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Interviews : “This is death metal” – An interview with Frederic Leclercq (Sinsaenum)

By on August 14, 2018

Sinsaenum – Frederic Leclercq

It’s often tempting to overlook the quality of an album and focus on the personnel that feature on a recording when given less than 20 minutes to talk to a band spokesman.

That temptation runs hot when the subject matter is a band that features musicians who perform (or have performed) in Slipknot, DragonForce and Mayhem. But it’s not every day that a collective produces the magnificent cuts contained within Sinsaenum’s Repulsion For Humanity, an album so good that it remarkably overshadows the origins of the musicians credited.

Frederic Leclercq is the French national at the centre of Sinsaenum. His performance on the guitar and bass throughout Repulsion For Humanity are core reasons the album is an essential, almost instant death metal classic. That statement talks a big game, but if you have the chops… you earn the title.

“This is just very honest. Because this is death metal, so it’s very hard to … you can’t really try to make it be like commercial, or go here and there to please people because this is death metal at the end of the day. It’s meant to be evil and hard to perceive for people who don’t know. But this is very honest … We are very honest. It’s music that I love, and I’m trying to make it as … Yeah, I guess the word is honest “.

When “Final Resolve”, the second cut from Repulsion For Humanity cuts a swathe through your eardrums, a voyage through the very best elements of Great Southern Trendkill (’96) era Pantera and 90’s origin death metal is well underway; Obituary, Morgoth, Deicide, Dissection, Morbid Angel, Dismember and the crown jewel, Death, are all equally represented and enhanced by a monumental cast of musicians capable of realising Leclercq’s vision.

Given the conflicting schedules of the band’s membership, the opportunity for Sinsaenum to perform is both rare and exciting. The Australian performances continue a theme of limited shows in each market, which means that Sydney and Melbourne are the destination ports on this November run. The show will be a tour de force showcasing the cuts contained within the Sinsaenum catalogue offered with very little frills.

“We wanted to (tour Australia) for the first album, and that did not happen. But we managed to get matching calendars for this run. So, what we are gonna do basically, is rehearse in September, and then we start with Europe, then do Russia, and then make our way down to you guys, and … I don’t think we’re (bringing) a large production and what not, because we want to let the music do the talking if you will… we will concentrate on the music because we think it’s strong enough. We know exactly what to do on stage.”

For the trainspotters, the Slipknot member is Nathan Jonas “Joey” Jordison. A percussionist that is held in such high regard he was drafted by James Hetfield to fill in for Lars Ulrich on short notice at Download 2004.

Readers are strongly encouraged to check out the band and their performance in either Sydney or Melbourne, the opportunity may not be offered to Australian audiences again.

Listen to the full conversation here.

Catch Sinsaenum on their upcoming shows in Australia this November.

For complete tour and ticket information, visit Overdrive Touring.

Thursday, 8th November – Sydney – Factory Theatre

Saturday, 10th November – Melbourne – Max Watts

About

Andrew is a musician who has spent many years performing on the stages of the pubs and clubs of Queensland. A devotee of the broad church that is rock, punk, funk, jazz and of course all genres of metal... he now shares his enthusiasm via a burgeoning pursuit of music journalism. Follow him on twitter @andymckaysmith