Questions
answered by Daniele Dei Giudici (Bass)
Hi. Thanks we’re fine. We’re currently busy promoting our new record “Come to Wither”, doing interviews and playing many live shows. In between we also try to keep our creativity flowing and write new songs.
2. I would like us to talk a bit about your new album entitled “Come to Wither”. How long did it take you to complete the album? Which were the difficulties that you had to confront during the songwriting and production process? Are you fully satisfied with this album?
The completion of the album took longer than we expected. We did most of the recordings on our own, so one of the most difficult parts was to coordinate the schedules from all of us because we are very critical with ourselves and of course we always find something on the record that could be a little better but overall we are very proud and satisfied with the album.
3. I think that there are still people who read this interview and don’t know your music. So, how would you describe your sound? Which are your influences and which do you believe is the main characteristic of your sound?
I would describe our sound as metal with melody, power and groove that aims at combining modern and traditional elements. Naming accurate influences really is not easy as everybody in the band has a different musical background. So looking at VANISH as a whole the musical tastes comprise a wide range probably starting with early 70s rock, metal of all kind from the 80s and 90s, power metal from Europe, rock and even some modern stuff.
4. In 2010 you released an EP that has the same title with your new album and also includes 3 songs that you have included in your new album too. So, I want to know if you consider these as your best compositions or the most representative of your sound. Also have you made any changes in these compositions or are they the same as on the EP?
The 3-track EP “Come to Wither” from 2010 was our first output to gather the attention of labels and online mags in order to get some feedback. After many positive responses we decided to further follow that musical path. So over the next 2 years we wrote new songs to complete the whole record which today is known as “Come to Wither”. The three tracks from the EP were re-recorded from scratch so you will notice some differences regarding the mix or the composition for sure if you listen closely – most notably the vocal part on the second verse and chorus of “The Grand Design” contributed by Ralf Scheepers (PRIMAL FEAR).
5. “Come to Wither” comes 8 years after your debut album titled “Separated from Today”. I would like to know how the sound of the band has changed these years and which the common elements that exist in both albums are.
“Separated from Today” was mainly influenced by classic 80s metal and was the effort of a young band trying to find its own identity. It was produced autonomously and mainly served as a workpiece to gain knowledge about the production process from beginning to end. “Come to Wither” instead represents the effort of a much more mature band that finally found its own identity thanks to a strong and reliable line-up where everyone can count on each other. As a consequence also the sound changed and became more fresh and modern. We used 7-string guitars, samples and loops on this record to combine the melodic “80s”-factor with contemporary harder elements. The most obvious common element on both albums is surely Bastian’s exceptional voice.
6. How did the contract with MASSACRE Records come up? What have they promised you and how much of that have they done already? Is there anything that you would like them to do more for you?
As mentioned before we used our 3-track EP to gather the attention of the public. At this time some labels already were interested in us but wanted to hear more than just those three tracks. Instead of sending them some poor quality demos from our rehearsal space we decided that it would be much better to send them a complete record. We wanted to show them that we are a professional and reliable band that delivers quality music and that you can work with. The songwriting and production process then took almost another two years – we didn’t want to rush things. And as you see today the effort was worth it as we got the deal.
At the core they have promised to support us on our way to deliver quality and sophisticated metal music to a broader audience. So basically they help us to spread the word about VANISH and up until now they’re doing a pretty good job. As they have a worldwide network of partners, online and print mags, booking agencies and so on they have much better possibilities to promote us than we would have if we were doing everything on our own. We personally hope that we can continue our successful partnership with future records.
7. This is our first interview, so I would like to know when you decided to form VANISH and what motivated you to do so?
The predecessor-band of VANISH was initially formed by our rhythm guitar player Tommy in the late 90s. When Ralf and Basti joined in 2000 they decided to change the name and the direction from hard rock to metal. Philipp (lead guitar) joined in 2004 but had to take a time off from the band because of educational / business reasons. Daniele (bass) finally joined in 2008. The year 2010 for us marks a special point in time where VANISH began to feel not like “just another band” but a group of friends who respect, trust and can rely on each other. The line-up was finally fixed and we finally found our own identity and musical style.
8. I am interested in lyrics and the sad thing is that digital promos don’t include them. Can you give us in a few words which the theme of the lyrics of each song that you have already included in your new album is?
Generally the lyrics deal with a wide range of social topics for example with today’s corruption of society through fundamentalism and power struggles that in the end will make the world a worse place. We try to express those feelings through our apocalyptic artwork and metaphorical lyrics. In the end it’s all about humanity having the key to change the world for the better or worse. “Come to Wither” is not a straight concept record but most of the songs are loosely tied together with these underlying ideas. If you listen thoughtfully you might even notice that we reference the theme of the “Come to Wither” intro in some songs. We still want the single song to stand for itself and just rock even if we like concept records.
9. By the way who is the main brain of the band and how do the other members contribute in the creation of the songs?
Usually the VANISH songwriting process is rather “organic”. That means we write our songs together when we’re at our rehearsal room. The initial point for a song in most cases is a guitar riff or a melody. Then we start building the song from there. At the end Bastian puts his vocal lines on top. I would say that from a songwriter’s perspective he’s the one who takes care that a song will be a proper song at the end of the day and not just an accumulation of riffs. Sometimes even demos of complete songs are brought to our songwriting sessions by individual members but in most cases the joint VANISH council will pick them to pieces, rearrange everything, add new pieces and spice everything up with new ideas until the expectations of the band as a whole are met.
10. There are so many interviews that you do and I think you pretty much have to answer to the same boring questions. So which was the weirdest or the most interesting question that you’ve been asked so far?
An interesting and at the same time weird question was made by a radio producer who asked us why we came to his radio show answering his questions instead of doing something else. I mean – really? Are you serious? Maybe because you invited us? We still don’t know if there was some kind of hidden message we just didn’t understand…
11. I will ask you to change a bit your role and become the interviewer. So what would you like to ask yourself about VANISH? Please answer the question ☺
What would you do if the world ends tomorrow?
Drink some nice and fresh DINKELACKER beer, write some killer new songs and then rock the shit out of Armageddon. There’s nothing that can destroy metal – not even apocalyptic hell fire.
12. Thanks for your time answering my questions. I wish you good luck and hope to see you for a live show here in Greece. Please close the interview in any way you like…
Thanks for supporting us and showing interest in our music. We hope to get the chance to rock your country soon. [COMMERCIAL MESSAGE START] In the meantime get in touch with us via Facebook (www.facebook.com/vanishmetalgermany) or Twitter (www.twitter.com/vanishmetalgermany), enjoy the video of our song “Silence” on YouTube (http://youtu.be/gwIcFa975h4), check out our homepage (www.vanish-metal.com) and keep an eye on our webshop (http://vanishmetal.bigcartel.com) with lots of cool merch. [COMMERCIAL MESSAGE END]
Keep on rockin’ and stay safe!
Nick “Verkaim”
Parastatidis
