HIGHLORD
Highlord is one band Idiscovered
many years ago when they were just releasing demos and it's a very nice
feeling seeing bands you know since their begnning to progress and become
better year after year. So, now Highlord have a new album out entitled
"Medusa's Coil" and it was a good chance to have a talk with Sted. Let's
see what he told us...
1.HELLO! LET'S GET STRAIGHT TO
THE POINT. YOUR FOURTH
ALBUM "MEDUSA'S COIL" FIND YOU
WITH A MORE PROGRESSIVE AND AGGRESSIVE ATTITUDE THAN YOUR PREVIOUS RELEASE.
HOW AND WHY DID THIS CHANGE OCCUR?
Hello! yes you are right! after
"Breath of Eternity" we decided to make a more aggressive kind of Metal
in the future and we started immediately composing new songs. We left the
progressive parts and improved the speed of our style...we also adopted
a heavier kind of sound expecially on the guitars and bass.
2.THE LYRICS HAVE NO MORE AN EPIC/FANTASY
THEMATOLOGY AND BECAME MORE REALISTIC. WHAT LED YOU START SPEAKING OF THE
HARD REALITY AND OUR EVERY DAY LIVES? IS IT POSSIBLE TO WRITE AGAIN FANTASY
LYRICS IN THE FUTURE?
I'm happy you noticed it, thanks!
We are no more interested in telling fantasy stories as too many bands
do it already. We decided to talk about more mature subjects as we'd like
to consider also our music more mature than before. we prefer to believe
people will read our lyrics and maybe feel closer to us, in the real life
than think about dragons or knights....We reserve possibility of making
fantasy songs again just for concepts or songs inspired by some special
subject like "The Hand of God " or "Phoenix's fire".
3.ON YOUR PREVIOUS ALBUM YOU WERE MORE
INTO SYMPHONIC POWER METAL AS IT IS PLAYED BY BANDS LIKE RHAPSODY. NOW
I FOUND IN YOUR SOUND INFLUENCES FROM BANDS LIKE QUEENSRYCHE, SHADOW GALLERY,
DREAM THATER AND SAVATAGE. DO YOU AGREE? WHICH OTHER BANDS CAN BE LISTED
AMONG YOUR INFLUENCES?
Oh well...personally we never liked
to be associated to Rhapsody...It seems in Italy a band has always to be
associated to them...No one consider the idea that another band could exist
in this country with a personal way of making music without taking inspiration
from them? Anyway....I just listened to the first album of Rhapsody...So
i don't really know why most of people continued comparing us to them in
the past! I like Dream Theater and Shadow Gallery...and also Kamelot.
If I have to be honest we did not listen too much of these bands.... Last
album of Dream Theater helped us on the guitar sound, but they used a seven
string guitar, so Medusa's Coil is a bit lighter than Train of Thoughts...Savatage
are a great band, and Shadow Gallery inspired me a coulpe of years ago...Actually
we are interested in bands like Children of Bodom, but I don't think we'll
change so hardly our music....AOR has a special place in our hearts...Europe.
Mr. Big over all...but again we won't ever become a HR band....
4."MEDUSA'S COIL" IS AN INTERESTING
ALBUM TITLE. WHICH
IS ITS EXACT MEANING?
Mankind is the "coil" of Medusa
which is squeezing the World....If we won't pay attention we'll be destroyed
sooner or later...
5.WHAT LED YOU TO THE DECISION TO SIGN
A DEAL WITH
ARISE RECORDS FOR YOUR 4TH ALBUM?
ARE YOU SATISFIED
WITH THE COOPERATION SO FAR?
Well, Arise records contacted us
many time ago asking if it was possible to work with them. When our deal
with ex-label ended we did not receive reasonable offers from other labels
except from Arise, so we decided to sign for them. They are working well,
expecially on marketing but maybe they are not concentrated enough on live
events.
6.THE COVER ARTWORK IS VERY BEAUTIFUL
AND SOME HOW
NIGHTMARE-ISH. WHO IS REPSONSIBLE
FOR IT AND WHO IS
THIS BEAUTIFUL LADY THAT SEEMS
TO BE MEDUSA?
