Oïkoumen: “Mental health is everything”

You can read this post in: Português

The French band OÏKOUMEN breaks with convention by transitioning from symphonic metal to orchestral progressive rock. In our interview with vocalist Laura Mazard, we touch on mental health, bullying, burnout, and personal trauma, as well as discussing the band in general.

I would like to thank you very much for taking the time to answer our interview questions. First of all, could you tell us how you got into the music world, where the idea of forming a band came from, and how you have progressed so far?

LAURA MAZARD: Hello, thank you for your interest and questions.

Elie Veux, composer and guitarist in Oïkoumen, started playing the guitar at the age of 9 after hearing AC/DC on his parents’ radio. Since then, he has always been involved in musical projects until we founded Oïkoumen. As for Yael Febvray, he learned piano and drums as a child but later focused on bass and took part in several projects before joining Oïkoumen. My story is different: I started singing with this project. Before Oïkoumen, I was more of a music listener than a musician.

The initial impulse to creat Oïkoumen came from Elie. When I met him, a project he had been part of throughout his entire adolescence had just come to an end, and he felt a visceral need to reconnect with something. So, when we talked about it, I thought we could create our own project together.

And from that moment on, the project has never stopped evolving. At first, it was an acoustic video project. Then, it was supposed to become traditional symphonic metal, but we met Yael, who became our bassist, and we shifted toward more progressive influences. Later, Elie delved into orchestral theory, and we embraced orchestral prog metal. So, it’s a project that keeps evolving, though with our upcoming second album, our identity has become much more defined.

Oïkoumen always presents itself as a “human-centered” project, which talks about concrete experiences and real traumas through very intense symphonic and progressive metal. How do you explain this type of project?

LAURA MAZARD: This is the kind of project that has to be authentic and true to who we are. We start with an intention, a message we want to deliver, a story we want to tell, or an emotion we want to convey and then we ask ourselves how to translate that best through music. It’s music that speaks to our guts, so we want it to hit people in the same place.

Moreover, choosing to compose for orchestras, and thus embracing the symphonic approach to addressing the subjects close to our hearts, felt natural. It allows us to express a rich emotional palette, thanks to the wide range of sounds an orchestra offers. It also lets us explore other musical narratives beyond just metal, which is why we have orchestral pieces.

The name Oïkoumen comes from ancient Greek and relates to the “inhabited earth” and how humanity relates to its surroundings. At what point did you feel that this concept was more than just a cool name and became the real core of everything you do musically and lyrically?

LAURA MAZARD: Honestly, we actually started with who we were to find the name. I had tons of other ideas in mind, but they were either too pretentious or too limiting. Then suddenly, this word popped into my head, and I thought: Perfect! This is what represents best what we want to do. But since the original word is « Oikoumene » and it didn’t sound quite right, we took the liberty of dropping the last « e » to make it more pleasant to say and hear.

You mention influences ranging from Nightwish, Stratovarius, and Iron Maiden to Pink Floyd, Leprous, Meshuggah, Dream Theater, and Jinjer, as well as references to classical romantic music. How does this melting pot of references come together when you compose so that the result sounds cohesive and has its own identity?

LAURA MAZARD: That’s the magic happening in our composer’s mind! He has a very personal way of composing, and what you’re describing are all his references and how he makes them his own, blending them with ours. For example, he loves Meshuggah’s rhythms and will ponder them until he finds ideas that truly fit us. Nightwish’s way of combining metal and orchestra is also a source of inspiration, but more as a “what not to do” since they already do it so well. The cinematic quality of Pink Floyd makes us dream of expressing our own universe in the same way…

In short, these artists inspire us in different ways, but the core of his compositional inspiration actually comes from orchestral music, its harmonies, counterpoints, and textures. By drawing inspiration from everywhere, it gives him ideas to create something that perfectly matches what we want to express.

