Pontus Gunve 1
Interviews

Interview with Pontus Gunve

“Pontus Gunve’s music embraces the theory that music is a multi-dimensional experience and an adventure in wordless storytelling that fully absorbs the audience’s mind, body and spirit.”

This is exactly what happens on the Pontus brand new release — an EP titled “IV” which was released on February 14. I talked with Pontus about this new material, touring, inspiration, and more.

Alright, first thing is first. Before we dive into all the music stuff, how’s life?

Good …

Speaking of new music, you have a new EP. What can people expect from “IV”?

A mixed bag of music. I don’t really feel very genre specific - but Progressive Rock is what I believe allows me to make the music I make. I try to pull from different influences and this EP really has a bit of everything - Heavy Rock guitars, melodic cello, heavy drums, some tabla sections, and a version of Misirlou.

IV

What was it like working on the EP?

It felt quite quick - or very productive and intense when it was happening. Time was of the essence while recording the album and we had to get as much done as possible in a short timeframe (spent 9 hours in the studio for a bulk of the recording). The band had been rehearsing for the last few weeks and I knew we had to get as much done as possible in the timespan at the studio. My idea was to create a very straight ahead recording that caught as much of the live experience as possible, and that is why all the instruments were recorded at the same time. Only the Tabla and an overdubbed guitar was added, apart from that everything else was recorded at the same time. We recorded each song roughly 4-5 times and while recording we also had a camera crew on location to capture everything. The video was taken by Comagine (by Chris Ventura and Peter Lasala). But the full picture started around 3 years earlier - basically in late 2012. After releasing The Observer in 2013 (my first album using live instruments and incorporating live strings) I was steered in a different musical direction. My musical roots sprung out of a heavy metal and hard rock background - and I had for the last ten years explored other musical genres. Ambient, electronic, Western and Indian classical, and a bit more experimental flare . However, with this new EP release I wanted to incorporate a heavier guitar sound, and a rejuvenation of my new found fascination with Progressive Rock.

With my newer material I’ve tried to pull from some of these influences - but also tried to simplify the instrumentation . For me incorporating the cello and tabla into my compositions and in the mix has both presented a whole set of new challenges and open doors in other places of the sonic landscape . The range of the cello presents some very interesting textures between the electric guitar and the cello . Mixing in the cello and give it space around the electric guitar and bass presents a whole range of separate challenges . The tabla added an energetic texture that when blended with amplified music moved the music forward and gave it a new vitality. Well the first step in the live recording process was to isolate the cello from the rest of the band. Eric sat in the control room while the rest of us where out in the live room .

Both the recording and mixing was done at Virtue and Vice studios in Brooklyn. Rocky Gallo recorded strings and mixed the Observer in 2013 . I was really happy with how the percussive elements and guitars / strings sit on his mixes . He understands the blend of rock and beauty really well and I’m very pleased how the mixes came out . Key is to be prepared - and I had layer the groundwork and prepped as much as possible before going into the mixing .

Are there any touring plans in support to “IV”?

No plans yet - but am hoping to arrange something for this summer. My ultimate goal (granted I can scrape together a budget for it) would be to tour India and Sweden. But lets see.

Pontus

While we are on the subject of touring, what countries would you love to tour?

Touring Northern Europe and perhaps Japan and India would be great…

Who and what inspires you the most?

Not sure I can pinpoint one specific who or what for that. Musically I write when inspiration strikes - and mostly it’s when I feel strongly about something or have an idea that I think will generate something interesting.

What other genres of music do you listen to? Have any of the other genres you listen to had any impact on your playing?

I listen to all genres of music. I find inspiration in music that inspire - that is why I usually don’t stay to genres. I come from a Heavy Metal / Hard Rock background but have always found myself drawn to melodic context and music that takes you somewhere. I don’t like predictability and to me music should be about telling a story and make the listener go somewhere in the music.

I really appreciate you giving us your time today. Is there anything else you would like to tell us and the fans before we wrap things up?

Well as always - I really appreciate all who find my music enjoyable and for all who take time to listen.

Visit Pontus Gunve’s official website here.

The Benzene Ring
Interviews

Interview with The Benzene Ring

“Crossing the Divide” is the second album by New York based experimental trio The Benzene Ring, released in November last year. It’s a demanding experience which once fully revealed presents a band that offers a lot.

