POWER
QUEST
It’s
really nice to have the chance to follow a band’s musical paths since it’s
first steps, to observe them and see them grow, to see them getting bigger
and greater. It’s really pleasing to have the feeling that you managed
to put even a tiny little stone to what they are going to become. I know
Power Quest quite a while now and I am sure that they are capable of doing
great things. This is the second interview for me and Steve Williams and
is mainly related with the release of their debut album entitled “Wings
Of Forever”, but besides that as you will see for yourselves you will find
many other interesting things.
1.HI!FIRST OF ALL CONGRATULATIONS
FOR YOUR DEBUT CD. IT'S GREAT!
Hi Christine! Thanks for the kind
words about the album….I’m really happy that you are enjoying listening
to it.
2.CAN YOU POINT OUT THE MOST IMPORTANT
MOMENTS OF THE BAND'S HISTORY UP TO DATE? WHICH IS THE CURRENT LINE UP?
Currently the band line up is
Vocals – Alessio Garavello
Guitar – Adam Bickers
Guitar – Andrea Martongelli
Guitar – Sam Totman
Keyboards – Steve Williams
Bass – Steve Scott
We will be bringing you all news
of our new drummer very soon now. In fact I had a phone call about this
today and it is all looking great.
I think the most important things
in the band history so far are
1. The first rehearsal in Spring
2001
2. Recording the demo in December
2001
3. Signing with US in Spring 2002
4. Recruiting Alessio into the
band
5. Recording the album in Summer
2002
6. Releasing the album Autumn/Winter
2002
3.TELL US A FEW THINGS FOR YOUR CD
"WINGS OF FOREVER". WHERE WAS IT RECORDED, HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU, WHO
WAS THE PRODUCER, ETC. ARE YOU STILL SATISFIED WITH IT OR IS THERE ANYTHING
YOU'D LIKE TO CHANGE?
We recorded the album at Thin Ice
studios in Surrey, England. Previous bands there include Threshold and
Shadowkeep. It was produced by Karl Groom (Threshold guitarist) and engineered
by Karl Groom and Clive Nolan (Arena). These two guys own and run the studio.
The recording took between 5 and 6 weeks altogether, including mixing.
All the guys worked really hard to keep to what was really a tight schedule.
Of course we are very happy with
the results but there are always things that you think “Oh, if only we
had done this here and that there”. I think that we did the best job we
could with the resources available and it ultimately serves no purpose
to dwell on the small things that you would like to improve.
4.WHAT ARE YOUR LYRICS TALKING ABOUT?
CAN YOU TELL US A FEW THINGS ABOUT THEM? YOUR HAVE A SONG ENTITLED "POWER
QUEST (PART I)". IS IT A CONCEPT? WHEN WILL YOU RELEASE THE PART II?
Here’s a breakdown on the tracks
on the album and little info about each one. Yeah Power Quest part II will
be on the next record. I’m pretty sure of that. It’s all tied in to the
idea of the Quest going on.
Prelude to Destiny
– This short “prelude” sets the scene for the album as the band of travellers
prepares for the Quest. Great solo from Andrea.
Wings of Forever
– the title track and first song proper. This song tells us that if we
stand together as a united force, then anything can be achieved not matter
what the odds may be.
Far Away –
A tale of the search for a mystical sword “far away in a bygone age”. This
track has been one of the most popular with the fans, I particularly like
the chorus on this track…great backing vocal harmony.
Glory Tonight
– one of the tracks from our demo (2001) but here it is with new vocals
and re-recorded acoustic guitars and keyboards. The melody has changed
slightly from the demo…which do you guys prefer? The song is about not
giving up when all around is lost.
Power Quest (Part I)
– The epic song on the album. Much more mid-paced than the other songs.
A very progressive middle section too. Watch out for great guitar solos
all round and a great vocal from Alessio. This song is about the Quest
in general and how sometimes we lose sight of what our objectives are.
Watch out for Power Quest (Part II) in the future.
