20 years. A significant milestone in a band's life, rare enough to be noteworthy in France and within the realm of adventurous and intense music. Fall Of Messiah is about to reach this one after a period marked by hardship and self-doubt. Determined and reinvigorated by a new lineup, the leading French screamo post-rock band makes its grand return in 2026 with a fifth full-length album, Green Lands. This marks the conclusion of the trilogy begun with Empty Colors in 2016 and Senicarne in 2020. The now-quartet has no intention of changing the style that made its name, but it is certainly celebrated in all its most liberating, ever-melancholic, and undeniably captivating aspects.

The release of Senicarne and its aftermath were anything but easy for Fall Of Messiah. Released during the height of the COVID pandemic, with losses and a sudden label change, it was a real blow to morale. Simultaneously, various trials and life changes disrupted the band's work routine. This ultimately led to the departure of Matthieu Raoult, the quintet's original guitarist, in March 2023. This marked the beginning of a new four-piece lineup, which found its footing and laid the foundations for Green Lands at Clément Decrock's Boss Hog studio. This invaluable residency revitalized the band. FOM rediscovered its dynamism and energy, reinforcing its ability to craft the catchy melodies that define its sound, this time as a quartet, driven by the main songwriters, brothers Sylvain (bass/vocals) and Martin Moulin (guitar/vocals).

It was finally after the recording of this 5th album in the spring of 2025, again at Boss Hog, that Benjamin Defer decided to leave the band to dedicate himself to other projects. A close friend and already a regular on the group's tours, Florent Gerbault (Nord, Opulent Gold, Tellmarch, ex-Nesseria) officially joined the ranks on second guitar. 20 years after their beginnings, the revival of Fall Of Messiah is that of a band still eager to take the lead and proudly represent their sound. This collective strength goes hand in hand with a very special relationship, as Pierre "Meul" Bailleul (drums/vocals) emphasizes:

We don't really consider ourselves a band, but first and foremost a bunch of buddies, because that's what we are, and making this album has been really good for us. Sylvain has a little girl, and we're not going to keep doing this until we're 50. We'll end up making acoustic albums like Thrice, wearing our plaid shirts. Touring the world like we used to isn't possible anymore, so we thought, "Come on, we have to go out with a bang if it ever has to end." Even though, mind you, that's not on the cards right now. But we wanted to make a statement. Just because Mathieu left doesn't mean our identity has ended, or that we have too. Our passion is still there, but we're still taking our time to compose. A process that's also marked by a lot of self-reflection.

Fall Of Messiah's signature sound has had time to mature throughout their discography. Preceded by a solid reputation, it was one EP and four albums that finally put Saint-Jans-Cappel (northern France) on the screamo, post-rock, and post-hardcore maps. Thanks to the blending of a deconstructed bass and drums, guitars that are sometimes dissonant, sometimes ethereal, and jarring screams that resonate in the distance. These same screams seem to be taking up more and more space in Green Lands. But the now-quartet still has a knack for juxtaposing soaring, ethereal passages with pure chaotic phases. In both cases, a whirlwind of emotions awaits anyone who comes within earshot of these 10 new tracks. All you have to do is let yourself be carried away and surprised by the occasional arpeggios that bring a touch of sweetness. It's subtle, but no less striking. Pierre reflects on these two decades of sonic evolution:

Since Empty Colors, I feel like we're playing the music we've always wanted to play. Our beginnings were in the math rock genre, and it's because we listened to a lot of post-rock that we took this tangent. We found ourselves somewhere between the two, even though we loved screamo. It's this mix of genres that we've always struggled to balance. With Empty Colors, we've developed this signature style. It just so happens that in the triptych that concludes with Green Lands, the color green stands out more and more on the artwork... And the more albums we release, the more vocals there are. But I'm always afraid that we're TOO consistent from one album to the next. I love rediscovering bands like Thrice, Deftones, or The Bled, who have a real signature style from one album to the next, always a little something new. And I always wonder if ours is distinctive enough or not. But I feel like we're moving towards something more rock-oriented on this album.

For Fall Of Messiah, music has always been the ultimate remedy for the band members' difficulties in expressing their feelings and emotions. Naturally reserved, and despite their more than two decades of friendship, it's only recently that the members have begun to open up to each other about their personal lives. Green Lands further explores this aspect of catharsis, focusing on two inevitably inseparable themes when discussing these children of screamo: sadness and anger. The upheavals, even the clashes, of various life events serve as creative catalysts. The resulting songs, punctuated by moments of explosive energy as well as sensitive comedowns, always seem to parallel very specific emotions. This album is definitively a cathartic work. And as Pierre explains, behind these intense appearances lies a connection to the calm evoked by the verdant title of this album, and indeed its cover art:

I moved in 2021 to a small, all-wood farmhouse. I'm someone who gets stressed very easily, and now I only have to walk 200 meters to find myself in the forest. It changed my perspective on life. I went through some painful family situations, which made me realize how much I complained about everything on a daily basis and that it was time to change that, to enjoy the present moment and find my balance. And I found it in hiking, in the "green countryside." I'm refocusing on what's important to me. Today it's family, friends, and music. I find peace because I know what I want to be and how I need to get there. And to do that, I know I have to walk in the forest. I'm very inspired by nature, by the calm and rural atmosphere that surrounds me, and that's what inspired the whole concept behind it. The idea is to find your place, and I think I've found mine with this balance.

What Green Lands tells is the journey toward inner peace. The beginning of this process proves difficult, as we prefer to remain nestled in our "Tour de garde" with our mistrust, with our barriers always erected around us. Until the "Tour de Force" of accepting this change, this opening that finally brings peace. The realization of "A joy of lesser means", thanks to a simple and free walk in nature, but also a simplicity of reflection that allows us to reconnect with ourselves.

For their grand return, Fall Of Messiah deliver an ode to growing up and finding oneself. A tempestuous escape to a place where the grass grows back a hundredfold, guided by an absolutely essential figure in the post-whatever scene.

Line-up :

Sylvain Moulin (basse/voix)

Martin Moulin (guitare/voix)

Florent Gerbault (guitare)

Pierre Bailleul (batterie/voix)

Recored, mixed and mastered by Clément Decrock at Boss Hog studio (Ham-en-Artois)

Artwork & layout : Pierre Bailleul

Photos : Thomas Grember

Fall Of Messiah:

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Thank you very much Vous Connaissez ? // PR by Clément Duboscq

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