Interviewed by Dylan Raine
I caught up with EPICA Guitarist ISAAC DELAHAYE in Nottingham a couple of hours before they kicked off the final leg of their tour in the UK.
Have a listen to the Full Interview below
11-12-2012 The Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
12-12-2012 Corporation, Sheffield
14-12-2012 Academy, Newcastle
15-12-2012 Classic Grand, Glasgow
16-12-2012 Ritz, Manchester
18-12-2012 Robin 2, Wolverhampton
19-12-2012 Electric Ballroom, London (Camden Town)
Interview by Dylan Raine
Following the release and Metal Shock Finland’s review of SINHERESY’s “The Spiders and the Butterfly EP” I caught up with the band to discuss the future and what makes this symphonic metal band ‘Tick’.
Hello and welcome to Metal Shock Finland, I’m Dylan Raine, please introduce yourselves and your roles in the band.
Hello and thanks for this interview! We are SinHeresY, symphonic heavy-metal band coming from Trieste, Italy. We are Stefano and Cecilia (vocalists), Lorenzo (guitar), Davide (bass guitar), Alex (drums) and Daniele (keyboards).
Can you tell me about your influences as a vocalist (Petrini / Sain) and when you started singing?
Stefano and I have a common passion for System of a Down! We love the vocal “strapworks” they use in their songs. Then of course there are other bands and singers that influenced us, for example for me Freddie Mercury is a myth above all. Stefano started singing in the old Lorenzo’s power band, called Astranimae, and I joined them a bit of time later.
What is it about the symphonic style that made (you as a band) chose to follow this path?
Symphonic metal is the meeting point of our individual musical tastes, so it was quite natural to start composing songs with this style. Anyway we don’t like to force ourselves in a precise path, we simply like to use every musical mean to give every song its right atmosphere.
Following your first EP “The Spiders and the Butterfly” have you got any further albums in the making?
Yes, we are working right now on new songs… We promise they’ll amaze you!
Who are your main influences as a band and individually?
We don’t have a collective source of inspiration, everyone of us has his own particular preferences: as I state before, Stefano and I love System of a Down, Lorenzo and Daniele prefer prog-power bands such as Children of Bodom and Symphony X, Davide loves gothic bands and Alex likes every band that hammers such as Trivium or Rammstein.
Do you have any plans to tour?
Yes, we are planning some gigs for the beginning of 2013… but they are still in definition phase so I won’t spoiler anything now.
Can you give me an equipment list, amps, pedals, synths, software used etc…?
Here’s the complete list: Lorenzo uses head Engl Powerball, cabinet 4×12 Engl and guitar ESP M-2. Davide uses head Ampeg svt3 pro, cabinet Ampeg classic svt-4410he, bass Music-man stingray5, compressor dbx 166 xl and strings rotosound. Alex uses D-Drum Black Sparkle, cymbals Zildjan, stands Yamaha, Tama and sticks Vic Firth 2B. Daniele uses Yamaha MO6 and Korg X50. Stefano and I use microphone Sennheiser e935 and microphone Shure Beta 58.
Which orchestra and choirs were used throughout the EP?
It could be surprising but in the EP we used only the orchestral effects of our keyboards and, for the choirs, a freeware plugin called Magnus Choirs.
The track “Forever us” is without any doubt beautiful, can you tell me more about the story behind it and the influences?
There’s a curious episode behind this song: one day during rehearsals Lorenzo proposed a beautiful power guitar riff, but we weren’t able to develop it well for a song. But that riff remained obsessive in my mind! So I stayed awake all night on my keyboard ‘til I played it right and the day after, when we met for rehearsals, I proposed again that riff slowed down with slightly different chords… and the refrain of “Forever Us” was born. Starting from there, the creation of the whole ballad was quite easy, for the delicate sound of the piano brought us by instinct towards a sweet and melancholy atmosphere and lyrics.
Who is responsible for writing the orchestral scores in the band? And where has the knowledge come from (meaning, do they play any orchestral instruments)?
The orchestral scores were written by our bassist Davide. He studied music when he was a kid, in particular piano and clarinet; all his other skills are depending on experience and on the fact that he listens with “critical ear” to all the top bands of the genre, such us Nightwish, Epica, Within Temptation…
Would you like to share any addition links for our readers?
I’d like to ask you, taking advantage of your kindness, if you can share this link:http://www.indiegogo.com/sinheresy
This would give us a great help.
Check out SINHERESY and their “The Spiders and the Butterfly” EP review HERE
https://www.facebook.com/sinheresy
http://www.sinheresy.com/
Interview by David Pearce
Dave the drummer from Swedish metallers Sister Sin took time out of his busy schedule to talk to Metal Shock Finland about their new album & video and here is what he had to say.
