The Great Kat – Beethoven’s Guitar Shred DVD (2009) – TPR Music

Mais um DVD da Great Kat. São 7 novos vídeos (e mais uns bónus) da já habitual insanidade. Temas curtíssimos de fusão Clássica / Metal / Gore / sei lá o quê, exageradas caretas maléficas, sangue a jorros, trajes reduzidos, cruzes invertidas e, agora, referências ao Islão (nem sei bem onde quer chegar a senhora). Ainda há gente que acha graça a isto? Só quem vê pela primeira vez. Ainda há gente a comprar as edições da Great Kat? Nem sei bem qual o propósito da senhora para todo este aparato. Quer ser a mais rápida do mundo? Isso nem sempre é bom. E então a constante referência a frases lisonjeiras da imprensa e a, ainda pior, auto-proclamação de génio musical… Já fiz esta pergunta antes e volto a fazê-la: “ isto é mesmo a sério ou é apenas uma personagem montada pela Karen Thomas?”. Acho que nunca vamos ter acesso à resposta. Ainda me sinto inclinado a dar uma pontuação baixíssima a isto mas, é tão “kitsch” que me deixa confuso… Vou então imaginar que tudo isto é uma brincadeira, tal como as bandas de Gore que não se levam a sério, e no final do dia lavam a cara e guardam os bonecos-cadáver cheios de sangue e tripas, e deixar-me levar pela maré. Acho que a única maneira de aguentar isto é com um sorriso na cara. 70% http://www.greatkat.com/ / http://www.beethovensguitarshred.com/
RDS

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EDIT: É este o tipo de e-mail que a senhora escreve a agradecer o tempo que eu perdí a ouvir/ver e escrever umas palavras sobre o seu material:

[After reading your ignorant and inferior review of The Great Kat's highly-acclaimed "Beethoven's Guitar Shred" DVD, we have deleted you from the Kat Database and you will no longer receive Great Kat products.
-The Great Kat
greatkat@greatkat.com
http://www.greatkat.com/]

Waterland – Waterland (2008) – Edição de Autor

Waterland é um projecto de Miguel Gomes, guitarrista de Oratory. Neste registo homónimo faz-se acompanhar dos vocalistas Marco Alves (ex-Oratory) e Bruno Gomes. 15 temas que ultrapassam os 76 minutos de duração apresentam um Heavy / Power de contornos melódicos e influências neoclássicas. Há aqui boas ideias mas, todo o projecto é algo cliché, o som tem pouca pujança, a bateria programada é irritante, e todo o ambiente de projecto solo, com epicentro no quarto do músico, acabam por arruinar o pouco que de bom “Waterland” possui. Talvez com uma banda a sério e uma gravação decente isto soasse viável. Assim acaba por ficar no fundo de uma pilha de CDs que todos os meses vão sendo editados dentro do género. 25% www.myspace.com/waterlandband
RDS

Area51 - Interview

1 – Area51 is a young band and still unknown in the worldwide Metal scene. Can you describe the band’s path from its foundation to these days?
Okay! AREA51 started out when I started making demos with our former singer. That’s about 4-5 years ago. Everything but the vocals and guitars were programmed, the demos were put on the internet, and CD-Rs were given out to many people. Our former drummer and keyboard player were very interested in the demos, and we evolved into a real band.
After that, to further stretch our envelope, we decided to find a new singer. Following nearly a hundred auditions, we finally came across Kate, who joined the band. In 2005 we released our first album, which is the official start of our band’s history.

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2 – I noticed that you’re getting some exposure outside of Japan and you are even releasing a 5-track CD in Brazil. Apart from a few exceptions, Japan is known for “keeping” their music inside its boundaries. Your musical market is big enough for any band to achieve success. Do you intend to take the band outside of Japan or is your country enough for you?
Like you mentioned, the musical market in Japan is definitely big. However, it’s rather unlikely that our kind of music will gain mainstream recognition today. Many listeners are not in need of songs with very long technical guitar solos, or very complex passages.
However, when looking out to the rest of the world, there are tons of listeners who go wild, who are crazy about our kind of music! Our goal is to reach those people, who appreciate what we do and who we are. That’s why we released a CD in Brazil, and why we are available around the world through iTunes. Of course we’re also working on domestic support as well, but that’s not our limit.

