (vocals): Diverse, heavy, psychological.
How did the creation process happen for Distortion? Did you notice some changes compared to the previous albums?
Manuel: This time I tried new things for songwriting, working with different new synthesizers, samples and also this album is the first that was entirely written on a 7 string guitar. Which makes it lower and heavier just by this choice. Other than that we didn’t record the whole album in one session as we did when we recorded our last album Run. Instead we split the recording into a few sessions.
What about the artwork, what were the guidelines you gave the artist and how does it fit with the music you created? Is there a concept behind the album?
Manuel: Initially we worked on a different concept that kind of evolved into the artwork that is now the chosen one because it just didn’t fit. So we sat together to change things. The distorted colors resemble the album theme, the chrome metallic font was something we wanted to from the start.
The band’s sound is inspired by Metalcore, Industrial/Electronic and modern elements, but how do you manage to create your own touch?
Manuel: I think this just happens naturally. We always like strong hooks and melodies that keep living in one’s head. We like to experiment with genres and styles, but in the end it sounds like Future Palace.
Do you have a favorite song on this album? Or maybe the hardest one to achieve for the album.
Maria: For me it’s Decarabia. It’s super different, the lyrics hit very deep and are very personal to me. I love playing it live and love the video of it. It’s just a bittersweet song and I like that contrast.
Manuel: For me it’s very hard to choose but I kind of keep getting goosebumps when I listen to Amethyst and In Too Deep the most.
Where do you find your inspiration to create music?
Manuel: There are many. For this album I actively listened to new genres like Hardstyle. I also started to read Mangas and play Card Games. When I look back into the time that I wrote most of the instrumentals it was also definitely the fact that we were touring a lot and playing in front of huge crowds for the first time. This for sure found its way into the writing process.
The band still teams up with record label Arising Empire, how is the collaboration with them?
Johannes Frenzel (drums): We are working with Arising Empire since our first album Escape, so for almost 5 years now and are really happy how our relationship has grown since then. For Distortion they are really giving everything they have and we are really grateful for their support.
Do you think you improved yourself as a musician and songwriter with this new record?
Manuel: I guess this is hard for me to answer as the people who liked our music before Distortion might have to answer this. But I can say that trying new things in this album felt really good and this counts for me.
The band already played a few shows this year, but also announced a big European tour for the end of the year, how do you get prepared for this tour? How do you feel when you’re on stage?
Johannes: Since the beginning of the festival season, we were planning the details of this European tour regarding production, setlist and so on. Of course we gotta rehearse songs we never played live and that will be exciting. Can’t wait to finally hop on the bus and start this tour. I can’t speak for the others, but when I hear our intro and get on stage I am completely focused and in a zone. Mostly during the second last song I realize that the show will soon be over and be kind of melancholic.
You played in France twice, back in 2023 with Electric Callboy and Blind Channel, then at Motocultor this year, how were those shows? Is there a special memory from those shows that come to your mind?
Johannes: My special memory of the Paris show is that I had a fever and somehow managed to get through the show. On the ferry to the UK the day after I fainted and spent the off day in a way too expensive hotel in London to get well fast. But I still remember the crowd being really open, this is also the thing I loved the most at Motocultor. A lot of people came to our signing session after the show telling us that they had never heard of Future Palace before, but loved what we did on stage. Convincing people that know nothing of your band is such a rewarding feeling. The show itself was one of my top 3 festival shows this summer, because we as a band were just in a flow on stage and had a great time.
Are there any musicians or artists you would like to collaborate with? Whether it is for one song, or maybe more.
Maria: Mothica, Cassyette, Halsey, Bring Me The Horizon and many more.
What do you know about the French Metal scene? Are there any bands you know and like?
Johannes: With Revnoir we are taking one of the rising French metal bands with us on our upcoming European Tour. Earlier this year we played the Impericon Festivals with Landmvrks and could finally see them live. Right after their set I was sure that this band will be a festival headliner in the nearer future. Went to their headline tour as well and was really blown away. With Novelists, Revolve and of course Gojira just to name a few there are even more French Metal bands I really like and listen too.
If you had to organize a concert for Distortion’s release show, which bands would you love to play with? I let you create a poster with Future Palace and three other bands!
Maria: Northlane, Nova Twins, Bad Omens.
Last and funny question: which dish would you compare Future Palace’s music with?
Maria: Actually, with one of my favorite dishes: vegan veggie rice bowl. I use many different ingredients like edamame, mango, vegan tenders, avocado and spring onion + rice and sweet-sour-sauce. I think we bring a lot of exciting and refreshing elements, while being carried by a solid foundation, that’s very likeable by a lot of people. A got a mix of both worlds.
That was the last question for me, so thank you very much for your time and your music, last words are yours!
Manuel: Thanks for having us! See you on tour, we can’t wait to play more in France.