I talked with singer, drummer and guitarist Jeff Aldrich.

Alright, first thing is first. Before we dive into all the music stuff, how’s life?

Life is good! It’s winter here in Brooklyn, which is beautiful and also freezing cold. We just finished a new photo shoot for the album after an enormous snowstorm that hit the east coast of the U.S.

Speaking of new music, you have an album called “Crossing the Divide”. What can people expect from it?

A dense, artistic, thoughtful, emotional journey.

What was it like working on the album?

We used sort of a strange, formal process for composing Crossing the Divide, beginning with a narrative story, which was dreamed up by all members. Then for each “chapter” of this narrative, one single band member would write a structural blueprint/map to inform the musical composition. Next, two other members would compose a musical skeleton around this map and musical themes posing as “characters” from the story. Finally the entire band would then flesh out that musical skeleton, bringing back musical themes from other chapters when narratively relevant.

Are there any touring plans in support to “Crossing the Divide”?

No immediate touring plans. We’ve been locked in our home studios for the last few years laboring over this thing, but we’re getting back into the rehearsal studio and looking to start performing again in 2016.

Crossing the Divide

While we are on the subject of touring, what countries would you love to tour?

Everywhere! We’d love to play in Japan and Eastern Europe.

Who and what inspires you the most?

Too much to list! We definitely all grew up on a steady diet of 90s alt rock: Radiohead, Tool, Sunny Day Real Estate, Soundgarden, Hum, Nine Inch Nails. Also 20th century classical: Stravinsky, Bartok, Ligetti. And of course lots of prog and experimental rock heroes: early 70s Yes, Rush, Kayo Dot, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Scott Walker, Mars Volta, Mr Bungle.

What other genres of music do you listen to? Have any of the other genres you listen to had any impact on your playing?

Lots! Aphex Twin. P-funk. Kendrick Lamar. Phish. 50s and 60s jazz. The films of David Lynch. We draw influences from all over the map.

I really appreciate you giving us your time today. Is there anything else you would like to tell us and the fans before we wrap things up?

Check out the album, it’ll rip your brain apart!

Follow The Benzene Ring on Facebook and Bandcamp.

TKH
Interviews

Interview with The Killing Hours

The Killing Hours formed on March 3, 2011 in Miami, FL by Steven Izquierdo and Yusell Garcia on guitars, Paul McBride (Before The Mourning) on bass and Micheal Collantes on drums. The band says that they are “in the pursuit of combining each of our unique styles to bring the best material we can to share with the world.“

They are currently promoting their debut album “I, Catharsis” and I talked with the band about it.

Hey folks. How are you doing?

We are dling great, hope you are as well.

You released “I, Catharsis” in October, 2015. How do you feel about the release?

We are very happy with the outcome. We achieved everything that we wanted at the time with this recording and the songs are really fun to perform.

How much of a challenge was to work on the album?

It was hard work but fun. We had a lot of time to prepare so everything went very smoothly.

What other artists similar to your genre that are coming from Miami are you friends with?

We are pretty unique in our area, but we are good friends with fellow miamians Silenmara, Abiotic, Suffering Tool,Deadmans Gambit and Falseta to name a few.

I, Catharsis

What is your opinion about the current progressive metal scene?

It’s definitely growing and becoming more popular which is awesome. Its at point where there are alot of paths that you can take musically.

Your 5 favourite records of all the time?

Megadeth (rust in peace), Gojira (terra incognita), Yes (close to the edge), Metallica (ride the lighting), and Wu-tang (36 chambers)

Can you tell me a little bit more about the gear you use to record “I, Catharsis”?

As far as amps we used Laney, Bugera, EVH, orange, and tech 21 sansamp. For guitar we played Fender, ESP ltd, Jackson, Spector bass, DW drums and savian cymbals.

Besides the release of the album, are there any other plans for the future?

We plan on touring in late march and plan a few more in summer 2016.

Any words for the potential new fans?

Go to school, eat your vegetables, and keep an open mind.

Follow The Killing Hours at:

Facebook

Bandcamp

Heartlay
Interviews

Interview with Heartlay

Aaron Sadrin is a man behind a French metal project Heartlay, with whom he recently released an EP titled “Remedy.”

Alright, first thing is first. Before we dive into all the music stuff, how’s life?

