Interviews - Progarchives.com

Torga Ostera

Fri, 5 Apr 2013 16:39:30 EST

Interview made by Kotro — The moments that make up a fun day - an interview with Torga Ostera Torga Ostera in playful mood Who would have thought that a Portuguese band I had been following with interest for some time now would end up working in a studio not 10 minutes away from where I live? It was a matter of time before we crossed paths, and what began as an interview via email became an invitation to drop by the studio for a chat. It was around noon that I arrived at the Norton de Matos Music Academy in Coimbra, central Portugal, where the band has set their headquarters. Two members of the band are teaching there, so it is a highly convenient venue. I am greeted at the door by Jo�o Francisco, guitar and vocals, avid Pink Floyd fan. As we cross the studio proper into the control room, Jo�o Francisco introduces a new member of the band to me - I was getting ready to shake someone's hand when he proudly pointed to an olive-green metal box. "Do you recognize that?" he asks. Can't say I did. "There's one just like that on Pompeii", he explained. Turns out it's a Binson Echorec, a 70's echo machine as seen being used by David Gilmour on Pink Floyd's cult film - even before the interview begins, the floydian influence heard on the band's first album is already seen in the gear. On a red couch opposite the mixing desk sits someone strumming a bass. Turns out it's the drummer, Renato Dias. Two more members enter the room, bass player Eurico Moleirinho and keyboard player Jorge Marinheiro. I fail to recognize him from previous publicity shots of the band. Jo�o Francisco explains: "The band was formed in 2006 and there have already been a few line-up changes. Renato himself has left and came back. Jorge is a new addition to the band; he wasn't part of the line-up on our first album. He's an old friend, though, so he doesn't feel like "the new guy", and his input has come as a blessing for us. Right now, Torga Ostera is just the four of us." This is a special day for the band. They are working on a follow-up to their first album, 2012's Queda Ascendente, have a new toy to play with (the Binson), and have a photo shoot scheduled - this means the whole band is present, something that doesn't happen every day. "Jo�o and Jorge are now based here in Coimbra, but Renato lives in Leiria, and I'm farther away in Lisbon", says bass player Eurico. "The internet shortens distances, but there is nothing like actually playing in the same room with the rest of the band." As everyone finds a seat, it's time to whip out some questions. First off, what's in a name? "Torga is old Portuguese for "root", while Ostera is the goddess of fertility and rebirth (Ēostre or Ostara, from pagan German mythology). There is an underlining idea in the name of the band of reaching for the past in order to be reborn and build a future. The meanings of Torga Ostera can differ and it's up to each one to associate it with something personal. However, it all boils down to the link with the idea of "roots", whether terrestrial (meaning natural), whether traditional (meaning cultural)." How would you describe your music? What are your influences? "We were motivated by a feeling of lack in our country of a certain kind of melodic, harmonic and timbral textures. With that in mind, British psychedelia and space rock were a starting point when coming up with the band. We kept adding influences and assorted bits, always following a guideline aimed towards conceptual music - creating a link between songs so they would all sound like part of a whole. We took inspiration from many sources, but mainly from those representing challenges both in terms of mindset and execution, aiming to have the music stimulate reflection, helping to break from the vices of modern life. Music is a superior way of expressing feelings, philosophies and concepts. It is meant to be enjoyed, should be absorbed on its own and not just as a soundtrack to the commute between home and work. We tried to aim the "understanding" of the album at a specific audience, the kind that takes a break to listen to a CD in the comfort of their living room instead of shuffling through an MP3 player." [TUBE]AfmxvmqKqPw[/TUBE] Comfort music? What kind of instruments do you use? What kind of sound do you try to attain? "First off there's the basic setup of a rock group: drums, bass, keyboards and guitar. Specifically, we use some Hammond, Fender Rhodes, synths (including a Nord that delivers that great Mellotron sound), Fender Stratocaster and dozens of pedals. The main point is getting the best out of analog, getting a fuller, warmer, more organic sound. We did considered using traditional Portuguese sounds as well, however we felt it wasn't the moment to do so yet. Maybe in the future..." Isn't it risky to sing in Portuguese? Don't you fear being confined to a smaller fringe market? "Funny enough, we initially sang in English, but soon realized that we were worryingly close to the sound of some British bands. The process of reverting to our mother tongue was complicated because the songs didn't sound too good in Portuguese, but it became our intention to make space-rock sung in our native language so that it would be more easily understood by the audience. In the end, we don't believe language will necessarily be a barrier or an aid towards internationalization. Portugal itself is a small place with a political structure that doesn't seem keen to invest in culture. That issue affects not only newer projects, but also popular artists with fifteen, twenty years of work." What inspires the lyrics? "The lyrics are a reflection of each person's daily life. Even though we were around 25 year of age at the time we were working on Queda Ascendente, one might look back and smile at that "mature naivety" that became perpetuated on the record. Love, envy, disappointment and fear are all episodes that will certainly be common to all listeners and that served as inspiration to the eight tracks on our first album." Care to guide us trough each one of them? "The opener and closer represent the key concept, that of "almost". "Quase n�s" tells of everything that one might have wished to achieve but never really got to. It centres on bad luck and cowardice as a wake-up call, featuring a nervous and weeping guitar: "(.) someone half-dead is still alive, but someone half-alive has already died!". "Balada ao Ensandecer" is about madness, ending up in suicide. "Rosa dos Ventos" is about getting to know your inner self, a cardinal, directional e timeless quest. "Apicultor de Homens" adresses the idea of the Wizard of Oz, in the way the poem's "me" sounds bigger and stronger that he really is. He's actually an aggressive, manipulative being without scruples that ends up being defeated by the oppressed. "Saber Porque N�o" is a straight-to-the-point song dealing with the worker's apathy in the face of exploitation. "N�o Vi Nenhum Tentar" tells of greed, unwarranted criticism, inability to cooperate, to present valid opinions. "Sol da Noite Acordada" borders on surrealism, the metaphor of the moon and the woman." Queda Ascendente has a very distinct Floydian sound, reminiscent of Dark Side of the Moon or their later works. Don't you fear being dismissed as clones? "On each genre of music you'll find timbral, melodic and rhythmic elements that allow you to identify different types of music. Our idea was to take the Pink Floyd sound as a starting point and explore from there. Naturally, this being a debut album, the band wore its influences on its sleeves, but we aren't worried about that. Every band sounds like something or someone, no matter how good they manage to hide it. Queda Ascendente was a laboratory of experiments for the band - it took five or six years to record because we kept finding some vintage keyboard or guitar pedal that we couldn't resist trying out on the studio. We wanted to experience the way recordings were made in the old days, how to achieve a certain sound, and hence getting close to Pink Floyd. However, Torga Ostera has a distinctly Portuguese feel and in the midst of our pseudo-psychedelia you'll find a sound very much the band's own." [TUBE]OKAroeOASK8[/TUBE] The windrose as metaphor for the search for meaning, a very Portuguese concept What do you think of the way the album's been received? "Stimulated and simultaneously disappointed. The band created the album for the satisfaction of its own musical ego, knowing that this type of music isn't very well known and accepted in Portugal. The weird thing was that the album was well received by less demanding listeners, but completely ignored by fans of the genre. On the other hand, despite being sung in Portuguese, it was surprising for us to see it so well received internationally. Playing live is another story. It's not easy getting gigs, and when we do, it's rarely the right audience. Promoters seem to go for easy pop or high complexity, not the middle ground where we stand. In some concerts we can really see people not getting it - �what the hell, four minutes into song and no one is singing yet?�. That kind of reaction." Can you tell me a bit about the album's production, from the idea to the physical disc? "The process of building the songs would take us to different spaces and times. 99,9% of the songs began with the music rather than the words. Jo�o Francisco would come up with the basis of the song, a possible poem, and the band would work on it until a definitive structure was achieved. We basically had a structure for the album within a week, but we then spent months polishing it before we even got to the studio. We recorded it in Tomar, at Zero Est�dio with producer Pedro Carvalho. It was recorded with a mix of digital and analog technology. The mics were similar to the ones used on Pink Floyd's Meddle and Dark Side of the Moon. We only used tube amplifiers and all guitar pedals dated back to the 70's. Throughout the process the themes metamorphosed and at each phase the songs would gain new, more pleasing textures. The end product turned out to be a pleasant surprise and it was exciting to get to hear the mixes at home." Speaking of which, you had to get a foreigner to do the mixing. Why was that? "Asking Jon Astley to do the mixing was our producer's suggestion. We weren't really aware of the good or bad a mix can do to an album. Turns out we just don't have the proper material or skills in Portugal, so we sought a producer whose work we liked, tried sending him the album and see what he could do. We really enjoyed the mixing on Roger Water's In the Flesh, so we set that as a model, and were very pleased with the result, to the extent that we might get in touch again with Jon to mix our second album." So the band is working on a second album. We again discuss the Floyd influence on the first record. Jo�o Francisco confesses to having shed some of that influence. "The first album was an experiment, a mix of foreign influences and Portuguese original thought. The sketch-like artwork of the album kind of reflects that, like something you scribble on a diary. The album was like that, a diary of experiences of a band finding its way." "Our own different influences have changed the music when playing it live", adds Jorge Marinheiro, the most recent member of the group. "When we play it at a concert, it's like it evolves into something different altogether." "Now, with our second album, it's time to take off into other landscapes, leave behind that sense of security that following your influences closely might give, and find our very own sound." "Basically, we sent Floyd out the window", summarizes drummer Renato. With a background in funk and punk rock, he's quite far from Jo�o Francisco in his appreciation for the English space-rockers. "Hardly ever heard them before working with Torga Ostera - not my thing. They have grown on me, though", he confessed. They offer to play me a two of the songs they are working on. These are unpolished, working versions, recorded at rehearsals. I gladly accept. "They might come as a shock if you enjoyed the first album", they warn me. I'm not shocked, but rather pleasantly surprised. Despite being only hints at what the final songs may sound like, already there is a change in sound. The first one, "Malmequer", displays a kind of aggressiveness not really found on Queda Ascendente, while the other one, "Ma��", is a clear indicator of the song-driven formula the band are working on for the next album. "Arriving only after the first album, and listening to it, I felt there was great music there, but it lacked real songs", says Jorge. Jo�o Francisco agrees: "We want to concentrate, but not compress, all that musicality of the first album into a simpler formula, so next record will be more song based, but will sound more concise and organized. The relationship between the music and the lyrics in Portuguese will come more naturally. It will be a conceptual piece, where each song will be a chapter in a story." "It's not a compromise in order to make it more accessible", adds Eurico. "It's good to go for a different sound from the first album, to surprise ourselves and others. Like Mikael Akerfeldt did in Opeth, except we have the freedom to do so immediately on our second record." So what awaits Torga Ostera further down the road? "Someone once said the road isn't predetermined. it unfolds as you travel!" Any contact with labels or distributors in sight? "No. The only thing selling in

