Formation and University of Nowhere (1999–2001) AqME was formed at the end of 1999 after the break-up of Neurosyndrom, one of the founding bands of the music collective Team Nowhere. The band name was inspired by the
Ancient Greek word "
akmê" meaning the
climax or turning point of something. At the time of its formation, Aqme's line-up was composed of ETN (Étienne) on drums, Ben (Benjamin) on guitar, Sofy (Sophie) on bass (who will later be replaced by Charlotte), and Koma (Thomas) on vocals. Six months after the band's formation, the quartet released a five-track demo,
University of Nowhere. At this period, when the band started appearing in several compilations, Sofy left the band. Charlotte then replaced her. They reissue 2000 copies of
University of Nowhere in April 2001.
Sombres efforts and Polaroïds and Pornographie (2001–2004) , 2005 Not satisfied with their previous releases, the band worked in a
recording studio for a year to create their debut album. They went to record in
Sweden with Swedish producer
Daniel Bergstrand, who is known for working with
Meshuggah,
In Flames, and
Misery Loves Co. AqME then came back to France and played in concerts with other French bands such as Unfold and
Mass Hysteria. AqME's new songs attracted more people to the concerts, and the band eventually gained a wider audience. AqME's critical acclaim occurred after the release of their first album,
Sombre Efforts (
French for "Dark Efforts"). They carried out a relatively large tour across France between September 2002 and October 2003, with a notable success at the
Eurockéennes de Belfort. At the end of 2003, the Parisian band returned to the recording studio to produce their second album,
Polaroïds & Pornographie (French for "Polaroids & Pornography"). By April 2004,
Sombres efforts had sold over 25,000 copies.
Dévisager Dieu and AqME (2014–2017) On 3 November 2014, AqME released their seventh album,
Dévisager Dieu (French for "Staring at God"). A music video for "Avant le Jour" was available before the release. The band returned to the road in late November 2014 to promote their new album, giving Charlotte time to complete her pregnancy. Vincent's twin brother, Julien Peignart-Mancini, took over the bass position for the remainder of the tour. To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the first album
Sombres efforts, AqME reissued it on 21 April 2017 on a CD version (consisting of 2 discs, one for the album remastered by Magnus Lindberg and the second containing demo versions as well as an unreleased recording from that same era) and an
LP version on the occasion of
Record Store Day on 22 April. On 17 May 2017, the band released the music video for "Tant d'années," one of the songs from their upcoming album,
AqME. This new album was announced on 22 September 2017.
Requiem, disbandment and farewell tour (2019) On 11 November 2018, AqME announced on social media, through a long
communiqué, that 2019 would be the last year for the band, which was getting ready to celebrate its twentieth anniversary, explaining that it has reached the end of a human and artistic adventure. On April 12, 2019, they released their ninth album,
Requiem. They disbanded after a ten-date farewell tour, crossing France and Belgium from March 2019 to January 2020. They played their last concert on 11 January 2020 at
Le Trianon in Paris, with two original band members: Thirrion (Koma) on vocals and Rubin (Ben) on guitar. However, the last dates were cancelled due to the health problems of the band's singer, Peignart-Mancini. == Influences ==