Good, thanks for asking.

Speaking of new music, you have an EP. What can people expect from “Remedy”?

“Remedy” takes the listener to the next step of Heartlay’s musical evolution. It’s a darker, deeper, generally more angst ridden experience.

What was it like working on the EP?

Well i’m constantly writing, so in April i just decided to do a second EP, and i made a selection between all the tracks that i’ve made since november 2014. I was looking for something more agressive than the last release, so i took the songs that fitted the most with my visions at the time. Otherwise the recording conditions were a lot cleaner than how i used to do for Injection.

Remedy

Are there any touring plans in support to “Remedy”?

No touring plans for now.

While we are on the subject of touring, what countries would you love to tour?

Where rock seems to live: USA, Germany, UK, Eastern Europe etc.

Who and what inspires you the most?

Adversity and generally psychological hurt are the most inspiring things to me. It’s a little depressing but those emotions appeal me as an artist, whether if it comes from music or not. This is basically what i found when i started listening to darker bands like Tool or Nine Inch Nails or Alice In Chains or The Cure in a different style, it’s catchier to me when it’s about sulfur.

Some of my ideas are also coming from other types of arts like films, paintings, or even literature. I often see myself as an author who writes with audio files and riffs rather than a « real » musician, essentially because of my search for loneliness when i compose.

What other genres of music do you listen to? Have any of the other genres you listen to had any impact on your playing?

A lot a different stuff, from Eric Serra soundtracks to Trip Hop or even well-produced Black Metal like Der Weg Einer Freiheit. And sometimes i take inspiration from artists who do not appear to sound like Heartlay, especially 80’s post punk bands such as Virgin Prunes or Bauhaus.

Virgin Prunes’ « If I Die I Die » is one of the best things that happened to me as a music fan, it’s crazy how these guys were inspired and anti-conformist, i love how this album is structured and perhaps i will try to do a sort of similar thing for a future release.

Heartlay

I really appreciate you giving us your time today. Is there anything else you would like to tell us and the fans before we wrap things up?

There are big things coming so stay connected on www.heartlay.com or facebook.com/heartlaymusic for the latest infos.

Jusska
Interviews

Interview with Jusska

Belgian prog metal band Jusska returned in January with their new EP. The 3-track release, titled Tsuki, features ex-Monuments drummer Mike Malyan. The band, currently comprised of guitarist Leander Verheyen and singer Iason Passaris, is looking for bassist and drummer to complete the line-up and transform in a live band.

The band talked with me about their new release.

Hey folks. How are you doing?

Hi! Doing great thanks! The sun is out, don’t have to work so I’m happy.

You released “Tsuki” last week. How do you feel about the release?

I’m really over the moon about how it turned out I must say! When you finish your songs in preproduction you can never tell 100% how they are going to come out when you record them for real, especially when you leave the mixing and mastering over to someone else. In this case Stef from Atmospheres. Who did and awesome job btw! Also super stoked that we had the pleasure of working with Mike Malyan this time around. His grooves really add life and depth to the songs, unlike the super simplistic drums we programmed on the 1st ep haha. This EP is a huge step up from the last one so couldn’t be more excited about it!

How much of a challenge was to work on the EP?

Working on music is never a challenge really, it’s always fun. The only thing we have to take into acount is that we can’t spend too long writing and re-writing stuff ‘cause we wanted to release en EP every 3 - 4 months. So we cut all the crap that doesn’t work fast haha. It also gets you in a good working flow. Straight to the point.

Tsuki

What other bands similar to your genre that are coming from Belgium are you friends with?

Hmm there aren’t a lot of bands doing what we do here in Belgium unfortunately. But those that are, are definitely worth checking out like my other band BEAR if you are into more extreme stuff. My former band Atmospheres and bands like Vermillion are in the same category as Jusska though.

What is your opinion about the new wave of prog metal bands?

I would say that it’s awesome that the genre has been constantly growing the last decade. When I started playing guitar 20 years ago no-one had even heard about Meshuggah. I didn’t even know how to pronounce it right haha. To see that they are now the summum of progressive grooves and an inspiration to all these new bands is awesome. Goes to show you just have to stick to what you believe in!

Can you tell me something about your influences?

Personally I like listening to music that taps into the deeper part of your emotions. I can’t stand happy music haha, which doesn’t mean I can’t get happy by listening to something btw.