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3 – I noticed that the majority of Japanese musicians tend to sing in Japanese, but in Area51 the lyrics were written in English. Do you think Heavy Metal must be sung in English or is it a way to allow your band to achieve some reception in Western countries? Why did you choose to sing in English rather than in Japanese?
There may be a misunderstanding here. Our song titles are in English, but our lyrics are in Japanese. It might be the way Kate sings, but people sometimes think she’s singing in English. I can’t tell you why that happens, but she certainly has a very unique and original way of singing Japanese lyrics.
I’m happy with the way our songs with Japanese lyrics are accepted. We might incorporate English lyrics in the future, but we also think our approach to the world in our own language, Japanese, is very important, too. So, the Japanese language factor is quite important.

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4 – Are you satisfied with this new album “Daemonicus”, the songs, the recording process, production, and final product?
Of course we’re satisfied! But, after some time, we really feel that the next album will be even better, that there is room for improvement. Especially regarding the production. We’ll see how the next album goes, but for now we are very satisfied with Daemonicus.

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5 – Heavy, Power and Neoclassical Metal are known for their fantasy inspired lyrics. What kind of subjects influenced you to write the lyrics for this record?
Daemonicus isn’t necessarily a concept album, but all songs are connected to complete a story. You can see representations of the story on the CD cover, booklet, and artwork inside the CD case. Individual songs do have themes inspired by love, relationships, warning the world about certain issues, and fantasy.
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6 – What bands do you listen to and influence you to write music for Area51? How about books and movies?
For songwriting and performance, Yngwie Malmsteen, Impellitteri, Stratovarius, Symphony X, Rhapsody, Kamelot, Vitalij Kuprij had great influences. Also, X Japan from Japan definitely had a strong influence.
In terms of movies, I would say the ambience and atmosphere of “Lord of the Rings”, “Harry Potter”, and “The Mummy” influenced our imagination quite a bit. The song “Lord Knows”, from our latest album, was actually inspired by the Walt Disney movie “Beauty and the Beast”.

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7 – Rob Rock from Impelliteri is a guest in the track “Lord Knows”. How did you manage to have this Hard ‘N’ Heavy legend in your new record?
This was such an exciting event for me! I’ve been an Impellitteri fan ever since I started playing the guitar. Especially albums like “Answer to the Master”, “Victim of the System”, “Screaming Symphony” are like text books to me.
Ever since I started thinking about a 16 minute long song, I always wanted to have a male guest singer. With no expectations of his agreeing, I approached Rob, who appreciated our music, and agreed to sing for us.
He was extremely professional, with tons of great ideas regarding the lyrics and melodies. He understood how to bring the overall song as close to perfection as possible, without us having to explain things in detail. We recorded Kate’s vocals afterwards, but since Rob’s recording perfectly captured our intentions, the rest of the recording went smoothly like magic. Among all the musicians who must want Rob to sing for them, I am so grateful and happy that we actually made it happen. I cannot thank him enough for what he’s done for us, and I am extremely proud of the outcome.
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8 – Do you have a tour prepared to promote the new record?
This related to a subsequent question, too, but honestly speaking, the music scene here in Japan is not set up for such promotional tours. We did have a few shows after the latest album was released, but that’s all we’ve done, no touring.
We’ve already started preparing for the next album. In parallel, we’re working on having our songs used as theme songs for television shows, or major radio shows. In Japan, it’s very important to have such tie-ups to make satisfactory touring happen.

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9 – I read in some article, on the internet, that you had some major exposure in Burrn magazine with your first record “Ankh”, back in 2005. It was highlighted as the 6th best Neoclassical Metal record ever released in Japan. Was that important for the band?
Hmm… I think this requires proper explanation. In fact, before “Ankh” was selected in their ranking, their first review of our album was extremely negative, not representative of what the album was at all. They seem to have such negative approaches from time to time. For example, Stratovarius’ “Vision”, Yngwie Malmsteen’s “Rising Force” both received very bad initial reviews. It goes without saying, that they were completely mistaken.
Many furious fans criticized their bad review of “Ankh”. They were the only ones with negative feedback, where many other bloggers and reviewers were offering positive comments.
Perhaps ten years ago “Ankh” would have just been criticized and forgotten, but with the internet today, I don’t feel it had a strong impact. People could listen to our music on our website, and make their own judgment. As a result, many listeners expressed their disagreement with Burrn!’s review. Then, after a few months, they suddenly chose the album as the 6th best Neoclassical Metal Album, as if nothing had happened beforehand.
I was honestly surprised, must more by their change in attitude, compared to the album ranking itself. In retrospect, I do appreciate the exposure, though (lol).

