This Thursday evening 3 heavy metal bands played in Barba Negra, on the same day as Megadeth and Five Finger Death Punch performed in the Arena. On my way there I was wondering about how many people I will see in the venue when I arrive, but when I saw the queue around the entrance I knew this show would be sold out or at least close to it. (later I learned it was actually sold out)
Out of the three bands I was familiar with two, Battle Beast and Hammerfall, having seen each of them twice before. Based on their name < Serious Black>, I draw the conclusion that they must play in the same genre as Hammerfall and I couldn’t be more right. When I entered the venue, they were just starting the show, the sound and the image of the band was just pure heavy metal, nothing more, nothing less. Sometimes less is more. I looked around and I saw people from all ages already having the most fun, kids, teenagers, parents and even grandparents. This genre, I would say, is the one that closes the gap between generations when it comes to music preferences. The youth loved it because it was catchy, very energetic and the band really knew how to hype the crowd. On the other hand, the older generation, I guess, grew up on this exact sound and this is what they think of when they say music was better when they were younger. Of course, this was true for the whole night, not only for Serious Black. People were enjoying the opening show, they were jumping, they were clapping and singing when asked to J , but the most important part is that they were there, listening to them. We often go to events where there is considerably less people before the headliner starts and I was happy to see this was not one of those nights. Serious Black are coming back in September and I’m sure there will be many people who will join after seeing them opening for Hammerfall.
The next act on stage was Battle Beast, a band I enjoy a lot! I got into metal by listening to female fronted bands and what I like most about Battle Beast is that they are nothing like them. Not that I would not love those anymore, cause I do, but because of the surprise element they have. I guess everybody, including me expects a high pitched voice or exactly the opposite, some growls when it comes to female singers in metal bands.
Noora doesn’t meet any of those expectations, she has a very strong voice with a great amount of rasp, no opera style and none of the extreme ends of the spectrum. Hearing her is very refreshing, it feels like something new, when the genre itself is one of the oldest. Battle Beast bring an ‘80s heavy metal sound that still has a fresh vibe to it. The moment they showed up on the stage, all hands were up in the air and the venue “exploded”. They started with the opening song from their most recent album “No More Hollywood Endings”, from which they played quite a few more during the night. Song after song, people were screaming, dancing, headbanging, nobody got tired and to be honest they would not let us stop anyway. The way they interact with the crowd is next level. All the joking, funny moments, speeches between songs add more to the table than we would think. A little disco element in the songs, a little comedy never hurt nobody. After a few songs, Janne brought some disco drums <as he said> on the stage which gave a whole new atmosphere, now that was the 80s vibe we needed from them. Rock music was always about fun&games, and they did not let us forget this during the night.
After a short break Hammerfall jumped on the stage, by this time, there the venue was absolutely full, which shows that besides modern metal, there is still a huge need for simple heavy metal without adding to much extra elements to it. The instruments were loud, the singer was loud, but damn, the crowd was even louder at times. Fans were not so busy with moshing, they choose to sing from the very first song to the very last one.
It didn’t really matter which album they were playing from, fans knew the lyrics and they definitely knew how to impress the band. In between the songs, they did not stop chanting “Hammerfall”, it was very nice to see that. Besides playing a few tracks from their new release “Dominion” they did not forget to bring their classics like “Any means necessary”, “Last Man Standing” or “Hearts on fire” (probably the first Hammerfall song for 90% of the crowd). Especially on these pieces, the fans not only sang along with the band, but they were let to sing choruses and bridges alone several times. Some people prefer to hear the singer sing all the way to the end, but I think these are the moments that become unforgettable memories from a show not only for us, but for the band also. My favorite part at heavy or power metal shows is that the crowd not only sings the lyrics but they “sing” the riffs and the melodic guitar solos too. Of course, this also happened here on almost every song, which made this night a very loud and energetic one. Little kids also joined the “OoooOooo” parts and I’m sure they will remember this concert when they grow up. After “Let the Hammer Fall” the band left the stage for a few minutes. It goes without saying that fans invited them back, so they continued the set with the most successful song from the night (imo) “Hammer High”. That song is like the anthem of not only Hammerfall fans, but all heavy metal fans. It’s a classic that should be never left out of their setlist, and I’m glad they think the same way. After this bomb of a song, the new album’s “Sweden Rock” followed which got the best reaction from the crowd from all the played new songs. As for the last one, the riff of “Hearts on fire” started playing and it took us back to some childhood memories when we couldn’t wait for this song to come up on MTV.
Overall, I think this is how a tour line up has to be done. Great quality bands playing in similar subgenres, so fans can appreciate them all, no matter which band made them buy the tickets.
Obscura revin la Bucuresti pe 21 februarie in Club Quantic din Bucuresti. In deschidere vor canta God Dethroned, Fractal Universe si Thulcandra.
PROGRAM
OPEN DOORS 19:00
Fractal Universe 19:30 – 20:00
Thulcandra 20:15 – 20:50
God Dethroned 21:05 – 21:50
Obscura 22:10 – 23:35.
REGULI DE ACCES SI INFORMATII UTILE
Este interzis in zona de concert:
accesul cu arme sau obiecte periculoase
accesul cu alcool sau alte bauturi si alimente din exteriorul salii de concert.
accesul cu materiale inflamabile, canistre pe gaz sau masini de gatit de orice fel
aparate foto profesionale sau semi-profesionale (cu obiectiv detasabil)
aparate de inregistrare audio-video profesionale sau semi-profesionale.
Biletele se gasesc in format electronic pe www.iabilet.ro si in magazinele Flanco, Diverta, Carturesti, Metrou Unirii 1, Muzica, IQ BOX, Uman, Casa de Balet si pe terminalele Selfpay. Online, puteti plati cu cardul, Paypal,carduri de tichete culturale Sodexo, pe factura la Vodafone sau Orange sau ramburs prin Fan Courier oriunde in tara.
Biletele costa in presale 79 de lei iar la intrare 100.
Un eveniment METALHEAD powered by ROCK FM
25.10.2019
Concert Obscura si God Dethroned la Quantic pe 21 Februarie
Obscura revin la Bucuresti pe 21 februarie in Club Quantic din Bucuresti. In deschidere vor canta God Dethroned, Fractal Universe si Thulcandra. Primele 100 de bilete costa doar 59 de lei si se gasesc pe iabilet.ro
Obscura sunt un nume cunoscut deja pe scena death metalului progresiv. Din 2002 pana in prezent, formatia germana a lansat 5 materiale de studio. Obscura este cunscuta pentru pasajele muzicale complexe, lucru datorat si faptului ca membrii formatiei au studiat teorie muzicala Formatia a atras atentia destul de repede, la doar 4 ani de la infiintare plecand in turenul alaturi de Suffocation prin Europa. Au urmat apoi concerte sustinute in Statele Unite si in Asia alaturi de Nile si Triptykon, dar si prezente pe scenele principalelor festivaluri din Europa.
