Empalot were a French
experimental rock
Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, wit ...
band formed in the
Landes in 1998 by brothers
Joe and
Mario Duplantier
Mario François Duplantier (born 19 June 1981) is a French-American musician and artist best known as the drummer for heavy metal band Gojira. He established himself as a powerful, technically precise drummer, using polyrhythmic patterns and d ...
of
Gojira
is the original Japanese name for Godzilla, a giant monster at the center of a media franchise.
It may also refer to:
Films
*Godzilla (franchise), ''Godzilla'' franchise, known as in Japan
**Godzilla (1954 film), ''Godzilla'' (1954 film), relea ...
. The band members were Laurentx Etxemendi on saxophone,
Joe Duplantier
Joseph Andrew Duplantier (born 19 October 1976) is a French-American musician, best-known as the vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and lyricist of Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Gojira (band), Gojira. He is also a record-producer and environmenta ...
on vocals and guitar, Stéphane Chateauneuf on vocals, Christian Maisonnave on percussion and Mario Duplantier on drums. In the band, Joe and Mario called themselves Vensceslas Podoldo
and Daniel Pestous, respectively.
History
The group's musical intention was to create a rare type of
experimental metal
Avant-garde metal (also known as avant-metal, experimental metal, art metal and experimetal) is a subgenre of heavy metal music loosely defined by use of experimentation and innovative, avant-garde elements, including non-standard and unconventi ...
, described as ''terroir metal'' (English: style of metal typically linked to the land of a region–sarcasm, irony), which would combine
alternative metal
Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by ...
,
jazz fusion
Jazz fusion (also known as jazz rock, jazz-rock fusion, or simply fusion) is a popular music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric gui ...
,
funk rock
Funk rock is a fusion genre that mixes elements of funk and Rock music, rock. James Brown and others declared that Little Richard and his mid-1950s road band, The Upsetters (American band), the Upsetters, were the first to put the funk in the ...
,
avant-garde
In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...
, and a touch of insanity accompanied by aggressive vocals of Joe Duplantier. The lyrical themes range from the modern myth of
Chouinard to silly songs, criticism of science and a struggle of the medieval period. The offbeat side of the group was also apparent in its appearance: the stage shows were colourful. The members appeared with masks or axes and were disguised as a cloud, a flower, a street lamp, a goat or a fund created by cardboard buildings.
The theatrical aspect was reinforced by the fact that the concerts were sometimes mingled with mini-plays.
In a 2004 interview for ''Noiseweb'', Joe Duplantier explained, "Empalot, it's really a story of childhood friends, we met in high school, it's transplanted. In addition, my brother – the drummer of Gojira, the sound engineer of Gojira, the lighting technician of Gojira is
lsothe singer of Empalot, so it's a bit the same people and in Empalot, it's humor that expresses itself in music, it's another delirious universe."
Empalot toured in France between 1999 and 2004.
Joe and Mario Duplantier placed the side project on hiatus in 2004.
''Tous aux Cèpes''
Their only album, ''Tous aux Cèpes'', was recorded in the studio Arema Bordeaux, produced by Gabriel Editions – the same label family created by Gojira.
It can be compared to other similar bands like Psykup, Trepalium or Gronibard. There are misspellings on the album; the group wanted it to be that way to magnify the ridicule.
Band members
*
Joe Duplantier
Joseph Andrew Duplantier (born 19 October 1976) is a French-American musician, best-known as the vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and lyricist of Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Gojira (band), Gojira. He is also a record-producer and environmenta ...
− lead vocals, guitar, bass
(1998–2003)
*
Mario Duplantier
Mario François Duplantier (born 19 June 1981) is a French-American musician and artist best known as the drummer for heavy metal band Gojira. He established himself as a powerful, technically precise drummer, using polyrhythmic patterns and d ...
− drums
(1998–2003)
* Stéphane Chateneuf − vocals
(1998–2003)
* Laurentx Etxemendi − saxophone
(1998–2003)
* Christian Maisonnave − percussion
(1998–2003)
Discography
Studio albums
Live albums
Demo albums
References
{{Authority control
French heavy metal musical groups
Musical groups established in 1998
French experimental rock groups