The Metal Mag N°26 November / December 2018

The Metal Mag is an online magazine since 1998

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The Metal Mag N°26

November / December 2018

Back in 1998 when internet was at its start with a 56k modem included in the computer, the idea to have an online mag was for me the normal way to get exposure to all the underground bands around the world. Today with the speed and technology it has gone beyond my imagination and bands have lots of ways to get discovered by just a click on a social media site.

After 20 years my journey has ended in this path , bands don’t need me anymore and I think it’s time to leave.

This is the last FREE online issue. I want to thank all the people buying a printed issue. I never thought it would happen so I have done a page where you can buy each copy from the printing company avoiding me losing money.

I want to thank all the people supporting me. A huge thank you to Markus from METALMESSAGE who gently gave his interviews made by Brett kihlmire. I appreciate all the people who participated to the mag, but to be clear this is my magazine and noone is working for the mag but me!!!

Huge thank you to Rebecca Buchanan who bought a bunch of printed copies for the 25th issue. You rock!!!

Of course a thanks to David Derminasian on the cover for his dedication, passion and support!

Thank you to the few bands who paid to feature in the mag because no one supports them, thank you to dedicate music supporter Ryan Witting for sharing his interview with Andy Freeman from his online youtube channel Rockin you all night.

I never intended to be a reviewer and did it to support and spread bands , some people see it another way and fill up my mails just for that purpose. Buy albums !!!

Please say hello to Kelly Tuimaualuga who released an interview for this issue.

Merry Christmas and happy new year. ©Franck Michaud (Marcel Fabio) #1 Retched #2 Plenty Heavy #3 Dawn Ahead #4 Dungeon Wolf #5 Eufobia #6 Ghost Basterds #7 Magoth #8 Metalwings #9 De-arrow #10 Lizzies #11 Season of Tears (Français / English) #12 The Alive #13 Liliac #14 BlackBart (Français / English) #15 Karen Stever #16 Shadowrise #17 Seven Thorns #18 Owl Company #19 Andy Freeman #20 Kérion (Français / English) #21 Black Mass #22 Black Majesty #23 Ashes collide #24 Arwen #25 Abstract the light #26 Horizons Edge

www.metalzoneprod666.com

www.themetalmag.com

1: Your album is from the 80’s yet you have repressed it on your own, do you have tech skills? How did you get the music that good after so many years?

Yes this particular album never even officialy was given a tittle and it was never released publicly, In fact it was really more of a high quality demo. It was recorded in 1988 at Maximus Media Studios www.maximusmedia.net in Fresno Ca. U.S.A. produced by Jeff Hall he is a great producer and still works out there. After we recorded it we went out and started headlining shows nothing real big but we always managed to be the headlining act our biggest and best show was the Troubedour in HollyWood California U.S.A. shortly after that the band broke up. So I’ve been sitting on this great music for 30 years only taking it out of the draw I kept it in once every 10 years or so and I would play it and remind about the old days then wrap it up and wait another 10 years. It was a cassette tape a 4th generation copy of the original master. After the band broke up I never seemed to get another one going and in 1990 decided to stop persuing my music career. I still played my guitar but not seriously active in a band.

Then one day I was working on a tune I call «HORRIFIC» it inspired me to get back into the scene but now every thing is different than I remembered it with the digital age. I started taking classes to get up to speed on digital recording and in class was were I learned you can present your music to the world very easily. After I learned this it took me 7 more years of set backs and road blocks to finally start moving on with my release. I remastered it digitally the best I could and put it on Band Camp at: retched1.com soon after that like 45 days I got three record labels asking to sign me so I went for a short run with Alone Records in Greece www.alone.gr and it was George Aspiotis from Studio Aspiotis in Athens Greece www.studioaspiotis.com who brought the old cassette tape to life. He spent 2 solid months on it because he really wanted to produce the best version possible .He’s very dedicated to his work and to Heavy Metal. It was George Aspiotis who made this a great release.

2: On your bandcamp page it is written 2016, have you started this when the site launched?

Yes when my site was launched was the exact date hat I released his record I believe i was acually October 2016.

3: Your logo is a bit different from the LP than the patch with the letter R, can you explain?

Yes that’s kind of a mistake from the label I expected them to make the R like the patch. I don’t like the R on the CD and Vinyl because it looks like a B and many people believe it’s spelled BETCHED some have told me that’s what they though that spells.

4: How did you get the design done for the cover artwork?

I found it on the internet 5: Are you still in touch with old members?

No I have not seen any of these guys since the band broke up. I’m tring to find them though but 30 years is a big span of time and I haven’t had any luck yet.

6:Did this album come out in the 80’s or it never came to life?

This album never was released it was mostly abandoned really.

7: I’ve heard you say in a live interview you have done it all yourself, on your facebook page you mention your drummer did he participate to the release of the album?

What you are refering to is the new release that I am currently working on wich will be a full length Thrash Metal P4

album. I was working with someone last year for a while but our work schedules were too conflicting so I decided to make my next release a solo effort and I will be playing all instruments and doing all the vocals my self.

8: How did you get the label in greece?

They came and offered me a deal and at the time it seemed like a good idea so I went ahead wih it.

9: Your sound is very 80’s yet today this is coming back, have you had lots of sales?

According to the label they tell me it’s doing very well and selling in Japan - USA - Greece - Itally and Germany to name a few countries. At the time that I released it I had no clue that the old school metal had made a come back it was meerly a coincidence. The down side of this is that with signing with them they keep all the profits and pay me with exposer.

I have CD’s and Vinyl’s ready to go. I have not made many sales personaly off my band camp site. The main reason why I haven’t made many sales this year, is because I’ve had to hold off on spending on promotions for sales because I have been concentrating on getting more music gear and also saving for my new home for my family and I. Now we have our new beautiful home with the studio well under way and I’m in the process of producing my first full length Thrash Metal solo album prepairing to shake the world. If any one wants to truely support me they need to buy from my web site at retched1.com That’s how I get paid. My Merchandise page will pop up and if you want to stream it just click the merchandise icons and you can play the whole album 50 times and I will sign my albums to and thank the fans for supporting RETCHED. 10: How did you get the Lp done?

The LP was a separate contract with Alone Records in Greece for a limited number.

11: Apparently you haven’t composed all the songs on this album?

That’s correct I did not compose any of the music on The Overlord Messiah. Our awesome guitar player Tom Garcia wrote all these and we all performed them. Although I did contribute my lead guitar work but it was Tom who made this work. He was brilliant. Some may wonder why I released this EP after all these years and I’ll tell you why «The world needs to know what we created»!! It was a dam shame how this record was abandoned. We formed this band behind Tom’s collaberation with us and soon started playing gigs.

12: Have you composed other songs to make another album in the futur or searching for new members?

Yes at this time I have made the decision to do a full length Thrash Metal solo album at this time I am working on new music. I have chosen to do this solo for now because of my work schedule I work 60 hours a week. The other reason is because there is very few Thrash Metal musicians here in the Mojave Desert area and I just moved here also so I don’t know too many people either.

13: Who is your favorite guitarist? the one that made you want to start playing…

It was Jimi Hendrix who first inspired me to play heavy guitar then it was all the 80’s Metal Gods of the time all of them.

Have you taken courses or your are self taught?

I have learned bits and pieces from books and some friends but seriously I don’t know much technicaly speaking. I couldn’t tell you what modes I’m using or anything really but I play mainly by ear. I do intend to learn more but as for now I’m writting some real heavy music and it makes musical sense. I am not the sharpest in knowledge I admit but I’m improving all the time.

15: Tell us about your gear , do you still use the same ones or you have tried new tech?

Since my beginings in Heavy Metal back in the 80’s my gear has evolved. I use a Peavey 6505+ amp head and matching cabinet with the Celestion Vintage 30’s a Voodoo Lab Ground Control Pro midi controller.

In my rack I run an Equalizer and Lexicon MX 200 I will be upgrading that to a TC Electronics G Major 2 rack effects. and a BBE Sonic Maximizer P5

Guitars: Jackson Pro Series Rhodes RR24 Guitar with Seymour Duncan active pick ups Mick Tomson series pick ups.

ESP LTD D4 Bass A 5 piece Tama Rock Star Drum kit with Zilgian and Sabian Cymbals.

ART rack tube preamps - ART rack tube compressors - Warm Audio tube powered equalizer Pro Tools 12 DAW and Focusrite Clarett 8 pre USB Audio Interface.

Sure SM 57 for instrument rcording.

Thank you Franck for letting me sit with you and interview with you.

https://retched1.bandcamp.com/

www.facebook.com/theoverlordmessiah/

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1/Who started the band Plenty Heavy?

- I started Plenty Heavy in 2016 with the idea of having a vocal-based power trio with ripping musicians.

2/What was the idea?

- I had many years of touring my instrumental based brand of hard rock music and just wanted another avenue to be able to get my music across to a bigger audience. Having vocals has allowed me to play any show I want - not just instrumental shows.

3/How long you’ve been playing guitar for?

- My entire life since I’m 5 years old.

4/Have you studied in school or with friends?

- I attended college in Pennsylvania to learn music theory as well as studying with jazz legend Greg Howe and Carl Verheyen. Otherwise, I’m self taught.

5/Tell us how do you become a gear tester?

- In 2015 I decided to get a video rig and take advantage of companies asking me to demo their products. It quickly launched into a nearly full-time gig from that point on.

6/With all the guitars and effect you have in your hand they are some you must prefer?

- I’m an artist with Sully Guitars as well as many others.

7/What gears do you use for you own creations? The one you use with your band…

- My guitar, a cable and a good high gain amp is all I use for Plenty Heavy. Anything else seems to get in the with this band.

8/You know all the guitarists from Lonero, Scott Gailor, Tony Mac Alpine… are you friends with them? Do you exchange methods or simply jam together?

- Yes, we’re all friends in the music business together. At this point in my playing it’s hard to be influenced as much as P8

I was years ago but for sure they are amazing players.

9/They are so many shredders those days , how do you not get competition? What ’s your view on those fast technic shreds?

- I’ve never completed and never will. It’s just not my style. One of the ways I’ve gotten around the new trend of shredding is to try to write better songs. I’ll never stop trying to get better at song writing. It’s in my heart.

10/Are you playing in other bands? Do you guest in friends albums?

- I played in Bruce Bouillet’s band from Racer X and have shared the stage and records with many A-list musicians.

I do enjoy jumping up on stage with others. I was recently invited by Larry Mitchell (Grammy award winning guitarist) to play at the Steve Vai Jamathon. That was a fantastic experience.

11/You have done a live video with Lonero about guitar, is it another part of your musical share? Isn’t too much with the band’s schedule…

- I enjoy sharing quality videos whenever I can. I hope to do more with LoNero in the future.

12/Have you played abroad yet?

- I’m planning to go to England in 2019 to play. I’m working out the details now.

13/Tell us a bit more about the other members of your band, how did you get in touch? Are you the main composer…

- I am the writer for Plenty Heavy and the first record Colossus Maximus featured Mike Hansen from Hurricane on drums and Bjorn Englen from Yngwie Malmsteen band and Dio Disciples on bass. My touring band is Joey Johnson from Dallas, Texas on drums and Rob Welch from Nashville on bass. Plenty Heavy will have played in seven different US states this year and I hope to use those guys more in the future as well. They’re all fantastic musicians.

14/What is the best thing you have accomplished so far as a guitarist?

- I’m not sure I quantify it that way. I’m just happy to be playing guitar for so many decades. It’s the passion of my life.

15/Do you make a living with all the things you do in the music? Have you got an advice to any musician lover who’d love to do all the things you do?

- Yes, my only source of income is via music. My advice is to absolutely love what you do 100% and never give up.

Having a back up plan is also good idea as well.

16/Who is your favorite guitar player? The one that got you addicted to the instrument…

- Steve Vai circa 1986 - Eat ‘Em & Smile era.

17/How do you get all these sponsors? Is it an easy thing to do? What become the guitars etc you abuse for showing us they are good?

- I don’t actively seek sponsorships or endorsements. For me, it’s been important to have relationships with the principles at each company that I’m representing. I’m happy to say that I have personal relationships with all of the companies that I endorse. Having said that, I have to give them my greatest thanks because I am afforded amazing opportunities being represented by these companies. It’s been an honor. www.gregmarra.com

www.plentyheavy.com

Brett kihlmire : Where does your band come from?

Thomas : From the southwest of Germany.

Chrischaan : We all come from different places. I tend to say, a band comes from, where its rehearsal room is situated.

Considering this, the band comes from Mainz, near Frankfurt.

Thomas : For everyone who don`t know where Frankfurt is, it`s near Ginsheim-Gustavsburg.

Brett kihlmire : What style of metal do you play?

Thomas : I would say, Thrash Metal with influences.

Marcel : Thrash Metal is the kind of music we all like. Beyond that everyone has unique influences anywhere from Grindcore to Progressive Rock.

Chrischaan : Yes, Thrash Metal is like the basic sound for us. Still, it is not old-school or Bay Area Thrash. It’s Thrash with a twist, maybe a modern twist. It comes from the different influences every songwriter brings with him.

Brett kihlmire : When was the band formed and how did the band come into existence?

Thomas : The Band was formed in 2011 by Pocho and me. We were looking for guys who were ready to kick ass and we found them.

Marcel : I joined first and our line-up was completed in 2013 with Chrischaan joining last.

Chrischaan : Basically I knew most of the guys quite a long time before joining. Yet we never talked about working together. The band was working for two years without a singer. Then there was this party at Thomas’ place, and I got boozed up and rightout asked why I couldn’t be the singer. That was the real beginning I guess.

Brett kihlmire : Have there been any lineup changes?

Thomas : No. We started exactly with the actual lineup.

Brett kihlmire : What are the band’s influences?

Thomas : Our influences are all good metal bands worldwide.

Marcel : Like I said before this is very different for each band member, and in total too many bands to list them.

Chrischaan : Well, as I said, the main thing is Thrash Metal. So of course there’s METALLICA, MEGADETH and SLAYER. ANTHRAX not so much, haha. But there’s also a lot of modern stuff, like MACHINE HEAD. And vocal wise, you can even find a little bit of HELLOWEEN in there, when you listen to really closely, haha.

Thomas : Fortunately i can*t find it .

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Brett kihlmire : Where did the name come from? Is it just a cool name you came up with or does it mean something more?

Thomas : It was Marcel´s idea. And we liked the name. I don`t know if it does mean something more or not. But it`s a cool name.

Marcel : The idea was “Dawn Ahead” meaning you´re still in the middle of darkness, but you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, which is represented by dawn – that´s it, no deeper message behind it.

Chrischaan : Well it did not have any form of meaning until our very first song, “Out Of Damnation”. In this I sing about a black mass, where five creatures of the underworld are summoned to experience their DAWN AHEAD. Brett kihlmire : What were the major challenges the band had to overcome in your journey so far?

Thomas : Getting concerts. This is very difficult in Germany, if you are a newcomer Band.

Marcel : At some points last year the challenge was to get us all together in a room and play because everyone was so busy.

Chrischaan : Well, today, where there is some kind of oversaturation on the music market, new bands need to stick out. The best way to do this is by some kind of gimmick, like wearing chicken masks or being sexy vampire-wolves etc.

But we think this is bullshit. We have no gimmicks, no choreography, no mascot, only good music. And to be known simply by your music these days really is a challenge.

Brett kihlmire : Who is the main lyricist of the band?

Thomas : Chrischaan writes all the lyrics because he must sing that stuff.

Chrischaan : True! And because no one else wants to, right???

Thomas : Ähm?? Ok, that`s another reason.

Brett kihlmire : What is the general inspiration for lyrical content?

Thomas : For Chrischaan? Beer!

Marcel : And Michael Myers Nightmare movies!

Chrischaan : And Jason! Beer, Michael and Jason! No seriously, Thomas and Marcel come up with a song and give it a working title. This working title is like a cue for me, and I just start writing about what comes to my mind. We almost never change the working title because of this. And you got all different kinds of topics in there, like fantasy stuff, horror movie stuff, beer drinking stuff, personal stuff, but mostly ironic and sarcastic stuff.

Thomas : OK sometimes we had to change the working title of Marcels songs. Because we are not sure, if the people will understand the humor behind titles like “Pochos balls needs a haircut” or “Light the Rightning”.

Brett kihlmire : What has been the major the challenge of getting it written, recorded, and to the masses?

