Persuader
Persuader gave me the feeling
of déjà vu with their album “Evolution Purgatory”. They brought
to my mind good memories of the “Somewhere Far Beyond” Blind Guardian period,
so I couldn’t lose the chance of asking them a couple of things regarding
their music, the band and their future plans. This is what we have…
1. HELLO GUYS! YOUR ALBUM "EVOLUTION PURGATORY"
BLEW MY HEAD OFF AND FORCED ME INTO BUYING IT IMMEDIATELY! TELL ME HOW
YOU FEEL ABOUT IT. DO YOU THINK THAT YOU COULD MAKE IT SOUND EVEN BETTER?
Hello!! We are all very proud of the new album,
but of course, the next one will be better!! We have already started writing
new songs and we shall have a really really good album next time also.
Some of the songs on the album were written several years ago so we have
lots of fresh ideas for the new one.
2. YOU EARNED A CONTRACT WITH NOISE BY WINNING
THE "YOUNG METAL GODS" CONTEST FESTIVAL. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT? WHICH
OTHER BANDS DID YOU COMPETE WITH?
We are very proud to have won the contest,
but still we feel absolutely sure we could have gained a contract the old
fashioned way as well. It is both good and bad winning a contract this
way. There are some good advertising stuff but also you are forever connected
to being a band that won a contract..
3. AS WE KNOW, NOISE IS A BIG METAL LABEL. SO,
DID THEY FORCE YOU TO CHANGE YOUR STYLE OR DID YOU HAVE ABSOLUTE FREEDOM
ON YOUR COMPOSITIONS? HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN OTHERS TRY TO INTERFERE IN YOUR
MUSIC AND CHANGE IT, IN ORDER TO EARN MORE MONEY?
We had absolutely free hands with the music.
I don't think it would work any other way. We write the music we would
like to listen to. If someone told us to do it differently... I guess you
should always listen and then decide if you like it or not. We do what
we want to.
4. JENS' VOCALS BRING TO MIND A LOT HANSI KURSCH
FROM BLIND GUARDIAN. DID THIS HAPPEN ON PURPOSE OR DO JENS AND HANSI HAVE
THE SAME WAY OF INTERPRETING THE SONGS?
Jens just happens to have a similar voice.
I think the whole BG/Hansi comparison has gotten way outta hand. I think
we sound very different both songwise and vocals.
5. AN OBVIOUS INFLUENCE OF YOURS IS BLIND GUARDIAN.
WHICH OTHER BANDS HAVE INFLUENCED YOU AND IN WHICH WAYS?
We don't listen to Blind Guardian. We like
all Devin townsend stuff, Pantera, Nevermore, Yngwie, Death, and lots more.
It is hard to say how it influences you I believe all music has some influence,
but how it shows is hard to make obvious.
6. YOUR LYRICS HAVE A LITTLE TO DO WITH FANTASY
AND I THINK THAT THEY ARE MORE REALISTIC AND ESOTERIC. I FOUND THEM EXTREMELY
INTERESTING! WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEM AND CAN YOU PLEASE TELL ME IN
A FEW WORDS WHAT EACH SONG DEALS WITH?
It is mainly Efraim who writes the lyrics,
but all in all you could say that the album is about human’s downfall and
that we never learn from our mistakes. We still have wars, we can’t seem
to get along on this forsaken rock...and that will lead to our destruction.
Nature’s selection you know...We will perish and something new will take
our place, evolution continues. As for the specific lyrics, we leave them
open for anyone to interpret them their own way.
7. WHEN YOUR FIRST LABEL LOUD 'N' PROUD WENT BANKRUPT,
DID YOU EVER THINK OF QUITTING? IF YES, WHAT MADE YOU TO CONTINUE?
Yeah we had some downtime, things were not
going our way, and at the same time we parted ways with our guitarist.
We did nothing for a few months, but decided to give the band another try
since it seemed like a total waste to give in to defeat. A lot of time
and energy was put into this band, and still is, so we won’t give up so
easy.
8. YOUR NEW ALBUM OPENED MY APPETITE AND I REALLY
WOULD LIKE TO LISTEN AND BUY YOUR DEBUT ALBUM, WHICH WAS RELEASED IN FRANCE
ONLY. HOW EASY IS IT TO FIND IT? DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS OF RE-RELEASING
IT?
