Hangman's Chair were a French doom metal band formed in , in 2005. The group's final lineup consisted of vocalist and guitarist , guitarist , bassist and drummer .
Coming from the hardcore punk scene, , and formed Hangman's Chair after playing in several local bands. Hangman's Chair released their debut album, (A Lament for...) The Addicts (2007), with on vocals. After 's departure and the group's reconfiguration in 2008, they released Leaving Paris in 2010. died in 2010.
With a stable lineup in place, Hangman's Chair launched an album trilogy, beginning with Hope /// Dope /// Rope (2012), which marked a slight sonic evolution while remaining within the doom, stoner and sludge metal designations. This Is Not Supposed To Be Positive (2015) introduced gothic and cold wave influences into their sound. On their fifth album, (2018), the band began adopting a more introspective style focused on personal themes and showcasing their blend of doom metal and post-punk atmospherics. They then signed with Spinefarm Records for worldwide releases and also received media exposure in France.
Hangman's Chair left Spinefarm and signed with Nuclear Blast Records in 2021. They commenced a new trilogy with A Loner (2022), driven by the desire for a different sound. Characterised by a more melodic, atmospheric style and gothic sounds, the album produced the singles "Cold & Distant", "Loner" and "Who Wants To Die Old". Picking up where A Loner left off, Saddiction (2025) saw the band further explore the sonic aspects and the post-punk and cold wave facets of their influences. It spawned several singles, including "2 am Thoughts". Their lyrics generally explore dark and gloomy themes, set against the backdrop of urban landscapes, primarily in Paris and its suburbs. Their discography demonstrates a gradual transition towards a clean singing voice. Hangman's Chair suspended their activities in November 2025 for an indefinite period.
History Origins (1992–2004) grew up in the department, south of Paris, in France. , born in Morocco (Maghreb), arrived in France at the age of 12. They met in 1992 at a college in and became friends. and were passionate about 1990s hardcore punk, heavy metal and grunge. The hardcore scene consisting of bands such as Confusion, Integrity, Only Living Witness, Section 8, and Sheer Terror, and the do-it-yourself philosophy associated with this culture, motivated them to perform music. found his path between the ages of 13 and 14 by beginning to play hardcore punk. The two friends first stepped onto the stage at around 15 or 16.
They grew up in the hardcore punk scene of the 1990s. was a member of () and later a bassist in Drowning, which toured as the opening act for All Out War and Merauder. Over time, and performed in various local bands, including , and Rising Dust. was part of their circle; he was the singer of Knockoutz and the bassist of (), and performed with . The bassist for Knockoutz and was . was a guitarist in . After playing electric bass for a while, switched to drums.
The members of wanted to move in a different musical direction, but had rehearsed very little with , the band's singer, before entering the recording studio. was less interested in the band's new direction. After a while, tried his hand at singing.
Formation and (A Lament for...) The Addicts (2005–2007) In 2005, (guitar), (drums), and (guitar) formed the metal band Hangman's Chair in , . was then put on hold.
Hangman's Chair began by releasing a split album with the band Eibon. Their first singer was . The band's first album, (A Lament for...) The Addicts, was released in 2007, via the label Bones Brigade Records, with , , (vocals), (guitar), and (bass). Although the split with Eibon was released before (A Lament for...) The Addicts, as an introduction to the band, the actual recording took place after that first album's completion. Some songs originally intended to appear under the name appeared on Hangman's Chair's first album. Hangman's Chair's first bassist was originally the singer of the band Every Reason To...
later told of Rock & Folk that had not stayed in the band for long, as he went through "a lot of bad moments".
Lineup change, Azzouni's death and Leaving Paris (2008–2011) was a guitarist in the band Inhatred.
In 2008, Hangman's Chair were joined by , who became the bassist, and , who took over as singer-guitarist.
In 2010, died in a car accident. "One Love Reunion", an evening paying homage to , took place at Glazart on 11 March 2010, featuring concerts by Hangman's Chair, , Knockoutz and . Leaving Paris, the band's second album, was released the same year, through Bones Brigade Records, with , , , , and in the lineup.
In 2011, was busy for a few months with and was replaced by Every Reason To... bassist for concert dates.
Hope /// Dope /// Rope and This Is Not Supposed To Be Positive (2012–2017)
Hangman's Chair were in the habit of recording three or four additional tracks at each studio session for their albums, intended for split-album releases. A split from Hangman's Chair and Drawers was released on 28 March 2012. The following album, Hope /// Dope /// Rope, was released in 2012, via Bones Brigade Records. The album "marked a turning point in our history", said , as the band found "stability" with the arrival of and , as well as "a musical identity". Documentalist wrote that Hope /// Dope /// Rope helped the band make a name for themselves "within the metal community".
