Near Live Experience

EVANESCE

Evanesce come from England and manage to combine in their sound two controversial elements such as aggressiveness and melody. What I found out from this interview is that this musical direction comes out naturally from them, since we are dealing here with some very clever and skeptic people with an extreme but yet nice sense of humor. So, lets see what Dave their drummer had to tell us...

1. FIRST OF ALL POINT OUT THE MOST IMPORTANT MOMENTS OF THE BAND’S HISTORY AND PRESENT THE CURRENT LINE UP TO THE READERS.

Some random moments from the band's history that have been exciting would include: bringing out our first CD in 1995, under the name Withdrawn. Playing the outdoor Ieper festival in Belgium in 2000. Being interviewed in Terrorizer and having our name on the cover and also, being in a documentary on TV in 2001. The current line-up is : Grant - vocals, Peter - guitar, Martin - guitar, Colin - bass, David - drums. This line-up as it is, has existed since March 2003.

2. COULD YOU INFORM US ON “THE S.O.S. SPLIT”. ISN’T IT A BIT STRANGE? ON ONE HAND IS PRESENTED AN EXTREME METAL BAND AND ON THE OTHER A CLASSIC HEAVY METAL ACT? WHOSE IDEAS WAS IT AND WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU CAN ACHIEVE WITH IT?

The idea for the S.O.S split, came as a result of playing gigs with Conquest of Steel. As bands and individuals we all got along really well and although musically we sound different, we quickly realized our connection with metal and the benefits of pressing a record. The record was released mainly as a tribute to the metal records we used to get excited about when we were growing up. We all remember lusting after the new Iron Maiden or Slayer albums, waiting to get it home to scrutinize the cover and the inserts. Music released on CD today sometimes leaves the fan missing out on a lot of that excitement. So this split, being on colour vinyl, hand numbered with inserts was a tribute to those times, and we hope to achieve a sense of nostalgia through its listening.

3. DO YOU THINK SPLIT CDS ARE GOOD AND HELP THE BANDS? WHY AND IN WHICH WAYS?

Split records can sometimes be a bad idea, especially if both bands are very similar, because you almost unwillingly start to compare the bands and come up with a favourite. With the S.O.S split, both bands sound completely different, so those comparisons are never achieved, and both bands can shine through with their own merits.

4. TELL US A FEW THINGS ABOUT THE NEW SONGS “AMNESIA” AND “NEAR LIFE EXPERIENCE”. IS IT A SMALL TASTE OF AN UPCOMING RELEASE? IF SO, GIVE US SOME INFO ABOUT THE PRODUCTION, UNDER WHICH LABEL IT WILL BE RELEASED, THE MUSICAL DIRECTION, TRACK LISTING, TITLE OR WHATEVER YOU THINK MAY INTEREST US.

The songs on the split 12” will be on our upcoming 3rd album, but in a completely different form. We did not want people to have the same songs on two releases, but for them to exist differently in their own right. We will record 12 new songs in August 2003, for release on No Face Records later in the year. The production will be better than on the record , but our plans to record in the Black Lounge Sweden fell through at the last minute. Some of the working song titles are - 'Day of The Jackal', 'Hatemale' ,'The Key To Salvation'.

5. WHERE ARE YOUR LYRICS REFERRING TO? WHAT INSPIRES YOU IN WRITING LYRICS AND HOW IMPORTANT ARE THEY FOR YOU?

A majority of our songs reflect the emotions we as individuals encounter through our day to day existence. Living in Liverpool and having to deal with the society and people we encounter, gives us the necessary subject matter with which to attempt to write songs. The lyrics are always written last and generally accompany the music. 'Final Amnesia', is about escapism from a bad situation by any means necessary. 'Near Life Experience', is a play on words (Near Death Experience), and is a song about choosing a blind path in life and never tasting the fruits of the endeavor.

6. WHAT IS “NAM ELPOEP ETAH I” ALL ABOUT? WHAT DOES IT SAY AND WHY IS IT REVERSED? DO YOU CLAIM TO BE MISANTHROPISTS? IF SO, WHY DO YOU WANT TO SHARE YOUR MUSIC WITH THE REST OF THE PEOPLE?

The serious answer would be for me to say, yes, we are all misanthropists and the backwards track on the record would confirm this. But the initial reason was as another tribute to 80's metal. We wanted to put a track on there that had to be played backwards to understand...very satanic and hopefully due to us being at odds with most of the human race, we hoped some people may blow their brains out in a Judas Priest manner...joke.

7. YOU HAVE A STRONG CONNECTION MUSICALLY WITH SWEDEN AND MORE SPECIFICALLY WITH THE MELODIC DEATH METAL GENRE ENRICHED WITH SOME BLACK AND ATMOSPHERIC ELEMENTS. DO YOU AGREE? NAME SOME OF YOUR MOST BELOVED BANDS AND ALBUMS.