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10 – How’s the Japanese Heavy Metal scene nowadays (Bands, labels, magazines, venues, etc)? What about Punk, Gothic, and Alternative Rock scenes? Which bands would you highlight?
The Japanese metal scene is quite unique. I think it’s a great place for foreign metal bands. Good CD sales, tour after tour. However, for domestic metal bands, it’s very tough. Only a handful of famous bands with long careers, like Anthem and Loudness, are still successful today, but for the rest, it’s not easy. Bands like Onmyo-za and Galneryus are well known within the metal scene, but since the metal scene itself is so small, not everyone knows about them. There aren’t many metal listeners here who are interested in domestic metal bands.
On the other hand, punk-ish bands seem to be doing well on the charts. We heard lots of programmed or dance music a while ago on TV, but it seems “band sounds” are coming back, with increasing popularity. I hope this trend ends up helping the metal scene as well.

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11 – You have now some space for a final message.
Thanks so much for reading this to the end! I hope you enjoyed the interview. If you are interested in us at all, please check out the album! I really look forward to the day we can play in front of you! Until then, keep you ears wide open, and Stay Metal!
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Questions: RDS
Answers: Yoichiro Ishino (Guitars)
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Area51: http://www.area51-web.com/ / www.myspace.com/area51web

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Area51 - Close To... (You And Me) (Fanmade Video)

Area51 – Ankh (2005, Black-listed) & “Daemonicus” (2008, Aprights)

Os Area51 são uma banda de Neoclassical Metal do Japão com voz feminina. As influências variam entre nomes do Heavy tradicional (Rainbow, Impellitteri), Heavy Neoclássico (Yngwie Malmsteen, Royal Hunt, Stratovarius), nomes mais recentes do Symphonic Metal de vocalização feminina (Epica, After Forever) e compositores clássicos (Chopin, Paganini).

O guitarrista Yoichiro Ishino formou a banda em 2003 e em 2005 já lançaram a estreia em longa-duração “Ankh” (Black-listed Records). Nove malhas compõem este disco que foi considerado, pela mítica revista Japonesa Burrn!, um dos 6 melhores álbuns de Neoclassical Metal daquele país. As influências são mais que óbvias mas há aqui boas ideias, bons riffs e melodias de guitarra, uma secção rítmica competente sem chegar a ser muito técnica, uma componente sinfónica bem encaixada, letras em Japonês (é sempre aplaudido quando uma banda canta na sua língua materna) e, finalmente, a fantástica voz de Kate. Não é nada de transcendental mas gostei do que ouvi. 75%

Em 2008 é editado o segundo de originais, “Daemonicus” (Aprights). São mais 10 faixas na mesma linha musical mas com uma notória evolução, tanto na composição como na execução. Conseguem balançar bem a sua música alternando entre o material mais rápido e o “midtempo”, entre momentos mais agressivos e os mais melódicos e sinfónicos, entre ideias mais simples e outras mais elaboradas. O único problema é a produção. É a típica produção Japonesa que deixa os instrumentos com um som algo frio e mecânico. Mas, salvo raras excepções, este tipo de som final também se pode ouvir nos seus parceiros Europeus. Continuam a não ser uma mais valia para o cenário Heavy Metal internacional, mas são uma boa escolha para quem gosta do género. O tema que de destaque, e que encerra o álbum, é com certeza “Lord Knows” o qual tem uma duração de 16m39s e tem a colaboração vocal de Rob Rock dos Impellitteri. Heavy / Power / Prog / Symphonic no seu melhor. 80%

Outras edições da banda: “Area51” (Demo 2003), Extended Wings / Sky Above Clouds (Single 2004), “Close To… You And Me” (Single 2007) e “Area51 SMD” (EP 2008, este é uma edição especial para o Brasil com 5 temas do disco de estreia).

