NEW INTERVIEW: Our first interview with Camille from LADY ATHENAE (Montreal, Canada Metalcore), includes link to free EP.

Kieran James1 Is this a completely new band? I can’t find any videos...

Camille (vocalist): Yes! The band is brand new. It was created during the Covid pandemic in June 2020.

KJ2 Please share with us the band history. Who are the members? Of course on the 30-second video you shared we can see two band members, one being yourself.

Camille: We are three in the band. I’m Camille, the vocalist and lyricist. I sing and growl. There’s Sergio who’s the guitarist, music composer and producer. He also happens to be my husband. Finally we have Chris who’s the drum composer and drummer. He’s our best friend.

KJ3 What are your musical influences and favourite albums?

Camille: My musical influences are Jinjer, Spiritbox, Evanescence and Loreena McKennitt. My favorite albums are Outlier by Twelve Foot Ninja, Meteora by Linkin Park and Altered State by Tesseract. 

KJ4 Are the lyrics in English or French? What are the lyrical themes?

Camille: The lyrics are in English. The focus of the band is to put mental health front and center. The themes are heavily inspired by my own struggle with Bipolar Disorder. For example, one of the songs called “Tower” is about the paradox of finding comfort and safety in depression through the suffering and how unhealthy it can become.

KJ5 How was the recording process for the EP? Did COVID cause any negative impact?

Camille: Sergio and I have our home studio. Everything was recorded there. COVID had no impact at all fortunately (unfortunately for our neighbors).

KJ6 Is the full EP going to be free-to-view? Have you got the track listing and track timings fixed yet?

Camille: Yes the EP will be available for streaming on our YouTube channel. It will also be available on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, Deezer, etc. There are 4 songs: 1-Recollections (intro); 2-Wrong Side Of History; 3-Tower; 4-Don’t Play Dead. Other than the intro all the songs are around 4 minutes.

KJ7 What are your future plans and future dreams for the band?

Camille: Really looking forward to playing these songs live when the sanitary rules will be less intense.  Meanwhile we are doing live shows on our Twitch channel three times a week. In 2021, we will be making more songs. My dream would be to play at a festival like Wacken.

KJ8 How is the metal scene in Montreal at the present time?

Camille: We can see that some efforts are being made to do online shows but it’s still somehow inaccessible for most artists. In my inner circle I could see a resurgence of creativity so people who couldn’t do shows are at least preparing some material.

KJ9 Have you got any gig dates planned?

Camille: Not yet.

KJ10 You are probably tired of talking about this, and please don’t answer if you don’t want to: How has it been like as a woman in Montreal metal scene? Any stories to share?

Camille: I think it’s a double edge sword. Since there are not a lot of women in metal it’s a rarity and there’s a demand for it. But there are times where you are not taken seriously simply because you’re a woman.

KJ11 Do you have any message for the people who might be interested to explore your music?

Camille: Yes! Thank you for your interest! We appreciate it a lot.  Follow our Instagram and/or Facebook page to be up to date, more to come. Thank-you very much Kieran for this interview! The questions were interesting and well thought out.

Link to free RECOLLECTIONS EP (December 2020):

https://­www.youtube.com/­watch?v=zLCwgRyzIFA&a­b_channel=LADYATHENA­E