Hi everyone! Today we're joined by Stéphane and Aimane from KHEOS. How are you both doing?

Stéphane - We're doing great, thanks for having us.

We're here today because you recently released your debut album, Oxymore, on March 4, 2026. Everyone knows what an oxymoron is, but I didn't necessarily find that idea reflected in the song titles. Instead, I felt it much more through the album's musical and sonic identity. Could you tell me why you chose that title?

Aimane - First of all, it's worth knowing that we've always been huge fans of Metalcore, Deathcore, and Modern Metal in general. When we started working on the album, we found it difficult to choose which direction we wanted to take. In the end, instead of picking one style over the other, we thought, "Why not embrace both?"

That duality is immediately noticeable in the music itself. As you pointed out, there's a clear shift halfway through the album. But it doesn't only apply to the music, it also applies to the songs themselves. For example, we wanted some tracks to be extremely aggressive and brutal, very Deathcore in their sound, while carrying lyrics that are softer and more delicate. Conversely, we also explore heavy subjects, such as grief, over more melodic Metalcore compositions.

That's really how the album came together. We also learned a lot during the writing process. Stéphane can probably relate to this, but when we first started, we were simply a Metalcore band. As we became better musicians, we naturally wanted to push ourselves further, becoming more technical, faster, and more demanding. That progression naturally led us toward Deathcore.

Stéphane - I completely agree with what Aimane just said. I don't know whether you've had the chance to read the lyrics, but each song explores a different world. The goal was to give every track its own identity. Some are very dark, while others are much more poetic, almost dreamlike, but they all share a cinematic approach.

That also comes from the fact that Aimane works in the audiovisual industry. It's his profession. On top of that, we're all passionate about films, TV series, and animated culture, especially shōnen. All of that had a huge influence on the way we wrote the album, with a constant desire to tell stories.

The record is intentionally split into two halves. The first six tracks lean more toward Deathcore, with heavier, more aggressive sounds, while the second half is more atmospheric and rooted in Metalcore, especially the final two songs. 

Despite that contrast, we always wanted to preserve a sense of duality between the lyrics and the music. That's something you'll find throughout the entire album.

Aimane - The only thing I'd add is that, overall, the album is an introspective exploration of human emotions. What is an emotion? How do we deal with it? How do we adapt to it? That's another reason why Oxymore felt like the perfect title. You can be angry while feeling deeply sad, or feel sadness that's somehow mixed with happiness. From a thematic point of view, the album brings together all of those contradictions.

I have to admit, I really noticed it. Here, I'm specifically talking about your sonic identity. Even though that sense of brutality was already present on your previous songs and on the Down to Hell EP, this album features piano on most of the tracks, which really helps soften that aggression. Would you say this has become your new musical identity? Or was it something that was specific to this album, with future releases evolving more naturally over time?

Aimane - Since this is our first album, it was also a huge learning experience for us. Today, we already know that our future releases will lean towards something more brutal. It'll still be melodic, but we'll be embracing a rawer, more primal side of our music.

As we kept playing these songs and working on the album, we realized that's actually what we enjoy performing the most. We also noticed that a lot of people were asking for that heavier side of our sound.

So I think our upcoming releases will head in a direction that's more defined, deeper, darker and heavier. That said, we still want to preserve the emotional and melodic identity that's become such an important part of our songs.

Speaking of your visual identity, there's a very cinematic quality that comes across not only in the album artwork but also in your music videos. There are also a few Japanese influences here and there. Could you tell us more about that artistic direction?

Aimane - Most of us in the band are in our thirties, so we're really part of the '90s generation. We grew up with manga, anime, films, thrillers, and all that kind of stuff.

At some point, we thought it would be interesting to bring together everything we love, both musically and through our shared passion for audiovisual storytelling. We also realized that our generation grew up with a lot of bands wearing masks or having a really strong visual identity. We didn't want to lose sight of where we came from, so we wanted to reflect that visually.

To be honest, we don't have one fixed artistic direction. What we really enjoy is creating lore. We like building stories through our music videos, our visual identity, and this rather dark universe. Even on stage, we enjoy wearing masks and putting together the best show we can.

We try to pay attention to every aspect of the experience. I don't know if Stéphane can explain it better than I can, but our goal is to create such a strong identity that people don't just remember the music, they remember the visuals as well. We want people to leave thinking it wasn't just another concert, and to want to come back and experience it again.

Stéphane - I think what Aimane is trying to say is that, right from the moment we started creating the album, and because of all our cinematic influences, we've always wanted to build a real narrative around the band. The idea is to draw people into a story, whether that's through the lore, the visuals, or even our live shows.

Ultimately, what we're looking for is to create an atmosphere and evoke emotions, whether through the lyrics or simply through the music itself. At the end of the day, music is all about conveying emotions.

That's what we tried to achieve throughout Oxymore, and it's also what we're looking for on stage: creating a sense of communion with the audience. After that, everyone is free to experience the music in their own way and take away their own interpretation, whether they discover KHEOS live or by listening to the album.

