À Terre has pulled out all the stops to announce its debut album.
Still acting as an independent band, Grégoire Caussèque (vocals), Léo Lassalle Saint-Jean (guitar/keyboards), Simon Casteran (guitar), Sébastien Bonneau (drums) and Christian Simon (bass) kick off 2025 with the release of Embrasser la Nuit.
The album kicks off with ÂCÂB, a composition with a powerful name that immediately anchors itself in its Industrial roots with ominous keyboards, joined by martial percussion and haunting riffs. The tortured vocal parts only appear towards the middle of the track, reinforcing the deliberate oppression thanks to the contrast between the Screamo influences and the massive growl, before slowly giving way to Paris Sous Les Tombes. The pace quickly quickens, particularly for the guitars and the two vocals, but the band also allow themselves a few more soothing moments of floating, which make the following explosions even more massive, before adopting a more melancholy approach on Prophétie. The tone of the track is initially rather dark and dissonant, then the atmosphere becomes more progressive and finally ignites to offer an instrumental that is as soaring as it is heady, leaving us to join Presque Morts, where the keyboards welcome us and allow us to breathe for a brief moment. Nous Sommes la Nuit (We Are the Night) sounds like a rampage, with its vindictive hardcore influences coupling perfectly with its majestic post roots, but the track takes us by surprise with its Trip-Hop break before the final explosion that stuns us one last time before Tous Morts (All Dead). Although only an interlude, it remains quite disturbing with its pessimistic lyrics that lead us to L’Appel de la Nuit, where we find again the hoarse vocals, the imposing rhythm and the jerky approach complemented by the few piercing harmonics, but also this moment of chilling and disquieting appeasement that gradually returns to heaviness while tinged with the multiple influences that will eventually clash and fade away.
The elements that make up À Terre ‘s music are all well known, but here they take on a whole new dimension. Embrasser la Nuit is a unique collection of raw, intense and heartfelt, visceral compositions just waiting to be explored.
95/100
A few questions for Grégoire Caussèque, lead singer of the band À TERRE, about the release of their debut album, Embrasser la Nuit.
Hello, and thank you for your time! Without using the usual Metal labels, such as “Post-Metal”, “Hardcore” or “Industrial”, how would you describe the band À TERRE?
Grégoire Caussèque (vocals): Hello and thank you. I’d say that À TERRE‘s music is sincere and very personal, and that’s the most important thing for us. We don’t give a damn about codes. We can compose a very catchy chorus or go into more experimental territory, and I can write lyrics that are as direct as they are esoteric.
How do you personally relate the name À Terre to the band’s music?
Grégoire: To be “à terre” (“on the ground” in French, ed.) is to be at the end of one’s tether, almost finished, but not totally. It’s an in-between state, and the question is, “Are we going to get back on our feet or fall forever? Heaven or Hell? Night or Sun? Our music and lyrics feed on this.
Embrasser la Nuit (“Embracing the Night” in French, ed.), your debut album, is about to be released. How do you feel about it? Have you had any feedback on it yet?
Grégoire: I’m feeling a bit stressed and impatient. And yes, we’ve already had some very reassuring feedback, even beyond our expectations. It’s great when you’re making music that’s so different from the usual, to have people take to it so much.
How would you sum up Embrasser la Nuit in three words?
Grégoire: Sincere. Varied. Earthy.
The album Embrasser la Nuit will be released in early 2025. Why did you choose this name for the album, and what does it mean?
Grégoire: Embrasser la Nuit means taking it as it comes, accepting it and seeing what happens. It can be negative or positive, but I feel a breath of fresh air and energy in that expression. That’s how I see this album.
Since its creation, the band has already released three EPs. Have you noticed any changes or evolutions between these productions and Embrasser la Nuit? How would you describe the main changes in the creative process and influences?
Grégoire: The main change is that it took us longer to compose, and that Seb, our drummer, and Christian, our new bassist, were more involved in the composition. There was also a very pronounced desire to break away from the usual patterns and sprinkle our Metal with some of our own influences. Of course, we like Cult of Luna, Converge, Isis and Amenra, but we’re just as fond of PNL, Balavoine, Deftones, Michel Berger, Capra and the Wu-Tang Clan… The album was also more carefully thought out beforehand, for example, which title to use at the beginning and end, finding links between lyrics, where to place an interlude etc. etc….