Portugal

is pop, compilations and children's music at Christmas. Of course, we'd like the album to reach more people. We were contacted by Greg Walker at Syn-phonic who was interested in stocking it, answered back but haven't heard from him since." What difficulties have you bumped into as a progressive rock band in the 21st century, in a country with little tradition and representation in the genre? "Progressive rock is for an elite, it's complicated to live from it, especially in

Portugal

! One remembers the (in)famous 10.000 Anos... by Jos� Cid: he didn't get any backing, was probably branded a maniac and forced into the inane pop career we all know! Or that other time, which was extremely frustrating, when promoters rejected a David Gilmour concert because they considered it too instrumental and guitar-oriented. In

Portugal

On An Island was a number one record and not a concert round these parts. Says it all!" What do you think of modern progressive music, in general, and the Portuguese scene, in particular? "We find that modern progressive music, in general, has become much too technical and has lost the sense of melody. We find it's easy to extend compositions into long tracks, and we could easily play more complex arrangements, but that's not what we're into to. We're also not concerned with doing something original for originality's sake, but rather something new that still sounds familiar." The interview is curtailed by the arrival of the photographer. The group strikes a pose for a couple of shots. Against their better judgement they ask this improvised reporter to take a picture with them. Hairy reporter meets talented musicians It is now 2:30pm and no one has had lunch yet, so we head across the street for some sandwiches. Conversation at the table drifts from promoting the band, the inner workings of ProgArchives, current politics and, inevitably, gear - the boys sure know their material. After the quick lunch, Jorge Marinheiro kindly invites me to return with them to the studio as they work on the guide tracks for the new album. Eurico Moleirinho works on some bass lines with Jorge Marinheiro, working on the guide tracks In the control room, Eurico and Jorge toss around different ideas for the bass on one of the songs, the loud clicking of a metronome making sure no one skips a beat. For someone like me, at the far end of the music business, it's a privilege to watch a band at this stage of the recording of an album first hand. In the time I'm there they do three or four takes before settling on a couple of minutes they're satisfied with, for the meantime. Only a wall separates these two from the other half of the group, who are in the studio testing out their new toy, the Binson Echorec. Jo�o Francisco and the olive-green gizmo at his left, with Renato Dias providing a beat. They work around riffs and power chords, the metallic echo of the machinery taking me back to that time I never lived when experimentation was the rule. Jo�o Francisco sounds quite pleased with the device, which he actually got cheap from an auction website. Finally, the whole band walks into the studio to jam for a while. They ask me in, and I can't resist taking out my phone halfway and film them, no matter how poor the recording: [TUBE]gM0zKG3RCpU[/TUBE] Smiles all round after this small distraction. The band surely is in high spirits and you can feel the chemistry among them. "Are your ears okay?" jokingly asks Renato, before he eventually leaves for a doctor's appointment with his pregnant other half. Eurico will soon follow, having a bus to catch that will take him back to Lisbon where he lives and works. Reminders that there is much more than just music to these boys' lives. Jo�o Francisco seems to approve Eurico's work on the bass, while Jorge Marinheiro takes out an Alesis Ion synth to work on soundscapes for a track. Jorge is keen to get some work done before nightfall, when the studio reverts back into an after-hours teaching room of the Norton de Matos Music Academy - a small price to pay for excellent conditions. "Recording the first album was full of hustle and bustle, with constant trips, quick decision making, constant pressure. Here we have a great laboratory, a comfortable space to work, and it's closer to home, giving us time to be creative." One more question to ask. Finally, anything you wish to say to the ProgArchives.com community? We'd like to praise the overwhelming, intense and rigorous research work by the Admins and Collaborators at ProgArchives. It's important to reinforce the work being developed regarding research and promotion of Portuguese progressive rock on an international level. It would be great if foreign interest could stimulate the creation of more music in this country, because internally we are rotting due to the lack of culture and support. On our behalf, we appreciate having been added to the database, and we intend to deliver more and better music!

Comedy Of Errors

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 04:22:45 EST

Interview made by Easy Livin — I recently had the privilege of discovering the fine new album "Fanfare and fantasy" by Comedy of Errors . Jim Johnston of the band kindly agreed to the following exclusive interview for Progarchives. I am very grateful to Jim for his candid and informative responses. PA - The new album "Fanfare and fantasy" was recently released and is already receiving positive feedback. Tell us a bit about the new album. JJ - Encouraged by the response from 'Disobey', and with a lot of new material building up, 'Fanfare & Fantasy' was the next step in our 're-incarnation'. A lot had happened in my life personally and 'Fanfare & Fantasy' was in a large part an expression of this. PA - What would you say are the main differences between the new album and the excellent "Disobey" released in 2011? JJ - 'Disobey' has more 'unfinished business' from our first incarnation. In the intervening years the improvement and affordability in recording technology allowed us to realise sounds in a way we wouldn't have been able to do previously. Fanfare & Fantasy takes us as a band to where we are now and maybe points more to where we are going. PA - The new album has a strong symphonic feel to it. Was this something you intended from the outset? JJ - Never was the intent but the particular emotion expressed in the music and lyrics would always dictate the arrangement. I prefer music to have a strong narrative drive and try to avoid long passages of directionless meandering. That said, everything has it's place if it's appropriate to what you are trying to say. PA - You wrote all the songs on the new album, how "complete" were they by the time you presented them to the band, and how much input did the other guys have to the final product? JJ - The arrangement, structure and thematic material are usually in place and in demo form by the time the band gets to it. The parts I intend the rest of the band should play are usually on the demo in 'guide' form. Then after discussion and various trial takes , usually starting with drums, the nitpicking sessions start. As the guys stray in varying degrees from the guide I provide, I find that often that some bits have been much improved by their creative input (and some bits less so!) Together after much blood being spilled, we settle and agree on what is most effective (and practical) and can start building the recording. Sometimes as the recording takes shape I will tweak the arrangement a little here and there. I pre- mix the tracks and get it to a good balance with level adjustments and panning. Then Rob Aubrey of Aubitt studios works especially on drums and gets us to tidy up things before mastering various mixes which again are nitpicked to everyones satisfaction. The only cost is to our sanity. PA - Presumably the material that appeared on "Disobey" was nurtured and accumulated over a number of years. Were all of the songs on "Fanfare and fantasy" written since "Disobey" was released, or do some go back before that? JJ - Fanfare & Fantasy contains vastly more 'new' material written since Disobey but there are also bits of thematic material included which I had written much earlier, parts of which appeared in some unreleased songs. These earlier ideas have now been re-written and developed in other ways. I have piles of notes with musical ideas that I have built up over the years which I'll probably never use. PA - You have released the new album independently of any record label support. What was the reasoning behind this? Can bands such as Comedy of Errors actually make a living from music these days, or is it more of a hobby supported by regular day jobs? JJ - We don't have the luxury of a label to promote and finance the album for us. However doing it ourselves means I can write what I want and the band can retain creative control. That is worth more than anything. The internet has allowed us to gather together many friends from many countries, who are into our music, and who together comprise a considerable worldwide following. It has become very clear that followers of our type of music are more passionate about it than other genres. Music tends to be more an essential part of their lives. I am privileged to write music that may have more of an emotional impact for our listeners than others who may be more passive about it . I put every spare moment into it as do the rest of the band. We spend so much time and money on it that we certainly don't make a living at it. After an initial float, one album can serve to finance the next. We put everything into it, emotionally and irrespective of what we can afford, just to get it the way we want. So it is far more than a hobby. PA - What are the logistics of touring in support of the new album? We are still very much a 'live' band and are keen to tour the album. In our formative years we used to gig incessantly. We've rehearsed a set with songs off Disobey and Fanfare & Fantasy, and are looking forward to the coming gigs. I'm told things in the current financial climate are not so great for lesser-known bands on tour. However although venues are fewer these days, in the light of Fanfare & Fantasy's release we are being offered more gigs and festivals. . Currently we have the following booked but hope to include many more this year and into next......... 20 April 2013 - The Wesley Centre, Maltby, Nr Rotherham Tickets are on sale now from the Classic Rock Society Website at �12 or �10 for members. 4 May 2013 - The Electric Garden Prog Festival 2013 Details TBD - Check Electric Garden Website for information as it becomes available Also hoping to soon confirm a summer gig locally in Glasgow as we look to fill up our schedule. Later in the year we are playing Sun 29th September 2013 't Blok - Nieuwerkerk a/d IJssel in the Netherlands. Around the same time we should confirm some more gigs in the Netherlands , Belgium and possibly Germany. Should be able to confirm soon a UK festival in November. We'll keep things updated on our website comedyoferrors.org PA - Looking more closely at the new album, the track "Time's motet and Galliard" combines an instrumental and a quasi-folk piece. The motet section is noted as being "after Talilis". Is this a tribute to Tallis, inspired by his music or based on a Tallis composition? Tell us a bit about how the "Galliard" part came about. JJ - I have always been fascinated by renaissance polyphony. Thomas Tallis in particular wrote many beautiful motets and the motet in this track is a 'take' on one them using themes which appear in Spem in alium, a 40 part motet written around 1570. The Galliard is a pastiche on that type of 'dance' tune from the late renaissance. I like using the sort of chord progressions and syncopations they used in those days and giving it the 'COE' treatment. PA - "The cause" appears to be a stark condemnation of religious intolerance, especially of the type that still blights the west of Scotland and Northern Ireland. The theme can of course be extended to religious bigotry the world over. Is this an issue you feel particularly strongly about? JJ - 'The Cause' is a meditation on the same troubles which appear in different guises all over. The world is such an idiot. PA - The three founding members (Joe, Jim and Mark) are playing and singing as if you have been performing regularly together for many years. Are you surprised at how well you have come together after such a long time and by the quality of music you are now making? JJ - We all get on so well. With Bruce and now John , we all feel we have known each other for many years . A dry Glasgow sense of humour of the absurd has served us well. We also have a total lack of reserve in offering our opinion. A common interest and purpose in the music has forged a camaraderie in the blood spilled in recording an album ! PA - The sleeve image was conceived by yourself and realised by Joe James. Tell us a bit about the inspiration behind it. JJ - At first , the graphic designer came up with many different sleeves all which would have served well for any album . The problem was that though the designs were all slick, polished and professional, they were empty of meaning for our specific album. The sleeve is such an important part of the creation that like the music and lyrics, the cover too should have a strong relevant unifying connection ( whether subliminal or otherwise) . Many hours were spent working on the symbolism, the colours and the layout just right. Everything on the album sleeve means something. For me what this album 'means' is too personal to go into in great detail here, but of course the whole point is that everyone can draw their own parallels and meaning of their own . PA - John Fitzgerald is credited as contributing backing vocals. Tell us a bit about his place in the band now. JJ - We had been helped out by Hew Montgomery playing bass for live gigs while we didn't yet have a bass player. Mark Spalding our lead guitarist had recorded bass on both the Disobey and Fanfare & Fantasy albums because John Fitzgerald had joined too late to do all but backing vocals for F&F . However on the vinyl edition, John plays bass on the bonus track, a new version of 'Time There Was'. He lives around the Glasgow area and being a great bass player and all round good chap he ticked all the boxes. PA - I know you have misgivings about the the early albums credited to the band that appear on this site. Would you like to put the record straight about these albums? How do you feel now about the music they contain? Have you any thoughts about compiling some of them into an official release? JJ - We had recorded some demos in the eighties......you know.... the ones done to fruitlessly send to record companies. Not great quality. We had then progressed to a vinyl minialbum to give us some 'credibility'. The master tape for this was lost. A French company ( I'm not sure if they are still in existence), cobbled together a release from these early cassette demos and a recorded tape made from playing the vinyl minialbum. Some nice wee melodic ideas are there but we certainly do not regard this as an official, sanctioned and authorised release. Still regard Disobey as our debut album and Fanfare & Fantasy as our second. PA - What is the future for the band? Can we look forward to a third album in say another two years? I would hope it would be sooner than that. I have gathered together a lot of material which will be the basis of the third album ,the centrepiece of which will be a very long epic track. It'll take a fair bit of working out and getting the band to work on it, but that's the best part of being in a band. Meanwhile we can't wait to get gigging and getting the word out about the new Fanfare & Fanfare album. The early reviews on Prog Archives have been better than we could ever have hoped and for that we are very grateful . PA - Many thanks for a very interesting and informative interview Jim, good luck with the fine new album! Photo collage created by Jim Johnston from photos taken by: - All photos of John (bass player) are by Sam Holt. - Black and White photos are by Steve Moffitt. - All other colour photos are Billy Hepburn/MusicPro (UK) Official website - http://comedyoferrors.org/ Interview by Bob McBeath (Easy livin), March 2013 Easy Livin2013-03-25 04:29:39

