Auspex HELIOPAUSE

Press book

Press contact : [email protected]

Table of contents

Page 3 : Auspex

Page 4 : Heliopause

Page 5 : Track by Track

Page 7 : Contacts

Copyright Photos : Page 3 : Frédéric Chorier Page 8 : Frédéric Chorier

Auspex

The band Auspex was formed in Grenoble (France) in 2001. During the first years, the band focused on composing and giving live concerts locally. The first mini-LP Mysteries of

the Stars was released in 2005. The positive reviews they received encouraged Auspex to finalize their first full-length album. Resolutio was recorded in 2006 at Towerstudio by Brett Caldas-Lima (who also produced Kalisia, Cynic, To-Mera, Malmonde, etc.). This allowed Auspex to sign a deal with Thundering Records and release the album the following year. Once again, the album was well received and Auspex got to play live on a more regular basis, in France and abroad. Heliopause, Heliopause the second album, was recorded in 2009 at Towerstudio and will be released on the 10.10.2010.

Pierre-Yves, Alexis, Frédéric, Lionel, Arthur, Elodie. Since Resolutio, Auspex has been evolving from a rather traditional symphonic metal genre to a more sophisticated and subtle style. The roots of Heliopause are still anchored in metal, but other types of music have become much more prominent; movie soundtracks, progressive rock, experimental and electronic music, and bands from the ‘60s and ‘70s are more noticeable in Auspex’s newer compositions.

Heliopause There is a border, an edge, a frontier, a limit... Beyond, there lies a system. The existence of a system implies the existence of what does not belong within it and triggers the urge to pinpoint it, question it, and get to know it. But the leads are infinite.

Heliopause is not an essay, a novel, or a manifesto; it is the spontaneous result of different stimuli and interactions. As our system evolves, so do the responses to the stimuli. The contrast between darkness and light are redefined and the exploration of new horizons takes on new dimensions. From its origins, Auspex is now expanding towards the unknown, ready to encounter these new winds and to explore further afield. For the Auspex system, Heliopause is a product of evanescence, of the sun, of greatness and emptiness, of uncertainty and doubt, a means of translating Auspex’s own existence as a system inside the outside.

But what if we were wrong, and if everything was just… illusion.

Track by Track

With Heliopause, we wanted to write a sequel to Resolutio. The new album therefore follows naturally in its footsteps. The illustrations in the CD cover and inlay, deliberately reminiscent of its predecessor, epitomize this evolution. Heliopause, however, is distinctive because more personal. The vocals take on new registers, there is a greater variation of tempos, and the musical diversity is more striking. These aspects provide a genuine musical identity for Auspex, more so than for Resolutio.

Heliopause is an album intended to be played live. Only in concert will the album reveal its true secrets to its audience. The countless possibilities in arrangement will create entirely different atmospheres at each venue, turning every live performance into a unique experience, both for the audience and for Auspex.

Electric Sheep – Silence This opening song is a dreamlike journey to the country where the sun never rises, a frozen reverie in which polar auroras play with the perceptions of the traveler, held captive by heavenly pleasures until death. The approach, slow and peculiar then violent and impressive, introduces a powerful song similar to those in our previous album, Resolutio. This double opening song seemed to us the ideal way of linking Resolutio to the new musical horizons of Heliopause. I walked Awoken on Titan This song came about after cogitations on the energy that composes us, and what can be done with it. Are there different possibilities? How does it forge us, what does it arise from? The verses represent the cold surface of Titan; a psychedelic narration is punctuated by spatial rhythms. The chorus and the instrumental passages are much more melodic, like pauses in the ostinato. In Through the Looking Glass In Through the Looking Glass is a schizophrenic discussion between doubles amplified by mirrored mind games. It is a merciless intrusion into the very core of identity, distorted by the duality that constitutes the human soul. The structure of this somber and oppressive song is similar to those of our first album Resolutio. It is distinguished by a mid-tempo that allows more meticulous work on the harmonies. The verses where the atmosphere is both ethereal and violent, and where dreamlike choir are juxtaposed to powerful guitars, restore the duality of the theme of the mirror.

The Pulse of Emptiness This seemingly bleak song refers to the bewilderment and confusion felt in the face of what can’t be explained. It also evokes the consciousness of Emptiness. The structure of The Pulse of Emptiness is less conventional, alternating between flights of symphony and more atmospheric moments. This song has multiple facets where orchestration and leitmotivs complement one another on a conceptual level. The second part of the song allows the singer to explore registers hitherto little drawn upon. せつなき たび (Setsunaki Tabi - Nostalgic Travel -) The evanescent lightness of this song stands in contrast with the dark and melancholy lyrics (in Japanese) about the last breaths of life, the last feelings that fade away into a long dreamless night. Setsunaki Tabi is the first song from Auspex that is not "metal". The guitars are completely absent, the tempo is slow, the bass lines, drums and keyboard are minimalist and allow the harmonies to be lulled by the gentle sounds of the Japanese language. 0-1-0-1 (And so on...) The questions that gave birth to the lyrics of this song deal with achievement, endeavour, creation, generation and all that is implied. Abstraction, futility, the uselessness of endeavour and yet its necessity. The first part of the song is a series of repetitive and oppressing riffs. The orchestral crescendo and the persistent narrations establish an unhealthy tension until the final relief. It is a timeless exhalation where the vocals and choir bring the listener back after having been progressively hypnotized. Ad Astra Per Aspera (Through hardships to the stars) This Latin expression is a reference to the two Golden Records included aboard space exploration probes Voyager I and Voyager II (1977). These « messages in a bottle » inspired a text at once simple and symbolic about the diversity and preciousness of our planet Earth, a reflection on all things ephemeral and transcendent. Ad Astra Per Aspera is the album's most progressive song. The structure does not match any pattern. Tempos and rhythm keys change often and orchestration and arrangements are varied. This title was a kind of musical laboratory that allowed us to experiment some new ways of using the lead vocals and choir, unobtrusive key signatures with nods at unexpected musical styles. Resolutio The last song of Heliopause is the first to have been thought up, since most of the elements come from our first album, Resolutio. The themes, harmonies, melodies and lyrics of this piece led us to rethink and rework the material resulting from earlier creations when composing Heliopause. The text of Resolutio is a resurgence of the song Winter Choir written in French for a children's choir that appeared on our show: The Clock and the Puppet (2008). Its revival (in Japanese this time) is symbolic of the song’s theme, which deals with cycles and new beginnings.

Contacts

website : http://www.auspexmusic.com Email : [email protected] Press contact : Mail : [email protected] Booking Contact: Contact: [email protected]

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