On 1 February 2014, Hangman's Chair performed at the second edition of JP Fest, a festival that brought together six French metal bands to raise funds for the fight against cancer at the Splendid in Lille. All profits were donated to the (), the Lille-based research department of the Oscar-Lambret Centre and the association (ASP Omega) (). Their split LP with Acid Deathtrip was released through Reflections Records during the summer of 2014.
The band's next album, This Is Not Supposed To Be Positive, was released on 15 September 2015 via the Parisian independent record label Music Fear Satan. The album's release was preceded by a music video for "Dripping Low". Lelo Jimmy Batista, writing for Vice France, described the album as "A kind of Black Sabbath lost at , an Alice in Chains stranded at ".
At the beginning of March 2016, Hangman's Chair performed at , a major annual international tattoo convention held at the in Paris.
During a tour in Japan with Arkangel, met the members of Greenmachine. Hangman's Chair subsequently recorded a split album with Greenmachine, released in France through Music Fear Satan and in Japan through Daymare Recordings in February and March 2017, respectively. Jacob Bannon expressed appreciation for the split. A music video for "Can't Talk" was released; it was made by using excerpts from one of 's old pornographic films.
Banlieue Triste (2018–2020) Hangman's Chair's fifth album, (), was released in March 2018 through Music Fear Satan. The album features two guest contributions: one from Marc De Backer of Mucky Pup on "Sidi Bel Abbes", and the other from French synthwave musician Perturbator on "Tired Eyes". spawned a music video for "Naive" released in April 2018, starring French actor . , who was part of the Parisian hardcore scene with his band Cry Havoc and is a longtime friend of Hangman's Chair, stated: "I didn't hesitate for a second. They're such a negative band, and I love it". He played his part as a volunteer. In May, a music video for "Touch the Razor", produced by (), was released on Vimeo. On 15 June, they performed at Download Festival France at the .
was already attracting attention, wrote of , and the band were therefore courted by the Spinefarm Records label. Spinefarm Records released the album on 28 September 2018 in all territories outside France. A special double-vinyl edition of the album was released simultaneously, following the signing of the quartet , , , and to Spinefarm Records, thereby guaranteeing worldwide distribution for their future recordings.
Hope /// Dope /// Rope, This Is Not Supposed To Be Positive and "are part of a whole", thus constituting a "trilogy", said. led the band to appear on the French television channel Canal+ for a short concert on the programme (), to be broadcast on FIP and France Inter, and to be featured in articles in the general-interest press. While the band frequently toured the Upper France region during the winter of 2018, they opened for Zeal & Ardor at in Lille and for Samael in Dunkirk. They regularly performed in Belgium and the Netherlands because their manager was based in Lille.
The single "Lost Brothel" was released in July 2019, ahead of a four-track EP titled (). On 16 August 2019, Hangman's Chair performed at the Psycho Las Vegas festival in Nevada, US. A joint performance by Hangman's Chair and the post-black metal band () took place at in Paris on 25 September 2019 during the Major Arcana evening as part of the Red Bull Music Festival. , featuring two previously unreleased tracks and two remixes, was released in October.
A Loner (2020–2023) The joint concert of Hangman's Chair and was due to be repeated at the Roadburn Festival 2020, but the performance ultimately did not take place. stated that Hangman's Chair recorded the album A Loner from December 2020 to January 2021, or, according to , until February 2021, with a view to an October release, but concert cancellations delayed it.
indicated that the band's relationship with their former labels, Bones Brigade and Music Fear Satan, had always gone well. They had high expectations for Spinefarm Records, but ultimately, things did not go as planned. "Communication with Spinefarm has become very complicated", said . To amicably terminate their contract, Hangman's Chair initiated negotiations through their new manager. They were approached by the German and French offices of Nuclear Blast Records. The deal had accelerated after the opening of the French office because the band had already been in contact with the German office since This Is Not Supposed To Be Positive. Following their signing with Nuclear Blast Records, they released a new single titled "Cold & Distant" on 21 May 2021, accompanied by its music video featuring French actress . Perturbator asked Hangman's Chair to collaborate on his song "God Says", from his 2021 album, Lustful Sacraments.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the annual Hellfest could not take place, but a 15-minute live session from the band was made available on the festival's website in June 2021. It was part of a series of twenty performances titled Hellfest from Home, recorded shortly before at the festival site in , France. That same month, Hangman's Chair were part of the lineup for the second and final edition of the online metal music festival Slay at Home, organised by Frank Godla, co-owner of Metal Injection. Slay at Home aimed to raise funds for MusiCares, the Cancer Research Institute, the Iggy Fund and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. In early October 2021, the band released the single "Loner" with a music video. Another single titled "An Ode To Breakdown" followed in November, accompanied by a live video taken from the at-home edition of Hellfest. During the recording sessions for their upcoming album, Hangman's Chair had set aside two songs, including "Judge Penitent". It was released as a single at the beginning of December and became the theme music for the fifth season (2021) of Gang Stories, a Deezer-produced podcast narrated by NTM rapper JoeyStarr.