Interview with Jacob Lizotte from Feign

With the release of his first full-length album, “Atlas,” due out later this month, Jacob Lizotte the mastermind behind the band, Feign, was kind enough to take the time and answer some questions I had for him. This one-man band combines atmospheric black metal and melodic death metal to create one unique and enjoyable listening experience. You can find a link to my review of, “Atlas,” at the end of this interview. 

Hi there Jacob! Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. Also, congratulations on your first full-length release, “Atlas.” How does it feel to have a full-length album out and available for people to check out?

Jacob: It feels mighty fine.

Now I reviewed, “Into the Void” last year and have heard some of the songs from “Lost to Eternity,” and I really enjoy those recordings, especially the songs on, “Into the Void.” What did you learn from those releases that might have helped influence you when writing and recording, “Atlas?”

Jacob: I liked the demos but I hadn’t fully captured the essence of how I wanted Feign to sound until now. The sound will continue to evolve, but now I feel as if it’s really established itself.

Production quality is extremely important and it can truly make or break an album in my opinion. How you do feel about the album’s production quality? Also, can you maybe talk about where you recorded the album and briefly go through the process?

Jacob: It gives the exact vibe that I wanted it to give. I wouldn’t change any aspect of the production, I want it to sound a bit old and weathered but while conveying a certain amount of clarity and allowing all of the layers to stay audible. I recorded it in my bedroom with an SM57.

I feel there are a lot of solid tracks on this release to where I would have a hard time picking out a favorite. Is there a song on the album you feel most proud of writing, or are there maybe a few tracks you think really standout?

Jacob: I like the title track a lot, mostly because it’s like an entire beast in its own. The title track was written last summer and it took me by far the longest it’s ever taken for me to write a single song. I’m proud of it, I think it’s sort of a good “overview” of the album and ends it on a good note. Other than that, I really like “…A Visitor” and I will definitely be exploring more emotional and melodic ideas like that in future releases.

As much as I hear atmospheric black metal in your music, I also hear a variety of other unique sounding musical elements at times. I was wondering if you could talk about some of the bands who influenced you growing up and maybe inspired you to write your own music? 

Jacob: I could give you a list of super obscure black metal bands to sound musically savvy, or I could be honest and tell you what really influenced me and potentially shift the way you see or hear the music. Feign is more influenced by melodic death metal then anything. I grew up listening to a ton of In Flames, Metallica, At The Gates, Soilwork and even Killswitch Engage. You get the point, I love all forms of music and appreciate all forms of metal and music. In my mind Feign is early In Flames with blast beats, high screams and a heavier emphasis on atmosphere and progressive elements. I love Black Metal and everything but it’s not where my heart lies completely by any means.

Not only do I find the instrumental compositions to be extremely creative, but the lyrics on this album also seem to convey great imagination. I was wondering, where do you look for lyrical inspiration and maybe talk about the lyrical origins for some of these songs?

Jacob: I’m not really sure. I sort’ve just try and use imagery and metaphors to convey certain ideas about society, relationships and even my own personal thoughts. It’s not THAT well thought out, to be honest, it’s just as thought as the music itself.

Are you interested in getting other musicians to come in and play with you in Feign, or do you want to keep this a one-man band? Also, are you interested in having Feign play live shows at some point?

Jacob: I wouldn’t mind collaborating but I’m sure I’d be hard to work with at this point, after years and years of creating music on my own. Playing shows would be neat but again, I don’t know anyone that plays instruments and I don’t mind doing it solo. If you know anyone who can play drums or something have them give me a shoutout.

I know this might be a bit early since, “Atlas,” is just being released, but is there already another potential album in the works? Will there be more creative atmospheric extreme sounding music in the future listeners can except from Feign? If this is top secret classified information I understand you might not be able to give the readers the full details, but maybe subtle hints might be sufficient...

Jacob: It’s top secret. Only 3 people in the known world possess such highly volatile information, and will be shot on command if they utter any word or phrase that hints at its existence. Kidding! Yeah, I mean I’ve actually recently been working on newer stuff and it’s been super fun. I’ve enjoyed writing for Feign now more than ever, the sound is expanding and I’m drawing on new elements, as well as other cool things going on. It should be fun to see how the newer music will compare to Atlas and such. I’m thinking about bringing in some electronic elements and maybe more thrashy/death metal type stuff just lingering in there. But of course the sole sound will stay and there will be moments of “classic Feign” sprinkled all over it. It’ll be like an ice cream cone with chocolate sprinkles!

Well, congratulations once again and I truly believe your hard work has paid off, because “Atlas” is definitely an album that I highly recommend people check out. Can’t wait for what Feign has to offer up next! Cheers! \m/

Jacob: Thanks mate. Hold up them devil horns for me! I appreciate the interview!

Link to Review of "Atlas":

http://rockandmetaltemple.blogspot.com/2016/06/feign-atlas.html

Link to Feign Facebook Page: 

https://www.facebook.com/feignband/?fref=ts

Feign "Atlas"

    After releasing an impressive demo last year which I happened to review, the one-man black metal project known as, Feign, is back with a full-length release full of atmospheric black metal wonder. “Atlas,” is a debut full-length release that truly ascends into the cosmic extreme musical world with endless amounts of creativity. 

