Doomed Confessionary: Fred & Matt (Lying Figures)
Lying Figures is a melodic death/doom metal band formed in 2012 in Nancy (France).
Brutal yet melodic, heavy and oppressive, their music is inspired by tortured arts coming from music as well as cinematography or literature. The band invites the listener to delve into an universe where madness and melancholy are dancing together.
»Inheritance« is the second full-lenght from the band and is resulting from 6 years of introspectives and personal thoughts. The explored themes are more complex and more intimate. The questionings and observations are deeper and blended with a darkness we don’t know how to avoid. The same darkness that has been leading us all this time.
»Inheritance« will be released on November 14th, 2024 via Meuse Music Records. Recorded by Lying Figures and Déhà. Mixed, mastered and guest vocals on »Death To Heredity« by Déhà.
Lying Figures currently consists of Fréderic Simon (bass, vocals) and Matthieu Burgaud (guitars).
Can you say a few words about your band?
Lying Figures was created in 2012 in eastern France. We have released a first demo »From Nowhere To Nothing« in 2013, followed by an EP »A World Of My Own« in 2014, then a first album »The Abstract Escape« in 2017.
We play melodic death/doom metal, influenced by the world of the video game Silent Hill, from which the band’s name Lying Figures itself comes, but also by any form of dark and tortured art, such as Lovegraft, Edgard Allan Poe, John Carpenter, etc. It is the same with our musical influences like the first Katatonia or Saturnus, Paradise Lost, Rapture, Slumber for example.
Throughout our discography, our sound has evolved as has our personality. Now, with the new upcoming album »Inheritance«, it has become more personal, more assertive, more complex. We still have our old influences but we can now manage our own universe.
Above all, we try to play the music we love, hoping that people understand our world and identify with it.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Managing line-up changes. Each time a member leaves, or a new one arrives, it calls into question the dynamics of the band, the way of composing, etc.
It’s not the personal project of one person, we work until the songs are enjoyed by all members, it’s not always easy, it’s a part of the challenge but it’s like we always do. But at the same time, it allows us to question ourselves, it prevents us from stagnating and it makes us evolve.
What can you be most proud of so far?
Probably our new album »Inheritance«! We worked on it for 5 years, it is so much more complex compared to the last one »The Abstract Escape«. A lot more arrangements between the guitars melodies, reflection on the lyrics, etc.
There were also line-up changes, departures during the composition phase, we had to rethink the project several times because it no longer corresponded to our desires, to the atmosphere that we wanted to give to this album.. Ultimately, we are very proud of the result, and we fought to get there!
What was your biggest regret?
Our biggest regret is not having done as many concerts as we would have liked… We need to express ourself on stage, feel the bass vibrations in our bodies, feel the floor shake with each kick. Being able to go on the road to meet our fans, share the stage with the bands we appreciate, some of whom have become friends.
We also regret that this kind of extreme metal is not recognized enough, the doom/death metal scene is so rich in bands, originality, varied atmospheres, it’s a shame that there are not enough view for that
And of course all the lineup changes, some departures were hard to take…
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
This is not an easy question… we had great times at many concerts! We’re thinking back to our first ‘weekend tour’ with Marche Funèbre and Insanity Reigns Supreme in 2015: we enjoyed every moment with these guys!
We can also talk about our first time in Italy at Doom Heart Fest (with Tethra, The Holleum, Evadne) in 2018, it was an incredible memory!! And Dutch Doom Day 2019 with all these incredible bands! Then, it’s hard to say which is the best concert among these highlights.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
Hard to say… it’s a big world… We’re happy that vinyl is back, even if it never really disappeared, but it seems to be more present on bands merchandising. It’s not really a surprise, but it feels like people are coming back to prefer physical over digital, and that’s a very good thing.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Fred often listens to old stuff from the 90s like doom death, death metal or black. Sometimes more new groups but there are so many that it’s difficult to discover everything. Matt listens to a lot of things outside of metal, which opens his mind to stay creative when writing new songs.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
Don’t do it! Run! Haha! If you’re not passionate, it can be very difficult to be musician.
We’re probably not the righ persons to give an advice about that, but passion and work are essencial.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Travels, food, cinema, video games… like many people haha.
Can you say something more about current music scene in France?
We have a lot of great bands in France, but not enough venues or promoters.
We see a lot of metalheads, maybe more, but not a lot of events everywhere, always the same cities. we feel it when we look at the European tours of big bands, they often don’t have a concert planned in France. probably because of that…
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
Unfortunately, due to lastest departures, we no longer have a line-up… It will be complicate to see us on tour for a while… But never say never.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
We will stay focus on the new album »Inheritance«, which will be released on November 14th. Promote and share it. Of course, we would like to find a new line-up and defend it on stage! We will go step by step.
How can people best support your band?
Like and share our sounds on social networks, buy our music and merchandising directly through our Bandcamp, attend our gigs.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Thanks for supporting the band during all these years! It’s important for us!
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well