Trank 01/04/2025

MM: Can you tell us about your Band and whos your biggest influences
Well – we’re usually described as “alternative hard rock”, or “alternative metal” – which really is
about as broad as it gets, isn’t it. But in many ways it’s actually true. TRANK’s music usually
starts from a hard-rock-ish backbone, in terms of a riff or chord progression – but we give it
more emotional depth and intensity and atmosphere by combining that with elements that tend
to come from post punk. When we started we used to describe ourselves as the bastard child
of Soundgarden and Depeche Mode, and to an extent that still applies. Influences beyond
those two are too many to mention because we’re all music obsessives with very eclectic
tastes – but the influences we bring to the band all tend to take dark-ish lyrical and melodic
matter and give it a contagious drive, a sense of power, and a cinematic, “widescreen”,
imaginary-soundtrack feel. From Porcupine Tree to Alter Bridge to Massive Attack or even
Pink Floyd and Radiohead – all the bands we love the most and tend to bring to the party
when we compose tend to have that in common. We don’t sound like any of those, but then
we’re not trying to.
 

MM: Where do you draw your inspirations and ideas from
Musically ? Each other. One will bring the core of a musical idea and I (Michel – vocals and
programming / synths) will usually work out a basic arrangement with Johann (drums). Once
we have a backbone in place we’ll work it in the practice room until we have an instrumental
that works – I’ll then let it rest for as long as it takes for a magic line to pop up and tell me what
the song WANTS to talk about, and I’ll write the lyrics and vocals around that, then we’ll put the
song in the practice room again and give it its fully final shape.
Lyrically – the inspiration is in the gigantic fail between how life is and how it should be, on
many levels. We’re a young band of not young musicians – so we’re not gonna write the sort of
naïve black-and-white lyrics that make you feel better about yourself when you’re in your early
twenties, and what we like is for both the music and the lyrics to ask questions and tell open-
ended stories rather than pretend to give answers. But if even at our age, you’re not angry or
frustrated about so many things in the world – you probably don’t live in the same world we do.
 

MM: What would you say is your Bands favourite song ?
You’re really gonna ask us to choose between our kids, aren’t ya. I think you’d get a different
answer to that one from each band member and on any day of the week. Right now for me it’s
a toss-up between Queen of the Broken (which is our latest video as well, and probably our
one and only openly optimistic song !) and Miracle Cure. Both talk about trying to find oneself
in someone else, from different angles. Miracle Cure is the most epic and ambitious thing
we’ve ever done – it brings together a very late 80’s Pink Floyd, high tech prog feel with an

almost funk-metal slow groove, complete with a borderline rap vocal over the bridge, so in a
way it’s probably the song that sounds most uniquely like us. It’s a joy to sing live, too.
 

MM: Plans tour and festival wise for 2025
We do have quite a few festivals line-up in France. What’s very gratifying is the more we play
them, the more we get asked – and the more of them we headline or co headline, which we
take as a huge compliment and a sign of trust; festivals are organized by the real passionate
rock fans, and getting their seal of approval means a lot, even though frankly we make the
music WE want to hear. We’re just happy that people we respect seem to want to hear it too.
 

MM: What can we expect from TRANK live ?
One reviewer once wrote about us that we were all about “big sound and big emotions” : that’s
what we try to make sure every concert feels like. We make a point of conceiving every song,
album and show like a self-contained little trip – with enough light and shade that you keep
people intensely into it all the way. And we also make a point in being both as perfect as we
can be, technically and sonically, AND as energetic as the songs and the crowd want us to be.
There’s six of us on stage too – two guitars, bass, drums, synths, lead vocals – plus a
sequencer for some unplayable synth lines and vocal harmonies from 3 of us on top of the
lead. So, “big sound” indeed.
 

MM: What do you like best and worst abt touring
What’s NOT to like ?
 