But I like things that reach my emotional side, like flamenco. Music that sweps you away. I’m also really into dark synth stuff like Perturbator. Also movies, in particular sci fi influence me I guess. I’m a kind of a sci fi geek. All those things add up in my brain and come out through my fingers on the guitar.

Jusska

What are you listening to these days?

Perturbator, love that stuff. Also, Vola is my go latest go-to-band for heavyness AND awesome melodies.

Your 5 favourite records of all the time?

Of all time? Ok some go back a while haha. I’ll try te koop it in the metal/rock/prog vibe.

Deloused in the comatorium by The Mars Volta
Chaosephere by Meshuggah
Relationship of command by At the drive in (yeah I’m a Omar Rodiguez-Lopez fan)
Aenema by Tool
Demanifacture by Fear Factory was the first album I played for weeks on end.

Can you tell me a little bit more about the gear you use to record “Tsuki”?

As always I recorded all guitars with my axe fx 2. My guitar is a modded Ibanez RGA 8 with DiMarzio D-activator pick ups. I don’t exactly know what Mike used actually haha. But He did a hybrid technique of actual drumming on kickpads, keyboards and programming some other parts. The bass sound was a plug-in from protools.

Besides the release of the EP, are there any other plans for the future?

We are trying to expand into full band. So if anyone is interested, get In touch and let’s jam! We are eager to start playing live. In the springtime we will release another EP with 3 songs, so we are working on that as well now. After that it’s on to the full length I guess, and world domination of course. [laughs]

Any words for the potential new fans?

If you like heavy grooves and epic vocals, give our new EP TSUKI a spin, I’m sure you’ll dig it.

Follow Jusska on Facebook.

Aitor (Flute)
Interviews

Interview with Alms

Alms is a Progressive Rock project created by the Spanish multi-instrumentalist Aitor Lucena Martínez, who has just released the sophomore album titled “An Irosmic Tragedy.”

In the interview for Progstravaganza, Martínez talks about the record.

Alright, first things first. Before we dive into all the music stuff, how’s life?

Well, hehehe, for me, life itself is absurd and meaningless –I talk about it in “An Irosmic Tragedy”-, and I’m really having much fun with mine. In all my cynicism and nihilism, I consider myself a happy man, so I’m always fine, thank you!

Speaking of new music, you have a new album. What can people expect from “An Irosmic Tragedy”?

As I always say, expectations are boundaries. “An Irosmic Tragedy” is a concept album about my personal vision of life, a Symphonic Progressive Rock piece of 42 minutes structured in three sections according to each one of its phases –childhood, adulthood and elderhood-. And that’s all I can say about it. Of course, I always express my own thoughts and feelings in my music, but the listener’s interpretation could be different, and that’s how it should be. I’m not willing to condition the listening experience of the audience, and in fact I think I’m not entitled to do so.

What was it like working on the album?

It was challenging, fun and exhausting. After “Beyond”, my debut album, I wanted to keep in the same line, but knowing there were some aspects that I had to improve. When I came to the idea of a concept album about life –we can say it’s a prequel to “Beyond”, which is a musical journey through the afterlife-, I started working on it knowing that, this time, I would need some collaborators in order to avoid sampling. Organizing and coordinating all the recording sessions with the other musicians was a really hard work, but I got to know many awesome people who helped me a lot and gave me other perspective on my own music, and the result is, in my opinion, brilliant.

Cover

Are there any touring plans in support to “An Irosmic Tragedy”?

There are no plans yet, but there is an intention. I’d like to play “An Irosmic Tragedy” live, and I’m currently thinking in how I could do it, taking into account that I need many musicians on stage, many hours of rehearsal (I have my job and I also have to study, so I don’t have enough time at the moment) and a strong economic support. As soon as I get all these, of course there will be concerts.

While we’re on the subject of touring, what countries would you love to tour?

Spain would be the best and most logical starting point, but I’d love to tour every country in the world. I love to travel, and I’d do it more often if I had the chance, so for me touring around the world would be fantastic.

Who and what inspires you the most?

I don’t get inspired by anyone in particular, but I get inspiration from almost anything that makes me think. A good movie, the nature, a book, a conversation… If I can extract a particular idea, I can develop that idea and tell it with music.

