FUCK THE FACTS
The Sound of Your Smashed Head
By: Erik Thomas
After toiling on independent labels with over thirty splits, EPs and Best-of compilations, Ontario’s FUCK THE FACTS have finally made it to the ‘big time’. I caught up with founder/drummer Topon Das and vocalist Mel Mongeon while on tour to get the low down on one of Relapse’s coolest new signings:
Resound: Stigmata High-Five sounds more cohesive and fluid than the Legacy of Hopelessness EP; less techno beats and random crazy segues. Is that more to do with the lineup changes or direction in songwriting?
Topon: “We put a lot more work into Stigmata High-Five than we had with any previous release. It was about a two-year period from when we started writing to when we finished recording it. Definitely all the line-up changes slowed us down when it came to writing new material, cause we would get new guys and have to put the new stuff aside to get ready for shows and tours. But when it came down to it; we needed to make all the changes in the band so that we could complete this album. When it comes to songwriting, we’re not a band that has a sound or image that we’re trying to market to a certain audience. Our focus is to always write the best music we can, regardless of where it takes us. We don’t write with any pre-determined direction in mind. We’ll just jam, come up with some ideas at home and put it all together to make songs that we feel strongly about. It was surprising that a lot of the songs on Stigmata High-Five ended up being so long, but what I enjoy most is that each song has its own character. You won’t get the whole scope of the album by just hearing a song or two.”
Resound: So then, was the EP more a contract filler than a ‘proper’ release?
Topon: “We released the EP Legacy of Hopelessness independently, so it’s definitely not contract filler. But it did come at a time when we felt that we needed to have something new out. The line-up at the time, though talented, didn’t have the same motivation or time to invest into the band that we needed to do a full-length album. The Legacy line-up was involved in most of the writing of Stigmata High-Five, but obstacles kept getting in the way of us completing and recording it. I had actually written all of Legacy by myself a couple of years earlier for a possible new project, that’s why I do most of the vocals on it, except for one song, which Mel did. I dug it up when I realized the full length wasn’t going to happen anytime soon and we finished it. I’m really happy we released the Legacy EP; for one I really like the songs and I also think it keeps with the progression and experimental variety of FTF.”
Resound: Back when you did your self-titled debut, Vagina Dancer and Backstabbers Etiquette, did you ever imagine you would end up on Relapse?
Topon: “We never thought we’d be on Relapse at the beginning of this year. We did a 2-song pre-production of Stigmata in Oct of 2005 and just sent it out to a handful of labels. We got a couple of offers from some different labels, but nothing that really interested us or we felt fit well with what FTF is about. Relapse contacted us a few days after we had entered the studio to record Stigmata High-Five and we were definitely hyped about working with a label we had followed and respected for so many years. Their releases and roster are a testament to their passion for music that means something to them, and not just bands that are going to move units while a trend is hot. Our two biggest things are work ethic and being open-minded and true to ourselves about the music we create. The dudes at Relapse have definitely made us feel at home.”
Mel: “Backstabber Etiquette was my first recording with FUCK THE FACTS, and at that point, I didn’t even think I would be in the band 4 years later. Back then we just wanted to get in a van and tour across Canada.”
Resound: Mel, do you try and have some French at least somewhere in all FTF records? It sounds so painful when screamed as opposed to its normally romantic sound.
Mel: “Its never forced, but I try to have about one French song per release, as it’s my first language. When I started singing in ‘99, everything I wrote was in French. I wrote my first French FTF song, “La Tete Hors de L’eau”, for our split with SERGEANT SLAUGHTER (2003) and liked the experience. I wrote a second French song, “Eclat-Boue-Sang”, for the Legacy of Hopelessness EP (2005). And for “La Derniere Image”, the first song on Stigmata High-Five, I already had a French text waiting to be used and it just felt right for that song. I got to admit that I find it easier to scream English words... maybe French is too romantic!”
Resound: Can you explain the concept behind the nearly 9 minute closer ‘Dead in the Ruins of Your Own City”? It seems very personal…
Mel: “It’s by far the most personal lyrics I ever wrote, and that makes it really intense for me to play. It’s about a tragic loss that I didn’t deal with properly and never totally faced before writing those lyrics. A friend that I had since high school, and that was really close to me back in the days, got deep into dealing drugs. When we were kids, it was just pot and acid to other kids, but at the end he was dealing coke with the big guys, doing huge transactions. He was a real smart guy but he got really deep into it. He got shot in his car by a customer that owed him around $15,000. The guy wanted to erase his debts. Unfortunately, his girlfriend was with him so she got killed at the same time. That happened two years ago. On the day of the funeral, I couldn’t even get out of work to go. It’s the last song that I wrote for the album. I had put aside that song cause I was scared to write eight minutes worth of lyrics, it also took me a good kick in the ass to write about that subject. But at the end, it ended up being my favorite song of the album.”
Resound: There’s lot of females in extreme metal now: yourself, UNDYING, LIGHT THIS CITY, WALLS OF JERICHO, etc-are there any, male of female in particular you look up too?
Mel: “I’ve heard of WALLS OF JERICHO, but I never actually heard them. I don’t know the other bands. As for singers I look up to, when I was younger I really got influenced by Jeff Walker from CARCASS. Recently, I really got into the voice of VANCOUVER’s (the Swiss sludge drone mongers with members of IMPURE WILHELMINA) singer, Michael. His voice gives me goose bumps. I also really like the voice of MALEFACTION’s singer, Travis Tomchuck. But I do agree that women are taking their place in the heavy music scene, as more women listen to it as well. In many ways, we have a more diverse scene nowadays, and this is needed for its survival and renewal I believe.”
Resound: Why is Canada such a hotbed for this sort of technical brutality (DESPISED ICON, NEURAXIS, BENEATH THE MASSACRE)? Is it the Moosehead Beer? The weather? The socialized healthcare?
Topon: “I would never actually us the word “technical” to describe us. Sure, we try and get better at our instruments to open more doors when it comes to creating music. But I’m hoping more to inspire someone to grab a 4-track and start recording their own music. The Canadian scene is booming. I just think the more good bands you have in your area the more it’ll motivate people. The scene has been growing for at least the last ten years in Canada that I’ve seen, and now that playing aggressive music is becoming more acceptable it’s easier for bands to get there shit out there. We also got a really relaxed and generally supportive feel up here, and the world has been taking notice that Canada has a high output of quality and diverse bands. It keeps you on your toes when you know people are paying attention.”
Stigmata High-Five, the Relapse debut of FUCK THE FACTS is available now in both CD and limited LP format. You can catch the band live on this fall’s Relapse Contamination tour with their new label-mates UNEARTHLY TRANCE and FACEDOWNINSHIT.
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