Breaking Down Algorythm and Extreme Metal: A Fantastic Conversation with Simon Girard of Beyond Creation

October 4th, 2019

Coming up a year after Beyond Creation released their most well-balanced and outstanding record, Algorythm, the band are currently on tour playing the entire album, and I had a chance to talk with Simon Girard again after the show in San Diego, at the Brick by Brick.  This was a fascinating and enlightening discussion, as we discussed the melody placement and schematics of Algorythm, talking about a long theory about 2000s Death Metal I’ve had, the roles of the band members on Algorythm, and much more!

(The entire audio portion of the interview can be found at the bottom of the page)

Metalchondria:  About a year after I talked to you during Archspire and Obscura, it's been almost a year, here with Simon Girard of Beyond Creation.  A pleasure, as always!

Simon Girard:  Yeah, thank you very much for the interest.

  Of course.  It's been a year since that amazing tour.  It was the last day of that tour, the LA show, about a week before the album came out.  I was going to ask how this tour is going, but every picture you post of say Portland, and all these shows, turnout has been outstanding.  The vibe and everyone, just coming to see the band.  But give me a brief summary about how the tour's been going along?

It's going pretty well, actually.  I think the tour package is really good, people were really excited to see all the bands, and also, I'm really happy playing the new album live in full, like from first to last.  I think people were also pretty excited about seeing this live, and even people that never seen us, maybe just seeing some videos on the internet.  We can definitely tell they're enjoying themselves in the shows, and all the shows have been really great so far.

Last week, I went to see Revocation, with Voivod and Psycroptic.  As with Beyond Creation, Revocation played their whole new album.  I talked about how a lot of bands will kind of do that sometimes, for the heck of it.  But when the new album like theirs (The Outer Ones), and yours is so strong, it means something different.  The band seemed pretty confident and effortlessly playing the new album, everyone must have seem to really, bonded, during the process, no?

Yeah!  I wanted to make something a little different than the previous albums, getting into a concept album was really something that was feeling with me.  I really wanted to have more of a cinematic kind of ambience.  I think it goes pretty well live, because you have so much dynamics in it, and people can breathe more.  The new album is also more melodic, it's a little bit different than the two previous ones, maybe less fast and technical.  The technicality composing side of it, the chords, progressions, and choices of notes and scales, everything.  It's more easy for people to get into it, even if it's the first time they see us live to appreciate the concert, because it's more melodic and they have all kind of atmosphere.

I would say this album is so well-rounded, say "Surface's Echoes", in the beginning middle and the end, Hugo's (Doyon-Karout) playing slap bass on the low notes it looks like, it adds this extra bass and this level of atmosphere.  There are these little techniques I've noticed, as well.  "The Inversion", probably my favorite song on the album.  Around the middle part, there's a double counterpoint before the vocals go in.  Those little things, as advanced as you are, you made even leaps and bounds over the previous two albums.  Talk about what's influenced you to make that next level of technique and ability?

It's hard to say, because the more it goes, the less I listen to Metal music.  But I was more into Prog stuff, for example Pink Floyd, I'm always coming back on this.  Pink Floyd is really one my biggest influence.  I don't know, all they did was genius, the way they compose.  To me, the really fun processes to compose music, to get different atmospheres, to feel different vibes.  Plini, also a good friend of us, does amazing music that certainly influences me, and the new recording.  Nick Johnston, which is a Blues Progressive guitar player, yeah, so many bands.  But at the same, it's hard to pick one and choose.  It's a background, it's many years of listening to different things, like Leprous, yes, I need to say Leprous.  That's one of my really, I really enjoy all of their albums, but the last one, Malina, is incredible!  I love it.

They toured 6 months ago at the Glasshouse in Pomona.  Everyone caught on kind of quickly, of how ridiculously talented they are.  I can see the inspiration.

They're outstanding.

I don't know what kind of theories you've had as a guitar player, as a fan, or a musician.  But for me, a lot of people say, "Oh, the 90's Metal was the best!"  "Oh, the 80's Metal was the best!"  In terms of talent, skill and that level of ability, uniqueness and riffing, I'd say the 2000's for me, overall, yes Gorguts made Obscura in '98, but Hate Eternal, Origin, Lykathea Aflame, Augury, UIcerate, Anata, those bands that took the extra level.  And I would call Beyond Creation in that same group, that extra level of Metal that's not in 4/4 timing, it's not typical chorus blending or anything.  And we talked last year, that when you see music, it's more of like shapes, colors and emotions.  I'd like to ask, as I also consider you to be in that level of group, how do you see music, and how are you able to write whatever you see?

