Hangman's Chair

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Julien Chanut grew up in the Essonne department,^[1] south of Paris, in France.^[2] Mehdi Birouk Thépegnier,^[3] born in Morocco (Maghreb), arrived in France at the age of 12.^[4] They met in 1992^[5] at a college in Essonne, and they became friends.^[4] Chanut and Thépegnier were passionate about 1990s hardcore punk, heavy metal and grunge.^[4] The hardcore scene consisting of bands such as Confusion, Integrity, Only Living Witness, Section 8, and Sheer Terror, and the do-it-yourself philosophy associated with this culture, motivated them to perform music.^[6] Chanut found his path between the ages of 13 and 14 by beginning to play hardcore punk.^[1] The two friends first stepped onto the stage at around 15 or 16.^[7]

They grew up in the hardcore punk scene of the 1990s.^[8] Thépegnier was a member of Mouvement Colère (lit. 'Anger Movement') and later a bassist in Drowning, which toured as the opening act for All Out War and Merauder.^[9] Over time, Chanut and Thépegnier performed in various local bands, including Arkangel (band) [fr], Es la Guerilla and Rising Dust.^[4] Clément Hanvic was part of their circle; he was the singer of Knockoutz and the bassist of L'Esprit du Clan [fr], and performed with Es la Guerilla.^[9] The bassist for Knockoutz^[9] and Es la Guerilla was Kéo Nackphouminhcode: lao promoted to code: lo .^[10] After playing electric bass for a while, Thépegnier switched to drums.^[7][11]

The members of Es la Guerilla wanted to move in a different musical direction, but had rehearsed very little with Kévone, the band's singer, before entering the recording studio. Kévone was less interested in the band's new direction. After a while, Nackphouminhcode: lao promoted to code: lo tried his hand at singing.^[10]

In 2005, Chanut (guitar), Thépegnier (drums), and Sid-Ahmed Azzouni (guitar) formed the metal band Hangman's Chair^[3][4] in Crosne,^[12] Essonne.^[13][14][15] Es la Guerilla was then put on hold.^[10]

Hangman's Chair began by releasing a split album with the [French] band Eibon.^[16] The band's first album, (A Lament for...) The Addicts,^[17] was released in 2007,^[18][16] via the label Bones Brigade Records,^[19] with Chanut, Thépegnier,^[20] Nackphouminhcode: lao promoted to code: lo (vocals),^[1] Adrien Lederer (guitar), and Bernard Quarante (bass).^[20] Although the split with Eibon was released before (A Lament for...) The Addicts, as an introduction to the band, the actual recording took place after that first album's completion.^[21] Some songs originally intended to appear under the name Es la Guerilla appeared on Hangman's Chair's first album.^[10] Hangman's Chair's first bassist was originally the singer of the band Every Reason To...^[10]

Chanut later told Clara Lemaire of Rock & Folk that Nackphouminhcode: lao promoted to code: lo had not stayed in the band for long, as he went through "a lot of bad moments".^[1]

Cédric Toufouti was a member of the band Inhatred.^[21]

In 2008, Hangman's Chair were joined by Hanvic, who became the bassist, and Toufouti, who took over as singer-guitarist.^[4]

In 2010, Azzouni died in a car accident.^[3][4] Leaving Paris, the band's second album, was released the same year, through Bones Brigade Records,^[19] with Chanut, Thépegnier, Hanvic, Toufouti, and Lederer in the lineup.^[22]

In 2011, Hanvic was busy for a few months with L'Esprit du Clan and was replaced by Every Reason To... bassist Christophe Marconato for concert dates.^[10][23]

Hangman's Chair were in the habit of recording three or four additional tracks at each studio recording session for their albums, intended for split-album releases.^[24] A split from Hangman's Chair and Drawers was released on 28 March 2012.^[25] The following album, Hope /// Dope /// Rope,^[1] was released in 2012,^[6][8] via Bones Brigade Records.^[19] The album "marked a turning point in our history", said Thépegnier, the band having found, with the arrival of Toufouti and Hanvic, stability and a musical identity.^[8] With Hope /// Dope /// Rope, the band made a name for themselves on the metal scene.^[6]

