The Rapturous Symphonic Metal of Beneath My Sins

The Rapturous Symphonic Metal of Beneath My Sins

Meet Beneath My Sins, a female-fronted symphonic metal band from France ready to captivate the world with their imaginative sonnets.  I Decide is the name of their latest magnum opus, a mesmerizing epic of a recording now available through Pride & Joy Music.  Beneath My Sins has opened for the likes of Kobra and the Lotus and were slated to tour with the legendary Liv Kristine prior to all lives shows being canceled worldwide due to these pandemic days.  Highwire Daze recently interviewed lead vocalist Emma Elvaston and guitarist Clément Botz to explore the absolutely rapturous refrains of Beneath My Sins.  Read on…

Where is the band based out of and what is the local metal scene like there?
Emma: Beneath My Sins is a Symphonic metal band based in France, near Paris.

Symphonic metal in France, compared to other styles of metal, deeply suffers from prejudice and is often rejected or under-represented in metal festivals with regional or national scope. Some metalheads do not consider symphonic metal to be metal and non-metalheads are simply afraid of a music style that contains “metal”.

Metal in general is very well represented in France, given the number of metal bands existing, but it is certainly not a popular style. French mainstream radio stations do not broadcast metal and you will find at best 2 or 3 rock radio stations.

In addition, there are very few places that can accommodate small metal bands, first because they cannot always manage the volume and then because they fear that the attendance will decrease. Being a symphonic metal in France is certainly the worst situation when trying to stand out from the crowd.

How did you wind up signing with Pride & Joy Music?
Emma: Once the album was mixed and mastered, we created a web presentation page and started to solicit labels. Among the labels interested was Pride & Joy. We compared the offers received and we asked some other bands who signed with Pride & Joy how their collaboration was going. All have made only positive feedbacks. We have therefore chosen to sign with Pride & Joy and do not regret it. It is a responsive, serious and professional label that really fits our current needs.

Is there any overall story or concept behind the I Decide album title?
Emma: Overall, the album delivers a message on willpower, which can overcome any situation, any criticism but also bypass our reason. That is what is behind the title “I Decide”. The title also means that we are proud 100% of the result of the album, and that we assume totally the choices we made for it.

Select two songs from I Decide and what inspired the lyrics.
Emma: In Beneath My Sins, until now, I’ve been the only one to write the lyrics. Most of the time they are taken from a situation or an experience that made me feel huge emotions, positive or negative.

One positive song is “My Guardian Angel.” This song is about how a chance meeting on social networks can transform one’s daily life and make this person fulfilled.

Another song, “Kick Me Out” deals with the complexity that can be a relationship between brothers and sisters, and of the indestructible bond that unites them.

Who did the cover art for I Decide and how much input did you have on it?
Emma: The artwork was made by Eddy Talpo, an Italian graphic designer. We chose to work with him after having seen the artwork he’s made for the album of Temperance “The Earth Embraces Us All” and the artwork of his own band Afterlife Symphony.

I am fan of his style, his ways of choosing and mixing colors. As the aim of Beneath My Sins’ music is to move the heart of the audience, we needed to choose a graphic designer whose work was likely to move ours.

We are extremely happy with Eddy’s work! Everyone who saw it loved it!

Michele Guaitoli from Visions of Atlantis and Temperance were amongst the special guests on the new album. Michele was just out here in the States touring with Visions of Atlantis. What was it like working with Michele on the new album and how did it come about?
Clément: With Emma, we’ve always admired Michele even before meeting him. By chance, our (new) drummer Leonardo happened to know him! That’s how we had a first contact, and Michele accepted to work with us on this song “What You Feel.” He did a great job, and was at the same time helpful and humble, so all went incredibly smoothly !

What could one expect from a live Beneath My Sins show?
Clément: I truly think the stage is where we shine, that’s where our music is the most convincing. We had a lot of comments on our live shows, mainly stating that it was not a conventional way of playing Symphonic Metal, that we were breaking the conventions and codes of the genre on stage. We do put a lot of energy in it, we love being on stage – and I think that people can feel it throughout the show !

What was it like touring with Kobra and the Lotus and how did those shows go?
Clément: First it was really a great opportunity for us to tour with Kobra and the Lotus. We were really thankful to have been chosen for these gigs. But even more importantly, all the musicians from both bands (Kobra and the Lotus, Ravenscry) were so nice; there was a genuinely good atmosphere in the tour. Kobra and the Lotus are really impressive on stage, particularly precise and technically good, it was even more motivating for us to do our best on these shows.

What are you looking forward to the most about your upcoming show with Liv Kristine and Valkyre?
Emma: I think what we want above all is to play and finally to be able to share our album with the Belgian public who we particularly love. It is very difficult for us to release an album and not be able to promote it live, because we are all big stage addicts . Of course it is an honor to open for a singer with a career so rich as Liv Kristine. In a solo group, accompanied by other singers or not, on stage or in the studio, this singer gives us performances full of emotions and talent! We can only be admiring this singer.

If Beneath My Sins could open for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?
Emma: There are dozens of groups for which we would be very happy to open. If we had to choose an existing band, it would be Epica as they are unanimously loved within Beneath My Sins. In addition to being exceptional musicians, most of the members are great authors and composers. More personally, I would choose from the past Nightwish, with Tarja on vocals. It is thanks to this band and this singer that I decided to get into music. Without this line-up, I would probably not be answering this interview today!

Tell me about the Vivaldi Metal Project and how did your singer Emma Elvaston become involved?
Emma: I did not expect Mistheria to contact me at all to participate in the project! To be spotted by such an ambitious, talented and unifying musician as him is a great source of pride for me, just as featured on the same album as Elina Siirala from Leaves Eyes, Nicoletta Rosellini from Kalidia, Mike Portnoy and many others. Clément coached me a lot for the vocals and Mistheria guided me well and was very patient. A very good experience!

What’s up next for Beneath My Sins?
Clément: We’ll start by promoting our new album live and perform those long awaited gigs, once this whole COVID-19 situation is over. We miss touring! Meanwhile, we already have a few songs in store for the next album, and the writing process is once more on track. So expect a lot of gig for the end of the year, followed by the work on our next album!

Any final words of wisdom?
Emma: We encourage all of our fans to be extremely careful during these quarantine periods and not to take any risk either for their health or that of their loved ones. The less risk we take, the faster we can finally find ourselves sharing wonderful concerts and good beers together!

Take the opportunity to listen to music, it’s a great way to support groups, and discover new ones! Besides, Beneath My Sins has just released its second album available on all streaming platforms! Enjoy!

Band Members:
Emma Elvaston: Lead Vocals
Clément Botz: Guitars, clarinet
Vanessa Housieaux : Bass
Leonardo Drago : Drums

(Interview by Ken Morton)

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