God Dethroned vin din Olanda, fiind una dintre primele trupe de metal extrem din aceasta tara. Formatia a luat nastere in 1991 si a activat cu mici intreruperi pana in prezent. Au la activ 10 albume in care trateaza teme specifice black si death metalului. De-a lungul timpului au avut turnee alaturi de nume importante ale scenei black metal precum Marduk, Immortal, Deicide sau Impaled Nazarene.
Thulcandra vin din Germania si abordeaza un melodic black metal cu influente de death metal pe alocuri. Numele formatiei vine de la demo-ul eponim lansat de Darkthrone in 1989. Pana in prezent au lansat trei albume si un EP bine primite atat de public cat si de presa de specialitate. De-a lungul timpului au impartit scena cu formatii precum Triptykon, Taake, Testament, sau Venom. De asemenea au participat atat la festivaluri de underground, dedicate stilurilor extreme, dar au urcat si pe scena marilor festivaluri precum Maryland Deathfest sau Ragnarok Festival.
Fractal Universe vin din Franta si abordeaza un death metal progresiv. Infiintata in 2013, formatia a lansat doua albume de studio, cel mai recent, Rhizomes of Insanity fiind scos anul acesta. Temele lirice abordate de Fractal Universe sunt de natura filosofica de cele mai multe ori.
Primele 100 de bilete costa doar 59 lei, urmatoarele 100 de bilete costa 69 lei, in presale 79 de lei iar la intrare 100.
Biletele se gasesc in format electronic pe www.iabilet.ro si in magazinele Flanco, Diverta, Carturesti, Metrou Unirii 1, Muzica, IQ BOX, Uman, Casa de Balet si pe terminalele Selfpay. Online, puteti plati cu cardul, Paypal, pe factura la Vodafone sau Orange sau ramburs prin Fan Courier oriunde in tara.
There’s no secret about how big of a Delain fan I am. They are bringing it every time with new albums mixing heavy songs and softer ballads, with pop and electronic influences. Their shows are always a good party. But more than anything, they are just the coolest bunch of people. So of course I jumped at the chance to ask Martijn Westerholt more about their brand new album, Apocalypse & Chill, to discuss music and life and so much more.
Simona: Congrats on the new album and the tour and everything. Something that has surprised me personally the most about it was the very techno and synth infused beginning of the album, which really was stronger than on any older material. How did that come to be?
Martijn: That’s funny because I hear that a lot. But you know, when you make music, you kind of are in your own bubble, so you don’t really notice those things. You just write a song and you go with the flow. What I do know is that we used elements we always used. However, we used more of it. I think that with the arrangements. But it’s also with Charlotte’s vocals, with the choirs, with the electronic elements, with the guitar riffs. So I think all the elements are there and it’s the same, but there’s a little bit more of everything.
Simona: Listening to the album, I realized there were a few clusters of songs in terms of sound and message. Did these come about from having different periods of writing and recording?
Martijn: You know, my role is also to be the producer. I always say, OK, I want heavy and hard songs, because those are the most difficult to write for us. The ballads and the more soft stuff comes easier. So we started with the more heavy stuff and a song like Burning Bridges, but also a song like Masters of Destiny, which is just more intense. But that’s what we started with. And in the later period, we we did more the softer stuff.
I think the time factor really did kind of separate the the style of the songs a little bit. Normally we always write in one go, and then we record in one go, the classic way of doing it. This time we split everything in pieces. So that might have helped as well.
Photo credit: Carlos Funes
Simona: What song from the album came together the easiest and which one gave you the most trouble?
Martijn: Masters of Destiny was really easy. I wrote the instrumental part really quickly and then I gave it to Charlotte and she gave back pretty quickly as well. Vengeance is Mine was a really hard one. Its internal structure was really hard and also with guitar riffing. It just didn’t click entirely and we worked a lot and changed a lot to make it work.
It’s funny because you can never predict when the song is easy or when the song is difficult just sometimes it just is so. Another easy song would be Ghost House Heart. I first thought it needed more flesh to the bone, but no, it doesn’t. It’s just short. People say “oh, it’s too short”, sure, but that’s kind of a compliment because it makes people hungry. But I did put it aside for a long time before finishing it and making a decision on it. The Greatest Escape was difficult because it has kind of two parts and we needed to connect them. It was kind of difficult.
Simona: When you have a song like this one and you just can’t seem to connect it, how do you get about getting through that? I wouldn’t say it’s a writer’s block, but maybe a composer’s block?
Martijn: How we work is that we have a little concept. So, for example, a verse and the chorus, or a riff and a chorus, or something like that. And we have let’s say twenty-five of those. We then sit together and say, okay, let’s work on that. I feel like working on this one, so we start working on that one. And really quickly if we try to elaborate on it and nothing comes, then we don’t even give it a chance to be finished. We just write it off. So we have songs laying around because they don’t make it. If we work on it and something comes up and there’s little more flesh to the bone, then it goes out. I often finish it with writing in little parts and then put the structure together. Sometimes I go to Timo and then we have the parts but not the structure complete, so we finish that. That’s a little bit how we work. But we don’t really have songs where we think, oh, we really want to finish it, if only we knew how. Then we just write it off and don’t give it a chance.
Simona: You don’t force it.
Martijn: No, because it has to, you know, it will sound forced.
Simona: Is there any song on the album you would’ve liked to have as a single, but it just didn’t make the cut?
Martijn: Oh that’s a good one. Yeah, that’s a good one, because I never thought about it. We kind of made four singles with One Second and with Ghost House Heart, Masters of Destiny, and Burning Bridges. But if there would be another one, one I really, really like is Creatures. Because Creatures has a very gloomy guitar riff. We called it the Amon Amarth song because of that. But at the same time it’s also not very heavy because it’s almost like The Hurricane on our previous record. It’s almost a ballad, but it has really heavy duty elements and it’s a really weird combination, and I really, really like the sound. When we play it live, it really touches me. So it wouldn’t be the first choice as a single, perhaps, but for me, it’s kind of it’s nice.Simona: I asked because sometimes some songs from different album get forgotten, or I would not say forgotten, but that they are not as highlighted.
Martijn: No, it’s true. But the good thing about that is that a lot of those songs become audience favorites when you play them live. And when it works really well, you keep playing them.
Simona: How has it been taking the album on the road with the UK tour?
Martijn: Well, I was really pleasantly surprised when we played the stuff live because they really work and that’s never a given. You know sometimes you have songs on an album which work really well in an album but not live. Sometimes it’s the other way around. We have a song, for example, Don’t let Go, which was kind of a bonus track on The Human Contradiction. But live it always creates a party and it puts a lot of energy out there. I guess that’s that’s a good example.
But I think Burning Bridges works really well. It’s really intense live. I always put a softer song after, because any song you have after will always sound less heavy than Burning Bridges itself. It will always lose, so that’s kind of funny. But so far, the crowd really likes the songs and this is a kind of surprise. Whenever you do a new song live, you know, you worked on it for a long time and then you put it up on stage for the first time. And it is a surprise if it will work. So far, yeah, really good experience with it. I’m really, really pleasantly surprised.