On 1 February 2014, Hangman's Chair performed at the second edition of JP Fest, a festival that brought together six French metal bands to raise funds for the fight against cancer at the Splendid in Lille. All profits were donated to the Ligue contre le cancer [fr] (lit. 'League Against Cancer'), the Lille-based research department of the Oscar-Lambret Centre and the association Accompagnement en Soins Palliatifs (ASP Omega) (lit. 'Accompaniment in Palliative Care').^[26] Their split LP with Acid Deathtrip was released through Reflections Records during the summer of 2014.^[19]

The band's next album, This Is Not Supposed To Be Positive, was released on 15 September 2015,^[4][27] via Music Fear Satan,^[27] a Parisian independent record label.^[4] The album's release was preceded by a music video for "Dripping Low".^[27] Lelo Jimmy Batista, writing for Vice France, described the album as "A kind of Black Sabbath lost at Porte de la Chapelle, an Alice in Chains stranded at Stalingrad".^[28]

At the beginning of March 2016, Hangman's Chair performed at Le Mondial du Tatouage [fr], a major annual international tattoo convention held at the Grande halle de la Villette in Paris.^[29]

During a tour in Japan with Arkangel, Chanut met the members of Greenmachine.^[24] Hangman's Chair subsequently recorded a split album with Greenmachine, released in France through Music Fear Satan and in Japan through Daymare Recordings in February and March 2017, respectively.^[28][24] Jacob Bannon expressed appreciation for the split featuring Hangman's Chair and Greenmachine.^[30] A music video for "Can't Talk" was released;^[28] it was made by Hanvic using excerpts from one of Brigitte [Lahaie]'s old pornographic films.^[9]

Hangman's Chair's fifth album, Banlieue Triste (lit. 'Sad Suburb'),^[31] was released in March 2018^[32] through Music Fear Satan.^[4] It includes a collaboration with French synthwave musician Perturbator on "Tired Eyes".^[3][33] The album spawned a music video for "Naive" released in April 2018, starring French actor Nicolas Duvauchelle.^[34] Duvauchelle, who was part of the Parisian hardcore scene with his band Cry Havoc and is a longtime friend of Hangman's Chair, stated: "I didn't hesitate for a second. They're such a negative band, and I love it"^[35] He played his part as a volunteer.^[36] In June 2018, the band performed at Download Festival France in Brétigny-sur-Orge.^[37]

Banlieue Triste was "already very noticed", said Frank Colombani of Le Monde, and the band were therefore courted by the Spinefarm Records label.^[4] Spinefarm Records released the album on 28 September 2018 in all territories outside France. A special double-vinyl edition of the album was released simultaneously, following the signing of the quartet Chanut, Thépegnier, Hanvic, and Toufouti to Spinefarm Records, thereby guaranteeing worldwide distribution for their future recordings.^[38]

Hope /// Dope /// Rope, This Is Not Supposed To Be Positive and Banlieue Triste "are part of a whole",^[1] thus constituting a "trilogy", Chanut said.^[39][40] Banlieue Triste enabled the band to appear on the French television channel Canal+ in the program L'album de la Semaine (lit. 'Album of the Week'), as well as on FIP and France Inter, and to obtain articles in the mainstream press.^[41] While the band frequently toured the Upper France region during the winter of 2018, they opened for Zeal & Ardor at L'Aéronef in Lille and for Samael in Dunkirk. They regularly performed in Belgium and the Netherlands because their manager was based in Lille.^[41]

On 16 August 2019, Hangman's Chair performed at the Psycho Las Vegas festival in the US, and later that year released a four-track EP, Bus de Nuit (lit. 'Night Bus'), featuring two unreleased tracks and two remixes. The single "Lost Brothel" preceded the EP's release.^[42] A joint performance by Hangman's Chair and the black metal band Regarde Les Hommes Tomber [fr] took place in Paris on 25 September 2019 during the Major Arcana evening as part of the Red Bull Music Festival.^[43]

