Delphian
Delphian is a progressive
metal act from Holland. By the time that you will be reading this interview
the band will have already finished the recordings of their debut album
which will be released this summer through Lion Music.
1. Hi there! Since this is our first interview
please tell me in short the history of Delphian.
Delphian is a progressive metal-band from
the south of Holland. Its history began in the summer of 2000, when Coert
Bouten (guitar) and Roel van Helden (drums) decided to form a new band.
After countless musicians coming and going, the band was completed with
guitarist Marcel Volleberg, bassist Sjoerd Hoeijmakers and female vocalist
Aniek Janssen. With members having played in bands like Exile (Metal),
Dvplo (Death/Punk), Phlegmatic (Alternative Rock) and Sin (Poprock) they
have found their sound in the form of Delphian
2. Why did you choose this name for the band?
Is there a story behind it?
Delphian is a name chosen by Roel, the meaning
of the word is ‘mysterious’ and it refers to the Oracle of Delphi; a place
in ancient Greece, where people gathered to honour the god Apollo and hoped
to find answers to their most difficult questions. A priestess hanged over
a cliff with deluding vapours and did confusing prophecies. People could
interpret these prophecies in different ways, so they often became self-fulfilling
prophecies.
3. Give me some details from the recording
sessions of your latest work.
The months before we went into the studio
we started to polish our songs until we were satisfied. We also made some
pre-recordings in another studio and these recordings we’ve listened to
several times and we made changes again. By the time we went into the studio
everything was finished, except for some solos. The recording of the drums
only took two days. The recording of the guitars took quite a while because
of some technical problems and the sheer amount of tracks we used. The
recording of the bass also took two days. The vocals were done in three
days, this also because of multiple track recording.
4. How are the reactions of the press so
far regarding your latest release?
The demo we’ve released in the spring of 2004
was received very well by the critics. These positive reactions, together
with the good arrangements of the songs and the good production, gave us
(indirectly) the record deal with Lion Music. We are very anxious what
the reactions will be after the release of our first full length album
“Oracle”, this album will be released in July.
5. Can you tell me some things about the lyrics?
Not much really, they’re interpretable for
more explanations. I’d like the idea that everyone gives their own meaning
to the lyrics. Most lyrics are so personal, but therefore so recognisable,
I don’t want to explain them. The themes are often very divers, from dreaming
and love till death and decay, from ancient history till today’s news.
6. Do you have any future plans in order to
support the new album?
We are planning an album-release tour in the
late summer, and the press will be informed very well by us about our latest
release. Our record company Lion Music will also do a lot of promotion
on our behalf.
7. Have you any contacts with labels in order
to release your full length album?
We already have a label called Lion Music
(www.lionmusic.com),
so there are currently no contacts with other labels.
8. Tell me some details for the whole artwork…
The idea behind the artwork is: mechanic shapes
covered by organic forms. Just like our music: Melodic singing and guitar
playing leaning on technical elements. The artwork is also dark and mysterious,
to match our name and lyrics.
9. How is the metal scene of your country?
The metal scene is a very big and lively community
in the Netherlands. There are a lot of gigs you can go to, and we have
some big festivals like Dynamo and Graspop at our doorstep each year.
10. Can you describe your music?
Our music can be described best as a mixture
of melodic experimental music with many moments of aggression in it. We
are often compared with bands like Dream Theater, Opeth, Nevermore and
Queensryche, but then with female vocals.
11. Thanks a lot for your time and close the
interview as you want!
Thank you for your interest in Delphian and
stay metal!!!!
Antonis Maglaras
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