We should also add that these influences come from bands we’ve been listening to for years (sometimes decades) and that we’ve explored in our own personal practice as musicians. Inevitably, that leaves a mark on what we create, even if we don’t consciously set out to reference them. For example, you can’t say Oïkoumen is neo-classical metal, yet our guitarist developed his lead right-hand technique primarily through neo-classical artists like Stratovarius, Malmsteen, early Nightwish, and so on. So while he’s inspired by them, it doesn’t mean he’ll write neo-classical lines. However, the lead in Burnout (from our first album, Dystopia) clearly demands mastery of that technique (like tremolo picking on a melodic line).

While on the subject, I wanted to ask how you guys see symphonic metal today? It’s been a while since bands like Nightwish stopped being just symphonic bands, and I notice that your music has a much more metal vibe than classical music, despite your obvious technical skills, including the vocals, which can switch between something operatic and diving deep into metal.

LAURA MAZARD: It’s complicated because it feels like symphonic metal needs to be reinvented today. The label itself brings to mind what it was at its inception: synthesizers, fantastical or poetic themes, galloping riffs, and epic melodies. That’s why we rarely describe ourselves as « symphonic metal » and instead adopted the term « orchestral prog metal ». And when you look at where the giants of symphonic metal are heading, you can see they’re also moving beyond that early symphonic metal aesthetic.

As for our vibe, we’re thrilled that the metal side shines through! In fact, we draw very little inspiration from classical music. We’re more aligned with Baroque or Romantic music. But it remains our primary source of inspiration, and the orchestra is the starting point for almost every one of our compositions. For us, it’s a huge part of our music.

The band’s trajectory goes from a more “classical symphonic” EP, with historical themes, to a rawer, more direct aesthetic in Dystopia, with more engaged and explicit lyrics. What factors led to this aesthetic and political shift in your music?

LAURA MAZARD: Actually, we followed this path because after releasing the EP, we weren’t truly satisfied with our themes. They didn’t resonate deeply with us, so we let ourselves explore subjects that genuinely spoke to us. Then we realized they didn’t fit the classic symphonic metal aesthetic. So we evolved that aesthetic to better match what we wanted to express. Even in terms of composition, Elie didn’t feel drawn to staying within the confines of traditional symphonic metal. A different kind of aesthetic was calling to him and that’s how everything transformed.

The composition has also evolved alongside his skills. Dystopia was a laboratory for what he wanted to express, while Resilience is the culmination of that creative exploration. As a result, the sound is more mature and refined. But at its core, the approach remains the same: the orchestra engages in a dialogue with the metal parts—it needs to be prominent, not just a background layer to emphasize harmony, and it has to groove with the metal sections.

One thing I noticed is that mental health is a common theme for you guys, with a song that talks about burnout (which I felt when I was doing my Master’s degree and also working) and about how to live free from all social pressures. How important is mental health to you and to the band’s work?

LAURA MAZARD: Mental health is everything.Without it, we can’t do anything. If you’ve ever been through tough times where burnout threatened to overwhelm you, you know exactly what I mean. When we’re struggling, we can’t move forward. Worse, we can spiral downward and lose everything that brings us joy in life. That’s why it’s absolutely essential to take care of your mental health.

With Oïkoumen, we strive to spread this message: « Talk about what’s hurting you, because you’re not alone, and it is possible to feel better ». Within the band, we take this very seriously and stay deeply attentive to each other’s cries for help, especially because being an independent band today means risking your mental health every single day. We’re juggling multiple jobs at once: the one that puts food on the table, plus being musicians, bookers, community managers, salespeople, costume designers, graphic designers, managers, drivers, stage managers… the list goes on.

All this to say that carrying out a project like this means making radical life choices that automatically pull us away from a traditional life path: saving for retirement, imagining having kids, investing in hobbies…

Speaking directly about “Reign of Idiocy”: you define the song as a symphonic and orchestral piece about school bullying, told through the eyes of the victim. How did the idea for this song come about and why did you choose this theme now?