The joint concert of Hangman's Chair and Regarde Les Hommes Tomber was due to be repeated at the Roadburn Festival 2020, but the event was ultimately cancelled.^[44] Hangman's Chair recorded the album A Loner from December 2020^[45] to February 2021,^[8] with a view to an October release, but concert cancellations delayed it.^[45]

Thépegnier said that the band's relationship with their former labels, Bones Brigade and Music Fear Satan, had always gone well. They had high expectations for Spinefarm Records, but ultimately, things did not go as planned.^[8] "Communication with Spinefarm has become very complicated", said Thépegnier.^[4] To amicably terminate their contract, Hangman's Chair initiated negotiations through their new manager. They were approached by the German and French offices of Nuclear Blast Records.^[8] The deal had accelerated after the opening of the French office because the band had already been in contact with the German office since This Is Not Supposed To Be Positive.^[8]

Following their signing with Nuclear Blast Records, they released a single titled "Cold & Distant" on 21 May 2021,^[46] accompanied by its music video featuring French actress Béatrice Dalle.^[45][47] Perturbator asked Hangman's Chair to collaborate on his song "God Says",^[48] taken from his 2021 album, Lustful Sacraments.^[49] Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the annual Hellfest could not take place, but a 15-minute live session from the band was made available on the festival's website in June 2021. It was part of a series of twenty performances titled Hellfest from Home, recorded shortly before at the festival site in Clisson, France.^[50] That same month, Hangman's Chair were included in the second and final edition's lineup of the online metal music festival Slay at Home,^[51] organised by Frank Godla, co-owner of Metal Injection.^[52] Slay at Home aimed to raise funds for MusiCares, the Cancer Research Institute, the Iggy Fund and the National Alliance on Mental Illness.^[51] In early October 2021, the band released a new single titled "Loner", which was accompanied by a music video.^[53] Hangman's Chair had set aside two songs from the recording sessions for their last album, including "Judge Penitent". The song then became the soundtrack for the fifth season (2021) of the podcast Gang Stories by JoeyStarr, the French rapper from the group NTM.^[54]

On 3 January 2022, Hangman's Chair appeared on the Culturebox program on France 4.^[8][45] The band released the single "Who Wants To Die Old" along with a music video,^[55] directed by Oscar Bizarre, and filmed before "Cold & Distant".^[56] A Loner was released in February 2022.^[47][57] A piece was finally performed by the pairing of Hangman's Chair and Regarde Les Hommes Tomber at the Roadburn Festival 2022 in Tilburg, Netherlands.^[44] Arte Concert and Rolling Stone France teamed up to broadcast the band's performance at Hellfest 2022 on YouTube.^[58] On 26 June 2022, Hangman's Chair collaborated once again with the Nantes-based band Regarde Les Hommes Tomber for a concert on the Valley stage at Hellfest.^[59]

On 16 July 2022, the band performed at the annual multi-genre music festival Les Francofolies in La Rochelle, France.^[60] They toured with Paradise Lost and then spent another five weeks performing at festivals.^[61] Hangman's Chair were ranked first in the "Best French Bands/Artists" category on the editorial board's year-end list of Guitar Part,^[62] a French monthly magazine aimed at guitarists.^[63]

In March 2023, they presented their six-minute single "Spleenwise", a previously unreleased track.^[64][65] In 2023, Hangman's Chair were encouraged by their label to release a short, three-minute documentary titled A Portrait, directed by Kendy TyOrder, in which the band members recount their career and the A Loner era in a condensed and introspective way. For the documentary, the musicians returned to their neighbourhood, the school, and the playground where they grew up.^[61] In July 2023, the band performed at the Dour Festival in Belgium.^[66]

