| Project history |
Between The Zones was created by Gom in late 2005, in his family house bedroom in Montpellier (southern France). Early songs were instrumentals, with a low-fi and industrial rock vibe, published one after the other on the project's Myspace page. Many of these first songs were actually tributes to the "Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver" soundtrack composed by Kurt Harland (from Information Society), and BTZ gained its first notoriety on the internet with the covers of the Soul Reaver 1 & 2 theme songs, uploaded on Youtube in August 2006. Ultimately, this first era in the project's history led to the release of a compilation entitled "Enter Slack" in 2007.
Early 2008, with Ontoum teaming up with Gom, BTZ started adding more rock and metal elements to its music and released in september 2008 the first EP "Rough". Eager to play live, the duo quickly evolved in a five-piece band with the addition of Fred on drums (who was previously playing with Gom in the band Hyphen), Nico on bass (Fred's childhood friend) and in© on keyboards (who had just arrived in Montpellier and didn't even own a keyboard at the time!).
Soon, new songs were written and the band autoproduced the second five-tracks EP "Almost", released in october 2009, which got good reviews on various french webzines. Meanwhile, the band played live with local bands, and has also been involved in other projects, making remixes for other french acts and contributing to short films' scores. In 2010, BTZ autoproduced their first music video for the song "Flying Bodies" from "Almost", while starting to write new material for a longer format.
2013 marked the year of "Shiftings". This actual debut album was the result of 2 years and a half of writing / demoing / rehearsals / drinks, between the cities of London, Montpellier, Brussels and Nice. It was recorded during the summer and autumn of 2012, in Toulouse (Studio Solstice) and Montpellier (Studio 51) and produced by Baptiste Bouchard, famous for having worked with several other acts from the flourishing alternative scene from Toulouse (My Own Private Alaska, Cats On Trees, Selenites, Simone Choule and many others). In keeping with BTZ previous releases, "Shiftings" is marked by four main ideas: the idea of constant change, the ineluctability of Death, the deceptive nature of Love and the water thematic. The few reviews of "Shiftings" are unanimous on the genuine and sincere nature of the songs.
During the year that followed the release of "Shiftings", things changed in the life of BTZ members (still making music in their free time), and it became pretty clear that live shows needed to stop for an unspecified period of time... BTZ launched Délivrances — an art collective and netlabel to host all the other projects created by BTZ members beside BTZ itself (Alcöve, Animal, Botellon, The Inbetweener, Londead) and to promote their music under a common banner. Gom started writing new music sketches in late 2014 and moved to Paris, a move that achieved to transform the way BTZ would make songs: now that all members were living in different places and that live shows were not possible anymore, the project needed to become a ghost entity, once again.
All of a sudden, it appeared Between The Zones was getting 10 years old.
As a way to celebrate this decade, BTZ came up with the idea of a remix album of songs from "Shiftings", which led to the release of "Shifted" in september 2015. "Shifted" features previously unreleased songs and remixes by bands and fellow musicians that walked the same road than BTZ since its beginning.
The few demos written back in late 2014 by Gom progressively turned out to be fresh new songs for BTZ. Ontoum, Nico and in© had worked on it as well, and recorded their parts directly at their homes in the Montpellier area. Gom was receiving the wave files in Paris, and started mixing and remixing everything together. Some folks were invited to participate to the music: Gom's friend Bleiddian, Lühje from Stolearm, Paka from Quasar, Emilien from Darla, Elkin Zikkat from Amer Boogie/Menuet Babel/Trash Mongo... and soon the collection of songs became an album on its own, like the pieces of an impure puzzle slowly being sewed together. The sound of the music sort of got back to the roots of Between The Zones, with Gom being the sole producer of the record, and with programmed industrial drums making their return, at the exception of a song entitled "Love Like Acid", which features never used before parts of a 2010 live jam between Fred and in©, and leftover drum grooves from "Shiftings".
While relocating to Warsaw (Poland) for professional reasons, Gom started to release singles for this upcoming album in mid-2016 through the Youtube channel of Délivrances, with each time a lyric video and an original illustration. The album was entitled "Troubles" - it was a summing of multiple layers of things uneasy to process, both musically, technically and on the human level. Self-produced, self-promoted... with a release date finally pushed to February 2017. Reviews praised the production and versatility of the music, affirming the unique sound and musical colorfulness of the project.
In the summer of 2017, BTZ released "Evidence 2013" - a live recording of the final concert as a 4-piece, back in October 2013 in Montpellier - so everyone could enjoy again what was the end of an era for the band. A chapter was closing, and by force of circumstances, BTZ returned to stasis for a while. In 2018, Gom returned to Montpellier.