I don't really know who is that
beautiful lady...I'd like to know and ask her a date if possible...he he...but
I can tell you the name of the guy that made our artwork. He is Jan from
Amsterdam. There is a link to his page in our site under "Links" section
at www.highlord.it
he is very talented and we worked perfectly together! He realized exactly
what we had in mind.
7.WHICH EMOTION DO YOU BELIEVE THAT
DOMINATES YOUR
MUSIC AND WHICH ONE DO YOU THINK
THAT LACKS AND WHY?
I like to think our album is very
personal....it talks about life...our life, our experiences...I don't think
I can talk about a lack of emotion on it....Medusa's Coil represent
what we felt during 2003...that's all we need from it.
8.WE USUALLY ASK THE MUSICIANS FOR
WHICH MOVIE THEY'D LIKE TO COMPOSE THE SOUNDTRACK. I'D LIKE TO ASK YOU
FOR WHICH BOOK THAT YOU READ RECENTLY AND IMPRESSED YOU, YOU'D LIKE TO
COMPOSE MUSIC BASED ON IT?
Hmmm...recently I did not have
enough free time to read much, but I'd like to compose a song about
David Gemmel's Legend of Deathwalker...great Fantasy novel, really!
9.TELL ME FIVE ALBUMS FROM OTHER ITALIAN
POWER METAL BANDS THAT YOU'VE HEARD THIS YEAR AND YOU THINK
THAT THE FANS SHOUDL CHECK OUT.
Ouch!!! Italian? Let me see....Highlord?
no, I'm kidding... Desdemona... Legacy... Domine... Sorry but I don't think
I know five bands for this year...sorry!!!!!!!!
10.ANY PLANS FOR LIVE SHOWS? IN WHICH
BIG SUMMER
FESTIVALS DO YOU PLAN TO PLAY?
ANY CHANCE TO COME TO GREECE?
This is really hard point!!! We'd
plan to play at every summer festival if possible, but we need a help from
our label...We can't ask the festival organizers and say: hey let us play!!!!
isn't it? we need a sort of manager....
11.ITALIAN METAL BANDS ARE VERY FAMOUS
IN GREECE. DO
YOU HAVE ANY CONTACTS WITH GREEK
METAL FANS? DO YOU KNOW ANY GREEK METAL BANDS?
Really? No, unluckly I don't have
any direct contact with Greek metal fans....I'd like to invite them contact
us and sign our Guest book...to let us know their impressions....it will
be cool!
12.IF YOUR MUSIC WERE AN EMOTION, WHAT
WOULD IT BE? IF IT WERE A PAINTING, WHAT WOULD IT SHOW?
Let me see....if it were an emotion,
maybe it will be rage and love together....If it were a painting....I'd
like to imagine Leonardo painting listening to our music!
13. WHICH WORDS DO YOU THINK COULD
BEST DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC AND THE BAND IN GENERAL?
Highlord is a metal band, playing
what they like to play...regardless trends!
14.IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO MEET AN
IMPORTANT
PERSONALITY WHO WOULD THIS BE AND
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO ASK HIM/HER?
I'd like to meet Jonny Depp and
ask him to make some movie together... or ask Britney Spears to dance in
a video of Highlord!!! Naked if possible...
15.WHICH IS, ACCORDING TO YOU, THE
BEST AND WHICH THE WORST PART IN YOUR MUSIC? WHICH IS YOUR TRADERMARK?
The best is that our music is sincere...I
mean it comes from our hearts. The worst that many people don't understand
it!
16.WHICH ARE ACCORDING TO YOU THE MOST
IMPORTANT
FEMALE MUSICIANS IN THE ROCK/METAL
SCENE?
Most important is DORO.....she
is a legend in Metal scene!!!!! Great woman! But I also like Tarja of Nightwish!
Now I am waiting to hear the new singer of Stratovarius....anyway she looks
nice! ;-)
17.THANK YOU! HAVE I FORGOTTEN TO ASK
YOU ANYTHING AND YOU'D LIKE TO MENTION?
I'd like to thank you for the kindness
and space granted to Highlord and send a big HUGH to all our metal fans
up-there! THANKS!
Sted/Highlord
www.highlord.it
Nick “William_Kidd”
Parastatidis
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