Thomas : The challenge is, to find the best vocal line and the best lyrics for the atmosphere of each song.

Marcel : I think the greatest challenge in putting together a CD is making a bunch of individual songs work as a whole.

Chrischaan : Fitting it all together. I mean, it’s easy to record a bunch of songs and pack it on a record, making it sound like a patchwork mixtape kind of thing. But putting songs together to transfer a specific atmosphere without getting too repetitive is hard, when you think too much about this.

Brett kihlmire : Is there a new album on the way or one recently released?

Thomas : Our new album “A Trip of Violence” was released a few months ago.

Chrischaan : Personally I would more call it an EP. There’s only five songs plus a bonus track on it. I think our first real album will have about ten songs on it. Hopefully we find a chance to start working on it pretty soon.

Brett kihlmire : Is there a Music video out there or on the horizon?

Thomas : Yes, but only a very old one for the song “Hunter”.

Marcel : We are thinking about a new one as well, but it´s too early to tell more details.

Brett kihlmire : What is the band biggest hope for the remainder of the year?

Thomas : Getting more concerts.

Marcel : Writing more songs.

Chrischaan : Tearing down the places where we play.

www.dawn-ahead.com

Brett kihlmire : Where does your band come from?

Florida USA though I’m originally from Cleveland Ohio. Home of JEFFERY DAHMER!!! WAH POOH!!!!

Brett kihlmire : What style of metal do you play?

Traditional Brett kihlmire : When was the band formed and how did the band come into existence?

2017. I wrote the songs and teamed up with Austin Lane and Stan Martell in the studio.

Brett kihlmire : What are the band’s influences?

Old school metal Brett kihlmire : Where did the name come from? Is it just a cool name you came up with or does it mean something more?

It means we rule the underground. Masters of the Universe.

Brett kihlmire : What were the major challenges the band had to overcome in your journey so far?

Overcoming shitty bands stealing our spotlight. Bands like Ghost and Five Finger Death Punch selling Satan and shitty music to the working classes. I’m here to save you my sons. Come. Find solace in my embrace.

Brett kihlmire : Who is the main lyricist of the band?

Me. The only lyricist. Why go out for a burger when you got steak at home?? WAH POOH!!!!

Brett kihlmire : What is the general inspiration for lyrical content?

To kicks maximum ass. HI YAH!!!

Brett kihlmire : What has been the major the challenge of getting it written, recorded, and to the masses?

Getting the assholes who only review well known bands for the views to get their head out of their ass and realize I do this a lot better than the guys in the nursing homes do. There may be the internet now (though I think technology is GAY) but it’s the same old barriers in terms of the market trumping art. I’m the great artist. Embrace me.

Brett kihlmire : Is there a new album on the way or one recently released?

9/7/18 on Iron Shield Records.

Brett kihlmire : Is there a Music video out there or on the horizon?

Yes. Video on the way. The greatest metal video of all time.

Gonna be sex, explosions, celebrities, and all the shit you could ever hope for.

Brett kihlmire : What is the band biggest hope for the remainder of the year?

That I don’t party too hard so I’m coherent enough to enjoy the release of this album.

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www.facebook.com/DUNGEONWOLF/

Interview with NIKI BOJAKOV (Guitar & Vocals) Brett kihlmire : Where does your band come from?

We come from Bulgaria. All the band members live in the city of Sofia, which is the biggest city in the country with its almost two milion inhabitants and it’s also our national capital.

Brett kihlmire : What style of metal do you play?

The music that we’re currently playing could be fairly described as something like Death / Thrash Metal, but we’re not afraid to experiment with our sound. That’s why our songs sound a bit unusual, but instead of trying to discribe it, I’d rather the people heard our music with their own ears and judged for themselves.

Brett kihlmire : When was the band formed and how did the band come into existence?

Eufobia was formed in 2004, but it wasn’t very active until 2008. The story of founding the band was actually quite typical. Back then I was playing in another band, but I wanted to play another kind of music, so therefore I decided to start my own band. I had known the bass player Stefan for some time and I offered him the position. He was the one who brought the drummer Blagovest into the band. Then we continued as a trio for some time, but our music was becoming more and more complicated and we eventually decided to invite our trusted friend Ivan to join the band as a second guitar player.

Brett kihlmire : Have there been any lineup changes?

No, never. Since the beginning no band member has ever been replaced and hopefully never will be. We are very proud of this fact, because it is quite rare, isn’t it? Our friendship is the secret. My fellow band mates are not only very good friends of mine, but also wonderful musicians. We may argue sometimes, but I know that each and every one of us adore the music that we play, respect the others and would like this band to succeed. That’s why we’ve been together for such a long time.

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Brett kihlmire : What are the band’s influences?

Everyone of us listens to diverse kinds of rock and metal music. Thus we’ve got diverse musical influences and that makes our own music sound more interesting and unusual. We don’t want to copy any particular band. We’d rather be ourselves instead. I personally listen to rock, grunge, punk, black metal, death metal, hard core, grind core and basically to everything that has an electric guitar in it. I can’t speak on behalf of the others, but some of the bands which had influenced me personally the most are Death, Napalm Death, Morbid Angel, Gojira, Dark Tranquility, Rotting Christ, Vader, Immolation or Behemoth, for instance.

Brett kihlmire : Where did the name come from? Is it just a cool name you came up with or does it mean something more?

Yes, the name of the band is pretty cool, isn’t it? Besides, it’s easy to remember. The word «Eufobia» literally means «fear of good» in ancient Greek. It hasn’t got any deeper meaning. At least for us. When we had to give the band a name, we simply made a list of names and then we chose the most suitable one, which happened to be Eufobia. There are many people, who think that the name of our band means «fear of the European Union» but that isn’t the case here.

Brett kihlmire : What were the major challenges the band had to overcome in your journey so far?

It was a pretty long journey. It’s been more than ten years now. It’s hard to believe that we’re still here and not only that.

We are stronger and more crative than ever. We saw many extraordinary metal bands come and go during that period of time, but we were lucky enough not to vanish like one of them. That was probably the biggest challenge that we had to overcome, but we survived and now we’re here to stay and I believe that the best is yet to come. It’s never been easy to play metal music, but we’re not some pussies to complain. Our greatest achievement is that we didn’t let the cruelty of the world change us or kill our dreams.

Brett kihlmire : Who is the main lyricist of the band?

It’s me, actually, although some of the lyrics of our first two albums were written by our Drummer Blagovest.

Brett kihlmire : What is the general inspiration for lyrical content?

Our main source of inspiration is the life itself. In the past we used to write lyrics about other less important things, because we thought it was cool to sing about forbidden pleasures and sexual desires, but nowadays we’d rather sing about the things that we really care about. Most of the lyrics of our upcoming album, for instance, are inspired by the novels of George Orwell «The Animal Farm» and «1984». I believe that many people will agree that the world nowadays has started to look a lot like the dystopia which the writer had described in these books. If you don’t believe my words, just take a look around and wake up. The freedom of expression and the freedom of speech are practically suspended. The big brother is constantly watching us with his evil eyes through the internet and our so-called democracy has become since a long time ago just a facade, which hides the gruesome truth from the eyes of the public.

Brett kihlmire : What has been the major the challenge of getting it written, recorded, and to the masses?

Writing a song is easy. It comes naturally. Recording it is a little harder, because the musician depends on the producer and if that guy wasn’t the right one for the job, the end result could be something which one would regret until the end of his days. Promoting the music is undoubtedly the hardest part. Don’t get me wrong. We’re not trying to become rockstars, otherwise we would have chosen another type of music to play, but nevertheless we would like to reach more people who would potentially appreciate our music. I’m sure that there are a lot of them out there, but the problem is that they still don’t know that our band exists.

Brett kihlmire : Is there a new album on the way or one recently released?

Yes, there is. We’ve already got enough material for a brand new album of Eufobia and we’d like to go back to the studio as soon as we can, but on the other hand we’d like to be absolutely sure that every song sounds just right, so that’s why we’re not going to rush it and the plan is to start recording in the beginning of November. Thus we’ll have enough time to finish the songs. We’re not going to make any concerts during that time, by the way, because we want to fully concentrate on the process.

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Brett kihlmire : Is there a Music video out or on the horizon?

Yes, there is. On the 17th of September we’re going to publish a brand new video of the song «Cyber Pervert», so stay tuned. It’s going to be very interesting. In the meantime you could watch the other videos of Eufobia on youTube and I’m pretty sure that you would be amazed. I’d recommend you to watch the video of the song «Hater» or the one of the song «Graveyard», for instance. They look pretty cool, believe me.

Brett kihlmire : What is the band biggest hope for the remainder of the year?

The year was good for our beloved Eufobia so far. We shot a new video, we had some great concerts in Romania and Bulgaria, but the best part was that we won the Wacken Open Air Metal Battle contest, which gave us the opportunity to perform on the stage of the world’s most important metal festival - Wacken Open Air. And besides, the year is still far from over. As I have already mentioned above, we’re about to publish a brand new video and we’re going to record a new album. There are some other things that are going to happen until the end of the year, but I’m still not allowed to talk about them. The future is going to be great. I’m sure about it.

www.eufobia.com/

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Brett kihlmire : Where does your band come from?

GHOST BASTERDS: We are from a town called Dormagen. It’s right between Duesseldorf and Cologne in Germany.

Brett kihlmire : What style of metal do you play?

GHOST BASTERDS: We actually play a very dynamic metal style with a lot of different influences and every member adds his own attitude into our style. We write riffs for a decent headbanging! ;) Brett kihlmire : When was the band formed and how did the band come into existence?

GHOST BASTERDS: Ghost Basterds officially formed in 2016 with the initial line up. It took us a while, but then we were ready to bring the Ghost Basterds to the stages!

Brett kihlmire : Have there been any lineup changes?

GHOST BASTERDS: Yes. The bassist and one guitarist have changed ever since. We used to perform with two singers as well, but one left us because of personal reasons.

Brett kihlmire : What are the band’s influences?

GHOST BASTERDS: We have slightly different influences. We specially see that when we’re in the writing process.

Erik is more a Neue Deutsche Härte music guy. Sascha, Martin and Andi love aggressive music in general. Justin is more into Thrash- and Deathcore.

Brett kihlmire : Where did the name come from? Is it just a cool name you came up with or does it mean something more?

GHOST BASTERDS: Our first intention was it to take mainstream songs and cover them to metal/rock versions. The Ghost Busters Theme was our first cover and our first singer took the opportunity, changed the name a bit and called the band “Ghost Basterds”. A big pro for the name were the couple of beers that we had! ;) P16

Brett kihlmire : What were the major challenges the band had to overcome in your journey so far?

GHOST BASTERDS: Becoming a self songwriting band after covering all these horrible pop songs! ;) Brett kihlmire : Who is the main lyricist of the band?

GHOST BASTERDS: Our singer Erik.

Brett kihlmire : What is the general inspiration for lyrical content?

GHOST BASTERDS: Erik is a very critical guy. Most of his lyrics are critical.

Brett kihlmire : What has been the major the challenge of getting it written, recorded, and to the masses?

GHOST BASTERDS: The major challenge is to getting it written. Recording is not that hard. And the release today is so easy. We live in a modern time and we all can use the power of the internet. We can easily get our music on all platforms and make it available for everybody!

Brett kihlmire : Is there a new album on the way or one recently released?

GHOST BASTERDS: We are planning to release an album late 2019 or early 2020. For this year we’re only releasing singles. Two songs were already released. A metal cover of Dschinghis Khan is coming up soon and finally fitting to the christmas season we will release a half ballad.

Brett kihlmire : Is there Music video out or on the horizon?

GHOST BASTERDS: We have two music videos online on our YouTube channel.

The first video was made for our first single called “Sell Yourself ”. The second one for our first german song called “Wahrheit oder Pflicht”. It was our intention to add a music video to every single. So we just finished the video shooting for “Dschinghis Khan“. You can already see some making of shots on our Facebook page.

Brett kihlmire : What is the band biggest hope for the remainder of the year?

GHOST BASTERDS: That more and more people visit our concerts and listen to our music. All in one we hope that we can can reach all the basterds out there!

http://ghostbasterds.com

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Brett kihlmire : Where does your band come from?

MAGOTH: Nowadays Magoth is located in Bonn, Germany but started in Remscheid, where band founder Heergott was living. Due to our ambitions of advancing Magoth, Heergott moved closer to the other band members. The time we gained from that self-sacrificing act was completely invested into the elaboration of Magoth. It forged us to the unity we are.

Brett kihlmire : What style of metal do you play?

MAGOTH: We call it «Anti Terrestrial Black Metal». It’s a raw and brute trip through the spheres of Black Metal. Excessive blast-beat parts and disharmonic guitar riffs struggling with atmospheric and doom passages create powerful sound walls that threaten to bury the listeners alive.

«Anti Terrestrial» as a description was deliberately chosen to distance ourselves from any prevalent social structures.

Because Black Metal in general is no social compliant music. We direct ourselves as well as our expression against a dogmatic society that supports mental laziness of man. This idea connects our music and our topics.

Brett kihlmire : When was the band formed and how did the band come into existence?

MAGOTH: Magoth was founded in 2011 by Heergott. The intention to give a proper face to all negativity of this world quickly led to a cooperation with the guitarist Mordath and the creation of six songs. This songs laid the musical foundation for Magoth. In 2013, however, Mordath left the band.

Thereafter Shagnar took over the lead guitar plus the organizational part of the band. First structures for self-distribution were created with the label «shagnART music» and a new dynamic arose. Now the completion of a line-up of brothers in spirit became a main priority.

In mid-2015 drummer Widrir was requested. Very fast Widrir turned out as the third of four pieces in that line-up.

The dynamic style of Widrir’s playing and the power unleashed a sound that revealed the true potential of the songs.

The songs were now celebrated together.

Due to several live shows in 2016 a guest bassist was engaged. But short time later Havoc took over his position. Havoc completed the line-up of brothers in spirit and gave Magoth’s sound another fundamental touch.

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The first era of Magoth – “Anti Terrestrial Black Metal” – officially began with the release of our debut player in June 2017. A dozen concerts later we present ourselves as a well attuned unity that feeds Magoth with our spirit.

Brett kihlmire : Have there been any lineup changes?

MAGOTH: Except for Shagnar and Havoc there was no line up change.

Brett kihlmire : What are the band’s influences?

MAGOTH: Magoth is influenced by the classics of the second wave of Black Metal as well as many highlights from the underground. But also a lot of bands far beside the Black Metal genre. In the end the listener is supposed to find out for himself which bands these are.

Brett kihlmire : Where did the name come from? Is it just a cool name you came up with or does it mean something more?

MAGOTH: According to writings of Abraham von Worms from the 15th century Magoth, as a planetary spirit, is subordinate to Lucifer, Leviathan, Satan and Belial. The name describes the intention that stands behind the band’s works: a union of forces and the external observation of human activity. Unlike potential speculations Magoth is not a bad demon. He fulfills his deeds in the mystical world. Likewise we accomplish our mission in this world.

Brett kihlmire : What were the major challenges the band had to overcome in your journey so far?

MAGOTH: The biggest challenge for us all was the time when Heergott stood at a psychic turning point. And that effected several band-related topics. We couldn’t perform as many shows as we longed for. Structures were changed and tasks redistributed. But after all we were able to continue in our customary manner. In order to provide Heergott the necessary support, all of us had to grow beyond ourselves and even the worst crisis holds something valuable: Heergott’s musical processing of his emotions and thoughts implanted an eerie depth and unique character into our new songs. Those songs are soul works.

Brett kihlmire : Who is the main lyricist of the band?

MAGOTH: There is no main lyricist. Our entire work is created jointly but with individual leadership. The lyrics are created primarily by Heergott and Shagnar. For the upcoming album Widrir also participates in the lyrics. The conceptual topic demanded a lot of mind work from us. The upcoming album will continue the story that started with «Anti Terrestrial Black Metal». The four gestalts are leaving the outside world to ponder about their experiences in a secluded cave.

Brett kihlmire : What is the general inspiration for lyrical content?

MAGOTH: Everything that surrounds us. But first and foremost the present, materialistic society. The uprooting of humankind from its spirit seems to be fulfilled. We, on the other hand, walk around with open eyes and question what others are trying to keep secret. Today there’s much more than just christianity that has to be combated. Society’s taboos bespeak its own pathetic short-sightedness. We for ourselves use knowledge as protest. For to believe means stagnation.