Well, when I write music, it's a lot of time where I try things.  I write a bunch of stuff, some of it is not good, obviously.  So this is where I kind of need to pick up and choose what I keep and what I let go.  But the thing is, it's like something you need to sit down and just work out and try different things.  Get out of your comfort zone, I don't know.  Writing music is really a fun process, and I think when you say about the 90's, it's really a matter how the bands can congregate the technicality, with the emotions.  Because you can be a really good musician, or playing really technical stuff, but have no feelings.  And there's the other side where, you have a lot of emotion, but it is every song is really, really simple.  So you kind of get through it fast, because there's not much details to analyze over the years, which I would say I don't know, The Beatles.  I'm a big fan of The Beatles, but I know really well the songs.  Sometimes I pick up Metal artists and albums, like 10 years after, and I still can find some new details, and feel emotions.  It's just, I think finding the right amount between details and emotions, and that's a work in progress.  I'm always, it's a hard process, writing some music, it's really fun but it's consuming, I would say.

My Beatles opinion for me at least, I actually like them all separately.  Wings, John Lennon, their individual albums I actually like more than the band itself, personal opinion for me.

Yeah, they really have their own style, their own kind of writing, and you can definitely tell which one it is, so that's cool.

And you talked about melody as well, I noticed with the last song off the new album, "The Afterlife", the closing song.  The solo you play, the first two and it repeats, it has this lifting melody that, it's one of the most "happiest" moments I've heard from the band.  Someone who's not into Metal, can like and love that moment.  Tell me about your placement of melody on this album, and how it ventured differently from the first two?  Because you're right, I noticed it right away, in a lot of parts, during the songs and especially the last song as well.

It's a lot more melodic, that's exactly where I wanted to go, to direct the band.  Whereas I said, it's getting a little bit less technical on the fretboard, or like the drumming itself, it's still really technical, but it's more into the composition and the choices we do like the colors and stuff.  And even the drums, so here it is.  I work separately with each member, Hugo, Phil, and Kevin.  So, once I finish writing all the songs, I send them the songs, and I work with them through explaining what I hear when I listening to those songs, and composing.  Phil is a really outstanding good drummer, and I think we communicate really good, like musically together.  But still, it's hard sometimes.  Art is so much of, like it's your personal background, it's how you feel.  What have you listened to, and what are you on this right moment, which will influence your writing?  And so Phil, there's that ending part in "Binomial Structures", (Simon humming the ending melody of the song), that one was something really, really simple, but it just gets in your head.  And there's some tiny little details like all around it, and little difference, but keep it simple.  Phil was going a little crazy, and I was like, "Okay, so let's keep it simple.  We have some two different types and different measure and repeat it.  I feel it's perfect like this, choosing the right amount between technicality and emotions.  So people can recall the same with the two little solos you mentioned on "The Afterlife."  So it's something I wanted to just put again, because it feels good, it feels short, it's hard to explain--

I'm kind of getting a little bit, as much as I can.

(laughs)

This is Hugo's first time working the new record, right?  I can tell from opening band Equipoise and with Beyond Creation as well, his confidence, tone, and presence.  Feels like he's more comfortable than I can remember.  Tell me about his contributions on the album for his first time, and what he provided for you in the band, as a musician?

Hugo is really, really talented.  I think because obviously he picked up "Forest's (Dominic Lapointe) work on The Aura and Earthborn Evolution, so he caught all this kind of emotions and background from the previous album.  And so he kind of knew that he had a big chunk to fill (laughs).  But at the same time, was keeping and telling him, the new direction with this new album, was really melodic and emotions.  It doesn't matter how technical it is.  First rule is:  Get a message, get an emotion out of the fans, people that listen to it.  And I think you really manage to do something really, really interesting for bassists and players.  And at the same time, people that listen to it and don't really know music or theory, or anything, it can appreciate.  There's a lot of details, but it serves well, the music.  Some people might not like it because they might see it as too much, but for us we're really confident, and he did a really good job.  As I said, same thing, I was writing both guitars, and once the song is finished, I sent him the track, and he can start working on it.  I could after get to this place and explaining to him, a more in detail is what I wanted, as like background or if it's just sometimes the bass is out front, or sometimes it needs to serve more of an ambience kind of bit.

