Mindlag Project

Mindlag Project
Background information
Origin	Vitrolles, France
Genres	Heavy metal Thrash metal
Years active	1999–present
Labels	M Office records/Pervade Productions
Website	Official website, Myspace page
Members
Mathieu Melero (vocals) Manu Martinez (guitar/vocals/piano) Julien Martinez (drums) Sylvain Cantrel (guitar) Gilles Gautier (bass/viola) Romain Dallier (cello)
Past members
Vincent Gross (guitar) Nicolas Molina (vocals) Richard Mariette (bass)

Mindlag Project is a French metal band, created in 1999 by the Martinez brothers in Vitrolles, near Marseilles^[1]
The band has released 4 albums : Karybda (2002),^[2] Skylla (2004),^[3] De Charybde en Scylla… (2006)^[4] and Mindlag Project (2009)^[5] The band is currently signed on the label M Office records,^[6] a subsidiary of Pervade Productions. They have miscellaneous influences, mainly Thrash Metal, Groove Metal, Heavy Metal, Punk Hardcore, and in a more subtle way, by Death Metal, Doom Metal, Progressive Metal and Rock.^[7]

Story of the band

Line up

The band is born on the ashes of a former formation called Scarecrew, founded in 1995, which played a music influenced by Thrash and Heavy Metal.^[8] In 1999, Mindlag Project is created. It was originally a side-project of the members of Scarecrew, and finally become their priority^[9]

It was originally componed of Manu Martinez (Guitar), Julien Martinez (Drums), Richard Mariette (Bass) and Nicolas "Nemo" Molina (Vocals) But quickly the line up has changed, and Mathieu Melero took the place of singer in the Band. In 2001, the band recruits Vincent Gross to insure the second guitar, and Gilles Gautier as a bassist.^[10]

In 2009, after the recording of their first LP, Romain Dallier, who has recorded the Cello in it, join the band as a full-time member.^[11]

In May 2009, Vincent Gross leaves the band, and will be replaced by Sylvain Cantrel. (ex-Generis)^[12]

Career

The band has released its first EP called Karybda in 2002, selfproduced and recorded in the studios All productions by Christian Carvin (which have also recorded bands like Eths and The more I see (the Metal band of Graham 'Gizz' Butt from the Prodigy)...)^[13]

Karybda has been distributed through Musicast from 2003.^[14]

Mindlag Project makes his teeth on stage, and soon the association Hybride is created, in order to organize Metal concerts in their country, and to promote the French Metal scene. During several years, they've organised two festivals a year; the Hybride Festival and the Open Festival; and have programmed the most famous French metal bands^[15] At these occasions, the band has shared the scene with Gojira, Eths, Hed PE, Dagoba, Hacride, Aqme, Tagada Jones...^[16][17]

In 2004, the band returns in studio with Christian Carvin, to record Skylla, a logical following to Karybda, referring to the proverb “to fall between Scylla and Charybdis”.^[18] The band achieves his goal, and is signed by the label Customcore records.^[19] This album will first be distributed in France through Overcome records,^[20] and in North America, through Great White North Records.^[21] These distribution companies have stopped their activities, and it is now distributed in USA and Asia through Good Life^[22]

In 2006, Mindlag Project decides to record "De Charybde en Scylla..." an EP, in order to make a transition, mostly in their concept, between their “dyad” and their first LP.^[23] After the release of this EP, the band starts to record their first LP, and decides not to stop working until they’re fully satisfied of the album. They entrust the strings arrangements to Romain Dallier, which is now a full-time member of the band.

In October 2008, the band organizes a release party, to present their new album to their audience before releasing it, and on that occasion, they also screen a short film produced the short movie by Manu and his collaborators from the association Kathar6, which he presides.^[24] This film traces the childhood of Jon De Grimpclat.^[25][26]

This self-titled album is released on march 2009 on the label Pervade Productions,^[27] and is physically distributed through Socadisc over Europe.^[28] It also digitally distributed through Believe digital^[29]

After a French tour as headliner in October 2009,^[30] the band participates to its first European tour with Six Feet Under and Illdisposed on May 2010.^[31][32]

The band has appeared in some Streetcult compilations in Usa, with among other bands, Fear Factory, Skinlab, Otep, Leaves' Eyes, Tristania, Snot, Anti-Flag,^[33] and on FrenchMetal compilations in France, with bands like Samael or Punish Yourself^[34][35]