Hello, I’m David, Welcome to MSFinland!
Thank You! I’m also David or Dave as some say across the pond.
Which bands would you say inspired or influenced you?
As far as the music I’d say W.A.S.P. Accept, Judas Priest, and Twisted Sister etc. When it comes to the lyrics I listen to a lot of Hardcore stuff, the British style like Doom, Extreme Noise Terror and tons Swedish likes like Disfear, Driller Killer and Wolfbrigade who have a lot meatier & heavier tone to say the least.
What has been your most memorable show or moment?
I guess it would be opening for Motörhead in Milwaukee in 2009. Two days before we just got off the worst tour we’ve ever been on, everything that could go wrong or happen happened. So we were all kind of low, tired & wanted to go home but we had these two Motorhead shows scheduled and it really made up for the whole U.S tour. We didn’t know what to expect since we’ve heard that the Motorhead crowds could be pretty tough on openers. But it was fantastic, crowd was awesome, band & crew awesome & we got to meet Lemmy which was a dream come true for sure since we’re all huge fans!
What kind of set will you be playing on you’re up coming tour?
We’ll be doing a lot of songs from “Now and Forever” of course and basically the singles from “Switchblade…” and “True Sound” But I think we’ll have almost 20 songs rehearsed so we can change it up a bit from time to time.
If there was any festival in the world that you could play at, which one and where would it be?
There’s two actually and we just confirmed one of them. Can’t tell you which just yet but keep an eye open! Then there’s Wacken Open Air. Heard so many great things about that festival so it would be really cool if we got on there for next summer!
Your Video “End Of The Line” has had over a 100,000 views on you tube did you think it would go down so well with the fans?
You never know. We released the track as single a couple of weeks earlier and the response to that had been fantastic so I guess we had kind of high expectation. Its over 200,000 views now in a couple weeks so certainly didn’t think it would go down that well so we’re all really happy about it!
You have a new album out can you tell me about it?
It’s called “Now and Forever”, our third full-length album. Bands always say this but for me, its hands down our best achievement to date. It’s gritty, heavy, fat hooks & choruses and Liv is screaming her lungs out as always. I guess it’s our most diverse album as well as you can find influences ranging from Trash to NWOBHM. Also has our first ever ballad on it.
Technically how does this album differ to your last album?
Quite a bit; we talked about this early on before starting writing that we wanted to keep the basic concept from “True Sound of the Underground” but stir it up without losing our signature sound. So this time we focused a lot on different vocal arrangements, different keys & tuning plus adding various elements like strings etc. something we’ve never done before.
What can you tell us about the lyrics to the album and what influenced them?
Like I mentioned earlier, I listen to a lot of hardcore stuff so I like that rebellion theme. I’ve always been a punk head and although people often compare us to Motley Crue and other hairbands, we’ve never been about that lyric wise. I guess it’s kinda dark, at least darker than the previous two. “End of The Line” is a tweak regarding religious fanatics; “Morning After” is a straight up suicide letter. “Hearts of Cold” is loosely based on Juha Veikko Valjakkala & Marita Routalammi, which I guess you’re probably familiar with.
The album has been out for just over a week now how has the response been for it?
It has really been overwhelming! The reviews have been awesome; we’ve made our best first week sales in the U.S and the album landed at #6 on the Swedish Rock/Metal Charts so we’re really excited about getting on the road and tour for this one!
What is your track of the moment, the song you have to keep on playing?
This might sound retarded but I was watching a Swedish television show where they follow different artists around in each episode. About a week ago the program featured a band called First Aid Kit, which is two young girls with fantastic voices doing this country vibe stuff. Apparently they’re pretty big but I’ve never heard of them before. Anyhow, they performed, just the two of them with an acoustic guitar, a song called “Emmylou” and it was awesome! Can’t stop listening to it, haha. It’s weird because it’s nothing like what I usually listen to but I’m hooked.
You are on the bill for Hammerfest 5 next year how did that come about?
Don’t know really. We got an offer though our agent and we confirmed. We are very excited though.
Are you looking forward to playing Hammerfest 5?
Yeah, definitely! It’s been awhile since we’ve been to the U.K so we’re gonna add some headline dates over there around the festival as well.
Thanks for the interview are there any last words that you like pass on to our readers and your fans?
“Now and Forever” Get it, get into it or get out! See you all soon our Finnish friends!