Distorted Harmony

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 16:21:44 EST

Interview made by aapatsos — .In our world, in order for one side to be successful, wealthy or even "at ease", there's always another "the other side", the one that suffers (hence the album's cover) - we wanted to represent it. So basically, we can't achieve it (Utopia), but if we just open our eyes a little, we might be able to make the other side suffer a little less. Yoav Efron on Utopia DISTORTED HARMONY from Israel made their statement in the progressive metal scene in 2012 with their debut album "Utopia". Yoav Efron (Keyboards, Composer and Founder), Yogev Gabay (Drums) and Guy Landau (Guitars) speak to Demetris Katsikis (Founder and Progducer of JustIn Case Radio) and myself about their plans for world domination in a breathtaking interview... This interview is meant to start in an unorthodox manner: how was the experience from the other night where your debut album "Utopia" was streaming in its entireness on JustIn Case Prog Radio? Have you done this before and would you do it again? Yoav: I'd like to thank you all for the amazing opportunity and support you've given us the other night (and ever since Utopia came out). We had a blast and although we've done this before, it's an exciting and fun experience each time we hear our album being played. Thank you so much for this! Yogev: Thanks for having us on the show and taking this interview, it means a lot! I absolutely loved that show! Apart from hearing our entire album online, the chat with you guys was great! Funny people you've got there Guy: Thank you for the great opportunity and support you've given us that night. It's always a great pleasure to know that people around the world hear your music. I'm always amazed how easily and quickly things can move fast in this generation with the Internet. It's exciting to seat on the computer and listen to your music streaming live on a radio in other country and chat with fans. I did it for the first time. Apart from radio shows and interviews, how satisfied are you with the publicity that DH and "Utopia" have received? Have you identified the routes to global domination? Yoav: We have indeed identified the routes. I can say that our next album will include subliminal messages as part of our "world domination plans" and that's all we can say about it at the moment. Seriously though, we're extremely satisfied and honored by all the amazing reviews, feedbacks and the support we're getting from audiences from all over the world, both professional and fans and we thank you all so much! Yogev: I have the global domination tutorial since I was a little boy so you can be sure we have that covered. As for the publicity, I'm very pleased with the amount of exposure we got - worldwide. Of course I want it to be bigger and wider and to get to new people around the world, but since our manager, Raya Kosovsky, took over the publicity side of stuff, I'm pretty sure that by next year there won't be a single kid without a DH shirt! Guy: I'm very satisfied. From the first moment "Utopia" went online, we got a lot of great comments, supports and solidarity. Our work is in processes. We are working on a new album, killer live concerts and of course- we have Raya our manager she's taking care of our publicity and progress to a global domination! We would be interested to hear about the popularity of progressive rock and metal music in Israel - is there fertile ground in your country for a progressive metal band to grow? (us bearing in mind there are a few Israeli bands in the scene, see ORPHANED LAND or CAPRICIA for example) Yoav: Professionally there are many interesting and unique Progressive bands here. The scene is indeed strong and we have so many talents waiting for their break. One of the people (whom I just spoke with by the way) responsible for keeping the Prog-Scene alive (and kicking) is our very own manager Raya Kosovsky, and that tracks back years before we even existed as a band. On a personal note, being a band, a working musician here in Israel is almost impossible, so no, the ground isn't fertile and you work extra hard to grow, but you have to keep at it, simply because you don't want to (or can't) do anything else but make music. Yogev: The music in Israel is very developed and diverse. Taking into consideration the fact that Israel is a small and young country, it's very plausible that the variety of styles will be very wide, due to all the different people who came here from all over the world. I think that the percentage of progressive metal fans in Israel is the same as the percentage of fans everywhere else. But, because we are a small country, the numbers are a lot smaller. Therefore, less people consume this kind of music. That been said, I don't think a progressive metal or rock band can exist by only playing here. Guy: Well, the progressive rock in Israel has a small scene. Israel is a small and young country and I believe progressive rock and especially progressive metal are relatively "new genres" for the Israeli crowd. However, the metal scene is pretty big but still not enough if a band wants to grow in Israel. You can see a band like Orphaned Land. There is no doubt they are the most successful metal band that ever came from Israel and build a huge circle of fans during the years. And yet, they are playing mostly outside of Israel. Bearing in mind you are a (fairly) new band, what would you suggest to an aspiring band that has just started in the scene? Yoav: Practice, practice, practice and then practice some more. Make an album, not a single, not a demo - an album. Try and do it as best as you can. Know there will be mistakes, it won't be exactly as you want it to be, but put every inch of your heart and soul into it - promote it, and practice. Aspire to be the best at what you do, realize it takes time and then practice some more. Embrace the fact that this will be your life, get hammered. then practice. Yogev: The obvious thing, which is probably the most important factor in my opinion, is definitely how you play, reflected by the amount of time you put into practicing. Practice as much as you can. But another issue I learned to be equally important is your visual show on stage. The way you look can make all the difference. I'm not talking about your physical appearance, clothes and stuff, but the way you "rock out" on stage and the amount of energy you project to your audience. Guy: Lots of practice and the inside connection of the band members. There will be always "ups and down" but the work takes time, especially in music. Are there specific goals that you have set as a group? E.g. touring around the world, big money, hall of fame, a discography that will be remembered in the ages, or just go with the flow? Is DH a full time job for the members of the band or more like a hobby? Yoav: I believe that when you start a band, when you have your first concert and when you release your first album, if you're proud of yourself as a band - the goals will come naturally, and they probably were always there. Instead of saying "our goal", I will say that, personally speaking, we plan on touring as much as we can, to become a consensus among music lovers and professionals. Try and bring something new and exciting with every new song/album. To have the best live show there is, to have enough money to keep making music and never stop. I can't say and be sure this will happen; I can only aspire to make it happen. But if I'm being completely honest, I wish that in 20 years we can all look back at what we've done and be f**king proud of ourselves, as friends (a band). Yogev: Music as an art speaks to the emotional side of people. I think that as a band, we want to get to as many people we can and affect people all over the world with our music. Of course growing up as a little metal head, touring the world is an old dream and I'd absolutely love to do it, hopefully soon! You asked about DH being a full time job. Well DH is not a full time job for me. I'm a full time student at Rimon Music School in Israel and I play in a couple of other bands. But yet, DH is my top priority right now. I also do recording sessions here and there. This is probably my biggest passion, recording. I absolutely love recording! Guy: I remember my Matriculation Exams in English at high school. One of the exercises there was a full conversion in English with a teacher. One of the questions the teacher asked me was "what are your dreams/goals?" I immediately said that one of my dreams is to be on the front of one of the famous Guitar magazines as "Guitar World" or ""Guitar Player". Well, the dream didn't come true yet! However, I did already get to be in a big magazine and hope it will not be the last. We got an article in the famous British magazine called "Prog". It's a big honor to be published with the band you love and believe in. DH is not yet a "full time job" for me but this is my aim. As a new band, things takes time and we just keep making music together and preforming. Why "Distorted Harmony"? Is it just a 'catchy' band title or does it represent something further for you?Yogev: I think I'll let Yoav answer that Yoav: Well, this is a little personal but I came up with the name something like 6-7 years as a name for my "studio" (there was no studio by the way). At the time I felt like it has a personal note in it, being that how I felt my life was - I was young. Before we released the album, I sat down with Yogev, who didn't really like the name at the time and we decided that we'll try and find another name for the band. I sent him 3-5 messages a day for a week with different names (some were very stupid). We didn't find anything we like, so we asked the band, and since they all liked Distorted Harmony, we decided to keep it. Guy: For me "Distorted Harmony" represents the multiple styles that every member gives to the band. I grew up on Jazz music and heavy stuff on the same time I think the music we play demonstrates our musical ambition and the places we all come from. How difficult was it for you to get the band together? Was there a selection process or a natural combination of interests? Yoav: It all started something like 3 years ago. I posted online that I'm looking for musicians for a Progressive Rock/Metal. I got a few responses, met with them and we decided to start working together. I remember someone recommended Yogev, unfortunately it took him two weeks to get back to me, by then I had already found a drummer. After a few months, the second drummer quit and I managed to contact Yogev again, this time he was available and we started working together. We then entered the studio to record a few demos (which will remain confidential for like. forever). The other two members quit and after a few busy months Yogev and I decided it's time to find new members and start working again. I posted that I'm looking for a Vocalist for the band and met Misha, Yogev brought Iggy and we both asked Guy, who was playing in another band with Misha at the time to join us - that's when "the real" Distorted Harmony was formed, somewhere in late 2010 I believe. There was no selection process, just a love for music. Yogev: DH started with Yoav alone. He started working on the music somewhere in 2006. After a while, he started to look for musicians to join him. I was in the army that time. After playing with a few drummers he contacted me, and I'm stuck with him since When I joined in, the band included another two guys, a guitar player and a bass player. That didn't work out, and there were just the two of us searching for band members again. Iggy, our beloved bass player, was in the army with me so I got him to come and try it out, and he definitely blew us away and ran through the "test" song embarrassingly fast. So he was in. Guy came from a band of close friends of ours. And he too, slid in like a glove. Misha came from that same band Guy was in and the search was over! And now we live happily ever after. Guy: I remember I've met Yoav for the first time and we had a great Chemistry together. He asked me if I want to join a heavy metal project - not Distorted Harmony. It was supposed to be another project, a heavy one, like the bands Soilwork or Death. I said yes. In the meanwhile I heard the demos of Distorted Harmony and I was fascinated! This was the project I've really wanted to join but at the time they had another guitar player. After few months, while playing with Yogev in a small Jazz Competition in our school, he approached and asked: "Say.. Would you like to come and play with Distorted Harmony?" I was like: "F**k yeah!" From that moment on we started to play/write together and it felt like a really natural combination. Composition and lyrics: a one-man job or a collaborative result? Which comes first? Yoav: The lyrics actually come last. There's no "one-man job" here, it's all collaborative. I bring the band the song, by then it will have the groove as I saw it while composing, the riffs, rhythm and key past and we'll call it a sketch. We'll then start rehearsing, playing and changing as we see fit, whether it'll be changing the drum parts, grooves and even the structure of the song. I'll take all that we've done and work on it at home, revising it and we'll keep at it until we're satisfied. By then I usually have a concept of the melody I want for the song, and that's when we start working on the lyrics. It'll usually be me and Misha, but as you can see, Utopia has many credits for the lyrics and we all give our input in making them fit the song the way we arranged it. Yogev: As I said before, most of the music was written by Yoav. When the band came together at this final form, we started working on his stuff with a goal of recording in mind. As the process progressed, we "adjusted" his parts, and song forms to sound as tight as we can with a big emphasis on creating a constant sound for the album. So you can basically say that "Utopia" is Yoav's music, bent, ripped apart, and organized back by all of us The lyrics for "Utopia" were written by a lot of people. Mostly by Yoav and Misha, Guy wrote one song - "Blue" and a few friends contributed lyrics as well. After the lyrics were done, Misha and Yoav sat down to write melodies that will suit the songs in the best way. I absolutely love the result. How each of you studies for his musical skills to be in shape? What are some of the techniques that you use?Yoav: I don't really know how to answer that question. For me, just playing the parts over and over again, finding the right "fingering" will be enough. I actually stopped practicing a few years ago switched my focus to production, but that's a completely different subject Yogev: I have a practice routine which I try to do every day. Coordination exercises, timekeeping stuff, a lot of "snare" technique reading material and lately I started to spend a big part of my practice time on playing straight ahead grooves. I'll put a Hip-Hop album on, Lauryn Hill, Eminem or Snoop-Dogg and just play it through, concentrating on the groove only. As less fills as I possibly can... Making the simplest grooves dance and sounding tight, is the most required skill for a drummer in my opinion. Guy: I have a practice routine on a lot of subjects. Listen to a lot of kinds of genres and I try my best to produce any style - from Jazz/Funk/Soul improvise to Folk Finger picking. I actually don't practice much on Speed today. I am emphasizing on sound, effects, Time, Harmony and writing. For DH I practice the songs over and over again and of course I need a really long warm up before a concert Some metal bands from Israel incorporate traditional ethnic elements in their music. Have you ever thought of doing this?Yoav: No. It's not part of my repertoire. I grew up listening to