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Interviews
Derelict Earth - Quentin Stainer
08/03/13 || The Duff
Introduction: Quentin got in touch with us some years ago over his debut, self-released effort. His one-man, France-based project Derelict Earth play in the vein of Opeth, maudlin of the Well, Novembre, My Dying Bride etc. Prog death doom. His new album, “Below the Empty Skies”, can be found for free download here, a review of which will feature here once I get off my fat fucken ass. In the meanwhile, please meet one of the more humble guests we’ve had here at GD – as kind as they make ‘em.
Global Domination: Tell us about Derelict Earth. You were originally a one-man band. Has that changed at all?
Quentin Stainer: Hi Duff ! Derelict Earth is still a one-man band and I don’t plan to change that for the moment. In a solo project you don’t have to do compromise on the music with other band members which allows for faster creative process, but on the other hand if your music sucks you will most likely notice it too late … I try to seek as much feedback as I can from reviews and friends to avoid this but being in a mostly non-metal environment it’s sometime hard to seek advices.
You were based in France, are you still?
Yes I’m not leaving the land of the allmighty Baguette any time soon due to my studies. I’m considering other countries for job applications but it’s a bit early as I still have at least 2 years remaining in my PhD. It’s a pleasant country to live in but very close-minded when it comes to metal. When you have a huge festival like Hellfest happening in your country, putting so much effort in avoiding any mediatic exposure for metal is retarded …
How is the scene on a global scale and what is it like your neck of the woods, more locally?
I’m not very familiar with the french scene as a whole. I know and like a lot of french bands (Blut aus Nord, Deathspell Omega, Yyrkoon, Hantaoma, Gojira, etc…) but I don’t have too much time to attend local concerts, which I regret as it would be a good way to meet musicians and discover new bands.
Do you have big support where you are?
Not really, apart from my close friends and family not a lot of people in Grenoble have supported me. On the other hand I had several very supportive messages coming from internet which is really nice as I don’t feel as a “local musician”. I think it is one of the most interesting aspect of internet as it helps you reach people from all around the world, even though you will most likely never meet them.
What is your touring schedule like?
I usually get prepared to headlines festivals like Wacken, Hellfest or Monteverdi Festival. Then I remember I don’t have tour musicians, or roadies, or time and am too lazy to practice my instruments so I have to cancel everything and stay at home. Seriously I would love to play live but my music has not been tailored for live interpretation. I’m also a bit agoraphobic and couldn’t play guitar or bass, or sing tightly for a whole set if my life depended on it.
Do you have eager musicians wanting to perform your stuff?
Do you mean to play live or to cover it ? I don’t know enough musician that would be willing to perform with me but I had sollicitations concerning tabs. Actually I will upload them soon so that everyone has access to them and I won’t have to send them individually.
The sound of your records is quite accomplished for a solo outfit. Do you self-produce everything and if not where do you get the money from?
Thank you ! I indeed self-produce everything and spend a lot of time on learning correct mixing/mastering/recording techniques. I feel that every new album I output should be better than the previous one in every aspect, and that include production. It has become a little bit obsessive to the point that listening to my previous albums now makes me cringe as I realize really obvious mistakes I made, but practice makes perfect.
Give us a run-down of your gear. For a solo-artist of sorts, this must be paramount, as everything is suited to your tastes alone.
I recorded the first two album with the same gear, i.e. a LTD SC-600 guitar modded with Seymour Duncan SH8 / SH10 pickups, an Ibanez SR500 bass, a Line 6 Pod XT live and a Behringer B2 Pro microphone for “And so Fell the Last Leaves…”. When I was writing “Below the Empty Skies” I discovered rackmounted gear and all hell broke loose. I got myself a Line 6 X3 Pro which ended up being useless as I didn’t use any modelisation or effect, and then my first tube preamp which was a Rocktron Piranha. I was stunned at the difference between the crappy Line 6 modelisation and a real tube preamp …
Then I got myself an Engl E530, a Peavey Rockmaster and an ADA MP-1 for more diversity, as well as a Maxon Od808 used as a boost pedal, a Rocktron Hush Super C noise gate (now gone as I will replace it with an ISP Decimator) and a BBE Sonic maximiser unit. For the bass and the vocals I used an ART Pro Channel channel strip and switched the microphone for a Shure SM7. Concerning the instruments themselves I got myself a custom Mayones Regius 7 and converted my bass to fretless, as well as upgrading the pickups with Crel ones. I apologize to those with absolute pitch but I’ve always been interested in playing a fretless bass as they pierce through the mix and are much more “singing” than fretted one.
For future works I now have even more stuff with a few more tube preamp (I just can’t get enough of them), high quality soundcard and cables and will get myself a decent 5 string fretless bass, bass preamp and a multi-effect unit. I’m also planning to build my own tube amps and mod the other one to get the maximum out of them. Oh dear look at all that rambing, I’m definitely a clap trap when it comes to gear…
Any brand you cherish above all others?
Well I definitely became a Mayones fan as soon as I got my own in hands. It’s incredibly good stuff, custom and still cheaper than most Gibsons ! Apart from that I’m not really a big fan of any brand in particular.
The artwork for your new album is very lush and detailed, not nearly as ‘economically sound’ as the last record of yours we reviewed. Did you shell out for this or do you have close friends or did your reputation simply get around?
