AqME

Aqme
Background information
Also known as	AqME
Origin	Paris, France
Genres	Nu metal, hard rock, heavy metal
Years active	1999–present
Website	Aqme's Official Website
Members
Etienne Thomas Charlotte Julien
Past members
Sophie Ben

Aqme (previously known as Neurosyndrom) is a French hard rock /metal originating from Paris consisting of four band members. The band was part of the French nu metal movement, called "Team Nowhere", but they eventually split up with the Team in order to have more independence.

Biography

Aqme was created in the end of 1999 after the break-up of Neurosyndrom. They were one of the founding band of Team Nowhere. At the time of its formation, Aqme's line-up was composed of Etienne on drums, Ben on guitar, Sophie on bass (who will later be replaced by Charlotte), and Thomas on vocals. Six months after the formation of the band, the quartet released a five track demo known as "University Of Nowhere". It is at this period, when the band starts appearing in several compilations, that Sophie left the band. She was then replaced by Charlotte.

Not very satisfied of their previous releases, the band decided to work in studio during a year in order to create their first album. They went to record in Sweden with the Swedish producer Daniel Bergstrand, who is known for working with Meshuggah, In Flames, and Misery Loves Co. The band then came back to France and played in concerts with other French bands such as Unfold and Mass Hysteria. The band's new songs attracted more people to the concerts and the band eventually had a larger audience.

Aqme's critical acclaim occurred after the release of their first album, Sombre Efforts (French for "Dark Efforts"). They went on a relatively big tour across France between September 2002 and October 2003, with a notable success at the "Eurockéennes de Belfort". At the end of 2003, the Parisian band went back to studio recording in order to make their second album, Polaroïds & Pornographie (French for "Polaroids and Pornography").

After extensive touring, the band started recording their third album, this time without Daniel Bergstrand. They chose Steve Prestage as a producer and stayed at Paris for recording. The album was released in October 2005, under the name La Fin Des Temps (French for "The End of Times"), and Pas Assez Loin was even played on the radio. This third album had more prominent guitar parts but still continued to be playable live. The lyrics centered around different topics such as euthanasia (Ainsi Soit-Il), apprehension of death (La Belle Inconnue), the downfall of the world (La Fin Des Temps), and human relationships. Aqme has opened the concerts for Indochine during their tour since AqME had recorded a track with Indochine (Aujourd'hui Je Pleure), which is featured on Indochine's album Alice & June.

On October 21, 2006, following a concert at the Olympia, the band announced that they were planning on disappearing the following year in order to come back with a fourth album in 2008.

Three out of the four members have now a side-project. On November 26, 2006, Etienne's side-project, gRYMT, released its first record called "My Dark One". In June 2007, Thomas and Ben have announced via MySpace that they're both working on their new bands ("Vicky Vale" and "Die On Monday") debut album.

Their fourth studio album, entitled Hérésie, was released on the 4th of February 2008.

Line up

Current members

• Thomas (Thomas Thirrion) - Vocals
• Etienne (Etienne Sarthou) - Drums
• Charlotte (Charlotte Poiget) - Bass and back vocals
• Julien (Julien Hekking) - Guitar

Former members

• Ben (Benjamin Rubin) - Guitar [1999-2008]
• Sofi (Sophie Chaussade) - Bass [1999-2000]

Discography

University Of Nowhere

This demo was the first Aqme recording. It was released in 1999 as a five tracks EP, and was later re-released with three additional tracks and a video. This track listing is that of the re-edited demo.

Track listing:

1. "Encore Une Fois"
2. "T.N." (With Bill from Enhancer and Kemar from Pleymo)
3. "À Jamais"
4. "Words"
5. "Beauté Vénéneuse" (With Franklin from Noisy Fate, now Vegastar)
6. "Sainte"
7. "Bulmas"
8. "Mis À Quia"

Sombres Efforts

This was the first official Aqme album. It was released on September 10, 2002.

Track listing:

1. "Superstar"
2. ""Si" N'Existe Pas"
3. "Le Rouge Et Le Noir"
4. "Tout À Un Détail Près"
5. "Instable"
6. "Une Autre Ligne"
7. "Je Suis"
8. "Fin"
9. "Sainte"
10. "In Memoriam"
11. "Délicate Et Sainte"

Polaroïds et Pornographie

This was the second Aqme album. It was released on April 13, 2004, and was also released as a collector, 2CD, edition. This limited edition included an unreleased track named "Automédication" as well as live versions of songs from Sombres Efforts. This is the track listing for the normal version.

Track listing:

1. "Pornographie"
2. "À Chaque Seconde"
3. "3'38"
4. "Tes Mots Me Manquent"
5. "La Théorie Du Poisson Rouge"
6. "Sur Le Fil"
7. "Vampire"
8. "Comprendre"
9. "Être Et Ne Pas Être"
10. "Ce Que Tu Es"
11. "La Vie Est Belle"
12. "La Réponse"

La Fin Des Temps

This was the third album by Aqme. It was released on October 10, 2005. A Limited edition was also released with a DVD.

Track listing:

1. "Ténèbres"
2. "Des Illusions"
3. "La Fin Des Temps"
4. "Une Vie Pour Rien"
5. "Ainsi Soit-Il"
6. "Une Dernière Fois"
7. "Pas Assez Loin"
8. "Rien Au Monde"
9. "Le Poids Des Mots"
10. "La Belle Inconnue"

Hérésie

This was the fourth studio album by Aqme. It was released on February 4, 2008. A Limited edition was also released with an extra track.

Track listing:

1. "Hérésie"
2. "Uniformes"
3. "Lourd Sacrifice "
4. "Un Goût Amer"
5. "Karma & Nicotine"
6. "Les Enfers"
7. "En Saga om Livet
8. "Romance Mathématique"
9. "Casser/Détruire"
10. "312"
11. "A.M : un Jour de Pluie"
12. "Triskaïdékaphobie"

Bonus track for limited edition:

13. "Utilisation de la Synthèse Additive"

En l'Honneur de Jupiter

This was the fifth studio album by Aqme. It was released on October 19, 2009. A Limited edition was also released with a DVD.

Track listing:

1. "Tout le monde est malheureux"
2. "Guillotine"
3. "Les matamores"
4. "Noël Noir"
5. "Macabre moderne"
6. "Le culte du rien"
7. "Blasphème"
8. "Stadium complex"
9. "Question de violence"
10. "Vivre à nouveau"
11. "Le chaos"
12. "Uppe på berget"

Sources

• AqME's official MySpace
• Official website (French)
• "Poussée d'AqME" (French)
• Pictures of AqME during a concert for fundrasing concerning AIDS (French)