Simona: I know you sometimes play a couple of songs way before the album was out and showcase them. Would you ever go back and change something to the songs after their life debut?
Martijn: Yes, actually, that’s a very good question. Not a lot of people asked. We had for example for the song Turn The Lights Out and we even had it with songs in the periods of We Are The Others, where we changed Get The Devil Out Of Me, for example. We changed the entire chorus. And it’s funny because indeed sometimes when you play a song live you notice certain things. For example, that song is too fast and you make it slower, so we did that a couple times. From our debut album there’s a song called Shattered, and we almost played it faster live. And now the other way around, we played Ghost House Heart in the UK for first time and it sounded rushed. So I stretched it down with a couple BPMs. And now it sounds better. It’s really funny.
Photo credit: Carlos Funes
Simona: Now that we talk about like creating the music and presenting it live, how separate is art from entertainment in your view? Not just for you in Delain, but in general.
Martijn: That’s a that’s a difficult question. I think it will offend people but I will say that I think that art is entertainment, but entertainment sounds a little bit too light for some art. Do you know what I mean? But in general, art is to amaze or inspire people, or make people think. And to me, that’s kind of what makes life interesting and does entertaining. The word entertainment is almost like Bugs Bunny with a hat.
With our music, what I sometimes struggle with is that, for me, a show is successful when people will go crazy and the roof blows off, so to say. But there are also people who don’t really express themselves like that and just stand there and take the music in and enjoy it just as much, only it’s more difficult to see. Sometimes I kind of measure the success to the amount of intensity I get back from the crowd. But that’s not always trustworthy. So, to say, OK, we need more “party” is not always good, because some songs are too serious for party in our genre. That’s kind of always a little bit of a struggle. Therefore, in a sense, I also kind of make this sequence of the setlist and I’ve tried to make a flow in that. We start with the big bang and then we have some serious songs. And then in the last part of the set we go to the party songs. So there’s kind of a flow in the set and that’s what I’ve tried to do.
Simona: With The Gathering and Don’t Let Go.
Martijn: Exactly, We’ve never played The Gathering as a first song.
Simona: Too much :)) people would then be able to handle it.
Martijn: No, you’re just sober or something, you know?
Simona: What was the first time you thought of yourself as an artist?
Martijn: Oooh, sometimes I still don’t think of myself as an artist. That’s a good question, when did I think of myself as an artist? I think when I played live with Within Temptation on Dynamo, where we had the backstage pass say “no artists, just talent”. And I thought of what it said, just talents. Like, oh yeah, so I’m regarded as an artist. But I don’t know if I see myself as an artist. Good question. I’m not usually thinking like that for myself.
I also remember that people can look at you differently when they know you are an artist or make music. People experience a bit of magic. I also have that with … let’s say Star Trek. I love Star Trek very much. I am Trekkie. Definitely. That’s magic. But if you meet an actor like that in real life, that magic is kind of gone. You know what I mean? That is how people approach me and I think and like unjust human being. But for them, it’s a special moment. I don’t want to take the special moments away from them. Those are special moments, to see how your music touches people. I mean, what bigger compliment can you get. That’s really beautiful.
Simona: Finding out those are just actors or musicians is the best case scenario. There is reason why we have a saying “never meet your heroes”.
Martijn: Its funny. For example, Tuomas Holopainen is a good friend of mine. And when I met him for the first time, I was like “I’m a really big fan of your music” and he said “no, I’m a really big fan of your music”. And that was so weird.
Simona: Like the Spiderman meme.
Martijn: Yeah, really funny. And at some point, he said, for example, I don’t want to meet Hans Zimmer. He had a couple of moments when he could meet Hans Zimmer. The reason he didn’t want to meet him is that he wants to keep that magic there.
Photo Credit: Tim Tronckoe
Simona: Are you personally an Apocalypse& Chill kind of person or are you more worried than cynical?
Martijn: I’m actually an optimist. Also, when I look at the world Apocalypse& Chill for me is not judging. It’s more like observing. It’s just very interesting to see the two worlds. One, like, for example, the social media, where you see really awesome pictures of people’s lives, where it looks really cool. On the other hand, there are always articles where you see Australia on fire or California. And it’s the same world, which is kind of fascinating. It goes without saying that I don’t like it with when forests or houses or things are on fire. Not at all. It’s terrible. And I’m kind of worried about global warming, which I think it’s scary. But then again, I am also very optimistic because the best feature of the of the human race is that it’s so adaptive. There’s not a single specie on here which is as adaptive as the human race. I kind of have faith that we will solve it. I hope so, at least. That’s more who I am.
Simona: Are there still any music acts you’re excited to see?
Martijn: Oh, yeah. Rammstein. That’s a big experience and I am always excited to see them life. Nightwish is another example, but that’s more because I know them personally and I like the people very much. And I love the music, but it’s more of a weird position. The same is with Within Temptation. I’m so excited to see them, but that’s family and I want them to have success. But also Sabaton, for example. I really admire how those guys build their bands and what kind of spectacle they make. And I’m a history addict, I love history. They are very much about military history, which I find very interesting. So, yeah, I am excited about it.
Simona: Lastly, what are your best tips and the words of wisdom when it comes to traveling?
Martijn: Well, I think you get life experience when you travel because you see how other people live. And if don’t only go to the tourist places, but also go where the tourists are not and try to soak in that place and the space, it just keeps you life experience. I don’t have a phrase for it.
Simona: It’s called going off the beaten path.
Martijn: Yeah. I am totally with that. Absolutely.
I was lucky enough to catch Amaranthe on the Great Tour, supporting Sabaton around Europe. I’ve been a fan for many years and was ready for some traditional energetic and bombastic displays of power. I knew both Olof and Elize to be not just incredibly talented people, but the absolute loveliest, and so it was.
Simona: Let’s talk about the Great Tour. How has it been so far playing such an extensive arena tour?
Olof: I’ve been saying this the whole time: it’s been
unreal, completely magical. Like, every time that you wake up in the morning,
you go to the venue in a place like this [Wembley Arena]. The last time, with
Powerwolf, they did play some really, really big places. I guess the biggest
one was in Munich with 6000 people. That’s actually equivalent to one of the
smaller shows in this tour. So, I mean, it’s an absolute dream come true. And
today, Wembley Arena … I just have to say, I’m so damn proud or Sabaton guys
for achieving this.
Simona: And you as well
Olof: Well, to be honest, we’re just really happy to be here. And it’s really helping us in so many different ways.
Simona: How long in advance do you start working for such a
tour?
Olof: Pre-production typically starts with the boring stuff,
sending the emails and all that maybe half a year before something like this.
It depends a little bit With the US tour that we did at the end of this year or
at the end of the summer actually, we started to plan that a whole year in
advance. So it depends a little bit. And I think on the tour, you know, on this
scale, on this level, they probably started a year and a half in advance with
the first plan. But as artist and musician, preparing usually starts like a
month before the tour, when you start to get your stuff together.