Brett kihlmire : What has been the major challenge of getting your 2017 released album “Anti Terrestrial Black Metal” written, recorded and to the masses?

MAGOTH: Due to the self-distribution the time after the release held the biggest challenge for us. The numerous and consistent positive feedback had to be faced organizationally and communicatively. Yet this positive stress encouraged us all the more. We received CD orders from all over the world via shop.magoth.de. Thus the limited and hand numbered first edition was sold out within only eleven weeks and a second pressing had to be implemented rapidly. This resonance inspires us sustainably.

With the support of our «Consultant of Kings», Andreas Hofmann, and Markus Eck from «Metalmessage», we are now well equipped for even bigger challenges.

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Brett kihlmire : Is there a new album on the way or one recently released?

MAGOTH:. At the end of the year we will launch the next era of Magoth. In addition we celebrate this occasion with an exclusive release show at «Kult41» Club in Bonn, Germany. While the first era – “Anti Terrestrial Black Metal” – was focused on the band’s self-discovery the next one will show that Magoth has chosen its place in this world.

Brett kihlmire : Is there Music video out or on the horizon?

MAGOTH: We are working hard on visualizing our upcoming album. Of course this includes a music video. We are going to present a classic music video together with the album. But at the moment we won’t reveal any further details.

Brett kihlmire : What is the band biggest hope for the remainder of the year?

MAGOTH: We do not rely on hope but actively shape our future. Think for yourself. Question authority. Stay blasphemous.

www.magoth.de/

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Interview with : Stela Atanasova - Lead vocals, Electric viola, Keyboards Brett kihlmire : Where does your band come from?

Our band is from Bulgaria.

Brett kihlmire : What style of metal do you play?

Our style is considered as symphonic/power/gothic metal with celtic elements.

Brett kihlmire : When was the band formed and how did the band come into existence?

The band was formed in 2010 in Sofia. It took a while to find the propriate musicians for it. We’ve started with the dream to create our own music. Step by step, with every event and new song - we’ve grow up. Now I can hardly say that we are strong enough, we know what we can and specialy we know what we want to do. Music is our way of Life.

Brett kihlmire : Have there been any lineup changes?

No - at least in the last 6 months. I hope to be able to keep the band in the current lineup.

Brett kihlmire : What are the band’s influences?

I can’t say that we are influenced by a certain band. But I can say that we love the style of symphonic metal and we are very proud to be a part of this league of talanted, brave and sincere musicians.

Brett kihlmire : Where did the name come from? Is it just a cool name you came up with or does it mean something more?

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When we had to name the band I wanted to pick up a name in which to combine at least two elements. I didn’t want just to pick up a cool or a modern name. I wanted the name to mean something more. And the combination of metal and wings - it seemed very nice to me. I like the band’s name now even more because it describes our hopes - strong but soft.

Brett kihlmire : What were the major challenges the band had to overcome in your journey so far?

So far the biggest challenge for the band was to keep it strong and never to give up. It’s very hard nowadays to keep something good and non commercial. We won’t make compromises with our Music. We are ready for battles for it - to resist and to save its beauty for everyone who need it. We don’t make Music to become more popular - we make Music just because we want to leave something beautiful and timeless to this World.

Brett kihlmire : Who is the main lyricist of the band?

I’m the lyricist of the band.

Brett kihlmire : What is the general inspiration for lyrical content?

The general inspiration for my lyrical content are my dreams, my fears and mostly my faith in Life.

Brett kihlmire : What has been the major the challenge of getting it written, recorded, and to the masses?

Generally making music nowadays is a great challenge. Nothing is so easy, nothing is so difficult. It all depends on your expectations, the power of your intentions, and what price you are willing to pay to achieve what you want.

Brett kihlmire : Is there a new album on the way or one recently released?

Recently we’ve released our debut album “For All Beyond” on April 19. Now we’ve just started to work on new songs and we really hope to release the next album as soon as possible.

Brett kihlmire : Is there Music video out or on the horizon?

Yes - there is. In the beginning of November we gonna release our third official music video for the self-titled song “For All Beyond”. This video is very special for us - made with love to our fans, families and friends.

Brett kihlmire : What is the band biggest hope for the remainder of the year?

We hope to be together, to be strong and to do what we love. The rest will fit for us in the best way.

https://metalwings.eu

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1/Your album is repressed with fourteen tracks, are you involved in this?

I play keyboards on all 14 tracks. I was also involved (along with guitarist Dragan Stanic) in selecting these tracks from various demo tapes that we had recorded during the 1980s.

2/Can we expect a reunion of the band members?

No reunion is planned. We might try to go back and re-record some older De-Arrow tracks but no definite plans as yet.

3/For those like me who just discovered your band, was the first album with as many songs ?

We have a lot more songs. These 14 tracks were originally recorded as good quality demos during the 1980s. They have been remastered and polished, but nothing has been really changed from the original recordings apart from cleaning them up a little.

4/Why calling the band that way? What’s the meaning of the dash?

There is no meaning to the band name. We just liked how it looked. The dash means nothing more than a hyphen.

5/What made you disband in the first place?

The 1990s arrived. Also we were all involved in different projects and because we didn’t have a singer at the time it made it hard to continue.

6/Are you still in touch after so many years?

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Yes, we all still speak lots and are friends and catch-up often.

7/Have you made or joined other bands?

Various members joined various other bands. Guitarist Dragan Stanic joined Roxus after De-Arrow folded. He has also continued on with writing, recording, and producing various artists. I moved to Los Angeles in 1990 and played and recorded with various bands there.

8/Do you use new digital tech today?

Yes. But I also still have some of my old analog equipment.

9/When looking back was it difficult at the time to create such great music? Have you pushed yourself to perfection?

At the time we didn’t think it was difficult because we loved what we were doing. We used to rehearse several times a week and would spend hours playing around with different sounds and ideas.

10/How did you create? The songs are very strong with the keyboard sounds…

As noted in the previous question, we spent a lot of time rehearsing, writing, recording, and playing around with various sounds, both keyboards and guitars. I used to sit up for hours into the night programming my synthesizers and creating different sounds.

11/Who influenced you?

Lots of people. We loved all the classic rock bands like Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Rainbow, Van Halen, Gary Moore, UFO, Michael Schenker, Kiss, Angel, Def Leppard, Scorpions, etc. But we also listened to various other genres of music.

12/Are you following new bands? Would you play on underground bands asking you to?

Have been listening to lots of different types of music. Everything from old classic jazz to ambient electronic music.

Haven’t really been following a lot of the new music because there is so much older music that is awesome.

13/Are you playing as guest on some albums?

I played on a lot of recordings during the 80s and 90s. Some songs ended up on albums. Some of the bands I recorded with included Australian bands like Taipan, Cyclone Tracy, BB Steal, Dave Evans and Thunder Down Under. I also did some preproduction recording with American band Mother’s Finest, who were fantastic. There are others as well.

14/The music has changed as you have, what is your view on the music scene today?

Everything constantly changes. I haven’t really been focusing on the current music scene.

15/Australia is very strong in every Metal styles, was it that easy back then? You had much a LA closed style…

During the 80s it wasn’t the perfect climate for us in Australia. Pop music was a lot more popular than heavier rock music like we were playing. Bands like INXS, Men at Work, Crowded House, etc. were big in Australia. We always had our eye on the USA, UK, and Europe, where our type of music was more accepted.

16/How did you get on with all those keyboards? lots of cases, sounds etc I used to have to get to the rehearsal studio about half an hour before everybody else to set up, haha. Fortunately for gigs we had a road crew. But yes, I had lots of keyboards, racks of outboard gear, and wires crazily running all over the place. I loved it, I felt like a mad music professor.

www.facebook.com/De-Arrow-1734099763277729/ P24

1/Tells us what has changed since you had a new drummer? This breaks the all-girl band, isn’t this sad?

The only thing that has changed is that now a different musician is playing drums with us. And that this musician, Dani, has brought fresh air to the band. Yes, Lizzies isn’t anymore all female musicians. We once wanted that, to have more women playing our musical style, but when you find the right person to be in your band, it doesn’t matter if it’s a woman, a man or an alien! There is nothing sad about a line-up that really works. What’s sad is that the label ‘all-girl band’ is still used pretty commonly nowadays.

2/What led you to choose that artwork for your album? Did you want that kind or asked the designer to make it?

At first we didn’t have a clue about what the cover could be about, but after a lot of brainstorming, the idea of the wrestlers arrived and we knew it would fit everything really well. It somehow captures the general atmosphere of the album.

Patricia, our guitar player, designed the cover after we came up with the wrestling idea. We discussed about the pose the wrestlers were going to be fighting in, and we’re very happy with the one we chose because it’s so expressive, it’s that decisive moment, it’s being alive and taking risks.

3/You are very inspired by the early 80’s, have you grown up with that music in your family? Which band is your favorite one?

Personally, I can say yes. I grew up listening to 70’s and 80’s music at home. It was normally disco, but there was also a dose of rock here and there.

I would say my favorite band is Motörhead. I think it is the band that has taught the most about life, and sometimes even about myself. Also, they fit in whatever situation!

4/Have you used songs you haven’t recorded on the previous album or you always work for each album as it comes?

We wrote most of the songs from scratch, but we used some riff ideas that already existed before Good Luck. Those few really old riffs have turned into interesting songs, like for example Final Sentence.

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5/Spain is getting loads of Metal bands, have you got easy venues and active scene there?

Yes, there are a lot of good bands in Spain, and the scene is pretty interesting. There are loads of concerts and musical activities, groups of people who organize shows with the only goal to bring bands which otherwise wouldn’t play here because they’re pretty underground. About the venues, there are a lot of venues around the whole country, but unfortunately sometimes there aren’t enough medium-sized venues around. Of course there are some really good ones, but they’re mostly tiny or huge venues, which can be pretty annoying for a band that is in between those ‘venue-steps’.

6/Have you changed music studios or engineers? Do you have skills to get you record as often as you want to?

We changed the recording studio, but not our producer, Ola Ersfjord. This time, we’ve recorded the whole album in Madrid, at Cuervo Recording Service, his new studio. He changed headquarters from Sweden to Spain after he recorded our first album between Madrid and Terrassa, near Barcelona.

It would be amazing to record more often, but since all members in the band study or have other jobs, we don’t have enough time to write enough material to be able to release an album every year or so.

7/Do you have endorsement?

We don’t have any endorsement at the moment. Of course it would be great to be endorsed by a good beer brand or something like that, but we wouldn’t say no to be endorsed by hotel chains or some ‘healthy food delivered to tonight’s venue’ company haha! Good food and sleep are sometimes missed on tour!

8/Who directed your videos? Have you got input? Do you know people with video skills?

We’ve released three videos for this album. The first single, Final Sentence, was filmed and edited by ourselves. Then for the other two ones, No Law City and Rosa María, we contacted an old school. Gorka, who filmed these videos, is an amazing professional and we’re suuuper happy with the result. He managed to capture our need to express and condemn some injustices, and still with our touch of sense of humor. The scripts for all the videos were made by us, and almost all the actors in the videos are friends or fans.

9/What motivated the choice of your cover? Any fight in life you’d like to have on the ring?

We found that the wrestling concept was perfect for the general topic of the album, which is that moment when you’re on tight rope, either because you’re about to take a risk and don’t know what’s going to happen or when you’re facing a change in life. We’d love to fight against sexism, abuse of power, the destruction of the planet and injustices in general.

10/Is there a theme on the album or you just write anything that comes to your mind?

We normally just write songs and lyrics and then have a look at the common themes in between all the songs. This time it was so clear: feminism, empowerment, social critic. We think it is really important to make our point about certain topics with the hope to awake some minds. As artists, we have the power to express ideas, and we want them those ideas to help make this world a better one and encourage people to think by themselves.

11/Is there a good scene in Spain? Do you have bands you often play live with? Or hang out?

As I mentioned before, there are a lot of new cool Spanish bands. We’ve played with some of them at different gigs and festivals, like for example Leather Heart and Witchtower. Other bands we like and would love to play with in the future are The Wizards and Mean Machine!

12/Who are your favorite bands? The ones that inspired you to have a band…

In the really early days, Patri and me were pretty obsessed with Iron Maiden and The Doors, to name some bands. I think these two bands were the ones that kick-started something in our minds about starting a real band. On the one hand we were hypnotized by the magic atmospheres that The Doors created, and wanted to write songs that would also awake feelings in other people.

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On the other hand, the perseverance and determination of Iron Maiden made us feel empowered to create a functioning band.

13/How do you compose your songs?

Normally it’s Patri who brings riffs and different parts of songs to the rehearsal space, and then we all start thinking how we could turn those bits into a whole song (the connections in between parts, different structures…). In the past the lyrics were written by Patri and me, but this time Elena has written all the lyrics and also wrote her vocal melodies.

14/Do you try new gears? Are you using the modern digital equipment? Can you tell what do you use and why?

During the recording of both albums we’ve used different gear, from different pedals to a wooden box full of cutlery!

We wanted ‘On Thin Ice’ to have an 80’s atmosphere, so we decided to use synths and stuff for intros or as a background to thicken the songs. We also added sounds of a metallic bin in ‘Talk Shit and Get Hit’ haha! We think it’s pretty cool to add unusual devices to enrich the songs. Actually, the box full of forks was used by Judas Priest when they recorded British Steel, and we thought it was a great idea to do the same on some songs from ‘Good Luck’. We’ve added a sampler to our shows, which we use for song intros or as a background for some song parts, for example the police siren in ‘Rosa Maria’. It’s cool to enrich the shows with that, and it’s funny to see the people’s faces like ‘what the hell is going on?’!

15/Are you in touch with your fans? Do you deal with the social medias or websites?

Yes, we manage our Facebook , Instagram (@lizzies_metal) and Twitter (@lizzies_metal) accounts, also our online shop (http://www.freewebstore.org/lizzies/). It’s really cool to stay in contact with our fans, especially through Instagram with this whole stories thing. People can tag you in the pictures and videos of a show and you can easily repost them to share with the rest of fans. We’re always happy to get this kind of messages from our fans!

www.facebook.com/thelizzies

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1/Qui a démarré le groupe? Quel était l’idée?

Le groupe est né sous l’impulsion de Juliette et de la mienne. Nous avions comme objectif de faire une musique semblable à celle des groupes que nous écoutions à l’époque, à savoir Nightwish, Epica, Kamelot...

1/Who started the band? What was the idea?

The band was born with a strong will from Juliette and myself. Our main goal was to play similar music to the bands we were listened at a time, such as Nightwish, Epica, Kamelot...

2/Etait ce facile de trouver une chanteuse?

Juliette ayant fait partie du projet dès le début, il a été davantage difficile de trouver d’autres musiciens, par exemple un batteur.

2/Was it easy to find a female singer?

Juliette is here from the start, it has been much more difficult to find other musicians. Mostly the drummer.

3/Vous avez déjà trois albums en cinq ans d’existence, vous composez sans cesse?

Nous composons presque tout le temps, en effet. Deux de nos trois productions sont des EP plutôt courts, mais notre prochain opus sera sans doute un deuxième album complet, qui demandera donc un peu plus de temps. Nous travaillons déjà dessus.

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3/You already have three albums in five years of existence, do you always compose?

We are composing most of the time, yes. Two of our productions are short EPs, but the next one will be a complete album and will be our second one. It will demand more time , we are already working on it.

4/Quel est la raison du nom du groupe? Que signifie les 9 pour le O…?

Le nom du groupe était initialement «Seasons», mais celui-ci étant déjà utilisé, nous avons pris le parti de nommer notre propre saison, la «Saison des Larmes», qui est une sorte de métaphore sur la période que traverse le monde actuellement. Concernant le logo, les O ne sont pas des 9, juste des lettres stylisées !

4/What is the reason for the band’s name? What means the 9 for the O...!

The band’s name initially was «Seasons», but it was already taken for we have chosen to use our own season, «The Seasons of Tears», which is in a way a metaphor comparable to what the world is living at the moment.

As for the O they aren’t 9 , just a letter design!

5/Vous avez un Logo comme un signe de l’infini qui n’apparaît pas sur le deuxième album, qui l’a créé ? Quel en est le sens et allez vous l’utiliser sur toutes les pochettes futures?