About Kevin (Chartre, guitarist of Beyond Creation), I believed he joined the band about a year or two after you started the band, close to that?

2008.

A pretty long time, as the longest member aside yourself, obviously.  Talk to me about how he's contributed with your work.  And as a band member, as a friend, as a guitar player, he recreates all the stuff that you do on stage, so he has a somewhat decent understanding of what you play, tell me about his presence, inspiration, and ability in your band?

Kevin is a really, really good guitar player, and he has a lot of imagination, a nice presence.  So, I've been writing all the songs, guitars, but all of his solos are really unique, and he really gets his own feeling, his own touch.  And there's also a thing where, so where I'm composing this song but, the way he plays is definitely different than I am.  So, when we record, it's definitely like, you can definitely tell he played that part.

In detail, what does he do different than you in certain ways?

I mean, it's just the way he picks, the way you do the slides, it's little details.

That's what I must know, you know?

Yeah, it's little details.  But you can definitely tell, there's some part where he tracks both guitars and some others, where I did track both guitars, so it's more...feels the same, right?  It's not too much like, separated.  And on the new album, he wrote "Surface's Echoes", the 2nd part of the song.  So he wrote the last part, and I just had my part.  He also created two of the lyrics on the album.  Lyrics is always something hard for me, because it's at the really end of the process, where I do all the music and then once it's finished, I have like, really good idea of the ambience of each song, and what can I talk about.  I love to talk about things that mean something to me, it's not like, I'm not into that gore kind of thing.  So yeah, being there, when I was writing some stuff, and it's fun to involve and like, improve yourself as a writer.  He knows that I kind of struggle sometimes, and he just said like, "Hey!  I have some text with me, if you wanna like read it, we can work it out and make it on the album."  And I was like, "Yeah, that's really nice idea."  I was pretty happy that he offered me.  So yeah, we worked this text together, I think it's, the context of the album was a really good fit with those lyrics.  He did "The Afterlife", and also "Ethereal Kingdom", so it fits well.

Would you say this is the first time you allowed, or asked the other band members for more contribution than say the first two albums?

Well, I did all the lyrics on the other albums, and I did 100% of all the riffs and songs on the other albums.  But on this one, it just came out where the vocals was, he offered me and I was kind of struggling a little bit, so I was really happy and took it with a lot of joy.  I was pretty happy he offered.

Would that translate to maybe in other future albums or songs, where the other band members would maybe contribute a little more?  Or is it more comfortable that you know what the band needs to do musically?  And their input is great at that point, or would be a point where maybe they can write a song for the album?  Would that ever be something that would ever conspire, since you said there was more contribution on this record, lyrically and musically beyond?

It's hard to tell.  Of course, the fun part is to create music, so to me it's like, it's not, I don't feel like the way to compose music, it just comes, and I do it with a lot of passion and fun.  I'm really happy, because all the guys, every song that I've put out, every part that I wrote, they like it.  And you can definitely tell they appreciate--

They believe in you.

Yeah, exactly.  They appreciate what I create, and it works really good like this.  So I'm not close-minded to anyone.  Kevin wrote the 2nd part of "Surface's Echoes", but I just think that it works really well the way it is, since the beginning.  We all find our places where in the arrangement they have their own space, and own spice.

It's been a year since the band was supporting Archspire and Obscura, and this tour headlining, is there a sense that the well-received crowds and the shows this tour, is it going to be sooner than later that the band would like to tour coming up here?  Or would you wait for another big headlining tour, or even a bigger support tour, maybe later in the year?

Well, we definitely want to come back to the US.  Before the Obscura tour, we've been out for two years, so we haven't played the US in two years.  So yeah, we definitely want to come back and see our fans again, but it would probably since we are now playing the Algorythm tour, it would definitely be with other bands, maybe as direct support or opener, we'll see.  It's always hard to tell exactly when, but before the next album we will definitely come back, in the US.