LAURA MAZARD: We turned to more personal themes with this second album because I wrote the lyrics during a time when memories from my past resurfaced.

The first album, Dystopia, was heavily focused on eco-anxiety because it reflected a period in my life when I was gaining my independence and was especially attuned to those issues. It weighed on me (especially the disillusionment that comes with it, which the other band members also share), and I needed to write about it.

For Album II, I went through difficult moments that brought back painful memories from my past, and I wanted to address them. So Reign of Idiocy is my way of telling the story of the bullying I experienced, but in a way that speaks to everyone, because I’m far from the only one who’s been through this. Overall, the entire album is a kind of shared introspection : stories that are mine, or stories of other souls who have been part of my life. And it’s all framed in a more universal way, because, again, listeners want to hear about others’ stories, but those stories have more power if they resonate within them, if people can see themselves in them, whether they’ve lived through the same things or not. Music connects us through shared emotions, not just shared experiences.

The theme, in fact, interests me greatly, both because I am a teacher here in Brazil and because I suffered a lot of bullying in my teenage years, which left me with very heavy scars on my self-esteem. Sorry for my emotional outburst, but it always gets to me when someone manages to put into music that shitty feeling of being rejected just for being yourself. How do you interpret this type of behavior?

LAURA MAZARD: Well, there you have it! I won’t say, « I’m glad you relate to the theme », because I’d never find joy in knowing you’ve experienced the abomination that is bullying. But the fact that it resonates with you deeply touches us.

To answer your question, I’ll speak for myself (because I’m the only one in the band who’s been through this). Personally, I believe a bully’s behavior reveals the worst of humanity: weakness, selfishness, and cruelty. It’s the attitude of someone who has nothing going for them and finds fulfillment in making others suffer, because it gives them a twisted sense of importance. And that’s the worst part : these insignificant people ruin others’ lives, hoping to drag them down to their own level of insignificance. It’s an incredibly easy way to feel powerful, which is why I’ve always seen bullies as weak. The wounds they inflict on their victims will slow them down. Bullies steal time from our lives. Time we could spend fulfilling ourselves and shaping our lives into what we truly want them to be. Sometimes, we never fully heal from the harm they’ve done… But there’s always a way to fade the scars.

I’ve always believed that doing harm is far simpler than doing good. Doing good requires effort, courage, selflessness, perspective, and consideration for others (it’s easier to eat the whole cake than to think about saving a slice for everyone). That’s how I see it.

And I’m not even talking about the cowards who stand by and do nothing. If they just didn’t enable it (I’m not even asking them to stand up against injustice, just to not support it), bullying wouldn’t exist. And let’s be clear: bullying can come from students and teachers, and it doesn’t end in childhood : it follows people into adulthood, too.

Anyway, I hope I didn’t go too far off track with my answer!

The lyrics of “Reign of Idiocy” use very strong images, such as ‘court’ instead of “playground,” “the game that kills,” and “the kingdom of idiocy,” without softening the impact of psychological violence. Were you concerned about balancing the brutality of the theme with the possibility of welcoming people who have been through this? Especially because, reading the lyrics, I feel there is a glimmer of hope for those who go through this type of experience.

LAURA MAZARD: This kind of balance is never easy to strike, especially since I don’t like drowning my subject in too many metaphors. I need to be sure the message is clear because I want it to land. But I think that’s why I chose to express myself through a metal band. To me, metal is an extreme genre, and by nature, it can tackle difficult subjects head-on (and this song isn’t even the rawest one!). Not everyone may be ready to hear about these topics, but I feel like the kind of person who listens to metal is more open to this approach: confronting the subject to process it better.

For me, metal is the music of intense emotions and a genre that was inherently subversive from the start. So, I’ve chosen not to hold back too much, though I do think carefully about how to approach the subject. Of course, this song, like all the others, is meant to welcome those who connect with it, if they’re willing to hear it that way. It might not resonate with everyone, and that’s okay.