Simona: Why did you choose 82nd all the way for a cover? How
was the process of turning someone else’s song into something so typically
Amaranthe?
Olof: We didn’t choose it. No, it was chosen by Par from Sabaton
because we had the common idea. We started talking to him on messenger actually
that it would be really fun to show that we’re actually good friends and that
it’s not only having a great time, also people that we’ve known for a long
time. Like Hannes, for example, was on our second tour ever, playing drums with
Evergrey at the time… and so on and so forth. So we wanted to show that friendship
and what better way than, you know, to do a cover? And he suggested the song
because he probably obviously knew that from the Sabaton songs this is going to
work. When I heard the song, this was before it was released, I was like, OK,
that choruses. It’s going to be an Amaranthe song more or less. So it worked
really well.
Simona: A while ago you and Elize had a special project in
Spain. Perhaps related to new material?
Olof: Yes … But to clarify, it’s actually not about the new album, but it’s about new music and about new stuff. And I can also say something that I haven’t told to anybody else. What day is today? 8th? People will know within six days, and it’s something that we’re really excited about. It is something quite different from what we’ve done, something a little bit a little bit deeper. But still with the Amaranthe classical, you know, fun attached to it. Let’s say.
Photo by Tim Tronckoe
Simona: What about the last album? Which songs from the last
album had surprising fan reactions? Either expected them to do better or outdid
all expectations?
Olof: It’s tough because I don’t really put that much
expectations before, because some thing is that when you’re working.
[Elize joins the interview. Olof says he’s goona answer and
Elize will think about it]
Olof: I think that when you’re working on an album, you
don’t really put up these kinds of expectations and before, because sometimes
you can be setting up yourself for disappointment. Sometimes the songs that we
find are the strongest are not thesongs that the label wants for a single or
not what the fans are the most enthusiastic about. There was a couple of albums
in a row where we chose the completely wrong singles and people stepped in and
said that no, we should do this one. The Nexus, for example, was on number nine
when we did the initial tracklist. But when it comes to the new album, I think
that maybe Helix worked quite abit better than I was expecting. I really love
the song. It’s definitely one of my favorites from the last few albums
actually, but it’s a little bit more of an introverted and slightly darker song
in some way. But the fans, and especially labels and they seem embrace it.
Simona: How good of an indicator are streaming numbers when
creating a setlist? Do you find that popular songs are also the best hits live?
Elize: No, it’s actually very different. It depends on the
country, actually, what style they like. And also depends on our songs. Some of
them are very produced and many people think they sound even better live.
Simona: Are there any plans for Amaranthe live DVD?
Olof: Oh, yeah. I mean it’s something that we’ve been talking about doing our entire careers. In the last couple of years we have gotten a whole lot better as a live band because we’vebeen touring really hard. Now we have a finalized line-up. For a long time we were changing singers back and forth after Jake left, and I think at this point it’s really, really starting to make sense. So because there’s no plans set yet, but I would say that in 2021 it’s something that we should aim at actually.
Photo by Tim Tronckoe
Simona: One of the things I love the most about Amaranthe is
how upbeat the music is and just giving people such a great feeling. Is it ever
hard to sustain that level of “happy energy”?
Elize: Oh, that’s a
good question. I think it reflects what kind of people we are inside our
hearts. And also it reflects that we are so in need of positive energy
ourselves and create that. My happiest place is to make music, and therefore I
think it reflects into the songs. So if I just walk in the street, I mean,
OK, I’m kind of a positive person. But
of course, you have a lot of inner sorrows. But the music can take us away
from, you know, the reality. So, therefore, I think it’s easy. As long as we
love to make music, then we get something positive out of it.
Simona: What is something you think people don’t understand
about what it takes to be a musician?
Olof: they have no
idea how tough it can be, actually. We’re not going to complain because we’re
still love traveling and we still love doing this. But it takes a toll, a toll
on your physical and mental health and it’s always a strain on relationships
and things like this. So it’s really, really a double edged sword. I mean, for me,
I would have a very hard time doing everything else. Because if you ask me at
the end of the tour, I will probably want to go home and rest for at least one
or two days. And then I could continue. But as soon as I’ve been home for a
month or something like that, you really start tocrave to get back out again.
Elize: It’s more of a lifestyle. It’s not just, oh, I love
to sing and I want to sing, but I also need to change your whole life for the
music. And that’s what people probably don’t understand, that it takes so much
more strength than just a voice or a great guitar playing or whatever. To
create a career like, you need to be fucking strong minded and watch out for
the traps that you could fall into, like harming yourself through all the
others temptations available in the music industry. And also the touring is of
course, the hardest. Like that. We’re living on the road. That becomes your
whole life.
Simona: What do you dislike the most about the art world?
Olof: This is quite an obvious one mean, when it comes to
every artistic venture, I think the music business in particular, but also in a
business where there’s so much corruption and so many people that are taking
advantage. This is a massive problem for the industry and it’s really destroying
talented and real artists. If it weren’t for these people who are trying
without any talent to capitalize on other people’s skills, then you would have
two thousand more great bands in the metal genre, for example. So it’s these
people are a problem. But I think that more and more people are changing, as
you know, these businesses start to open up because of the Internet and so on.
And yet the movie business, particularly the #MeToo campaign, for example.
There’s been similar things in the metal
world. I think people are starting to wake up to this. Just a little bit
because it’s not a hidden world. Hollywood in the 90s was completely sheltered.
You could behave and act however you wanted. And I hope that this trend will
continue in the next 10 to 20 years and really start to the clear away these
idiots and assholes.
Elize: I hope so, too. I think it’s up to us to address this. We need to get together as musicians. That kind of change means, for example, how some contracts are formed. Why would there even be a 365 deal? Probably that needs to do a revolution and say like, fuck you guys. We don’t accept these kind of contracts because we’re actually humans. And no, it’s like slavery working like that now. That’s what I’m trying to do. That’s why I love to speak out. But it’s like, you know, asking the question. So as long as people become aware of it. Don’t look up to people that want to use you. And then if somebody wants to sign you, then you should think, oh, maybe I do have something that’s really great. It’s expensive to hire a lawyer, but you can go to the musicians union and get help for free or for cheap. Or ask someone. Because that’s what we thought, too. Like, oh, my God, people want to work for us. They want to take like 80 percent of our income and it is fine because otherwise we never get this opportunity. You know, that’s not nice. But most musicians are also like that in their minds, they want to feel appreciated. And this is a way to do that. Otherwise, you could just be thrown away like. Okay, next. You know. So you have to agree on things that you feel afterwards that you’ve been very userd or you feel like like it’s a rape of your art.
Simona: Something I was thinking about while you were answering the previous question is something that I’ve been talking to with my friends who also listen to symphonic metal… which is that it’s not just people in power who behave like that. Sometimes fans are… not nice, let’s say.
Olof: Tell me :))
Simona: There is this saying that every country has the rulers it deserves. I kind of say that every band has the fans it deserves. I think that there are some cases where there needs to be a discussion about what behavior is acceptable and what is not.