Jazz, Soul, Queen, Sting etc. I find no benefit in bringing some "Oriental" just because we come from "this part of the world", especially if I'm not accustomed to it, and don't really like it personally. Yogev: I think the ethnic side should come naturally. Israeli music is highly affected by ethnic music due to the cultures we're surrounded by. I think bands like Orphaned Land, who embraced the ethnic sound (in a great way) as one of their main directions, grew up listening and absorbing that kind of music. Therefore, it sounds very natural when they combine it in their songs. I think DH didn't go that way because it wasn't natural. DH is more western music based (Rock, Jazz and Pop). But hey, we're working on our 2nd album, who knows what will happen Guy: Not much. There are some great ethnic musicians in Israel but I've never connected to the genre much although I appreciate it. Talking about Israel, a lot of people tend to discuss the political situation - does this influence you in any way in your composition process? Yoav: I personally believe that the person makes the difference, not the lyrics to a song and although Utopia is basically a "Pacifistic" song, I don't want to involve politics and personal agendas in our music/lyrics. We make music, a universal language, why should I tame it with politics? If somebody would like to know my political views, that's a different story. Yogev: I don't think politics directly affect our writing. Also, I think it's a risky place to go to lyrics-wise because it's such a sensitive matter. You might ask yourself about the lyrics on the title track, Utopia, which are clearly about war. The main statement is against that. No side is taken into consideration. It's all about just stopping the unjustified hatred that surrounds us so much. Your debut came out as a digital download and CD, but self-released. Have you been approached by a label to release your second album? How are things progressing on this front? Yoav: That's a question for our manager. I can only say that we started working on our second album. Many exciting things, both musical and official, are happening as we speak and we can't wait to get into the studio and share our new music to the rest of the world, signed or unsigned. Yogev: I'm actually not quite sure about that. Raya, our manager takes care of the business end of things. All I know is that we are working hard on the new stuff and we will start sending demos to labels when we have a solid amount of material. Which 'Utopia' are you referring to and is there a concept behind the album? Yoav: Utopia is basically a non-existing place or concept by definition. Many of the songs speak about the things that are wrong in us as a society and/or individuals and I believe Utopia (the song) sums it all up. In our world, in order for one side to be successful, wealthy or even "at ease", there's always another "the other side", the one that suffers (hence the album's cover) - we wanted to represent it. So basically, we can't achieve it (Utopia), but if we just open our eyes a little, we might be able to make the other side suffer a little less. Yogev: No, this album is not a concept album. When we sat down to discuss the album title, I think it was Yoav who said he wants one of the songs to be the title for the album. After he said that, it was quite obvious that "Utopia" will get the gig How would you characterize the DH sound to a first-time listener (with or without tags)? Is it progressive metal with a wider sense? Yoav: Although you can't deny that "Utopia" is a Progressive Metal album, influenced by the likes of Dream Theater and Symphony X, we're very diverse in our musical background and we all bring the music we like when arranging a new song. We're trying to get as far as we can from the traditional progressive-metal sound (while staying true to its roots as much as we can - and want) simply because there's so much we love to play and listen to. We referenced Opeth, Porcupine Tree and Muse as our inspirations, but the fact is that they're only a few of the bands that might help describe our sound. On that note - you'll definitely be able to hear and feel it in the next album. Yogev: Tough question. It is progressive metal by definition; Long songs, big arrangements, a lot of solos and unisons, big guitar sound, rapid time signature changes etc. But, we are influenced by so many genres like jazz, pop and electronic stuff that you can hear a new blend of sounds in our album. Most of the melodies are very "pop" like, very catchy, you'll fill tones of jazz harmony segments and stuff like that. I'd like to think we take the best of each world. So if a melody we write sticks to your head after one listen, we did our job Plus, we have a lot of fans who don't listen to prog or metal usually so I guess we're on the right track. Guy: With tags I believe that a first time listener will say that we have the Dream Theater "Color". DT is one of the modern progressive bands that really created a new access to the genre. In Distorted Harmony, considering the diverse tastes of music every member brings, I feel that there is something different in the sound and the color. It's still a progressive music ,Rock/Metal but we absolutely don't want to sound like a specific band but to take our influences and make a new "picture". Following from the above, we would like to hear your personal views on what progressive music signifies for you and how you see the future of the movement. Yoav: To be honest, I grew up listening to King Crimson, Genesis, Jethro Tull etc. But that's where I stopped. I was (and still am) a huge fan of Dream Theater and Symphony X but now I find myself listening (when it comes to Progressive) to bands like Porcupine Tree, Opeth, Meshuggah (they are progressive!) and just recently discovered Anathema. The reason I think I keep listening to those 3-4 progressive bands is because each as defined their own sound, brought a new and unique dimension to the Progressive Music world (and archives) and I wish (for my band of course as well) we will start hearing new (and even adventurous) sounds in the Progressive music scene. I think what makes this genre unique is the "ability" to say - "f**k you all, I'll do it because I like it and I can" and frankly, I'm tired of hearing "another" grinding/shredding guitar solo, a worn out unison or the same 7/8 groove. We have so much "to take" from all the new and exciting genres out there, and I wish I could hear that more in the Progressive music scene. Yogev: I personally see prog metal and prog in general as a stage to express whatever you want, in any way you like. It feels like you have no boundaries in this genre. Sadly, most of the prog metal bands take this fact and abuse it so much that you can't find the song itself behind the whole mess. That is the reason I hardly even listen to this kind of music any more. It's all so messy and so loaded with information that I just can't enjoy it like I used to. I feel that prog players prefer to have a complex or technical part over a part that serves the song best. That's where they lose my attention usually. In DH, we put the song writing, fluidity, and overall sound in the highest priority. That's why I like our album so much. Guy: When it comes to Progressive rock and metal I grew up listening to Dream Theater, Pink Floyd, Yes, Symphony X, King Crimson, Genesis, Jethro Tull, etc. The uniqueness of the bands is the songs. Most of the time progressive composition has long instrumental parts and solos. Every member has a place to express his ability sound and feelings. I'm not that familiar with the modern progressive bands and music. When I hear progressive bands today, most of the time, things sound really great, the production and the playing is amazing. But I sometimes think bands give a lot of attention to the instrumental parts and solos and not to the singer and the melody. Sometimes the only thing you need is a song and a melody that will "catch" listener ears. What music do you listen to this period? What are your musical inspirations? Yoav: When it comes to metal I'm stuck listening to Meshuggah and just Meshuggah. They're absolutely amazing and I'm learning and gaining so much from listening to them, not to mention the pure joy of listening to amazing and complex heavy music. My favorite band would be Muse and I also started really digging into Radiohead recently so I can definitely say they're both a big inspiration to me. Beside my love and admiration (that's all I heard as a teenager) for Jazz which I try and get as many as I can and incorporate it in my writings, I also started listening to the Foo Fighters, loving and taking as much as I can from their awesome song-writing and there will always be Queen. Yogev: The music I grew up on is quite different than the stuff I like listening to now. I grew up listening to old rock groups. A lot of Deep Purple, Dio, Queen, Rainbow, Pink Floyd, led Zeppelin, Kansas, Yes, King Crimson and stuff like that. Later on I got into the heavier stuff like Metallica, Pantera, Slayer. Today, my musical taste took a detour to all the non-metal stuff out there. A lot of modern Jazz, Funk, Soul, R&B and Motown all the way to Hip Hop, breakbeat and electronic stuff. The only metal survivors in my playlist are Opeth, Porcupine tree, Lamb of God and Meshuggah. A lot of Meshuggah. Other Djent bands are in there somewhere, bands like Periphery and Animals As Leaders. Guy: Today I try to a listen to and learn every kind of genre in music. It starts from classical music, Jazz (modern and hard bop, Aaron Parks ,Joshua Redman etc..), every kind of rock and metal music during the years, Folk, Indie etc.. I listen today mainly to Alternative / indie music. That sounds very general to say it because there are a lot of "genres" inside the alternative idea... I listen to bands like: Arcade Fire, Radiohead, Foals, Fleet Foxes , Bon Iver, Other Lives, Sigur Ros, Biffy Clyro, Muse, Jeff Buckley etc.. Do you find time for other musical collaborations beyond DH? Yoav: As a musician, I think it's wrong to do just one thing, playing one specific genre and style, a single band, just one project etc. I think it's our nature to expand and explore as much as we can (physically and mentally). Speaking for myself, I divide my time by writing/composing for DH, composing and doing sound designs for commercials and promotional videos and promoting and improving as a record producer (which is basically the thing I love doing most). Yogev: Of course. I play in a few bands other than DH and I play in projects and recording sessions here and there. I'm actually a part of a Jazz group in my school which is going to play in a 3 week tour across the east side of the U.S in a few big Jazz festivals! Guy: Sure, I play in another Israeli Rock band with our singer Misha. I have other projects with different people, different genres - Electronic and Folk. I also compose arrange and produce with other musicians. I think it's a great thing to have different projects and to play with different people. It opens your mind to new things and eventually gives you your own unique sound. We tend to forget about ladies when talking about progressive metal; have you ever thought to include female vocals into your music? Yoav: Frankly? No. If we will find it fits a song as a backing track we might. I actually prefer Misha's falsetto. Yogev: I don't' think we ever considered that. First of all we have Misha, so fortunately we don't need to think about it In my opinion a man's voice is a lot more soothing to this genre. I don't know why, but female singers just don't sound right to me in the confines of this genre. The problem is probably with me, but it just doesn't sound coherent. Sadly, it's still a huge boy's club. Guy: Not much. I never liked that much progressive rock bands with female vocals. It's not really my style. I love Misha's voice and I think he gives something different to the genre. What's your personal philosophy in life? How do you cope with barriers? And, simultaneously, how do you build your strengths? Yoav: Vodka? Yogev: Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains. Guy: "Take your time to think, but when the time to act arrives, stop thinking and start working." Napoleon Bonaparte I take this sentence as an example to music and creation. Most of the time musicians today can be stuck with a great music in their drawer or their hard drive. It's hard to take an act and just spread your music. Every musician is wondering if his creation is the best thing for himself at this moment. Musician just needs to make and keep on the hard work. How were the live experiences you already had with DH? What are the reactions of the people who come to your live shows? Yoav: One thing I love about us is that we bring the rehearsal to the stage. We have so much fun and energy and that's exactly what we hear after the show. With every show we see more fans, young and "old" alike and we get such amazing support from our fans that it just makes us want to perform more and more. We will start working on a "show" pretty soon and we hope to bring all of our love for music, playing and performing, our love for one another plus some Rock'n'Roll to the show. Yogev: The shows we had, all of them, got excellent reviews and they were a lot of fun! But the last show at the "Barby" was absolutely outstanding. We played "Utopia" top to bottom, we played our new song "Misguided" and we pulled off a very cool Muse cover. The amount of energy that night was unbelievable. Best show I had! Guy: We had great reviews for our live shows. It's really important for me to feel comfortable on stage and have fun! We have a killer show in our concerts and the crowd dance and sing the songs with us and have a lot of fun. Are there upcoming shows outside Israel that we should know about? Yoav: In the works. We are working on it. What are your immediate plans for the future? Yoav: We started working on our new album - that's probably the most exciting thing for me, but another very important thing we do is trying to get to as many people we can with Utopia and eventually get the support from labels etc. It's all happening as we speak and it's very exciting. Yogev: New stuff sounds great! Guy: It's killer stuff A message from your part for the readers of Progarchives is. Yoav: Given I just recently discovered Progarchives, I believe our manager Raya, being an active member for many years will have much more to say to the community. I will just say that it doesn't matter what type of music it is, seeing such passion and love for music is just heartwarming. I would like to thank you personally for your support, love and appreciation for what we do. Seeing how much we care and love the music we do, accepting and embracing it. You guys rock! Yogev: Just big huge thanks for all your support with Utopia! You guys are the best! Guy: Thank you all for your supports and love for our music! Anything that you might want to add? Yoav: This is probably the most thorough interview I've ever done and I would like to thank you for this wonderful opportunity. Thank you so much for supporting us, but basically - thank you for loving what we do! Yoav. Yogev: Just want to let you know how excited I am that people react and like our music. No bigger pleasure in the whole world! Yogev Guy: Thank you for the great opportunity. It's an amazing thing to know that people around the world love and support what we do! Thank you! Peace, Guy L@ndau Distorted Harmony official page - www.distortedharmony.com Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/distortedharmony Bandcamp - http://distortedharm0ny.bandcamp.com/ Distorted Harmony on Progarchives - http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=7439 aapatsos2013-03-17 06:01:00