At the beginning of February 2024, Hangman's Chair returned to perform at Le Mondial du Tatouage – Tattoo Planetarium, which brought together 500 tattoo artists from around the world, at Paris' Grande halle de la Villette.^[67] In October 2024, the band released the single "2 am Thoughts" and its music video, taken from the upcoming seventh album, Saddiction.^[68] "2 am Thoughts" features a guest appearance from Raven van Dorst of Dool [nl].^[69] The music video follows Nackphouminhcode: lao promoted to code: lo , the original singer of Hangman's Chair, through a day in his life, three years after he adopted a healthier lifestyle combining sport and spiritual exploration.^[1] He is the author of the video's closing line.^[1] Other singles followed: "Kowloon Lights",^[70] "In Disguise",^[71] "Healed?",^[72] and "The Worst is Yet to Come".^[73]

Saddiction was released on 14 February 2025 through Nuclear Blast Records, with the group's lineup remaining unchanged: Chanut, Thépegnier, Hanvic, and Toufouti.^[70] A Loner and Saddiction would be part of a new trilogy.^[1][74] The album entered at number 13 on the French SNEP–SCPP Rock and Metal Chart compiled by the OCC.^[75] Mathieu David of Rolling Stone France wrote that Hangman's Chair "continues to weave their simultaneously heavy and hovering ambiences amidst mysterious urban landscapes". He added that while A Loner "hovered at 10,000 feet in an ethereal cloud, Saddiction brings back the riffs, not without reminding the harshest ambiences of Banlieue Triste".^[76]

In mid-November 2025, Hangman's Chair announced on their social media that the band was going on hiatus "for an indefinite period" and that their online merchandise store would close on 31 December.^[77] The band stated that the store will reopen "as soon as the band becomes active again".^[78] In December 2025, Hangman's Chair were included on Rock Sound France's "Top 20 French rock bands" list, which encompassed musical groups from the 1970s–1980s era to the present day.^[79]

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Coming from a hardcore background, the members of Hangman's Chair appreciated the similar trajectory of Type O Negative, with Thépegnier particularly liking the way Carnivore—Peter Steele's previous band—sounded on the album Retaliation.^[80] The band also appreciated the approach of Saint Vitus' members, who had themselves been influenced by Black Flag. Emerging from Es la Guerilla, the group of musicians who would form Hangman's Chair naturally gravitated towards a "really slow, sung, obscure" style of music.^[81] Hangman's Chair cited Crowbar's Odd Fellows Rest as an early influence.^[21]

The band were influenced by Type O Negative.^[15][80] Kerrang! noted "a much more urban, gritty feel and atmosphere" in the band's music compared to what this type of "dark metal" generally presents. Thépegnier responded that the "urban mood and cold atmosphere" reflected in their music stems from their Parisian lifestyle. Daily events in Paris have influenced Hangman's Chair, and the city has also been a source of inspiration for them.^[31] He cited Type O Negative's style as inspiring, describing their music as "urban cold wave hardcore" that blended their Brooklyn urban ambience with "dark" gothic metal, a combination he said was mainly apparent in their lyrics and album covers.^[31] Hangman's Chair initially drew inspiration from "old Paris", particularly from neighbourhoods like Barbès, Ménilmontant and Pigalle. However, 2018's Banlieue Triste focused on the suburbs where they grew up.^[24]

During the era of This Is Not Supposed To Be Positive (2015), they cited Alice in Chains as an influence. They also cited Eyehategod, Neglect, Only Living Witness, Section 8, Starkweather and Temple of the Dog as inspirations.^[82] "Our influences remain very broad", said Thépegnier, the band acknowledging that they listened to very little metal, but a lot of neofolk, such as Der Blutharsch and Blood Axis, as well as a lot of hip-hop.^[81]

