Soma
Soul Transfusion
Soma Soul Transfusion is
a really genuine and original band from every aspect... Their name? Unique
and I don't think they could be ever mixed with any other band. Their music?
Hard to be classified... The only thing you can do is describe how it makes
you feel and which emotions pour out from the notes and the vocals. Yes!
After all melancholy can sometimes be a good and "positive" (?!?) emotion.
Read this very interesting interview and you might be able to understand
better what I try to say in these few lines...
1.HELLO GUYS! FIRST OF ALL MY CONGRATULATIONS
FOR "ALBEDO ADAPTATION" CAUSE IT'S A VERY BEAUTIFUL WORK. SO IS THIS YOUR
FIRST DEMO? HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO COMPOSE THE SONGS CAUSE THEY SOUND
REALLY "MATURE"...
Thank you, we really appreciated your review.
This is our second recording, the first one, “songs of passion” was made
in 2003, but then only Mattias and I were in the band. This time, we felt
much more like a group. Darkness was on the first demo, the other songs
took about six months to finish. We work slowly, but we feel that is the
only way to get to know the spirit of the songs..
2.SINCE YOU ARE A NEW BAND PLEASE TELL US A FEW
THINGS ABOUT YOURSELVES. WHICH ARE YOUR PLANS AND DREAMS THAT YOU WANT
TO ACHIEVE WITH YOUR BAND?
We are all dedicated to create emotional and
passionate, interesting music. Further, we wish to reach out and share
our music with people. We also wish to perform and record.
3.SOMA SOUL TRANSFUSION IS A VERY WEIRD NAME FOR
BAND, HOW DID YOU CHOOSE IT AND WHICH IS THE EXACT MEANING OF THE NAME?
I THINK IT'S A TOUGH NAME FOR SOMEONE TO REMEMBER, HAVE YOU THOUGHT OF
CHANGING IT?
Well, Soma has a lot of meanings, one of it
being “body”, so you could look at it as a sort of transfusion between
body and soul, spirit and mind through your blood. We are also quite confident
that we will be alone with that name. The whole concept of “Soma” is appealing
to all of us.
4.SINCE WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT MEANINGS, PLEASE
TELL ME WHAT YOU MEAN WITH THE "ALBEDO ADAPTATION" TITLE OF YOUR DEMO?
DOES IT HAVE ANY SECRET SYMBOLISM?
If there are secrets involved, it would be
stupid to reveal them, no? Really it´s about adapting to the coming
and incarnation of Lucifer, or that could be a lie....
5.YOU COME FROM SWEDEN, A COUNTRY THAT GOT US
USED MOSTLY TO MELODIC POWER AND DEATH METAL RELEASES. HOW COME YOU DIDN'T
CHOOSE TO PLAY POWER OR DEATH THAT WOULD GUARANTEE YOU AN EASIER SUCCESS
AND RECOGNITION? SINCE YOUR MUSIC IS QUIET STRANGE AND UNIQUE, HOW DO THE
PEOPLE REACT WHEN THEY LISTEN TO IT?
Most people appreciate that we have a unique
sound. Sometimes, there are a bit of confusion when you can´t put
a group in a specific cathegory like “Power” or “Death”. For us, it only
creates freedom.
6.SOMETIMES YOUR MUSIC BROUGHT TO MY MIND A STRANGE
MIXTURE BETWEEN PAIN OF SALVATION AND SYSTEM OF A DOWN. DO YOU AGREE WITH
THAT? WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THESE BANDS AND WHICH OTHER GROUPS DO YOU
CONSIDER THAT HAVE INFLUENCED YOU?
The System Of A Down comparison I can trace
to the sometimes oriental-sounding melodies. All artists that can bring
forward an emotion of true compassion, a sense of beautiful melancholy
that feels real and articulate are appealing and influential to us. Deftones,
Tool, Radiohead and many more.
7.YOU ARE OF YOUNG AGE, BUT THE EMOTION THAT DOMINATES
YOUR MUSIC IS MELANCHOLY. WHY IS THAT? ARE YOU REALLY PESSIMISTS OR DO
YOU TRY WITH YOUR MUSIC IN A WAY TO CAST OUT ALL THE DEPRESSIVE EMOTIONS?
WHICH OTHER EMOTIONS CAN SOMEBODY FIND IN YOUR SONGS EXCEPT FOR MELANCHOLY?
