Genre/Influences: Dark-Ambient, Ritual, Soundtrack.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: The new album by French project Grande Loge comes three years after their great debut-album “Mantras”. The new work consists out of a single track that was released as a Soundtrack to the book “Soliloquium” in Splendor, by Oksana and Gil Prou. 

Content: Forty-four minutes of Soundtrack that takes us on a journey through our imagination. As for “Mantras”, the composition is worked out with acoustic instruments that only enhance the mystical atmosphere. The song seems to consist of several parts that were nicely brought together. The song contains parts with percussion, Ritual chants and a certain melancholy brought by the instruments.

+ + + : There’s a strong visual strength emerging at the surface of this work which means that it’s a successful Soundtrack. You clearly notice this kind of music was made as a sonic support to another artistic expression. I like the atmosphere coming out of this work which is mainly due to the playing of real instruments. The different passages with chants create a little extra, like a climax getting through.

– – – : I prefer listening to the several tracks instead of a single, extended, piece but this is due to the concept of the work which is part of a wider artistic creation.

Conclusion: Grande Loge confirms by this work the potential they shown on the debut album. Graceful Ritual music!

Best songs: “Unruh”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063352772956

Label: www.cycliclaw.com / www.facebook.com/cycliclaw

About Grande Loge

Grande Loge is a French project set up in 2017 by musicians known as Nostra and Flexor, both previously active in the black metal band Malepeste. The project grew out of acoustic, Ambient interludes the pair developed during Malepeste rehearsals, and released its debut album, “Mantras,” on Cyclic Law in 2020, establishing the Ritual and Dark-Ambient direction continued on “Unruh.”

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Grande Loge is a French project set up in 2017. By the end of 2020 they released their debut album “Mantras” on Cyclic Law. The work reveals a mix between clearly Ritual- and Dark-Ambient music styles. The songs have been composed by an impressive arsenal of traditional instruments, reinforcing the Ritual aspect of the sound, but still injecting an authentic touch to the composition. “Mantras” is a great and accomplished album, which incited to get in touch with ‘Nostra’ and ‘Flexor’.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: I noticed you guys have been involved with Black-Metal music before setting up Grande Loge. Tell us a bit more about your music background and how did this switch from Black Metal to Grande Loge happen? And what inspired you to set up this new band?

Nostra: We like a lot of music genres. In the past, we have played not only Black-Metal, but also Neo-Medieval music and even Funk for example. But yes, Black-Metal is by far the genre we have been most involved with, and for which we’ll always have particular affection.

Grande Loge was created at a time when our band Malepeste was quite active. It was during our rehearsals that we used to end our sessions with improvisations, which was the opportunity to try something different.

We had accumulated some interesting acoustic instruments for Malepeste’s Ambient interludes, but they had been playing a minor role until then. One day the idea of experimenting more freely with this acoustic material appealed to us.

Q: The name of the project might be a bit confusing because of the strong connotation with Freemasonry, but on the other hand the ‘ritual’ element between your music and Freemasons makes sense. What did you try to express by the band name and what have the experiences/confusions been so far?

Nostra: Initially I chose this name quite spontaneously, rather in reference to the Grande Loge Blanche that Helena Blavatsky imagined, because I thought that her syncretic vision of the different traditions could lend itself (in all modesty) to our music with influences that are quite distant from each other. Honestly, I did not think about Freemasons at all originally, but we are now systematically confused with them… We regularly receive messages from people fantasizing about Freemasonry and ready to do anything to become our disciples.

I imagine that these people send messages to every Facebook page that seems mysterious to them until they end up with a guru/pastor/marabout/life coach who will then be happy to take money from them. It really blows my mind…

Q: Let’s talk about your debut album “Mantras”, which has been released for some months now. What can you say about its production and the concept, which is clearly driven by ‘mantras’? And can you tell us something about the production of the vocals, which are really essential for the album?

Nostra: With other musical projects, we used to write the structures of the songs fairly precisely before we performed them on stage, but with Grande Loge it was different. At the beginning, almost everything was improvised, and it gradually stabilized during the performances. It’s particularly visible at the beginning of the album where we take a moment to settle into our songs before we get started.

Flexor: About the production of the voices, we consider them as instruments in their own right; they’re grafted onto the music and occupy their own place in the instrumentation. They are built up like a phat layer to finally form a large choir with different timbres and changing sounds. Because of their linearity and as the repetition progresses, they embody the concept of mantras in two ways: by the words they convey of course (apart from the phonemes assembled for their sound), but also by the cycle of their melodies, which creates a bewitching and meditative cocoon.

