Zeal & Ardor teams up with the French producer Carpenter Brut to reimagine “Devil Is Fine,” the emblematic track released in 2016. Available today via MVKA, this new version pits the Swiss group’s singular universe against the dark, horrific electronic textures of the French musician. An unexpected meeting that propels one of Zeal & Ardor’s founding tracks into a wholly new dimension!
Ten years after its release, “Devil Is Fine” is granted a second life. At the origin of Zeal & Ardor’s international breakthrough, the track had left a mark by merging the aggressiveness of black metal with the rhythms and heritage of Afro-American spirituals and work songs. A bold blend conceived by Manuel Gagneux, which became the project’s signature. For this reinterpretation, Carpenter Brut deconstructs the track before rebuilding it through his recognizable electronic aesthetic, featuring massive synthesizers, nightmarish atmospheres and industrial energy.
Manuel Gagneux doesn’t hide his excitement about this collaboration: “Imagine one of the most talented electronic musicians remixing one of our tracks. Imagine that the result could even surpass the original. Imagine you could listen to this track right now. Here is “Devil Is Fine x Carpenter Brut.”” De son côté, the French producer stresses the pleasure of having been able to adopt this composition: “Zeal & Ardor possesses a truly distinctive sound. It was a genuine pleasure to bring “Devil Is Fine” into my own universe, while preserving the spirit of the original.”
Cette rencontre intervient alors que les deux artistes poursuivent leur actualité respective. Zeal & Ardor continue to defend GREIF, its latest album released in 2024, and recently unveiled Devil Is Fine X, a remastered reissue of his first album featuring five previously unreleased bonus tracks. Carpenter Brut, for his part, released Leather Temple, the final chapter of his Leather trilogy, and continues his international tour throughout 2026.
Avec cette relecture, Zeal & Ardor et Carpenter Brut démontrent que leurs univers, aussi singuliers soient-ils, peuvent se rencontrer sans perdre leur identité. Plus qu’un simple remix, “Devil Is Fine x Carpenter Brut” offre une nouvelle perspective sur un titre fondateur, à la croisée du metal extrême et de l’électronique sombre.