I don´t see melancholy as something
negative, but more as a humble way of seeing the possibilities of purity
and beauty and the actions and thoughts that are soiling it. There are
elements of hope and comfort in the music too, I feel, and sometimes desperation
and anger that is needed to be let out.
8.EVERY NEW BAND I BELIEVE SEARCHES FOR A GOOD
CONTRACT. SO WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU WANT A LABEL TO OFFER YOU TO CONVINCE
YOU TO SIGN WITH THEM?
A financed recording, marketing and distribution.
Freedom of the creative process.
9.WE TALKED ABOUT EMOTIONS, BUT NOT ABOUT THE
LYRICS. SO CAN YOU TELL US WHAT IS THE THEME OF EACH SONG INCLUDED IN YOUR
DEMO AND WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR WRITING THEM?
Mattias wrote “Darkness”, “Clouds” and “Lifeline”.
I wrote “Storm”. As for “Storm”, it is about trying to keep the appetite
for emotion alive, to fight against oblivion. I won´t answer for
Mattias, but in general our lyrics are about meetings, passions, dreams
and mirror-reflecting dialogue.
10.DO YOU FOLLOW ANY SPECIFIC METHOD DURING THE
COMPOSING PROCESS OF YOUR SONGS? IS THE SONGWRITING OF YOUR SONGS A TEAM
WORK OR DOES ONE MEMBER OF THE BAND BRING ALL THE IDEAS? DO YOU REMEMBER
SOMETHING FUNNY THAT HAPPENED TO YOU DURING THE RECORDINGS OF YOUR DEMO?
Mostly, we let the musical ideas come from
jamming. Then we follow some kind of vision, it varies from time to time.
I´m sure the next recording will be much smoother, this one was a
bit frustrating and we worked in some strange ways.
11.IN THE EMAIL YOU HAVE SENT ME YOU TOLD ME THAT
YOU WANT TO GO TO ANOTHER COUNTRY, BECAUSE YOU WILL FIND MORE EASILY A
CONTRACT. CAN YOU TELL ME A FEW MORE THINGS ABOUT IT, SINCE THIS STATEMENT
SOUNDS KIND OF BIZARRE BECAUSE SWEDEN IS A COUNTRY THAT HAS THE ATTENTION
OF THE LABELS...
We feel that we have more understanding of
what we try to do from countries outside of Sweden. Here, everything is
very hit and fame-oriented.
12.HOW DID THE FANS AND PRESS REACT TO YOUR RELEASE?
WHICH WAS THE BEST REVIEW THAT YOU READ AND WHICH ONE PISSED YOU OFF BECAUSE
YOU THOUGHT THAT THE REVIEWER DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT EXACTLY YOU WANT TO
DO WITH YOUR MUSIC?
The best reviews have been from Italy and
Greece. The “behind the veil” magazines´ review was very flattering
and it felt that the writer had made the effort to really listen with an
open mind. We didn´t get a gig at a one-day prog-rock festival in
Gothenburgh because our music was “too heavy and too depressive”, that
felt strange.
13.HAVE YOU DONE ANY LIVE SHOWS? WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER
FROM YOUR FIRST LIVE SHOW? IS IT TRUE THAT SWEDEN HAS MORE METAL BANDS
THAN FANS OR IS IT JUST AN EXAGGERATION?
We have done a few. We are trying to develop
our live performance to fit with the music. To build a tasteful atmosphere
and to elucidate the feel of the music. Our first gig as Soma soul transfusion
like it is today was opening for the Flower Kings, I remember that we had
five minutes to get the gear up and for soundcheck. It was a quite interesting
mission. Not very friendly. We would love to come to Greece and play sometime
soon. Maybe you could set us up? More bands than fans? Hmmm, that must
mean that the bands aren´t very good at all! Our favorite Swedish
bands are Cult of Luna and Meshuggah. That´s two bands and there
are four of us, so.....
14.THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE INTERVIEW. THESE
LAST WORDS BELONG TO YOU AND LEAVE A MESSAGE TO THE READERS OF BEHIND THE
VEIL WEBZINE...
Well, what could I say that could mean anything
to you....the fact that we are recognized and able to affect people this
far from us is a genuine proof that music indeed is the language that binds
us all together. Let us be responsible and not give the word “pretentious”
the negative meaning that it has got. True emotion and pure passion is
important, we just have to be careful not to put it into words too often
and let it lose its´ magic. Love, take care, be creative!
/Fabian, Soma soul transfusion
Nick “William_Kidd”
Parastatidis
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