Q: The use of traditional/folk instruments has a real strong impact on the production. How did you come into contact with all these instruments and what makes their magic? In which way are the instruments part of the concept?

Nostra: Nothing is off limits to us. For “Mantras” we didn’t want to use synthesizers in order to preserve these ancient atmospheres, but later on why not? If tomorrow we find by chance a berimbau, a kalimba, a kotsuzumi or a hulusi and we manage to make something that creates an attractive atmosphere, that will be fine to me… For this we are lucky to have the famous world music shop Pick & Bock in Lyon. To be honest, what I do with my tanpura is probably disastrous for a real musician, but playing it with an intuitive approach gives me interesting sensations. That is what makes this music enjoyable for us, those feelings and the possibility of being able to accompany it with a strong emotional involvement; that’s why we insisted on recording in live studio conditions.

Q: I noticed there are several French projects (like Stille Volk, La Breiche, Camecrude, etc.) that share a similar passion for traditional instruments and ritual music. Do you feel related with other artists and/or festivals, happenings, and so on? What are your sources of inspiration?

Nostra: There are so many great bands in France that inspire me. I’ve been listening to Stille Volk for so many years, they’ve obviously influenced me in one way or another.

So in which ways do we feel connected? We’re isolated groups observing each other on the internet rather than being a large community. And for me many bands are simply unique and musically inimitable. It’s hard to find who else can play like Rosa Crvx or Gaë Bolg for example, so I don’t see us pretending to make art in the same way.

However yes, many events and festivals interest us. The bands you mention have performed at the Nuits Dark Ritual or at the L’Homme Sauvage festival. These are very good projects, we would like to play.

To mention also non-French musical inspiration, I think of bands like Heilung, Shibalba, Danheim, Nytt Land, Wardruna, Nyiþ and Emme Ya.

Q: The ritual aspect of your music also seems to be very important during live shows. What did you try to express on stage and how do you transpose the music into live shows? What are your plans for live performances now that live activities are finally possible again?

Nostra: Recording an album in our home studio (Studio Akashik) has allowed us to add extra vocals in post-production; but the way we play for the album, in rehearsal, or on stage are actually quite similar.

The decorum of the ceremonies are just a few tricks helping us to get into a proper and receptive state of mind, but yes it’s important. Without this state of gnosis our music would lose its strength.

Among the  other projects, we’ve the recording of the next Malepeste album that we would like to finish for the end of this year. For Grande Loge, there’s a collaboration with the writers Oksana & Gil Prou coming up next year, a work of Sci-fi literature accompanied by our music. There is also a concert with Trientale in Chambery. Things are slowly starting up again…

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Ritual, Dark-Ambient.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Set up in 2017, Grande Loge is a French project, which by the end of 2020 released its official debut album on Cyclic Law. The album title is a clear indication to get an idea what this work is all about.

Content: From the very first notes you can hear the main sources of inspiration this project is dealing with. The atmosphere, the use of traditional instruments like violin, buzuki, nafar, shaman drums and tanpura plus the production of the vocals are reflecting an imaginary sacred rite. This is Ritual music composed with authentic instruments while the chants are featuring mantras. It all together creates an elevating sensation accentuated by little sonic details. The tracks have been progressively built up and more than once are reaching a true sonic climax.

+ + + : This is the kind of production I particularly like for the way poignant atmospheres have been created by the use of authentic instruments and the power of vocals. The chants empower the ritual side of the work. The music creates the feeling listening to a mix of Eastern atmospheres, Folk music from North European countries reminding the Vikings, but also Ethereal and Ritual music I link with the Pyrenees. There are more bands dealing with this music genre, but I was impressed by the maturity of the production. This work doesn’t sound at all as a debut work. The songs have been meticulously built up and often ending into a real apotheosis. This work is emotion, but still a part of evasion and mysticism. Both opening cuts are little sonic jewels.

– – – : I don’t see real minus points here.

Conclusion: If several songs have been inspired by prayers to Ancient Gods, this opus sounds like being touched by the Gods…

Best songs: “Epopteia”, “Mithra Invictus”, “Tenya Pon”, “Avekko”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/Grande-Loge-123770461706538

Label: www.cycliclaw.com / www.facebook.com/cycliclaw

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com