Olof & Elize: Well, yeah.
Olof: This is true. I mean, just a quick comment. I mean,
even if I do agree with the fact that you get the kings that you deserve or the
fans that you deserve, but you will always get a certain amount of assholes. I
think that the ratio of it is what matters. Like what is the ratio of assholes
listening to your music? I have to say that in our case, if we do have them,
the amount is surprisingly low as they’ve always been supportive, supported the
stuff that we do and so on.
Elize: Now I’m thinking about humanity in general is the
problem. We also need to love somehting and we also need to hate something and
I don’t understand that. Why would you want that? Why would you need to hate
something that is not harming anyone? You could hate obvious things. I wouldn’t
like go there and actually comment on something, on music I don’t like. I would
just to keep it to myself. I like listen to the stuff I like so I don’t really
understand. I could encourage the fans that have so much hate that they can
write the most evil and awful things online that they should focus their hate
on something that needs to be hated. That deserves to be hated.
Olof: Yeah, exactly. And the thing that they need to fix is
not the new Nightwish album, which is a great album, by the way.
Elize: So yeah, they should absolutely use that energy to do something. Could be a good thing in the end.
Simona: Both of you do a lot of songwriting even outside of Amaranthe. What do you think makes a good songwriter and what makes a good musician? Can those be different?
Olof: Oh, those two are completely different animals. There’s so many good musicians who can’t even write the most basic song. And there’s also a lot of great songwriters who don’t really know how to play an instrument besides four chords. Like Max Martin, for example, who wrote some of the biggest hits. So basically, I think that what constitutes a great song is that there’s a real meaning behind it. It doesn’t need to be in the lyrics. It just needs to be there spiritually. You can learn how to put chords together, you can learn how to orchestrate symphonies. But if you don’t put meaning and your heart and soul into it, that won’t translate into a good song. It can have all the right chords, all the right melodies and people will feel nothing when they hear it. And that is at the end of the day the beauty of music, that it’s a language of emotions. That’s really what you’re trying to convey when you’re composing a song.
Simona: What is the most trouble you’ve ever gotten into?
Olof: Trouble in general or in the music business?
Simona: I would say in general, maybe. If you don’t want to
share something recent, maybe something you did as a kid
Olof: This is something that I was talking about yesterday.
My sister was studying in a small town in Sweden and she invited me there.
Obviously, there was a lot of 18 year olds there hanging out. I was fifteen at
the time, had long black hair, so I looked the same age as everybody else. As
soon as I arrived there, I got a beer in my hand. I got pretty drunk. I even
smoked. And then my mother found out at 8 o’clock in the morning, so after
that I was in big trouble.
[Elize stays quiet]
Simona: You haven’t gotten into trouble yet?
Elize: I haven’t gotten into trouble *laughing*. Ask me that
next time :))
Simona: Last but not least, since we are a Romanian based
magazine, we cannot just let you off the hook without asking: what are some
Romanian foods or traditions you enjoy and some you don’t? Also to Elize, since
you’ve been there.
Elize: I’ve been there many times. I love it. It’s truly amazing.
Olof: It’s not something that she says. She absolutely loves
Cluj. She would ask all the time “Can we just move here, please?” But
when it comes to food, I really like the eggplant salad. This is called…
Simona: “Salată de vinete”
Olof: “Salată de vinete” and of course, the sarmale. It’s one of my
favorite dish. We also love the Romanian wines.
Elize: I think I drank the best wine ever in Romania.
Olof: Like the “Prinț Mircea”, for example.
Fantastic wine. But I tried a lot of really, really good things from Romania.
One thing that I hate love relationship with is obviously the palinca. Oh,
yeah. The thing is that if you don’t drink it as shots because it’s obviously
very dangerous. Like at my wedding, for example, people consume thirty five
litres of palinca or
Simona: How many people?
Olof: Hundred and ninety.
Simona: That is a lot.
Olof: That is a lot. But I was still told that it was
nowhere near some other Romanian weddings.
Simona: Oh, yeah, for sure.
Olof: I was impressed. But anyways, if you eat like cold
cuts, like meat and some cheese and if you have really, really cold palinca and
you drink it slowly, it actually fits really well together. But never as shots,
God damn it!
Simona: Haha. On that note, let me say thank you for a great
interview and cannot wait to see the show.
With such a name and artwork, you know this is going to be a fiery and intense album, but a very fun one. We’ll all go down burning in flames, but at least make it funny. Delain are coming to you on February 7th with a brand new album that is sure gonna make waves and not just out of air (because sound propagates as waves – haha bad joke time over).
The album promises to “leave all stereotypes and preconceived notions in the dust – exploring themes of impending doom and human indifference – making this their boldest, most daring and undeniable offering yet“. Even more so, it’s described as “carefully yet powerfully weaving violent riffs, synth heavy soundscapes and fully orchestrated compositions with vocalist Charlotte Wessels’ unmatched vocal potency, while not straying too far from the band’s established sound “. I am curious to see how that checks out.
We’ve already had the chance to listen to the first singles, Masters of Destiny, Burning Bridges, and One Second, which already showcased the different direction this album is taking. I will not dwell on them since we all (should) know them, but I have to mention that Masters of Destiny absolutely blew my mind and is right at my personal top of Delain songs.
I, for one, was very excited to hear the new album, so let’s skip right to it, shall we?
We Had Everything begins with a synth-techno beat. Is this Delain, is this Kraftwerk? I know they also have a song called Let’s Dance, but this is also a banger. Not much in terms of symphonic and unlike anything we’ve heard from Delain, but it’s still interesting. Charlotte’s vocals are as clear and on point as ever. The whole vibe is resembling of Apocalypse & Chill, with deep and haunting lyrics, but a beat that is clearly not that :))
Old-school techno pop again with Chemical Redemption, but this time it’s heavier. It’s a mix of so many elements that should not work together, but somehow they are just so Delain that they work together.
Vengeance is a duet with Yannis Papadopoulos of Beast in Black, so it sounds interesting already. I don’t think their voices go together as well as some of their previous duets. The song is a bit more similar in vibe to Masters of Destiny. The chorus is gonna be catchy. The lyrics are a masterclass in …vengeance, anger, and even pettiness, so I will personally say Big Mood!!
To Live Is To Die is basically an expanded version of Carpe Diem. 6 stanzas, 2 of which are the chorus And we are back at techno synth, but this time it was too much for my taste.
Let’s Dance – I can only hear that name in a David Bowie tone and voice. This is one of the songs that saw the day of light in Delain’s previous tour, having a bit heavier riffs and slightly distorted vocals. But funnily enough, this song doesn’t actually make me want to dance. The beat is repetitive and tires me out by the end of the song. Still, I think my opinion is unpopular and we’ll be hearing a lot of this live. Maybe it will grow on me.
Creatures has the hardest intro so far and I am intrigued. Very apocalyptic lyrics delivered impeccably by Charlotte. I love that the song is not too much and I just want to discover more of it. As the song goes on, I am really digging the instrumental. One of the highlights of the album.