Over time, they developed an affinity for 1980s bands, such as the Sound, who became their musical influences when creating 2022's A Loner.^[45] Their influences include 1980s post-punk, Asylum Party, Nothing, Sad Lovers & Giants, Slowdive, and Soft Kill.^[1] Chanut was musically influenced by the Sound's From the Lions Mouth and its lyrics by Adrian Borland when composing A Loner.^[56] For the sound of his electric guitar on this album, he cited Slip by Quicksand and Brighter Than a Thousand Suns by Killing Joke for guitar effects.^[56] They produced "richer music" on A Loner by taking their original doom metal as a starting point and incorporating more varied influences, with David writing that it was "without ever falling into pastiche or clumsy citation".^[57] Thépegnier thought that the influences on the band's sound in general, and that on 2025's Saddiction, were probably a combination of their aggressive hardcore punk background and a strong interest in UK post-punk, as well as cold wave and new wave, which produce "cold sounds and textures".^[11] A Loner and Saddiction were sonically influenced by post-punk and cold wave.^[83] Chanut and Toufouti also cited Chris Cornell and Dax Riggs as musical and artistic inspirations.^[84]

They cited the works of authors such as Baudelaire, Camus, and Céline, as well as true-crime stories and French magazines such as Le Nouveau Détective (lit. 'The New Detective') and L'Œil de la police  [fr] (lit. 'The Eye of the Police') among their thematic influences.^[10] They also cited Apocalypse Culture as an influence.^[9]

The group drew inspiration from period films, which led to the samples used in their music. The David Lynch-style ambiences and the film Dead Man also inspired their interludes.^[81] The French film score composer François de Roubaix was cited by the group as an important source of inspiration.^[85] In addition, documentaries such as Black Tar Heroin, Cut Up Kids, [Jon Alpert's] Dope Sick Love, Streetwise and Whores' Glory influenced Hangman's Chair.^[86]

Hangman's Chair have generally been considered a doom metal,^[a] stoner (rock or doom),^[b] sludge,^[1][7] doom rock,^[92] gothic metal,^[93] progressive [metal],^[7] and coldwave band.^[1]

In 2018, Rich Hobson of Metal Hammer wrote: "Hangman's Chair are masters of utilising a blend of doom metal riffs and moody post-punk atmospherics".^[3] In 2022, Distorted Sound Magazine's Rich Webb noted their "shoegaze/doom metal hybrid songwriting" on their albums.^[94] Journalist Jean-Charles Desgroux said the same year that the band "dares to experiment" and "beyond doom, sludge or at worst that muddy stoner which they will never claim".^[45] In 2022, Angela Davey and Nick Ruskell of Kerrang! wrote that the band blends "gothic rock and epic doom metal".^[95] Hobson described their music the same year as "80s-tinged goth-doom".^[96] The newspaper L'Alsace echoed these statements in 2023, describing the band's sound as a "melancholic doom tinged with cold wave".^[65] "Doom, sludge, post-hardcore, it all blends together in a heavy, clammy, sticky sound", wrote Rock Sound France in 2025, also providing a general description.^[79]

In 2025, Toufouti stated that the band did not like tags, though they appreciated the term "cold doom" to describe their music.^[c][7]

Chanut told Lemaire: "Our first two albums were a bit of tests. We were very Sludge, very Stoner, with influences not well digested yet".^[1] Hangman's Chair have been described as a "French doom rock band" or as sludge in its early days or "stoner", which led Thépegnier to acknowledge that being categorised within the doom scene did not bother the band members because their instruments are tuned "very low" and they play at slow tempos. "We sounded Sludge in our beginning", he said, adding, "I think we moved away from that pretty quickly". Thépegnier refuted any association with the "stoner" genre, further saying, "We are very far from Stoner, both in terms of imagery and the 'psychedelic rock' side".^[8]

Chanut stated that 2012's Hope /// Dope /// Rope had enabled "to detach ourselves from all this stoner stuff, sludge, that sticks to us".^[45] This Is Not Supposed To Be Positive introduced gothic melodies and cold wave synthesisers into the band's sound, which would become a main sonic layer.^[98] In his review of This Is Not Supposed To Be Positive, Patrick Schmidt of Rock Hard stated that the quartet primarily belonged to the "doom/sludge scene".^[91] Banlieue Triste is characterised by profuse use of reverb and chorus effects.^[99] In October 2021, Christophe Droit, radio presenter on Heavy1 in Toulouse, wrote that Hangman's Chair's have "found and refined" their own sonic identity over the years, "blended with a certain street credibility linked to the band's roots in hardcore".^[92]