Fabio Zuffanti

Mon, 4 Mar 2013 16:11:23 EST

Interview made by psarros — The ultimate Italian mastermind of contemporary Italian Prog hits the door of Progarchives and Justincaseradio.com for a deep interview about his legendary past, his even more creative present and his promising future. Well, Fabio, thanks a lot for your participation in this interview! It's our honor to host your point-of-view in our radio (www.justincaseradio.com)!The honour is mine, thanks very much! Hello Fabio! Where are you now? Where this interview finds you exactly?!I'm in my home-studio in Genoa, where I have all the equipment essential to the composition. It 'a small room but there are all the things that can be useful; an iMac, two guitars, a bass and a keyboard. According to our info you are a multi-instrumentalist and a composer. Tell us some things about your career history concerning the above roles. How did you decide to become a bassist? Have you made any studies?I was born in 1968 and I started to play the guitar in 1981, at the age of 13, because my father and my major brother played it. My brother also played bass guitar so in our house there was an acoustic guitar and an electric bass and I learned to play first the guitar and then the bass. My brother was the strongest influence for me when I was a child because he listened lots of music, had a great stereo hi-fi and a lots of records (vinyl) and books. In the middle of the '70's, when I was a little child, for me his room was a sort of "room of dreams". The music he listened, the covers of the albums (I remember very well the covers of "In the wake of Poseidon", "Nursery cryme" or "The end of an ear") was something magic and full of fascinating. A lot of my musical inspiration starts from these days. What are your influences as a musician and as an artist? Influences that you have as role models in your life.When I started to listen music for my own, in 1980-1982, there was a lot of new wave groups. So I discovered bands like Simple Minds, Ultravox, U2, Cure, etc... that I liked very much. Then I also re-discovered prog music without the aid of my brother and still today I remember very well the night in 1981 when I listened for the first time an old album of Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso ("Banco", 1975). It was a great moment for me. Finally I re-discovered the magic sound of when I was a little child. From that moment prog music became a strong part of my life, not forgetting also the other music that I've listened. Prog, new wave, experimental, Italian songwriting, electronic, folk all together formed my musical tastes. In your great number of albums you started with a classic Italian Prog style, but as time unfolded one can find also elements from Folk, World Music, Ambient, Electronic Music and other styles. Did you want to create such ambitious works already from your starting point of your career or was it something that surfaced through the sands of time?Me and musicians with which I played we've always had wide musical influences. Finisterre, the group with which I started my musical career, was composed of musicians very open and interested in many different musical styles. In fact, in our albums there's a lot of symphonic progressive but also electronic music, folk, jazz, experimental, minimalism, pop and much more. I think that this very eclectic attitude had distinguished us from the "classic" prog bands and with all my other projects I did nothing but develop this attitude. After almost two decades of recording, producing albums and playing live, actually how do you handle time with so many different projects? And how do you choose your priorities?I dedicate the right time to each project and I try not to cross things. Right now for example I'm working on the promotion of the new album of Maschera Di Cera that comes out in these days. At the same time, in my spare time, I'm composing new H�stsonaten. However, when the album of MDC will be out and we starts concerts I will be 100% committed to the group. Once this is done then I will concentrate on other projects. Until now I was able to handle the work in this way and I hope to continue in the future. You already have a prolific career with numerous musical initiations and collaborations such as Aries, Finisterre, H�stsonaten, laZona, La Maschera Di Cera, Quadraphonic, Rohmer, R.u.g.h.e., L'Ombra Della Sera between others (we kindly require to provide them for us!). What's the source of all this creativity force? And, how do you choose the musical identity-direction of every new project from your part?Everything comes from the variety of my musical influences and my desire to measure myself always in new musical challenges. For example, if I listen to an album of electronic music that I really like I ask myself "What could be if I'd do it ?". So I start to compose and experiment to see what I can do with these different musical styles. Thus were born the album of groups as R.U.G.H.E. (industrial music), laZona (post-rock), Quadraphonic (avant-garde) and many others. With the classic prog instead I go on the safe side; it is the music that I know best and love most and then I know how to compose it, although I always enjoy include elements that can make a distinctive and original piece. I think "Rainsuite" from "Winterthrough" (2008) is one of your musical apogees! Especially to me, when I listen to this suite, I always say to myself "This is one of the reasons why I like progressive rock so much". Give us some details about this song, that is, inspiration, composition, recording, emotions, and thoughts from your part, from the part of the listeners etc.Thanks very much, also I think that "Rainsuite" is one of my top as a composer. All has begun with the composition of one of its section ("New year's theme") the night of New Year 2000 at the piano in England. From this little piece the whole suite has evolved in the following years, piece after piece. I like particularly the section "Winter's end", I think is one of the strongest melodies I've ever wrote. Also, with HOSTSONATEN you released four albums in a row inspired by the four seasons of the year. Was that a VIVALDI inspiration or something else?No, Vivaldi has nothing to do. I simply wanted to describe some particular human feelings at the changing of the seasons. Joy, melancholy, sadness, solitude, euphoria, etc... Vivaldi was more focused on nature, me on man. We think "Winterthrough" and "Autumn Symphony" are some of the most magic moments for HOSTSONATEN, without underrating the other two "seasonal" albums? Which one(s) do you prefer? And, in general, what are your faves from your entire musical career?Very difficult answer. I am very proud of the "Springsong" album because is the first of the Seasoncycle Suite (but at the same time the last part) and offers a great final to all the suite. I love very much its feeling of re-birth. About other albums, I am very fond of the first Maschera Di Cera album. Also, tell us about your collaboration with Tommaso Labranca and the project where you supplied music to spoken words. How is it going and what's the purpose of this project?It's essentially electronic/ambient music, sometimes instrumental versions of some songs from my first two solo albums where Tommaso is reading lyrics taken from his books. Me and Tommaso have made two of this readings in 2008 and 2010 but unfortunately we never recorded a cd together. We also think that "The rime of the ancient mariner-Chapter One" was one of the most musically interesting albums of 2012. Many times was featured in JustIn Case Prog Radio's TOP-10 for this year. Is there something special with this album? How many chapters will follow?The entire poem is made by seven parts. On the "The rime of the ancient mariner - Chapter one" I've put in music the first four parts, in the next chapter I'll put in music the following three. We think one of your major musical points is your first official personal release titled "Merlin - The Rock Opera" (2000). We believe this is one of the best rock operas ever written. Every note is so well placed and played that every magic of what (we think) you wanted to give is absolutely listenable. An what a great set of collaborators! How did you come up with those ideas and how did you end up making that record?Thanks very much, I'm pleased that you've liked it so much. In 1998 me and the lyricist Victoria Heward made a trip in Britanny and Victoria started to read a book called "Merlin, priest of nature" where the famous magician was described as a man instead that a fantasy-figure. A man with his troubles and the relationship with his wife, his sisters, King Arthur, Vivian, the fear of his magic power, etc... From this Victoria started to write the lyrics of the opera and then I've wrote the music. It was very stimulating and I'm very happy with it. Why did you take some years to return with another personal album ("Pioggia e luce" EP, 2007) after "Merlin" album? Was it a matter of lack of free time because of other musical collaborations or/and because of other matters?I don't consider "Merlin" as a solo album because it was done with Victoria Heward. We wanted to create a rock opera without a name of a band or other, simply Zuffanti & Heward. Just like "Jesus Christ Superstar" that is signed by Webber & Rice. My first solo album was "Fabio Zuffanti" (2009) and before I've made this EP called "Pioggia e Luce". So, I consider my solo career starts from "Pioggia e Luce". It took a bit 'of years before I had the courage to come out with a real solo album under my name, after many projects directed by me such as H�stsonaten. When the time has come I've decided to come out with a REAL solo album. Produced, performed and wrote entirely by me. I was thinking of a very delicate and intimate music. So I did "Pioggia e luce" and then "Fabio Zuffanti" (2009) and "Ghiaccio" (2010). A mix between songwriter, electronica, and a little touch of prog rock. What about the "La foce del ladrone" (2011) album? Is it more crossover (between pop and prog) or not?After the EP and the first two albums I wanted to go in an another musical direction, less intimate and electronics. So I started to wrote songs in a more pop direction. In reality I wanted to put together all my prog influences with pop music