Ghost House Heart is finally the piano and strings ballad I was waiting for. We are soon getting a video for this one and it will be amazing. Lyrics are not that complex, but I love the melancholic and flowy sound. I am a sucker for a good orchestral ballad and just picture myself waltzing in an abandoned Victorian manor. Definitely one of my favourites if not my favourite.
Legions of Lost is back with riffs, choir – we even get some Latin thrown in -, and orchestral sound, preparing us for battle. The vocals are more whispered (if Billie Eilish was doing a Delain song, this would be it). Charlotte is doing so much and pushing herself on this one, so it will be interesting to see how this translates live. The lyrics are a strong call to fight and fight for those who cannot fight anymore. Another good one.
The Greatest Escape starts with more soft keys, so I instantly dig it. This is so melancholic! The intro has this very shy glimpse of Scarlet, so fans of that song will be delighted. This is going straight on repeat.
The last track is the instrumental Combustion, which is showcasing Timo’s incredible guitar technique and how well it goes with Joey’s kick-ass drumming. This double solo has been showcased on stage, but it’s even bigger than I remember. What a way to end the album! Impressive musicianship.
Photo by Tim Tronckoe
Woah! This was a lot. Time to recap and give some final thoughts. Apocalypse & Chill is not a fan-service, in the way that it doesn’t cater to what is expected. It’s not stopping for anyone. It sounds nothing like their first albums, so if you’re looking for something in the tune of that, keep looking. However, this is loud and brave and unapologetic. Take it or leave, but this is here to stay. Apocalypse has never been this much fun!
I feel like the album has a few clusters of style and influence in sound. I don’t know if it’s because it was written and recorded in parts like they used to do, or it just happened. There are some songs that won’t be making it into my playlist and a few ones I really like. In some parts the synth techno got too much for me. I am also not crazy about the “screaming singing” we get more of this album, but that’s just because I am not a fan of that genre myself.
The songs are different but they work together and they show just how much the whole band has grown and evolved. From Charlotte’s growls (and frankly all of her vocals) and Timo stepping up big time and getting a chance to shine, to a whole new sound and everything they are doing with it.
I cannot wait to have the album in my hands and play it many many times on repeat and see how that changes it. I also want to see how the songs go live. It’s always interesting to see which songs take a life of their own.
Pe 27 iulie va asteptam la Romexpo in aer liber la a noua editie a Metalhead Meeting alaturi de Slipknot. Primele 1.000 de bilete au preturi la oferta earlybird si se pun in vanzare pe 24 ianuarie la ora 10:30 pe www.iabilet.ro
Slipknot este o formatie care nu mai are nevoie de nicio prezentare. Au scris istorie si continua sa o faca. Bazele formatiei au fost puse in 1995 de Shawn Crahan, Joey Jordison si Paul Gray. Dintre acestia doar Shawn continua sa urce pe scena alaturi de trupa. Joey Jordison nu mai face parte din fromatie din 2013. Paul Gray in schimb ne-a parasit mult prea devreme. Artistul a murit in 2010. De-a lungul carierei, Slipknot a fost nominalizata la 10 Premii Grammy. Acestia au reusit sa si castige in 2006 cu ‘Before I Forget’, nominalizare pentru Best Metal Performance. In plus artistii din Iowa au castigat de sapte ori Kerrang! Awards, de patru ori Metal Hammer Golden God Awards si de cinci ori Revolver Golden God Awards.
Cele sase albume de studio lansate pana in prezenta le-au adus 15 Discuri de Platina si 24 de Discuri de Aur. Ca orice formatie care a avut un impact major asupra culturii muzicale, Slipknot nu a fost scutita de controverse. In 2003, doi tineri au dat vina pe versurile piesei ‘Disasterpiece’ pentru o crima comisa, iar apoi, diferite alte episoade de violenta au fost vazute ca fiind influentate de muzica Slipknot. Vorbind despre formatiile care si-au pus amprenta asupra lor, membrii Slipknot au declarat ca stilul Slipknot s-a nascut si datorita faptului ca fiecare muzician in parte a fost influentat de diferiti artisti, de la Jimi Hendrix la Pantera, de la Johnny Cash la Mayhem sau de la Bestie Boys la Cannibal Corpse. Dupa 25 de ani de activitate, Slipknot si-a castigat locul in galeria formatiilor legendare ale scenei metal internationale iar acum au ajuns la randul lor sa influenteze mii de artisti din intreaga lume.
Despre turneul ‘We Are Not Your Kind’, Corey Taylor a declarat: ‘Ne simtim bine inapoi in Europa si UK. Nu conteaza de cate ori venim, nu ne saturam niciodata. Un singur lucru este clar: Publicul este grozav!
Pe langa faptul ca albumul a ajuns pe prima pozitie in UK, Slipknot, care sunt in egala masura atat un fenoment cultural cat si o formatie de succes, a debutat pe prima pozitie cu acest nou material in tari precum Statele Unite, Australia, Canada, Japonia, Irlanda si Belgia dar a ajuns in Top 3 si in Germania, Franta, Norvegia, Italia, Olanda si Noua Zeelanda.
Review-urile pentru album au fost scrise la superlativ de presa din toata lumea, atat cea de specialitate cat si de catre cea generala. Consequence of Sound a numit ‘We Are Not Your Kind’ ca fiind “unul dintre cele mai puternice albume din cariera lor” iar The Independent l-a comparat cu Iowa, spunand ca dinamica acestuia ar putea fi chiar superioara celui de al doilea album al formatiei.
Biletele au urmatoarele preturi:
– primele 1000 de bilete: Psycho – 379 lei Snuff – 299 lei Plague – 209 lei
– presale: Psycho – 399 lei Snuff – 329 lei Plague – 229 lei
– la acces: Psycho – 430 lei Snuff – 350 lei Plague – 250 lei
La pretul tuturor biletelor comandate in earlybird si presale se adauga comisionul de emitere bilet de 10 lei. Se pun in vanzare doar 10.000 de bilete pentru acest show.
Biletele se gasesc in format electronic pe www.iabilet.ro si in magazinele Flanco, Diverta, Carturesti, Metrou Unirii 1, Muzica, IQ BOX, Uman, Libmag si pe terminalele Selfpay. Online, puteti plati cu cardul, Paypal, pe factura la Vodafone sau Orange sau ramburs prin Fan Courier oriunde in tara.
Copiii sub 2 ani au acces gratuit insotiti de un adult posesor de bilet valabil. Recomandam fanilor care vin cu copii sub 10 ani sa le proteje acestora urechile cu casti speciale. La concert volumul va fi puternic si acesta poate afecta auzul copiilor. Organizatorii vor organiza suficiente puncte de vanzare a bauturilor pentru a evita cozile. Recomandam totusi sa veniti la concert din timp si nu fix inainte de ultima trupa. Este normal ca la orele de varf, fix inainte de intrarea pe scena a trupei cand se atinge capacitatea maxima a locatiei, barurile sa se aglomereze. Organizatorii vor oferi un program detaliat cu cateva saptamani inainte de concert. Va rugam consultati programul final cu 3 zile inainte de eveniment pe metalhead.ro Accesul cu umbrele este interzis.
