The CROSSING (METAL VERSION) project was born from Lois' dual "reggae-metal" culture. Lois, has been playing guitar for Twan Tee for several years now, both on stage and in the production of his projects.
Many of us share this dual culture, characteristic of those growing up in the 80s/90s. Metallica, Pantera, Slayer, and other Rage Against The Machine were the golden age of "heavy" rock. Meanwhile, the best Jamaican Roots bands were touring internationally, with audiences unaware of the incredible chance they had to see these legendary bands live. Although today these two styles may seem distant or even opposites, it’s important to highlight what they have in common. Metalheads and reggae fans share more than just an unconditional love for their respective musical styles. The spirit of these bands and labels can be defined by a few key words: Independence, DIY, and commitment.
Another commonality worth mentioning is the total lack of representation in mainstream media. Little to no airplay and a general disinterest for the artists at the heart of these two movements. So we didn’t hesitate. Two "hard-to-sell" styles? Combined in the same project? Even though both audiences are often considered "difficult" and sometimes even "sectarian"? That’s for us!
Looking back, we feel we’ve helped build an aesthetically original and ambitious project. Given the constraints imposed by respecting these two radically different aesthetics in terms of production, recording techniques, mixing, and mastering, we have every reason to be proud. The result is unique because we succeeded in preserving the intrinsic qualities of each style: melodic arrangements of the vocals, drum tricks, the heaviness of guitar riffs, and bass groove.
Indeed, transitioning from a reggae project to its metal adaptation... is not that simple! For this, we called upon the crème de la crème of the French "metal" scene. Confined and with their tours postponed, these musicians, like all of us, were at home, waiting for the end of the world.
Morgan Berthet (MYRATH and ADAGIO, among others) SHOB , an expert bassist (Eths, Keishah, Kubiac…) completed the trio of musicians and brought Lois a range of technical and melodic skills necessary to bring this groundbreaking project to life!
If you like metal, this project is for you. If you like reggae, this project is also for you. And if you don’t like either... there’s still a chance this project might be for you! It's worth giving it a try, right?
The CROSSING (Metal Version) album will be released on November 26th. The first single, IRIE METAL, is available today!