I, for sure, am looking forward to hearing more from Deathbell, especially if they decide to venture out of their comfort zone in their future endeavors.

This is how I concluded my review of debut album by DEATHBELL, ‘From the Beyond’ (2018). About a year later, they played a great show in my neck of the woods. The band was loud and tight and the tracks from the album took a whole new dimension when played live. That’s the beauty of this music, and why we love it so much! When done right, experiencing it live takes you somewhere else, and trust me, Deathbell does it right.

Three years after the release of their acclaimed first album, Deathbell is back with 'A Nocturnal Crossing’ (2022), released on Svart Records. With Frederik Bolzann from Witchthroat Serpent joining their ranks as second guitarist and enough time to further digest their influences and carve their own path, my expectations were pretty damn high. So, let’s hear what strange brew the band has concocted for us!

It doesn’t take long for “The Stronghold and the Archer” to set the tone of the album. The opener of A Nocturnal Crossing brings somewhat of a The Devil’s Blood vibe while retaining the band’s identity. This is actually a running theme through the album. While Deathbell’s first record was fairly straightforward, this new effort is a lot more adventurous, but the band never loses itself trying to be different. This is not an easy feat.

The musicianship has gone up a notch compared to the previous album. It really feels like the band has found its footing and is now completely comfortable doing its own thing. Lauren’s ethereal vocals and keyboard work are a real treat for the ears. It brings texture to the album and a great atmosphere to the tracks all with a wonderfully '70s vibe.

The guitar parts on A Nocturnal Crossing are carefully crafted and very catchy. The addition of a second guitar definitely works for Deathbell as it has allowed them to really expand their sound, making it heavier and more intricate when needed. The drums and bass are as tight as ever and provide the solid foundation these songs deserve.

With six very strong tracks for a 41-minute run time, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to pick a highlight from this album. Everything flows smoothly and A Nocturnal Crossing really deserves to be listened to from beginning to end.

The epic sounding track “The Ladder” takes an atmospheric break in pure Deathbell fashion, only to bring the whole thing to a monumental ending masterfully orchestrated with swelling keyboard, soaring guitar solo, and pummeling rhythm section. What’s not to love?

Both heavy and catchy, the title track, “A Nocturnal Crossing,” is the perfect conclusion to a well rounded album. The bass and drums are locked-in, and I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for this genre as it is the building ground for all the atmospheric and melodic work to come. Deathbell skillfully brings layer after layer all the way to the track’s climax, and in this case the end of the album.

Deathbell’s A Nocturnal Crossing genuinely put a smile on my face from start to finish. Their blend of occult rock and stoner/doom is wonderfully executed and the band manages to venture in new directions while staying true to themselves. Deathbell brings a breath of fresh air to the genre with their instantly recognizable sound and tasteful songwriting.

The production is clean and tight, which is befitting for this new chapter of Deathbell’s existence. A Nocturnal Crossing is a mature sounding album which showcases just how dedicated to their craft all five members of Deathbell are. If you liked From The Beyond as I did, A Nocturnal Crossing is a no-brainer. If you felt like the band’s debut album wasn’t bold enough, this will definitely win you over.

The artwork was made by the prolific and obscenely talented Adam Burke, and is just another reason to get the album on vinyl!

Did Deathbell venture out of their comfort zone, then? Not only did they absolutely do that, but they did it with remarkable flair and proficiency. For fans of occult rock and fuzzy doom, A Nocturnal Crossing has been well worth the wait. You may now indulge and lose yourself in Deathbell’s captivating creation.

Over the past few years, there has been an undeniable increase in doom, stoner, heavy, fuzzy, occult (circle your favorite option) bands worldwide, and France is no exception to the rule. The past couple of years have been particularly rich for the French heavy scene and bands have been popping up all over the country releasing attention-worthy albums. DEATHBELL is a prime example of what the scene has to offer and is certainly a band worth keeping your eye on.

