There are records that demand more than just passive listening — they ask you to surrender. “Λmnésiste,” the new album by French Progressive Rock/Metal band Korbo, is one of those. Due out on March 13, 2026, this five-track concept album maps the harrowing descent of a person living with Alzheimer’s disease: a journey through fractured identity, silent rage, and the slow erasure of self. With a sound that channels the compositional ambition of King Crimson, the emotional weight of Porcupine Tree, and the raw intensity of Mastodon, Korbo have crafted something genuinely rare — music that is both technically formidable and deeply human. We sat down with the band to talk about the genesis of the project, the creative and emotional challenges of the album, and what it means to build a world around a story that so many families know all too well.
Korbo was born in Paris, at the crossroads between Progressive Rock and Heavy Metal. Can you walk us through how the band came together? Who were the founding members, and how did the project take its current shape — with Aaron on guitar and vocals, Léa on lead guitar, Gabriel on drums, and Pierre-André on bass?
Aaron: The band had seen many lineup changes over the years. You see that often with new bands, you get some issues having a stable formation for quite a while. And for our band, things are even more difficult. We do a kind of music that is difficult to play and difficult to listen to sometimes ! Korbo is a band that Léa and I (Aaron) has formed in mid 2018. For quite some time, it will be just the two of us until the year 2019, where our first bass player and drummer will join the group. Even at that period, with the pandemic and other affairs, the band was still struggling to find a balance. During those years, we never stopped writing new songs, though. Which is great, we have really some good stuff already written for several more albums. But we also had some frustrations regarding touring and releasing our music. We wanted to tour. We wanted an album out. So in 2024 when Gabriel joined we did our first tour for our debut “6ème Extinction” we were finally doing something that we wished for many many years ago. We finally had a lineup ready for all the things we wanted. We had one last lineup change with Tim joining the group as a bass player in early 2025. Actually Pierre-André played bass on “Amnésiste” but he never joined Korbo. At the time of recording our former bass player wasn’t there anymore and we needed someone to do the bass. And Pierre-André, who is a gentleman and a dear friend of mine, kindly agreed to play bass on the new album. But the current lineup has been together for more than a year now, which is kind of an accomplishment for us, ahah! And this is probably the best lineup we’ve ever had.
Your Bandcamp bio describes Korbo‘s music as existing “à la frontière entre metal et rock prog” — a hybrid between saturated riffs and melodic flights. How conscious was that positioning from the start, and how has it evolved since your earlier releases like “6ème Extinction”?
Aaron: Even though we love a really large variety of music genres, Metal and Progressive Rock has always been my engine when it comes to the band’s musical vocabulary. I love the riffs, the heaviness of metal. And I love the melodies and eccentricity of prog Rock. I’ve always been a metalhead since I started playing guitar when I was 13 or 14. I discovered Progressive Rock a few years later with the first King Crimson record and I fell in love with genre. I told myself “This is it. This is the music that I want to make”. So the style that Korbo plays is really just a witness of those two style that were really impactful when I was younger. This is basically what our influences are in a nutshell for our first record. And “Amnésiste” is just the same as “6ème Extinction” in that regard, only more ambitious and polished if I may say.
The decision to sing in French is a strong artistic and cultural statement, especially in a genre dominated by English-language bands. What drove that choice, and how does the French language shape the emotional texture of your music?
Aaron: Singing in French was a no brainer for me. It never occured to me to even try anything else. As fluent as I can be in English, French will always be my native language. This is just who I am. It touches something more emotional, deeper and rawer than anything I would of write in English. So writing lyrics in French was just obvious to me. That being said, the vast majority of the band that we listen to are English-speaking bands. So I often have some english gibberish lyrics that are popping in my head when I search for vocal melodies. What I do generally when I write lyrics after finding the melody is that I try to keep the sound of it as close as it can be while writing in French. So you have French lyrics but with a slight English-speaking inflection beneath it, which is very revealing of what Korbo is, basically. We are heavily influenced by American and English bands, but also by our environment.
The FFO references — King Crimson, Porcupine Tree, Mastodon — cover a huge spectrum, from intricate polyrhythmic composition to atmospheric heaviness to sheer sonic brutality. Which of these acts, or others, have been the most formative influences specifically on “Λmnésiste,” and in what ways?
Aaron: I would say hands down Porcupine Tree. The songs structures, the general vibe, the melodies. This band has been one of our core influences since the beginning of Korbo, especially albums like In Absentia and Fear Of A Blank. That last one is just flawless. But I would say that for the riffs, we are more leading towards bands like Black Sabbath, Metallica or Death. Especially Sabbath. Léa and I are OBSSESED with Sabbath! The Mastodon part is more subdued. While doing the album I wasn’t really influenced by them. I knew the band but I wasn’t really a fan at the time. Now, I am. And I can clearly see what we have in common. We are two Progressive Metal bands that are quite riff-oriented with lots of melodies and intricated ideas while keeping a groove and a musicality that can be quite direct from time to time. Our style is not that far away from each other after all, even if Mastodon is clearly sludgier than us. At least for now!
