强势回归 - 法国Progressive Death Metal乐队Thalidomide专访

Volcano Magazine
1 hour ago
10 min read

今天采访的是来自法国的Progressive Death Metal乐队Thalidomide，组建于19902年的Thalidomide乐队是法国一支非常有资历的老牌乐队，由吉他 / 歌手的Jean-Philippe Gautier组建，组建不久之后乐队便发行了第一张Demo作品“Spread the Misfortune”，1995年发行了第二张Demo作品“Death... Starvation... Plague and War”被大家所熟知，这张作品的录音效果虽然非常简陋，但是乐队的才华并没有因为简陋的录音效果被掩埋，2003年乐队自助发行了第一张专辑“Le paradis du mal”更是让更多的歌迷关注了这支才华横溢的乐队，精湛的演奏技巧，复杂复古的编曲，得到了所有歌迷的认可，朗朗上口的旋律也是这张专辑的最大特点，2008年宣布解散，让所有喜欢这支乐队的歌迷大失所望，2022年乐队宣布重新组建并且在2025年发行了他们的第二张正式专辑“Le retour à la barbarie”，这张专辑也被法国的Adipocere Records厂牌发行，前不久杂志与乐队的创始人Jean-Philippe Gautier取得联系进行了一次专访！

（V: 代表笔者 J: 代表Jean-Philippe Gautier）

Today's interview features the French progressive death metal band Thalidomide. Formed in 19902, Thalidomide is a highly seasoned veteran band in France. Founded by guitarist/vocalist Jean-Philippe Gautier, the band released their first demo “Spread the Misfortune” shortly after formation. In 1995, they released their second demo "Death... Starvation. .. Plague and War," which gained widespread recognition. Despite its rudimentary recording quality, the band's talent shone through. In 2003, the band self-released their debut album “Le paradis du mal,” drawing even more attention to this exceptionally talented group. Their masterful musicianship, intricate vintage arrangements, and instantly catchy melodies earned universal acclaim from fans. Their announcement of disbandment in 2008 left devoted followers deeply disappointed. In 2022, the band announced their reunion and released their second official album, “Le retour à la barbarie,” in 2025. This album was also released by the French label Adipocere Records. Recently, our magazine connected with the band's founder, Jean-Philippe Gautier, for an exclusive interview!

(V: Author | J: Jean-Philippe Gautier)

采访对象：Jean-Philippe Gautier（Thalidomide乐队创始人）

采访时间：2025.12.09

V: 你好兄弟，很高兴见到你，非常感谢你参与这次访谈。我想这是你们乐队首次接受中文杂志的采访。首先请向所有中国乐迷问好。Thalidomide乐队成立于1992年，是拥有悠久历史的老牌乐队。当初是谁提议组建这个乐队的？Thalidomide这个名字有什么含义？

Hello brother, it's nice to meet you and thank you very much for participating in this interview. I think this is the first time your band has been interviewed by a Chinese magazine. First of all, let's say hello to all Chinese fans. Thalidomide was founded in 1992 and is an old brand band with a long history. Who proposed the formation of this band? What does the name Thalidomide mean?

J: 乐队由我和首任鼓手共同创立。Thalidomide是一种在1950至60年代被用作孕妇镇静剂的药物，正是它导致了大量先天性畸形的发生。

The band was created by myself and our first drummer. The thalidomide is the name of a drug that was used as a tranquilizer for pregnant women in the 1950’ and 60’, and was the cause for many genetic malformations.

V: 你们乐队如今仅剩Jean-Philippe作为创始成员，其余两位成员于2025年加入。第一代成员为何离开乐队？新成员是如何加入的？你对新成员的工作表现满意吗？

Your band now only has Jean-Philippe as the first member, and the remaining two members joined the band in 2025. Why did the first generation members leave the band? How did the new members join the band? Are you satisfied with the new member's job?

J: 我确实是乐队里唯一留任的成员，但新专辑中担任鼓手的Olivier早在2003年的前作中就已加入乐队。他现在定居墨西哥，所以这次合作仅限于录音室工作。乐队现已阵容完整，新成员都是我熟识的音乐人，他们欣赏我发送的曲目并见证了乐队相较以往作品的演变，包括声乐部分的革新。我对他们的表现及乐队现状完全满意。

I am indeed the only remaining member in the band but Olivier who plays drums on the new album was already in band for the previous one in 2003. He now lives in Mexico so it was a session job only. The band is now complete, the new members are people I know who liked the songs I sent them, and saw the evolution compared to our previous work, including in the vocal department. I’m totally satisfied with their job and of the band as it is now.