Le logo «Ouroboros», sur la pochette de notre premier EP, est à différencier du logo du groupe. Le premier est en lien direct avec le titre de l’EP et n’apparaît que sur celui-ci, tandis que notre véritable logo est sur toutes nos productions et sur scène.

5/You have a logo like the infinity sign but doesn’t appear on the second album, who released it?

What is the meaning to it, will you use it on all the futur album covers?

The logo «Ouroboros», on our Ep is different than the band’s one. The first is linked directly to the Ep and so is appearing only on this one. As for our real logo it appears on every productions as on the stage.

6/Est ce que le line up a changé / évolué? Vous semblez tous chanter d’une façon ou d’une autre…

Au balbutiements du groupe, moi et Juliette avons fait de très courts essais avec d’autres musiciens, le temps de quelques répétitions. Mais le premier véritable line-up, avec lequel nous avons enregistré toutes nos productions, n’a pas changé.

En revanche, chacun a mieux trouvé sa place. Léna chante et joue du violoncelle en plus de ses parties de claviers initiales, et Volac s’occupe de presque tous les growls et des samples «bruitistes» en plus de la basse. Quant à notre batteur Gaétan, il chante lui aussi sur tous nos enregistrement, dans les choeurs.

6/Is the line up has changed, evolved? You seem to sing all of you in which way or another...

At the band’s birth, me and Juliette have tried musicians for a short period, during rehearsals. The real first line up, with whom we recorded our productions hasn’t changed. Each person has found his/her place. Léna sings and play Celo among her keyboards parts. Volac deals with most of the Growls and sound samples with the bass. As for our drummer he’s singing too on our recordings.

7/Qui a réalisé ta guitare?

Ma guitare a été réalisée par Stéphane Garrigue, un talentueux luthier français plus connu sous le nom de 10:15 Guitars. Il a notamment conçu des instruments pour le groupe Myrath. Toutes ses guitares sont équipées de micros SP Custom conçus par qui est lui aussi un artisan français.

7/Who made your guitar?

My guitar has been created by Stéphane Garrigue a french talented guitar maker most known as 10/15 Guitars.He has mostly made the instruments for the band called Myrath. All his guitars equiped with SP Custom pick ups made

by Jérémy Begoin, who is a french crafted artist.

8/Jouez vous dans d’autres groupes?

J’officie en tant que batteur au sein du groupe WÜRM (post-rock) et Volac gère sa propre musique sous le nom de Volac Coldheart’s Projects. Juliette, Gaétan et Léna font partie de différents ensembles vocaux ou musicaux.

8/Do you play in other bands?

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I do play as a drummer in a band called WÜRM (post-rock) and Volac deals with his own music under the name Volac Coldheart’s Projects. Juliette, Gaétan and Léna are in other vocal or musical elements.

9/Qu’est ce qui vous a fait mélanger ses genres musicaux? Dans quel style vous vous mettez?

Nous ne réfléchissons pas forcément à ce qui nous fait mélanger les genres. Nous écoutons tous beaucoup de musique, même en dehors du Metal, donc le mélange se fait de manière plutôt naturelle. Evidemment, on se dit parfois que ce serait drôle d’intégrer tel ou tel style, mais si ça ne colle pas quand on essaye, on ne force pas la chose.

C’est ce qui tend à nous mettre un peu en marge des étiquettes : S’il fallait tout citer, nous serions un groupe de Metal symphonique / death mélodique / progressif / etc... Mais on préfère se définir plus simplement comme du Death Metal Symphonique. De cette façon, les gens s’attendent à du «sympho costaud», mais aussi à d’autres influences que le Meta.l 9/What made you mix musical genres? In which style do you find your place?

We don’t necessary think about mixing genres. We are listening to a lot of musique, even outside of Metal, so the mix is kind of natural. Of course we are thinking sometimes to mix styles but if it doesn’t work we don’t do it.

It kind of put us aside from the usual stickers : if we have to name them all, we would be a Symphonic Death Melancolic Progressive etc... We rather call ourselves Symphonic Death Metal. At least people expect heavy Sympho stuff and other influences than just Metal.

10/Etes vous tous des autodidactes où avez vous fait des études de musique?

Juliette, Léna et moi-même suivons des études en Conservatoire depuis plusieurs années. Gaétan nous a devancé en fac de Musicologie... il n’y a que Volac qui soit complètement autodidacte, ce qui est un atout, car il n’est bridé par aucune «règle».

10/Are you self taught or you studied in music schools?

Juliette, Léna and myself are studying in the conservatory school for many years. Gaétan has been in advance and did a musicolgy ones.... As for Volac he is completely self taught, which is great as he is not stuck by any «rules».

11/Avez vous un thème par album?

Nous essayons en effet de faire des albums thématiques. Le premier EP n’est pas réellement allé dans ce sens, mais notre album «Homines Novi» gravite autour d’un même univers. l’EP «Dark Card», sorti récemment, est dédié à un seul morceau, qui a une histoire assez forte.

11/Have you got a theme for each album?

We are trying to have thematic albums. The first one is not really into that, but our album «Homines Novi» is around one theme. The Ep «Dark Card», out recently , is dedicated to one track which has a strong story.

12/Qui écrit les textes et quels sont les influences?

L’écriture des textes est le plus souvent partagée entre Juliette, Volac et moi-même. Ce sont principalement des réflexions, des constats ou des petites histoires, issus de nos expérience personnelles et de nos regards sur le monde qui nous entoure.

12/Who is writting the lyrics and what are the influences?

The text are written most of the time by Juliette, Volac and myself. They are mainly thoughts , facts or story tales from our own personal sight of the world.

13/Comment composez vous les chansons?

La composition des morceaux se fait en plusieurs étapes : L’un de nous, le plus souvent Volac ou moi-même, pose une base plus ou moins aboutie, qu’il envoie aux autres. En fonction de l’avis de chacun, cette «démo» est revue, puis travaillée en répétition afin que chacun puisse apporter naturellement ses propres modifications.

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13/How do you compose your songs?

The way we composed are made in different steps : One of us , mostly Volac or myself brings something more or less done which is sent to the others. In each advice we receive the «demo» is reworked. Then we work in the rehearshal so everyone can naturally brings his / her own parts.

14/Comment trouvez vous les concerts? Avez vous joué dans tout le pays? à l’étranger?

Pour trouver des concerts, nous démarchons d’autres groupes ou des associations. Nous avons surtout joué en Bretagne et dans les pays de la Loire, mais nous revenons d’une tournée européenne en première partie de Sirenia ! Nous prévoyons également quelques concerts dans le sud de la France.

14/How do you find live dates? Have you play in the whole country? Any abroad shows?

To find gigs , we are asking other bands and assossiations. We have mostly played in brittany and Loire county. But we are coming back from a European tour with Sirenia! We are booking shows in the south of France.

15/Choisissez vous des groupes qui correspondent à votre musique pour les concerts?

Nous choisissons surtout des groupes qui nous plaisent musicalement. Evidemment, nous faisons attention à garder une certaine cohérence, qu’il y ait un minimum de lien, mais nous avons rarement fait des soirée uniquement «Metal Sympho», ce qui nous convient car, encore une fois, nous apprécions la diversité.

15/Do you choose bands who play the same musical style for your shows?

We mostly choose that please us musicaly. Of course we are taking care of the style the way that there is a link, but we rarely made «Symphonic Metal» show. Which is good cos we love diversity.

16/Avez vous contacté des labels? Vous avez ce message « let’s fix that » est ce un signe que vous avez essayé?

Nous avons pris quelques contacts de labels, mais plutôt pour sentir les choses. C’est une grosse étape, et nous y consacrerons notre attention au moment de sortir le prochain opus, afin de faire le meilleur choix possible.

16/Have contacted labels? You have this message « let’s fix that » is this a sign you tried?

We have had few contacts with labels, just to feel the wind. It is a big step and we will concentrate on this when our next album will be out to make up our mind.

www.facebook.com/SeasonOfTears/

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Interview with Curt Kennedy bass player 1/Who started the band?

The core beginning of THE ALIVE was basically our drummer Tracy Duty. He is the spark that ignited the flame that got everything all kicked off. Everyone in the band has creative influences in this band be it song writing or stage show but a solid foundation was created at the very start and believe “if it ain’t broke don’t try to fix it”.

2/Why have you chosen that name?

The name THE ALIVE is what we believe in in the music we play and what we give each and every live performance.

The lightning bolt on the album cover symbolizes the sheer electricity we feel we project in our music.

3/Who created the logo?

Tracy came of with the initial idea for the name, logo, and style of THE ALIVE. 4/The cover album looks a bit like a tv show, is it a way to criticize the new society?

We have no interest in criticizing anyone, we just wanna make great music that people want listen to. You could say the album cover in its simplicity is a “hat tip” to the Rock n Rollers of the past. We like to think we have embraced the past and the Rock icons that wanted to make us do what we do while still keeping our eyes on the future and where music is leading.

5/Your music sounds like already heard kind of, were you a cover band before creating your own songs?

Although some of us have been in cover bands before, never collectively have the four of us done so.

6/You made a funny video where you made people play your instruments; have you had the idea? How was the day? Who directed it and filmed it? shooting our first video was a blast, it was very a very exciting (and nervous) day. The general concept for the video was from Live Mays our director and Tracy, but some of the other ideas like people playing our instruments came about in the fly. We are all about having fun and the director picked up on that, so he put it together and we ran with it.

7/which bands influenced you?

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That’s always a tough and long answer. Collectively that’s a lot of bands and artists, but the short answer would be musicians like AC/DC, KISS, ROLLING STONES, JACK WHITE, ALICE IN CHAINS...bands that have a bigger than life presence. Individually we all have influences from just about every genre of music from country to rhythm and blues.

8/Are you playing in other bands?

We have things we piddle around with on days off but THE ALIVE is our mothership and focus.

9/How did you all meet?

Tracy woke one morning, touched his forehead with his fingers, and mentally beckoned us to his doorstep...lol. No we all live in the same area and kinda knew one or the other from the local music scene.

10/Did you call your album ‘we are rock and roll’ cos you are fed up with the new generation’s music?

Not at all, we all share an absolute love for music of any generation old or new. We just want everyone to know right up from what they are about to listen to what THE ALIVE is about. Guess if we played country the album would have been called “we are country”.

11/How did you get the record deal?

We played a show with another band from the label called KrashKarma. The label seen we were on the bill and checked us out. They dug what we were doing and invited us to their label. Now we are part of Eternal Sound Records.

12/You are starting with a digital release; do you think this is the new way of releasing an album?

Digital is definitely the quickest way to music out and heard. It’s a very good first step but Cd’s and vinyl are still very viable to our market.

13/How do you find live dates? Have you toured the states? Are you playing with friends for live shows?

A lot of our shows get booked from word of mouth via fans and venues, and the rest is done by good old fashion leg work. We have been pretty successful touring regionally but gearing up to expand our market next year in 2019. We do play shows with friends from other local bands or friends we’ve made during our travels so the list keeps growing and so do our shows. We like to think everyone we meet from bands to audience are our friends our own personal aliveTRIBE. 14/Is there a main composer?

This album was mostly written by our vocalist Taylor Glasgow and Tracy, but we have a collective and open process that anybody can bring any idea to the table; be it lyrics and or music ideas. THE ALIVE is a whole no ego’s no judgments just turn an idea into reality.

15/What are the reasons for the lyrics? Song like ‘my friends are vampires’ is funny but not usual..

The lyrics to each song mean different things to each of us and I’m sure for whomever listens to that song. You can ask 20 people and probably never get the same answer and that’s how we want it to touch people. We don’t want to cloudy up anyone’s vibe and take with them what makes them feel good about our music. Now with that said I will say Tracy wrote vampires about people he knows that seem to call or text late at night wanting to go out and do something when he’s trying to sleep but that’s his version....lol.

16/You covered Aerosmith, are they your icons?

Yes they are one of many, and the song itself is so iconic. We don’t really expect to achieve anything for it, the label thought it would be cool for us to do for the album and we thought it would be fun too. We hope that inna small way compared to Aerosmith we did ‘Dream On’ justice and who knows in the future some new band just getting started might hear one of our songs and want to cover us.

www.facebook.com/thealiverocks/

1/Why calling the band Liliac? Was this an old band of yours?

My name is Florin Cristea and I am the father/manager/music producer of Liliac. I was born in Romania and move to US with my family when I was 12 years old. I grew up with music and always had a big passion to pursue music.

Having 5 kids growing up around my recording studio I saw they have talent and started a band.

At first the band was called The Cristeas being our last name.

My kids wanted a band name, and while looking to find one, they asked me “ dad how do you say ‘bat’ in romanian?”

I said “Liliac”.

So, right away they liked the sound of the word ‘Liliac’ which officially became the name of the band.

2/When looking at your family band, it is pretty awesome to have all your children playing together. How could you be sure they would all be part of it?

Yes, I love having all my kids involved in something I was always passionate about and I am happy to be able to pass down to them the music I love.

I see my kids’ have passion for music in their songwriting and performance. So, I believe my kids love being in a band.

3/Did the band started with your older kids ?

Seven years ago my 3 older kids started as an act. Then 5 years ago I wanted the two little kids to get involved as their activity to get away from playing video games all day long.

4/Have they all taken lessons? They seem so perfect..

Three years ago I decided to start the band and I assigned a music instrument to each one of them.

My first move was taking my kids to Downey Music Center where they’ve been taking private lessons since, but practice is what makes perfect. They practice everyday!

5/Have you got a studio where you make the videos and rehearse?

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I own a recording studio that I built inside my home. I am a music producer/sound engineer, and now I’m currently producing Liliac’s first original album.

Every Friday evening, we rent a rehearsal studio about 5 miles away from where we live and there is where the band rehearse. We also shoot our music videos there.

6/Are you working in the music business?

Yes, I produce, record, and mix albums for Artists. I opened my recording studio in 2009 where I’ve been working since.

7/What made you choose which song to cover? How long does it take to get the band knowing it?

I always knew that if a band performs live in front of crowds, they get experience and confidence, so I decided to take my kids’ band to perform on the Santa Monica pier where tens of thousands of people visits daily. The pier is where Liliac got lots of exposure, sold thousands of CDs, band T-shirts, etc.

Today, most of the clubs in Los Angeles is pay to play. I am strongly against it. A&R and major industry people don’t go to clubs to sign bands anymore.

They look up on YouTube, and if you are good and have a big following, then they are interested to sign you.

On the Santa Monica pier to attract the crowd, you have to play cover songs, because those are the songs that people are familiar with.

So, my kids started learning and playing covers songs on the pier which attracts big crowds.

8/Are you gonna release a complete album? Who will compose the songs? Any hint for the fans?

Yes, we are going to release Liliac’s first original album very soon. Liliac has been writing many songs, and I help them arrange it, I help them writing the lyrics and melody lines. We work as a team writing the songs. It usually starts with Sam, the lead guitarist. He comes up with the guitar riff, then Abigail starts playing the drums finding the groove of the song, after which Melody starts singing to find a good melody to the song.

We chose 6 songs that fit best for this first album.

I really feel good producing this album. Every song is special and the performance keeps you at the edge of your seat.

9/This is a big bet you took, any fear one of them leave for other experiences in life?

I don’t want to even think about it, but talking to someone in the music industry, he said “unity is through success”.

When a band is successful, no one would want to leave the band.

I am the one that is making sure this band is becoming more and more successful.

I believe I’m doing a good job with the band and the proof is in the millions of views on you tube, landing a tv show coming out in February 2019 on CBS, getting Chain of Thorns single on the radio once the album is released, and so much more.

10/How do you get schedule? they probably go to school etc..

My 3 oldest kids graduated high school already, so they have lots of time to practice and write music. The two little kids are still in school. They go to an online school which is convenient for the band. So, everything works out perfectly.

11/You made your own family a rock star band, are they any inconvenience in everyday’s life?

It’s not easy sometimes being a very popular band, but we manage to make it work. Rock is our life style and we love what we do, so sometimes we have to sacrifice certain things.

12/Does your wife is implicated in the band?

Yes, my wife supports the band in every way she can. She is more into the marketing and promoting department, CDs and merchandise shipping. Sometimes, she pitches in with lyrics when she’s around during the writing process.

13/Today kids are more exposed with the social medias etc, than before. what would you recommend to those who P35

think it is easy to become a rockstar?

The expectations are really high from a Rock Star, but hard work and dedication pays off. The social media helped a lot for our band to create the platform Liliac has, but I believe that having a quality product it’s a must.