2020. The Covid-19 Pandemic hit the world, leading many countries to go into lockdown mode. France had two of these lockdown phases, and despite the difficulties that it caused, it allowed Gom to finalize five new BTZ tracks that where on hold for years. Indeed, a significant amount of elements from these tracks was conceived at the same time than "Troubles", but reopening the audio projects in 2020 brought a fresh new outlook to them, which led to the release of the short and intense "Sediment" EP in January 2021. It also brought new ideas and concepts around the project, yet to be revealed...
/To be continued/
| Project members |
|
Guillaume "Gom" Poitel — guitars, vocals, machines (2005-)
Bryce "Ontoum" Gallego — guitars (2008-2013, 2015) Frederic Camarasa/F-RaiD — drums (2008-2015) Nicolas "in©" Blandin — keyboards, machines (2008-2015) Nicolas Constanti — bass (2008-2015) Emilien Caminade — guitars (live, 2013) Loic "Lolo" Lalet — sound engineering (live, 2009-2010) Benoit Artieres — light engineering (live, 2010) |
 [Between The Zones in 2010] |
| Discography |
Studio recordings
- Sediment (EP, 2021)
- Troubles (Album, 2017)
- Enter Slack X (Compilation reissue, 2015)
- Shifted (Remix album, 2015)
- Shiftings (Album, 2013)
- Almost (EP, 2009)
- Rough (EP, 2008)
- Enter Slack (Compilation, 2007)
Live recordings
- Evidence 2013 (Live at The Secret Place) (2017)
Remixes
By BTZ as a collective
- Radius System - Vacant Before (Ghost version of you Mix, 2011)
- Stolearm - Veerkotu (Revival Mix, 2011)
- Vadi Starh - O Traci (Brooklyn mix, 2011)
- Stolearm - Treasure of wounds (Burning light of dawn Mix, 2010)
- Dexy Corp_ - Incandescent World (Lacrymation Mix, 2010)
- Stolearm - Jesus missile (Salvation Mix, 2009)
By Gom as Londead
- L.O.A.S - VLV (Between The Zones Mix, 2016)
- Between The Zones - Astrid (Fatality Mix, 2015)
- How To Destroy Angels - A Drowning (Londead Mix, 2014)
- Thin-K - Into The Wild (Londead Mix, 2012)
| Concert history |
- Oct 18, 2013 - Secret Place, St-Jean-De-Védas (34) - with Hypno5e + Lessen
- July 5, 2013 - Up & Down, Montpellier (34) - with The Snake Eater
- Feb 28, 2013 - The Black Sheep, Montpellier (34) - with Commodore + Calva
- Feb 16, 2013 - Red Turtle Café, Montpellier (34) - with Cigue
- Jan 20, 2012 - Up & Down, Montpellier (34) - with Stolearm
- Jun 20, 2010 - Plaza, Pezenas (34) - with Marto
- May 15, 2010 - Le Rockstore, Montpellier (34) - with Tasmaniac
- Apr 10, 2010 - Up & Down, Montpellier (34) - with Stolearm
- Mar 21, 2010 - Le Studio RMS, Tours (37) - with Jabberwock + Dexy Corp_
- Aug 12, 2009 - Havana Night, Lattes (34) - with Marto + Tanaeka
- Jun 21, 2009 - Shakespeare, Montpellier (34) - with From The Basement + Tasma
- Jun 20, 2009 - Saint-Paul, Clermont L'Herault (34) - with Mario Vino + Craving
- Jun 13, 2009 - Montpell'Yeah Rock Festival (34) - with Mudweiser + Kiemsa + Marto + ...
- Apr 11, 2009 - Majomatic, Montpellier (34) - with Bran Terror + Darla
- Apr 4, 2009 - Le Capricorne, Sète (34) - with Marto + Black Beauty
- Mar 28, 2009 - Le Cèdre, Marcorignan (34) - with Darla + Ysun
| Press reviews |
TROUBLES (Released in 2017)
La Dominothèque · "Ca commence par une… série de claques, ça poursuit avec quelques bourre-pifs, ça se termine par quelques coups au sol. (...) On approuve, et on on applaudit."
Pavillon 666 · "La particularité de Between The Zones ? C'est ce mélange entre des influences indus 90, au metal new school et progressif moderne... débarquant en ce début d'année 2017 avec un tout nouveau cru, macéré dans un punch de 2 ans d'age, qui relève sur la langue une maturité de composition à la fois incisives et mélodiques. L'album se compose de 11 titres alternatifs, qui balancent du lourd à travers des guitares agressives et des rythmes cassants, dans un métissage musical fantasque. (...) Le combo nous livre une musique brutale mais riche, aux refrains entêtants, nous ramenant parfois à la fois à une vague Nu Metal oubliée ; pour ma part c'est un petit coup de cœur aux cuivres Twin Peaksiens de "Waves Bending" qui hurlent à la lune et se complètent par leurs sons incisifs à l'atmosphère ambiante. Un grand bravo !!!"