Cheers
http://www.sistersin.com
http://www.victoryrecords.com/sistersin
Dont’ forget to check out the “Now And Forever” review HERE
Roland Grapow started playing guitar at the age of 12, his teacher told his father that he wouldn’t be a good guitarist, but as nobody can read the hand writing of destiny, Roland said NO and he made it. He is leading one of the best active power metal bands, MASTERPLAN, and also he was a part of legendary power metal generators HELLOWEEN for 12 years. A very successful and shining career is the result of that saying NO and his determination to continue.
Metal Shock Finland‘s Chief Editor Mohsen Fayyazi has recently conducted an interview with Roland and asked him several questions which were answered by some interesting stories. An excerpt can be read below:
Roland answered the question about what happened with the band and the new line-up, especially about Jorn with the following:
“Everybody always expects something special from Jorn, but it’s a very unstable situation. To keep happy it’s not easy and to be honest I’ve not heard from him for 2 years. Don’t get me wrong, we’re still friends but we just don’t have much contact.”
When Roland was asked if he thinks Jorn will go back to the band, he stated:
“No, as much as I love Jorn as a singer and he has an incredible voice and great ideas, we need to move on … I wanted Jorn back on the last album, but it was a compromise… We went more rock or AOR rock, but I want to get back to where we came from, more metal and melodic style.”
Roland commented about the upcoming MASTERPLAN album:
“We are not leaving the Masterplan path too much, but everything we have – the melodic part and a little bit progressive, I would say we’re a little bit more powerful and I’m also mixing the album this time. I want to get a little bit more modern, as the sound we have was created 10 years ago.
I’m really looking forward to presenting a new band and a new start with Masterplan. We’re still having the typical sound with melodies, but the drummer is amazing and plays a lot of crazy shit!
The music is first, then comes the creative stuff like artwork.”
When discussing with Roland about when he and Uli were fired from Helloween due to musical and personal differences, and what he thinks about Helloween in general, he answered:
“Statements from bands and managers always have to say something like that, but basically it was just some personal kind of problems we had. I felt very secure in Helloween. In the middle of the tour I said something to Michael and Markus and I said my opinion about something. I wanted to make something the best for the band and I think they misunderstood me, like I wanted to be leader. I was telling the truth and that’s how I am… It was a great time in Helloween … but I am happy when I left the band after “Dark Ride” because it’s one of my favourite albums, It changed my life totally … To be honest the first line up of Helloween was the best but of course I have to say when I was in the band, it was a great line up as well … I was very disappointed when I saw that they changed the style to get into the Chameleon direction, I think Helloween would be much bigger if they would continue with the style of Keepers albums, I think Helloween could be as big as Metallica today.”
You can listen to the whole of the interview on the player below:
For more info on MASTERPLAN:
Interview by David Pearce
Distinguished hard rock mainstays ILL NIÑO took time out of their busy schedule to talk to us about their new album, new video and the Monster Jam Fest; here is what they had to say.
Hello, I’m David Pearce, Welcome To Metal Shock Finland!
Hello David!!!
Which bands would you say inspired or influenced you?
I would say culture has inspired Ill Niño initially. Many great metal and non metal bands have also inspired us to create music. I know some of us love old British metal: Maiden, Priest, Sabbath; But also many cultural bands such as Santana, Sepultura, Puya, & Nacao Zumbi. Apart from that, we are hardcore kids at heart having deeply embedded roots with bands like Sick of it All, Cro-Mags, Agnostic Front, Leeway, and even the Misfits. And that’s not to say we aren’t in touch with our more mysterious side. We are also highly influenced by bands like Massive Attack, Sade, The Police, Queen, Ministry, Portishead, Quicksand, and even Depeche Mode.
What has been your most memorable show or moment?
There are way too many amazing experiences to pick just one. I would have to say that the 1st time is always very impressionable. 1st time we played Tokyo, Japan was amazing. Beijing, China was incredible. 1st time in Moscow, Russia blew my mind. 1st time in Sao Paolo, Brazil was unbelievable. Every time we play Texas, NJ, NY, Cali, just way too much love for all these places! Can’t ever forget the amazing love & times we have in Holland. And, the kicker would be the Soundwave Festival in Australia 2 years ago. That was just as life changing.
I see that you played at the Monster Jam Fest how did that go?
The show went great. It was amazing to watch Dio Disciples. They sounded great, really impressive. They played all the classics but furthermore, they appeared with Ripper Owens. I got to hang with him for a little bit. Really awesome dude he is. Seeing our great friends in Hell Yeah was also amazing. We look forward to playing more shows with those guys in the near future.
What kind of set did you guys play there?