14/Have you had disappointment or trying to know who would sing, play bass etc…?

I guess me as the father and having the experience as a music producer, it helped me a lot in identifying what instrument each one of Liliac members should play. Melody was born with a unique voice which made it easier for me to work and coach her vocally. Samuel is becoming a guitar prodigy, I mean he can play Randy Rhodes guitar solo note by note exactly. Abigail is the most enthusiastic hard hitting young female drummer that’s out there. Ethan and Justin at a young age playing a big set list of songs is amazing.

15/Have you got an agent or people who deals with the website , live dates, medias ?

At this moment, we don’t have any agents, because we do everything on our own independently.

For example: the older kids edited and put together the content on the band’s website, my wife does the marketing and promotion. I’m the manager, producer and director. We all post on the social media to keep our fans updated with everything we do.

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1/C’est votre troisième album, comment l’avez-vous imaginé? Etait-il plus difficile que les autres à composer?

Alors non pas forcément plus difficile, l’écriture des albums ce fait au filing. Il y a une réelle osmose dans le groupe.

Tout par souvent d’un riff.

1/This is your third album, how did you imagined it?Was it harder to composed compared to the other ones?

Not necessary difficult, the writing of the albums are made with feelings. There is a real bound between us. It often comes from a simple riff.

2/Vous semblez avoir un écart de 4 ans entre chaque album est-ce un choix?

Non c’est vraiment le fruit du hasard.

2/You seem to have 4 years between each albums , is it a choice?

No it’s really a hasard.

3/Votre premier album avait la couverture d’un bateau, cette fois c’est un dessin de pirates. Allez-vous rester dans ce thème?

Oui le thème pour les futures pochettes seront certainement dans ce style, c’est la signature du groupe. J’en profite d’ailleurs pour (une fois de plus) remercier Stan W Decker pour son fantastique travail.

3/Your first album had a boat on the cover, this time it’s a drawing with pirates.Are you going to stick to that theme?

Yes the theme for the next covers will certainly be in the same style, this is our trade. I take this opportunity (once again) to thank Stan W Decker for his amazing work.

4/Avez-vous demandé le dessin où vous l’avez choisi?

Nous avons donné la ligne directrice du groupe qui est la piraterie. Ensuite nous avons laissé carte blanche à Stan et nous sommes vraiment satisfaits du job.

4/Have you asked for this drawing or you chose it?

We have given few ideas about the trade of the band which is about pirates. Then we let Stan work and we are really satisfied by the job.

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5/Vos paroles sont comme des récits, avez-vous écrit un livre? Comment avez-vous l’inspiration?

Alors niveau parole c’est Babass qui écrit. Souvent cela part d’un sujet actuel. Il pourrait écrire un livre ce serait dans ses cordes. haha 5/Your lyrics are like stories, have you written a book? How do you get the inspiration?

As for the lyrics it’s Babass who writes. Often it comes from the actual actuality. He could write a book , he’s capable of doing it. Ahah 6/Bien que vous soyez Français vous vous différenciez par la façon d’avaler un paquet des paroles tout comme les groupes américains faisaient.. pas trop dure de chanter tout ça? Vous mélangez un peu d’anglais… Vous essayer de conquérir le marché Anglophone ?

Cela demande du travail effectivement. Ce qui donne aussi une signature au groupe. Niveau du mélange anglais-français c’est surtout dans le travail d’écriture de Babass. Mais si le marché Anglophone vient à nous tant mieux.

6/While you are French, you are different in the way of eating words like the american bands used to ... not too difficult? You are mixing a bit of English ... are you trying to get heard by the English speaking countries?

It demands works yeah. It also give a signature to the band. As for the mix between English and French it’s mostly in the Babass’s writting. If the Engligh speaking countries come to us that’s a must.

7/Comment réalisez vous vos albums? Faites vous tout vous même?

C’est du 100% maison , autoprod oblige, mise à part le mastering qui a été réalisé par Marc Dhaussy de Mellow Tracks à Dunkerque.

7/How do you release your albums?Do it all yourself?

It’s 100% home made, forced to auto product , except the mastering which has be done by Marc Dhaussy from Mellow Tracks in Dunkirk.

8/Comment trouvez vous les dates de concert?

Pour le moment par le biais de contact et grâce aux réseau sociaux. Nous aimerions travailler avec un booking sympa qui ne se prend pas la tête donc si des âmes charitables sont prêtes à tenter l’aventure, ils savent où nous trouver.

8/How do you find live dates?

For the moment it’s done by the social medias contacts. We would love to work with a booking company which is not too selfish and if they are nice people who wants to try the adventure, they know where to find us.

9/Il y a t’il un compositeur? Comment ça marche dans votre groupe?

Comme je le disais tout à l’heure BlackBart est un groupe très soudé. Mise à part les textes qui sont écrit par Babass.

Le tout est composé en osmose .

9/Is there a composer? How does it work in your band?

As I said BlackBart is a bounded band. Except texts written by Babass. It’s all a combination of us all.

10/Jouez vous dans d’autres groupes?

Pour le moment non BlackBart est une priorité absolu pour tous.

10/Do you play in other bands?

Right now BlackBart is our main priority so no.

11/Avez vous eu des contacts de label?

Malheureusement non, il est difficile pour nous de trouver des contacts. Mais nous serions ravi d’avoir une collaborations avec un label pour concrétiser notre travail.

11/Have you had contact with labels?

Unfortunately not, it is really hard for us to get in touch. We would be really happy to find a collaboration with a label to get our job done.

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12/Etes vous calé dans l’enregistrement et autre?

Babass est ingé-son donc sa aide. Il en connait un rayon et est plûtot bien équipé en matos.

12/Are you skilled in recording and else?

Babass is a sound engineer so that helps. He knows a lot and have a lots of gears.

13/Avez vous joué à l’étranger?

Oui nous avions plusieurs fois joué chez nos amis Belges.

13/Have you played abroad?

Yeah we have played several times in belgium our closed friends.

14/Vos compos ont un peu des influences Speed et Heavy Metal , quels sont les groupes qui vous ont influencés?Des musiciens en particulier?

Les influences sont très orienté NWOBHM. Mais pas que. Chaque membres du groupe a ses groupes fétiches plus ou moins différent.

14/Your compositions have influences from Speed and Heavy Metal, which bands have influenced you?

Some musicians in particular?

Our influences are really close to the NWOBHM. But not only. Each member has his favorites bands more or less different.

15/Votre album contient une douzaine de titres, vous n’arrêtez pas de composer ou vous utiliser de vieux morceaux pas finalisés?

Nous sommes toujours en route niveau création. D’ailleurs plus des trois quarts du futur album sont déjà ecrit et même joué live pour certains.

15/YOur album has 12 songs, you never stop composition or you are using old songs never finished?

We are always on the move to creation. More than half of the next album is already composed and even played live .

16/Pouvez vous nous éclairez sur le titre de l’album? Quelle est son histroire…

Nous essayons toujours d’avoir une références à BlackBart qui était un pirates célèbres du 18ème siècle. CasnewyddBach est tout simplement son village natal.

16/Can you give us a hint of the album title? What is the history...

We always try to get a reference to BlackBart who was a famous pirate of the 18th century.

Casnewydd-Bach is simply the village where he was born.

https://blackbartgroup.jimdofree.com

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1/You have videos that are few years ago about your project, what makes this taking so long?

The album, ‘Idiot Savant’ is a 12 song project where all the songs are snapshots from the greater story about Ian who is a 9 year old non-verbal Savant. I spent the last couple years not only crafted the large 20 chapter novel that goes with it, but this book will be part of 7 books. It is my intention to have music to go with every book.

2/We can see you play piano , bass and singing, is there a band behind or you ask friends to help you in your musical journey?

I have produced both records with multi-platinum producer, Frank Gryner. He makes things slam. Frank gets the overall vision.

3/Why have you called your ‘band’ Stever in the first place?

It is my last name which I took back after many years. I wanted my musical Father’s name to be recognized again.

4/How do you compose the songs?

All songs are written on paper first. Then, I sit with Frank and acoustic guitars and come up with basic chords. I believe a song should hang together when played around a camp fire, not be held together by production. That being said, I love production! So we add bass, guitars, drums and orchestral arrangements plus crazy instruments like accordion and fun little toys.

5/You have amazing designs about your logo , 3D videos, lots of merch and two albums. Are you working in the music business? who are the people dealing with those amazing arts?

All artwork is mainly done by Frank Gryner. I make props and costumes.

6/In your home videos you have a lot of theatrical items, do you live with all those or you have a special studio where you can do all those universes?

Props are made at home and there is a green screen studio in the house. There isn’t a conventional livingroom with sofas and lamps, all space is taken up by creatures and sets.

7/Have you learnt singing in musical schools? How do you get so many skills making you a complete artist?

I took lessons as a child and had very little social time. Being an outcast makes you become creative, I think.

8/When did you start to write your book? Have you been helped or it all comes out of your imagination? Do you have a date to tell when it will be out?

The ideas for the book have been around since the release of Idiot Savant, but the last year or so, I dedicated solid time to getting it written and formatted for release. No date yet, still polishing things!

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9/Have you ever played live shows?

Oh yes, absolutely and I miss it. Someday I will but hopefully in a more theatrical setting than at local bars.

10/Is there a country where you have a big fan base?

I send the majority of CDs to Germany! This is so great because the Stever family originally came from Germany to North America.

11/You have an image of a dark person, yet you always have a big smile on your face. What makes you create this character?

I think people want to believe darkness I an evil thing or a bad thing… or that skeletons are demonic. Truthfully, a skeleton is under our skin just like it is under an animal’s skin. I love that we have it in common. Dark characters remind me of the very depressed time periods I went through.

12/ How do you write your lyrics? Tell us what inspires your vocal lines? How do you set your melodies etc..?

My Mom made me love poetry growing up. Every word is placed like brick and mortar in the wall. Every word is considered for its beauty and meaning. I fell in love with words, so I play with them a lot! I read a lot of history and sometimes a word like Blackguard will strike me and then I must research it!

13/You seem to be very present in the social medias in a way or another, what do you think of this media that has evolved a lot since you started?

I think there is so much social media that people get pulled in a lot of directions… so it is harder for people to concentrate on bigger passages. In real life (ha!) it ha become increasingly difficult for people to make money, so they dedicate less time to meaningful interaction and look for quick facts. It isn’t their fault, it is just desensitization.

14/Are you guesting in other bands albums ? Do you have a band on the side of this project?

I am not currently, but would love to have more time to collaborate with bands like Trans-Siberian Orchestra or Apocalyptica We shall see!

15/Which bands influenced you ? is there an artist you really appreciate or follow?

Beethoven will always be number one for me and I consistently go back to that for inspiration. He wrote from his gut and from his life with more intensity than anyone else…especially during a time period where it was difficult to be a rebel.

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1/Who started the band?

Answers by Jack & Laura

Daniel, Joris and ex-member Roman began a covers band in the late 2000s. In about 2012 the focus shifted to original material, leading to a name change as well.

2/You are mixing many metal styles in one, have you evolved from the first songs or you wanted every one to participate with their love?

We started out as a folk inspired band, but the music shifted as we started to get more into melodeath and heavier genres.

3/How did this band name emerged?

We wanted a name that best represented our music, while being easy to recognise. We like to explore the interactions of darkness and light in our lives and this one summed things up nicely!

4/Who designed the artwork? Logo as covers..

Antonio Jimenez has done all our artwork and logos to date.

5/Were you all in other bands before Shadowrise? Are you still playing in other formation?

We have all had (or still have) other projects, but Shadowrise is the «main» band for everyone here.

6/Your first Ep was two years ago, have you written new songs or modified the old ones to get into the new album?

Aside from the bonus track Cursed, all of the self-titled album tracks were written after the EP. This gave us greater freedom when deciding on the style of the album, and allowed us to build upon what we’d already achieved.

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7/You have already shared the stage with known bands for a young band, how did it all happen? Is it easy where you live to get into the metal scene?

The Netherlands has a great metal scene! Lots of fun on stage and off...

Our success at the FemME battles helped get our name «out there», and we’ve done our best to make our shows a spectacle so people don’t forget us!

8/Have you had many line up changes before getting the complete line up?

There have been a few changes yes. Daniel and Joris have been members since the very start, and Laura has sung on every release even though she’s not a founding member.

9/How do you compose? Have you got a studio?

Guitarists Daniel and Jack write and arrange the majority of the instrumentals on music notation software. We try to demo these with real instruments as soon as possible (often before the song structure is complete), in order to really get a feel for the song when writing lyrics - a task that falls to the vocalists.

When we have basic ideas for lyrics we tend to roughly demo them in our separate homes, then more thoroughly in Jack’s studio as they take shape.

Rehearsals with the whole band allow us to finalise arrangements and phrasings, so each member gets a chance to contribute. It’s a constantly evolving process but seems to be working!

10/You have a character on your covers, would it stick to all the albums in the futur? What is the story behind the image of the band? Do you want to have a mascot?

Who knows? We haven’t restricted ourselves to a specific genre (originally we were thinking of heading in a folk direction but wanted to be broader than that), and as such can’t say where the future will lead us, nor how that will be reflected in our artworks. The Spectre you’re referring to grew from one of Daniel’s doodles, and fits this idea of the darkness itself having some sort of intelligence or personality behind it.

11/Laura how did you learn to sing, you have a kind of Kim Wilde type of vocals, have you practiced a lot of melodic tunes?

Laura: “I learned to sing by listening to singers I liked and wanting to be able to do the same. Then I took some singing lessons and eventually did a music course to be able to keep getting better and better. I still keep learning this way: by listening to what other singers do, learning from others, and also working as a vocal coach myself. I practiced a lot of different melodic tunes varying from Dio and Iron Maiden to Halestorm, Christina Aguilera, Judas Priest, P!nk and Sia. Sometimes I sing jazz or do deathmetal screams because it’s fun too! It depends on what I’m in the mood for.”

12/Are you composing the lyrics together? Is there a theme? What inspires you?

Laura and Jack are the principal lyricists. Inspiration can come from anywhere though we try and keep some link to reality instead of flying completely into fantasy. Sometimes it’s a broad topic, but sometimes «it’s personal»...

13/Who find your live dates? Do you have an agent? You played in France, are you playing lots of dates abroad of your country?

Yeah we had a great time in France! This year we also played in Germany, Belgium, and Switzerland as well as the Netherlands of course. Each country had its own style and they were all good fun. In fact we’ll be back in Germany P44

before the year ends, for what looks to be a fantastic gig with Mir zur Feier, Aeranea and Conspiria – here’s a link to the Facebook event for any interested readers! https://tinyurl.com/FemaleMetalMeltdown2018 We have had multiple approaches to getting gigs. For some time we were working with a booking agent; we also get requests from other bands arranging gigs and next to that we do some booking ourselves. We’re constantly looking for opportunities ;)

14/Have you been approached by labels?

It’s hard to draw the line between «approach» and «collide» - for a while we were working with Painted Bass Records, who are distributing our Self-Titled album... That all started with a trip to get food on a night out! We made the decision to move on from there several months ago because we wanted to be back in control of how things were managed, and have been very happy with our progress.

15/You have great videos, who directed them? Have you asked friends to be part of the live one? How did all happen?

Thanks! Ofer Vazana did a great job with the music video for To Live And Die For - we all spent many hours filming and even more editing! The only other video that was done with any external input was the Django lyric video - all others were filmed by us or our tour crew and directed/edited by Jack and Daniel. Live videos weren’t scripted, but still brought some really good results!

http://shadowrise.nl/

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1/How did you compose this album? What differs from the previous ones? Did you have already written some of the songs?

Lately I’ve become quite interested in creating music that describes certain moods, like a movie score would support what happens on screen. In fact, many of the songs on Symphony of Shadows are inspired by movies.

They all share the same origin: they started with a mental image, a scenery or a visual concept that I wanted to convey through music.

2/Is the line up changes affected the way the songs were written or recorded?

I wouldn’t say the line-up change itself has influenced any of the two but the recording process is quite different from how we’ve done it earlier. On our first two releases we recorded everything in a studio, in fact we even wrote the backing vocals as we went along. However, on Symphony of Shadows, only the drums and rhythm guitars we’re recorded in an actual studio. Everything else was recorded on our respective home recording-setups and then sent to our producers for mixing, reamping, and so on.