Beyond the Stars
– The only song on the album written by Sam and catchy it is as well! I
collaborated with him on the lyrics on this one. One of my favourite songs
for its middle section and solos. This song is about always giving your
best always stretch yourself and aim as high as you can. You never know
what may happen.
Immortal Plains –
The ballad. This is another song that has proved very popular with the
fans. This song is about lost love and how everything seems so futile but
the chorus brings a message of hope that we will all meet again….on
Immortal Plains.
Follow your Heart
– The 2nd song from the demo and again features new vocals, re-recorded
guitars, keyboards etc. A progressive edge to this song as well and lyrically
it is a message of hope once more. Do not give up on your dreams because
everything is possible so long as you Follow your Heart.
Freedom Of Thought
– Written by Adam and the last song on the album. Galloping along in the
best Maiden tradition, Alessio really hits some high notes in this song.
Check out the “gang” backing vocals in the pre-chorus. The song itself
is telling us that without the freedom to think for ourselves, we are nothing.
Distant Lands
– Instrumental album closer. Acoustic and Electric guitars and keyboards.
A mellow end to the album as we look into the distance to see what lies
ahead on the Quest.
5.TELL US A FEW THINGS ABOUT THE COVER
ARTWORK, WHICH I THINK IS GREAT! WHO DID IT AND WHAT'S THE CONNECTION WITH
THE LYRICS? IS IT CONNECTED WITH A PARTICULAR SONG?
I’m glad you like it Christine.
The cover was designed by JP Fournier who has also designed covers for
bands like Edguy and Immortal. As well as being a fantastic artist he is
also a great guy (you may remember he also designed our logo). You could
say that the cover is connected to the title track “Wings of Forever”,
the guy with wings on the cover is an immortal and will forever soar on
wings of forever and he hopes one day that he will do so again with his
love.
6.HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO BE A POWER
METAL BAND IN ENGLAND? HOW DOES THE PRESS TREAT YOU? ARE YOU SATISFIED
BY THE FEEDBACK?
Magazines like PowerPlay, Terrorizer
and Fireworks have been great with the band. Really supportive and that’s
all we can ask for. More mainstream publications like Kerrang and Metal
Hammer…well I don’t really expect us to get a mention, unless they are
making fun of us. If you don’t play nu-metal or mtv orientated rock then
you haven’t got a chance. Watch out for an interview in the February issue
of PowerPlay.
Yeah, it’s tricky in some respects
being a power metal band over here (especially for us when we have members
living abroad) but there is a good community spirit between us and bands
like Intense, Shadowkeep and Dragonforce. Hey dudes!
7.WHAT ARE YOU SEARCHING, WHAT DO YOU
VALUE IN A RECORD LABEL? HOW DID YOU END UP TO SIGN WITH UNDERGROUND SYMPHONY?
WHAT MORE DID THEY PROMISE YOU FROM THE OTHER LABELS? ARE YOU SATISFIED
WITH THEM THIS FAR?
For me, the most important thing
is to have a label who are being you 100% of the way and are actually fans
of the band. It wasn’t really about what they offered that other
labels didn’t…it was really due to the fact that we got to control everything.
Studio, producer, artwork etc. We were allowed to basically do whatever
we felt was right. I should also thank Maurizio Chiarello at Underground
Symphony for introducing us to Alessio and Andrea. It’s things like that
which mean a lot to me….the personal touch. I can’t say enough good things
about the label to be honest.
8.YOU TOLD ME IN THE PREVIOUS INTERVIEW
WE DID THAT YOU HAVE A LIVE EXPERIENCE, BUT TILL THEM YOU DIDN'T HAVE THE
CHANCE TO PLAY LIVE AS POWER QUEST. HAVE YOU MANAGED TO DO SO SINCE THEN?
HOW DID YOU FEEL THE FIRST TIME YOU WERE ON STAGE?
