DRAGONLAND
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DRAGONLAND
WILL SOON RELEASE THEIR SECOND ALBUM WITH THE TITLE 'HOLY WAR', WHICH WILL
CONTINUES THE CONVEPT OF THEIR DEBUT ALBUM, SO READ THE INTERVIEW TO LEARN
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE BAND AND HAVE A GOOD TIME, BECAUSE THEY HAVE
A GOOD TASTE OF HUMOR!
1.BRIEF US ON THE BAND HISTORY. HOW
WAS IT CREATED? WHAT DID YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE WITH DRAGONLAND?
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We created Dragonland a couple of years
ago just when I quitted my old band Prophanity I met up with our singer
Jonas and we decided to start a band in the helloween style!!! My aim was
to play metal with normal vocals since I had only played in death and black
metal bands before Dragonland, I thinks it's so much more expressive with
a real singer...although i havent given up on death metal I play in a death
metal band called Rapture and I just re-joined my old band Nightshade (Scarlet
records)!!!
2.HOW DID YOU SELECT THIS BAND NAME?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU? AMONG WHICH OTHER NAMES WAS IT SELECTED?
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It's a name that reflects our sound
and vision very good, there was never any doubt about having this name!
3.YOU COME FROM GOTHENBURG, WHICH PRODUCES
MOSTLY EXTREME SOUNDS. HOW HAVE YOU DECIDED TO PLAY POWER METAL?
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Well as I said before, it just became
like that when we started this band the only thing planned was to use normal
vocals!
4.THERE ARE QUITE MANY BANDS IN SWEDEN
THAT HAVE THE SAME MUSICAL STYLE WITH YOU. THEY PLAY POWER METAL TOO. WHAT
MAKES YOU DIFFER FROM ALL THE OTHER BANDS?
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I don't think so many swedish bands
have this symphonic approach to it, that's more italian style I'd say!!!
Not many bands play in our very high tempos either I'd like to think we
are heading for a more mature own sound also, when you listen to the new
album you'll see!!!
5.TELL US SOME GENERAL THINGS ABOUT
THE BAND RELEASES AND MOSTLY FOR YOUR LATEST ALBUM. TELL US ABOUT THE MUSIC,
THE PRODUCTION, ANY WEIRD OR FUNNY INCIDENTS? ARE YOU STILL SATISFIED
WITH IT OR IS THERE ANYTHING
YOU'D LIKE TO CHANGE?
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Well we have only released one album
before this new one ("Holy War"), the previous one was "The battle of the
ivory plains" that we recorded in Los Angered studios with King diamond
guitarist Andy la Roque, who is a fantastic guy to work very inspiring!!!
The sound could have been better on that album but we were very limited
on time on that one unfortunately, but still I think it turned quite good
and has sold very good for a debutalbum, we have lots of storys from
our recordings I dont know what to tell really hehehe... The sound on the
new album though is a royal improvement since it was recorded in Studio
Fredman !!!
6.YOUR NEW ALBUM IS ENTITLED "HOLY
WAR". IT'S A VERY OPPORTUNE TITLE. WHAT ARE THE LYRICS TALKING ABOUT? IS
IT A CONCEPT ALBUM?
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Yes it's a concept album, it's a continuation
on our previous albums story and the end of it!!! The next album will not
be concept based!!!
7.WHY HAVE YOU CHANGED STUDIO? WHAT
DIDN'T SATISFY YUO WITH ANDY LA ROQUE'S PRODUCTION?
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We like his studio alot it's a fantastic
place to record in it was a decision taken by our record label to record
in Studio Fredman this time... a very good decision I think, the sound
is much more natural and heavy on this album!
8.YOU SAY THAT YOUR NEW ALBUM IS A
MIXTURE OF BAL SAGOTH, STRATOVARIUS AND NIGHTWISH. ISN'T THERE A DANGER
YOU MIGHT RESTRICT YOUR MUSICAL LIMITS AND PREVENT SOME METALHEADS TO LISTEN
TO YOU? WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO ANSWER TO ALL THOSE THAT MIGHT ACCUSE
YOU THAT YOU FOLLOW TRENDS?