‘With the Beyond’ (2018), Deathbell’s first full-length, was released two years after the band’s inception – first as a digital release, then on vinyl via Kozmik Artifactz and CD via Seeing Red Records. While With the Beyond clocks in at only 37 minutes, the album hits every beat just right. It’s no wonder the name Deathbell has spread like wildfire in the French scene in just a matter of months.

The album’s artwork is very simple, almost inconspicuous, but instantly strikes curiosity and lures the listener in. When it comes to the production, the album sounds great. Bastien Commelongue’s guitar and Valentin Troï’s bass sound thick and heavy and Robin Draye’s drums are perfectly mixed and provide an excellent spine for the songs, while the vocals and keyboards of Lauren Gaynor come out of the mix and add a great finishing touch. With the Beyond was recorded by Jérémie Mazan (whose work can be heard on Soyuz Bear’s Black Phlegm) and mastered by Justin Weis (who has previously worked on albums by Acid King, Brume, and Pallbearer), so it’s fair to assume that the band had a pretty good idea of where they wanted to go soundwise, and the result is quite impressive.

There is no way around it: Deathbell’s music brings early Windhand and Electric Wizard’s Witchcult Today to mind, which is actually quite a compliment. Everything is thoughtfully layered and each song manages to conjure a magical atmosphere that the band has no trouble maintaining throughout the album. A song such as “Come to Trouble” is testimony of the band’s musicianship and songwriting abilities. Sabbathy intro, slow, heavy, head-nodding riffs accompanied by hypnotizing vocals and otherworldly keyboard parts – every staple of the genre is respected and everything is put together flawlessly. The trick with the stoner/doom genre is to avoid the easy path of rehashed riffs and loud amps for the sake of it, and Deathbell manages to do so with undeniable finesse. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of fuzzed-out guitar to go around and the wall-shaking bass and drums combo will rattle your bones. Yet the riffs are catchy and melodic. In other words, With the Beyond doesn’t feel like warmed-up leftovers from a Wizard album.

Every track in With the Beyond is like a piece in a puzzle and the album is carefully built and calibrated. Even after numerous listens, I still found myself amazed by the overall balance and subtlety in Deathbell’s music. In addition, Lauren’s voice is haunting and incredibly heartfelt, giving every single word the intensity it deserves. The lyrics work hand in hand with the music, which is just another reminder that Deathbell is completely comfortable with their craft.

The image that immediately came to my mind after listening to With the Beyond was of a dreamlike journey, wandering through foggy woods. The pacing of the album is perfectly kept by the pounding drums and fuzzy bass, while the soaring guitar leads leave all the wah-pedal-lovers asking for more.

Deathbell’s first effort is a very solid album and the band hits the nail on the head with the closing track, and my personal favorite, “Rise From Your Grave” – another great demonstration of tension building and release. The short intro gives way to a flooring and slow riff accompanied by ominous, yet extremely catchy, vocals. Everything seems to come to a halt at the halfway point when a heavy and slow bass line rises from the haze. Then come the somber arpeggios and melancholic guitar lead bringing back the heavy riff and leaving the listener floored with the feeling of waking up from a strange dream.

Deathbell uses every trick in the book just right. With the Beyond is a love letter to the stoner/doom genre, from the mysterious, eye-catching artwork, to the simple yet carefully constructed song structures. The rhythm section is heavy and brings a great groove to the tracks, the guitar leads are thoughtful and always serve a purpose, while the otherworldly vocals and keyboards bring the finishing touch to their signature sound. There is no questioning it, With the Beyond will definitely grab the attention of any fan of occult sounding heavy music. I, for sure, am looking forward to hearing more from Deathbell, especially if they decide to venture out of their comfort zone in their future endeavours.

‘With the Beyond’ pretty much came out of nowhere, can you tell us a bit about the writing and recording process?

