French Force Tentation caught up with TheNwothm to talk about their history, the French metal scene and what exciting plans lay ahead for 2023! Dive into this month article and see what the band had to say!

THE NWOTHM: Tentation, thanks for agreeing to this interview! Can you first introduce the members of the band and where you guys are from?

Laurent : We come from a small village located in the south of France, near the Spanish border which is called Torreilles. Patrice “Darquos” is on vocals, Guix on bass, Guillaume on guitar and me on drums.

THE NWOTHM: When and where did the band form and can you tell us how you came up with the name?

Laurent : We were looking for a name in French that sounded good, it was a friend who one evening of drinking suggested it to us. There is no biblical or religious connotation.
The band started in 2021 when Patrice asked Guix and Guillaume to set up a project with the aim of making heavy metal sung in French. Basically, Patrice was on drums and Guix was supposed to sing but in the end nothing went as planned to finally arrive in 2014 at the line up and the position that are still present today.

THE NWOTHM: And before Tentation were any of you involved in other bands?
Laurent : Indeed, i played in many bands because it is the oldest (Höly Ghözt and Bullshit inc. in particular), Patrice was in more extreme bands (Sale Hope, Bloodthirsty). Guix and Guillaume have made their 1st weapons in O.C.D

THE NWOTHM: When you were younger what was it like growing up and first discovering metal? Did you own any records or cassettes?
Laurent : I was born in 1973 and so I discovered this music in the mid 80’s and it was all very exciting and intoxicating. The scene was bubbling with such energy, it was shocking album after album. I was buying with my pocket money 1 or 2 albums per month and we spent all our free time with my friends burning our favourite albums on tapes by exchanging them.

THE NWOTHM: And how did you get into metal music? What is it a family member or friend that introduced you or something else?
Laurent : My first record was Alive! from Kiss, an album that I continue to cherish since I was 12 years old. I had seen a kid (7/8 years old?) in a French TV show about the band and even if I hadn’t understood everything, I had been intrigued and when I saw a record in a local supermarket a few years later, I had a flash and the first listen definitely forged where I wanted to go in my life. I quickly continued thanks to the big sister of a little neighbour and another neighbour of my grandmother who introduced me to Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Dio, Accept, Wasp or Metallica.

THE NWOTHM: Are any of you big collectors? For instance guitars or action figures etc?

Guix: We’re 4 record collectors, whether it’s vinyl, CDs or tapes. After, Guillaume has a lot of guitars but it’s more to get a sound panel than to collect. Patrice collects old video games and Cards (Flesh and blood/Magic, Guix it’s more the pop figurines and Magic Card, and Laurent has no more room at home ahahah.

THE NWOTHM: Tell us more about Torreilles, Occitanie. What is that part of France like?

Guix: Torreilles is a small village by the sea with a certain charm, it is a very dynamic village that offers events throughout the year. it’s a village with a little history and legends. The only negative point is that in summer it’s very crowded as it’s a seaside resort. 

THE NWOTHM: How you say the metal scene there is on a whole? Is it big on traditional heavy metal?

Laurent : I think the scene is in great shape. The public is present and you just have to follow certain youtube channels to realize that a lot of very good albums are released regularly. We don’t realize it at the moment but I think that certain albums by Visigoth, Warrior Path, Night Demon or Riot city will be classics in 10 or 20 years.

THE NWOTHM: Can you tell us more about the early days of the band? What went on in the period up until your first release EP “Tentation” in 2015?

Laurent :  In 2012, after a show organized with our association Pyrenean Metal, Paty proposed to Guix and Guillaume to form a heavy metal band in French. To warm up, they started with a cover of Trance “Heavy metal queen”. At that time, Paty was on drums, Guix on vocals and Guillaume on guitar. After a few rehearsals, they tried their hand at composition and Paty recorded a little demo to have Guix listen to a vocal line. Everyone thought it was cool and suddenly Paty took over the vocals in addition to the drums and Guix moved on to the bass. A few months later, they asked me to join them so that Paty could devote himself solely to singing. The band had already made a demo of the title “Bruixes”. We embarked on the composition of other titles more seriously and we finally recorded 5 titles for what was only to be a presentation model. But Inferno Rec. and IDR liked the result so much that it was finally released in physical format in 2015.

THE NWOTHM: The classic question! Who influenced the music of Tentation? 

Laurent :  All the big names in French heavy metal (Sortilège, Blasphème, H Bomb, Adx, Titan, Venom, High Power, Strattson, Warning, Ponce Pilate) and of course the monsters Judas Priest, Accept, Saxon, Riot, Ac/ dc, Mercyful fate, Metallica, the N.W.O.B.H.M

THE NWOTHM: Outside of the band when you want to relax and unwind, what are your passions and hobbies? 

Guix: For some people in the band, music is a primordial passion which, even outside the band, is relaxing. For others, it’s more like playing cards (Magic or Flesh And Blood), playing/streaming video games, take family times, watching soccer on TV or playing rugby.

THE NWOTHM: Who has the best battle jacket in the band? Are any of you premium patch collectors? 

Guix: All the band have one or 2 battle jackets, but I think it’s Laurent because he has a lot of collector patchs on it and it’s the best laid out.ahahah.

THE NWOTHM: You released your first full length album “Le Berceau Des Dieux” in 2021! Looking back how did you go about the writing and recording process for the record? 

Laurent : In the composition, we tried to be more complete in the arrangement of titles while keeping our own identity. We worked very well by realizing real pre-production of all the titles, which allowed us to improve certain things. The recording was completely turned upside down with the closing of the borders because we had to record in Javi Felez’s studio in Barcelona. We quickly took the opportunity to do our sessions in Perpignan at Record It with Matthieu Lesieur at the helm. Which in the end turned out to be a very good idea with very relaxed but very professional sessions, Javi finishing the job by doing the mixing and mastering of “le Berceau des dieux”.

THE NWOTHM: What artists or bands are you each listening too at the moment? Any particular favourites?

Guix: For me I’ve had an album on a loop for almost 2 years, by a French punk band called Oï boys. It’s weird and fantastic at the same time !! I’m a huge fan of Punk/Harcore and Punk Oï is a style of music that I really enjoy. After my favorites it’s Sad Wings Of Destiny of Judas Priest

THE NWOTHM: Are you looking forward to playing Anthems of Steel this year? What a line up it has!

Guix: We couldn’t wait to play it because, in addition to the excellent line-up, the organizers are great friends of ours and we had a great time. It was a great reunion, a great welcome, a great sound on stage and, above all, a great crowd!

THE NWOTHM: And what touring plans do you have for the rest of 2023 that you would like to mention?

Guix: We’re taking a break from the concerts because there are 3 of us working in events, so we have very little time + organizing the Pyrenean Warriors. At the moment we have 3 dates for the end of the year. In October we’re playing in Jaen in Spain with a crazy line-up (Omen, Atlantean Kodex, Mindless Sinner….), in November we’ll be playing in Marseille with Sortilege and in December we’ll be in Lyon.

THE NWOTHM: And finally anything else you would like to share with fans? Where can people buy your music and merch?

Laurent: We thank all those who have supported us since the beginning and the new fans as well. Go to small concerts and small festivals, their survival depends on it, it’s not just the big halls, stadiums and big festivals.

To find Tentation merch and album, go to the website of our label Cruz del Sur/Gates of Hell: https://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com/store/