The RAGE NUCLEAIRE Interview

RAGE NUCLÉAIRE's debut album, "Unrelenting Fucking Hatred" was released by Season of Mist in October. The Gauntlet caught up with Dark Rage for an interview.

How did the band come together with the current lineup?
Alvater called me a few years back, and asked me whether I'd be interested in doing vocals (and vocals' sidekick, lyrics) on a demo he and Dark Rage had put together. I said I would, but the three of us had prior commitments to deal with first, and by the time we were ready to get on with it as a 3-piece, the demo had grown into a full-length album. Still, I really liked what I heard, so I asked the guys if I could do the whole album instead of just a demo. Fredrik Widigs took on the drumming duties a few months later, happily for us.

Was 'Unrelenting Fucking Hatred' the band's first attempt at music and a release?
No. Actually, Alvater and Dark Rage did a cover of the "Halloween" soundtrack, which I think can still be found on YouTube.

In the years since the band formed, were you guys really acting as a band?
We've never acted as a band. We've always just gathered under Alvater's stairs (literally) every Friday night, from roughly 8-ish to around midnight, to put stuff together: guitar tracks, beats, vocals, sound effect samples, whatever. Besides which, it would be difficult for us to act as a full-fledged band: we live in Montreal and our drummer lives in Stockholm.

From what I understand, most of the songs were written before Lord Worm was brought in. Was it difficult writing with no singer in place?
I don't know about the material on the first album, but if the songwriting process was much the same as it's been for album #2, I'd have to say it's no trouble at all. The songwriting for album #2 is basically complete, and I've barely done a thing. I write my lyrics around what is already written and arranged, and things just seem to fit.

What changes were made once he was onboard?
We haven't changed a thing. We're all on the same wavelength, so no issues have ever popped up.

When was the album recorded and completed?
By the time I was ready to do the album, everything had been written and arranged over the previous 5 years. I did my vocals during the summer and fall, Fred Widigs did his drum tracks during the winter, and we mixed in the springtime. Mastering came next, and so the album was finally complete in (as I recall) April of this year.

A lot of Cryptopsy fans know Lord Worms and his death metal vocal stylings. What was the band looking at in his vocal range when he was decided to be 'that guy' for a black metal band?
The idea, from the start, was to do something different from had come before. To be honest, I had to do a tryout before I was officially accepted as a member. It just so happens that on that particular evening, the style I was attempting to achieve actually worked out well, so I got to fill "that guy"'s shoes.

Are there any plans on making Rage Nucleaire a live band?
Official plans, no. But we have some ideas for what we would need for a live line-up and decor, should a live show ever be possible for us. The trouble comes from many quarters, not the least of which is practice: under the stairs in Alvater's basement, the set-up is comprised of three chairs, two guitars and a computer, plus he has neighbors upstairs and next door, so practice is impossible.