Un eveniment METALHEAD & BestMusic Live Concerts powered by ROCK FM
Obscura revin la Bucuresti pe 21 februarie in Club Quantic din Bucuresti. In deschidere vor canta God Dethroned si Fractal Universe.
Obscura sunt un nume cunoscut deja pe scena death metalului progresiv. Din 2002 pana in prezent, formatia germana a lansat 5 materiale de studio. Obscura este cunscuta pentru pasajele muzicale complexe, lucru datorat si faptului ca membrii formatiei au studiat teorie muzicala Formatia a atras atentia destul de repede, la doar 4 ani de la infiintare plecand in turenul alaturi de Suffocation prin Europa. Au urmat apoi concerte sustinute in Statele Unite si in Asia alaturi de Nile si Triptykon, dar si prezente pe scenele principalelor festivaluri din Europa.
God Dethroned vin din Olanda, fiind una dintre primele trupe de metal extrem din aceasta tara. Formatia a luat nastere in 1991 si a activat cu mici intreruperi pana in prezent. Au la activ 10 albume in care trateaza teme specifice black si death metalului. De-a lungul timpului au avut turnee alaturi de nume importante ale scenei black metal precum Marduk, Immortal, Deicide sau Impaled Nazarene.
Thulcandra vin din Germania si abordeaza un melodic black metal cu influente de death metal pe alocuri. Numele formatiei vine de la demo-ul eponim lansat de Darkthrone in 1989. Pana in prezent au lansat trei albume si un EP bine primite atat de public cat si de presa de specialitate. De-a lungul timpului au impartit scena cu formatii precum Triptykon, Taake, Testament, sau Venom. De asemenea au participat atat la festivaluri de underground, dedicate stilurilor extreme, dar au urcat si pe scena marilor festivaluri precum Maryland Deathfest sau Ragnarok Festival.
Fractal Universe vin din Franta si abordeaza un death metal progresiv. Infiintata in 2013, formatia a lansat doua albume de studio, cel mai recent, Rhizomes of Insanity fiind scos anul acesta. Temele lirice abordate de Fractal Universe sunt de natura filosofica de cele mai multe ori.
Tarja Turunen revine în România pe 23 ianuarie 2020 pentru a-i oferi publicului său o noapte memorabilă, aceasta interpretând toate hit-urile care au făcut-o celebră. Mai mult decât atât, starul finlandez va prezenta un concept ce se va desfășura exclusiv la București, pe scena Circului Metropolitan: o viziune 360 de grade susținută de proiecții special gândite să le ofere spectatorilor o experiență muzicală intimă la superlativ. Fanii prezenți la concert vor scrie istorie alături de artista pe noul ei DVD.
Bilete concert Tarja Turunen la București
VIP – 360 lei
Premium – 230 lei
Categoria 1 – 150 lei – SOLD OUT
Tarja va filma un DVD cu cea mai mare producție rock a ei de până acum, 360 Degrees in Bucharest, acompaniată pe scenă de 17 muzicieni: Alex Scholpp (chitară acustică și electrică), Julian Barrett (chitară electrică și acustică), Rafael Bittencourt (chitară electrică și acustică), Guillermo de Medio (orgă), Christian Kretschmar (orgă și pian), Timm Schreiner (tobe), Andi Pupato (percuție), cvartet de coarde (2 viori, violă, violoncel), Max Lilja (violoncel acustic și electric), Kevin Chown (bass acustic și electric), Doug Wimbish (bass acustic și electric), Clémentine Delauney (backing vocalist), Chiara Tricarico (backing vocalist), Toni Turunen (backing vocalist).
TarjaTurunen este una dintre cele mai cunoscute soliste, fiind soprană lirică, compozitoare și pianistă. Artista de origine finlandeză a devenit cunoscută fiind solista formației de metal simfonic Nightwish, alături de care a cântat în perioada 1996-2005 , dând voce unor piese devenite clasice ca “Wishmaster”, “Wish I Had an Angel” sau “Sleeping Sun”.
După această perioadă, artista a debutat în cariera solo și a lansat mai multe albume de studio. Tarja este recunoscută pentru tehnicitatea impresionantă cu care interpretează atât metal, dar și muzică clasică, iar glasul acesteia a fost caracterizat ca find unul drept, puternic și emotiv. Totodata, talentul și autoritatea sa muzicala i-au adus și rolul de jurat în popularul talent show “The Voice of Finland”.
Teen Art Out: Hello Fernando and thank you for sparing a few moments to answer this interview. Congrats on the upcoming re-release Sin/Pecado 21 years after its original release! What would you say is the most important song or idea you hope to bring back to the metal realm with this release?
Fernando: Hello, my pleasure. Actually,
I don’t know here to start with Sin/Pecado. Because I feel it’s an album that
stretched and divided our fanbase back then and still today, its diversity
makes it hard to pin down what songs represents it best. If we want to go for
“shock-value” Second Skin, the video
and the “lalalalas” on the chorus might be revealing but also we had stuff like
Handmade God and Let the Children that mixed in heaviness with the electro, the pop
influenza of Sin, or Hanged Man, a quite simple song but very
revealing of our search for simplicity. So, it’s up for grabs the true reach
and meaning of this album which is a good sign that what we did in 1997/1998
still raises eyebrows and splits sensibilities.
Teen Art Out: What do you reminisce and miss more from the late 90’s
and that era of Moonspell?
Fernando: People thought music was a bit
more than a commodity. There was a true competition for musical territory, an
urgent need to expand and to question classical metal. This is gone from most
of the scene. We have beautiful songs in between but people who voice out their
requests at our gigs, can’t get past Alma
Mater or Vampiria – great,
emblematic songs I agree – but very low on sophistication when compared for
example with some of the Sin songs,
or Everything Invaded or Breathe(Until We Are No More).
Teen Art Out: If your past selves from 30 years ago could see you
now, what would they think is the most unbelievable thing you have achieved?
Fernando: The fact we are still together
and can still summon the creative energy, and maybe friendship enough not to
give up in a world that loves our band but also hates it because we are not
black metal anymore. The rest it is just what it is, and we try to go around
and still play our songs and be free enough to try out our ideas.
Teen Art Out: You are currently in a very ambitious tour – when it
comes to the number of shows and cities visited – with Rotting Christ and
Silverdust. How do you guys prepare yourselves mentally and physically for such
a long run?
Fernando: It’s a hard, crazy tour
indeed. Perhaps we didn’t know it would be so full of drama and eventful. On
the other hand, Moonspell is maybe playing their best shows ever and that’s the
motivator right there. As a singer I take it day by day, night by night, and
try to work on the group first and foremost, as with so many people around it’s
quite impossible to focus on everyone’s demands. Personally, I think I have
been well, took the right decisions. I can’t say the same about everyone and I
feel that this tour has been harder because people can’t think of anything else
than their bit and their needs. If we all thought like a group, we could do 100
dates no problem. Maybe next time I am going to get some robots to work with us
hahahah…
Teen Art Out: We know you ran into some border issues along the way,
and in a recent interview you said that you have been travelling in a “more
prejudiced and bankrupt Europe”. Were you expecting such issues?
