Klone

The French progressive metal outfit Klone has maintained a core identity across an expanding body of work while incorporating fresh psychedelic and electronic textures, as heard on Here Comes the Sun (2015), Le Grand Voyage (2019), and The Unseen (2024).

Formed in Poitiers, the group first operated under the name Sowat, with David Ledoux handling vocals, Guillaume Bernard on guitar, Julien Comte on bass, and Laurent Thomas on drums; that configuration produced the 1997 release Korzeam. By 1999 the musicians had adopted the Klone moniker, bringing in second guitarist Mika Moreau, bassist Hugues Andriot, and keyboardist Matthieu Metzger, whose early contributions shaped the 2003 full-length Duplicate and the 2004 EP High Blood Pressure, both of which balanced forceful rock with emerging experimental leanings.

Ledoux stepped away in 2004, after which Yann Ligner assumed vocal duties; further lineup adjustments followed when Jean-Etienne Maillard took over bass in 2006 and Florent Marcadent replaced Thomas on drums the next year. The refreshed ensemble pushed boundaries on 2008’s All Seeing Eye, which integrated Metzger’s saxophone and samples alongside harp, Chinese flute, and a guest vocal appearance by Gojira’s Joe Duplantier on the title track; the band later shared stages with Gojira. Black Days arrived in 2010 and included a distinctive reading of Björk’s “Army of Me,” and the EP The Eye of Needle followed in 2011.

Moreau exited in 2012 and Aldrick Guadagnino joined on guitar, prompting the 2015 releases The Dreamer’s Hideaway and Here Comes the Sun, passages of which recalled the most accessible Pink Floyd material. After reworking earlier songs for the acoustic live set Unplugged (2017), Klone moved to the British label Kscope for Le Grand Voyage in 2019. Maillard departed following those sessions, succeeded by Enzo Alfano, while Marcadent left the drum chair in 2022 and was replaced by Morgan Berthet. The band’s explorations persisted on Meanwhile (2023) and The Unseen (2024), extending its prog-metal foundation into ambient and occasionally pop-inflected territory.