MM: Which three Bands would be your ultimate touring buddies
Hm. We’d probably pick bands that don’t sound like us and vice versa, but the same people
could enjoy their music and ours; plus band you actually want to hang out with. We’ve opened
for Papa Roach and they were a very cool bunch in addition to being fantastic on stage. Throw
in maybe the new version of Linkin Park (I don’t get the flak about the new singer, she’s great
and very brave), and maybe one of the bands we got to meet and hang out with during our
concerts in Eastern Europe, like Black Spikes.
 

MM: Whats the most memorable concert youve been to (other than your own) and why 
As a band, probably the one when we opened for Deep Purple. Incredible reception, both
from the band – who were princes to us – and the 16,000 capacity crowd, who lapped it
up. We then had the privilege to attend the Deep Purple show from behind panels on the
stage, which we were then told they had done during our show. Unforgettable.
 

MM: What do you feel has been your biggest accomplishment so far with TRANK ?
I think forming a rock band in this day and age, when you’re way past your twenties, in sticking
together through thick and thin, is an accomplishment in itself, and I’m very proud of us for

that. But if you want something tangible, then it’s “The maze”, our new album. Incredibly proud
of that. It’s coming up on vinyl in the next few weeks and it’s going to sound even better than
the digital version.
 

MM: Which are your Two favourite Albums of all time
Again : speaking for myself only on this one. It would be a toss-up between “Violator” and
“Songs of Faith & Devotion” by Depeche Mode. So that’s two. “Station to Station” by David
Bowie wouldn’t be far behind.
 

MM: Can you remember the first time you ever played live and how it felt to have people
watching you?
Yes, because it still feels the same.
 

MM: Growing up which Bands posters did you have on your bedroom wall.
I don’t think I ever grew up, certainly not physically. So that makes it hard to answer the
question. But from some of the stuff above, you’ve probably guessed.
 

MM - Who do you think influenced the world of Metal / Rock more than any other person
I don’t think one artist or act can claim anything like that. Or if there is one, then it’s probably
Robert Johnson. No, he wasn’t Brian’s dad. But if you’re talking direct influence – probably
Jimmy Page ? He’s the hard rock musician and pioneer most bands that play anything
remotely heavy seem to agree had some sort of an impact on their tastes and their music. I
was at the RnR Hall of Fame when he inducted Jeff Beck : class act. His personality is as
intense, interesting and elegant as his ideas and playing.
 

MM - Whats the most important thing to the band right now?
That would be getting people to know “The Maze”. We’re incredibly proud of it and of how it
captures the very essence of what we want to achieve as a band.

MM:If you could do a cover of any song which one would it be and why?
There IS a cover a Pink Floyd’s “Hey You”, from “The Wall”, on “The Maze.” It’s one of the
most beautiful songs ever recorded about the longing for connection – David and I had the
idea of covering it during the 2020 lockdown, to deal with the frustration the band felt at not
being able to get together and play. I created the basic keyboards & vocal arrangement at
home, David laid down the bass and rhythm guitars, Johann did the drums, Julien – who was
with us at the time – came up with the solo. We were extremely proud of it and, from the get
go, we knew it was going to be re-recorded (by David, Johann and myself) for the second
album, with the same team and equipment as the rest of the record to do more justice to it than
wat we could from our home studios. We stuck to the structure and melody of the original, but

gave it a slightly more cinematic, orchestra-meets-machinery feel, with a much more layered
vocal. Being huge fans of Pink Floyd and David Gilmour (whose touch is all over it despite the
single “Waters” credit), it’s obviously impossible for us to “compare” to the original, but we hope
you can hear how much the song means to us.

MM: Tell us why we should buy and listen to your Band
“Big sound, big emotions” . Songs that feel intense but inviting, intimate but cinematic,
powerful and driven by well-crafted, raw and high-tech. With light at the core of the shadows.
 

MM: Four words to describe Trank
Take your pick from the paragraph above.

MM:Final Words for your fans and our readers
To your readers - we hope to meet you on the road soon. That’s what we live for. And we hope
you become fans. To our fans – hi, Mum.