3/Your album covers have all a link in the design, this one is much darker with a character. Who designed it and what is the meaning of it?

The artwork on our first two albums was designed by the same guy, hence the apparent similarity.

The artwork for this album is made by Dixon Jong of Intuitive Designs, a really talented artist I stumbled upon on Facebook. I contacted him and sent him a demo for a song as well as the album title.

The cover depicts the protagonist from the opening track and title track – a vampire.

4/Who wrote the lyrics? is there a specific theme ?

The lyrics are written by the enigmatic Dr. P who’s identity still remains a secret.

The title Symphony of Shadows underlines the over-all sound of the album but it’s not a concept album.

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As indicated earlier though, there is one lyrical connection on the album, found between the first and last track – a story about a man who becomes a vampire. In the beginning (Evil Within) we learn that he is morally conflicted about what he has become and what he desires. However, in the end (Symphony of Shadows) he embraces the evil that dwells within him, luring his victims to their demise with his ‘symphony of shadows’.

5/What do you think bands, even though they have a career changes the line up?

Line-up changes happen for a lot of reasons. In our case it has happened without a lot of drama, it was just a matter of priorities. In short, former members of Seven Thorns decided they wanted to pursue other careers, and so we parted ways, but on friendly terms. There is no bad blood. But changes obviously only happen if somebody isn’t happy with the way things are, either musically, personally, economically or whatever.

6/You have a lot of keyboard parts, is it something you really think first to get the atmosphere of the album?

Absolutely. As mentioned earlier, the songs are kind of meant as soundtracks for nine different movies – and you can’t write good movie scores without lots of orchestrations and keyboard!

7/You have a video for « Black Forest » mixed between studio and movie like fantaisie, who directed it and have you had your say ? can you explain this song? It came very early compared to the album release date…

We were a big part of the process of making the video, but after the filming was done it was edited and Special FX were added by Terkel Christensen of Aggressive Artwork, with our approval along the way. He’s a very talented guy and a friend, and he understands what we want. He has done a lot of work for us, including our two latest videos, for “Evil Within” and “Beneath a Crescent Moon”. The song “Black Fortress” is inspired by a B-movie, a sci-fi-flick called “Krull” from 1983, watch it and you’ll understand the lyrics. We released it as a single because we wanted to let our fans know that we were still active. Also, we wanted to hear how Tue Madsen’s production would sound like. We loved it, so obviously we chose him to produce the album.

8/You embark in a tour with Blitzkrieg , do you know those guys? Do you hang out with the band or share a song on stage? What it’s like?

We leave in a few days. We have never met the guys, but we are labelmates on Mighty Music so the contact was easy to establish. We have mailed a bit, and they seem really nice so we look forward to the tour with them. We haven’t planned on joining each other on stage, but who knows?

Edit: We just came back from the tour. Blitzkrieg are a ton of fun, greatest guys ever, and we had a blast!! And yes, we did a song together on stage on the last night of the tour. But it wasn’t planned or rehearsed. You might find it on the www somewhere?

9/Are they bands you’d love to play with?

Lots. Symphony X, Adagio, Myrath, Helloween, Megadeth and the list goes on and on. There are so many great bands, both famous and unknown, that we’d like to tour with.

10/What made you sign with Mighty Music? What is your view on Metal labels those days?

We have many reasons to be signed to Mighty Music. They play fair, they are in this game out of love and not just to rip off artists, they have experience and a huge network, they offer promotion, they let us have absolute artistic freedom, and they support us however they can. Our view on metal labels is that it is hard to come by a label that can offer all of the above. They say they can, but… Most people have the best intentions, but, well, it’s a tough business these days.

11/Do you know which country has the most fan base of yours?

Probably Germany. Huge population. And they have a huge Power Metal scene. We have played A LOT of shows in Germany.

12/With the digital era have you modified your gears? Do you think it’s easier now ?

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Yes and yes. A good soundcard for homerecording is quite cheap, so is the software. So demos and even some parts of the album are done at home. Also we have wireless in-ear monitors with virtual mixers on our phones, and various other gadgets to make life easier, at rehearsal and on stages.

13/You have an outfit on your video, is it the one you use for live stage? What will be the theatrical image of the shows?

Well, our stage outfit changes over time, we like to try out new things from time to time. The clothes we wear in the Black Fortress video are too warm for a show, so you won’t see that live. We don’t have a lot of theatrical stuff planned, but a hat, a cape, perhaps a cane or a glass of wine might show up at some point. And maybe something else? We’ll see…

14/Is the line up will stick to the next album or is just for the tour?

This lineup is meant to stick together forever. We really enjoy making music together and we have tons of fun hanging out.

15/Are you trying to keep the same time between each albums releases?

No. We try to make albums that we are satisfied with. And we are getting better at that. But it took us a long time to get this album out, and we are already working on new material, so we should have a new album ready considerably faster next time around. A steady and more experienced line-up will make that easier.

http://www.seventhorns.com

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Interview with Felipe Ruiz - Guitars

photo credit: ©Andre Uba

1/Who chose the band’s name? What is the meaning of it?

1 - Felipe Ruiz: Enrico came with the Owl name and we realized that the abbreviation of Owl Company (Owl Co.) Sounded like «alcohol» in Portuguese. So there you go.

2/This is your second album, how did you compose it? what’s different from the first one?

2 - FR: I think its a more mature album than «Horizon» in so many ways. Mainly the lineup that is different now than it was in the first album. We have 2 guitars opening the harmonies and bringing stronger choruses and arrangements.

3/You just got signed by Eclipse Records, how did it happen? Have you sent out to many labels? Generally it takes years to get a deal for a band…

3 - FR: Yes! We are really excited with all the support from Chris Poland and Eclipse Records itself. We sent to a few others but they [Eclipse] offered a great deal so we are very happy to be part of Eclipse Records family to release this new album.

4/Has your line up changed? If so why?

4 - FR: Yes. In the beginning of 2017 our first bassist Bruno Pompeo has left the band for personal issues. Than Fabio Yamamoto joined really fast to keep what we’re doing. It was just great because he is a great musician and producer, it helped a lot and still do. After that we felt the need to bring on another guitar mainly to give more strength alive and open the guitar harmonies, with Bruno Solera sharing the guitar parts with me, now we have more possibilities on the arrangement too.

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5/Which bands inspired your creations?

5 - FR: From Led Zeppelin to Alice In Chains, from Johnny Cash to Pantera, from The Beatles to Soundgarden. All good stuff like these monsters still influences me all the time.

6/It seems you have lots of bands coming out now of your town, what has changed? Is it easy to play music those days?

6 - FR: Actually, here in Brazil there is not much bands doing the right job to enhance their music to another level.

Rock music here is not even 5% of the popular music. That’s why we are totally involved to the North-American scene.

Europe and Asia are good as well.

7/What are the bands you play live with? Do you try to get the same music style or you can play with any bands? How do you find live dates?

7 - FR: In the most cases our shows are produced by ourselves here in São Paulo. We are planning a second trip to US in 2019 and we hope to meet and play with lots of good bands out there. We hope to meet a good agent as well to work with us in a long run.

8/How far do you go to play live? Are you playing abroad?

8 - FR: We play wherever they book us.

Last year (2017) in Los Angeles we played at the iconic venue The Viper Room. This last half of 2018 we had lots of shows in São Paulo to celebrate the release of our second record Iris. We are planning a whole tour next year, and we are totally open to deal with promoters and booking agents.

9/Do you have your own studio, how did you record this album?

9 - FR: Everything on Iris was recorded at Fabio’s studio. Then we sent to Matt Wallace (our producer) to mix and Paul Logus to master.

10/You don’t have a logo can you explain why?

10 - FR: We actually have some... we think the logo could represent in a «brand way» the moment the band is passing through. So now we have a logo that maybe could change in the future.

11/What is the theme of the album? What means the cover art?

11 - FR: With Iris we wanted to put some inner issues and situations to think about, like faith, honesty, complicity and love. The cover art is an iris from a random human eye.

12/You don’t have a website, do you think social medias are enough those days?

12 - FR: Our website is about to go online. I think the more you spread your music and art on all medias, the more results you reach. Nowadays everything is online, so you all can find everything about us in all social medias.

13/You have a strong influence from the ninety’s grunge, did this period helped you in having your band going? Who’s your favorite band?

13 - FR: The 90’s always had a personal influence mainly in me and Enrico. It was the decade where I learned almost everything around guitar and writing music. For me Alice In Chains has a major influence in my music from that period.

14/How did you get the album mixed by Matt Wallace?

14 - FR: While we were in LA in 2017 we made some connections that introduced our music to him. So then we decided to produce a single together called «Pieces».

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After that we started a great friendship and decided to work with him on the following album as well. He’s such a legendary producer and an amazing human being.

15/What inspired your lyrics?

15 - FR: Enrico is the lyricist of the band. On the first album «Horizon» (2017), there are a few stories about his 93 years old father, and the trail of surviving the second world war. On «Iris» he tells more about some current personal situations and points of view.

16/Do you play all in other formation?

16 - FR: We can arrange all these new songs to play in acoustic too. I think it should sound really cool.

17/who directed your video, have you had input?

17 - FR: For the «Pieces» video we worked with André Uba. For «Shattered Dreams» we did all by ourselves and for «Antagonist» we decided to work with Caike Schefer. And yes, we directed with them together.

https://owlcompany.fanlink.to/pieces

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Andrew Freeman was interviewed by Ryan Witting for an episode of the Rockin’ You All Night podcast this past summer.

During the interview, Andrew spoke about his future with Lies, Deceit & Treachery as well as his forthcoming endeavors with Last In Line.

You can listen to the entire episode via the YouTube and Soundcloud links.

Here are some excerpts of that interview (transcribed by Ryan Witting): On his future with Lies, Deceit & Treachery : Andrew: «We’re just kind of skating along with this. This kind of came along because they (Mick Sweda, Jimmy DeAnda, and Lonnie Vencent) had an issue with a show with the Monsters of Rock Cruise...and they didn’t have a singer for it. The singer they had, at the time, couldn’t do it. They asked me to cover. I was just covering the show, because it was a pretty big opportunity for them to launch the band on this sort of a forum. Freeman added, «We talked about doing a record. They have some some stuff recorded, but I don’t know if we’re all too keen on doing old stuff. I have stuff, and Jimmy has stuff, and Mick has stuff. They want to kind of do it they way they used to do it, where they just got into a room and did it. Freeman continued by stating, «I have a couple of things in my studio that I’m working on, but I’m in the middle of working on a Last In Line record.»

On Last in Line’s 2016 debut album: Heavy Crown : Andrew: «It’s unique. It’s got the old vibe, and it’s got the essence of the original DIO band and that chemistry. Then, I, fortunately, fit into that chemistry.» When speaking on the ease with which he fit in with Jimmy Bain, Vinny Appice, and Vivian Campbell, Freeman stated, «I wish that I could say that it was super hard to do, but it wasn’t. The songs are great. The way we did it was really organic. It was a good combination of people, and it came together.»

On the voice actor work that he did for Nickelodeon : Andrew: «I used to (work for Nickelodeon). I worked for a recording studio for about 4 or 5 years in Manhattan in New York City.» When asked what he provided the voices for, Freeman stated, «I was on a show called KaBlam! I did little things, not like major parts, just little bit parts here and there. Kablam! for Nickelodeon, I was on. I did a lot for that show.» Freeman added, «...I did a lot of post-production for the shows, and I did a couple of commercials.

Furthermore, Freeman said, «I worked on Doug, the show Doug, I worked on that a lot, but I wasn’t a voice on it. I did a lot of audio post-production for that.»

«Andrew Freeman makes it clear that he is not trying to be Ronnie Jame Dio» Andrew: «I’m just a guy who needs to cut his grass when he gets home is all.» Freeman exclaimed, «Ronnie is Ronnie, and nobody is going to ever be Ronnie, and I don’t want to be Ronnie.» When told that he’s the chosen one to carry the «Metal torch» and continue the legacy of Ronnie James Dio’s music, Freeman stated, «I don’t feel like I’m doing anything like that, but I just do what I do, and I’m glad people gravitate towards it. I have no rock star fantasies going on here. I just get out and do what I love to do, because I can’t really do anything else.» Freeman added, «Bands like LDT and Last In Line, they’re in my DNA. They’re in my DNA and I’ve been listening to this stuff my entire life. SO, it’s just a DNA thing.»

On the connection between the Rainbow song, «Stargazer» and the Last In Line song «Starmaker:» Andrew: «Here’s the thing, this is why I said there’s a connection between the two songs now, because when Jimmy Bain passed away, his daughter came over and she made just a beautiful speech at the funeral. I think on Jimmy’s stone P52

it says, ‘From Stargazer to Starmaker.’» Freeman added, «It’s pretty awesome. It’s as awesome as having your words on somebody’s tombstone can be. It’s bittersweet, is the best way to put it. She (Jimmy Bain’s daughter) said that during her speech during the funeral. I was blown away. I was blown away because it was just touching.»

Andrew Freeman wants Jimmy Bain to be remembered as, «One of the greatest musicians who ever lived.»

On how Jimmy Bain should be remembered : Andrew: [Jimmy Bain should be remembered] «As one of the greatest musicians who ever lived, great musician, and great song writer. He doesn’t get credit for the amount of songwriting he’s done. He doesn’t get credit of how amazing of a keyboard player he is...just a musician all around. He’s just a well-rounded musician. He played with Kate Bush.

He played with Phil Lynott from Thin Lizzy. He was in that whole circle. I mean Rainbow, you know. He came from a crappy little town in Scotland...from nothing. He loved people, and he loved to party, and he loved just being in rock and roll. It was his favorite thing in the world. It was a pleasure to know him.

On Last in Line, the band: Andrew: Last in Line is a completely different entity. It’s becoming its own thing. It’s a good group of people. It’s a group of brothers. We’re a brotherhood. It feels like it’s a new band, and a struggle like it was when I used to [go] with my bros in high school when we’d jump in a van and play as many shows as we could, and didn’t care about the bullshit that goes along with it.

Andrew Freeman has recently performed shows as the lead singer of Lies, Deceit & Treachery and Lynch Mob. Last in Line has officially released their latest single and video for their song, «Landslide,» which will appear on their forthcoming album. Last in Line II is a follow-up to 2016’s Heavy Crown. Last in Line II has a release date of 2/22/19.

Go to their website for the latest information about their upcoming album and tour.

Andrew Freeman on Rockin’ You All Night (YouTube): https://youtu.be/jCvxSeu7XIA Andrew Freeman on Rockin’ You All Night (Soundcloud): https://soundcloud.com/user-90858124/ryan-72718-freeman

www.lastinlineofficial.com A short list of my credentials include being; a long-time journalism teacher, a state award-winning journalist, and a published author in Michigan History magazine. Please contact me with any questions.

Ryan Witting

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1/Qui a démarré le groupe?

C’est moi (Remch) qui ai commencé à faire la première démo puis Flora (la chanteuse) qui m’a rejoint pour la 2ème démo.

1/Who started the band?

It’s me (Remch) who started the first demo with Flora (the singer) who joined me for the second demo.

2/Pourquoi de nom? Qui l’a choisi?

J’ai choisi ce nom de Kerion qui représente un petit lutin des forêts dans la mythologie Celte.

2/Why have you chosen this name and who did?

I chose this name Kerion cos it represent a little dwarf in the forest from the Celtic mythology.

3/Qui est a l’origine du design logo et des pochettes? Avez vous des demandes particulières ou vous laissez l’artiste partir sur une idée?

La pochette du premier album est de Jp Fournier. Les 3 autres sont d’un artiste extraordinaire Chilien GenzoMan (qui travaille entre autre pour Marvel, World Of Warcraft). Non on a des idées de départ puis l’artiste nous propose un brouillon.

3/Who had designed the logo and the cover artworks? Did you have demands or you just let the artist expressing himself?

The cove of the first album was made by JP Fournier. The other three ones were made the the amazing artist Chilien GenzoMan(who works for Marvel,World Of Warcraft).

No the main ideas are from us then the artist propose us a skecth.

4/Sur certaines photos vous avez deux « chanteuses » mais sur votre vidéo il n’y en a qu’une… avez vous changez de direction?

Non une seule chanteuse qui est Flora. Nous avons des guests sur certaines chanson. Par exemple sur Fireblast, c’est Rachel Aspe (Eths) qui est venue chanter.

