ALTA ROSSA - From Chaos To Better Days ! (Sludge/Post-Metal - Interview with Thomas).
- Please introduce yourself and let me know how it all began with the band ?
We are ALTA ROSSA, an Atmospheric & Violent Sludge band from Besançon, in eastern France. Even before Alta Rossa, we all knew each other a bit, mainly through concerts and rehearsal studios. We also worked with other bands, some of which included members who are now in Alta Rossa. Since we all work in the music field, we were seeing each other quite often.
The band is made up of Mathieu on drums, Dess on bass, Antoine on vocals, and Jordan & Thomas on guitars. There were some minor lineup adjustments at the very beginning, but they’re anecdotal. We all come from bands with varying levels of experience in the studio, on tour, and so on. Asidefromaday, The Erkonauts, Horskh, PrisonLife, and Flesh are some of the bands we have been or are still a part of.
We’ve released our first album, Void Of An Era in February 2022 and our forthcoming album, A Defiant Cure, will be release on November, 22nd, 2024 also on Source Atone Records.
- Describe your sound and explain why I should listen to YOUR band at all cost ?
Defining our style is a tough question for us, haha. We’d say we oscillate between something primarily cold and violent Sludge with touches of black, post-hardcore, and some aggressive doom.
We aim to keep our sound intense yet laced with a form of melancholy and powerful atmospheres. We actually think it’s an advantage to be hard to pin down to a specific group (without claiming we do things better), even if, overall, it’s undeniably Metal.
- Lyrical and musical inspirations/influences ? How important are the lyrics for you ? Are there any specific messages or thoughts you try to develop and share through your lyrics ?
Lyrics are fundamental in Alta Rossa. In fact, some lyrics were written even before the music itself. There’s real pleasure in writing, researching, and developing our ideas. We enjoy telling stories with meaning and creating a form of poetry in the process, which also helps guide the musical composition of our tracks.
Our inspirations come from films, like those of Ken Loach or Soylent Green, and also from various philosophical approaches, drawing reinterpretations from thinkers like Nietzsche or Kropotkin, and novels from authors such as Ursula K. Le Guin.
We’re big consumers of art, documentaries, and radio in general. Listing everything that inspires us would probably be endless, encompassing video games, classic sci-fi novels, or a podcast on practically any topic.
There is, however, a major theme we aim to convey: "sharing." We want to foster a desire for unity and convergence through individual awareness, a desire to come together, to envision a world with a complete society—without walls or borders, for instance. We also aim to highlight beauty and positivity, steering clear of immersing ourselves in bad news, pessimism, and selfishness. The idea of finding a way forward as individuals, promoting collective growth not by stepping over others but by supporting them—this is the positive vision we want to share. It doesn’t mean it’s simple or that we do it without anger, without metaphor, or perfectly. Maybe we’re just trying, but one thing is certain: we do it with deep sincerity.
- About your latest release ?
For guitars, bass, and vocals, we worked at Wood Noise Studio (Managed by Jordan, one our guitarist) and Studio Le Zèbre in our hometown of Besançon, always with the help of a great friend, Thomas Fournier (aka "Robby"), who handled part of the sound recording. We were quite particular about the tones and textures we wanted for this album—there was a lot of contradiction and paradox as we tried to pin down exactly what we were looking for. For our first album, we didn’t pay much attention to tuning, effects, drumhead choices, or speaker selection. The album just sounds like it does, and if we were to record it today, we’d probably do it completely differently, but we’re still proud of it. With Thomas, we took the time to work on all these details, to experiment, and make intentional choices. When it came to mixing and mastering, his initial proposals hit exactly what we wanted. He’s the kind of person who listens, pays attention to detail, and can explain why something works (or doesn’t) from a technical standpoint—a friend you love having but are maybe just a bit jealous of, haha.
For the artwork, we reached out to our friend Simon Chognot, who’s exceptionally talented in both drawing and painting. We sent him some lyrical themes, a few notes, and a few sounds, then gave him free rein. The result blew us away.
We’ve released two music videos: one featuring our talented friend and singer Lauve for the track “The Art Of Tyrant,” and the other, “From This Day On,” with a more straightforward hardcore energy.
Source Atone Records, who supported us on the first album, is back on board for this one, and we’re thrilled to be offering three beautiful editions: a digifile CD and two different-colored vinyls. The first pressing of our debut album is sold out, so we’re releasing a limited new edition of 100 copies, also in two colors.
You can find all of this on our label’s site: Source Atone Records or, of course, at our merch table at shows!
- Future plans ?
We’re gearing up for live shows to promote our new album as best as we can. We’re working on a custom light show, doing residency sessions to lock in the final details, and so on. We want to deliver high-quality live performances!
At the same time, we’re slowly starting to work on new material, but our main focus remains on the album release and the upcoming shows.
- Your most insane dream with the band would be ?
I have to say, a long tour around the world in packed, intimate clubs sounds amazing! We’re built for live shows, with the drive to go all out every time and make sure we’re leaving it all on stage.
- Your BEST & WORST concert - as a band - and why ?
The worst moment was probably early on when we found ourselves on a big stage with some bad technical conditions. It wasn’t the most enjoyable experience, haha. It was our first or second gig i think…
Picking the best moment is even harder because we’ve played in so many amazing places with great vibes overall. But if we had to choose, it would likely be the show for the physical release of our first album at La Rodia. Friends organized it, and the lineup featured four bands made up of friends. We had just come out of lockdown, the venue was packed, and it was a huge reunion, with people finally seeing each other again after so long. It was an incredible moment—and we even smashed a guitar on stage, haha!
- Next live-appearance(s) ?
Alta Rossa will be playing in Lyon at the DeathAwaits Fest for our album release, and we're celebrating the album's launch at home on January 23 at La Rodia. We've already got a few shows lined up for 2025 with our friends from Proudhon and are actively booking more for the first half of the year. We're doing everything we can to play as much as possible!
- Some words on your local scene - bands you're friends with and you'd like to name ?
The local scene in Besançon is rich and diverse. There's a solid grind and crust scene with bands like Proudhon, Whoresnation, and Barrage. You'll also find rock-oriented groups like Jack And The Bearded Fishermen and Shoot The Singers, as well as electronic acts like Horskh and Vyryl. Lauve, who features on our first single from A Defiant Cure, is releasing her debut songs in a more Neo Soul style. Overall, Besançon has a very developed and diverse music scene.
- Last word is yours..
Thanks for the interview! Feel free to follow us on our social media, add us to your playlists, and definitely harass your local promoters to get us on stage so we can rock out together !.
More Interviews
