FT-17 Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

FT-17 is an extreme melodic metal band from France. Half of us also play in Ad Extirpenda. Aside from this, we have a pianist, a narrator -who plays a key rôle since our album is nothing but a story-, and a special performance from soprano Soazg Couëdel on one track.

The band was realy built up around the story to tell.

2.Recently you have released your fist album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

The purpose of the album is to tell a story, hence we did not focus on a given style. This is mostly melodic death/black metal but there are thrash, heavy, gothic and doom elements for instance.

This is the same for the sound. It can be sometimes raw, harsh and sometimes more depressing. There were of course a guideline to conserve the homogeneity of the whole structure. For instance, there is no keyboard aside from the piano.

I think the most difficult part was to render it during the mix. Hopefully, we had the chance to work with Vamacara studio and the result is amazing as you can hear.

3.The lyrics deal with World War I, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

We're actually right in the middle of the century of this war. I think WWI is underexposed when you compare with WWII for instance. However, this is a crucial and critical part of history.

It was the first modern war in many aspects. Hopefully, there are tons of archives, especialy letters from soldiers.

I read a lot of these letters, particularly those written by 5 different men who served as a basis in the construction of Marcellin's character.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'FT-17'?

Well, at a first glance, FT-17 is the codename of a light tank manufactured by Renault and which is often called «the victory tank» or «the father of all tanks». While it was not the first tank to be used in combat, it had a revolutionary design that inspired all modern tanks. It was one of the reasons of the allies' victory. Yes, allies were way ahead German's technology on tanks back then!

There is also a secret meaning deeply related to the story but I will keep the secret on that for now.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

At first, the band was not meant to play live. So we didn't play any concerts as FT-17 yet.

However, since we are really happy with the album, we decided to prepare for a little tour.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

Yes, we are currently planning a few dates in the end of spring. It is too early to give details yet.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

Well, if a serious label is interested, we'll be happy of course.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?

Really very good up to now. We hope that it will continue.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

It is too early to speak about the future beyond the tour since FT-17 was created as a side-project.

However, if the feedback continues to be that good, who knows.

10.What are some of the bands and musical styles that have influenced the music of Ft-17'?

There are tons of them and it is not possible to cite every one. Among the most obvious let's cite Death, Moonspell, Dark Tranquillity, Emperor, Enslaved, Iron Maiden, Arcturus, Borknagar...

There are also a few classical and jazz musicians of course.

11.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Thanks for the interview!

We'll be happy to talks about our music or the story, so if someone has an opinion, he's welcome to contact us.

Let us finish by paying tribute to all soldiers and civilians who where victims of WWI.

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