The Foetal Mind (TFM) was the absolute surprise for me last year. As you already read about the band in my review of the debut album "The Grand Contraction", this band is the child of the talented musician Yohann a.k.a. Lord Trowe. Since I like them so much, it was natural to wish to know more about them. Lord Trowe was very kind to answers to my questions. Full of modesty and common sense, Lord Trowe speaks about past, present and future. Below are his words:

Hello Yohann. First of all, can you explain the name of the band?

The Foetal Mind expresses the original state, the first life feeling.
Something for which you don't have words to explain. These are feelings, positive for someone, negative for others, which during our way was exceptionaly significant for us and which conditioned what makes today our life.

What made you quit on vocalist and release an instrumental album? Though, the first song on the album, “Big Crunch” contains vocal lines provided by Lord Dreef. What was the reason to put that particular song on the album? Is this track a reminder of the old TFM era, or a tease for the future Deprived of Light (DOL) album?

On January 1st 2010, Lord Dreef announced me about his departure. Then our project were modified.
Gigs were cancelled, our gatherings were impossible, our rehearsals, also....His various reasons broke the band. However, despite of this sadness and hatred, TFM remained alive for me...
So I looked for a new vocal and I finally found Segomaros from the band Catuvolcus, native of Quebec.
We afterward collaborated for a track, "Big Crunch", but he was not able to continue because
he had to assure the release his own project-album.
I don't know what to say about the future of TFM, but the project will continue to live as long as I'm capable to produce music.

With the exception of drums, you all played the instruments on the album. It is because of your ego, do you want to have the full control of this project? Or the reason is that you simply didn’t find right musicians?

I think that I chose to move forward alone within TFM, to maintain my ideas, although I always
wanted to share my music with other musicians.
With the past line-up (Lord Dreef, Warwollfs, Leiden and Lord Vaahl) I found really fascinated musicians and in agreement with my ideas, as if their vision of the world was the same.
It was a very good experience because we heard little from ourselves, since only Lord Vaahl is living near to me.
But for the other members, lots of kilometers separated us. Despite of the distance, we managed to settle a special atmosphere and a good organization of our work, and thanks to this, we were finally able to imagine a day to see the project alive, on stage.

Can we say that “The Grand Contraction” is a conceptual album?

"The Grand Contraction" is an album marking a revival, a revival after a sudden death...
The objective for me was also to see the project rising from the ashes by using our first ideas. And we practially exploited them in our debut album, "Suprême Cheminement".

What can you tell my about the wonderful cover of the album?

The artwork expresses a total chaos, the end of life on earth. And, more precisely, the of humanity. We can see a human head exploding there, destroying everything around. This is the bad human result...

Is TMF just a studio project? Will you try to play this album live?

To be very honest, the project is for the moment an album project, but the future will tel us the opposite, maybe...

You have recently found the band Deprived Of Light (DOL), with the vocalist Psychotic. Do you see DOL as a vocal extension of TFM music? Will you disband TFM and focus only on DOL?

DOL corresponds to the logical extension of TFM music way, but the influences from this project are different. Even if I am now a member of DOL and even if we plan to work more and more in the near future, TFM will still remain active.

This year you will go to Australia for a long period. Is this a spiritual journey? Do you intend to form another group with Aussies musicians?

I wish to go to live for one year in Australia, to see new things, to open my eyes and my spirit, and meet new poeple. I hope to find a big source of inspiration there and, why not, to share some moments with foreign musicians.

Which are your musical influences? And your favorite bands?

I listen to few, but I am a Metal music lover. Passer-by of the Doom in Black Metal,
in Death Melodic, in Pagan, in the Post Rock, in the Ambient. I try to find in every genre a particular atmosphere. I could quote many groups which marked me, such as Shapes Of Despair, Agalloch, Dissection, Silencer, Nortt, Xasthur, Austere, Alcest, Long Distance Calling, Envy, Year Of No Light, Insomnium...

How do you see the French metal scene? Is it sustained by fans and mass-media? Who’s your favorite French band?

The French Metal scene is very active, especially in the underground, but locally centred in the North of France. In the South is not much developed, because there are always so many bands following a new musical wave, who are born and who die the same year.
However, some organizations, such as Chapel Of Ghouls, Planet Metal, Metal Bible, allow the bands to be heard.
There are also fans or friends who support the band and help it spreading their music. And we need them, to continue doing that!

A last word…..?

I hope I brought precision on your questions. And I thank you for dedicating your time for TFM.
I hope to come back from my journey with new ideas, in order to work on the third album of TFM and the debut album of DOL.
And briefly, especially for the fans : Be patient and keep supporting us! We need you all!
A new TFM song will be uploaded on Myspace soon!
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More informations about The Foetal Mind can be found on their MySpace Page.

Lord Trowe of The Foetal Mind interview on blastbeat.nl

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:43:35 +0100

Interview with The Foetal Mind

-You’re stationed in Languedoc-Rousillion, France. How is the Depressive Black Metal scene in Perpignan?

The scene is rather depressed,here. The personal albums are quite popular.There are few concerts, most people prefer music called "violent"
(mainly death and Punk). Doing this kind of music represents a challenge to all levels, both hold concerts than repeating in group.

-You’ve just released your album called: ’’Suprême Cheminement’’ Can you explain the title of the album and the concept?

The concept of this album is to show our progress during the first 2 years of the project called TFM, from the one-man band to a group composed of 5 members.
A fetus still in utero, which will take its final shape during the coming years through the forthcoming concerts and new albums.
The next album is also planned for late 2010..

-You are the first band on the label Hypnotic Dirge Records that has a full line-up and play live shows. How do you feel about that?

I am particularly pleased !! It is true that after a time, Vaahl, Dreef and me despaired of finding musicians who can move the group in the right direction.
We had musicians, but they either lacked musical maturity or motivation to TFM.
We then (after months of fruitless searches) was contacted by Warwolffs (Ndlr bassist).
He lived very far from us, which we implied that it could not operate.
Meanwhile, Leiden (ndlr 2nd guitarist) joined us, and even if they live far enough,their motivation was (and remains) so as to give an exciting dimension to TFM!
Both say that the excitation for Vaahl, Dreef and me is at its paroxysm!
Our collaboration has led naturally to want to play on stage the music that transports us elsewhere and we are currently working in this direction.

-How did the cooperation between TFM and HDR start?

TFM and HDR met on the net and were told to work together on "Suprême Cheminement".

-What can we expect from TFM in the future?

We want to make living the scene, especially the one near us because we love this music.
The albums are just a reflection of a superficial disease that eats us inside constantly.
Therefore making shows allows us to free ourselves from the shackles imposed on us the extreme scene, without shrewdness,
releasing what we have deep within us and the extreme scene in France is trying to stifle.

-Do you have a last message for the Dutch readers?

We hope that soon we will come play with you, because the German people are known to us for his good taste in music.. and beer !

Lord Trowe

tfm---blog

Final Words (for now) from TFM!!

The Foetal Mind Interview w/ Metal Believe Webzine

THE FOETAL MIND - A Journey To The Inner Mind

News - October 2010

'The Grand Contraction' Video Teaser

The Foetal Mind - Suicide Solution Rehearsal Video

Lord Trowe of The Foetal Mind interview on blastbeat.nl