Area51: http://www.area51-web.com/

RDS

Crown Of Glory – A Deep Breath Of Life (2008) – Metal Heaven

Os Crown Of Glory são Suiços e “A Deep Breath Of Life” é o seu disco de estreia através da Metal Heaven. O disco é composto por 11 temas de Power Metal com influências de AOR / Hard Rock e alguns toques (poucos) neoclássicos. São cerca de 62 minutos do mais puro Power Metal Europeu, hiper-melódico, pomposo, épico. Todos os tiques do género estão cá. Mas está muito bem feito e muitos pontos acima da média. É até muito melhor do que os últimos trabalhos de Stratovarius, por exemplo. A referida banda Finlandesa é uma das inúmeras influências destes Transalpinos, a par de Sonata Arctica, Edguy, Royal Hunt, Rhapsody Of Fire, Pretty Maids ou Europe. A produção mais “pesada”, em especial na bateria que está potente, o som bem nítido e alguma heterogeneidade (que falta a algumas bandas) ajudam muito ao resultado final. Peca apenas por ser algo longo. Um par de temas a menos, que estão apenas a “encher”, e ficaria muito melhor. Longe de ser a salvação de um género preso às suas restritas fórmulas, “A Deep Breath Of Life” é um disco que se destaca das inúmeras edições da mesma área musical que nos invadem hoje em dia. Falta ainda referir que o disco foi misturado por Dennis Ward dos Pink Cream 69. Apenas para os fãs deste tipo de Heavy / Power mais melódico. Os detractores do género mantenham-se a milhas porque vão odiar! Fica o aviso feito. 70% http://www.crown-of-glory.ch/ / http://www.metalheaven.net/

RDS

Angel Of Eden - Entrevista

1 – Angel Of Eden (origin and meaning of the band’s name, short bio with highlights, discography, etc):
This is our Debut Album. I have formed this Band. First I wanted to do a Solo Record, but then step by step things developed into forming a real Band. I got contacted by Carsten Schulz and checked out his previous works with Domain and Evidence One and I liked it a lot. Ramy the Drummer and Ferdy the Guest Keyboarder were then recommended to me from Carsten and were then added to the Line Up. Furthermore I needed a strong keyboarder so I approached the Maestro, Mistheria, and for the Bass I asked Steve and he was ready to go, so my Line Up was complete.

The Band Name is called after one track on the CD, I really liked the Name very much, so I decided to pick this one as well as the Band Name. The Name doesn’t have a deeper meaning it’s more kind a fantasy thing.

2 – “The End Of Never” (writing & recording process):
I worked about 1 year on writing and finalizing the tracks. The Recordings took place in Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the US.

3 – Lyrics (influences, themes, messages):
Carsten’s Lyrics are based mostly on personal experiences and reflect his state of mind accordingly, pretty weird stuff at times, but they’re great lyrics and always a good read. I cannot go too deeply in them as I unfortunately am not able to read what is going on in his mind ;-)

My Lyrics contributions I can comment as follows:
- Dreamchaser is about a Dream, a Goal you have in Life and what are you willing to give for it and how much you get back for your efforts.
- Battle of 1386 is tune about a historical Battle which took place close to the place I live.

4 – Album frontcover / artwork (who, why, meaning, …):
The Frontcover and the Artwork was done by an artist called Jason Juta. I was checking some of his works and came across this picture of this Girl holding this crystal ball. I wanted it to be in a somewhat doomy, mystical context. We then worked it all out and put the ideas together after I presented my ideas to him, which resulted in this Cover, which came out to my absolute satisfaction.
I wanted it to be associated with the Band Name Angel of Eden, so you see kind a Angel in Paradise, but rather in a doomy, mystique background …..

5 – Guest musicians:
- Ferdy Doernberg, keys on 4 Tracks, he is a member of Axel Rudi Pell, Uli Jon Roth, amongst many others. He was recommended to me by Carsten and I watched him live with Uli Roth and I just liked his playing very much, he is a very cool slide guitar player as well!
- Steve di Giorgio, bass, a friend of mine, am very glad to have him on the record, he’s an incredibly gifted Bass Player.
- John West, vocals, my long time companion in Artension. I wanted him for one song and ‘Battle of 1386’ was the one we had him sing on, and I just turned out great, as you would expect.
- David Shankle, guitars, I liked very much his Instrumental ‘Etude’ he was doing on his first DSG Record and he liked my stuff I did with Artension, so we decided to cooperate on my CD. He played a kick ass solo on ‘Return of the Pharaoh Pt.1’.