My last question, about your three albums.  I'd like to ask and know, that each album is a signature of Beyond Creation, but each album differs in the riffing, the production, atmosphere, lyrics, and the song lengths as well.  Tell me--and you can say this album is your very best, and I would say it is overall your most well-balanced, best record.  But each album I know meant in something in one way or the other, tell me what did each album at the point you made it, really mean to you?  There was a lot of transformation and growth it sounds like within your life, and it who you are, that translated into your music.  

So, The Aura is definitely the 20s, where we have a lot of energy and speed, it's really technical.  That's funny, because we were practicing those songs, all of them, because we want to play songs in the next few dates.  So yeah, The Aura was really, I don't know, energetic.  Earthborn Evolution was where progressive really hit me, more than before.  I always come to them, "Okay, I know The Aura, people like it.  It's technical, we have a lot of fun playing it."  But at the same time, I wanted to incorporate things that I wanted to play at this very right moment.  But still, you kind of definitely tell there's kind of a, I don't go out like completely.  It's still technical, fast, and there's some progressive elements but, it's still very bottled up.  The third one, Algorythm, which is definitely the one I like the most, that I prefer playing it.  With the years, I always remember when we were practicing for The Aura, that one guy in another band was telling me, "Oh you'll see later, you're going to be bored of playing fast and technical, and that you just want to have fun."  I was like, "Yeah, yeah yeah!" Whatever, we'll see (laughs).  And the more it goes, it's not that I don't want to play fast or it's not I don't want to play technical stuff, but it's more...I understand more now where in composition what I involve, and where you can create some beautiful atmospheres with something that is maybe a little more easy listening, and that people can really dig, from the first listen.  Having a concept album is something that I've been dreaming for a long time.  I just think it's magical, other albums, it's not all the bands that do this, and when I hear bands do concept albums, if it's well-made I just think it's genius.  I was happy to work that way one of my big inspirations, Cynic, Traced in Air.  I love this album!  I just think, you can't just listen to one song, it's the whole thing!

It's pretty underrated too, because everyone will talk about Focus more, for good reason.  But Traced in Air is really good too.

Outstanding good, I love that album.  And so yeah, I wanted to get something where everything matched together, all the atmospheres.  And at the same time, every song is different, there's something we called it all together, and I had a lot of fun doing this and will certainly try eventually to make another one.  I would say the new one is the point where I was really confident that it was the right moment to explore and push the boundaries, where there's no more, I don't care...some people maybe prefer The Aura, and some others prefer the last one, that's where I set myself.  I don't really care anymore what people will say, because you play what you like and what you love, that's how people will feel it.  If you force yourself to play something, I think people will see it eventually.  The Aura at the time, I was really happy to play it and really into it, but now a couple of years later I'm somewhere else.  I still love to play those songs, it's really nice.  We all worked on it, and it's Beyond Creation.  But, where am I right now, I want to play something at this very right moment that I really care about and really love.  It's way different then the beginning.  Metal is still my love, my little baby.  I will write Metal music of course, but we can definitely see the more it goes, the more progressive it gets.  Pushing with those, old Rock and Roll solos.

David Gilmour, you mean.

Exactly, exactly! (laughs) And I have multiple other projects for myself, which I have a Blues project, and that gets me, and pushes me in another direction where I compose with Beyond Creation, I'm already familiar with other stuff, where I can work around to incorporate Beyond Creation.  And it doesn't feel like, it's more of a transition or something people will understand, not just, "So you just put 70s music there, he put some Death Metal there, Progressive."  It's a whole thing people can travel through.

Any last words for the rest of this tour?  For 2020 not too long ago, the new album's been out a year already and we're almost to 2020, anything you'd like to say for the rest of 2019 and beyond?

Well, of course we still have a couple of dates on this tour, pretty much half of the tour.  It's been rad so far, so so nice.  We're really happy, thanks to everyone who showed up to the shows, and buy our music.  It is what keeps us doing what we do, keeps us creating music and tours.  Look at our website, facebook page, to see all the dates that are coming. We will definitely announce some new tours, because of course one year ago we put this new record, but it's still a process where we still have a lot of places to tour and get there for the first time.  Please check it out, keep an eye on us and thank you all for your support, we appreciate it.