Novelists FR: From Paris With Love

Back in 2013, Parisian metallers NOVELISTS FR set out on a quest. Forming from humble beginnings they began to write, and seven years later they find themselves on the brink of releasing their third full length album, C’est La Vie. It has been a long, arduous trek for them to reach this point, but time has been kind to the quartet, and coupled with their intrepid enthusiasm they stand poised to explode in cataclysmic (albeit well deserved) success.

Their last album Noir proved them as worthy adversaries to any of their counterparts, and to this day their fight to rise to the top isn’t without justification. Becoming renowned for their unique blend of technical metalcore that drips with emotion from every angle, they were quick to garner a loyal following and continue to impress. To succeed in such circles, you really do have to be a dab hand, and as bassist Nicolas Delestrade puts it, sometimes he still feels as though “NOVELISTS are still trying to exist in an over-saturated scene.” He went on to say that “At the end of the day, you need to know why you’re doing it and if you’re doing it for the right reasons, it won’t matter if you’re the biggest band on the planet.”

And it is largely this spirit that has carried the Frenchmen to where they are now, and given them their all important cutting edge. DIY spirit is a term that is thrown around quite often nowadays, and one that is commonly used by bands who want to shake the stigma of label control in favour of building their own identity. But few bands can actually boast a high enough level of creative output to succeed by such difficult means. Novelists are an exception, having always afforded every ounce of spare energy at their disposal towards sapping the very last ounce of creativity from their project. 

This has allowed them to build a strong identity from their meticulously built sound, and also to forge their own path forwards. With C’est La Vie, the band took longer than ever to write each song, choosing to ponder over every detail in a quest for perfection. “I think when listening to the songs you can definitely hear all the work that went into it.” Nicolas proudly tells us. “Experience of course makes you write songs differently, but also the music that surrounds you in this particular moment is a big influence.” He is a big believer that every song is a snapshot in time, influenced by everything that made that moment unique. Which is a lovely understanding.

What makes the album feel even more organic is that this DIY spirit has cascaded right down to the album artwork itself. Although the cover itself holds no inherent meaning, it holds a similar importance to the music. The way it was created is what makes it distinct, and it is another means by which NOVELISTS FR are able to instill their passion. A point proven by Nicolas, who says that “Art is not always about the most direct meaning, a lot of the time it is about the context.” 

NOVELISTS FR want us to feel overwhelmed by a wide range of conflicting emotions when listening to their music, and implementing this is something they excel at. From day one they have recorded music laced with enthusiasm and bounce, yet also undertones of catharsis. While rocking perilously between heavy riffs and melodic, almost math-rock clean sections, they have always found a steady balance. It’s hard to link them to anyone else on the circuit, and that is kind of the point. Nicolas will tell us that he is influenced by the likes of PLINI, WHILE SHE SLEEPS and NOTHING BUT THIEVES, but none of these idols are directly comparable. Instead, the Parisians took the best of everything and become the architects of their own success. “The path we’ve chosen can mean the road will be slower than if we had decided to play what’s ‘trendy’,” Nicolas tells us, “but the spirit that we’ve always pursued makes our music, our art, more meaningful to the fans.” 

Which at the end of the day is the whole point. When listening to NOVELISTS FR, we the fans become a part of the experience; be it watching them live or sat at home with an album, following their journey feels like embarking on our own. One thing is for sure, they are still gathering pace, and 2020 could well be the year that the world truly sits up and takes notice.

C’est La Vie is out now via Arising Empire.

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