Let’s introduce the debut by this brand new band with a surprising quote. Mind you, it’s not any old quote, but rather an accolade courtesy of Steven Wilson, ingenious mastermind of prog rock superstars, Porcupine Tree. “One of the most assured and accomplished debut albums I’ve ever heard, the textures and dynamics within the music are breathtaking. A must for everyone that appreciates the art of epic and ambitious 21st century rock music” is Wilson’s comment on 'Building An Empire', the debut release by French act Demians.

The compositions, music, lyrics and arrangements on the album that has impressed Wilson so deeply were conceived by Nicolas Chapel, an alert artist with his own visions who brings to bear his artistic inexperience as a strong trump card. “I really started working on this album with an extremely naive approach”, he admits. “Musical styles or genres don’t mean anything at all to me, so I really concentrate on what my feelings are when I work on music. No boundaries, no expectations, and absolutely no limits”. He used the instruments like tools, or rather like a painter uses his paints. “It’s not about writing long songs for the sake of it, or writing short songs for radio airplay. It’s all about emphasis, sometimes taking the time to let ideas develop in their own space, at other times getting straight to the point”.

This must be one of the reasons why 'Building An Empire' sounds so diverse. The nine songs (incl. bonus track) take their listeners on a journey through a world of deep emotions and great spirituality. “The album just sounds like a world in itself. It has its own life, its own space. I really think it’s universal and speaks to anyone, I can imagine somebody would take it in a portable player, discman, iPod or whatever, put the headphones on, really loud, and go walking for hours, in the woods, in the streets, anywhere, letting the music talk to them like an old friend”. The opener, ‘The Perfect Symmetry’, marks the beginning of Chapel’s creative surge: “All I can remember is I sat down at the recorder with my guitar, spent all night playing all the instruments, and the following morning I had this beast blasting out of my stereo!”. ‘Shine’ is Demians’ appeal to have confidence in your own skills. “It’s about just getting up and living your life, and about the fact that there’s no right or wrong choice, you just have to take decisions”. Chapel takes great pride in the 16 minutes long track ‘Sand’: “I think it embodies everything I put in my music at this point in time. It came very naturally, but it opened a whole new world to me. I think it brings my performances as a musician to a whole new level, and maybe it’s the one that reflects most the next direction I could be taking my music to with the next record”. What started as the Frenchman’s individual project has evolved into a real band, and Chapel left himself plenty of time to recruit the right musicians for his musical ambitions. He has teamed up with drummer Michaël Roponus, bassist Antoine Pohu and keyboardist Anthony Broggia, who passed their baptism of fire live on stage last year and are eager to play as many shows as possible in 2008.

But let’s get back to the beginning of this brief discourse: How does Nicolas Chapel feel about the unexpected praise from his renowned colleague, Steven Wilson? “To be honest, I haven’t really begun to realise what is happening. I’m speechless just knowing that he feels so strongly about an album I’ve put so much of myself into. Everything I could tell you about Steven Wilson would involve respect and inspiration, so I feel honoured just thinking he said something so encouraging”.

The album comes out on May 19th in Europe and May 20th in North America on InsideOut / Spv.

www.demiansmusic.com
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