Demians is a French alternative rock band started by Nicolas Chapel in 2007… Read Full Bio ↴Demians is a French alternative rock band started by Nicolas Chapel in 2007.

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

Tidal
Demians Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When you throw me the stone
Listen for the ripples
The curls you will carelessly spawn
For they will cover your moans with the solemn low
Irresistible laugh of the undertow

Your world turned upside down
I swear I could feel you

I swear I could feel you from afar
Tearing your insides out
Never thought I would see you
Thought I would see you cry

Bask in your scorn
Feel the punch on your jaw
You're a coveted feast of self-pity and woe
With each stride you melt into the foam and the drift
I'm the black tide prowling under your feet

Your world turned upside down
I swear I could feel you
I swear I could feel you from afar
Tearing your insides out
Never thought I would see you
Thought I would see you crying out loud

Carry the fire inside you
The colors we unearthed are slowly turning blue

Overall Meaning

The first verse of Demian's "Tidal" starts with a metaphor of throwing a stone into the water, creating ripples that will eventually cover your moans with the low, irresistible laugh of the undertow. The undertow is a powerful current that is below the surface of the water, and this metaphor describes how your actions have a lasting impact on others. You may not be able to see the consequences of your actions, but they will ultimately come back to you.

The second verse is directed at someone who has had their world turned upside down. The singer swears they could feel this person's pain from afar and tear their insides out. The singer didn't expect to see this person cry, but they did. The third verse is a continuation of the second one, describing how the person in question is basking in their own scorn and feeling the punch on their jaw. They are self-pitying and woeful, and the singer describes himself as the black tide prowling under their feet.

The final lines of the song are hopeful despite the darkness found in the previous verses. The singer encourages the person to carry the fire inside them and remember the colors they once unearthed together, even if they are slowly turning blue.

Overall, "Tidal" is a song about the lasting impact of our actions, the pain we feel when our world is turned upside down, and the hope we can still find in even the darkest of moments.

Line by Line Meaning

When you throw me the stone
When you attack me with your words or actions

Listen for the ripples
Be aware of the consequences of your actions

The curls you will carelessly spawn
The effects of your actions will cause chaos

For they will cover your moans with the solemn low
Your complaints and regrets will be drowned out by the consequences

Irresistible laugh of the undertow
The powerful and unstoppable force of the consequences

Your world turned upside down
Your life is in chaos due to your own actions

I swear I could feel you
I can sense your pain or emotions

I swear I could feel you from afar
I can feel your emotions even from a distance

Tearing your insides out
Your emotions and actions are causing you agony

Never thought I would see you
I never expected you to act this way

Thought I would see you cry
I thought you would openly show your emotions