Progressive Rock and Metal in France has a rich but often underground scene. Are there French bands or artists — past or present — that have genuinely shaped your sound or your approach to songwriting?
Aaron: Gojira. They inspire us on a daily basis. This is the band that told all French metal bands “This is possible. You can do it. Do your art. Do your own thing.” But it’s like Mastodon, I don’t think you can say that we are influenced by them on this record. That being said, those four guys are a huge inspiration for us on a level that is beyond music. But has I said, we are really heavily influenced in American and English band more than anything else.
“Λmnésiste” has five tracks with complex structures. How do you approach the balance between progressive compositional intricacy and raw emotional impact? Is there a tension between those two things, or do they feed each other?
Aaron: We like doing things a bit differently than your typical metal band. Not saying we are groundbreaking or anything, but I like to twist things up. I don’t think we do intricate stuff on purpose or for the sake of it. We just like to mess around with time signatures and song structures. But we also love riffs and melodies. And I think it’s important to let those things breath and shine on a song. So we try to balance those things up so we can have songs that have singular features that are still catchy.
“Λmnésiste” deals with Alzheimer’s disease — one of the most devastating and intimate of human experiences. Where did this concept originate? Was there a personal connection, a specific moment, a story, or a more abstract creative impulse that led you to this subject?
Aaron: My grandfather who died a few years ago had Alzheimer. So I am well aware of it. The story of the album is inspired by his journey through the pain and suffering of the disease. So yeah, it’s something that is deeply connected to me has a personnel level.
The album is described as “a forgotten story, of which each track is a fragment.” How did you structure the narrative arc across the five tracks — Néant, Sans Maintenant, Amnésiste, Chaînes, and Les Mots Du Silence? Is it a strictly linear descent, or something more fragmented and non-linear, mirroring the disease itself?
Aaron: You have kind of those two aspects at the same time. I would say that the album overall goes deeper and deeper into the disease but a song like Sans Maintenant shows that it’s more like an on and off thing. At least in the beginning.
Let’s go deeper into each fragment. Starting with “Néant” — void, nothingness — what does this opening track represent in the journey? Is it the beginning of loss, or something that already exists before the story begins?
Aaron: To me, the word “nothingness” can serve two meanings on this song. Obviously there is this loss of memory which is already there when the album starts. There is the nothingness from memory loss, but there is more. This track has one of the few moments on the album where other people are mentioned and are even a main subject on the song. People that are close to the protagonist. People who don’t care. Who greet his illness with detachment and contempt. So you can say the nothingness is also their lack of empathy and care for him. The song is equally about my grand father than about them.
“Sans Maintenant” was chosen as the lead single, and its video is already out. The title — “Without Now” — captures something painfully specific about Alzheimer’s: the collapse of the present tense. What was the process of writing this track, and why was it the right entry point for listeners approaching the album?
Aaron: As you can see, we don’t write short songs that often! So there was this pragmatic approach to do a video that would cost less money than shooting a 11 minutes track and also will have maybe more chance to reach people. But it’s not like we compromised ourselves to do the song or anything, we love the song anyway so it was an obvious choice. This track touches more on the disease than the previous one. The protagonist begins to lose touch with reality though have still a few moments of clarity.
The title-track “Amnésiste” sits at the center of the album. What does it carry narratively and musically that the other tracks don’t? Is it the eye of the storm?
Aaron: Yes! This track is like the turning point of the story. The protagonist chose to let go all of the tangible things to focus on fantasies and fake stories that are not his. This is based on a personnal experience I had. My grandfather would tell stories he claimed he did but my grand mother was there to tell me those never happened. And I was so shocked at how the brain can fool itself by making things up just to socialize, just to have something to say, just to be. It equally fascinated me and scared me at the same time. This is represented by the sentence “Si je ne sais pas alors j’inventerais” which can be translated by “If I don’t know then I’ll make it up”. Musically this is probably my favorite Korbo song in my opinion. It is very special to me.
“Chaînes” — chains. The word evokes both physical entrapment and emotional bondage. What are the chains Korbo are referring to here — the chains of a failing memory, the chains of caregiving, of grief, of identity?
Aaron: This track is also based on a true event that happened with my grandfather that my grandmother told me. When his desease was reaching a critical point, he needed to be taken to a hospital. There was nurses coming at their apartment and all of a sudden he just lost his mind, he became violent and agitated, which was not his usual temper at all. I wasn’t there, but I think despite his condition he understood what was happening. He was going to be taken away from his home and the one he loves, he got scared. And for the song I just expanded on that. The character is infuriating about someone whom he loves and is deeply disappointed and wounded. So he fights back saying that they cannot be separated, they need to stay together. For him, there is just this promise left and this hatred that fuels him. The chains represent this bond still here but just build on resentment and hate. “The chains of hate” is what I sing on the chorus. I guess this song talks also about abusive relationships in a sense.