How does your creative process in the studio usually work? With all the emotion behind the album, as well as its sonic identity, where do you generally begin?

Aimane - Most of the time, it starts with either a musical idea or a thematic one. François and I usually come up with the first drafts of the songs. It can begin with a guitar riff, a particular theme, or even a film I've watched that inspires me to write.

Once those initial ideas are there, the whole band gets involved in shaping the songs. Everyone brings their own ideas, and we rework the arrangements together.

Another important part of this album is that we collaborated with Chris Wiseman, guitarist for Shadow of Intent and Currents. He produced and mixed the record, but he also had input on our songwriting. That allowed us to learn a tremendous amount and to push our compositions even further.

For us, Chris Wiseman was pretty much the dream producer and mixer. He's a member of two bands whose styles are very close to what we were trying to achieve on this album: one rooted in Metalcore and the other in melodic Deathcore. It really couldn't have been a better fit.

From time to time, he suggested changes to our arrangements. Sometimes we kept those ideas, sometimes we didn't, but every piece of feedback he gave us was valuable and helped us look at our songs from a different perspective.

In the end, the process is fairly straightforward. François and I build the first drafts, then everyone adds their own contribution. Stéphane, for example, often brings in heavier drum ideas or reworks certain sections, while our other guitarist, Rémi, contributes more from a lead guitarist's perspective. That's how each song gradually takes its final shape.


I'd like to come back to the wonderful guitarist you mentioned earlier, because several artists also contributed to the album. I'm thinking of Valérie Chantraine, AHNA and Solar Eruption. How did those collaborations come about, and what do you think they brought to the album?

Aimane - First of all, there's a really strong metal community where we're from. We're based in Lille, in northern France, and there's a local scene that's really growing at the moment. A lot of bands are starting to make a name for themselves, even internationally.

Since this was our first album, we wanted to involve friends and people we already knew, artists we genuinely admire for what they do. That's how we quickly decided to work with Cyril from Solar Eruption, Oriane from AHNA and Valérie Chantraine from Penumbra.

They're first and foremost friends, people we've grown alongside on the live scene. On top of that, they're incredibly talented artists. In our opinion, some of them are truly at the top of their game, especially vocally.

Rather than reaching out to already well-established names, we chose to stay close to our own local scene. The idea was simple: we wanted to grow together. And in the end, everything happened very naturally.

Stéphane – We picked three vocalists from our close circle, people we've played a lot of shows with over the years. We've watched them evolve, and each of them was chosen very deliberately for the song that suited their voice best.

For example, Cyril appears on Immortal Warfare. He's amazing at extreme vocal techniques, especially high zombie throats (I don't know all the technical terms, I'm a drummer!) but he's incredibly skilled at that style.

Then there's Valérie and her operatic vocals, which are absolutely stunning. And finally Oriane, who really shines in the Metalcore side of things. The vocal melodies she brings to Home create a real emotional impact. It's actually my favourite song on the album, largely because she's part of it.

Your album has now been out for a little over a month. Have the reactions been what you were hoping for? How do you feel about the way it's been received?

Stéphane - If I may answer first, Aimane... We've actually been a little surprised by the reception because the album has been most successful in the area where we expected it the least. It's the heaviest songs that have performed the best. They've been incredibly well received, whereas we thought the more accessible tracks would probably stand out more.

In the end, it's really the more brutal side of the album that people connected with the most. That definitely surprised us, but it's also helped us shape the direction KHEOS will take in the future and further define our identity.

We also put quite a lot of thought into the album's promotional campaign by releasing several singles ahead of the full record. We started with Immortal Warfare, followed by The Figure of Echo, then Wrath of Kronos, and finally Home. It was a way for us to see which side of the album would resonate the most with listeners.

What we found was that the heavier songs and their music videos ended up getting the most streams and views. So that's really been the biggest takeaway for us. Aimane, I don't know if you'd like to add anything.

Aimane - No, I think you've covered everything. More than anything, it reassures us that we're heading in the right direction by making our future material a bit heavier, just as I mentioned earlier.

Overall, the feedback has been really positive. Even people who don't usually listen to extreme metal have told us they enjoy what we're doing, which was a pleasant surprise. We've also received a lot of constructive feedback, so at this point we're genuinely very happy with the way the album has been received.

I'd like to go back to the release of your first singles before the album. I noticed that Macabre came out in September 2023 and Jikan in April 2024, before the campaign really picked up with Immortal Warfare last November. Why did you decide to release those two singles so early, and then wait before unveiling the rest of the album?

Aimane - Macabre was the very first single we released. After that, there was quite a long development period because Chris Wiseman plays in two bands. In the end, the album took much longer to complete than we had originally expected.

There were a lot of back-and-forth exchanges between him and us. Sometimes he was away on tour, so there were periods when he simply wasn't available. Even so, we never considered working with someone else because he was the producer we really wanted. So there was already that logistical aspect that stretched the timeline.