6 – Musical and other kind of influences:
I’m into Neo-Classical, Power Metal and Melodic Rock. There’s many other styles I listen to, as for example Fusion and Classical Music, but I guess these are the most important ones. Bands that influenced me probably the most are: Yngwie Malmsteen, Cacophony, Uli Jon Roth, RacerX, Tony MacAlpine, early Metallica, Survivor, Van Halen, Maiden etc. although there are so many other bands that have influenced me over the years and still keep doing so.

7 – Lion Music:
A small but a very fine Record Label, they do a very good job at what they do, and are great people to be working with. Besides this, they treat their artists the way they deserve to be treated: Good!

8 – Tour to promote the record:
There’s nothing lined up yet, but we will try hard to make it happen. So in case you want us to play live in your area, give us a shout.

9 – Final Message:
In case you get a chance, check out the record. I hope you have as much fun listening to it as we had making it.

http://www.angelofedenband.com/ / www.myspace.com/angelofedenband / http://www.rogerstaffelbach.com/ / www.lionmusic.com/angelofeden.htm


Entrevistador: RDS
Entrevistado: Roger Staffelbach (Guitars)

LION MUSIC

Angel Of Eden – The End Of Never (2007) – Lion Music
Este é o novo projecto de Roger Staffelbach, guitarrista dos Artension. Nesta nova aventura juntam-se a Roger o vocalista Carsten “Lizard” Schulz (Evidence One, ex-Domain), o teclista Mistheria (solo, Bruce Dickinson) e o baterista Rami Ali (Evidence One). Além da banda principal, o álbum conta com a participação de Steve DiGiorgio (ex-Testament, ex-Death, ex-Iced Earth, etc) que gravou todas as partes de baixo, John West (ex-Royal Hunt), David Shankle (David Shankle Group, ex-Manowar) e Ferdy Doernberg (Axel Rudi Pell). Em “The End Of Never” são apresentados 10 temas (mais 1 faixa bónus, uma fantástica versão de “You Don’t Remember, I’ll Never Forget” de Yngwie Malmsteen) de Metal Neoclássico. Riffs e solos de guitarra fantásticos, secção rítmica poderosíssima, vocalizações soberbas, é isto que este Anjo Do Éden nos oferece em pouco mais de 51 minutos. À típica sonoridade Heavy Neoclássico adicionam ainda algum do poder e velocidade do Power Metal Europeu assim como melodias e coros saídos dos 80s (tanto do Heavy como do típico Rock oitentista e até mesmo de musicais). Há já muito tempo que não ouvia um disco de Heavy / Power / Neoclássico que me fizesse vibrar tanto quanto este. Já o ouvi 3 vezes e não o pretendo retirar de perto do leitor tão cedo! Uma boa aposta para fãs de nomes como Artension, Yngwie Malmsteen, Royal Hunt, Survivor, Gamma Ray, Helloween, Symphony X, Virgin Steele, At Vance, Edguy, Kamelot, Epica, etc. 95% http://www.angelofeden.com/ / www.myspace.com/angelofedenband / http://www.rogerstaffelbach.com/ / www.lionmusic.com/angelofeden.htm

MCM – 1900 Hard Times (2007) – Lion Music
Este é um projecto que reúne 3 excelentes músicos da cena Hard ‘N’ Heavy, já com créditos firmados, Alex Masi (guitarra, loops), Randy Coven (baixo) e John Macaluso (bateria), daí a designação do MCM (Masi-Coven-Macaluso). Este é um disco que reúne 12 faixas gravadas ao vivo em diversos locais. A música de MCM é 80% de improviso, sem qualquer regra musical ou estruturas pré-fabricadas a restringir a criatividade dos músicos envolvidos, numa total liberdade de execução. O resultado é uma mescla de Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Rock Progressivo, Jazz, Fusion e inclusive Drum ‘N’ Bass e música étnica. Desenganem-se os que já estão a pensar que isto deve ser um mero exercício demonstrativo de potencialidades técnicas, de músicos para músicos, algo perfeitamente aborrecido para o mero ouvinte. Nada disso, os MCM conseguem criar excelentes instrumentais de Hard / Heavy / Jazz / Fusion / Progressive que se ouvem muito bem. São cerca de 57 minutos de pura liberdade artística que irá agradar a fãs de qualquer um dos géneros acima mencionados. 85% http://www.alexmasi.net/ / http://www.randycovensite.com/ / http://www.johnmacaluso.com/ / www.lionmusic.com/mcm1900.htm

