CHAOSEUM was founded in 2018 by Loic Duruz and Valery Veings, both former guitarists of the symphonic metal band ELFERYA.
Their first album “First Step To Hell” containing 11 songs was released in September of the same year with Lola van Lo as the singer and Greg Turini as the drummer, both former ELFERYA musicians as well. This album was recorded at the Chaos Studio and mixed by Izakar at the Full Metal Studio. The artwork was entrusted with Gustavo Sazestakes.
In February 2019, CHAOSEUM joined SOULFLY in the USA for a tour of seven concerts on the east coast. Afterward, the singer left the band and they, in turn, asked CK Smile to join them.
The lineup for the band is now:
CK Smile: Vocals
Greg Turini: Drums
Loïc Duruz: Guitars
Valery Veings: Guitars
The song “First Step To Hell” was subsequently re-recorded with his vocals.
A limited-edition Live album was recorded at the band’s second concert with CK as a frontman. It was released under the name “Live In Hell – Les Docks Lausanne 2019”.
In September of 2019, the band joined TARJA (Ex-NIGHTWISH) for a tour in Russia. This was a considerable success for the band with Russian metal fans. Valery has stated during interviews that this experience was one of the most fulfilling so far.
Representing the Xvive brand, CHAOSEUM went to Los Angeles in order to perform at the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) – the world’s largest music trade show. There, the band also took the opportunity to play at the legendary Whisky a Go-Go.
A few weeks later, the foursome released a single “Into My Split” from their next album.
The album named “Second Life” was released on September 25th, 2020. It is recorded at both the Chaos Studio and the Conatus Studio. Gwen Kerjan from the Slab Sound Studio is in charge of the mix, and as always, Gustavo Sazestakes took care of the artwork.
UNREAL was released in October 2021… I really get into the lyrics and the power of the music… and that voice? CK Smile definitely delivers on power and emotion.
“UNREAL” recorded by CHAOSEUM at Chaos Studio and Conatus Studios, mixed and mastered by Gwen Kerjan at Slab Sound Studio.
I have started watching video after video and I expected just a bunch of screaming and I’ve been so pleasantly surprised!
Yes, the screamed metal lyrics are there, as per any song in this genre – this is where they go… but those vocals are perfectly balanced with the instrumental music and the rich rock vocals. I could literally listen to them all day and night.
But you can’t take in and enjoy CHAOSEUM without the visual component.
The last I checked, CHAOSEUM has returned to touring and those dates can be found on their website. I can’t wait to find out more about them and look into their future contributions
STYLE AND INFLUENCE
Though their first album is definitely metal-core, the band had a female vocalist. Now that they have CK Smile as lead vocalist, they compare themselves to Korn, Slipknot, and Trivium. I would also add in my old-school opinion that some songs remind me of Breaking Benjamin.
Perhaps you could best describe the sound as Metalcore, Heavy Metal, and Nu Metal.
When they’re creating, the band says it’s usually Loïc that writes the music sometimes with CK. Then, CK and Valery work on the lyrics before the entire band completes the arrangement.
The band admits that they are not unique, but they put forth as much energy as they can during every performance and they love the theatrics. The dynamic show mixed with the stories told by the lyrics is what they focus on. As you can see from their videos and how proud they are of their art, that is definitely their drive.
Everyone in the band has their own personal makeup style. I know this has nothing to do with their music, but their make-up is amazing. It definitely lends to the themes and genre of their music. But the quality of it never ceases to amaze me.
CHAOSEUM loves to keep in touch with fans on social media. I’ve found that the members of the band are very connected in that way. Even through the pandemic, they posted when they could. They’re all very quirky and a pleasure to interact with! They have a fantastic Christmas video up and I’ll post a link here to their Happy New Years message and you’ll see what I mean.
ORIGINAL SONGS or DISCOGRAPHY
- First Step To Hell 2018
- Live in Hell – Les Docks, Lausanne 2019
- Second Life 2020
FIND OUT MORE:
WEBSITE: http://www.chaoseum.com/
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/Chaoseum/featured
SOURCES: Their own website and social media accounts provided their history and a lot of information so check that out. I also used an article from rockfordisability.com and then skimmed over other short interviews here and there.
As always, if you want to share more, or feel I’ve missed something, let me know by emailing geekdigitalnc@gmail.com.
AND – If you are looking for more great artists to learn about and support then be sure to check out my other articles here.