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4/On few photos you have two ‘singers’ but on your video there is only one...have you changed musical direction?

No only one singer who is Flora. We have guests on few songs.

For example on Fireblast , it was Rachel Aspe (Eths) who came to sing.

5/Quel est la voix que vous êtes donnés? Il y a t’il une comédie comme une scène de théâtre? Une histoire qui suit au court des albums?

Tous les albums de Kerion sont des concepts album oui. Les 2 premiers sont une première saga qui s’appelle « Staraxis » écrit par Chris Barberi puis les 2 derniers album sur une seconde saga toujours de Chris « Cloudriders ».

5/What is the line you gave yourself? It there a theatrical comedy behind? A story line that follows on each albums?

Every Kerion’s albums are concept yes. The first two ones were a saga called « Staraxis » written by Chris Barberi, then on the next two others a saga called « Cloudriders » still from Chris.

6/Vous avez un autre groupe « Gates of Paris » est ce différent de Kérion? est ce que tous les musiciens sont dans d’autres formations?

Oui c’est totalement différent. C’est mon projet solo avec Raphael Dantas (Soulspell)au chant.Voici le premier single : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgciYc2avTc https://gatesofparis.bandcamp.com Damien le batteur de Gates Of Paris est dans Once Human. Plein de guests comme Stéphan Forté (Adagio) ou Olivier Lapauze (Heavenly).

6You have another band « Gates of Paris », is this different than Kerion? Are every musicians in other formations?

Yes is it completely different. It is my project with Raphael Dantas (Soulspell) on vocals.Here is the first single : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgciYc2avTc https://gatesofparis.bandcamp.com Damien , Gates Of Paris’s drummer is in Once Human.

Many guests such as Stéphan Forté (Adagio) ou Olivier Lapauze (Heavenly).

7/Qui fait vos vidéos? Avez vous des compétences techniques?

Willdric Lievin (Youwill prod) a réalisé nos 2 clips. Il bosse dans le cinéma depuis des années.

7/Who is releasing your videos? Have you got technical skills?

Willdric Lievin (Youwill prod) has released our two videos. He’s working in the cineam for many years.

8/Vous existez depuis plusieurs années, il y a t’il un pays ou vous avez le plus de fan?

La France, le brésil, le japon aussi ou nous avons eu un beau succès avec les 2 derniers albums de Cloudriders.

8/You are existing for many years, is there a country where you have the biggest fan base?

France, Brazil, Japan where we had a good success for the last two albums for Cloudriders.

9/Avez vous joué à l’étranger si oui dans quel pays vous voudriez vous produire?

Nous avons joué partout en France et en Italie. Pourquoi pas l’Amérique du sud ;) 9/Have you played abroad, if so in which country you’d like to play?

We have played everywhere in France and Italy.Why not south America?

10/Que pensez vous de la scène française?

Très peu de groupes mais de très bonnes qualité comme Fairyland, Hamka, Qantice….

10/What do you think of the French scene?

Only few bands but really good such as Fairyland, Hamka, Qantice….

11/Est que vous faites des concerts avec des groupes du même genre que vous?Un groupe qui est souvent avec vous..

Le dernier concert était avec Myrath.

11/Do you play live shows with bands in the same musical genre than you?A band that is often live with you?

The last concert was with Myrath.

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12/Comment vous composez, il y a t’il un rituel?

Je compose l’ensemble de l’album et après je le propose aux musiciens qui mettent leurs touches.

12/How do you compose, is there a ritual?

I compose most of the music and then I share with the other musicians who brings touches.

13/Quels sont les projets à venir?

Nous sommes en pause, puisque je suis assez occupé avec Gates Of Paris pour l’instant.

13/What are the new projects to come?

We are on hold, as I am busy with Gates Of Paris for the moment.

14/Comment avez vous trouvés votre label?

Nous avons prospecté plusieurs contact que nous avons depuis plusieurs années pour voir les différents deal qu’on nous proposait.

14/How did you find your label?

We have searched few contacts we had for serveral years to see what they had to propose.

15/Qu’est qui vous inspire pour les paroles?

Les paroles sont faites par Chris Barberi, l’auteur des saga de Kerion.

Merci 15/What inspires your lyrics?

Lyrics are written by Chris Barberi, Kerion’s sagas author.

http://www.kerion.net

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1/ Who chose the band’s name? What’s the reason for?

Yianni (Black Mass’ original drummer) and Brendan came up with the name by being the rabid stoners that they are (so naturally they were also Electric Wizard fans). They both thought of the Electric Wizard song “Black Mass” as a possible band name so when they realized they both had the same idea they decided it was meant to be.

2/You are only three members, have you had other ones or you like it that way?

One time Cristiano’s roommate asked to join the band on second guitar but we politely turned him down. We have and always will be a power trio.

3/Who did the logo? The one on your Facebook page looks more complex than the one on your albums..

Our original logo was designed by Evan Dias but we slighted revamped the original design with Maegan LeMay who also completed our album cover for the new release.

4/You have released already several demos and EP, do you keep composing or you just try to get heard as much as possible?

Why not both? We released the original EP in 2013 and focused on regional shows and a European tour but followed up with our first full length “Ancient Scriptures” in 2015. After that we toured pretty heavily throughout the United States and Canada to support the release and in 2017 while working on our newest album “Warlust” we were offered a free day in the studio @ Converse Rubber Tracks. We decided the best use of our time for the day would be to fully record and mix two songs we had written for the upcoming album since we felt our sound had changed a bit live but didn’t quite reflect properly on recording anymore. We’ve since completed the new album which is due out February 15th 2019 via Iron Shield Records. We never stop composing while also focusing on throwing in a healthy amount of shows, tours, and festivals throughout the year.

5/Which bands have inspired you?

First and foremost: Led To The Grave for teaching us how to be proper road dogs. Followed of course by Motörhead, Thing Lizzy, Manilla Road, Slayer, Razor, Darkthrone, Aura Noir, Inepsy, Deathhammer, Amebix, Judas Priest, Sodom, Kreator, Bathory, Sepultura, Death, Voivod, oh and Ace Frehley. The list could go on and on really.

6/You seem to wish keeping the underground flame, what do you think Metal has evolved to ,is there something P58

wrong for you? With new technology underground is like everyone those days...

We think a lot of modern metal is too polished and we try to keep a raw feel while not straying too far from a classic heavy metal sound and also to not sound too repetitive.

7/Who released your cover artwork?

The talented Maegan LeMay (Rawhide, PanzerBastard, Led To The Grave, Exmortus, Gehennah) did our artwork which was based off the theme for the title track “Warlust”.

8/You have the Black Metal image with signs etc.. yet you want to be in the Thrash movement, what is the message you want to express?

We enjoy Thrash Metal, Black Metal, and other types of music and would like to not restrict ourselves to one sound while also not getting too carried away. Our core sound is definitely thrash.

9/Do you compose as a band or their is really a composer?

Brendan is of course the main songwriter but we have composed many songs as a group from scratch and have added many changes to the arrangement after Brendan brings a potential song to the table.

10/Have you had many line up changes since you started?

Yes, many. We have a constant case of dying drummers. Yianni (one of the founding members) recorded on the original EP and many of the demos before that. Dan Hammer recorded drums with us on our first full length “Ancient Scriptures” after we moved out to Colorado to track the album. We asked Alex (who was in another band with Brendan at the time) if he’d be able to fill in on tour to support our first full length and after some time in the band he became our permanent drummer.

11/Do you manage to play live shows with bands in the same veins as you? How do you find dates?

We play with thrash bands but we do not restrict ourselves to just that style of music for live shows. We’ve had plenty of shows with punk bands, black metal bands, death metal bands. We don’t care.

12/You got signed by Iron Shield, how this happened? Have you asked many labels before getting this deal?

We spent some time shopping around the album and we have numerous friends who have released material through Iron Shield so we felt it would be a good idea to do the same. Luckily Thomas is the man and really liked our album when we sent it to him so he decided to release it.

13/What’s your view on the Metal scene today?

The underground scene is cool but it’s interesting to see so many people at a mainstream tour package and they don’t even know about good underground bands or may not be willing to discover them in the first place. Maybe we don’t want all those people there in the first place but sometimes it’s hard to understand how you have 1,000+ people at a Cannibal Corpse show yet other bands struggle to get 40+ people to a gig in a smaller and more intimate venue. That’s just how we see things work in the United States at least.

14/Do you have a studio? Where do you record?

We recorded at Mystic Valley Studio with Alex Garcia-Rivera right at home here in Medford, Massachusetts. The new album was recorded fully analog. No edits, no bullshit.

15/Is there a theme on each album?

Yes. “The Second Coming” was supposed to speak towards our arrival as a band and brining our style of thrash.

“Ancient Scriptures” was supposed to be kind of an esoteric look through the past of heavy metal done in Black Mass style. “Warlust” was more of a reflection of the world in our lives right now with a bit of a darker feel.

16/Do you think playing live shows abroad will gain you much more fans?

Yes we do. We’ve spent a lot of time supporting our last album touring throughout the US and most of Canada and we hope to focus a bit more on some touring and festivals throughout Europe in support of the new release. We just literally want to come to every city and destroy it. Book us.

www.facebook.com/BlackMassBand/

Hi it’s Stevie, one of the guitarists from Black Majesty.

The band also features Hanny on guitar, John on lead vocals, Evan on bass & Ben on drums.

1/Are you behind the release of this amazing double CD release?

Thanks for your kind words. Yes, together the band created five albums for Limb Music and this double cd released by Limb Music titled ‘The 10 Year Royal Collection’ is a compilation plus rare & never released material which includes demos, unreleased tracks and live material.

2/Your last album was in 2012, what have you done since? Did you disband or joined other bands?

We have released two new albums after Stargazer (2012) which were Cross Of Thorns (2015) and our latest release ‘Children of the Abyss’ (2018). Both albums were released via a different label (Pride & Joy Music - Germany).

3/How come with the powerful creations and sound you made with those albums , we heard a little about yourself?

Our band was formed in Australia so it takes a lot of work to promote and tour...but we have toured Europe on many occasions and have sold quite well all over the world. I guess that’s why Limb has released this compilation. There was a demand for material. This was very rewarding for us!

4/Is the band still together and will you release another album in the future?

Yes indeed...as i said we have continued to record and tour. We just returned from some shows in Europe and we are preparing to tour other regions in the future whilst continuing to write and record future albums.

5/The album is released by Limb Music, do you think this is the best label to get this out?

Yes indeed. Limb released all of the albums that are included in the double cd so it makes perfect sense. We have always had a great working relationship with Limb and his team!

6/During the life of the band did you have lots of line up changes or you are like a big family?

We have always kept the same line up except for one change in the drummer position. Longtime drummer Pavel Konvalinka was replaced by Ben Wignall in 2015.

7/Although the music gives you an idea of the genre , which are the bands that have the most influenced you?

Some of our favorite bands/influences include Rainbow, Dio, Whitesnake, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Accept, Helloween, Queensryche, Dokken etc.

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8/Have you all be in music school or you are self taught?

Most of us are self taught apart from a few lessons here and there.

9/What were the difficulties you encountered during the process of your albums? Was there one that was easier to release?

We haven’t had difficulties as such...but the album ‘Tomorrowland’ was an album that we had to get finished quite quickly due to some good touring opportunities such as appearances at Wacken Open Air and support gigs in Europe.

10/Can you name the bands you played live shows with? Are you still in touch with those?

We have had the pleasure of gigging with many bands. Some of the bands that come to mind include : Saxon, Blind Guardian, Helloween, Masterplan, Edguy, DragonForce, Hammerfall, Sabaton, Primal Fear, Cynic, Nightwish...plus many more. We do keep in touch with many of these bands.

11/Have you toured the country? Have you played abroad? Is it easy to find live dates?

We have played many headline shows in Australia, Europe and in Asia on many occasions. Live dates? We haven’t had much trouble but i guess that would demand on each band.

12/Are the albums all linked in the lyrics or the story? What made you have those themes?

Most of our material is fantasy based but sometimes the lyrics have been about something that has touched up personally. The lyrics are not a continuation from one album to another and we have not written a concept album to this stage.

13/Have you collaborated with the designer for the covers?

Yes all of the album art featured on The 10 Year Royal Collection was designed by the great man ‘Dirk Illing’ (R.I.P.).

14/Can you recall who decided of the band’s name?What’s the story behind?

We wanted something powerful in a band name and we liked the idea of Majesty in the title for the monarchy connection. We put Black in the beginning to give it a heavy metal sound about it.

15/They are demos and acoustic versions on this masterpiece, were they supposed to be recorded one day or they for some reasons left on a shelf?

These songs you speak about were bonus tracks on some of our digipak or Japan only releases. Many of our fans have never heard these versions so it was great to have them appear in one package!!

Thank you for kind words and support, Stevie & Black Majesty

www.blackmajesty.com

1/Who started the band?

1) Our band was founded by our guitar player Nikita Frolov and our drummer Alexander Kolchin. They have been playing in different bands since the end of the 90s. Some time from this, they played together. In the mid-2000s, they left the music, but in 2015 they decided to start over.

2/Why this name? What has been the element that made you choose it?

2) The name symbolizes the initial collision of elementary particles, after which an explosion occurs and something new is born. It symbolizes our dream (like millions of other musicians) - to create something new, cool, explosive and inspiring with the band.

3/What represents the design on the cover and who did it?

3) In fact, we had no definite idea when we planned the cover. Everything was based only on our songs. We are sure that the world around is all that a person needs, just need to see it. In our songs we talk about simple but inspiring things of the world. Therefore, we wanted a simple but bright and inspiring cover. Our friend and artist Sergey Sokolov expressed it in the artwork.

4/Which bands influenced you?

4) Our band members listen to different music. Therefore a lot of bands have influenced us. We think than Evanescence, Incubus and Papa Roach influenced us the most.

5/You have a great video, who directed it? Have you had input?

5) So Good video directed by Aleksey Misyurov. Initially, we had no definite idea. Much was born during the discussion before and during the shooting. This video is a combination of improvisation and the opinions of many people.

And we think that’s cool.

6/What are the lyrics about? Are the songs all linked?

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6) Our lyrics are about various life situations and phenomena. Marfa writes lyrics to our songs. Therefore, they are linked only by her life vision.

7/Have you got enough material for an album?

7) We have enough songs for a full album. But we still do not consider them final. We think when the time comes to record an album, they will be much better.

8/How do you find live date shows so far?with which bands do you play?

8) We used to book dates ourselves by contacting clubs and local promoters. We only have few good contacts. Therefore, we performed at various concerts - from festivals to headline shows. We support some teams that are well known in Russia – Jane Air and Origami. At festivals we shared a stage with such Russian teams as Louna and Nookie. But the coolest show was Halestorm support in our hometown, St. Petersburg! The concert was very energetic, the audience was great, and Lzzy Hale called us “one of the best bands we’ve seen for so long”.

9/Are you all self taught or you have taken courses?

9) Our vocalist Marfa was in college and music university. Our guitar player Nikita went to jazz college, but did not finish it. Our bass player and drummer - Roman and Alexander - took a few private lessons, but mostly they studied on their own.

10/Your mini ep sounds like you exist for a long time, how long the band exists?

10) Our band was created in the middle of 2015. We were finally formed by the beginning of 2016. But all the members played for many years in other bands. Therefore, we sound as if we exist for a very long time.

11/Musically you are good enough to play on tv and radio, is it the case in your country?

11) In our country it is quite difficult to get on TV channels or on the well-known radio. We were on several internet and local radios, but it didn’t work very well.

12/You sound like you are not russian, have you lived abroad or you have great english studies?

12) All band members have always lived in Russia. Most of us have been learning English regularly the last couple of years. Marfa, when writing lyrics for songs, consults with her English-speaking friends.

13/How did you get the Ep spread worldwide? Do you use the social medias to help you heard?

13) Yes, social networks are the best way to introduce listeners to our music. Last year we constantly use social networks - FB, Instagram, VK etc. Of course, traditional sources are still quite strong if you have good contacts (this is work for the label now). But we think that in the future social networks, messengers, personal recommendations will be much stronger than now.

14/Did you sent out mails to record labels? How did you get signed by Sliptrick Records?

14) Yes, we sent letters to various record labels. As a result of the lettering, we agreed to sign on Sliptrick Records.

15/Do you know the roaster on the label? Is there a band you feel closer to?

