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A travel back in time, where the adoration
of nature and the keeping of traditions was something very important to
humans. This is what ELVENKING from Italy are trying to achieve through
their music and lyrics and I think they are doing a marvellous job. Now
in the role of the host, who will lead us through the ancient forest to
take part in this pagan reel we have the singer of the band Damnagoras.
Lets hear what he has to say...
1.GIVE A SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF THE BAND.
WHICH ARE THE CURRENT MEMBERS?
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Well, Elvenking were formed in 1997
by Aydan and Jarpen. A year after, I joined the band and some months later,
Zender entered the line-up. We have played nearly a year with me on the
double role of singer/bass player but the thing started to become a bit
annoying so, a friend of us, Gorlan, accepted to enter the band as bass
player. He comes from a very good prog band “Sherpa” and he is very talented...we
are very happy about him!! So, at the end, I am Damnagoras the singer,
Aydan and Jarpen are the two guitarists, Gorlan is the bass player and
Zender is the drummer.
2.YOU USE NICKNAMES. DO THEY SYMBOLIZE
ANYTHING?
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They do actually. We have started to
use all this “folk” concept...I mean if you take a look at the promotional
photos, we wear old and folkloristic clothes, we play this folk-inspired
metal, we talk in our lyrics about pagan adoration of nature and again
of folkloristic traditions... so it came natural to use names that could
be part of this whole concept; names that could be nicks used by old musicians
or travellers.
3.HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC?
WHY DO YOU LIKE USING BRUTAL AND CLEAR VOCALS? DO YOU WANT TO EXPRESS SOMETHING
WITH THIS DIFFERENCE?
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We like to describe our music as folk-aggressive
metal. We like to mix all our influences in a definite and strong union;
we are all both melodic and extreme metal fans...it came so natural to
put death metal vocals in the songs that we just did it where we felt it
was right to do so! It depends on the songs but, yes, this difference could
mean something...for example just look at “Seasonspeech”: the growls are
the incarnation of the winter, while my voice is the one of autumn, and
the female voices are the ones of summer and spring.
4.WHICH ARE YOUR MAIN INFLUENCES?
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Well, talking of musical influences...we
are influnced by an awful lot of genres and bands. We all listen to a lot
of music and we are fans of quite all kinds of metal music: from power
to black metal, from death to thrash metal...quite everything!! More to
this we listen to celtic and folk music and why not indeed, to some mainstream
music. I mean if we listen to a good song..well it doesn’t matter if it’s
not metal...we just listen to it!! But personally I hate mainstream music!
eheheh!!! Our favourite bands though, are Skyclad, In Flames, Blind Guardian,
Cradle of Filth and many many others!!!
5.HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO FINISH
THE RECORDINGS OF THE ALBUM? WHERE DID YOU RECORD AND WHO WAS THE PRODUCER?
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The recordings took 2 weeks while the
mixing took 1 week. We recorded at New Sin Studios here in Italy and we
mixed it at Studio Fredman in Sweden with the expert hands of Fredrik Nordstrom.
6.ARE YOU STILL SATISFIED WITH IT OR
NOW AFTER A WHILE YOU FIND THINGS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE BETTER?
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Of course we are not satisfied at 100%
with a lot of things...for example we are really not satisfied about the
guitar sound or some things could have been mixed better...but I mean,
it’s natural to be not totally satisfied with your own work!
7.WHAT'S THIS ELEMENT THAT INSPIRES
YOU IN WRITING MUSIC?
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I could be banal but almost everything
could inspire our songwriting...a state of mind, the reading of a book,
the viewing of a film, a walk in the woods....really almost everything!
8.DO YOU THINK THAT METAL MUSIC SHOULD
HAVE ITS LIMITS OR SHOULD IT BE ENRICHED WITH DIFFERENT MUSICAL STYLES?
HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO COMBINE METAL WITH FOLK MUSIC?
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We of the band, all agree that it is
fundamental to enrich metal with your own influences, with your own feelings.
If metal would be totally limited..well we’d see it’s death in a very short
period. On the contrary, there are a lot of bands who enrich this music
with other influences or even, just great and original ideas. The music
we listen has to be, in our opinion, always “fresh” and original to be
intresting and likely to listen to.
9.WHICH SUBJECTS DO YOU LIKE TO HURT
THROUGH YOUR LYRICS? WHICH THINGS INSPIRE YOU IN WRITING LYRICS?
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We almost speak of pagan ideas, of
the adoration and respect of Nature, of folk traditions and legends...
the things that inspire us in writing lyrics? well it is the same as for
music..so just see question number seven! :-)
10.DO YOU LIKE TO WRITE ABOUT EVERYDAY
SITUATIONS OR DO YOU THINK THAT SOME TIMES FANTASY IS A NICE AND EASY WAY
OF EXPRESSING REALITY?DO YOUR FANS HAVE TO READ BETWEEN THE LINES?
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We often use imaginary images to depict
our ideas and thoughts. Of course our fans can read between the lines,
but most of the times we like to go straight to the point even using fantasy
themes...or just sometimes we love to use fantasy themes to entertain and
to make the listener, read a good story.
11.YOU BELONG TO AFM RECORDS I THINK.
ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE PROMOTION?
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We are satisfied with them at the moment.
We haven’t got anything to complain..I mean this is our first album and
just before they push us really well..they have to see the reactions of
this debut.
12.ARE YOU AWARE OF BANDS LIKE WAYLANDER,
CRUACHAN, MAGO DE OZ, IN EXTREMO, SUBWAY TO SALLY? DO YOU LIKE THEM?
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Yes we know most of them. We have listened
to Waylander, Cruachan, In Extremo and Subway to Sally. They are all great
bands with folk influences but personally we prefer Skyclad! :-))))
13.HAVE YOU GOT ANY NEW SONGS READY?
