Chapel's inspiration for the name Demians came from the novel Demian by author Hermann Hesse, and his musical inspiration came from a variety of artists and sources, ranging from Radiohead to Tori Amos to ambient music.
Chapel plays all instruments and performs all vocals on the first two Demians studio albums, though he performs live with a full band. All Demians releases have been self-produced and recorded in Chapel's home studios, the locations of which have changed from album to album.
Demians' first studio album Building an Empire was released on May 19, 2008 to positive reviews. The success of Building an Empire led Chapel to assemble a live band with Gaël Hallier (drums) and Antoine Pohu (bass), and they subsequently were granted opening slots for several well-known rock and metal bands, including Oceansize, Anathema, Aviv Geffen, and Jonathan Davis of Korn. They toured throughout Europe, playing more than 40 shows in more than 12 countries.
The follow-up entitled "Mute" came out on June 28th, 2010. Chapel once again performed all instruments and vocals on the album, with two guests, Gaël Hallier playing drums on "Swing Of The Airwaves" and "Hesitation Waltz", and Lepolair playing electronics on the song "Porcelain".
Very different from its predecessor, the album once again gathered excellent reviews worldwide, and brought the band's music to a wider audience.
Nicolas Chapel chose not to tour after the release of the album, focusing on production works. He got involved in the soundtrack of the movie "L'Apprenti Père Noël" with French singer Arthur H, and is currently producing various artists in the studio he created during the recording sessions of "Mute".
In late 2010, he officially joined the Metal band Vetha as their bass player, with fellow bandmate Gaël Hallier as their drummer.
Fred Mariolle officially joined Demians as a guitar player after the release of "Mute".
In June 2011, the band announced that they have started working on their third album and a dvd to be released in the Spring of 2012, the members of the live band being now involved in the recording process.
Discography
Building an Empire (2008)
Mute (2010)
Untitled new album, TBA (2012)
Band members
Nicolas Chapel - vocals, guitar, piano, and all instruments on studio recordings
Antoine Pohu - bass guitar
Gaël Hallier - drums
Fred Mariolle - guitars
Earth
Demians Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From this inner cage I made your body
Be now, but don't stare at me now, I'm nearly gone
But go figure it all, was it worth searching far beyond?
Then I will carry on...
Gathering space and time
When I am yours and you are mine
The smile on your face today shows in everything you say
That this life will carry us away
But in this realm, I am eternal
Scratching the surface
From this inner grave I built you a country
My love, this kingdom's not the one we belong to
But don't be ashamed at all, it was worth hiding for so long
Now we are made of stone...
Gathering space and time
When I am yours and you are mine
This life will carry us away in the glimpse of an eye
The smile on your face today shows in everything you say
That this life will carry us away
But in this realm, I am eternal
Wake up, we listened to the waves
We found the world that could wash away your tears at your will
Stand up, we listened to the wind
We found a moment to just slow down and stay still
Now lay down and feel our love growing
Now that our hearts can beat side by side, now we can believe in ourselves
And what lies beneath
Us, the earth, and what lies underneath
Gathering space and time
When I am yours and you are mine
This life will carry us away in the glimpse of an eye
The smile on your face today shows in everything you say
That this life will carry us away
But in this realm, I am eternal
I won't say this every time
I won't let you say it's sad
The first verse of the song "Earth" by Demians talks about the idea of feeding a machine that lies within us. The machine could be interpreted as the need for validation or the desire for success. The lyrics suggest that the person singing the song feels trapped in a cage that they created themselves, and they have made the listener's body. They hint at disappearing soon, however, they ask a rhetorical question about whether it was worth it to keep searching beyond this life.
The second verse of the song speaks of scratching the surface and creating a kingdom that the singer and the listener don't belong to. They suggest that it's time to come out of hiding and that their love has made them into stone which means that they are unbreakable, and they can face anything. The lyrics also suggest that the world they belong to, lies beyond this kingdom they created.
In the chorus, the lyrics suggest that they will be carried away by life in the blink of an eye. The lyrics talk about how everything they say, reflects in the smile on their face. They speak of being eternal in this realm, which means that even after they are gone, a part of them will continue to exist in this world.
Line by Line Meaning
We are feeding the machine
We are giving in to the demands and expectations of society
From this inner cage I made your body
I have sculpted and molded you to fit my ideal perception of you
Be now, but don't stare at me now, I'm nearly gone
Be present in this moment, but don't expect me to be here for long
But go figure it all, was it worth searching far beyond?
Reflect on whether or not the pursuit of something greater was worth the sacrifices made
Then I will carry on...
Despite uncertainty and doubts, I will continue on my path
Gathering space and time
Accumulating experiences and moments
When I am yours and you are mine
When we are truly connected and committed to each other
This life will carry us away in the glimpse of an eye
Life passes by quickly and without warning
The smile on your face today shows in everything you say
Your current happiness is evident in the way you communicate and express yourself
That this life will carry us away
We will be taken by the fleeting nature of life
But in this realm, I am eternal
Despite the transience of life, I will never truly disappear
Scratching the surface
Only beginning to uncover something
From this inner grave I built you a country
I have created a place for you to feel safe and comfortable, but at what cost?
My love, this kingdom's not the one we belong to
We do not truly fit into the molds and roles that have been assigned to us
But don't be ashamed at all, it was worth hiding for so long
Despite the pain and isolation that resulted from hiding, it was worth it to protect ourselves
Now we are made of stone...
We have become hardened and unyielding through our past experiences and pain
Wake up, we listened to the waves
Become aware and attentive to the beauty and rhythms of nature
We found the world that could wash away your tears at your will
We have discovered a place of peace and healing, where one can choose to let go of pain
Stand up, we listened to the wind
Rise up and take notice of the subtleties and movements of life
We found a moment to just slow down and stay still
We have found stillness and tranquility amidst chaos and turbulence
Now lay down and feel our love growing
Allow yourself to be vulnerable and open to the growth of our relationship
Now that our hearts can beat side by side, now we can believe in ourselves
Only through true connection with each other can we find confidence and self-belief
And what lies beneath
The underlying truths and realities that are often hidden
Us, the earth, and what lies underneath
All of humanity is interconnected and shared with the natural world, and there is always more to uncover
I won't say this every time
I won't continually repeat myself about this
I won't let you say it's sad
I won't allow you to dismiss or minimize my emotions as simply being sad
Contributed by Colton R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Michael Picard
Perhaps the king of under rated musicians... Brilliant.
Neil Wofford
Absolutely agree