Landscaping sound, a pile of stones rotting through time, and the lifelong journey to make something that might be worthy of the word ‘art’, LizZard savour their musical struggles. As the Channel-spanning trio release their fifth album, Mesh, frontman Mat Ricou talks to Prog about painting pictures with music and why you should live your future instead of chasing it.

Words: David West

LizZard, L-R: Will Knox, Mat Ricou and Katy Elwell.

Images: Marie Beaufils Durand

“For me, art is expression,” says Mat Ricou, vocalist and guitarist of the Anglo-French power trio LizZard. “Personally, when I play music, I like to be touched, I like to have a real moment of, ‘Wow, that was a performance!’

And when the album or track is finished, I need a couple of minutes to be like, ‘Wow, that was good.’ It’s like a good meal or a good wine, it’s all about taste, I guess.”

Based on their five albums, culminating in this year’s Mesh, LizZard’s tastes run towards exploring deep, dark emotions, grooves that are intricate yet powerful, and creating a remarkably expansive sound for a three-piece. For Ricou, bassist Will Knox and drummer Katy Elwell, the trio format enables LizZard to balance impressive heaviness with the dexterity required to navigate the unconventional time signatures that are integral to their music.