We have very varied interests musically as a band, and I think this comes across very well. I don't think we sound too similar to any of the Swedish death metal bands in particular and we did not intentionally try to sound like anybody, but obviously influences do transpire. Some of the bands we are interested in are - Carcass, At The Gates, Integrity, Metallica, Marillion, Iron Maiden, Danzig etc.

8. IF YOUR MUSIC WERE AN EMOTION, WHAT WOULD IT BE? IF IT WERE A PAINTING, WHAT WOULD IT SHOW?

What an interesting question , well done..lol. As an emotion it would be, the emotion of enlightenment through struggle and suffering. But as a work of art, one that can be viewed on many levels, which has something different to offer on each occasion, is discussed and critisized by some, but always interesting enough to be a topic of conversation. Maybe a Pieter Brugel. Yes , thats it , we are the Brugel of the metal scene.

9. IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO MEET THE CREATURE THAT CREATED THE UNIVERSE, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO ASK HIM?

If there was a higher being , I would ask him why the wicked people of the world forever triumph over the righteous.But I don't actually believe in a higher being that has any control over our existence. Religion is a waste of time. A lot of our songs actually talk about the idea of both heaven and hell being on earth symbiotically, with the individual choosing how to shape their existence.

10. IF YOU COULD TRAVEL BACK IN TIME, WHICH HISTORICAL PERIOD WOULD YOU LIKE TO VISIT AND WHAT WOULD YOU MISS THE MOST FROM OUR TIMES?

Definitely a time before there were cars and motorways.. With green fields and wildlife running free across the plains and forests.Probably some time BC. I would like to hold witness to all the so called miracles and historic events performed in the name of Jesus Christ. Basically , just because of all the wars etc that have been started in connection with that time. The thing I would miss most from these times would be my record collection.

11. YOU ARE GRANTED ONE WISH. WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH IT?

Most of the band would agree that freedom for both humans and animals would be a top priority. To end the use of slaughterhouses and animal farming. Most of the band are strictly vegan, and believe whole-hartedly in that evolutionary step.

12. WHY DID YOU NAME THE BAND THIS WAY? WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SUGGEST WITH IT?

We were originally called Withdrawn up until the end of 2000.We had to change that name , because a US Christian Hardcore band started using it. From then on, we wanted to use a name that reflected a mood or emotion and Evanesce seemed to fit in quite well. It wasn't a name that could put us into a confining category and we liked that!! But, due to bad karma, see the answer to question 16....

13. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO A FAN THAT IS NOT FAMILIAR WITH YOUR MUSIC TO TTRACT HIS INTEREST? WHICH IS THE MOST RECOGNIZABLE ELEMENT IN YOUR MUSIC THAT CAN DRAW THEIR ATTENTION?

Listening to one of our records will hopefully leave a lasting impression and not be a waste of time. Our music is not a result of current trends or fashion, but is the product of natural song writing and emotion. The most recognisable elements which I have been told, are the song structures and the subject matter. Every song we write offers something new for the listener.

14. DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS FOR LIVE SHOWS IN THE NEAR FUTURE? SHARE WITH US SOME OF YOUR LIVE EXPERIENCES AND TELL US ABOUT THE SONG “RECLAIMED LAND” THAT IS A LIVE VERSION. WHERE WAS IT RECORDED? DID YOU RECORD IN THAT SHOW OTHER SONGS AS WELL?

We always play live shows whenever we can, but we have had a few problems with the line-up over the last year. We are now settled as a band and hope to accompany the new 12" nd album with some live shows. The song 'Reclaimed Land' was recorded at the Zanzibar in Livepool and is taken from a full live CD I have of that gig. The recording is quite good and we pressed a couple of copies for our friends called ' Nearly Live Experience' , as a play on words for our proposed album ' Near Life Experience'.

15. HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK IS MELODY IN EXTREME METAL? WHY?

For me personally , melody is very important in extreme music. It offers the listener a hook within all of the heavy riffs. Some of the really heavy bands leave me with a sense of saturation and you can't always distinguish between certain songs. It definitely depends on what type of feeling you are trying to create with the music.

16. WHAT TITLE WOULD YOU LIKE THIS INTERVIEW TO HAVE?

The title for the interview should be ‘What the fuck are you gonna do, now that EVANESCENCE have stolen your name?’ The answer would include a comment that, it has happened to us once before, but we will succeed in the end…or die.

17. THANK YOU! HAVE I FORGOTTEN TO ASK YOU ANYTHING AND YOU’D LIKE TO MENTION?

Thanks a lot for being interested, please check out the No Face website for more information. Keep a look out for our new album and please get in touch for merchandise.

Christine "azriel" Parastatidou

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