Palace Terrace – Flying Through Infinity (2007) – Lion Music
Palace Terrace é um projecto do guitarrista George Bellas (ex-Ring Of Fire, Mogg/Way). A este alia-se o tenor Jonathan R Marshall e o percussionista Sasha Horn. “Flying Through Infinity” é um disco conceptual, a história narra a viagem de uma alma pelo infinito do Universo, é uma história de introspecção da condição humana, nada que não se tenha já feito, portanto. A nível musical, lidamos aqui com um misto de Metal Neoclássico, Progressivo, e Hard ‘N’ Heavy tradicional, sempre com aquele ambiente cinematográfico, teatral e épico, típico de disco conceptual. Bellas é responsável por quase tudo no álbum, desde o conceito, composição, orquestrações, produção, assim como quase todos os instrumentos musicais. A nível lírico, como já referi, nada de novo; a nível musical, nada de surpreendente ou extraordinário. A nota de imprensa é um desfilar de termos técnicos musicais, o que dá a entender, e é mesmo isso que acontece, que a maior preocupação foi a de gravar algo perfeito a nível técnico, ficando a “alma” da coisa algo esquecida. Além disso, o som é algo mecânico e frio, algo que a mim particularmente me faz muita confusão. Apenas para fanáticos deste tipo de discos. Para mim, mais um disco mediano, entre tantos outros. 55% http://www.palaceterrace.com/ / http://www.georgebellas.com/ / www.myspace.com/palaceterrace / www.myspace.com/georgebellas / www.lionmusic.com/palaceterrace.htm

Lion Music: www.lionmusic.com / www.myspace.com/lionmusiclabel

Cloudscape – Crimson Skies (2006) – Metal Heaven

Este é já o segundo álbum desta banda sueca de Metal neoclássico com uma forte orientação para o Metal Progressivo. Já tinha gostado do primeiro álbum homónimo (editado em 2005 pela Metal Heaven) e este está ainda melhor. O primeiro álbum continha temas dos primórdios da banda junto com temas compostos na altura, mas este novo trabalho já contém apenas temas compostos de propósito para o álbum, daí soar mais homogéneo. As influências neoclássicas continuam por cá., embora este álbum seja mais Progressivo e muito mais melódico que o anterior, até com alguns refrões a roçar o AOR, mas sempre sem perder pitada de peso. O som de produção é similar pois o disco foi gravado no mesmo estúdio, Roastinghouse Studios, com o mesmo produtor Pontus Lindmark e Anders “Theo” Theander como produtor executivo. A capa também segue o mesmo estilo da anterior, tendo sido desenhada pela mesma pessoa, Mattias Norén. Como se costuma dizer, em equipa vencedora não se mexe, e foi exactamente o que fizeram os Cloudscape.O grande problema é que, apesar dos temas serem bons, não têm uma certa identidade que os distinga do próximo e/ou do anterior, e passado um bocado o álbum torna-se um pouco monótono, e como tem uma duração de uma hora (a maioria dos temas ultrapassa os 5 minutos), a meio do álbum já nos parece que nunca mais vai acabar e só nos apetece carregar no stop. Entre 40 a 45 minutos teria sido mais rentável, com menos temas, ou então encurtando um pouco os temas. Mesmo assim um bom álbum de Heavy / Power / Prog com boas ideias e agradável de ouvir. RDS

78%

Metal Heaven: www.metalheaven.net
Cloudscape: www.cloudscape.se
GerMusica: www.germusica.com

Cloudscape - Entrevista

1 – This new album is more into Progressive Metal than the debut, but also more melodic. It just came out like this or did you really wanted to write it this way?

We didn´t have a certain formula for “Crimson skies” except for making it a bit more progressive, dynamic and varied. In general I think “Crimson skies” is more melodic, atmospheric and progressive compared to our debut. I also think that we have created a unique sound for Cloudscape with “Crimson skies” that resembles our musical base. However, I think and hope that the people and fans who liked our debut will like “Crimson skies” as well.