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I think elements from those bands can
be traced within the music although I also think we have a bit of an own
sound to our songs! I say listen to the music first!!!
9.NAME SOME NEW BANDS FROM SWEDEN THAT
YOU REALLY LIKED.
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Skyfire, Supreme majesty, Dismember,
Vintersorg, Dark tranquility, Freternia... I could make this list veeeeery
long. I'll let you save some server space here :O)
10.ARE YOU IN FAVOR OR AGAINST MP3'S?
DON'T YOU THINK THAT THEY ALLOW THE FANS TO SELECT WHAT THEY LIKE THE MOST?
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I'm in favor of it, it's a great way
for people to discover new bands without having to buy expensive albums
and find that they are crap!!! If I listen to something great on mp3 I
go out and buy the album!!!
11.I AM MANY YEARS NOW A DEVOTED POWER
METAL FAN AND UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE REMARKED THE FACT THAT MANY BANDS RELEASE
EACH YEAR NEW ALBUMS THAT HAVE THE SAME SOUND. SO, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN "HOLY WAR" AND YOUR PREVIOUS ALBUM?
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The songwriting has evolved VERY much
and there's much more emphasis on good melodys in the music and everyone
has done a milliontimes better job on this new album, and the sound is
phenomenal!!!
12.ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH BLACK LOTUS?
HOW WAS IT ACCEPTED THE PREVIOUS CD BY THE FANS?
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I guess they have done a good job for
a debut CD, we have gooten many fanmail on e-mail and snailmail, I think
the first album sold 7-8 000 copies by now, quite ok for a debut on such
a small label, we immediatley became the bestselling band on BL.
13.NAME YOUR 5 ALL TIME CLASSIC ALBUMS.
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I could name 50 hehe...
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1. Eldritch - El nino
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2. Manowar - Kings of metal
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3. Anathema - Eternity
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4. Dismember - Like an everflowing
stream
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5. Morbid angel - Altars of madness
14.IF SOMEDAY YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO
MEET THE CREATURE THAT CREATED THE UNIVERSE, WHICH WOULD YOUR BIGGEST QUESTION
BE?
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If he was drunk when he created the
universe?
15.MANY METAL MUSICIANS ACCUSE POP
STARS FOR THEIR LIFE STYLE, YET WE SEE SUCH BEHAVIOURS IN THE METAL SCENE
AS WELL (BANDS PAYING TO MAKE A COVER FOR SUCCESFUL MAGAZINES, HAVING
A GOOD REVIEW, METAL LABELS PROMOTING SPECIFIC BANDS AND GENRES EACH EPOCH,ETC).IS
IT MAYBE AFTER ALL TRUE THAT THE METAL INDUSTRY DOESN'T DIFFER FROM THE
POP? WHICH ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT?
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Well I do not know so much about this
subject, but if it is like this that is really shitty, explains why many
bands thar are "BIG" are really shitty bands, I'd like to name some bands
I really despise that I can imagine does this but hehehe... maybe not a
good idea!!! These people are maybe destroying the metal scene or maybe
it is good cause they make it bigger?
16.IF TIME TRAVEL WAS POSSIBLE, WHICH
HISTORICAL PERIOD WOULD YOU LIKE TO VISIT AND WHY? WHAT WOULD YOU MISS
THE MOST FROM OUR TIME?
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I would travel to last saturday and
get the lottery numbers right for once :O) The reason is obvious hehe..
17.WHAT PROLOGUE AND TITLE WOULD YOU
LIKE THIS INTERVIEW TO HAVE?
18.WHICH IS MAN'S BIGGEST TEMPTATION?
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That's easy: BRITNEY SPEARS hahaha...
19.THANK YOU!HAVE I FORGOT TO ASK YOU
ANYTHING AND YOU'D LIKE TO MENTION?
NIKOS "William_Kidd"
PARASTATIDIS