Fernando: To a certain extent yes and
that’s why we did our homework, paid for the visas, for the Carnet activation,
pre-produced the hell out of this tour. But nothing can prepare you for the
abuse of small powers of border bureaucrats, to the arbitrary rules that
actually are the law on those places and not any kind of international law or
agreements between countries. That’s a big joke for newspapers and tv news, and
the joke is on us.
Teen Art Out: Still about “a failing Europe”, can you recognise that
reality at home, in Portugal, as well?
Fernando: Some people in Portugal say
that we are too loose about our immigration laws, but the fact is that we are a
safe country and so far, thanks to our coolness and patience, everything has
been fine, on the contrary of countries that have enforced martial laws or
build barbed wire fences.
Teen Art Out: What do you think is lacking and should be improved
when it comes to artists travelling across Europe?
Fernando: Respect. Touring artists are the jesters, the fools of an oligarchic Europe. We are taxed, searched, persecuted, ripped off, let down, cancelled and we have no security at all. It’s still a monkey business and the European Parliament couldn’t care less about us clowns.
Teen Art Out: Tell us about your biography Wolves Who Were Men. What was the catalyst for the writing of this
book? Why now?
Fernando: I have a big friend who has a publishing
house. Now he’s top ten in Portugal and releases many best sellers ranging from
George RR Martin to Nora Roberts or the “diets of the famous”. In spite of
this, and I am not criticizing, I am very proud of him and his label and I have
always collaborated with him. He started with Poe, Lovecraft, etc and I was
helping with some translations (Richard Matheson, I am Legend, for example) and
one thing led to the other. The fact that Moonspell was 25 years old then was
the trigger but I didn’t want any history of Moonspell according to Fernando
Ribeiro. That’s why Ricardo S. Amorim got in the picture and only his
involvement and superior work made this possible.
Teen Art Out: Did looking back at your history with Moonspell both
through the rerelease of the album and biography spark anything new about the
future of the band? Or about you personally?
Fernando: The biography was like an x-ray
to heal what was broken and to privilege what’s good. It’s like a user guide
for me. I know that the other members share my opinion. It made time more
relative and just like a good book it has the power of questioning, exposing,
healing and when a fan does read it instead of just collecting it, it has the
key to some of the decisions we made that people didn’t get at the time.
Teen Art Out: As Moonspell gets bigger, do you think that your
relationship with the fans has changed and/or evolved over the years?
Fernando: Like anything else in the
world I feel we have never been so much loved and so much hated. There’s
nothing we can do about this except keeping it true for ourselves and the
“real” fans and do the best music and live performances we can ever conjure. I
will never let Moonspell become a product, I rather be a small band than a big
commodity.
Teen Art Out: Do you recall any fan encounter with special fondness?
What about the complete opposite, was there a time when fans crossed a line and
you felt that you needed to gain some distance?
Fernando: Yes, I do. I recall, for
instance, sitting down with “fans” discussing German Philosophy and Russian
literature, having Georgian wine. Or being with the pack visiting Lisbon and
telling them about my city without the ass-licking or them being star struck,
just human beings. As for the other side of the coin, I am disrespected on a
daily basis, especially by Portuguese metalheads, far right metal fans. I go on
the street and they call me son of a bitch from their car window, or when my
son was born people made a mock page online. But I shall never surrender to
hate. I prefer love and that’s why most of that stuff people – throwing
cigarette butts, spit, coins at my face – is not in the biography, because we
wanted to talk about grandeur and not pettiness.
Teen Art Out: Now that the end of this tour is drawing near, what
will be the first thing you will do when you get home?
Fernando: Wolf hug my son and my wife.
Have a single malt. Listen to my 16 Horsepower LP’s and clean my storage room.
Teen Art Out: How long does it take you when you’re back from tour
to start missing being on the road again?
Fernando: I never ever miss it. I
already travelled and played more shows than I ever imagined. I don’t miss the
traveling, the people. To be honest I just miss being on stage and performing.
Teen Art Out: With the Winter Holidays just around the corner as
well, do you have any special traditions or rituals during this period that you
wouldn’t mind sharing with us? Favourite dishes, places to be?
Fernando: Christmas for me doesn’t have
a catholic connotation at all. It’s family time, spoil your kids with gifts,
get hammered with your father and eat codfish and potatoes. That simple.
Teen Art Out: We would like to thank you again for your time and to
end this interview, a very cliché question: what are your wishes for 2020?
Judas Priest revin la Bucuresti pe 20 iulie 2021 la Arenele Romane in cadrul turneului aniversar 50 Heavy Metal Years!
Astazi, 3 Decembrie, s-au pus in vanzare biletele pentru concert.
Biletele se gasesc in format electronic pe www.iabilet.ro si in magazinele Flanco, Diverta, Carturesti, Metrou Unirii 1, Muzica, IQ BOX, Uman, Casa de Balet si pe terminalele Selfpay. Online, puteti plati cu cardul, Paypal,carduri de tichete culturale Sodexo, pe factura la Vodafone sau Orange sau ramburs prin Fan Courier oriunde in tara.
Biletele au urmatoarele preturi:
– Premium (cu loc) – 319 lei in earlybird, 349 lei in presale si 370 la intrare
– Teren (fara loc, in fata scenei) – 229 lei in earlybird, 259 in presale si 280 la intrare
– Acces General (cu loc) – 139 lei in earlybird, 159 lei in presale si 180 lei la intrare
Perioada earlybird este limitata la primele 200 de bilete din fiecare categorie
Pentru biletele “cu loc” accesul se face doar prin parc prin lateralele arenei.
Pentru biletele de pe Teren accesul se face pe la portile de jos din parc ale Arenelor Romane.
Biletele ofera participantilor acces doar in categoriile in care si-au cumparat bilet.
La pretul tuturor biletelor comandate in earlybird si presale se adauga comisionul de emitere bilet de 10 lei.
Copiii sub 2 ani au acces gratuit doar in zona Teren (nu si pe scaune) si insotiti de un adult posesor de bilet valabil.
Recomandam fanilor care vin cu copii sub 10 ani sa le proteje acestora urechile cu casti speciale. La concert volumul va fi puternic si acesta poate afecta auzul copiilor.
Organizatorii vor organiza suficiente puncte de vanzare a bauturilor pentru a evita cozile, Arenele Romane fiind o locatie propice pentru evenimentele de gen. Recomandam totusi sa veniti la concert din timp si nu fix inainte de Judas Priest. Este normal ca la orele de varf, fix inainte de intrarea pe scena a trupei cand se atinge capacitatea maxima a locatiei, barurile sa se aglomereze. Organizatorii vor oferi un program detaliat cu cateva saptamani inainte de concert.