2 – “Cloudscape” included some songs from your early days as a band, but this new record was entirely composed now. Does this affected the way you composed the songs and how the final product sounds?

Well, we composed the new songs for “Crimson skies” the exact way like on the debut but, we have found ourselves musically and we feel more comfortable in our songwriting now. We were also more inspired in the studio during the recordings of “Crimson skies” because of the fact that all songs were “new”. On the debut there were as you say a few songs that were quite old and, we were kinda tired of those songs due to all years of rehearsing. They did turn out great in the studio and we are very satisfied with them but, it´s funnier to perform those songs live compared to playing/practising them in the rehearsalstudio.

3 – How would you say this new album differs from the debut?

The musical style is the same but, “Crimson skies” is more thoughtout, varied, melodic and dynamic. Still as heavy as the debut thou.

4 – The cover artwork was once again made by Mattias Norén. Did you loved the debut’s artwork and wanted him to do the new one, or did you wanted to maintain a sense of continuity with a similar artwork?

We love all of Mattias work so, choosing him to do our new artwork was obvious. We will most likely hire him to create our third album artwork as well.

5 – You are also preparing a side project called Planet Alliance to be released soon through Metal Heaven. How did you started it, what kind of style has the band and who is in the band?

The style is also melodic metal but, not as progressive as Cloudscape. In general I think fans of Cloudscape will like the “Planet Alliance” album as well. It all started by German label “Metal Heaven” contacting Anders “Theo” Theander at Roastinghouse productions and asked him if he could put together a projectband with me on vocals. Me and Theo discussed what musicians we wanted to include in the line up so, me and Magnus Karlsson started to compose songs for the album and Bob Daisley and Janne Stark provided with a few songs as well.

The line up in Planet Alliance are:

(Me) Mike Andersson (Cloudscape)

Magnus Karlsson (Allen/Lande Project, Starbreaker)

Bob Daisley (ex Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Moore)

Anders Johansson (ex Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Hammerfall)

Carl-Johan Grimmark (Narnia, Rob Rock)

Magnus Rosén (Hammerfall)

Janne Stark (Locomotive Breath, Overdrive)

Jaime Salazar (Allen/Lande Project, ex Flower Kings)

And special guest: Mattias “IA” Eklundh (Freak Kitchen).

6 – What kind of subjects did you used for the lyrics in this record?

Everything, hehe. There´s no red thread on the album lyrically. Each song has it´s own story. The song called “Hope” is about how a parent survives the loss of a child. “Psychic Imbalance” is about a person who suffers a mental breakdown. “Shapeshifter” is about humans living side by side with replicants/aliens but, without being aware of it. The lyrics I write are often about things that people can relate to while Roger Landins lyrics are more “fantasy/horror”.

7 – Do you have a tour already prepared to promote the record?

Not really. We have a few concerts booked but, no tour confirmed yet. A German booker is trying to organize a small tour in Germany later this year but, that ain´t official yet and we don´t know whether it will happen or not right now. We really hope that we will get the opportunity of touring in as many countries as possible to promote “Crimson skies” so, we have to keep our fingers crossed;).

8 – Nowadays the heavy and power scenes are stronger, with lots of new bands, the older ones are reuniting again. What would you say that Cloudscape have to offer that some other Heavy Metal / Power Metal / Progressive Metal bands can’t?

New fresh metal, hehe. Basically our music is influenced by the metalbands from the seventies and eighties but, we do it more “updated”. Francly, I don´t see “music” as competition since it is based on “moods” and “emotions”. We compose the music we love and hope that our fans and listeners will love it as well so, I think it is up to our fans to figure out what Cloudscape can “offer” that older bands don´t;).

9 – Do you want to leave a final message to your fans?

Absolutely, I´m delighted to!!We love you all. Without YOU this would be meaningless. Thanx for all Your support and keep up supporting us:) If you have missed out on Cloudscape please check out our new album called “Crimson skies” and our self-titled debut released in 2005. Please visit us on the internet and say “hi”:

www.cloudscape.se / www.myspace.com/cloudscapemetal
Cheers and stay metal….SPREAD THE WORD!!!
Yours sincerely: Mike Andersson

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Entrevistador: RDS

Entrevistado: Mike Andersson - Vocals
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Metal Heaven: www.metalheaven.net
Cloudscape: www.cloudscape.se
GerMusica: www.germusica.com