V: 你们是一群拥有丰富创作经验的音乐人，曾推出过多部经典作品。能否介绍你们的创作过程？相信你们的创作经验能为更多年轻音乐人带来启发！

You are a group of musicians with rich creative experience. You release some classic works. Can you introduce your creative process? I believe your creative experience will bring inspiration to more young musicians!

J: 我始终认为，音乐人应当保持开放心态，接纳多元的音乐风格与创作手法。以我自身为例，在音乐学院学习古典吉他期间，曾结识专程赴法深造的中国音乐人。我的创作根基源于吉他即兴段落、音阶或调式——这些是我乐于聆听与演绎的元素。所有作品均通过Guitar Pro软件完成初稿，随后在排练中打磨细节。

It is my belief that you need to be open to different music styles and approaches. I, for one, studied classical guitar in music college, I even met Chinese musicians there, who came in France to expand their knowledge. My music is based on guitar riffs, or scales or modes that I enjoy hearing and playing. Everything is written through Guitar pro, then we work on details during rehearsals.

V: 你们2003年的首张专辑录音效果极佳。是在哪家录音室完成录制的？由哪位制作人操刀制作？今年第二张正式专辑的录制过程是否顺利？

Your first album in 2003 had excellent recording effects. Which studio did you record the album in? Which producer made the album for you? Did the recording process of your second official album go smoothly this year?

J: 2003年发行的"Le paradis du mal"在法国里昂的Plaza录音室录制，于巴黎完成母带处理，由Adipocere records自主发行并分销——该厂牌现已成为我们新专辑"le Retour à la Barbarie"的正式发行方。严格来说这是我们的第三张专辑，因为2000年曾发行过一张包含Demo磁带“le Retour à la Barbarie”及三首附加曲目的独立CD。新专辑除鼓手部分外均由我独立完成，随后投入大量时间寻找现场乐手、签约厂牌、安排巡演等事宜。过程虽艰辛，但最终成果令我非常满意。

“Le paradis du mal” from 2003 was recorded in France at the Plaza studios in Lyon and mastered in Paris, it was self-released and distributed through Adipocere records, which has since become our actual label for the release of the new album, “le Retour à la Barbarie”. Precisely it will be our 3rd album, as we released in 2000 a self-released cd including our demo “Death, starvation, plague and war” along with 3 bonus tracks. For the new album I handled everything except the drums, then spent time looking for live musicians, a label, concert dates etc… It was tough but I’m really pleased with the results.

V: 你的音乐主题是什么？为何选择这个主题，又想通过它表达什么？专辑歌词部分由谁创作？创作灵感源自何处？

What is the theme of your music about? Why did you choose this music theme, and what do you want to express through this music theme? You also created the lyrics section. Who created these lyrics and what inspired them?

J: 专辑名为"Le Retour à la Barbarie"，可大致译为"Back to barbarian times"。这个标题反映了我的忧虑以及专辑中探讨的主题：法西斯主义与不宽容的抬头、全球对气候变化的漠视、自私自利、抑郁症……所有音乐与歌词均由我创作，贝斯、吉他及人声也由我亲自录制。两首曲目中出现的女性合唱部分，是由我认识的一位抒情歌唱老师录制的。

The album is entitled « Le Retour à la Barbarie » which can be roughly translated to « Back to barbarian times ». This title reflects my concerns and the themes you can find on the album : the rise of fascism and intolerance, the global carelessness towards climate change, selfishness, depression… I wrote all the music and lyrics, recorded bass, guitars and vocals myself. You’ll hear some feminine choirs on two tracks, these were recorded by a lyrical singing teacher I know.

V: 你们的Logo设计非常漂亮。是谁为你们设计的这个Logo？你们的专辑封面设计也很独特。这些封面作品是谁设计的？

Your logo design is very beautiful. Who designed this logo for you? Your album artwork design is also very unique. Who designed these artworks for you?

J: 这个Logo是我们发行首张试听带时，由鼓手的一位朋友设计的。Fabien Bouiller是最近两张专辑封面艺术的创作者，他是我的一位才华横溢的朋友。

The logo was drawn by a friend of the drummer’s when we released our first demo tape. Fabien Bouiller is the artist behind the cover artworks for the last two albums, he’s a friend of mine who is very talented.

V: 你们的专辑发行速度非常缓慢。在1993-1995年间发布两张试听带后，首张正式专辑直至2003年才问世。这种缓慢发行的原因是什么？

Your album release speed is very slow. After releasing two demos in 1993-1995, the first official album was only released in 2003. What is the reason for your slow release?

J: 质量第一是我的信条。过去十五年间我创作了多首器乐曲，我的YouTube频道上有若干视频可供欣赏。但眼下我的重心是Thalidomide乐队——正在为其创作新曲，以及另一支我担任吉他手的乐队Sangdragon。

Quality first is my motto. I’ve composed several instrumental tracks these last fifteen years, you can find several videos on my youtube channel, but right now my priority is Thalidomide, for which I’m writing more new songs, and my other band Sangdragon in which I play guitars.