On top of that, Chris gave us a great deal of feedback on our songs. He had a very critical eye and would tell us what worked, what didn't, and what could be improved. That led us to rethink and rework several of the compositions, which naturally extended the writing process even further.

That being said, Macabre and Jikan were the first two songs through which we knew exactly where we wanted to take the album. Macabre clearly represented the Deathcore side of the band, while Jikan leaned much more towards Metalcore.

Those two tracks gave Chris Wiseman an initial overview of the project, but they also helped us better understand how the rest of the album would evolve from there.


In the end, Immortal Warfare was the song that really introduced this new era before the album's release. It's also the opening track on Oxymore. Why did you choose this song to lead the campaign and to open the album itself?

Aimane - We knew people were eagerly waiting for the album, and we wanted to make a strong entrance, a really brutal one. Immortal Warfare is probably the song that represents us best. Of course, there are Deathcore influences, symphonic elements, and even small touches of trap and electronic music.

It brings together all those different influences in a way that, to us, best represents what KHEOS is. So we thought, "Let's put Immortal Warfare right on the table." That way, people immediately know whether they're going to connect with the album or not. We felt it was the best way to grab listeners' attention from the very beginning.

Stéphane - Well, the album opens with a drum break, so obviously it was the perfect choice! (laughs)

More seriously, it also reflects something we learned while making the album: how to build tension throughout the listening experience and keep people engaged from beginning to end.

You have to grab the listener's attention right away, and Immortal Warfare was the most impactful track to achieve that.

If you listen to the album as a whole, you'll notice it isn't a straight line. The intensity constantly rises and falls. That's part of the sonic architecture and the strategy we developed behind the album to draw listeners into our stories : sometimes easing the tension, sometimes building it back up.

All of that was carefully thought out, and in the end we genuinely believe Immortal Warfare was the best possible way to begin the story of Oxymore.

Is there one song on the album that means more to you than the others, for any particular reason?

Stéphane - I think we'd all have a different favourite. (laughs) But Aimane, wasn't there one track we all agreed on?

Aimane - If we had to pick one together, I'd say Wrath of Kronos. I think that's the one.

It's a very technical song. Strangely enough, composition-wise, it has an old-school Deathcore feel, but with a modern approach. There's something almost timeless about it. I think that's why it's the track we all enjoy the most, both to play and to listen to.

I'd also say it's the song we're the proudest of.

Stéphane - I think it really represents the band's identity. Even looking ahead, I'd say KHEOS is naturally moving towards what Wrath of Kronos and Immortal Warfare represent. Those are definitely the band's two favourites.

And they're also the songs that hit the hardest live. They're the ones that get the strongest reaction, and because we enjoy playing them so much, they're probably the ones we're most comfortable performing on stage.

That actually brings me to live shows. It's the one aspect I didn't have much time to look into, so that's on me. Do you already have any concerts planned where people will be able to hear the album live?

Stéphane - While we were working on the album, we deliberately slowed down our live activity because we were dedicating so much time to making the record. We wanted to create the best album we possibly could.

As for shows in France, everything is still being planned. With the recent increase in fuel prices, touring across the country has become quite expensive, so we have to make sure it's financially and logistically viable.

That said, we're already confirmed for two European festivals: one in the Netherlands and one in Spain. The Spanish festival will take place later this year, while the Dutch one is scheduled for next year.

As for France, we're still working on it. We definitely want to play; we just need to find the right promoters and the right venues so we can do it properly.

That's really great to hear. I hope it all comes together soon and in the best possible conditions.

Stéphane - Thank you!

Were the songs on this album already written with the live show in mind, or are you still working on adapting some of them for the stage?

Aimane - We've already worked on almost all of them for the live show. We already have a fairly developed stage concept.

One of the great things about this band is that everyone has different professional and personal backgrounds outside of music, which means we can each contribute something unique to the project. We have our own lighting show, a laser setup, our own stage masks... We also planned to remove the masks at specific moments during the performance. There's a whole narrative running through the show.

Our setlist is already well established. Of course, it always depends on the venue. We're still an independent band, so not every venue can accommodate all of our equipment, especially our lighting setup.

But overall, we're becoming very comfortable with our live production.

You guys are all set then!

I think that'll be my final question. Is there a message you'd like to leave for the people listening to your music?

Aimane - I'll go first. Thank you to everyone who listens to our music. Thank you to everyone who took the time to listen to the album, and to everyone who's come to see us live.

Most of all, thank you to those who've been supporting us since 2020 or 2021, ever since Macabre was released, and who never lost hope that this album would finally come out. We're incredibly grateful for that.

Long live the French metal scene, because it's growing stronger every year. And never forget to support your local bands; you never know who might become tomorrow's next big breakthrough.

France has an incredibly diverse metal scene, and we hope it keeps growing. Let's keep supporting it together.

Stéphane - I don't have anything to add. Aimane said it perfectly.

Thank you both for taking the time to answer my questions.

Stéphane - Thank you for the interview. Your questions were really interesting.