and see what came out. The result is "La foce del ladrone", an album that I love much because I've put in it all my musical influences without barriers. It's a sort of summary of my work with prog music and other styles. Why did you choose your name as a title for your 2009 studio album? We don't know but the basics of Italian language so the lyrics are not fully translated to us!As I said it was a very intimate album. It tells about my life without masking anything, all in a very direct way. I choose to title it with my name as to say "That's me!" What's your personal philosophy in life? How do you cope with barriers? And, simultaneously, how do you build your strengths?Ten years ago I've left my work, deciding to dedicate all my time at the music and become a professional composer/musician. In this ten years I've not become rich but I discovered the great pleasure to do the thing I wanted more in life. This is my strength. Many sacrifices has been done and I know very well that many other will have to be done but this is the life I want more of all. Is there any specific compositional approach from your part you follow through from a musical point-of-view? Also, what are the moments that you mainly compose your musical parts?I'm a self-taught musician so the only approach I follow is my instinct. Usually, I feel that is the time to compose music so I sit on a chair with a guitar (or the piano) and a computer and record musical ideas and melodies. From that I create home-made demos and later I give them to the other musicians and togheter we study how the song has to be. How do you approach the creation process of a concept album? What concepts do you stick with usually?Usually from book, movies or life experience. I like very much to create concept albums from books and give music to something that originally doesn't have it. What would you suggest to someone who desires to play some prog rock out there?Make music with passion, don't expect to became rich and famous and try to put in music something that could touch the heart of the listeners, not only technical exhibition. Do you prefer writing lyrics, making some instrumental music or both? Concerning lyrics, what are your favorite issues?The thing I love most is to write melodies. I'm always in search of the right tune that can touch my soul and the one of the listeners. Sometimes I like to hear these melodies done with a voice, sometimes with instruments. For example I love very much the oboe and flute and in "Autumn symphony" and "Summereve" I think there are very good melodies made with these instruments. And the vocal parts on "The rime...", maybe the strongest I've ever wrote. About the lyrics, I think I've wrote my best words in my solo albums. As I said, these albums are very intimate and every word tells about my life in a very deep way. How are the live experiences you already have? What are the reactions of the people who come to your live shows?I love to play live but often in Italy people are very cold and rigid and I would like that they could communicate most to us on stage their passion while they listen to our music. But this happen very rarely. Abroad, the situation is very different; when I played in Belgium, France, USA, Mexico, Portugal, etc...the crowd was very hot and it was a pleasure to play for these people. I think that the musician on the stage can communicate to the listeners a great passion but only when the listeners returns this passion with their appreciation, then this is the perfect concert! What is prog rock for you? And prog music in general, anyway? We think this is a concept and not a genre, as many believe.Yes, absolutely. Prog for me is not a specific genre but a union of styles. I love when musicians try to break the barriers and put together different things to create a music that is the result of this union. In progressive rock I find epic, delicate, hard and surreal moments. And the perfect mix of all these elements make prog rock the most perfect music, for me. The thing I don't like is that kind of prog influenced by metal and AOR because this kind of music has lost its magic and has become only a gym for virtuosism. Also, what do you think about the future of prog rock and prog music in general? Are there any ways for the betterment of its promotion through the net and other means?I'd love if prog rock one day could become a "popular" style because I think that listen to prog music can make a transformation in the listeners. It's a very deep music and if you listen to it carefully, it can open your mind and this open mind can be very useful in all days life. I strongly believe in the power of music for the changes of the people, prog music in particular. It will not be simple that this kind of music can reach the ears of many people in the future because all radio and TV stations are full of terrible pop music but I'm optimist and I think that if prog music doesn't reach people, people can reach prog music. In these days we need a music like this to go away from all the plastic that surround us. What music do you listen to this period? What are your musical inspirations too?As always, I listen to different styles of music. In this particular period in my iPod there are some jazz (Migus, Roach, Evans), prog rock (Niemen, Quinteto 1111, Sintesis, Taurus, Banco, Dezo Usrsiny, Steven Wilson), ambient music (William Basisnsky), pop (Muse), Brazilian music (Milton Nascimiento). RPI (Rock Progressivo Italiano) is one of the major musical forces since four decades. We assure you that it's almost completely unknown in Greece (we and some other "researchers of the music" guys are exceptions, we bet on that!). Why is that?I don't know and that is very strange because I think that RPI is the most famous style of prog after the one from UK and USA. Greece and Italy culture are similar in many ways so this is very strange. Maybe in the past italian records could not reach Greece and so the listeners simply don't know their existence. I hope that in the future Greek listeners could have the chance to listen to our music. RPI has also a distinct sound that triggers many people's ears when they here it: All this mellow sounds intermingled with some of the best dark or/and obscure passages and soli and all the Italian tradition of classical and neo-classical musical tradition of the past, this is awesome! We think this is more than that of course! But, do you think this is a trademark sound? And, what's the difference between Italian sound and other trademark sounds we acknowledge such as the British, the Polish, the Swedish prog etc.?I think that RPI has a real trademark sound because it has been very influenced by classical musical and opera. Maybe English band such as Genesis, KC or Yes were more influenced by folk, jazz, contemporary but the large Italian tradition with opera has given birth to bands like Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso (for me the best of all in RPI) that put an originality in its music that you can't hear in other bands. The progarchives.com platform labels Fabio Zuffanti under the Crossover Prog genre and the majority of your collaborations under the RPI genre. It's easy to make such simplistic descriptions, but we will leave it up to you to describe your music to someone who's never heard of your music.The page on Progarchives dedicated to Fabio Zuffanti is refered to my solo albums that are really a sort of mix between prog and many other things. But maybe all my musical carreer, all the albums I did and all my projects could be catalogued as "Crossover prog" because I think I've explored many kind of doing prog music. So "Crossover prog" could be a good description to what I do. Is there any possibility to record with a major symphonic orchestra (in case we don't know this is the case till today!)? What about a live DVD with a symphony orchestra with some of your solo or/and project works in the future?This is one of my dreams and to tell you the truth I'm planning to do a live show with orchestra and record a live CD/DVD with H�stsonaten's four seasons (not all the 4 cd in its entirely but a selection of the major themes). This for now is just a dream but I will work hard for transform it in reality. Tell us about any upcoming albums and collaborations. There is a rumor that Finisterre, your first ever project, are coming back after so many years with a fresh new album on Mellow Records. Also, which are some of your plans for the future?Finisterre has been reformed two years ago after a long pause and we did some gigs with great success but for now the band didn't have still the occasion to sit all together and think seriously about doing new things. All of us have different lifes and projects so it's not very simple to find the right time to think about a new album. Finisterre is a band that work very slowly so we have to find the right time. We'll see... About new plans, during this year I hope to make a lot of concerts with Maschera Di Cera (of whom is just out the new album). Apart from this, during May will come out the H�stsonaten "The rime..." DVD+CD live in theatre, Will record the second chapter of "The rime ..." and put on a new project.. We are really curious if you get any feedback from Greek listeners regarding your works. And actually, is there any possibility for a prog fan here to see any of Fabio Zuffanti's projects playing live in Greece? Greece is not a prog music paradise, so actually what should a Greek organizer do so that Fabio Zuffanti could ground in Greece for a live performance? [Maybe JustIn Case Prog Radio could mediate about that! It's in our future plans, actually!)]A message from your part for the listeners of JustIn Case Prog Radio and all the prog'n'rollers out there is.To tell you the truth I didn't received much feedback from Greece in these years but your country have always fascinated me and I've never visited it. So for me it would be a dream visit and play in it. If you can give us a hand to make this dream real just tell me and we'll organize! Anything that you might add?I think that this interview offers a great excursus in all my career with very stimulating questions, so, I think to have said all. The only thing I want to add is: I hope very much to meet you all in Greece soon! psarros2013-03-04 16:16:03