I wanted to get a professional looking artwork for “Below the Empty Skies” and started to take a look a deviantArt galleries. One artwork in particular struck me with the incredible feeling and level of details it featured and sent a mail to its artist to inquire for a cover art. I got in touch with Manthos Lappas, a greek artist which proved to be very talented, friendly and hard working. He came up with two fantastic cover art that caught exactly what I tried to convey and had in mind. I’m glad I had the opportunity to collaborate with him and will never thank him enough for his great work.
Who is distributing the record?
No one is distributing for the moment in physical format. I have produced a few physical copies for promotion purpose but nothing has been done for commercial distribution. For the moment it is available for legal download on Bandcamp at name-your-price, which means that you can also get it for free.
Any label interest?
Well I’m not actively searching for one as I have heard a few horror stories about label screwing bands but it would be intesting for physical distribution. I’m a CD collector and I hate buying mp3’s so being able to sell physical copies would be great but I don’t have either time or money to handle all the pressing and distribution so a label would be nice for that.
Do you play in any other bands/have any other projects either current or in the works?
I would love to find another band to play in as I really want to play live and jam with other musician but as for now I’m only working on Derelict Earth. I might help a friend in a collaborative black metal project but nothing is really fixed as for now.
How often does it take you to get an album down?
Typically one year but for that last one it was a bit longer. I had less time off and the recording took a very long time, which explains the large delay as I originally intended to release it in april. Next one will most likely be released in at least one year and a half as I’m on the most intense part of my studies so I’ll have even less free time to write and play music.
What is your writing/arrangement process?
I usually sit in front of guitar pro with my guitar or my bass on my lap and I start playing random stuffs. Then once in a while a nice riff/melody/bass line starts to emerge and I work on it until it is satisfying and write it down. I then add drums and improvise to add harmonies. Usually I express my mood and state of mind through these harmonies so there are sometimes long period of time where I feel good and only comes up with namby-pamby stuff which will be discarded a few days later.
I add layers over layers, either of guitars or keyboards, until nothing comes out anymore, and I then starts to work on the next song section. Lyrics are the very last part of the songwriting. Typically I write the lyrics when I have already recorded everything, but I already know what will be the song topic when I start to work on it. Inspiration comes from very various things, but it’s always very personal.
Tell us about your first albums and what has changed on this new one. How has your sound changed.
Well the biggest obvious change that occured between the first and the second album was the adding of vocals. When I wrote “Sins of the Siblings” I didn’t feel like singing and was too shy to give it a try, but all the feedback I received from this record was that it sounded like it was shipped too early, before the vocals were recorded. I added vocals on “And so Fell the Last Leaves…”, fearing that people would hate my vocal performances but I was pleasantly surprised.
One of my main concerns was to make sure that every albums had a substantially better production that the previous one so I guess that’s quite a change too. I also feel that my music have matured since “And so Fell The Last Leaves…”, with less monotony, better transitions and an overall darker ambiance, which will probably be even more pronounced in future works.
How has feedback been for your early albums, and how has it been for this new one.
I found almost only positive feedback for my albums which still surprises me. The first one was very nicely reviewed on a well known website and it was so unexpected for me that it really motivated me to persevere. For “And So Fell The Last Leaves…” I obtained even more positive reviews, with very constructive criticism that helped me improve a lot.
For “Below the Empty Skies” I decided to really try my best to be reviewed on as much medias as possible and for the moment its critical reception has been really positive so I’m relieved. I can’t wait to read what you wrote about it as your previous review was really helpful in locating where were the weak points in my music. That’s why negative feedback should not be a disappointment as long as it is constructive. Not everyone will like your music but if you can know why, then it gives you hint on where you need to improve.
Do you sell hard-copies of the new disc, and if so are you making money?
Nope I made no hard-copies of this new disc but maybe I will consider it if there is enough demand. I made a little bit of money through donations from people that enjoyed the album, which is really uplifting, not because to the cash but because it made me realize that people really appreciated the music.
How is the metal scene generally? Favourite bands/albums?
Apart from the emerging trend of djenty/technical/boring band I feel there are some very interesting evolutions. Black metal for instance has evolved a lot through avantgarde bands like Blut aus Nord or Deathspell Omega and you can now find great acts following their tracks. Concerning my favourite bands it’s really a vast topic as I discover new stuff very often. For instance, I didn’t like Cattle Decapitation until I heard their last album which is mindblowing.
I also discovered Gravenhurst as my last album was compared to them and was instantly hooked. Among my all-time favourite there are some classics like Death, Anaal Nathrakh, Opeth, Kreator, Edge of Sanity, Marduk, Dark Funeral, Emperor, Immolation, Coroner, Nevermore and so much more. I also like experimental/avantgarde (or in other words, weird) black metal acts like Blut Aus Nord, Deathspell Omega, Spektr, Windir, Ved Buens Ende, etc…
Picking out a single favourite album will be extremely difficult but I can single out At the Gates’s “Slaughter of the Soul”, Death’s “The Sound of Perseverance”, Edge of Sanity’s “Crimson”, Anaal Nathrakh last four albums, Windir’s “1184”. I could continue for hours like that as there are really a lot of bands and albums I love, and I also seek inspirations in movies (personal favourite includes Jacob’s Ladder, Old Boy or Pan’s Labyrinth), paintings (Beksiński for instance), or even in news and mankind’s bullshit.
Anything you’d like to add?
It was my first interview so thanks a lot for popping my cherry, it’s a real honour to be featured here on Global Domination. I would like to add to aspiring musicians that you must dare and create your own luck, as nothing is going to happen to you if you stay safe and hidden. I hope that people who read this will enjoy “Below the Empty Skies” and spread the word about it ! Thank you TheDuff and thanks Global Domination!
