Blending electronic music, metal, and the neon-soaked mythology of 1980s pop culture, CARPENTER BRUT has carved out a universe that is as dark as it is electrifying. Since emerging in 2012, the French artist has established himself as one of the leading figures of the international synthwave scene, recognized for a sound that is powerful, uncompromising, and instantly identifiable.
Drawing as much inspiration from John Carpenter and Dario Argento as from NWOBHM, CARPENTER BRUT has built a coherent and stylized world at the crossroads of retro thrillers, glam metal excess, and futuristic dystopia. His work doesn’t simply reference these influences — it absorbs them, reshaping them into a shadowy cinematic language where music, imagery, and narrative are inseparable.
With Leather Temple, he brings this vision to its most complete form, closing the trilogy that began with Leather Teeth (2018) and continued with Leather Terror (2022). More than just an album, Leather Temple functions simultaneously as a concept record, the soundtrack to an imaginary film, and a post-apocalyptic graphic experience — the final chapter of a story that has grown darker, harsher, and more radical with each release.
Set in the year 2077, Leather Temple plunges listeners into a ruined world ruled by a transhuman elite. The rebellion led by Lita Connor resurrects Bret Halford — now reborn as a cyborg — to challenge the tyrant Iron Tusk and strike back against an oppressive regime. Themes of transhumanism, post-apocalypse, tyranny, and vengeance run through the album like exposed wires, sparking constant tension.
Musically, Leather Temple explores a more direct and aggressive side of the CARPENTER BRUT universe. Across ten tracks, abrasive beats, distorted electronics, and industrial pressure collide with cinematic and orchestral arrangements that expand the scope and heighten the drama. Compact, relentless, and visceral, the album plays the card of impact — somewhere between raw electronic assault and the soundtrack to a collapsing neon future.
On the occasion of the album’s release on February 27th, we spoke with CARPENTER BRUT about apocalyptic visions, storytelling, the end of trilogies, AI, live performance realities, and what comes after…
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic themes seem to be finding their way into the work of many musicians today. Was the overall concept of Leather Temple — and its themes — planned in advance, back when you were designing the trilogy as a whole, or did it take shape more organically in recent years?
I’ve always loved apocalyptic themes, since that’s more or less what awaits us in the long run. Whether it’s “Mad Max” or “Akira”, both worlds fascinate me. So I tried to end on something in that vein. It wasn’t a given, since we started off in the ’80s, but with a little twist using cryogenization, I managed to pull it off story-wise. I actually got the urge to use this theme during the writing of Leather Terror. That’s why Bret Halford ends up locked in a freezer by Kendra on the final track of the album.
More generally, what usually comes first for you: the story or the music?
The story, always. It helps me have something to say. Otherwise, what’s the point of opening your mouth if you have nothing interesting to tell?
Do you think humanity is doomed?
Yes. Because of social media and all the idiots on it, I give it maybe ten years before civil wars break out in Western societies. People are getting dumber, hating everything and everyone because they read or saw something online. If you add environmental collapse, overpopulation, and so on, how do you think that’s going to hold up?
Do you already have ideas for the next CARPENTER BRUT story? Are you ready, mentally or creatively, to start building another trilogy?
No more trilogies. A lot of things are going to change. I didn’t call the last track “The End Complete” for nothing. I’m thinking of moving toward EPs now, not necessarily connected to each other either. I’m kind of tired of the music industry, the algorithms that change every two months to serve the platforms, and all that. I’d like to get back to something simpler. Compose, release the record. So I do have a few concepts in mind already. We’ll see which one I start with. Also, I might have the opportunity to score a film. If that happens, I’ll have plenty to keep me busy.
How actively do you use AI in your work today? There’s a big conversation happening right now about the delicate relationship between art and artificial intelligence — and about the fine line where AI stops being a tool and starts becoming an author. What’s your perspective on this?
I think the whole AI debate sounds like a swan song for the anti crowd. It’s already been here in different forms for years. Nobody’s going to stop it now. As for art, some see using AI as a betrayal. Probably the same people, a few years ago, who were defending art with hard drives full of pirated movies or MP3s because “hey, I’m not paying 10 bucks a month for Spotify.”
As for me, I don’t use AI to compose, mix, etc., because you don’t have control over it. It doesn’t give you what you have in your head. Nothing can replace human creativity. An artificial intelligence can only replicate; it doesn’t invent anything new or original.
I guess AI can be a useful tool for boring tasks, but a movie, a game, or a track composed by AI doesn’t interest me artistically. Like you said, it’s a debate, and I’m not into debates — they’re too polarized. I’d rather have a discussion, but that doesn’t seem to be in fashion these days.
You’ve often said that you don’t enjoy public exposure, being in the spotlight, or playing the role of a showman — and that live shows, while not exactly a necessary evil, aren’t something you eagerly look forward to. Do you personally go to live shows by other bands? When was the last concert you attended?
In French, there’s a saying: “To live happily, live hidden”. So yeah, I still hate playing live. But I do it because I know people enjoy coming to the shows. Just like I enjoy seeing NINE INCH NAILS, for example. Recently, I went on a concert binge: Hans Zimmer, Jamiroquai, Mozart’s Requiem, RISE OF THE NORTH STAR, and GOJIRA — all in two weeks. That’s never happened in my life before, haha. So yes, I still love going to concerts. They’re a great mix of social and artistic experience.
Since there will be a tour in support of the new album (and I’ll definitely try to catch one of the U.S. dates!), can we expect something special or different in terms of the live show?
Yes, I’ll have a new show, but people shouldn’t expect anything extraordinary or exceptional, haha. Everything is insanely expensive now, and I can’t have what I’d like on stage. Since COVID, everything’s exploded — people’s brains and prices too. Now it’s super complicated to tour for an artist at my level, which is to say, very modest. You either tour clubs or stadiums. I don’t sell enough tickets for stadiums but too many for small clubs.
So you end up with a bigger crew, a bigger venue, meaning you need staging that has to fit in a trailer because trucks are too expensive, and so on and so on. The list of headaches is endless. That’s why in the U.S., aside from the new tracks, don’t expect much visually. We’re already losing money just by going there, so it’ll be a minimal production. That’s the reality of it.
As someone who grew up on old-school metal — IRON MAIDEN and other NWOBHM heroes, METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH — does it trouble you that many of those idols are gradually stepping away? And who do you think could take their place? More broadly, not just in metal but in rock music as a whole, who would you name as the most exciting or important artists to have emerged in, say, the last 15 years?
It’s the cycle of life. I already find it incredible that IRON MAIDEN or JUDAS PRIEST are still touring. I don’t know who will take their place. I’m getting older, and not much excites me musically in metal anymore. A lot of bands feel like caricatures, chaining together riffs that make no sense, with vocalists switching voices 400 times in four minutes. But hey, that’s what the kids like, I guess. They’ve got their music like I had mine. Good for them. They’ll make it work.
Still, to think anyone could replace MAIDEN or METALLICA — let’s stop dreaming, it’s not going to happen. There will always be music, and that’s great. But I don’t see today’s boy bands like ARCHITECTS or BRING ME THE HORIZON — even though I like them, they’re fun and light — as heirs to METALLICA.
Finally: what do you expect from 2026? And what would you like to wish for yourself — both as a human being and as a musician?
Just making it back from tour alive would be great. It’s going to be a long one, and I haven’t even announced all the dates yet. I hope people like the album too. I worked on it for a year and a half, so that would be nice. I want to keep having projects, buy new synths, do some collabs… business as usual, haha.
Pre-save, pre-order the album here: https://carpenterbrut.lnk.to/_leather_temple2077