Wintersun

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 02:24:53 EST

Interview made by Conor Fynes — Wintersun has had a pretty strange and special career. After a particularly excellent debut, they went all but silent on the recording end, to the point where the much long-awaited sequel "Time" had earned a place somewhere in between a modern legend and inside joke among metal fans. Finally seeing a release last year, "Time I" was one of my favourite records of 2012, although there were clearly some who didn't share the same enthusiasm. Seeing the band live with Eluveitie was one of the most exciting shows I've been to in recent memory, and with the release of "Time II" somewhere on the horizon, I had quite a few questions to ask. A big thank you to Jari M�enp�� for taking the time to answer! How's this recent tour been? Any interesting stories, particularly good shows? It's been a really great tour for us. The fans really overwhelmed us. We didn�t have much expectations, �cause it�s our first tour in the US and Canada, but from all the fan mails and Facebook comments we had a hunch it could be amazing and it sure has been. People have been waiting for a long time for us to come here, so finally we could make it happen. LA, Montreal and Quebec was particularly special, nice big venues, sold out shows and crazy audiences. We loved it! In a few words, describe your goal and aim with Wintersun. The words 'epic' and 'progressive' certainly come to mind when listening! For me it probably would be to make the perfect album whatever style that may be. I don�t like to limit myself and Wintersun into any particular style or genre. If our next album doesn�t sound anything like "Wintersun", but as long as it kicks ass, then great! I want Wintersun to be really diverse and be able to do anything. Also we want to grow as musicians and live performers and make really special shows. Maybe someday with a live orchestra even and shoot a DVD while where at it. When did you first pick up music? What were some of your musical influences growing up? There were always music around me when I was a kid. My parents listen to Elvis and Finnish schlager artists. My father also was a musician, he sang and played guitar, so I guess I�m following his footsteps. But I wasn�t that interested playing music, until I was 14 and my friend got a guitar and he was showing me these Metallica riffs. I just loved how the guitar sounded, especially the heavy crunchy tones. My dad had build me a guitar few years before, so I picked that up and started learning and I pretty much knew immediately that this is what I want to do. Suffice to say, "Time I" has received some pretty huge acclaim since it came out. What do you think of the way it's been received by the metal community? Mostly it has been a huge success and all the comments have been very positive. Of course there�s been few criticisms about the album length and the material being too different than the debut, but that was expected. All I have to say is that there are shorter albums with less instruments and tracks and there�s never going to be another debut album. So all in all we are very happy with how people have received the album! What went into the process of writing "Time"? To my ears, it seems much more orchestration-oriented and less riff-oriented than the debut. Yeah, that was the direction from the start. The truth is I�m a bit fallen out of love of the guitar. Maybe because I don�t have an amp at home and even if I did, I couldn�t crank it because of the neighbors. And there just isn�t that much feeling playing modelling amps with headphones. I�ve actually played the electric guitar in my home acoustically now for many years hahaha! And getting a great guitar tone is really hard without the proper studio environment. I would need my own studio to spend few months to search for that ultimate tone! So I guess my writing and arrangement interests have changed bit towards to the orchestral and synthetic instruments, �cause I mainly compose and work with a computer at home, so the computer is almost like an new instrument for me. Also I wanted to put more focus on the vocals and the songs, rather than guitar riffs, but of course there are still very recognizable "Wintersun riffs" on the TIME albums. What was the most difficult part of recording "Time"? I hear you ran into some problems along the way. Definitely making the orchestrations. I didn�t have the resources to get a big computer farm which I needed to work fast with the orchestrations. I only had one computer so I had to use lot of time consuming and frustrating workarounds. There were also lot of technical problems along the way, battling with unstable software, lot of hardware breaking and so on... All that caused me also lot of stress which slowed my working rhythm as well. Also producing all the acoustic guitars, vocals and everything else was really hard without a proper studio. So it was just huge struggle. Especially given how good "Time I" was, I'm really looking forward to hearing what Time II will sound like. How do you think "Time II" compares to the first? What can fans expect? It will be equally as epic and massive, if not even more and I�m aiming to upgrade the production to make it sound even bigger. There�s gonna some "fast stuff" and shredding (7 guitar solos), so all those metal heads and guitar w**kers that have been asking for those are going to be pleased. The songs are very individual and different from each other, there�s a big contrast within the songs and I�m sure some of the stuff will be a huge surprise to many people. Looking back on the debut, how do you think it holds up now that it's even more ambitious sequel has been released? I think it�s a good album and songs are great. Just the whole production is a bit demo like, unfinished and raw. It�s much more simple effort. Nothing wrong with that of course, but the debut and TIME I are different animals. You can�t really compare the two. What advice or words of wisdom would you give to aspiring metal musicians? Have a clear vision what you want to do and what kind of music / albums you want to make. Be original! If you don�t have the vision, just use your imagination and then do whatever it takes to reach that vision. Use your ears, what sounds good and what doesn�t. Find and surround yourself with great people that you can trust, �cause it will be million times harder to do everything alone. I noticed you were playing a RGD Ibanez, what do you think of the 26.5 baritone scale? I love it! Ibanez gave me this prototype RGD and it�s the heaviest sounding guitar I�ve ever heard! It�s the best sounding guitar (for heavy tones) of all mine and Teemu�s guitars. The longer 26.5 isn�t really a baritone scale, it�s like between baritone and standard. You can definitely feel it at first, but after a while you get used to it and a normal scale feels bit like a toy guitar. :) It�s really great if you love the lower tunings, but don�t like 7 or 8-strings like me. It�s not the ultimate shredding guitar, but you can definitely do some shredding and sweeping with it. Any tips for other guitarists specifically? Just start slow doing exercises and do many many repeats and then raise the tempo. Be patient! Again use your ears what sounds good and what doesn�t. If you don�t use your ears, your playing will be sloppy. Enjoy what you are doing. If it�s not fun, then don�t bother. It�s like when some people enjoy going to the gym and torturing themselves, but still enjoying it, it�s the same thing learning guitar. It sometimes can be hard, but when you nail a new technique or a new riff, it�s a great feeling! And the best feeling is of course when you create something with your instrument! What's a typical day in the life like for a member of Wintersun? For me it changes a lot and I live in different life periods. I have the album making and mixing period, then playing live period. Mixing period is something like I wake up, eat, mix, eat, mix, eat, mix, watch TV and sleep and repeat that for many months. :) Live, Wintersun currently uses a backing track to bring forth the 'symphonic' elements of your sound. Do you have any eventual plans to incorporate a keyboardist into the band, or even make use of a symphonic orchestra in live performance or otherwise? We�re not looking for a keyboard player, but there's been talk that maybe someday it would be a possibility to do a show with a real orchestra. We'll have to see if we can make it happen at some point. It would be useless to have a keyboardist on the stage with us, �cause there�s not really any specific keyboard leads or anything. The orchestras and synths I create are mostly just a huge wall of sound that creates this big universe around are basic instruments. Even 10 keyboardists wouldn�t be able to play all that, but hopefully we can do that live orchestra thing one day, would definitely be interesting to see how it would sound. Favourite beers? Favourite cheeseburgers? I like Sol and Finnish beer Lapin Kulta (means Lapland�s Gold). I try to stay away from burgers, especially McDonalds and other similar places, but yeah, gotta still love cheeseburgers! What have you been listening to lately? Any favourite albums of 2012? Swedish pop, Agnes and Loreen. Final words for the metal community? Don�t stay metal!!! Hahaha! Cheers from Vancouver- it was great seeing you guys live! -Conor Thanks! Vancouver was awesome for us! - Jari Conor Fynes2013-01-27 02:28:52