Why did you choose the track Paris Sous Les Tombes to present your new album?
Grégoire: Quite frankly, it was the song’s straightforward catchy feel that led us to make this choice. And then the title itself, a nod to NTM‘s Paris sous les Bombes, may also appeal. I’m also quite happy with the lyrics of the chorus, “Paris Traumatisme / Paris Violence / Paris sous les Tombes”! By the way, there’s a video clip to go with it, which I directed with Stevo Fallen, and we invite you to check it out!
Your artworks have always been relatively minimalist, but quite raw. What are your guidelines for their creation, and more particularly for that of Embrasser la Nuit?
Grégoire: The first guideline is that I take care of the visuals, especially for the covers. So it’s photos that I take. And I want them to be photos of our region, the South-West (Basque Country, Gascony, Béarn). Our artistic approach is global: music, artwork, lyrics… Everything comes from us. Some time ago, I passed by this dead doe on the side of a road in a village in the Landes region, and luckily I had my camera with me. Little did I know that it would be the cover of our first LP at the time. I thought it was a good illustration of the album’s title, Embrasser la Nuit, and also of our territory. I suggested it to the guys in the band and everyone thought it was cool – well, I don’t know if “cool” is the word 🙂 !
I know it’s a difficult question, but do you have a favorite track on this album? Or the one that seemed the most natural to compose?
Grégoire: That’s a tough question indeed! I’d have to say L’Appel de la Nuit, because it’s the most personal lyrically. It’s about the fact that I couldn’t see my son for 4 months in spite of myself, and that was a very complicated period of intense pain. That’s where I found the thread of night in the album, and the title Embrasser la Nuit. And it’s got a great opening groove.
Embrasser la Nuit is once again released as a self-produced album. Is this the band’s desire to remain independent? Would you be open to working with a label? How is the collaboration with Clément from Vous Connaissez? going in terms of promotion?
Grégoire: It’s mainly a desire to do things the way we want to, but I think that for the next album we might turn to a label, because there are advantages to that too. The promotional collaboration with Clément is going really well. His vision of music is pretty similar to ours. He doesn’t think “it was better before”, he believes in atypical approaches…and he loves Rap like we do! He understands where we want to go.
Unfortunately, I’ve never had the chance to see you live on stage, so what’s it like to see À Terre live from your point of view? What can we expect when we go to see you?
Grégoire: On stage, we try to remain sincere and play the songs well. We put a lot of thought into arranging the set to create different phases and moods. Oh and there’s a hammer and a gas bottle too!
What are À Terre‘s next projects?
Grégoire: We’ve got a few concerts coming up (by the way, don’t hesitate to contact us to book us), another video clip in the pipeline, and I’m already thinking about the next compositions.
Are there any musicians or artists you’d like to collaborate with in the future?
Grégoire: Lots! I’d say Romain Baudoin, an amazing hurdy-gurdy player (notably on Artus). I’d like to collaborate with a rapper too, with Fange, Doodseskader, Syndrome 81, Bleu Reine…
Do you think you’ve improved as a musician with this album?
Grégoire: That’s an interesting question. I think I’ve already refined my writing style for the lyrics. Léo and Simon‘s guitar riffs are really good, and we didn’t put any limits or barriers in our arrangements. In the studio, the producer, Pierre Loustaunau, really got me to work on the vocal placements… so I’d say yes.
What bands do you dream of playing with? I’ll let you imagine your dream show with À Terre as the opening act, and three other bands.
Grégoire: First of all, the concert would be at the Atabal in Biarritz. And the line-up, I’d say… À TERRE, Syndrome 81, SCH, Deftones! (Or Daniel Balavoine, if I’m allowed to resurrect an artist).
Last question: what dish would you compare À Terre‘s music to?
Grégoire: Chipirons à la persillade that my grandparents used to make.
That was the last question for me, so thank you very much for your time and your music, last words are yours!
Grégoire: Thank you for your interview, and thank you for what you do for our scene. Until next time!