W-Fenec · "...industriel, métal, rock ou électro, autant de zones dans lesquelles BTZ se plait et évite de stagner trop longtemps au risque de s'y habituer. Selon les invités, on change donc d'atmosphères, là encore, le nom Troubles pour réunir ces compositions est le mot juste. Et si les guests au micro donnent forcément leur couleur à la plage (Bleiddian sur "Reaching"), les musiciens aussi comme le saxo d'Elkin qui donne une tonalité très Ministry à "Bending waves". Sous la houlette du montpelliérain, l'ensemble reste cohérent et offre un voyage coloré, parfois inattendu mais toujours excitant."
Horns Up · "Varié, Troubles trouve avec brio un équilibre entre diverses influences, livrant un Metal Indus acéré mais aussi aéré, capable de faire mouche avec de bonnes idées à des moments cruciaux. (...) Between The Zones vient donc se ranger aux côtés des Cub3, Calling Of Lorme et Radium Valley, pour autant de groupes assez personnels qui ont livré un album très intéressant qui demande une belle confirmation, et on espère bientôt une suite à tout ceci, histoire d’enfin faire exploser la scène, florissante et inventive, du Metal Indus français."
SHIFTINGS (Released in 2013)
CE News.fi · "After Rough in 2008 and Almost in 2009, the band now deepens their dark travel into rock and electronic music with ease. Stunning compositions, awesome vocals and a breathtaking package will definitely convince you to adopt the band as a new favorite! Shiftings is a little masterpiece that might seem a bit dark for a summer at first, but will bring you just the right amount of twisted dreams and shadows your mind needs – and demands."
ExtremeUnderground · "Between The Zones creates a very original sound, with their musical style taking the more mainstream 90's style of alternative metal and mixing it in with the heaviness of industrial, as well as adding in a lot of progressive elements and ambient influences, to create an album that stands out on its own."
Sol Mortuus Iudicium · "Shiftings is a good start for Between the Zones. (...) the songs come across as very genuine and there is enough variety within the songs to keep the album interesting. BTZ is a band that shows promise."
Métastases Webzine · "Un seul mot en tête: impressionnant. Si le propos peut paraître un poil trop massif au premier abord, un réel investissement dans le disque révèle un talent de composition réel et un savoir faire dans les arrangements qui n'est pas négligeable.."
Sons Of Metal · "Belle découverte que ce groupe à l’atmosphère unique et originale. Plonger dans l’univers de Between the Zones vous emmène justement entre ces zones. Naviguer quelque part entre des accents d’indus à la Nine Inch Nails, un fort penchant progressif que ne renierait pas Devin Townsend et quelques touches héritées du grunge."
ALMOST (Released in 2009)
Zik'n'blog · "L’univers du groupe est sombre et torturé. Puissant et incisif, chaque titre offre une ambiance particulière. (...) La musique de Between The Zones, ne laissera personne indifférent. Elle en hypnotisera certains et en déroutera d’autres, mais il faut bien admettre qu’elle présente des qualités. Elle est en effet moderne, innovante, expérimentale, et originale et l’EP « Almost » est certainement le début d’une belle aventure."
W-Fenec · "Almost, c'est l'archétype de l'EP prometteur qui mélange rock, indus, metal, électro et un petit soupçon de punk dans le tube à essai, secoue bien fort et sert ça sans crier gare."
Skoud · "La mutation est donc réussie, les compositions sont toujours aussi variées et intelligentes et la production propulse le groupe dans une nouvelle dimension. Il a fort à parier que l’on entende de plus en plus parler de cette formation de plus en plus ambitieuse et désormais taillée pour le live."
Magic Fire Music · "Si vous aimez la new wave, le rock indus, l’ambiant, je vous conseille de tenter l’aventure Between The Zones. Almost est très bien produit produit, les arrangements ont été soignés."
Metal Sickness · "En l'espace de 5 titres, Between The Zones va faire un rapide tour d'horizon de son savoir faire et nous présenter une musique puissamment racée. On sent que le groupe a pris le temps de peaufiner ses morceaux et de les amener à maturation sur la galette ("Flying Bodies", "Spectral"). Musicalement parlant : rien à redire. Between The Zones maîtrise son sujet."
Pavillon 666 · "BTZ a de quoi convaincre un public sensible à la fois au metal et aux sons beaucoup plus électroniques. Avec un E.P tel que celui-ci après seulement quatre ans d’existence, il y a fort à parier que le groupe fasse parler de lui dans le milieu underground."
Cratères de l'hydre · "Le binôme guitares-machines fonctionne à plein régime, les vocaux de Gom (chant clair, parfois hurlé avec quelques détours par des textures métal-rock "modernes") portent ces titres construits intelligemment, avec ce qu'il faut de mélodies accrocheuses et de passages qui nous rallient immédiatement à leur cause."
ROUGH (Released in 2008)
Skoud · "Composé de 5 titres de métal/indus sauvages, ce premier opus chargé de bonnes idées fait part belle aux expérimentations électronique et aux guitares lourdes."
| Interviews |
