Interview with Eloi Nicod (The Scalar Process)

What a year 2020 was with so much going on while being stuck indoors, I barely got any work done. With it being the start of a new year, the goal is to get back on track and bring even more content, reviews, and interviews in 2021. Starting right now, with an interview from Transcending Obscurity Records own The Scalar Process. The Scalar Process are a tech-death band preparing to unleash their debut release, entitled Coagulative Matter. In the lead up to the release of the album on February 19th, guitarist Eloi Nicod made time to catch up with us and give a little bit of insight into the band's first album.

Tell us a bit about The Scalar Process, where did the name come from?

Scalar is used as a math calculation you can use in a lot of contexts, to calculate speed, weight or distance, in computer science, or in hierarchical scales. It is representative of the atmospheric feeling I want for our music, it has no particular impact on the lyrics, even if sometimes I mention this in a more metaphorical way.

Releasing this year is your debut album, released with Transcending Obscurity Records, how do you feel finally getting the music out there?

It’s been a huge achievement when we finished the album. We were working on it since June 2016. Back in the days, I was writing for The Scalar Process alongside Derealized, a Black/Death Band. After having worked years and years on the songs, the production, we were lucky to see a positive response from Kunal of Transcending Obscurity Records! And then we signed!

 

We are happy to be part of this excellent record label with plenty of excellent bands like Coexistence, Hateful, Cerebrum, Godless Truth, The Last Of Lucy.

What's the backstory on this album, what's the meaning behind the art and the concept of the lyrics?

For the album artwork, I contacted Bastien Jez who already did covers for other bands like Exocrine, Promethean. He did a phenomenal job based on our story. We wanted to describe the whole thematic of the album in one artwork that supports the lyrics. It is about a protagonist who is confronted with his torments and problems which are distant from him in time and space. This is why everything displayed on the artwork is either distant or closer, it emphasizes depression, nostalgia. I tried to compare that with space, hallucinations, and even biblical references, like the Forbidden Fruit.

How was the recording process, did you find there were any issues that came along?

I have my own home-studio, so the recording process was quite easy for me. The main issue remains spending a lot of time searching for a vocalist, mid-range, and of course, available. When my best friend Mathieu came back from Portugal, I told him about The Scalar Process and he tried some vocals. I found my singer this day!

 

Did the current pandemic cause any issues in the recording process for you?

Not at all, because we recorded the album in 2019.

 

Playing and writing tech-death is certainly not easy, what bands inspire your writing?

It is not easy at all, that’s for sure! My main influences are, just to name a few: Fallujah, The Zenith Passage, Cynic, The Faceless.

 

Have you started to make any tour plans for when the pandemic is over?

We are talking with some bands about that, but nothing definitive. We can't know with this pandemic.

Speaking of tour plans, give us a little insight. Who have you shared the stage with, and who would you dream to play with in the future?

We are in the starting blocks, we haven’t shared stages with any other bands yet (and it is due to the pandemic situation as well). However, I can name a few from li ves I did with my old band Derealized. I personally shared the stage with Atlantis Chronicles, Dew Scented, Fractal Universe, Blazing War Machine.

My dream is to play with Fallujah and Cynic!

 

Thank you so much for your time, is there any last messages you would like to leave with fans? Stay Safe! And we hope to see you soon to share the album on stage!

Thank you so much for this interview, take care of yourselves! You can grab our album Coagulative Matter or our sexy merch which will be out on February 19, 2021 through Transcending Obscurity Records.