By 1999, this was already clearly evident, when Frédéric Guillemot (Drums) and Vincent Danhier (Bass) decided to join and secure the line-up. The press and fans enthusiastically praised and welcomed the band’s first release: a mini-CD, “The Blossom”.
This promising debut took a sudden tragic turn, when Frédéric Guillemot committed suicide just a few months later. The band members were inspired to exorcise the dramatic loss of their close friend by expressing the darkest feelings and frustration this trauma provoked in a new concept album. The result was “The Nameless Disease”, produced by Andy Classen (Legion Of The Damned, Dew-Scented, Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Disbelief, Graveworm…) and mastered by Goran Finberg (IN FLAMES, Opeth, Dimmu Borgir…), an album which carried a powerful, aggressive and modern sound. In 2002, the band signed a deal with Season of Mist which finally gave Frédéric’s epic eulogy a proper release. The Old Dead Tree performed several shows and toured at various festivals for the record, with the likes of Opeth, Katatonia and Paradise Lost.
Franck Métayer, at the drums since 1999, decided to leave in 2004, later joined Breaklose for a couple of years, and is now a member of Interria. He was replaced by Foued Moukid (now in Arkan) whose debut performance with the The Old Dead Tree appeared on the 2005 album, “The Perpetual Motion”. The band played at several high profile festivals over the summer of 2005 to promote the album’s release, including at “Summer Darkness” (NL) and “Fury Fest” (FR).
Sophomore album “The Perpetual Motion” was fully produced by Andy Classen at the Stage One Studio (Germany) and the collaboration proved to be particularly successful. The album received raving reviews late Summer 2005. Throughout the fall and winter of that year, The Old Dead Tree hit the road with Dutch gothic metallers Epica for a full European tour, and performed several shows as headliners in France and the Benelux.
On May 2006, guitarist and founding member Nicolas Chevrollier called its quits to focus on his family, as he would soon become a father. The strong friendship binding the members of the band made the decision particularly difficult. A replacement was found in Gilles Moinet (main composer of doom metal act Luc Incerta), a man with a deep sense of melody who quickly found his place and brought new influences to The Old Dead Tree.
After several more shows, the band members started working on their third album early 2007. The recording sessions and the whole mixing and mastering process took place in June at the Stage One Studio, once again with irreplaceable producer Andy Classen. The wait is now over and The Old Dead Tree have given birth to their new album “The Water Fields”. This title is based upon an imaginary place where one finds refuge from pain and everyday doubts. “This is a concept album about avoidance, kidding oneself, and the urge we have to hide from reality and to remain passive when we are on tenterhooks...” says Manuel Munoz. “The band went further again, reaching a new stage in terms of song writing and maturity. This album is much heavier and darker, but also more diverse and full of sheer emotion! Even the production of Andy Classen outdoes the job on our previous material…”
The Old Dead Tree disbanded in November 2009.
In January 2013, The Old Dead Tree announced their reunion and that they will play at the Hellfest festival. The 2013 line-up is Manuel Munoz (vocals & guitar), Nicolas Chevrollier (guitar), Gilles Moinet (bass) and Raphaël Antheaume (drums)
Everyday Life
The Old Dead Tree Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A new day has come
Bringing new fears
It's tme to face the crowd
Outside the sky is wearing grey
The clothes are worn
Colours faded away
I wish I could stay stending
But I can't stand on my own
Everyday life, everyday death
A strenght forever gone
(The) outside world reveals my distress
Dead man walking the streets
Doing a senseless job the live
Perpetual motion of fears
Buried alive: everyday life
Those feeling of confinement
Bring me down
Six feet underground
Help me
Because I can't stand upright today
The Old Dead Tree's song "Everyday Life" is a poignant take on the struggles that one faces in life. The lyrics talk about how every day, one has to face new fears and put up with the monotony of everyday life. The song emphasizes the hopelessness that one feels when faced with what seems like an unending cycle of fear and drudgery.
The song contrasts the dullness of everyday life with the vividness of the world outside. The sky is grey, the clothes are worn, and the colors have faded away. The singer is stuck doing a senseless job, walking the streets like a dead man. The outside world is a reminder of his distress, and it seems that he is just six feet underground.
The Old Dead Tree successfully conveys their message through the lyrics, and the song resonates with anyone who has ever felt stuck in a rut or overwhelmed by the mundanity of life. "Everyday Life" is a call for help, a plea for someone to pull the singer out of the depths of despair.
Line by Line Meaning
Wake up
Open your eyes and become conscious
A new day has come
A new period of time has begun
Bringing new fears
It has come with something to be scared of
It's time to face the crowd
It's time to confront the many people in front of you
Outside the sky is wearing grey
The outside climate is dull and uneventful
The clothes are worn
The clothes are old and deteriorating
Colours faded away
All the vibrant hues have disappeared
I wish I could stay standing
I desire to remain stable and secure
I wish I could stay strong
I wish to sustain my emotional and mental resilience
But I can't stand on my own
I am unable to support myself
Everyday life, everyday death
The daily grind feels like a slow and enduring demise
A strength forever gone
A force within that used to exist, yet is no longer present
(The) outside world reveals my distress
All outside circumstances expose my internal pain and anguish
Dead man walking the streets
I am so emotionally defeated that one could consider me already deceased
Doing a senseless job to live
Performing a task with no clear purpose in order to survive financially
Perpetual motion of fears
A constant and unending rotation of apprehension
Buried alive: everyday life
Existing as though perpetually entombed
Those feelings of confinement
Being emotionally and mentally trapped
Bring me down
Pulls me to a lower emotional state
Six feet underground
Metaphorically buried in a grave, far beneath the surface
Help me
Rescue me from my own pain and suffering
Because I can't stand upright today
I am incapable of standing strong and steadfast today
Contributed by Charlie M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kooky Spooks
I'm loving this music