Answers: Hel (Vocals)
1. Hello.
How are you? How are things in the LACHRYMOSE camp at the moment?
Hello
Nick. We are very well, thank you. Now that “Carpe Noctum” is out, we are
arranging live shows and we are getting ready to rock the stage.
2 .Let
us take things from the start. When and how did you decide to create
LACHRYMOSE? What motivated you to do so?
LACHRYMOSE
was formed 2 years ago. We were acquainted with each other and we decided to do
something new together. Our love of music is what motivated us, and the fact
that we had the opportunity to experiment with something different, combining
our individual musical preferences.
3. You
have the death/black metal band ROTTING FLESH and in LACHRYMOSE you move on the
atmospheric doom metal sound. How easy is it for you to compose music for these
2 different genres?
You
should probably address this question to Blackmass, since I am not involved in ROTTING
FLESH, but I can tell you this. Being a musician does not necessarily confine
you to a specific genre and you often feel the need to try new things every now
and then. If you are inspired, the music just flows. It is not a conscious
attempt to compose something that follows a specific pattern. We do not think
of it this way. It just happens naturally.
4. How
easy was it for you in general to find members for the band?
Everyone
in LACHRYMOSE was asked to join because we knew what was needed in this band
and we kind of chose each other. So it was based on trust, potential,
friendship and a vision that all of us shared.
5. How
did you come up with the name LACHRYMOSE for the band? What does it mean to
you?
I
think it is a word that fits in well with our music and our lyrical concepts,
and this is why we chose it. Now that we “adopted” it, it’s more than a word to
me, because it represents this musical endeavor of ours. It’s something
personal now.
6. “Carpe
Noctum” is your debut album. How long did it take you to compose and produce
the album? Which were the biggest obstacles that you had to confront?
It
was composed in about half a year, and then we went to the studio to record it.
After that we had to mix and master it and Chris Fielding of Conan stepped in,
who did a wonderful job. All in all, we were ready musically in about a year,
but then we also had to get the artwork ready, the videos and finally find a home
label. It is a long process, but it is also enjoyable! There weren’t any
remarkable obstacles or drama involved, just the usual difficulty with time
schedules.
7. How
do you feel about your album? Is there anything that you would like to change
or do differently?
We
all feel very proud of this album and it’s a great starting point for our music
to evolve. We wouldn’t change anything, because we got what we wanted with
“Carpe Noctum”. We introduced ourselves. Each album to come will get us even
further, as we have much more to offer musically. One step at a time.
8. Which
are the influences of the band? How would you describe your sound?
I
would describe it as dark, gloomy, with many atmospheric riffs, different
elements from different metal genres and a bit of a doom-like flavor. We don’t
have any specific influences. We just play the music that comes out of us.
9. I
am also interested in the lyrics. Who is responsible for the lyrics? Which are
the lyrical themes of each song that you have included in your debut album?
I
am responsible for the lyrics. “Carpe Noctum” is a concept album. It is
something I have always wanted to do and eventually it seems that it’s much
more inspiring to have a concept in mind when doing an album. Roughly, it is
about witch trials and a woman that was led to her death, only to be eventually
reanimated with good intentions, but questionable consequences. It’s about
death, loss, sacrifice and defiance, to summarize it in a few words. At first
everyone thought I was crazy! I don’t like to discuss it in detail, because I
want people to read the lyrics and draw their own conclusions.
10. How
have the press and fans accepted your debut album? Which is the best comment
you have received so far?
We
have received very good reviews by people that we hold in high regard, and it
means a lot to us. The support of our friends and fans is amazing and very much
appreciated! Every nice comment that comes our way is very rewarding and it
makes us feel that we managed to do something here. One comment that personally touched me was
when someone told me that I have my own vocal style and I can’t be compared to
anyone else because of this. That was my intent with this album, so if someone
realized it, I’m happy about it.
I
was surprised to see that our music is somewhat controversial, because there
are people out there who sadly don’t get what we’re doing. Some expect a new NIGHTWISH
album, merely because they see a female singer, and there are others who expect
a new ROTTING FLESH album, because we share a few band members. I’m sorry to
disappoint, but we’re not going to do what has been done before. It seems that
we are in a grey zone and people need time to adapt to it. Accept what is
different and don’t try to change it, because it loses its magic! Ask me again
in a few years ;)
11. You
have already read our review regarding your debut album. Can you tell us where
you agree with it and where you think that we have misjudged you?
It
is not my place to take apart a review and analyze it. I am a musician, I do
what I love, I present it to the world and then it’s out of my hands. Thank you
for your nice comments about our music. I naturally don’t share your views on
my voice, else I wouldn’t be here, but we can’t always please everyone,
especially if they have other musical experiences and preferences. At the end
of the day, reviewing an album is always a matter of personal taste, and I
think we can all agree to disagree.
Please
let me add that I don’t sing operatically on this album, even though I am
classically trained, just to be clear. A trained ear can tell the difference,
but too many clichés have muddied the waters.
12. Thanks
for your time answering my questions. I wish you the best of luck. Please close
the interview in any way you like…
Thank
you for your questions, Nick. It was nice talking to you! Now that the album is
out, we hope to see you at our shows! All the best!
I’d
like to thank everyone who stands by our side for their support, with a promise
that the best is yet to come! Cheers!
Nick “Verkaim”
Parastatidis
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου