Mindlag Project

Line up

The band is born on the ashes of a former formation called Scarecrew, founded in 1995, which played a music influenced by Thrash and Heavy Metal. In 1999, Mindlag Project is created. It was originally a side-project of the members of Scarecrew, and finally become their priority

It was originally componed of Manu Martinez (Guitar), Julien Martinez (Drums), Richard Mariette (Bass) and Nicolas "Nemo" Molina (Vocals) But quickly the line up has changed, and Mathieu Melero took the place of singer in the Band. In 2001, the band recruits Vincent Gross to insure the second guitar, and Gilles Gautier as a bassist.

In 2009, after the recording of their first LP, Romain Dallier, who has recorded the Cello in it, join the band as a full-time member.

In May 2009, Vincent Gross leaves the band, and will be replaced by Sylvain Cantrel. (ex-Generis)

Career

The band has released its first EP called Karybda in 2002, selfproduced and recorded in the studios All productions by Christian Carvin (which have also recorded bands like Eths and The more I see (the Metal band of Graham 'Gizz' Butt from the Prodigy)...)

Karybda has been distributed through Musicast from 2003.

Mindlag Project makes his teeth on stage, and soon the association Hybride is created, in order to organize Metal concerts in their country, and to promote the French Metal scene. During several years, they've organised two festivals a year; the Hybride Festival and the Open Festival; and have programmed the most famous French metal bands At these occasions, the band has shared the scene with Gojira, Eths, Hed PE, Dagoba, Hacride, Aqme, Tagada Jones...

In 2004, the band returns in studio with Christian Carvin, to record Skylla, a logical following to Karybda, referring to the proverb “to fall between Scylla and Charybdis”. The band achieves his goal, and is signed by the label Customcore records. This album will first be distributed in France through Overcome records, and in North America, through Great White North Records. These distribution companies have stopped their activities, and it is now distributed in USA and Asia through Good Life

In 2006, Mindlag Project decides to record "De Charybde en Scylla..." an EP, in order to make a transition, mostly in their concept, between their “dyad” and their first LP. After the release of this EP, the band starts to record their first LP, and decides not to stop working until they’re fully satisfied of the album. They entrust the strings arrangements to Romain Dallier, which is now a full-time member of the band.

In October 2008, the band organizes a release party, to present their new album to their audience before releasing it, and on that occasion, they also screen a short film produced the short movie by Manu and his collaborators from the association Kathar6, which he presides. This film traces the childhood of Jon De Grimpclat.

This self-titled album is released on March 2009 on the label Pervade Productions, and is physically distributed through Socadisc over Europe. It also digitally distributed through Believe digital

After a French tour as headliner in October 2009, the band participates to its first European tour with Six Feet Under and Illdisposed on May 2010.

The band has appeared in some Streetcult compilations in Usa, with among other bands, Fear Factory, Skinlab, Otep, Leaves' Eyes, Tristania, Snot, Anti-Flag, and on FrenchMetal compilations in France, with bands like Samael or Punish Yourself

Jon De Grimpclat

The band evolves in a very conceptual universe, regulate by the adventures of Jon De Grimpclat, the dark hero from all their albums. Jon is a real dandy, dead languages professor, engaged into morbid extra-curricular activities, as he is a serial killer. However, he acts with certain ethical, in the name of justice, at least, his justice… He has lived a tragic childhood, losing his mother at the age of eight years, finding her dead downstairs in the family mansion. His father; remarried too soon and forsaking him because of his work (He is a fighter pilot); and his mother in law; with whom he has bad relations; don’t realize that the others children jeered at him, because he doesn’t talk much, and is exuberant.

Psychologic approach

Jon’s mind autopsy allows band to dispose of an empirical method to base their topic on, which consist in perpetuate a certain vision of “beautiful things” (in an artistic way), by using a strange aesthetic.

The band think that the perception of the beautiful in our occidental society had become perverted by some castrating ethics that constantly associate the concept of beauty with the one of goodness. But, in their opinion, beauty cannot be confined to a simple moral value. The fact of trying to make crime beautiful, or at least, to provoke in this domain, is a real leitmotiv for the band, which try to show that even a bad thing can be considered beautiful.

This vision has been inspired, among others, by the work of Charles Baudelaire; who is a huge influence for the band. The band has even quoted a poem of him, “L’hymne à la beauté” (Les fleurs du mal) in its song “De Charybde en Scylla”.

Greek Mythology

Since their beginnings, the band refers to several mythology, but mainly Greek Mythology. This in partly explained by the fact that it is related to the profession of Jon De Grimpclat, but also because Polytheist civilisation cosmogony is very symbolic. The fact of using ancestral symbols allows to deeply touch human being, and it’s a way for the band to gain access to a kind of universality.

Discography

1. En tu cara !
2. Addiction
3. Mindlag
4. Dépression
5. Erreur Divine
6. Aphasie
7. Serve the noise

1. Desdemona
2. Guerilla
3. Until the end
4. Du pain et des jeux
5. Into the void of death
6. Mika
7. Doomsday

1. De Charybde en Scylla
2. Take on the strike back
3. Guerilla (live)
4. Du pain et des jeux (live)
5. Doomsday (live)

1. Noctambule Problématique
2. Cerbera
3. Cayenne
4. Duel (in memoria eternam)
5. La chute
6. Rebecca'
7. O mes frères
8. Charisme Egyptien
9. Jon De Grimpclat
10. Lugubre amendement
11. Na salvia
12. L'échappée belle
13. Le détour
14. La fin absolue du monde