It's actually very hard to find, not sure
where to look...We see it on internet-sites from time to time, but that’s
all. We will focus on the new album for now, then get our shit together
and get it re-released. If not on Noise, then perhaps through another label.
It's a good album that deserves being brought to the crowds.
9. THE SWEDISH POWER METAL SCENE IS FULL OF BANDS
THAT DO NOTHING MORE THAN COPYING HAMMERFALL AND STRATOVARIUS. PERSUADER
ALONG WITH SOME OTHER BRIGHT EXAMPLES ARE AN OASIS FROM THIS NIGHTMARE.
WHY DO YOU THINK THIS HAPPENS? DO YOU BELIEVE THAT EXIST IN YOUR COUNTRY
SOME NEWCOMERS THAT TRY TO ESCAPE THIS TREND?
Probably because when a band "brakes", other
labels want their piece of the cake and start signing similiar-sounding
bands. It happens in all genres, not just powermetal/metal in general.
In the end, the followers will disappear, the bands that find their own
style will make it further.
10. A BIG SURPRISE FOR ME WAS WHEN I HEARD YOUR
COVER ON PANTERA'S "DOMINATION", WHICH IS SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
FROM THE BRANCH YOU BELONG TO. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS CERTAIN BAND AND
SONG?
Cause it's a cool song and we like Pantera,
simple as that. Isn’t it a lot more fun to listen to than like for example
"Eagle fly free"?
11. WHICH OTHER BANDS DID YOU COVER THROUGHOUT
THESE YEARS OF YOUR EXISTENCE? DO YOU HAVE PLANS OF RELEASING AN ALBUM
FULL OF COVER SONGS?
We've played stuff from Europe, Dio, Skid
Row, Maiden, Slayer...A whole CD of covers? Nah, we leave that to Metallica,
one song/CD is more than enough. People are probably more interrested in
our own songs anyway.
12. YOUR GUITARIST EMIL, ALSO PLAYS THE SAXOPHONE.
I WOULD LIKE TO ASK HIM, WHICH OF THESE 2 INSTRUMENTS HE PREFERS THE MOST
AND WHY? DO YOU THINK THAT YOU MIGHT USE A SAXOPHONE IN THE FUTURE IN ANY
OF YOUR COMPOSITIONS?
I definitely prefer the guitar... It still
is the instrument I have some kind of command over and the instrument I
play everyday. Saxophone is more of a fun thing I picked up a couple of
years ago. If we find a place for it in some new song, why not use it,
instead of an orchestra that seems pretty popular these days.
13. IF YOUR MUSIC WERE AN EMOTION, WHAT WOULD
IT BE? IF IT WERE A PAINTING, WHAT WOULD IT SHOW?
Tough one, it all depends on the listener...A
song can make different people feel different things. Maybe aggression
with a twist of lemon? The painting would show four smiling devils on the
top of the mountain of doom..or? Next question!
14. WHICH IS, ACCORDING TO YOU, THE BEST AND WHICH
THE WORST PART IN YOUR MUSIC? WHICH IS YOUR TRADEMARK?
We think we make a good spicy grogg out of
agressive riffs and strong melodies, that’d be the trademark. It?s all
good, and the bad parts...will be better on the next album? We are probably
not the right people to judge our own stuff.
15. ARE YOU SATISFIED BY THE FEEDBACK YOU GOT
THIS FAR? WHICH WAS THE BEST AND WHICH THE WORST COMMENT YOU HEARD? IS
THERE A STATEMENT YOU SEE REPEATED ALMOST IN ALL THE REVIEWS YOU READ?
The feedback has been mostly good words, we
got some "album of the month"-awards in different places...Bad comments?
No we don’t get that..Hehe, or at least we dont keep them in mind... Repeated
statement: Anything that include "Guardian"....
16. WHICH WORDS DO YOU THINK CAN BEST DESCRIBE
YOUR MUSIC AND PERSUADER AS A BAND IN A WHOLE?
Strapping young lads with lots of energy,
melody (and D??ner).
17. THANK YOU! HAVE I FORGOTTEN TO ASK YOU ANYTHING
AND YOU'D LIKE TO MENTION? LEAVE YOUR MESSAGE...
Thank you for your support! If you put melody
and aggression in a blender, and you like the drink...Check out “Evolution
Purgatory”! See ya folks on tour (or at the bar). METAL! METAL! And, errhhh
yeah METAL!
/Persuader dudes
Nick “William_Kidd”
Parastatidis
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