“Reign of Idiocy” is part of the broader concept of Resilience, an album that deals with slow reconstruction after traumatic experiences, with songs that address the causes, consequences, and transcendence of violence. At what point in this narrative does the song fit in and what does it add to the overall arc of the album?

LAURA MAZARD: Your question calls for a reminder about the album, which is essentially a concept album. Each song tells its own story and can stand alone, but together, they form one overarching narrative. Reign of Idiocy is the third chapter in this story (so, out of nine tracks, it comes fairly early).

The album opens with a lullaby and a short audio movie that immerses the listener in the atmosphere of a shattered childhood. This flows into the first track, which introduces an example of a childhood ruined by a toxic family environment. Reign of Idiocy follows because sometimes the harm isn’t at home, it’s at school. Sometimes, it’s at home and at school…

These early songs set the context, leading into the next track, which suggests that even in the hardest moments, the will to break free can become stronger than the suffering itself. Then we reach the midpoint of the album with a ballad that revisits the theme of the lullaby. It arrives as a moment of introspection, a pause to reflect on what we’ve endured and to turn toward the future, finally beginning to rebuild.

Next comes a song that acts like a traumatic flashback… followed by one about the nightmares that haunt us no matter what. Finally, there’s a more hopeful track about how speaking out can set us free. And then the closing piece, a fully orchestral track that revisits the album’s central theme (the lullaby), first heard in the opening song and again in the mid-album ballad. By this point, resilience has taken hold. The wounds are healing, and it’s time to move forward.

Resilience, by the way, is about enduring trauma, but I feel you also see that this kind of endurance can’t be passive, since people also need to react and have the strength to fight. How do you approach this theme?

LAURA MAZARD: It’s interesting that you noticed that… Now that I think about it, I believe my own perspective shines through there. For a long time, I searched for external help, but it never came. Then one day, someone very important to me said something that changed everything: « The only person who will be with you from birth to death is you ». That shifted everything for me. I realized I had to find strength within myself. Otherwise, I’d spend my whole life waiting for someone to save me and even if that person came along, what would I be? Dependent on them? Absolutely not!

So yes, I believe we can’t heal unless we start the process ourselves (and we’ll never heal by just waiting). That doesn’t mean we have to do it all alone ! We can draw strength from others, lean on them for support, but we can’t let them do the work for us. We need the will to break free, and then we can gather the tools we need from those around us. But the fire? That comes from within (and I might be what the 3rd single to come is about !).

You use Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken ceramics with gold, as a visual metaphor for Resilience, transforming wounds into something visible and valuable. How does this theme appear in your new work?

LAURA MAZARD: It appeared as an obvious choice! Kintsugi perfectly expresses the idea of resilience, so I immediately thought of it once the album’s theme was set. Then we all agreed it would fit seamlessly into our artistic universe, especially since we were looking to strengthen our visual identity!

You have invested heavily in music videos, such as “Burnout,” “The Green Queen,” and now “Reign of Idiocy,” using audiovisuals almost as an extension of the concept of the songs. What role does video play for you in the complete experience of the track?

For us, video is extremely important, but of course, we have to work within our means (when I look back at the storyboard I created for Burnout… if we’d done everything as planned, the music video would have cost tens of thousands of euros. That’s why we had to drastically scale back the budget to…. Almost zero!).

We’re lucky to have an incredibly dedicated team that supports us in this. For us, the visuals complete the sound, though it’s totally fine if people choose to experience one without the other. Ideally, we’d love to make a music video for every track!

And to be completely honest… we’re currently working on an orchestral version of the album, and we’re trying to imagine a kind of short film that would span the entire duration of the album. But my gut tells me that’s a bit too ambitious (just like the idea of having the album performed by a real orchestra. Still), at this stage, we can dream!

I saw Enchanted Worlds features the guys from Hartlight (who, may I add, are incredible people). How did this collaboration between the two bands come about?