DO YOU KNOW THE MUSICAL DIRECTION OF YOUR UPCOMING ALBUM OR NOTHING CERTAIN
SO FAR?
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Yes we have new songs ready...we think
our new album will be a bit more straight than “Heathenreel”...a bit less
complicated. The mix of folk and metal will be now very tight. We believe
we have very strong songs but half of the album has yet to be composed...so
it is really a bit too early to talk about it!!
14.BRING TO MIND ALL YOUR SONGS. HAVE
YOU IMPROVED AS SONGWRITERS AND PERFORMERS? WHAT'S THIS THING THAT YOU
THINK MAKES YOU EASY TO RECOGNIZE FROM ALL THE OTHER BANDS OF THIS GENRE?
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Of course we are always improving as
musicians and songwriters. Listening to recordings we have here at home
of our old rehersings and the new ones...well the improvement is really
impressing! Well the thing that could make us recognize from others is
this unique way of mixing folk and metal and we hope this aspect will improve
more and more through the years.
15.WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO A GUY TO CONVINCE
HIM BUY YOUR ALBUM INSTEAD OF SOMETHING ELSE?
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“Well..listen man: this album could
be something really interesting and new to listen to. If you like folk
and metal (even extreme metal)..well you could like this album! But...just
in these days, the new Destruction album is out...so I think you won’t
give a fuck about Elvenking!” ehehehe!
16.IF YOU HADN'T RELEASED AN ALBUM
WHICH SONG OF YOUR WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO PROMOTE YOUR WORK?
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Well...this is difficult. I think I
would choose “Pagan Purity” or “The Dweller of Rhymes” ‘cause they simbolize
totally our music at least at 90%...!
17.WHAT'S THIS THING THAT MOTIVATED
YOU TO COMPOSE YOUR OWN MUSIC BESIDED BEING FANS?
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That’s a good question....! We all
started to feel the necessity to cover our favourite band’s songs...then
we felt the necessity to create our own songs...it has been so natural!
18.WHICH IS THE BIGGEST AIM/DREAM YOU
WANT TO ACHIEVE WITH THE BAND?
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Well....first of all, the very big
Metal Utopia: living with music. :-) Being serious..well the best thing
for now would be have good sellings with “Heathenreel” and play some gigs.
Then, time will show...we are not in any hurry!!!..we are still young!!
19.IF YOU WEREN'T ABLE TO COMPOSE MUSIC
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD DO IN YOUR LIFE?
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Oh....that would be a nightmare!!!!
You mean like picking up the guitar and not being able to write a single
riff?... NOOO!!!!! :-)
20.DO YOU KNOW ANY GREEK BANDS?
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Well I do know Rotting Christ...and
some other bands...but I have forgotten their names...! shit!
21.HOW DO YOU FIND THE METAL SCENE
OF ITALY? IS IT INTERESTING? HAVE YOU HEARD ANY NEW UNDERGROUND BANDS YOU
FOUND INTERESTING AND WORTH TO BE MENTIONED? A FEW YEARS AGO ITALIAN
METAL SCENE MADE A BREAK OUT IN
THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, BUT AFTER A
WHILE MOST OF THE BANDS STARTED SOUNDING THE SAME. LOST THEIR ORIGINALLITY.
WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THAT?
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The only thing I can say about this
is that in Italy there are a lot of good bands like Rhapsody, Labyrinth
and company..and you all know them. But sometimes all forget about other
big and important bands like Necrodeath, Novembre, Death SS, etc. We have
very good bands. If some try to be copy of others..well just don’t concentrate
on them!!!
22.YOU COME FROM A COUNTRY THAT IS
FAMOUS FOR ITS POWER METAL BANDS AND DOESN'T HAVE A GREAT TRADITION IN
THE DEATH/BLACK GENRE. HOW DIFFICULT IS IT FOR YOU? WOULD IT BE EASIER
FOR YOU IF YOU WERE FROM A SCANDINAVIAN COUNTRY?
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Well I have half answered in the previous
answer. There are indeed great extreme bands like the mighty Necrodeath
or Death SS! Of course there is not a big tradition...but this goes for
power metal too. I mean Italian bands started to play power metal just
in the last years...it isn’t indeed a big tradition.
23.HAVE YOU DONE ANY LIVE SHOWS? DO
YOU LIKE PERFORMING LIVE?
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We love performing live. We have done
a lot of dates here in our surroundings..and we hope to start touring somewhere
in the near future.
24.DO YOU LIKE READING BOOKS? WHICH
IS YOUR MOST BELOVED BOOK AND AUTHOR?WHICH HERO WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE?
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We all love reading books. I think
we all agree on saying that our favourite book ever is “The Lord of the
Rings” by Tolkien, but still we read to a lot of different authors, like
Margaret Weis, Stephen King, Anne Rice, H.P. Lovecraft, Harris, Terry Brooks,
Umberto Eco..etc, etc. What hero could I be..hmm, let me see.....maybe
Tasslehoff of Dragonlance: he is so funny and intelligent!!!
25.WOULD YOU LIKE TO COMPOSE THE SOUNDTRACK
FOR A MOVIE? IF YES WHICH ONE WOULD YOU CHOOSE?
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It would be a great thing.... talking
for myself, the film would be with no doubt a Horror movie!!
26.THESE LAST LINES BELONG TO YOU...THANKS
FOR THE INTERVIEW AND I WISH THE BEST TO YOU!
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Hope you’ll like “Heathenreel”...and
we hope to come to Greece soon to pay visit to you great people! May the
winds blow fair at your backs and visit our homepage!!
www.elvenking.net
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Thank you Christine!