V: 你们的乐队在2008年宣布解散，直到2022年才重组。当初解散乐队的原因是什么？又是什么促使你们重新组建乐队？

Your band announced their disbandment in 2008 and only re formed in 2022. What caused you to disband the band? What was the reason for you to reorganize the band again?

J: 当时我们未能找到全心投入的成员，乐队中有些人热情消退。我始终渴望延续沙利度胺乐队的音乐事业，最终在几年前决定亲自担纲主唱并尝试创作新曲时，这个愿景终于得以实现。

At that point we weren’t able to find commited members, and some in the band were less motivated. I’ve always wanted to carry on with Thalidomide, it finally took form when I decided to take on vocals and tried it on new songs a couple of years ago.

V: 为何首张专辑未选择唱片公司发行？是否有厂牌为你们重制过这张专辑？2025年新专辑由Adipocere Records发行，这是家优秀的厂牌。你们是如何建立合作关系的？对该厂牌的工作是否满意？

Why didn't you choose a label to release your first album for yourself? Has any label reissued this album for you? The new album for 2025 was released on Adipocere Records, a great label. How did you get in touch to collaborate? Are you satisfied with the job at this brand?

J: 前两张专辑尚未再版，但可在Bandcamp平台获取。我与克里斯蒂安及Adipocere合作已久——他曾协助推广前作专辑，我们常在演出现场相遇。当我将新专辑曲目发送给他时，他立刻表现出浓厚兴趣。能再次携手Adipocere，我们深感欣喜，这家法国公司堪称极端金属领域的杰出推动者。

There hasn’t been a reissue for the first two albums yet, but they’re available on bandcamp. I’ve known Christian and Adipocere for a long time as he helped promoting the previous album, we often meet at gigs, and he immediately was interested when I sent him the songs for the new albums. We’re delighted to work with Adipocere again, a great actor for extreme metal in France.

V: 首先恭喜你们的乐队今年发行了新专辑。你们的创作不仅涵盖死亡金属，更融入了旋律与进阶元素、复杂编排以及悦耳旋律，这些都给我个人留下了深刻印象，主唱的凶猛唱腔更是作品的亮点。你们如何评价自己的作品？新专辑与旧作相比有哪些变化？

First of all, congratulations to your band for releasing a new album this year. Your work not only includes death metal, but also some elements of phrase and progress, complex arrangements, and pleasant melodies. These have left a deep impression on me personally, and the singer's fierce singing is also a highlight of the work. What is your opinion on your own work? What are the changes between the new album and the old album?

J: 我们对最终成果非常满意，声音比以往更具现代感，却依然忠实于Thalidomide的复古精神。相信喜爱我们过往作品的乐迷也会喜欢这次的创作，目前已收获诸多赞誉与极佳评价。

We’re totally satisfied with the result, the sound is more modern that it used to be but is totally true to the old-school spirit of Thalidomide. I believe people who enjoyed our previous efforts will like this one, we have already received praise and very positive reviews.

V: 你参加过哪些音乐节？哪些音乐节给你留下深刻印象？能否描述当时的现场氛围？2026年还有哪些音乐节邀请你参与？

What music festivals have you participated in? What music festivals have left a deep impression on you? Can you introduce the live atmosphere at that time? What other music festivals invite you to participate in 2026?

J: 我们尚未开始在舞台上宣传这张专辑，因为现场乐队阵容刚刚组建完成，但我们已为2026/2027年筹备了令人期待的巡演计划，届时会告知大家！

We haven’t started promoting the album on stage yet as the live band has just been completed, but we have promising leads for 2026/2027, we’ll let you all know !

V: 你们是经典而卓越的乐队，我将始终关注并支持你们。也希望通过这次访谈能吸引更多中国乐迷关注和支持你们。访谈即将结束，最后想对中国的乐迷说些什么吗？

You are a classic and excellent band, and I will always pay attention to and support your band. I also hope to attract more Chinese fans to pay attention to and support you through this interview. The interview is coming to an end, do you have anything you want to say to Chinese fans at the end?

J: 能回答各位的问题我深感荣幸，衷心感谢你们的支持，更感谢你们为推广我们这类地下乐队至中国金属乐迷所付出的努力。大家可在 https://thalidomidemetal.bandcamp.com 收听专辑，并通过我们的YouTube频道观看主打曲《l'affranchi》的音乐视频。

I’m very glad to have answered your questions, thanks a lot for your support and for your work promoting underground bands like us towards chinese metal fans. You can listen to the album on https://thalidomidemetal.bandcamp.com and discover our music video for the title « l’affranchi » on our youtube channel.