LAURA MAZARD: With Enchanted Worlds, it was a special case because the track stands out in terms of style and energy from the rest of our discography. We wanted to give it a richer orchestral arrangement than the EP version, and not long before, we’d planned to tour with Hartlight. That’s when it hit me: I really wanted Noémie’s voice on this song! It felt like the perfect energy for it. Plus, the track has that vibe that reminds me of Hartlight’s music (I listen to their first album a lot because, to me, it has that Japanese video game soundtrack feel I love so much). And since the song is basically a love letter to video games, it all clicked in my head.

I saw it as my chance to sing with Noémie (because I absolutely adore her voice!). So we asked them, they said yes, and we were thrilled! The only downside is that we couldn’t invest more in the music video (it was shot between tour dates during our mini-tour, so… we couldn’t work miracles!).

The band has been through a few lineup changes and partnerships, including the addition of an orchestral programmer and occasional collaborations with drummers. How has this impacted your current sound, especially on your most recent recordings?

LAURA MAZARD: Meeting Julien Prost, who handles the orchestral programming and our mixing, really changed everything! In our previous album, we lacked the expertise to make our orchestras sound the way we wanted, so we didn’t develop the orchestral side as much. But when Julien came on board for the song Impulse, a huge world of possibilities opened up! It was a game-changer and gave Elie (who writes full orchestral scores) so much more creative freedom (and he’s already found ways to challenge Julien).

As for drummers, it’s been tricky. We had an amazing experience with Clément Denys, who truly elevated the drums on Album I – Dystopia. We’d love to keep working with him, but given how his career has taken off, we can’t offer him deals that make sense for him, so we’ve had to put that idea on hold for now. For Album II – Resilience, we decided to program the drums so that any future drummer could better envision their role in the project.

So far, we’ve held about ten auditions, but we haven’t found anyone who’s skilled enough, motivated enough, and committed enough to make it work. And since drums and rhythms are fundamental to our music, we can’t settle for “good enough”, so, oh well! For now, we’re moving forward without a drummer, without live orchestras… But the door is wide open!

On Album II – Resilience, we also collaborated with Corentin Petit (Silth) on vocals, and I thought: this is awesome! So, our project isn’t set in stone at all in that regard. We just have music to stand by, and we’ll go wherever that music takes us.

France is not traditionally considered a “metal country,” although it has a very rich niche scene, in addition to the high visibility of Gojira and Alcest. What are the biggest challenges and advantages of making symphonic/progressive metal there?

LAURA MAZARD: France isn’t exactly a metal stronghold (even though it has a solid black metal and metalcore scene), and for symphonic metal, it’s even tougher! We struggle to be taken seriously, even though there are some amazing bands out there. As for prog, it’s hard to generalize because it’s such a mixed bag.

The only upside I see is that the audience in this niche is super active and dedicated, even if they’re few in number. So we’ve built an amazing relationship with them! Otherwise… well, it’s just hard. We’re actually thinking about focusing more on other European countries that are more welcoming to this style!

I couldn’t help but ask, but do you know and like any bands from Brazil?

LAURA MAZARD: Of course! There are the titans like Angra and Sepultura. We recently discovered Kamala at a convention in France. I was also really impressed by a Project46 music videos. And then there’s Noturnall with Thiago Bianchi’s incredible voice… Krisiun, Shadowside, Vandroya… And I’m sure there are others I’m forgetting (or don’t even know are Brazilian, haha)!

Now it’s time for us to say goodbye. Before anything else, thank you for the interview (which I didn’t risk writing in French because I was never a very devoted student when I studied the language in university). Now it’s time to leave a message for our readers. Let’s go.

LAURA MAZARD: Hahaha, glad you did it in English! If the interview had been in French, we’d have had to answer in Bresilian 😉

Thank you so much for this interview ! It gave us a lot to reflect on! We hope it inspires your readers to discover our music or, even better, to discover more about themselves.

Oïkoumen: “Mental health is everything”

15 min

Posted by Fabio