No we still are yet to make our
live debut I’m afraid. I’m hoping to do some UK shows in May 2003 and then
perhaps a festival during the Summer. To be honest, the first time I was
on stage….I was scared! It totally freaked me out but that was many years
ago now. These days I try to enjoy things as much as I can because getting
the chance to play live is a privilege and we are duty to bound to do as
good a show as possible for the fans.
9.WHICH IS THE WORST AND WHICH IS THE
BEST REVIEW YOU HAVE RECEIVED? IN WHICH FIELD DO YOU THINK YOU NEED FURTHER
IMPROVEMENT?
We had a bad review from some guy
in Finland who just wanted to be abusive put us down. There was no constructive
criticism at all. I don’t think he even listened to the CD properly. It’s
important to get feedback like “the guitar is a bit thin here” or “the
vocal could improve on this bit” etc but just to be insulting….well I just
can’t see the point. Time to grow up I think! Haha! All the other reviews
have been awesome, including yours Christine. I think the best review for
marks out of 10 was 9/10 from Strutter zine. Virtually all the reviews
have given us between 7.5/10 and 9/10, which is great for a debut album.
10.IF YOUR MUSIC WAS AN EMOTION, WHAT
WOULD IT BE? IF IT WAS A PAINTING, WHAT WOULD IT SHOW?
Music is amazing in it’s ability
to convey every emotion from joy to despair. It depends on both the music
and the listener because music can conjure different emotions for different
people. It would be similar if music was represented in a painting but
for Power Quest the painting would have to show unity, a positive future
and have a generally uplifting theme.
11.IF TIME TRAVEL WAS POSSIBLE, WHERE
WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO AND WHAT WOULD YOU MISS THE MOST FROM OUR TIMES?
If I had a Time machine I would
like to visit the ancient worlds of Greece and Egypt but also the medieval
period in England. I would like to see if what history teaches us is actually
what happened. I guess I would miss modern things like CD and DVD players,
the internet etc but it would be interesting to see how musicians lived
their lives back in those times gone by.
12.IF SUDDENLY ELECTRICITY CEASED TO
EXIST, WHAT DO YOU TINK WOULD HAPPEN TO HEAVY METAL MUSIC? WOULD IT BE
FORGOTTEN OR TRANSFORMED?
I think we would return to the
days of bards and minstrels travelling the land and entertaining
the people with acoustic instruments. I guess it would not be heavy metal
anymore but the spirit would be the same, which is the ultimate thing I
think.
13.YOU ARE GRANTED ONE WISH. WHAT WOULD
YOU DO OR WISH TO CHANGE IN THE WORLD?
Always a tricky question because
one wish would never be enough to change the world, although would it really
be a good thing to change? If you change one thing then thousands of other
things would change as a result….just like if you could travel in time.
There are many consequences that perhaps wouldn’t be apparent until it
was too late. I guess I just wish that people could be more tolerant of
each others differences. We should celebrate our different cultures rather
than try to get everybody believing and thinking the same things. It will
never work.
14.IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO MEET THE
CREATURE THAT CREATED THE UNIVERSE, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO ASK HIM?
I suppose the question that most
people would like to ask is “Why are we here and is there actually any
greater purpose to it all?”. The human race does tend to be pre-occupied
with what happens after death, especially as we all get older year by year.
I guess we won’t know until we leave this mortal realm!
15.WHAT TITLE WOULD YOU LIKE THIS INTERVIEW
TO HAVE?
Jeez…..I haven’t had this question
before. Hmm….I don’t know…haha! I think I will have to leave that one up
to you Christine. Hope that’s Ok!
16.THANK YOU! HAVE I FORGOTTEN TO ASK
YOU ANYTHING AND YOU'D LIKE TO MENTION?
Thanks for the questions Christine
and once again thanks to you guys at Behind the Veil for your continued
support of the Quest. I’d just like to say thanks to all the guys who regularly
visit our website and post on our forum. Without you all, we are nothing!
Come and check us out at http://www.power-quest.co.uk/
Have a great New year and see you
all in 2003!
The Quest must go on…..
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