3rd FROM THE SUN - Fear Less, Live More ! (France - Sci-Fi Metal - Interview with Will).

- Can you introduce yourself and tell us how it all began for you - your encounter with this musical universe, what attracted you, what fascinated you and what made you want to make music?
Hi ! We're 3rd From The Sun, a band that's been around since 2015 under that name. We have quite different life paths within the band, each having started music at a different time but all bathing in it for a long time if not always. We're 4 musicians : Nicolas, Fabien, Thomas and Loïc. Thomas, who joined us in 2022, is Nicolas' son on guitar!

- Tell me about the band... How did you meet - the current line-up - past experiences - and above all - WHY the need to form THIS band?
It all started when Nico and I, Loïc, decided to stop doing covers after a few years of playing with different musicians and start composing something of our own. At the time, we had a friend on vocals, Didier, who left the band shortly after Fabien joined us on drums in 2015, and who immediately put his style to work on our first compositions. That's when we found our identity around the trio. In fact, it was shortly after Fabien's arrival that the band took the direction we've kept ever since, and shortly afterwards we chose this name. Before that, we were still finding our feet. Thomas naturally joined us in 2022 to bring a second guitar and the compositional possibilities that go with it. So, since 2015, we've been out and about in all kinds of venues and festivals, testing and improving our proposal before the 2019 album. We haven't stopped since, and we've been preparing the second one for a while.

- Describe your sound and explain why I should listen to YOUR band at all costs?
Well, we were compared to Voivod quite a lot when the album came out, largely because of the sci-fi theme we adopted. It's very flattering, because they're a really important band who continue to come up with great stuff, but in the end we're a long way from our Canadian friends, if you ask me. If I had to define us, it would be by the credo we wanted to follow with the first album: Fear. Emergency. Paranoia. We wanted to offer a personal metal that vaguely reflected our inspirations, without trying to adopt one style or another. The result oscillates between dark atmospheres and nervous passages. Our sound follows this desire, and we've worked a lot on the effects of breaks and surprises, not necessarily adopting the traditional Verse/Chorus pattern as with our new track "Standing on the Edge of the Crater".

- Lyrical and musical inspirations/influences? How important are lyrics to you? Are there specific messages or thoughts that you try to develop and share through your lyrics?
Well, in terms of musical influences, the list is long. The four of us listen to very different things that feed our music without trying to emulate them. Metalcore, thrash, hardcore punk, progressive or even orchestral music, there's something for everyone! When it comes to lyrics, and the general atmosphere you're trying to create, you need to turn to science-fiction cinema and literature. John Carpenter, Philip K. Dick or Richard Matheson (who wrote a short story called Third From The Sun!). Lyrics are a very important element. The first album and the one that's going to follow tell a common story: the appearance in our sky of an object that looks like a spaceship, and the panic it causes in everyone. Above all, it's a story about our times and how easily we allow ourselves to be dominated by fear of others and suspicion, while our leaders make decisions that have nothing to do with the interests of their people - quite the opposite, in fact.

- What about your first and only album to date? What could you say?
We got into it pretty quickly after Fabien joined us. We had a lot of ideas, so around 2016 we approached our friend Phil Reinhalter at WaveLight Factory (formerly Psykron Studio), who knew right away what we wanted. We initially recorded seven tracks while continuing to work on stage and in rehearsal. We soon realized that we wanted more, that we had more to say, so we decided to postpone everything and record five more tracks. The result is still everything we wanted it to be. Sometimes soaring, sometimes aggressive, but with a strong guideline of "Fear. Urgency. Paranoia'' - you only have to listen to Standing on the Edge of the Crater again, or our They Live! album, to realize this. For the cover, we worked with a friend with whom we'd shared the stage during the making of the album, Gus from Black Juju Inc. It was Phil who first put us in touch, and he was freely inspired by the lyrics and songs to come up with this very anxiety-inducing visual of a spaceship that seems to be abducting someone. But is this really the case?
For the physical edition, we tried to keep to the color dynamics he had set up, with midnight blue and yellow. Added to this, we were even authorized to use a nanofiction by Patrick Baud (Axolotl on youtube) to reinforce the link between music and literature. It's a beautiful object, but for those who don't like the physical format, you can find the album everywhere: Deezer, Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube. We've also put three clips online to vary the pleasures.
The visual aspect is very important to us, as it complements what we put into the music, and our work on the graphic universe for the second album was colossal.

- What's your wildest dream for the band?
Honestly, we're well aware that we're evolving in an overcrowded environment. We're lucky enough to have almost unlimited access to all kinds of bands, but that also means we're not easily visible/audible, so our dream, as you say, would be to reach the widest possible audience. Otherwise, playing alongside Voivod, Napalm Death or Coroner sounds pretty motivating!
And on a strictly personal note, I'd like to publish the text (a short story) written for the first album, along with the superb illustrations by Arthur (mistah_welldone on insta), who produced the entire visual universe of the second album.

- Your BEST & WORST concert - as a band - and why?
Easy. The best concert memory is the release of our album at Red Studio in 2019. A packed house, four groups of friends there to support us. What's more, it was just before the 2020 containment period, which brought everything to a standstill, so it's an important memory.
For the worst, it's more complicated. We've scoured the venues and the dates over the years. There's one that really stood out for us, but we tend to laugh about it. It was our first in Belgium, and we played with a local band to ensure a minimum of visibility. Nobody. Empty room, yet great sound. Worst concert, but best rehearsal!

- Next stage appearance(s)?
On the live front, we had some dates with Loudblast that had to be postponed, which should happen sometime this year or at the beginning of 2026. We're concentrating more on more ambitious dates with Cédric from Phoenix Agency, who's working like crazy to show what we're worth on nice stages. We have a whole visual universe concocted by our very talented Arthur, which we exploit via projection, for example. We're looking to create something immersive. For those who'd like to see us in action, we're playing at Evil Fest in Écourt-Saint-Quentin on May 17 (Sorry it took a bit time to have this interview online, the festival took place and the band was pretty good on stage - Ed.), and we'll be taking over the Red Studio in Douai in October.

- A few words about your local scene - any bands you're friends with that you'd like to name?
We've got a really dynamic local scene. There are bands from all over the place and they're all very different, which is great. Whether it's in our close circle with Noise Emission Control who are taking over the scene or emerging bands like Hank is Dead or Pelmwork; there's Dadabovic from Valenciennes, La Frappe from Dunkerque, Dirt!... And let's not forget Putrid Offal, who, despite their penchant for exporting their grind all over the place, are still a local band!

- The last word is yours...
Listen to the music, get out and support the local bands, keep the scene alive so that this culture doesn't dry up!

Credits :
All pics by Mess With Me Photography.

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