SINSAENUM’s Frédéric Leclercq on WWE, Japan, Dragonforce and the New ‘Repulsion For Humanity’ Album

The death metal brainchild of Joey Jordison (VIMIC, formerly of Slipknot) and Frédéric Leclercq (Dragonforce), Sinsaenum will release its sophomore album Repulsion For Humanity on August 10th via earMUSIC. An “all-star” group of sorts, the lineup of Sinsaenum is rounded out by vocalist Sean Zatorsky (Dååth), guitarist Stephane Buriez (Loudblast), bassist Heimoth (Seth) and vocalist Attila Csihar (Mayhem). The first single released from Repulsion For Humanity was “Final Resolve,” which features the renowned French industrial percussion band Les Tambours du Bronx.

We had the pleasure of doing Q&A with Frédéric Leclercq who is far more than just a dude in a metal band; Leclercq has a wide array of interests. We spoke about those hobbies, Repulsion For Humanity, and what is coming up for Dragonforce in the near-future. More on Sinsaenum can be found online at www.sinsaenum.com.

You can peep the latest song video the “Final Resolve” music video.

Rumor has it that you are a big fan of WWE. When did you first get into wrestling?
Frédéric Leclercq: I am! I guess I was around 10? It must have been, yeah. It was broadcast on a French channel and I was totally amazed by it. The Ultimate Warrior, Big Boss Man, Sgt. Slaughter, Tito Santana, Ted DiBiase, and of course my favorite, Bret Hart. I’m actually wearing a Bret Hart shirt now!

What do you think of WWE nowadays? Is it as entertaining to you nowadays as it was when you started being a fan?
Leclercq: It’s still fun! It’s been on and off between WWE and me. I watched it from 10 till 12 [years of age], then got into music and then heavy metal took all of my attention. Then I watched wresting again in 1994 for a couple of years. That’s probably my favorite era, with Diesel, Razor Ramon, Goldust, Shawn Michaels and Bret… And then I stopped watching again. They stopped broadcasting it or it was on a pay channel. I guess it wasn’t that easy to watch it so I gave up.

A few years after I started to feel the nostalgia and watched old videos, bought Bret Hart’s book, then watched documentaries. When I met my wife, she told me she was into wrestling and I was like, “Oh cool, something more in common!” But I realized she was talking about nowadays wrestling, which I had no idea about. (laughs) I started to watch and it didn’t take long till I was hooked again!

Do you have a favorite wrestler on the roster?
Leclercq: I like Elias because he plays guitar and it’s always hilarious. I also like Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman. Oh, and Alexa Bliss too!

What is your favorite of the WWE special events? Royal Rumble? Wrestlemania?
Leclercq: Wrestlemania. I have the WWE Network and I like to watch the old ones. I also remember the Survivor Series in 1995 and that was great.

Have you been to any WWE live events recently?
Leclercq: For the first time, I went to see WWE Raw in Paris. It was a lot of fun! When we watch it on TV here in France, two guys are commenting the matches and it adds a lot to the show, Philippe Chereau and Christophe Agius. We met them outside the arena but obviously they didn’t comment while we were watching the matches, so I guess it was a little different than on TV, obviously. But it was great to finally be able to watch wrestling live after all these years. Wish I had gone sooner!

Metal and wrestling have a tremendous crossover. Have you encountered any of the WWE roster at your shows?
Leclercq: No. If they read this, they are invited next time I’m in the U.S. (laughs) Maybe some came when we played big festivals with Dragonforce, but no one… Oh wait, hell, sorry! We did a few festivals in Australia with Fozzy, Chris Jericho’s band, so yes, I met a wrestler! Damn, I almost forgot about it! It was like six years ago. Super-nice guy!

You are also known to be a big fan of Japanese culture. Does that mean that you are also into Japanese pro wrestling?
Leclercq: Not really, but I know of Aja Kong and Bull Nakano through a fascinating documentary I watched when I was a teenager. I was really impressed by their technicality and intensity. There was also Manami Toyota. She was singing a song in that documentary, pretty catchy one. My Japanese is not good enough to sing the words but I can hum it.

This is the music video for “Ashes”.

Given all of your hobbies, where does music rank for you now?
Leclercq: Number one. Always. without a doubt. Nothing comes even close!

Wrestling aside, were you ever into a big sports fan?
Leclercq: I was into soccer when I was 12 or so for a little bit. Nowadays, I like to watch sports on TV every now and then. Tennis, mountain bike, even petanque — I’m French after all. (laughs) But no, I’m not a huge sports fan per se.

Repulsion For Humanity is your forthcoming album with Sinsaenum. How long did you spend making the album?
Leclercq: We started recording the drums in January and finished the mix early May. As for the writing, I had started around the time Echoes Of The Tortured was out. Or even before, I write music all the time so it’s sometimes hard to keep track, so I can’t give you a straight answer for this writing-wise.

Do you like being thought of as an “all-star band?”
Leclercq: I guess we are musicians already known with our other bands… I don’t particularly like the term “all-star band” because it usually implies that it’s a one off, or of lesser importance. That’s not the case here, we treat Sinsaenum with the same amount of dedication as, for me for example, Dragonforce. But yeah, people can call us that. That’s not a problem. They can call us whatever they want. And it’s nice to be considered a star (laughs).

Do you have a favorite song on Repulsion For Humanity?
Leclercq: Let me think… I kinda like them all equally really. And I want people to treat them equally as well so if I mention a song their judgement might be biased, so no favorite!

Get out all of your “Splendor And Agony” by simply watching this video!

Are there any plans to play live shows in support of Repulsion?
Leclercq: Indeed. We have just announced European dates and are working on more!

Repulsion aside, what is coming up for your career-wise?
Leclercq: Right now, I’m working on the new Dragonforce album and we are doing summer festivals. I have also other bands I’m working with, but yeah, right now Sinsaenum and Dragonforce are taking most of my time!

Is there something you wish more people knew about Frédéric Leclercq?
Leclercq: Not really. When I started Dragonforce, I was frustrated because most people see me as a bassist in a power metal band, whereas I consider myself a guitarist first and foremost. Now I don’t really care anymore, I accepted that. I play a lot of guitar on the albums, write a lot of songs, and I have Sinsaenum now so maybe people will finally get that I’m a guitar player, but really I don’t care much. It’s not important.

Finally, Frédéric, any last words for the kids?
Leclercq: Check our new song “Final Resolve,” follow us on social medias and let us know what you think! Support death metal and all extreme music!