Indeed, we did not talk about the project before it was recorded on purpose. We did not want any pressure nor any early criticisms that might have affected the writing process. Plus, nowadays with the amount of bands out there you have to directly produce quality music that pops suddenly to hopefully make some waves in this ocean.

Before releasing the album we worked for few years. We started many songs that we did not finish because we were trying to figure out what we really wanted to do. I guess we actually did a demo, but nobody heard it.

Regarding the composing process of With the Beyond, most songs started with finding guitar riffs. I mostly use an acoustic guitar because it forces you to concentrate on the riff itself rather than the sound of your fuzz pedal or your amp. It just does not lie. Then usually we jam on the riffs with the bass and drums. During rehearsal we start tweaking things here and there. We mostly change the tempo that we usually slow down to work properly with the amplified setup, work on the dynamics of the song, and the structure. Everybody takes part in this process. Then comes the organ, it would be mostly me at home jamming on the recording of rehearsal to emphasize the dynamics of the songs.

For the recording of the album, we wished to do it in a comfortable setup that we already knew. We recorded With The Beyond, the same way as we recorded the Soyuz Bear’s Black Phlegm – Val’s and my other band. All the songs were recorded live, except for the vocals and the organ. We worked with Jeremy Mazan for the second time and we were happy once again. We had a great time. The studio is called Studio La Vache. We will more than likely go back there for the next album.

The album was mastered by Justin Weis, who has worked on countless great albums. How did you end up choosing him for ‘With the Beyond’?

We were looking for an analog mastering because we wanted a smooth sound with a lot of substance and to avoid a loud and clipping sound like a digital mastering would provide. We were looking for a master that when you turn up the volume knob, the sound opens up like a flower and you get to see everything inside. If the sound is just loud right from the start, turning the volume up just gives you a headache. We did not find many people that would have the proper gear and experience. We had a good feeling with Justin. We were not disappointed, we got what we came for. We will probably work with him for the next release, as well.

Is there a track on the album that is especially meaningful to you? A favorite song of some sort?

For me, it is “Come To Trouble,” because I did a music video and I spent a long time working on it without getting sick of it. To me, it is the one that has the strongest energy and describes the best what we had to say in With The Beyond.

Can you tell us about the writing process for the lyrics? What are your main sources of inspiration?

For the album, all the lyrics were written after the songs were composed. I wrote some of them, Lauren wrote some as well, and we also wrote some together.

Personally, I usually go for a walk or sit outside to write. I started to write all the lyrics in different places. The lyrics for “Come to Trouble” were written at night on a bench beside the river in Toulouse. I really enjoyed the time I spent on this. I tend to write some on the train, as I take it quite regularly. I mostly research and use an encyclopedia of symbols or C.G Jung books and I get lost in the text and definitions. I take notes, quote books, but this process is mostly for the new songs I am currently writing. Now, I try to work more on writing the lyrics before getting to the songs.

‘With the Beyond’ is a mix of personal feelings so it is hard to point at specific sources of inspiration for some songs. It is a mixture of many things that are difficult to explain in any other way than through the music itself.

You could find this mood in the works of Edgar Poe and Lovecraft, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, Faust by Goethe, Don’t Look Now by Nicolas Roeg, The Wicker Man by Robin Hardy, and movies directed by Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci. For example, the song “Over The Rim” is strongly inspired by the Lovecraft’s The Dunwich Horror. As far as musical inspirations, we enjoy Jex Thoth, Blood Ceremony, The Devil’s Blood, High Priest of Saturn, Electric Wizard, Urfaust, Fabio Frizzi, and Goblin.

Valentin and Bastien, you guys also play in Soyuz Bear (I strongly recommend listening to the band’s album ‘Black Phlegm’ if you’re not familiar with them). How do you keep the writing process separated between the two bands?

Deathbell and Soyuz Bear work in completely different ways. In Soyuz Bear, we only write material at rehearsal, everybody comes up with their part during jam sessions, there is no homework.

