SOURCE – Second Thoughts is the fourth and latest studio album by The Old Dead Tree. How do you feel about the songwriting and recording sessions that were developed with this set of material?
Gilles Moinet (Bass) – For this fourth album, we had to implement new working methods with new tools. When the band was formed in 1997, and until 2010, all the members of The Old Dead Tree lived near Paris, France. This allowed us to meet easily to write new songs and rehearse. However, since then, most of us have moved away geographically, which has made our meetings much more difficult. As a result, we had to use tools that allowed us to compose and develop new ideas remotely. We also maintained regular meetings, either in pairs or as a full band, in order to test the new songs and finalize their arrangements. All of this worked perfectly, as we managed to produce about fifteen compositions in just a few months. The writing period lasted a little over a year and a half, from June 2022 to February 2024. We started recording in April 2024, and our producer HK Kraus finalized the mix and mastering in July.
SOURCE – You’ve released three singles to date from the record – The Lightest Straw, Unpredictable, and Solastalgia. Were these obvious choices for singles to premiere from the record, and how do you feel about the impact singles have in the current marketplace?
Gilles Moinet (Bass) – Our first single, Unpredictable, was an obvious choice for us. We wanted to come back with a “catchy” and immediate song. Solastalgia is a fairly innovative title in The Old Dead Tree’s repertoire. We wanted to offer something a little different in the metal landscape. The Lightest Straw was another easy choice, as it represents a much more “old-school” side of the band, with extreme vocals and very doom-laden passages. We knew that the long-time fans would love this one.
SOURCE – I noticed there is no title track. How did you come up with Second Thoughts, and is it connected to the themes of this album?
Gilles Moinet (Bass) – There is indeed no eponymous title, and this was also the case on our first two albums, The Nameless Disease and The Perpetual Motion, whose songs were partly linked by the same concept. On this new album, the songs deal with doubts and the complexity of the choices that we all encounter at some point in our lives. Second Thoughts is a response to the EP The End that we released in 2019, which was supposed to be our very last release at that time. It also alludes to the long period of reflection we had when we hesitated to reunite the band for good. It was a difficult choice for everyone, even though we had all wanted it for a long time. In the end, this new album marks the start of a second life cycle for The Old Dead Tree, and when Manuel suggested this album title, it was obvious to the whole band.
SOURCE – Your video for Unpredictable has received great views through media. What can you tell us about the video shoot?
Gilles Moinet (Bass) – The music video for Unpredictable was once again directed by our longtime friend and director, Julien Metternich. He has been working with The Old Dead Tree since the beginning and has always supported us. He is really passionate, very professional, and deeply involved in his work, and we completely trust him. We gave him free rein for this music video, with our only request being that the musicians appear. Julien works with many artists (such as Mass Hysteria, Ultra Vomit, Alice Cooper…) and has a very solid background as a director. He also directed the music videos for our singles Solastalgia and The Lightest Straw.
SOURCE – You are using more extreme vocals (e.g., The Lightest Straw, Without A Second Thought). Will this be The Old Dead Tree’s trend from now on?
Gilles Moinet (Bass) – The mix of extreme vocals and clean vocals is part of The Old Dead Tree’s DNA. From our first EP, The Blossom, released in 1999, Manuel has alternated different types of singing to better express certain emotions. In the end, on this new album, there are more passages with clean singing than with extreme vocals, but this happened naturally.
SOURCE – Music streaming has been a hot-button topic as of late – both the financial viability of it, and how much benefit it may have for artists. Has music streaming benefited The Old Dead Tree at all, and what role do you see it playing in the near and distant future?
Gilles Moinet (Bass) – At our level, streaming essentially allows us to be featured in the big playlists created by the platforms. It’s clear that streaming provides listeners (of which I am one) with very easy access to the music of many artists. However, it seems to me that, overall, this does not encourage deep listening and in-depth discovery. Today, the “lifespan” of a record or a movie is reduced to a very short period. Whereas, when there were only physical media, this encouraged us to listen and re-listen to the few records we bought and to understand their essence. Generally speaking, it often takes time to understand a work of art, what it wants to convey, and the context of its creation. For this, I believe a physical medium is more appropriate. From a financial point of view, streaming is a disaster for artists like us, because to produce quality music, we need a minimum of financial means. Fortunately, we still have loyal fans who are attached to CDs and vinyl.
SOURCE – How has Spotify helped you reach new listeners around the world, and do you feel the platform has been instrumental in expanding your fanbase?
Gilles Moinet (Bass) – Our comeback is very recent, and we don’t yet have enough perspective on the subject to answer this fully. However, I can tell you this: we have seen that large-scale exposure on social networks can have an impact on streaming platforms.
SOURCE – After all these questions, I’d like to thank the band for taking the time to participate in the interview and ask if you would like to leave any final words.
Gilles Moinet (Bass) – Thank you for all these questions and for the interest that Source has shown in our new album Second Thoughts. We have never played live in Brazil, but we hope that this album will open the doors to the country of the great Sepultura!
Photo Credit: Aurélie La Faute, Monsieur Brice, DR
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