The sound of French band Perpetual Escape has evolved through various phases, leading them to an edgy melodic rock and metal sound that they describe as “riffs, melody and energy.”
The Strasbourg band started out back in 2010 when Gregory de Frutos (guitars), Julien Obergfell (bass) and former vocalist Laurent were in a cover band and began looking for a new drummer to start writing original material. They discovered Florian Millot and quickly began work on their first batch of songs, which became their debut EP Heavy Face. Anaïs Sieffert, who also assists with vocal production, joined as a second vocalist for their second EP, In Search Of Light, in 2012, before their debut album Into My Dreams, including the epic 17-minute-long final title track, was released in 2016.
Perpetual Escape shifted to more of a modern rock and metal sound in 2020, just before the Covid pandemic, which saw Florian take charge of production, record and mixing their most recent EP, Fire For Eternity. However, difficulties during the pandemic saw the band take a break, returning with new sole vocalist Nicolas Hommel for last year’s single The Last Day of Our Life.
On the sound they’ve crafted, Florian told us: “The band has gone through different phases, with productions that have evolved over time. However, the overall recipe remains the same: hard-hitting riffs, punchy and energetic drums, and catchy melodies! The EPs Heavy Face and Fire for Eternity lean more toward a heavier sound and powerful compositions, while In Search of Light and Into My Dreams are more laid-back and melodic.”
Our latest taste of this is Checkmate, which was released last week. It opens up with a moody guitar that gives way to a chugging riff and heavy drum flurries before diving into a powerful smash of guitars and drums. It slows up for an engaging verse, before the heavy guitars dive back in to tee up a big singalong chorus “Come, gambits are no betrayals, They offer you new breaks, It feels like a start again, It feels like it’s gonna change, Gambits are no betrayals, They offer you new ways.”
The heavy guitars return and bridge into a laid-back verse supported by backing strings building the atmosphere ahead of another big chorus. The drums and vocals drop out, and a building guitar takes over, teeing up a delicious guitar solo teeing up a big final blast of the chorus.
Speaking ahead of the release, Florian said: “Checkmate was written quite quickly by Greg, me and Nicolas. We were heavily inspired by bands like Creed, Alter Bridge and Tremonti to deliver an ultra-energetic track packed with killer riffs – Greg’s trademark! The production was deliberately more direct and less layered than our previous releases in order to keep that raw and heavy feel typical of our influences. The song has been a real success, and we can honestly say we’re extremely proud of the result. We can’t wait for our fans to discover it and start headbanging to the riffs!”
As mentioned, Checkmate is the second track with Nicolas on vocals, following on from the superb, more melodic The Last Day of Our Life, which you can check out in the video below.
The Perpetual Escape sound has been shaped by rock and metal bands like Tremonti, Creed, Dream Theater, Freak Kitchen and Metallica. Nicolas draws influence from the likes of The Beatles, Audioslave and Linkin Park and Florian is big into drummers like Simon Phillips, Mike Portnoy, and Gavin Harrison, and tells us he’s working hard on his double-kick technique to beef up the band’s bass drum power.
And on what inspires them to write music, Florian explains: “Some themes, such as protecting the planet, come up regularly, as well as fighting your own inner demons. But overall, we try not to force ourselves into a specific theme, to avoid falling into clichés or caricature. Our goal is to create music that is both energetic and motivating, with melodies that stick in your head for a long time.
“Greg and I handle most of the songwriting and production, respectively. As soon as a riff really stands out, they move very quickly to highlight it and make it the backbone of a new song. Then we do a lot of work with Nico on the vocals to finalise the track. Over the past few years, we’ve found a working rhythm that suits all of us, and it’s really great to be able to work in such good conditions.”
The band is already working on new music and hopes to have a couple more singles released by the end of the year, along with a few live shows in eastern France. And Florian added: “We put all our heart into creating authentic and energetic music. If you enjoy what we do, please support us on social media, share our music as much as possible, and come see us live if you get the chance!”
You can follow Perpetual Escape on Facebook and Instagram, and check out their music on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and YouTube.
Listen to Perpetual Escape and more new bands on our Spotify playlists GigRadar Metal and GigRadar Rock
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