ARIDA VORTEX Interview

Genre: Power Metal

Country: Russia

Questions by: Nick Parastatidis

Answers by: Vadim Sergeev (Drums)

Roman Guryev (Guitars)

Site: Facebook

1) Hello. How are you? How are the things in the ARIDA VORTEX camp?

Vadim Sergeev: Hello, ARIDA VORTEX is great! We are going to present our new album ''Riders of Steel''. We hope it will make people's life during the corona virus quarantine a little more interesting and will give them some heavy metal support in this difficult time.

Roman Guryev: Hi! Yes, Arida is fine, we're strong, united and ready to rock! Of course we miss the gigs, but people's life and health are more important! I hope we will survive this time soon.

2) Soon you will release your new album entitled “Riders of Steel”. How long did it get you to complete it? What can we expect from this album? Do you introduce new elements to your sound?

Vadim Sergeev: We did our album in almost 4 years because of some problems our band piled up during this long period. It includes injuries of our musicians in accidents and some other annoying things. You can expect from this album, first of all our new members!! Songs with new lead vocals from Eugenyi Epishin, and guitar work from Alexander Strelnikoff. All elements we use are inherent to this kind of music - heavy metal, symphonic metal, melodic and so on....

Roman Guryev: Well, this time I put in the mix a lot of other instruments like strings, keyboards and etcetera. We never did it before in such quantity but we're still a guitar based band!)

3) The cover of your new album looks epic. It has to do something with the lyrics? Is it a concept? Can you tell us in few words the lyrical themes of your new album?

Vadim Sergeev: Cover art is the designer's point of view on our head track - Riders of Steel, old school style is the task from our band =)

Roman Guryev: Well, there's not one particular concept in our new album, but some issues are very important to me. Especially the ''Damned and Killed'' track. It’s  based on Victor Astafiev's (famous Russian writer) novel and it's about the second world war. Actually it's about any war. The bottom line is the young guys have to die for some politicians’ fake reasons.

4) By the way, how do you compose your songs? Do you write the music first and then you choose the lyrics or vice versa?

Roman Guryev: The melody is always first. First of all I'm a composer, not a poet. There was only one exception a couple of albums before. It concerns ''The Lake'' song.

5) The band exists over 20 years. In all these years you exist as a band, which are the moments that defined you? Which is the secret to be active for such a long period?

Vadim Sergeev: There is no secret, probably we love what we are doing very much, and heavy metal music in general =))

Roman Guryev: Heavy Metal is the law!)))Yeah, we really love what we're doing, and I believe we're not doing it bad)))

6) I know that the Russian metal scene is vast and has great quality, but most of the bands choose to sing in their native tongue. Why is that? Why did you choose to use the English language?

Vadim Sergeev: It is the question for all times =)) We explain that it's a traditional language of this kind of music and so on, but probably, because we decided to follow this way a long time ago, and keep following it, and our fans like it =)

Roman Guryev: The reason is very simple. We just want to be listened to all over the world. And about Russian bands and Russian language. It seems like a paradox. I think the reason is our mentality. Russians love German bands singing in English for example and hate Russian bands singing in English.))))

7) In your new album Roland Grapow does a guest appearance. How did you achieve to collaborate with him and what kind of person he is? Did he help you also in the creative process of your songs?

Vadim Sergeev: Roland is a very nice person, we hope to work together in the future again =)

Roman Guryev: Modern world is very small. All of us have Facebook pages and so on. I just wrote to Roland and unexpectedly he accepted our request. To me it's like a childhood dream come true! Thank you, Mr. Grapow! It was really a great experience! And no, he was not involved in the creative process, he just had a guest solo, and his solo sounds great!)

8) Are there any other musicians that will participate in your new album? Can you name them?

Roman Guryev: Yes, we invited our friends to help us with some choir vocals. Alex K. Strangel from CRIMSON CRY, Yuriy Rukavishnikov from ''THE PRIESTS'' (Russian JUDAS PRIEST tribute band) and Alexander Shvilev from SVARGA. And they did a great job! Thank you, guys!

9) Are there new heavy and power metal bands from Russia that you would like to suggest us to listen to?

Vadim Sergeev: Our friends from PERFECT CRIME and CRIMSON CRY are making good music, which deserves to be listened.

Roman Guryev: I can always mention ARCHONTES. Not because I was a member of this band, but because they create really great music!

10) Thanks for your time answering my questions. I wish you all the best. The epilogue of this interview belongs to you.

Vadim Sergeev: Our dear metalheads! We believe from the bottom of our hearts, that with metal and rock n roll we can break through these very hard times! We are trying to bring some more heavy metal music in your life! So please look after your health, be very careful and we will be glad to see you at our concerts one day!

Always yours ARIDA VORTEX!

Roman Guryev: Stay heavy, stay healthy, drink some rock 'n' roll - drinks and listen to our new album!)