While the band blended various doom sounds to create an atmosphere on This Is Not Supposed To Be Positive, they sounded, on A Loner, like a different band from their earlier work, with gothic sounds closer to goth rock and cold wave than metal at this stage. The "stoner band" they had been in the past had nevertheless left some "artefacts" in their music. A Loner features moments leaning towards shoegaze, others more towards goth rock, and some heavier passages, the melodies primarily serving "to sustain the gloom".^[90] During the recording of A Loner, Chanut used an old Marshall JMP head to add more upper mids, giving the sound a more defined character. He used his Rivera in the studio for a "really fat sound". For the electric guitar parts, the band wanted a "bright sound" with less gain and "to remove this flattering aspect" of the sub-bass characteristic of sludge or doom metal.^[100] Thépegnier stated that they wanted to "lighten" their sound and achieve this "bright" result that would enable them to embrace "our cold ambiences even more. Getting out of our 'doomy' comfort zone".^[8]

David said that Hangman's Chair "experiments, plays with effects, textures and nuances" on A Loner.^[57] At this stage of their musical evolution, the band demonstrated a greater presence of melodies and introspection and was sometimes more atmospheric.^[47] Olivier Ducruix of Guitar Part wrote that Hangman's Chair "have gone even further" with A Loner, "as if to free yourselves a little more from the stoner/sludge/doom tags that have stuck to the band's skin since their beginnings".^[100]

Chanut used a Bass VI to record Saddiction, an instrument he described as a cross between an electric guitar and an electric bass, which he said brought "much more consistency" to the sound. He was able to approach their music "from another prism" by changing his guitar's tuning, which boosted his creativity.^[101] The group described themselves as being in a "constant [state of] sonic research".^[101] "Post-punk is almost perfect ... It just needs bigger riffs", the band members said, as this was the guiding principle used when creating the album.^[69] Michel Valentin of Le Parisien wrote that Saddiction is "still rooted in metal but with numerous more atmospheric, gothic, even 'cold wave' passages".^[14] On Saddiction, the band continued in the same sonic direction as on A Loner,^[74] particularly regarding chorus effects and clean tones.^[83] Saddiction's sound encompasses elements of dark metal, shoegaze, pop, gothic rock, post-rock and alternative rock.^[74]

Hobson and Rock Hard's Ronny Bittner drew comparisons between Hangman's Chair and Type O Negative.^[3][102] In 2025, Bittner additionally referenced the Sisters of Mercy and Life of Agony.^[102] Metal Hammer's Matt Mills drew a parallel between their melodies and those of the Sisters of Mercy, but with guitar distortion and drums' "fierceness" turned up in Hangman's Chair.^[93]

In charge of the basic structure of the songs, Chanut or Thépegnier would then present them in rehearsal, where the other band members would develop them^[21] through a "more organic" process.^[100]

Toufouti usually writes the lyrics after receiving the instrumentals.^[21] Chanut said in 2015 that he "validates his lyrics so that they totally align with the band's concept".^[21] Toufouti writes his lyrics in English for convenience. According to him, it would be more difficult in French, because of the risk of falling into excess and clichés. Furthermore, according to Chanut, the inherent fluidity of English is better suited to metal music, whereas certain French consonants are more abrupt. He added that most of the bands they listen to sing in English. Conversely, Hangman's Chair enjoys using French album or song titles for their sonority.^[103]

Chanut and Thépegnier had to adapt to periods of lockdown while the rehearsal space remained closed for more than a year. They were both able to exchange ideas, as Thépegnier had his home studio under construction and Chanut had his own audio workstation. They also rehearsed remotely thanks to the beta version of the NuCorder software, designed by the French record producer Francis Caste.^[100] From the album A Loner onwards, Chanut felt the need to write lyrics, even though the roles assigned to composing the "skeletons" of the songs remained the same. He began writing lyrics to his own instrumentals while Toufouti wrote to Thépegnier's.^[104] For A Loner, the band returned to record with Caste for the sixth time,^[100] at his Studio Sainte-Marthe in the 10th arrondissement of Paris.^[105]