15) We know about 20 bands from Sliptrick Records roster. Most of them are metal bands, which is quite far from us. But there are more than 200 bands in the roster.

Perhaps by further viewing we will find something closer to us.

www.facebook.com/AshesCollideBand/

1/What made you reform? Why did you disband in the first place...

Nacho: we always say, we were never disbanded, there was always an intention to continue with a new album, but what made the band go on standby was the exit from the band , for some band members an finding new ones, a side from the Jobs and availability. Jose and Dani work full time recording in New LifeStudios and Javi is the key board player for Mago de Oz, one of Spain´s most popular Rock bands and that takes a lot of time away from the band.

2/Is the line up the same one?

Jose: Javi, Nacho and myself continue in the band. The only really “New” member is Gonzalo, the new guitar player since Dani was our soundtech, and he assumed the role of bassplayer.

The most significant change, is the role of Jose, now performing as Lead Vocalist aside from guitarist, a decisión we are very happy with.

3/Have you found a label to get this álbum out or you did it sel freleased?

Dani: We have decided to self realease as we believe that in the current state of the industry, there are no real advantages of signing with a label unless it´s a large label willing to make a firm bet on the band. We are currently working on getting as many licences as posible so the album can reach as many listeners around the world as possible.

4/It took you two years to release ?Was it easy to keep the songs finished or you used the time to make the completion at its best?

Nacho: This time was long because it was recorded in the studio´s off-time between sessions in their tight agenda.

Since the times were far apart, the songs changed during that time and there was time to really polish the parts, so what made the album take a long time, was also good for the final result.

5/You started in the mid nineties, music has changed as you, did it get the music another way or style?

Jose: Since Arwen started, all band members were more or less open to different musical styles, but right now at this moment, there maining original members are the ones that were most open minded musically speaking.

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In this album there are many different Rock & Metal influences, but I believe that we still have our own personal touch and style we acquired throug time.

6/Who is composing the most? You have different parts from different music genres...

Nacho: Most of the music is composed by Jose and Dani, since they are aside from great musicians, fabulous producers, although it´s also true that the rest of the band had great importance in the making of the album.

7/Have you thought of changing band’s name?

Jose: Yes, of course we thought about it, but this is the name we started out with and we believe we have good past. It´s true that when we started out LOTR wasn´t so mainstream, now as everybody hears the name they automatically relate to a famous band. We believe Arwen must go on and we will work hard for it to happen.

8/Did you use old ompositions or you made the mall for that album?

Jose: Yes, there is one song that was intended for “Illusions” but was not recorded since our lead Singer at the time did not want to record it, but that song has changed a lot throug the years. The rest are all new songs.

9/Who did this amazing cover artwork? Have you had input?

Dani: The album cover was made by a great artist called Nekro (http://www.nekro.es/).

With some very vague ideas he was able to produce an idea we really liked and are very happy with the result.

10/Can you explain the album title? Is there a special theme with the songs?

Nacho: This album is the expression of all we had inside and wanted to show, some how all we had in our “souls” and also it´s related to some of the song´s concepts as personal reflections, intímate feelings or judgements we make of different situations.

11/You have a video, who directed it? Is it helping selling the album?

Dani: Soon we will be launching a lyric video to help the CD launch, and a few month later we will release the official video as next single.

12/What is the scene like in Spain? Do you prefer playing abroad?

Jose: The scene in Spain is as in every other country, very difficult right now. If you add the fact the band´s lyrics are in English, that makes it more difficult here in Spain as the audience prefers lyrics in their own language. The truth is, we never had a specific target, and since our begining we tried to open up to licencing out of Spain, towards Japan, Russia, USA, Mexico and Europe, and we will continue trying to work in that direction.

13/Your music is composed of several styles, does it help getting live shows with different bands? Are they ones you’d love to play with?

Nacho: Even though the album styling is pretty wide, and could work with many other kinds of bands, it´s really too soon to know if this is an advantage or an added difficulty.

As for the bands we would like to share the stage with, I belive any of us could say they would love to share the stage with many different bands like for example : Alterbrigde, Devin Townsend, Kamelot, Angra, symphony X, Ayreon….

14/Is there a country where you have the biggest fan base?

Jose: according to some real data we have, our biggest listener pool comes from Spain, Mexico and USA. After that comes Europe and Japan.

15/Are you involved in other bands? Do you guest in albums?

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Nacho: Javi Diez is keyboard player for one of Spain´s most important Rock bands, Mago de Oz, Jose, our Singer was guitar player for the band DarkMoor, aside from doing a lot of collaborations with bands as part of his producer job, due to having great relation with many bands and musicians. Dani aside from some sporadical Jobs as a bassplayer, works a lot as Live sound engineer for some of the most important bands in Spain like Saratoga. Gonzalo was member of Coldseed, band he shared with Thomen Stauch from Blind Guardian and Bjorn Strid from Soilwork. Finally my self, I play with a Southern Rock band named Monterrey and collaborate with Hard Rock – AOR band Showbiz.

We would really like to thank you for your interest in the band and all your support Thanks from all Arwen!!

www.facebook.com/ArwenMetalOfficial/

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interview led by Kelly Tuimaualuga with Ben Sheehan 1. How did Abstract The Light come to be?

As people evolve so too does the music created evolve too, and so it came to be that in 2015 when Matt Brown and I (Ben Sheehan) were working on some plans for music (we had already worked together on 3 different bands over the past 20 years or so), it ended up being a whole new entity of heavy dark and black music. Joined by Brody Green on drums & completed with Ben Veniamin on bass, thus Abstract The Light was born...

2. Why Black Metal? and how or what makes Abstract The Light Avant Garde within the Black Metal subgenre?

“Why black metal” is hard to define, as it’s more a feeling to me then a specific sound or style, as now there are so many sub genres and ways to play black metal it’s truly hard to define. As we are not a “true black metal band” in the raw kvlt bm sense, the added description of Avant-garde means we can add many different musical ingredients to our sound, and it still have a home in our style...

We incorporate elements of blasting black metal with melodic acoustic and folk passages, and heavy doomy riffs with atmospheric riffs also...

3. What are your thoughts on the Black Metal scene in Australia? Is there one and is it growing?

There definitely is one, though it’s presence ebbs and flows like a natural spring, there have been some fantastic bands and some pioneers within the black metal scene over the past few decades, and the current crop is still producing some great talent... To my mind it’s growing as it should. It’s not meant to be the most popular and lucrative genre, to me the fan base and bands are in it for the art and I think that’s how it should be... Current Aussie bm bands worth mentioning are; Deadspace, Greytomb, Mar Mortuum, Oath Of Damnation, Norse, Somnium Nox amongst many others...

4. Is the Australian Black Metal scene here lyrically different from say Black Metal being produced in European countries due to their dark winters? And how?

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I should hope all lyricists write from their own interpretation of life events or whatever it is that inspires them, though no doubt, there are bands that follow the mould cast by some of the early black metal bands... To me bm is devoid of boundaries, so the essence is similar no matter where you live...

5. Your first EP, From Out Of The Void, lyrically is not satanic or anti-Christian, but remains very dark. Where does the inspiration for such lyrics come from?

The inspiration for the lyrics for the first Ep as well as the next full length we are working on, come from within, I decided to write more personal lyrics for this band, and give more intent to the message. I don’t believe in god or Satan so it would be childish for me to write and sing about that. I draw all my lyrics from real life experiences, some good, some not so good. At the end of the day it’s the realness and rawness of emotions that I’m able to convey, and I’m proud of what we have created hence why we don’t have aliases or the like...

6. Like so many Black Metal musicians and lyricists, they have a solitude process to generate creative flow for their writing, what process do you use?

I don’t have any specific parameters to find the words, sometimes it flows easily and it could be as random as getting up in the morning and a sentence is there that will start a phrase or the like, or it could be further in the process when I’m refining words and in the head space going over and over the lines to be sure I’m happy.

Somethings write themselves as fast as I can type others need more effort.

7. Who are your biggest musical influences? Within Black Metal or any other musical genre and why?

Within black metal I’d say that the biggest early influences as a youngster over 20 years ago was bands like Emperor, Absu, Abigor, Satyricon, and then game changers like Dodheimsgard who completely broke the mould. DHG were regarded as one of the first Avant-garde black metal bands and with each of their releases after 666 International they completely redefined what you could do, and that inspired me greatly...

As a musician for over 25 years I’m not bound to one genre and I personally like lots of different music. I find the ones that inspire me most are artists who have strayed from the path of convention and are/weren’t afraid to push the boundaries over the course of their own journey such as; Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Captain Beefheart, Tom Waits, Isis, The Mars Volta, Radiohead, and many many more...

8. When was Abstract The Light’s first live performance? What was the most stand out memorable moment from this first show?

Our first performance was Sept 2015 at the Black Conjuration 5 festival. We were fortunate enough to play on this esteemed event to a few hundred punters, and for me I think the most memorable moment was the sense of achievement. That we birthed our new band, wrote our first songs, and played our first show in about 5 months...

9. How has your music evolved since Abstract The Light first started producing music in 2015?

The evolution is a natural thing for me as an artist and band leader, and for us as a band collectively. Whilst I’m still proud of our first Ep, it’s with the passing of time in the band room and on stage playing together that the magic evolves further as we get to play more, thus creating more organically the music that is to follow...

10. As an Avant Garde Black Metal Band in Australia, what has been your biggest challenges so far and how have you been able to overcome them?

I guess the challenges for us are that being unique as we are told we are, it makes it more challenging to find suitable high caliber bands to play with, and then further to that being from Adelaide, only a few international tours pass through here and then even fewer of those are within a genre that may be a suitable match for us to secure a support show for... so we book our own shows at least once a year at my “Nexus Convergence” show which I’ve convened over the past few years. To overcome challenges simply takes focused hard work, but somethings such as distance and money are often unassailable obstacles...

11. Most people associate Black Metal music with Anti-Christian and/misanthrope and/or offensive themes for lyrics, P69

especially from the Black Metal movement in the early 90s. Do you think Black Metal bands today are moving away from that theme and why?

To me this can only be a generalised answer, as to comment on the lyrical themes of black metal as a whole and to say that in the 90’s they were all similar would be untrue in my experience. I think black metal lyrics in a general sense have evolved beyond the early simple Satan/anti god lyrics of the early days, akin to the evolution of man and if anything going full circle to be more pagan, occult/seeking wisdom and enlightenment, cosmic, naturist, and historical....

It’s true that traditional Satan/anti religion, hateful, and misanthrope lyrics are still prevalent in many current acts, as they obviously draw inspiration from such topics.

12. Abstract The Light is a very unique and strong title for your band. Where did this name come from?

Oddly enough, the band name came to me in a dream, after having spent a few weeks working on band names and not coming up with a suitable title, then when the time was right, it was revealed, and thus the name was born at around 5am one weird morning in 2015!

13. Abstract The Light have performed some great Live shows in Australia. Who are some of the international Black Metal bands you have shared shows with? And did they offer you any advice to you to help move forward in your music career?

We’ve been fortunate enough to play some great support shows with international bands Primordial (Sydney and Melbourne shows 2016), Arcturus 2017, Mortiis 2018, as well as playing with some of the best in Australia such as Deadspace, Destroyer 666, and Portal.

Unfortunately at these shows it’s not always that easy to get to chat to your peers about the road to success or the perils of the journey.

But I’d say at one of our last shows, at Nexus Convergence 3 was the best in terms of the sense of community of the scene , and chatting with Chris from Deadspace who is a wealth of young knowledge and wisdom on the current state of the Australian Black metal scene, we were able to share some practical knowledge on a future plans as we are also on the same record label from Austria-Talheim Records 14. Do you have any plans or aspirations to take your unique style of Black Metal to Europe to join any of the big Black Metal festivals there? And which one would appeal to you the most and why?

Yes for sure!! We’d love to get to Europe within the next year or so, or at least after the release of our new album next year, but first we have to continue to raise our profile both here abroad to make it as feasible as possible. There are so many great festivals in Europe I think to begin with we will go and do a small run of shows with some of the bands from our label then look for an invite to the festivals the following year...

15. Your band has been busy recording your first full length studio album, which is due for release in 2019. What can listeners expect from this album, and how does it differ from your first EP: From Out Of The Void?

From my perspective it is a continuation of our musical journey and will show our maturity in both song writing and the performance as a band. We are still the same musicians playing the same or similar equipment recording at the same studio with the same engineer, so the challenge on “how to make it better than the last recording” is present. But I think it is a step up for us in many ways, and I look forward to it being released in the first half of next year!

16. Where can people purchase your EP and band merchandise: From Out Of The Void and keep updated on all things Abstract the Light (tour dates, venues etc)?

All our merch, info and updates can be found on our Facebook page: Facebook.com/abstractthelight666 and also direct orders can be made through our record label Talheim Records, who have an extensive global distribution network!!

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Thanks for the interview and interesting questions!!

Ben Sheehan

www.facebook.com/kelly.tuimaualuga

www.facebook.com/abstractthelight666/ P71

1/You started only few years ago and have already two albums and plenty of shows, have you been in other formations before? Do you work in the music business?

Kat Sproule : I’ve been in some bands before, but nothing that was ever serious. I’ve done some work in the industry, like working on some festivals a few years back.

2/Have you had line up changes since you started?

Kat Sproule : We have had a few line up changes since we started, it’s never ideal, but you have to keep moving forward.

3/You have a great artist for your covers, how did you find him and have you got input?

Kat Sproule : We searched some artwork from other bands we liked and found that Aldo had done quite a lot of stuff we liked. We usually have some ideas/concepts in mind that we share with Aldo, he is always very good at making our ideas come to life.

4/Who chose the band’s name and what ’s the meaning of it? Who designed the logo?

Kat Sproule : The band name was actually the title of a song that Ed wrote, we felt that it reflected the sound of the band well. Trent Bullock was the guy that designed our logo.

5/How do you compose? What is the line to get you in the melody that comes out from your compositions? Is it a band’s work?

Kat Sproule : Ed, Josh and myself write the songs, the guys send me through song ideas and I write the vocal parts to them. I’ll usually listen to a song and let it run through my head for a while before I start writing to it, but ocassionally, I’ll listen to a new song and come up with vocal parts straight away, while I’m listening to it.

6/What are your lyrics about? Do you all participate?

Kat Sproule : I usually write about personal experiences I’ve had or what I observe in others. I am open to lyric ideas from the guys.

7/They are several bands in Australia in the same vein, do you know them all? Do you share the stage with them? How is the scene over there?

Kat Sproule : We have played with all the other power metal bands in Australia. The scene here is really good, a lot of very talented bands doing great things.

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8/Have you taken singing lessons? Who is your mentor, the artist that got you into singing?

Kat Sproule : I have had lessons in many different styles, including opera and theatre. Most recently, I have had lessons with Ralf Scheepers, which has been fantastic. I don’t really think that any one artist got me into singing, but some of my favorites would include, Eric Adams, Rob Halford and Ralf Scheepers.

9/You don’t have a website, do you think it is not useful those days with social medias?

Kat Sproule : We are getting one soon, but I definitely think you can do so much with social media these days.

10/You seem to have lots of live dates, how do you get them? Have you got an agent? You played with big act..

Kat Sproule : We book everything ourselves. We’ve played with Helloween, Ross The Boss and Primal Fear.

11/You did a funny video, « Vagabond » , how did you make it? Have you got help from friends? What’s the topic of it?

Kat Sproule : All our clips have been done by Stongman Pictures, the guy is kind of a friend of mine, which is always handy! That clip is about me killing the band, who have turned into zombies haha!

13/Are you playing in other formations?

Kat Sproule : Not at the moment.

14/Two years ago you made a little video wishing the end of the year talking about the third album, how is going now?

Have you had hard time to release this new album?

Kat Sproule : The new album is going well. It’s been released in Australia, and will be released in Europe early 2019.

15/You show photos of you as a sporty woman, are you practicing different arts? Do you play any instrument?

Kat Sproule : I’ve always been very active. Recently I’ve started contortion and acrobatics classes. I do play several, violin, cello, piano and guitar.

16/Can you tell us your gear and why you chose it?

Kat Sproule : I use a Senheiser wireless mic, I find them the clearest sounding.

I saw your band on different labels, which one is yours now?

Kat Sproule : We have our Australian label Dinner For Wolves and we recently just signed with Fastball Music in Germany, so they will be handling the album release in Europe.

www.facebook.com/horizonsedgeofficial/