    Feign’s demo, “Into the Void,” really caught my attention last year and I am quite pleased to see the one-man black metal act back again with a full-length album. I felt that the demo had the potential to develop into a full-length release which was mainly due to how the songs seemed to intertwine and the music flowed in one harmonious direction. In the review for the demo I remember expressing how I wanted Feign to continue pushing the boundaries of creativity and focus on coming up with more dynamic and massive sounding atmospheric pieces. Sure enough, I feel like the band answered my expectations and each song on this new album is masterfully crafted. Also, we are talking about a well organized and thoughtfully composed release that pulls the listener into a powerful sounding atmospheric black metal world that is twisted into a variety of progressive forms at times to never sound dull or constantly repetitive. 

    The album begins with the pleasant sounding piano piece, “Starstrum.” As the piano fades and next song, “Into the Celestial Nothingness,” begins, the music takes a more aggressive turn and explodes into a fiery world of distorted guitars and rapid drum beats along with vicious black metal style vocals. Each sound seems to compliment the other and I like how the melodic moments are strategically incorporated into the music to not sound out of place. The balance between the harsh sounding black metal sounds and soothing atmospheric touches is brilliantly accomplished. Track three, “...A Visitor,” features a solid begin riff that maintains a solemn tone. The tempo eventually changes and the black metal vocals growl over the vivid sounding guitar notes that come screaming out of the speakers. 

    Switching over to a cinematic sounding instrumental piece called, “Haven in the Sky,” Feign offers listeners more musical diversity, but still follows this perfectly connected atmospheric theme. The following song, “Lunarity,” once again demonstrates that amazing balance of melodic and extreme sounding moments. The tempo is very relaxing even with the black metal vocals singing over the interstellar trance like guitar riffs. Taking a more traditional black metal approach the song, “Deathwisher,” slowly builds up into an explosive drum assault with catchy trem picking guitar parts. Still, Feign does not settle for repetitive simplicity and pushes the music in a variety of directions. There is even a moment of clean vocals, which I was a bit caught off guard by since the black metal style was used mainly for the previous tracks. 

    The final song I want to mention is the title track, “Atlas.” Without question my favorite song on the album, this long piece of atmospheric black metal is exciting and engaging from the very beginning. The recording of the instruments is top notch and the overall composition is always evolving. Take for example the transition to an acoustic guitar riff that eventually returns with great triumph to the extreme black metal sounds. 

    I know the production of Feign’s, “Atlas,” is not raw and kvlt like as if the music was recorded in the forbidden woods off of a crappy tape recorder, however, Feign goes above and beyond to show how the world of atmospheric black metal is open to endless amounts of creative and clever interpretation. For a first full-length album, I think the guy who wrote all this music deserves major respect. My only recommendation would be to keep the pedal down by finding ways to push the musical boundaries. Also,  take some of the more simple and slightly repetitive moments and see what else he can come up with. Overall though, the album is a planetary crushing release and worth listening to if you enjoy atmospheric black metal that contains a variety of other elements as well. 

Feign "Lunarity" :

Feign Facebook Page: 

https://www.facebook.com/feignband/?fref=ts

Feign "Into the Void"

    Atmospheric Black Metal is a style of music that can offer listeners endless wonder and allow the musician to incorporate extreme moments of powerful inner human expression. This is a type of metal that if composed right, can allow people to escape the reality in which they live. Each note, each growl and each layer of sound needs to be truly special.
    One man band, Feign, offers a three song demo that demonstrates some of those qualities that I was talking about. Coming from the state of Maine, the musician Jacob Lizotte is responsible for every instrument played on this demo titled, “Into the Void.” Surprisingly, there are many one man black metal bands, but I have heard few that sound as solid as Feign.
    The first song, “Deathwisher,” comes across as a cosmic black metal extreme dream with a heavy main rhythm that is accompanied by rapid attacking drums. As the guitar notes bleed out over the thunderous percussion, the music seems to slowly expand. I really liked the layering of the instruments and believe the vocal style used fits the sound. Jacob does not try to force the vocal style into the music, but instead allows the lyrics to follow with overall composition.
    After the first track ends the second one quickly begins and transitions into an accelerated black metal instrumental composition. Titled, “Soulcrusher,” the feel of this song is definitely more emotionally charged compared to, “Deathwisher.” This track comes across with a more sinister tone, yet the touches of subtle melodic compositions give the track a unique and dynamic sound. I wish Jacob would have extended the song to be longer than the six minute time range. If he did maybe ten minutes, I think the track could have offered more creative compositions to the already fascinating piece.   
    The last song on this demo is called, “Stargazer.” With this track he fades the demo out with a solemn guitar arrangement. I have heard this often on albums where the band decides to end with a guitar piece. I would have liked something a bit more epic or bombastic sounding that then fades out. Though I do believe the space like tone of the guitar compliments the demo’s overall theme quite well.
    For only three songs I do believe that Feign has great potential. Once a full-length album is released we shall be able to see what Jacob’s musical minds has to offer. The possibilities are endless and hopefully he does not limit himself to the extreme pleasant tools available that make this music so special. If you are a fan of atmospheric black metal and progressive extreme music, you need to listen to this demo and keep a look out for this one man band.

Feign Facebook Page