Thépegnier was no longer in the Île-de-France region at the time of Saddiction's composition and had to develop demos separately with Chanut. The tracks were then finalised by Toufouti and Hanvic, who contributed their ideas and arrangements.^[83]

Since their first album, they have tackled subjects viewed from a nihilistic and cynical angle: alcohol abuse, drug use, suicidal thoughts,^[86] loneliness, addiction, suicide, and death.^[1] Toufouti brought a more metaphorical dimension to all these topics when he joined Hangman's Chair.^[86] They have addressed topics they have directly observed, as well as others drawn from tangible reality, or from their loved ones' experiences.^[1] The lyrics deal predominantly with personal subjects, as Toufouti has not been inclined to "talk about things that are a little too made up". They preferred to stick to topics they knew well, as they considered this approach enabled them to remain "authentic".^[1]

The cover artwork of This Is Not Supposed To Be Positive depicts French executioner Anatole Deibler.^[81] The song title in French, "Le rouge pour le sang, le bleu pour la grâce" (lit. 'Red for Blood, Blue for Grace'), refers to the colour codes used by Deibler in his notebook,^[21] which listed the names of those condemned to the guillotine with a red cross (circled in black) and those pardoned with a blue cross.^[106] The French title of the instrumental song, "Les enfants des monstres pleurent leur désespoir" (lit. 'The Monsters' Children Weep Their Despair'), appearing on that album, originates from a documentary about [Gérard] Depardieu and his son's death.^[21]

On Banlieue Triste, Hangman's Chair addressed the same thematic elements but less metaphorically, taking a more straightforward approach.^[3] Some of Banlieue Triste's topics were addressed for the first time by the group, ultimately reflecting "real parts" of their lives and closely associated with a "very personal" album artwork featuring hidden references.^[8] During the Banlieue Triste era, they began to delve deeper into introspection and focus on themes fuelled by personal issues.^[86] The lyrics refer to a band member's overdose with his narrowly averted death in 2016 in "04/09/16", the loss of family in "Negative Male Child", and mental health and its associated difficulties in "Touch The Razor". The instrumental "Sidi Bel Abbes" was a tribute to Azzouni.^[3] Kerrang! described Banlieue Triste as an album displaying "a darkness that comes not from the wilderness that so often makes up doom, but a more gritty, claustrophobic urban setting".^[31]

The single "Lost Brothel", taken from the EP Bus de Nuit (2019), explores the band's dark thematic elements: "Prostitution, night, suburbia and unhappy loves".^[42] In his analysis, Desgroux considered that the band's themes were rooted on either side of the boulevard périphérique (ring road) of Paris. On one side, he described Paris, with its "mysteries", "legends", stories and "myths"; on the other, the suburb, with its violence, "crude reality", boredom and "ugly and sad aesthetic". The subjects the band tackles fall within that context.^[45]

A Loner addresses the themes of depression and the need for isolation, as Chanut was affected by these issues during the lockdown period, which coincided with the writing of the album.^[104] David wrote that A Loner's musical approach, in conjunction with the themes addressed, was "purely personal" and that the lyrics "evoke despair without making it an end in itself."^[57]

In 2025, Toufouti found it interesting to develop elements centred on a sad individual or subject. Saddiction continued in the vein of A Loner by being "more personal, more introspective", said Chanut.^[1] Before entering the studio, Toufouti slightly reworked the lyrics of "Neglect" to evoke his relationship with his father, who had just passed away.^[39] Lemaire felt that the song's title, "Kowloon Lights", and the large block of buildings featured on the front cover of Sadditcion evoked a city theme. Chanut elaborated on a feeling of loneliness in a crowd, as well as individualism and mobile phone culture.^[1] "Kowloon Lights" refers to the former densely populated enclave within the Hong Kong colony.^[1][104] Chanut commented about the grey buildings that made up the city and its colourful neon lights, often depicted in many Hong Kong films of the 1980s.^[104] However, he said it was mostly "a bit of a metaphor" as the topic of this city is not necessarily addressed in the song.^[104]

