In our latest interview, Fall of Leviathan takes us through their journey from their early days to the evolution of their sound. They reflect on the defining moments that shaped their music, the creative challenges they embrace, and their vision for the future. Dive into their world of atmospheric melodies, raw emotion, and the boundless inspiration drawn from the depths of the ocean.
Who makes up the band today, and how did your journey first begin?
Regis: The band currently consists of Emma on drums, David on bass, Loïc on keys and machines, and Marc and myself on guitars. The project dates back to 2018, but Marc and I have actually been making music together for about twenty years. When our previous joint project came to an end, we decided to start a post-rock band with Emma on drums and another friend on bass. A few years later, our bassist left, and the three of us continued for a while until we eventually met David and Loïc.
How do you think your music has matured or transformed over time?
Emma: We try to create a structure that leaves more place for everyone. This was perhaps less the case before because some members of the band joined after the first songs were written. As a result, they were less able to make them their own. Now, we want everyone to be happy with what they bring to the compositions.
Regis: I’d say our music matures alongside us, as we grow older and gain more life experience. At the very beginning, it was probably a bit darker. Over the years, I feel we’ve moved towards something more melodic and luminous. But we can always count on Marc to turn up at rehearsal with a heavy, dark, dissonant riff—he’s the band’s dark side. 😊
Marc: ARRRGH!!
Is there a “defining moment” that really shaped your band’s path?
Emma: Having the project of recording our first album together and making it happen! Also, recording at Bikini Test (a club with great acoustics) with Chris Noth (the sound engineer). It brought us closer as a band and it was really a great adventure. We worked hard and it wasn't always easy but it was worth it.
Regis: Our first album was certainly a major one for the band. Everything that followed—writing, arranging, rehearsing, recording, and finally releasing the physical record—was incredibly meaningful. It felt like a real accomplishment to see it through to the end, and we’re proud of the result.
Has your process become more intuitive with experience, or do you still try to challenge yourselves creatively?
Regis: It’s definitely become a bit more intuitive—we have a better sense now of what works and what kind of mood to go for when building on a base riff. And we know each other better as musicians. But that doesn’t mean we’re resting on our laurels. We like to push boundaries, see how far we can take an idea, how much we can evolve it. We enjoy experimenting, transforming, turning things upside down—not just settling for a pretty melody.
Loïc: We want to evolve our music while maintaining its core DNA. The process remains largely the same, but we're trying to add more complexity and finer arrangements.
How do you keep each new release feeling fresh but still true to your core sound?
Regis: It’s not something we consciously plan. I think we just make the music we love—the kind that speaks to us and reflects who we are emotionally. Our tastes evolve over time, and more than anything, once we’ve finished a track, we never want to make another one that sounds the same. So we explore different sounds, colours, and moods. That’s probably why it never feels like we’re repeating ourselves, which can sometimes be an issue in post-rock.
How do you aim to connect with listeners on a deeper level—especially without lyrics?
Regis: I believe the absence of lyrics actually helps listeners connect more deeply with our music. Whether we like it or not, vocals tend to dominate—in recordings or on stage. They draw all the attention, usually to a single melodic line. And often, there’s so much more going on underneath. Instrumental music, by contrast, gives listeners the freedom to create their own imagery—nothing is imposed, everything is suggested. That opens the door to a much deeper connection with the music, in my opinion.
Loïc: The basic concept is the desire to convey a maximum of emotions through our compositions and to bring listeners to connect with them, to become aware of them. Music touches us more readily than words, as film music or contemplative music might do.
Do you see the visual and sonic aspects of your band as equally important?
Marc: We were inspired by the maritime world, the novel Moby Dick, the abyss, and all the emotions that the immensity of the ocean can generate in us. It is essential that our music can suggest images, emotions specific to each listener. Everyone is free to close their eyes and let the images that are suggested come to them. We worked with Jéromine Schaller, who translated our music into a painting of rare intensity. Gwenaëlle Hauri used it to develop our cover art and our visual universe. This is important to us, but must suggest rather than impose. It's the same thing for the sound universe even if we worked in a fairly raw way with very fiew production.
What’s one gig or event where everything just came together perfectly?
Emma: I don't know if there's a date or event that would have been perfect for all 5 of us at the same time… Sometimes it's great for one and catastrophic for the other at the same concert! It's a very personal feeling. There are also sometimes technical or personal issues that come into play so it's not always easy to get everything aligned. However, we work hard to make this day happen!
Marc: We don't play to make everything perfect… we play to make something happen, to make a connection with the audience and make the world vibrate.
How do you see your place in the wider post-rock landscape now?
Regis: Probably not as part of the purest post-rock line. We mix a lot of different things, partly because our influences vary so much. One track might be soft and luminous, and the next one dark and aggressive. We enjoy playing with genres—there’s something elusive about our music. It’s not 100% post-rock, nor 100% post-metal; it sits somewhere in between, with even more elements thrown in. It’s just… us.
Has Postrocknation.com played a role in giving your newer material more reach or visibility?
Marc: Yes, Post-Rock Nation has played a role in allowing a band like us, who come from nowhere, to access an interested, curious, and attentive audience. It's essential to have this type of community brought together by people who take the effort to create connections.
Are you looking to branch into new territories—genres, sound design, collabs?
Regis: Yes, we’re always open to new projects. Lately, we’ve been working on an acoustic set, reinterpreting a lot of our existing tracks. If that project comes to fruition, we’d love to play it live—or even record it—and possibly add some collaborations with artists we admire. That could mean piano, cello, harp—or even vocals, why not?
Marc: By the way, we just released another version of our album "In Waves" with some exclusives including a remix by our friend Audio K and guest vocals by Vincent Turner. Go listen, it brings a more hardcore touch to our music.
What’s next for you creatively—any big shifts, risks, or surprises ahead?
Regis: Right now, we’re dividing our time between writing new material and refining our current live set for the upcoming shows this summer and autumn. So no major shifts on the horizon just yet. That said, we’ll likely start working on a second album soon. We’ve already got a few new tracks in the works.
Be sure to check out Fall of Leviathan on Post-Rock Nation. Explore their latest music, dive into their creative process, and stay connected with the post-rock community.