The album closes with “Les Mots Du Silence” — The Words of Silence. It’s a title of extraordinary weight. How does the album end? Is there resolution, acceptance, or simply silence?
Aaron: This song is just me imagining the final days of my grandfather’s life. I was never able to see him at hospital because at the time there was a Covid restriction so they wouldn’t let me see him. I could just speculate on him. If he was ok. If they treated him good. But that, I would never know, he died a few days/weeks later. So the song is just me trying to imagine what happened. Let’s say I’m not really sure this was a happy moment for him. This song ends with the protagonists death. There is no acceptance whatsoever. Just confusion panic and distress.
Musically, how did the weight of the subject matter influence the actual composition process — the riffs, the arrangements, the dynamics, the use of silence? Did the concept drive the music, or did the music reveal the concept?
Aaron: In Korbo we always write music first and then the lyrics comes over the music. We had already a lot of songs written in 2020/2021 that needed to have lyrics on them and at the time I was going through this difficult time with my sick grandpa. I’ve always wanted to do a story that progresses through the album so this idea kind of imposed itself. But it’s not like there was a huge creative process really. I adjusted to that a bit; I just wanted to write about it so I chose 5 songs that will make a good format for a LP, write the lyrics and that was it.
Tell us about the recording process for “Λmnésiste” — where was it recorded, who produced it, and how long did it take from first demos to final master? Were there any unexpected challenges or breakthroughs in the studio?
Aaron: We began by recording the drums while playing and recording the guitars as demo tracks. Some of the stuff was kept but some was redone too, especially the guitar solos. We did the recording, reamping and mixing at Lourem Studio with some really patient and dedicated guy that became our friend, but knew nothing about metal really. And that’s where the more challenging part comes: the mixing process was a nightmare! It was so long and tideous for a result that we don’t really like. But you know, it is what it is. We couldn’t spend much more time and money on it. Anyway, this is our responsibility. We move forward, the next one will hopefully be easier in those terms, with people that know our style better.
Are there live shows planned around the release of “Λmnésiste”? How do you approach translating this kind of dense, concept-driven material to a live setting — and is the full album something you plan to perform in sequence?
Aaron: For now, we have just our release party scheduled in Paris. We don’t want to do small clubs and bars anymore. Not being paid and be treated like acrobats with a bad sound for the show gets annoying after a while, especially regarding the kind of music we make. It needs more control one the sounds and the dynamics. We would love doing festivals but don’t have any dates for now. Doing the full album on stage would be fun, we only play Néant Sans Maintenant and Amnésiste for now but we plan on doing Chaînes in the future, which would be a really fun song to play live!
Without giving too much away — where does Korbo go after “Λmnésiste”? Is this a chapter closed, or the opening of a longer narrative arc for the band?
Aaron: The next album has already been written, at least for the music. The lyrics are 70%- 80% done I think, maybe more. And we already jammed on the songs with the band so who knows? Maybe it will come out not that far from now, we’ll see. This one will also be a concept album, still universal and personal. The next album would be a bit different, more mellow than our previous records. That’s all I can say!
Finally, a broader question: from your perspective as a band operating at the intersection of Progressive Rock and Metal in France in 2026 — how do you see the current state of the scene? What excites you, what frustrates you, and where do you think it’s heading?
Aaron: I think nowadays with the internet and social medias the music scene is kind of multiple. Of course there are genres that are more popular than others. But every fan of a music niche can gather together with others and create a community to support their favorite music and bands as well. I think prog music can definitely benefit from that. If not then what do we have left! There is definitely a scene for Metal music in France and there are some really popular bands that have a prog tag attached to them. We talked about Gojira and Mastodon earlier for example. That being said, it’s true that the music industry is not in a good shape in France for what little I’ve seen. Artists don’t get paid, don’t get treated well. And some festivals struggle to stay afloat, this is concerning. And I’m not even talking about AI that is accelerating the crumbling. I talked about the positive aspects earlier, but the bad side of the internet is that people are oversaturated constantly with new music. It’s hard to navigate when you’re a musician as well as a listener. Everything is kind of hard these days. So we might as well play and listen to the music that we want and love, without compromises. Doing that is already helping everyone.
“Λmnésiste” is not an easy listen — nor should it be. Korbo have chosen to look unflinchingly at one of life’s most painful passages and have turned it into music of remarkable power and craft. As the album prepares to arrive on March 13, 2026, it stands as one of the most emotionally committed Progressive Metal statements we’ve encountered in recent memory. We look forward to sharing the full review very soon. In the meantime, our deepest thanks to Korbo for their time, their openness, and for having the courage to make a record like this.
Purchase “Λmnésiste” on Bandcamp: https://korbo1.bandcamp.com/album/amn-siste