Toufouti did not consider himself a singer when recording 2010's Leaving Paris. At that time, he was mainly inspired by voices he described as "a bit broken, a bit gravelly" over stoner and bluesy riffs, mentioning the band Down.^[1] On Hope /// Dope /// Rope, his bandmates encouraged him to abandon that vocal style and sing, telling him, "think crooner", which led him to learn to "desaturate" his voice. Toufouti's voice retained a certain harshness on this album, though it was "clearer". He continued the improvement sought over the next albums to reduce saturation as much as possible.^[1]

Schmidt praised the "high, clear and immensely rousing singing" on This Is Not Supposed To Be Positive.^[91] David wrote that Toufouti's singing on A Loner expresses "sadness without being tearful and loneliness without calling pity".^[57] A staff reviewer at Metal Storm felt that the vocal delivery on A Loner displays a relatively pronounced grunge style for that sound; nevertheless, the consequent contrast elevates the album rather than detracting from the immersion.^[90] Webb said that the bassline coupled with the guitar tones on "An Ode To Breakdown" provides "the perfect platform" for Toufouti "to lay his beautiful, soulful singing over".^[94] Desgroux described Toufouti's voice as "clear and ultra-melodic".^[45] In their review of Hangman's Chair's concert at DesertFest 2022 in the UK, Davey and Ruskell wrote that the band's music "culminate[s] in soaring riffs which serve to bolster the raw emotion of Cédric Toufouti's cleanly sung vocals".^[95]

On Saddiction, Toufouti had to change his guitar tuning to match the Bass VI's sound and, consequently, adapt his vocal style. Thus, he went up into a higher pitch range more often and for longer durations, adding extra "tension" to certain riffs, he said. Exploring a different vocal palette enabled him to maintain a constant "tension" throughout a song, whereas previously he alternated between a more relaxed singing style and some "tense" sporadic passages.^[40] Toufouti's vocals on Saddiction have been compared to those of Phil Collins.^[98]

A sample taken from The Picture of Dorian Gray was included on the first album.^[9] A sample featured on Leaving Paris came from a Belgian documentary titled Allô Police.^[81] A "key moment" featuring children singing in the film The Night of the Hunter served as the opening track for the album Hope /// Dope /// Rope.^[9] The instrumental that closes Hope /// Dope /// Rope contains a speech by Joe Coleman on Ebola, crimes, and other topics.^[81]

During the recording of This Is Not Supposed To Be Positive, Hangman's Chair wanted to sample a passage from Patrick Deval [fr]'s film Acéphale, in which a character recites the text of La conjuration sacrée (lit. 'The Sacred Conjuration'),^[9] taken from the first issue of Georges Bataille's periodical Acéphale (1936).^[107] However, the band kept it as a concert outro and would later use it in their song "Full Ashtray".^[9] Another sample from a Belgian news report, in which a person discussed their tattoos, appears in This Is Not Supposed To Be Positive.^[81] They incorporated French language samples into their own music.^[21] The last song of This Is Not Supposed To Be Positive sampled a passage from the 1969 film Paris interdit (lit. 'Paris Forbidden'), with the band stating in December 2015 that "it takes on full meaning" in light of the events in Paris.^[21] They also sampled a passage from Story of a Junkie.^[86]

The lineup listings are adapted from the Hard Force website,^[23] a former magazine published from 1986 to 2000.^[108]

Final lineup

• Cédric Toufouti – lead vocals, guitar (2008–2025)
• Julien Chanut – guitar (2005–2025)
• Clément Hanvic – bass (2008–2025)
• Mehdi Birouk Thépegnier – drums (2005–2025)

Former members

• Sid-Ahmed Azzouni – guitar (2005–2009; died 2010)
• Kéo Nackphouminhcode: lao promoted to code: lo  – lead vocals (2005–2008)
• Adrien Lederer – guitar (n/a–2010)
• Bernard Quarante – bass (2005–2008)

Touring musicians

• Christophe Marconato – bass (2011)