Deathbell played at l’Homme Sauvage festival in late September. The concept and atmosphere of this festival are a great background for the band’s music. Can you introduce the idea behind l’Homme Sauvage and tell us how you approached this show compared to more classic gigs?

L’homme sauvage is an open air festival located in the south of France, in the Pyrenees mountains. I feel like the purpose of l’Homme Sauvage is to gather people that share similar views on nature and about the mystical part of our lives. This festival is simply here to celebrate life in a very traditional way, very simple and down to earth, there is no political involvement of any kind, it goes far beyond this. I see this as a haven of peace, a bunch of dreamers that want to express that they haven’t given up quite yet on the earth we live on. There are so many things in this festival beyond the music itself so being a part of it was a very exciting experience.

We personally approached this concert differently due to the venue, although we didn’t put too much pressure on ourselves. It was important for us to remain natural and simply do what we are meant to do, we felt this was the best attitude to adopt for such an event.

Your music is extremely visual and atmospheric. If your album were a movie soundtrack, what movie would it be and why?

It is hard to say for the whole album, but I can say that for the song “Come To Trouble” it would be the film ‘Simon, King Of The Witches’ (1971). The answer is in the video clip I edited, I would not know how to express it better with words than what I did with the video. The visual aspect of the album might be emphasized by the way the lyrics are written, they are very visual and descriptive.

Can you tell us about the gear you use?

Throughout the years Val and I have played with Soyuz Bear, we’ve gathered all the gear we wanted. We mostly look for old amplifiers that are hard to find. I personally only own a Gibson SG, my first guitar. There’s a pretty good chance that I’ll be buried with it. I did replace the pickups, though. Val plays on a Rickenbacker bass. It is a great bass guitar but we did not use it on the record. He used a Fender Precision. On stage I use a Sunn Model T amplifier with PPC412 Orange Cabs. I tested several amplifiers but I cannot get away from this one. It has deep lows and yet a crystal clear sound. It cuts through the mix like nothing else, it works very well with fuzz pedals, and has enough headroom not to distort or compress the FX I add to my sound.

Val uses a Matamp GT200 with a Sunn 215 cab. It has very crisp mids that fits perfectly with the guitar.

For the keyboard, we recently acquired a piece of gear that we’ve been looking for for ages. We are now very happy with the Hammond SK1, a truly amazing organ that I recommend.

There is no shortage of quality bands in Toulouse. Witchthroat Serpent, Dying Giants, Soyuz Bear, to name only a few. What do you think of the heavy scene in Toulouse and in France in general over the last few years?

I think that in Toulouse we are lucky, there are many bands that play around here thanks to the busy bees of Noiser, Moshroom, Les Pavillons Sauvages, SPM, and numerous smaller organisations. Compared to what the rest of France has to offer in terms of bands in this scene (Paris aside), we are not doing too bad down here. The only problem is that Toulouse is geographically a bit far from everything, which makes it more difficult to organize one-shot shows around here, or to really connect with the scene in the northern part of the country.

Let’s finish with a speed round: Black Sabbath or Pentagram?

Black Sabbath.

Electric Wizard or Windhand?

Electric Wizard.

Fuzz or reverb?

Reverb.

Tubes or solid state?

6L6 Tubes.

Traditional indoor show or festival setting?

Traditional show.

Favorite French band?

It’s very hard to pick one. I usually never have a favorite. Right now, I’d say Chaos Echoes. I discovered them in 2013 with Tons of Things to Come. I have listened to this album many many times. It’s a masterpiece.

Anything new cooking up for Deathbell?

Yes, we are currently writing the next album. We have a couple of songs nearly ready to play live that I think we will start playing later this year. We have three more in the process of being written. We hope to record the second album sometime in 2019, but we’ll be taking our time to do our best. Like we did with our first album.

Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions! Anything you would like to add?

Thank you for the questions, Clement! See you around on the road, readers.