Concept

Jon De Grimpclat

The band evolves in a very conceptual universe, regulate by the adventures of Jon De Grimpclat, the dark hero from all their albums. Jon is a real dandy, dead languages professor, engaged into morbid extra-curricular activities, as he is a serial killer. However, he acts with certain ethical, in the name of justice, at least, his justice… He has lived a tragic childhood, losing his mother at the age of eight years, finding her dead downstairs in the family mansion. His father; remarried too soon and forsaking him because of his work (He is a fighter pilot); and his mother in law; with whom he has bad relations; don’t realize that the others children jeered at him, because he doesn’t talk much, and is exuberant.^{[36][37][38][39][40][41]}

Psychologic approach

Jon’s mind autopsy allows band to dispose of an empirical method to base their topic on, which consist in perpetuate a certain vision of “beautiful things” (in an artistic way), by using a strange aesthetic.^[42]

The band think that the perception of the beautiful in our occidental society had become perverted by some castrating ethics that constantly associate the concept of beauty with the one of goodness. But, in their opinion, beauty cannot be confined to a simple moral value. The fact of trying to make crime beautiful, or at least, to provoke in this domain, is a real leitmotiv for the band, which try to show that even a bad thing can be considered beautiful.^[43][44]

This vision has been inspired, among others, by the work of Charles Baudelaire; who is a huge influence for the band. The band has even quoted a poem of him, “L’hymne à la beauté” (Les fleurs du mal) in its song “De Charybde en Scylla”.^[45][46]

Greek Mythology

Since their beginnings, the band refers to several mythology, but mainly Greek Mythology. This in partly explained by the fact that it is related to the profession of Jon De Grimpclat, but also because Polytheist civilisation cosmogony is very symbolic. The fact of using ancestral symbols allows to deeply touch human being, and it’s a way for the band to gain access to a kind of universality.^[47]

Discography

• Karybda (2002)

1. En tu cara !
2. Addiction
3. Mindlag
4. Dépression
5. Erreur Divine
6. Aphasie
7. Serve the noise

• Skylla (2004)

1. Desdemona
2. Guerilla
3. Until the end
4. Du pain et des jeux
5. Into the void of death
6. Mika
7. Doomsday

• De charybde en scylla... (2006)

1. De Charybde en Scylla
2. Take on the strike back
3. Guerilla (live)
4. Du pain et des jeux (live)
5. Doomsday (live)

• Mindlag Project (2009)

1. Noctambule Problématique
2. Cerbera
3. Cayenne
4. Duel (in memoria eternam)
5. La chute
6. Rebecca'
7. O mes frères
8. Charisme Egyptien
9. Jon De Grimpclat
10. Lugubre amendement
11. Na salvia
12. L'échappée belle
13. Le détour
14. La fin absolue du monde