Our set consisted of a lot of old songs from our first 2 albums. “God Save Us”, “If You Still Hate Me”, “Te Amo/I Hate You”, “How Can I Live” as well as songs from “One Nation Underground” such as “This is War”. The 2 songs from our album that we are playing are “The Depression” & “La Epidemia”. We are trying to focus on the songs that define who we are as a band. It gets complicated after having 6 full lengths. Picking songs can be a bit tricky but, seriously, I am not trying to complain, I love bringing music to our fans live.
If there was any festival in the world that you could play at, which one and where would it be?
I’ve been hopeful to play Dubai one day. Being a well-travelled musician, I guess I am starting to run out of places to visit. Dubai & South Africa are still on my list of places I would love to visit. I’ve been very lucky to have travelled the world and I feel blessed. This is the soundtrack to my life & I want to bring our music to the darkest corners of the world.
Your Video “La Epidemia” has had over a 60,000 views on you tube did you think it would go down so well with the fans?
Our fans are the ones we have to thank for such an amazing response. They have really taken to this album as if it was our first. Many say our band was dormant until “Epidemia” was released but, we’ve just been in a small creative hole. I truly believe we have dug ourselves out & I look forward to a very successful future. We are bringing Latin Metal and re-defining the meaning of Culture Metal as we speak, I am very hopeful that our next album will continue to drive that nail through the over saturated coffin of the music industry.
You have a new album out can you tell me about it?
Our album is called “Epidemia” and it is a prolific record for ILL NIÑO. It encompasses who the band is without any social infiltration. It’s a stand out modern metal record or, as I like to call it, a modern Culture Metal record. If you don’t have it, you are fucking up. There are 10 very distorted lullabies on this album which I guess we can call songs but they are more a state of mind rather than just a sound. In a time where music needs more depth & clarity, “Epidemia” is absolutely a stand out. Please pick up a legal copy.
Technically how does this album differ to your last album?
It has a lot more profound content. It is relentless & will not let up until you are forced to hear the message. I truly believe that it took us several years to re-program ourselves into what we were when we started ILL NIÑO in 1998. After having worked with so many different record producers, a lot of our own personality was diminished by constructs of what we should be or, what our label wanted us to be. We are very lucky to have survived this era in our band. Many times, bands break up when they find themselves on different sides of the room. We actually fought each other until it brought us closer and helped us realize that we need to be producing & recording our own records. I will not minimize the growth that producers may have brought to the band with those experiences but, it was not one that was positive at that point in time. Within the last 2 albums, we’ve become brothers again, musical partners, & fans of our original style of Metal can hear that in “Epidemia”.
What can you tell us about the lyrics to the album and what influenced them?
There is certainly a lot of suffering behind the lyrics of this album. There’s an entire concept that sits underneath every character on “Epidemia”. However, I truly feel that any involvement in altering a listener’s personal view of the meaning would be selfish. I will say that the word “Epidemia” was a simple nickname that I gave the psychotic side of the mind which pulls us closer to death & our own morbid delusions. The titles are very definitive to the songs themselves and it many ways the lyrics are one with the feeling behind the artwork. I am optimistic & there is a bright side but, it is not apparent. I am not interested in being an artist that is shallow and blatant. All great art has a deeper meaning but, what is it? Each should hold their own conclusions. To blatantly write without the motion of feelings is to miss the point completely. And the artwork presents that as well. Gisella Rose did a body suspension for nearly 3 hours. Being a witness to her devotion for the art form in itself was influential. I am optimistic to this new way of looking at life & personally, I’d rather disconnect myself from all politics, sports, war and live life creatively driven into the darker topics of the psychology.
The album has been out for about Three weeks now how has the response been for it?
The response has been amazing. Our fans have taken to the album as if it was our first and, it is an album entirely for them. We need to justify their need for Latin Metal and their demand for original modern music. They are the reason we still thrive and I promise to make every release stronger than the last from here on out. The reviews have also been incredible. We wanted to focus on a real feeling rather than a musical piece and after all, music is what feelings sound like. “Epidemia” is a devotion to that. Obviously, any art form will always have people who appreciate it and people who don’t. The few that can’t appreciate what we do, well, I guess this album isn’t for you. To the rest, thank you!
What is your track of the moment, the song you have to keep on playing?
I can’t really pick 1 favourite but, I do like the heavier tracks the most: “Eva”, “Demi-God”, “Invisible People”, “La Epidemia”, “Only The Unloved”, etc.
Have you any plans of a tour or work for a new album in the pipeline for the future?
I am already looking forward to our next album. The reception for this one has been so great that am eager to bring on the next step up. As for a tour, we will be doing an entire Epidemia World Tour: U.S.A., Europe, Scandinavia, South America, Asia, Australia and, hopefully more.