Aeon Zen

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 01:56:04 EST

Interview made by Conor Fynes — For the longest time, I had thought the creative zest that first fuelled progressive metal had died. In recent years however, there has been a resurgence of bands that have been doing well to revive my spirits. Particularly from the UK, progressive metal has been getting an exciting makeover. Joining the ranks of other innovative UK prog metal acts like Haken, To-Mera, Threshold and TesseracT, Aeon Zen are putting their own, eclectic spin on progressive metal. Their latest album "Enigma" is a fantastic start to 2013, and promises even greater things from this relatively young band in the future. Hails to band mastermind Rich Hinks for taking the time to respond to these questions! What's the significance behind the name Aeon Zen? It really seems to work with the progressive metal aesthetic. That's exactly what I was hoping for, a band name that effectively sums up our musical style, but while still sounding interesting. It also ties in well with the title of our new album "Enigma", as the band name itself is fairly enigmatic! But the meaning behind it was to convey an eternal state of bliss, which our music hopefully comes some way to achieving. It also eludes to the fact that Aeon Zen's music, and my writing style, encompasses many different genres and facets of rock and metal, thereby covering the A to Z of styles. What was behind the formation of Aeon Zen? It was initially after having played in several bands prior to Aeon Zen where things gradually fell apart and not having any real focus, so I decided to create my own musical project where I could write whatever music I wanted and decide for myself where to set the bar musically. This of course led to forming a full band to enable us to play live, which has grown and grown after the last few years to where we are today. Although the 'melodic progressive metal' style has been done to death and beyond in my opinion, your style is fresh in the sense that you know when to kick up the pace and aggression. I'm hearing Gojira as much as I'm hearing Dream Theater. How might you describe your style and objective; is there a conscious directive here to eschew or innovate the typical prog metal sound? I always have ideas of how to do things a bit differently from other bands, and to mix lots of different styles, but always in a way that fits the song and album. I find that my musical tastes are generally too broad to simply stick with the "melodic progressive metal" label, and while I do enjoy writing music in that style, I could never confine myself simply to that. For example, on our new album "Enigma", we have one track that has a melodic, atmospheric, perhaps classic progressive metal sound to it, followed immediately by a much heavier, faster paced, almost technical death metal song, which in turn is followed by a piano, saxophone and vocal ballad. This might sound somewhat disjointed on paper, but I put great care into ensuring that all the music flows, and I think you really do have to hear it to appreciate that. What's the creative process for Aeon Zen? Given the eclectic approach, I imagine it's something of a collaborative approach. Far from it! I write all the music myself, and do the majority of the playing and recording as well. When I'm writing I do keep in mind the playing styles of the other guys in the band, as it's always good to try and get some other character into the music as well, like when I'm writing vocal parts, for example, for our singer, Andi Kravljaca. I will usually have an idea of how I want the melodies and words to sound, but they are always tailored to suit his voice and vocal style. When it comes to writing, for the new album I took the approach of writing and recording simultaneously. So I would basically sit down in front of the recording station and start recording whatever flows out, which is how the majority of "Enigma" was created. I find that this really helps keep the songs sounding alive and spontaneous. Another example for this one would be my vocals in the track "Eternal Snow" which were recorded completely on the fly, lyrics and all. They just fit so well with the mood of the track that I had to keep them, so what you hear on the album is an improvised first take. The new album "Enigma" is being called a prog concept album, although like To-Mera's "Exile" from last year, I get the impression that the concept is kept more abstract than the familiar rock opera/narrative approach. Anything you can say about the idea behind "Enigma"? Definitely, I didn't want to create a "concept album by numbers" if you will. The standard rock opera type approach has been done many times, to great effect I might add, and there are many great albums that use that format, but Aeon Zen are constantly trying to find ways to forge our own identity and put our own twist on things, which is why the concept is a slightly more open-ended one. Our music is pretty diverse, so I wanted to create a concept that would fit in with all the different styles and be open to interpretation. Were there any particular challenges in making this album a reality? There are always certain logistical challenges, especially when working with multiple vocalists across different countries. I remember frantically trying to sort out guide vocal tracks to send over to a singer on "Enigma" at 5am the morning that we started a month long European tour, so things can get pretty hectic! The other main challenge with this album that has differed from my previous ones is the format of the vocals. In the past I have used guest vocalists in a "one singer per track" format, but with "Enigma" we have Andi on board as our lead vocalist, but I still wanted to keep the Aeon Zen sound. So on this album I intertwined all the vocal parts, so while Andi is taking the lead there are other vocalists (myself included) that trade off each other. This really helps with the album's flow and it also really helps when it comes to performing live too! Britannia has been the home to a fast-growing scene of some of progressive metal's finest new guard. Haken, To-Mera, TesseracT and yourselves all first come to mind. Do you think there is anything in particular that's provoking this surge of UK progressive metal? I'm not sure to be honest, but I think it's about time that British music had a bit of resurgence! Plus there are so many great bands out there these days, there were bound to be some from over here haha What's the progressive scene like locally? Any great lesser-known bands you can recommend that I should check out? I live around Cambridge, and unfortunately there isn't actually too much going on here. I think the bands in the UK are generally pretty spread out, so I'm not sure as to whether there's any one particular place that is spear-heading the movement. Off the top of my head, they're certainly not local to me, but if you don't already know them then I definitely recommend checking out the band Divinity, awesome progressive metal with death metal leanings. What advice would you give to other musicians? The main thing that I've always pursued with Aeon Zen is to keep writing music that I feel passionate about musically. To keep an open mind approach to song-writing is definitely a big thing to keep in mind. Hopefully that's a slightly different approach to advice than lots of people might take, always nice to have some variation! What have you been listening to these days? I've mostly been keeping busy with my own music and bands that I've been working with on the production side of things at my studio (www.zenchapelstudios.com). Saying that, I have gotten into the latest album by The Faceless recently, that's some fantastic technical progressive metal. Favourite beer, favourite cheeseburgers? Well my absolute favourite food is a good bit of juicy steak, can't beat that! I actually don't drink, so I'll be rocking out with the soft drinks haha What lies in the future for Aeon Zen? A tour, perhaps? I certainly hope so! I'm working out some things at the moment, so we'll have to see what happens. I've also started work on the next Aeon Zen album, so there'll definitely be more music from us in the not too distant future! Thanks, and cheers from Vancouver! Hope to see you guys play here sometime. -C Thanks Conor, and thanks to everyone who took the time to read this. Please to check out our new album "Enigma", if you like any of the musical styles I've mentioned, then I'm sure you won't be disappointed! Conor Fynes2013-01-27 01:58:02

Mythodea (Greece)

Sat, 5 Jan 2013 09:50:20 EST

Interview made by aapatsos —