What other genres of music do you listen to?

I love Classical Music, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock and Folk, but I listen to any band or musician that makes me think and feel something, no matter the genre.

Have any of the other genres you listen to had any impact on your playing?

Doubtlessly. In fact, my music can be described as a mixture of everything I listen to, and the main reason I make, play and love Progressive Rock is that every fusion is fair. Also, as a guitar player, I’ve learnt from the music of Bach, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple and many others that influenced my playing and writing.

I really appreciate you giving us your time today. Is there anything else you’d like to tell us and the fans before we wrap things up?

I would like to thank you all. The reception of “An Irosmic Tragedy” is being amazing and all this support from the audience and media is the best reward an independent musician can get.

Links:

http://www.alms-official.com

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For Millennia 1
Reviews

Review: For Millennia - Where The Ocean Ends

Adelaide metallers For Millennia unleash their debut EP Where The Ocean Ends with a show of sheer ferocity and a knack for infectious melodic passages.

Straight from the get-go, For Millennia go for the jugular with the title track from the EP, which kicks things off with a brilliantly acoustic passage that complement singer Henk Plaggemars clean vocals perfectly. The ease that Plaggemars can go from low-to-high register is impressive and this is evident throughout the EP as is the guitar work from the crushing riffs to the epic solos courtesy of Oliver Green. This is the perfect opening to introduce you to the For Millennia brand of metal with a sound that comes on like a cross between TesseracT and Porcupine Tree.

Where The Ocean Ends

The anthemic Together follows and starts off more melodically inclined before a pummeling rhythm courtesy of bassist Dominic Ventra and keyboardist Lachlan Odell elevates the track to a much heavier level. Plaggemars’ vocals are once again impressively switched between the two differing styles with his singing voice given more freedom on the songs chorus and the harsher vocals let loose to devastating effect while the rhythm section and guitars end the track on a high with a ferocious crescendo.

The EP concludes with the pounding metal of Solace In Silence complete with snaking prog metal style riffs, featuring a brutal groove, some epic solos and a mesmerising vocal performance.

The EP also showcases the production courtesy, which is slick and adds dimension to the bands sound allowing them to display their brand of modern heaviness to its full effect.

For Millennia have made an impressive start with this EP, with the band demonstrating their skill at executing great metal songs and on this evidence, their debut album will definitely be one to look forward to.

Bandcamp

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A Minor Error
Interviews

Interview with A Minor Error

Five-piece prog metal band from Philadelphia, A Minor Error are looking for a Spring release of their second EP titled J. Biebs. I asked the band about it, and here is what they had to say.

How did you go about forming the band?

The band was formed by posting ads on the philadelphia craigslist, and Pete Vigliotti was the first to respond to the ad in Feburary 2010. In September 2011 the band was searching for a new vocalist and Mykal Metric responded to another craigslist ad. While searching for a drummer in December 2012 Mykal posted an ad searching for a new drummer, and thats when we met our current man behind the kit, David Brown. So we have craigslist to thank for bringing us all together!

A Minor Error’s sound doesn’t have any limitations, as there are plenty of different elements you incorporate in your music. How would you describe your music to someone who didn’t hear your before?

We would describe our music as a combination of Dream Theater, Periphery and Between the Buried and Me. A mix of clean and screaming vocals, and a focus on songwriting as well as virtuosity.

It seems that you guys are working on your second EP. Could you tell us something more about it?

The new EP is titled ‘J. Biebs’ and it will have new elements we’ve never incorporated in our music before as well as a guest appearance on bass. Killian Duarte will be making a guest appearance on bass for the first untitled track. It will feature four tracks, one short catchy tune, two ambient tracks and one epic 15 minute long song titled ‘J. Biebs’. The title will make more sense when people hear it for the first time! Its a pop tune with an epic prog tune sandwiched in the middle!

Suds For Spuds

Will there be any drastic differences in the sound of the upcoming EP comparing to the “Suds for Spuds” EP?

The guitar tones are heavily influenced by bands like Chon and Animals as Leaders, with heavy strat-like single coil tones for the first time. Our guitarist Pete Vigliotti is also recording a new 7 string Ibanez he recently purchased thats tuned to drop Ab. There’s been a running joke in our band that since our other guitarist Rob Craft always played a 7 string in standard tuning, Pete could never get as low as that low B…now for the first time he’ll be lower than Rob! We’re excited by the new sound of two low 7 string guitars.

