Track By Tracks: Near Death Experience - Brief Is The Light (2025)

Album concept:

This first abum 'Brief is the light' is a concept album about a woman who has suffered of domestic violence for a long time by her husband, but the last time she fell into a deep coma and is from now on experiencing various near death experiences, she remembers her past life, has a lot of thoughts about what happened, thinks about the good and the bad moments with him (mostly the bad moments), and tries to reach the light to "come back to life". But the light is brief, and she might not reach it... I have always been a fan of paranormal things (X files is my favorite show, as a kid it was kind of interesting, scary, and i did not miss any episodes on TV on saturdays evening) and the mystery of near death experiences testimonies as well, not the ones that speaks about meeting God and are about religion, but the ones speaking about the fact that your whole life flashes before your eyes, about astral projection, the tunnel of light and so on.

The topic of near-death experiences was the perfect match to speak also about domestic violence, as this is unfortunately something that is too often seen on the news.

Both themes (NDE and domestic violence) were adequate for everything I wanted to put into my music: fear, despair, melancholy, anger, hope, hold on to life, so it fits perfectly with gothic doom style in metal. I really hope listeners will feel all of this when listening to the album.

Track-by-Track breakdown:

1. And then there was silence:

This intro is instrumental, and as the title says, there was suddenly a full silence when she was hit, she lost consciousness and fell into a coma, the music is here quite slow to enter the album's atmosphere.

2. No tomorrow:

I am going to say this for a lot of tracks, sorry, but the title also sums up the situation, the woman is now in a coma, so there won't be any tomorrow for her, the days will always be the same for her, in the lyrics we speak about some kind of death row, as she does not know when she is "released" and if she will ever leave this condition and hospital bed.

This is the very first song I wrote for the album, during the first COVID-19 lockdown in France in May 2020, and this opens our live shows.

3. Brief is the light:

The title track of the album, and one of the most accessible songs (if I can say so), and therefore chosen as the first single of the album. It contains, I think, all the NDE ingredients: a haunting lead guitar melody, good gothic doom riffs, "fast" and slow, some piano and choirs for the atmosphere, and of course, the hope and light symbolized by the female clean voice.

The concept is quite clear once again when you read some of the lyrics (verse and chorus):

"Beyond the clouds

a light arises

I try to reach

these luminous shores

but I am trapped

in this dayless immensity

The fear of you

haunts my memories

you cannot catch me here

I am safe now

but i need to go back

My body floats

in this astral landscape

time is running out

brief is the light"

So she is clearly in a coma but conscious of her condition and of what happened, knowing that she has to hurry to reach the light asap, using astral projection.

4. As life fades:

Probably the most "metal" and fastest song on the album with 'The Neverending Journey', here I wanted to include some straight forward metal kind of "thrashy" riffs and mix them with a nice piano to keep the NDE atmosphere.

The lyrics (verse below) are about her realizing that her life is slowly fading in this coma condition, but she is somehow a bit discouraged and losing faith.

"Carried by the tide

The whirlwind’s draging me deep

Drawn to the abyss

Into the black hole I slip

What's on the other side ?

Who cares ?... just’ wanna sleep"

5. Stolen seasons:

A more classic gothic doom song, but I think it's my favorite when we speak about lyrics only, maybe because it's the first one I wrote entirely (music + lyrics), for most of the songs, I worked wth several lyricists.

As she is in a coma, there are no seasons anymore; they were 'stolen' from her. It's just a black, empty night now, so she remembers what each season feels like:

"A dream of spring and summer

milder weather, flowering trees,

melting snow

awakening of life

feel the warmth on my face

burning sun on my skin

sand on my toes

A dream of autumn and winter

colors fading, dead leaves,

rainy days

decline of nature

feel the wind on my face

piercing frost on my skin

snow on my hands

hopeless

lost in nothingness

an empty soul

more than ever

stolen seasons

feelings and emotions

gone forever"

6. Her wounded soul:

This song is the second I wrote in 2020 and is 100% dedicated to women suffering domestic violence. It speaks about how the soul, beyond the body, can be damaged by such drama.

"I have sunk under the vast sea of your brutality

My wounded soul lapses into nowhere

This is the last fall...

Blows ceased hurting my flesh

But my sores will remain open

Out of my mind, my body collapses

Will all my flesh become ashes?

Affliction and sorrow are tormenting

my wounded soul"

7. A voice in the dark:

Here I wanted to speak about something different: the woman is still in a coma, but her husband comes to see her at the hospital and speaks to her to make her feel better and "come back". He regrets what he has done, and the lyrics are a kind of mix between his point of view and hers, as she hears him speaking.

This is also about all the women who remain in a couple with their abuser for a long time, even though they were abused and beaten, as it is not easy to flee and leave everything behind.

"My rest is suddenly disturbed by a vague tone

I can distinguish a glow in this foggy aura

Maybe I have to get out from this quiet zone

from this quiet zone

Convince me to wake up

from my eternal sleep

Your time is not gone, come back

This is not the end of the game

I don't want your existence to fade to black

I can hear him whispering, a voice in the dark"

8. The neverending journey:

Same idea musically speaking as 'As life fades', probably the most "metal" and fastest song on the album, here I still wanted to include some straight forward metal kind of "thrashy" riffs and mix them with a dark lead guitar and intro piano to keep the NDE atmosphere.

It's more of a 'fantastic' song with the lyrics, as we speak about travelling into other worlds and universes when experiencing NDEs. The lyricist did a nice job talking about mythology in this one (Nyx and Hypnos) :

Not quite dead, not still alive

Wrapped up in this coma, in this eternal sleep

Ô daughters of Nyx, will you stop weaving my thread of life?

Not still alive, not quite dead,

I'm stucked in an in-between world with Hypnos

Ô daughters of Nyx, will you stop weaving my thread of life?

I'm travelling into several universes

Will my existence be shorten?

I'm wandering in manifold places

The neverending journey is my burden"

With this last sentence we wanted to emphasize the fact that she is not enjoying the "journey" at all.

9. Dreaming of oblivion: 

The last song I wrote and one of the most difficult :) I remember spending three weeks on a 1-2 measures transition to find the right one! Writer's block! You know the writing of the album is almost done, so you want to finish it, but you struggle

It's the slowest song of the album and probably the most 'depressive' one when you read the lyrics. Here, the woman has lost all hope, just wants to die, and is begging death to take her.

"Thanatos now is taking me

I can see the end

of this life of nightmares

Erasing me to stop the pain

It seems just fair

Let me go

Let me go

I’ve no more illusion

Life’s no more an option

I just want annihilation

I’m dreaming of oblivion"

10. And I return to nothingness:

This album's outro is instrumental. I have always wanted to start and finish the album with instrumental songs, and it will most likely be the same on the second album. I think this is the perfect way of ending the album, as the song is really sad. And we bring back the rain sample that you hear on the album outro, so the circle is complete :)

I must say it was quite interesting for me to dive again into my own songs as i finished writing the album almost two years ago. This brings back a lot of good memories of the creation process :)