Thanks for the interview! Are there any last words that you like pass on to our readers and your fans?
I would like to thank our fans for placing their belief unto us and for sticking by us through 12 years of amazing change. We promise to deliver Culture Metal on the next level, Latin Metal on steroids. This album “Epidemia” is for you. Spread the word because you are our army. Que viva el Latin metal!!!!
http://www.illnino.com
http://www.myspace.com/illnino
To read the Epidemia review click HERE
Interview by Ali Blackdiamond
Stu Marshall is a multi-talented guitarist/producer/composer from Australia. His band EMPIRES OF EDEN play melodic and power metal and their current album release includes a whole plethora of metal artists including Udo Dirkschneider, Rob Rock, Zak Stevens, Michael Vescera and many more.
Stu was contacted by Richard Ofsoski, The Metal For Cancer founder and organiser, about taking part in the fundraising Dragon Slayer All Star Project last year Stu was asked about this in a recent interview by Blackdiamond for Metal Shock Finland. Check out what Stu had to say in the third Metal For Cancer interview in this series, below:
Hi Stu and welcome to Metal Shock Finland, how are you doing today?
Hey Ali, I am great. Thanks for taking the time to chat with me.
So to begin with, how did you become involved in the Metal For Cancer Dragon Slayer All Star Project and can you tell me about your role?
The mastermind behind that idea is Richard Ofsoski who I have known for many years from Aussie metal circuit. Rich contacted me about the idea of being involved and my response was an immediate “yes of course”. He collected an incredible range of superstars for the charity song and from what I hear it’s doing quite well.
How much work did it take for you to complete your guitar part?
Solos for me are really quite easy as I record alot of sessions at home. The work comes into play when you know who you’re playing with on the track! I think there are some amazing players on this song, so I spent some time working out the part but for me music is never really work. I think I cut the track in a few hours from when I got the sample.
Can you tell me your thoughts on the completed song “Let’s Unite In Rock” and what it means to you?
It’s a great, catchy and powerful track. Rich really composed a great song and it’s a fantastic effort by everyone who gave their time. It sounds like an old story but the more we can give towards good causes the better.
Are there any more plans to work with the Metal For Cancer project?
I’m on 24 hour call for Rich, anything he needs. It’s essentially his baby so any future plans are best directed his way.
What message would you like to give to people about helping out to raise money for the Australian Cancer Research Foundation?
Throw a small donation. While everyone knows the horror of cancer this also promotes the heavy rock community in doing something positive, it’s hard these days as times are tough and people are more concerned about paying a mortgage which we all feel.
Let’s talk about your band Empires Of Eden, you released a new album “Channelling The Infinite” several months ago, featuring various great metal artists including Udo Dirkschneider, Rob Rock, Steve Grimmett and Ronny Munroe. Can you tell us more about it and what is happening at the moment?
The album “Channelling the Infinite” was released in July of this year and really was a dream come true. For those that have not heard of it, it’s essentially an album of epic power metal featuring a huge cast of great singers.
To write songs and produce a lot of the vocals was something I have been working for over many years. This album is the 3rd for Empires of Eden, so each step has been a progression. First and foremost I am a fan of all of these singers as there is 11 vocalists all with their feature track. I have a short attention span so producing and album like this is just a great experience. Working with UDO, what can you say?, an amazing experience to create music for a legend like that and I’m an old school Accept fan from way back.
You also keep busy with your Frontier Studio and have recently mastered the new album by Australian metal band Taberah, how much time do you spend doing this work as well as fitting in the band?
I am producing all year round and the business has grown a lot this past year. For 2012 we have produced five releases, the most recent production is what I am doing now with the band Mystery on their debut cd. The guys are really young and have a huge amount of energy.
What are your plans for next year?
I’m working on something very special right now, sadly it’s all hush but I am hoping for an official announcement soon. It’s really the biggest thing I have been involved in so far, so yes.. It’s not easy to keep quiet. More to be revealed.
What final words would you like to leave here for the Metal Shock Finland readers?
Please checkout www.empiresofeden.com for hand signed cd’s with fast global delivery. All the latest news is there and on facebook we run regular competitions for free stuff.
Thanks a lot for your time Stu!
Thanks for taking the time to chat Ali and I hope to hit Finland as soon as I can.
Listen to the song “Let’s Unite In Rock” below:
Check out the following links for the METAL FOR CANCER project and EMPIRES OF EDEN below:
Also Blackdiamond conducted two previous interviews for the METAL FOR CANCER project. The first one with Henrik Flyman from EVIL MASQUERADE can be found at this location and the second with METAL FOR CANCER founder and organiser Richard Ofsoski can be found at this location.