References

1. ^ http://www.mindlag-project.com
2. ^ http://www.deezer.com/music/mindlag-project/karybda-683138?provider=website Karybda on deezer.com
3. ^ http://www.deezer.com/music/mindlag-project/skylla-683140?provider=website Skylla on deezer.com
4. ^ http://www.deezer.com/music/mindlag-project/de-charybde-en-scylla-683141?provider=website De charybde en scylla on deezer.com
5. ^ http://www.deezer.com/music/mindlag-project/mindlag-project-274872?provider=website Mindlag Project on deezer.com.
6. ^ http://www.m-office-records.com/mindlag-project biography on M Office record website
7. ^ http://www.metal-archives.com/ Mindlag Project's page on Metal Archives
8. ^ biography on Massilia's Burning website
9. ^ http://massilia.burning.free.fr/Dossiers/Groupes/Mindlag%20Project.htm Biography on Massilia's burning
10. ^ http://www.french-metal.com/interviews/mindlagproject_2.html interview of Manu in French Metal webzine, dealing about the origins of the band
11. ^ http://www.kaosguards.com/content/view/1953/35/ Interview with Manu for Kaosguard, dealing with the coming of Romain in the band
12. ^ http://www.myspace.com/mindlagproject/blog/492209074 Official statement about the change of line up
13. ^ http://www.santagore.com/producteur/christiancarvin.php Interview with Christian Carvin, talking about his work with The more I see, and the list of his productions
14. ^ http://www.w-fenec.org/infos/2004/03/14/3783.html News about the release of Karybda by musicast
15. ^ http://hybridemetal.free.fr/reviews.html Website of the association Hybride, with all the concerts that they have organizes, and all the live reports associated on reliable Metal Webzine
16. ^ http://massilia.burning.free.fr/Dossiers/Cool%20stuff/Evenements/Hybride%20Festival.htm Public Notice of Hybride Festivals on Massilia's burning
17. ^ http://cachettesecrete.blogspot.com/2006_03_01_archive.html livre report of their concert with Hed PE
18. ^ http://www.spirit-of-metal.com/biographie-groupe-Mindlag_Project-id_bio-6366-l-pt.html Biography of Mindlag Project in English by Spirit of Metal
19. ^ http://www.customcore.com/releases/drug007-ang.html Release page on customcore website
20. ^ http://www.metalorgie.com/metal/groupes.php?id=601 release information about Overcome distribution on metalorgie webzine
21. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20060104055933/www.gwnrecords.com/releases.html GWN website archives
22. ^ http://www.customcore.com/releases/drug007-ang.html Release page on customcore website
23. ^ http://www.spirit-of-metal.com/biographie-groupe-Mindlag_Project-id_bio-6
24. ^ http://www.vs-webzine.com/new.php?page=search-news&id_news=&pagh=&droite= official news about the release of the short film on VS Webzine
25. ^ http://mindlag.free.fr/linkme/interviews/article%20release.jpg Local press excerpt relating the release party of the album
26. ^ http://www.leseternels.net/interviews.aspx?id=263 Interview of Manu for Les Eternels, dealing with the release party of their new album
27. ^ Pervade Productions artist
28. ^ Mindlag Project distributed by Socadisc
29. ^ Mindlag Project on Believe digital
30. ^ http://en.metalship.org/news_bands/Mindlag%20Project&l=local Announcement of the French tour on Metalship
31. ^ http://www.radioheavymetal.com/index.php/concerts/544--six-feet-under-reveal-tour-poster-for-spring-session-tour-in-aprilmay.html Announcement of the spring session festival with SFU and ILLDISPOSED
32. ^ http://www.radiometal.com/article/french-metal-7-ans-de-partage,1181 Interview of Petebull, owner of the webzine French Metal, talking about Mindlag Project European tour with Six Feet Under
33. ^ http://www.streetteam.com/index.php?do=compilations List of compilations where the band appeared
34. ^ http://www.french-metal.com/shop/french_metal_9.pdf
35. ^ http://www.french-metal.com/shop/french_metal_8.pdf
36. ^ http://mindlag.free.fr/linkme/interviews/articlehardrock.jpg Interview with the band in Hardrock Magazine France
37. ^ http://www.hardrockmag.fr/?fn_mode=fullnews&fn_id=17 reference to the origin of the interview
38. ^ http://www.mindlag-project.com Official Website of the band
39. ^ http://www.spirit-of-metal.com/biographie-groupe-Mindlag_Project-id_bio-6366-l-pt.html Biography of the band by Spirit of Metal
40. ^ http://www.strimoo.com/video/14552739/De-Charybde-en-scylla-par-Asso-Kathar6-MySpaceVideos.html Short film about Jon de Grimpclat
41. ^ http://www.musicwaves.fr/frmarticle.aspx?art_id=287 Interview of Jon De Grimpclat for Musicwaves Webzine
42. ^ http://www.mindlag-project.com Official Website of the band
43. ^ Interview with Manu for Les Eternels webzine
44. ^ http://www.french-metal.com/interviews/mindlagproject_3.html Interview of Manu for French Metal Webzine
45. ^ http://mindlag.free.fr/linkme/interviews/metallian.jpg Interview with the band for Metallian Magazine
46. ^ http://www.vs-webzine.com/new.php?page=news_comment-single&id_news=28607&pagh=&droite= reference to the origin of the interview
47. ^ Interview with Manu for French-Metal webzine

• Interview with Manu for Heavysound
• Interview with Manu for Kaosguard

External links

• Mindlag Project's official website
• Mindlag Project's Myspace page

Persondata
Name	Project, Mindlag
Alternative names	MP
Short description	French Metal band created in 1999.
Date of birth	1999
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death