When do you have in plan to release the new EP? Do you already have a title?

We’re working hard on the new EP ‘J. Biebs’ and hope to have it released in March or April 2016, although sometimes the mixing and mastering stage of things can take more time than anticipated.

Is there a certain concept in the story of the upcoming release?

Yes, there’s a concept to go along with the main track ‘J. Biebs’, involving an disaster to a city that follows the themes of the likes of Atlantis. Our vocalist Mykal writes all of the lyrics and vocal melodies and he’s in the process of linking the themes of the story as we finish up new instrumental sections that we started writing about a year ago. We’ve got most of the song done, just need those couple more sections to link it all together! We’re tracking as we write which is totally new for us as well.

Do you plan to release all-instrumental version of the new EP as well?

Yes! We are planning on releasing all instrumental versions of the EP, available on youtube and soundcloud and for purchase direct from us. We know that many fans of this genre like to hear exactly whats going on instrumentally, and we love indulging that kind of love of the art!

A Minor Error live

Is there anything you want to share with our readers?

We’ve been working hard on launching a youtube channel including everything we have going on with the band. It includes free music lessons, product reviews, all of our music video’s and a documentary series as we go thru the process of creating our new EP. Our youtube channel is:

youtube.com/aminorerror

Kardashev
Reviews

Review: Kardashev - Peripety

A somewhat lukewarm discovery on my part, Kardashev is one of those bands that is obviously filled to the brim with playing talent, but never lacking enough confidence to find their own ground. My first experience with this American progressive death metal band, “Peripety” is certainly the work of talented instrumentalists, and while there are some incredible moments to delve into here for a progressive metal fan, what makes the album stand out is creative cohesion of the three-piece and consistency. “Peripety” is rife with promise in parts, and the guys answer the challenge flawlessly.

With an opening segment that instantly recalls the introductory ambience of extreme metal, Kardashev solidify their place as one of the new prog metal bands attempting to relive the glory of the old giants. While this may give only the more negative connotations imaginable, it should be noted that for what they do, Kardashev do it extremely well. Dark and heavy guitar riffs are coupled with the atmospherics of guitar work and some very good drum. This may sound endearing for a fan of progressive metal, and the way it is all put together is a work of art.

“Tenebris” is a fine example of the sort of interesting things Kardashev manage to hide in the album, a short but effective interlude that segues seamlessly into “Sopor.” Most of the time however, the great parts of the music are hidden within songs, be it a promising voicing, post-rock section or exciting prog riff.

Kardashev shows themselves off as being full of potential here, but it will be really interesting to hear what they come up with next, and what they will do to reach above “Peripety.”

Read my interview with Kardashev here.

The Vision Ablaze
Interviews

Interview with The Vision Ablaze

Progressive metallers from Copenhagen, The Vision Ablaze will remember 2015 for the release of their debut full-length “Youtopia” via Mighty Music. About the band’s beginnings, the album, and future plans, I talked with the band.

Where and how did The Vision Ablaze take its form?

The Vision Ablaze sprang from a black metal project - believe it or not! We had begun to write more melodic and progressive elements into the black metal, and simply ended up not fiting in with that scene. We wanted to do more of that - good melodies, clean singing, solos and progressive elements. So we changed it up and began building what became The Vision Ablaze a few years later. This was in Copenhagen somewhere around 2010 or 2011.

Let’s talk a little about your album Youtopia. How would you describe your music?

There are 10 songs on our debut album. They range from slow, clean and very melodic to gritty death-metal. Our music is not necessarily true to any particular genre, but contains several subgenres - what identifies our music is great melodies. You can expect a strong chorus and emotions ranging from anger to extreme melancholy. In more standard terms we’re most akin to melodic metal (or melo-death) with metalcore and progressive elements.

Youtopia

When you compare Youtopia with your previous works, could we say there are certain changes or progress in your sound? In which measure this album satisfies your standards currently?

Youtopia is our debut album - but we recorded two EP’s before that. The development is towards a heavier sound and feel. The time span is obvious from the technical aspect - we use more intricate structures and leads and the vocals are stronger and contains greater depth. In comparison to our previous works - Youtopia stands out as a great end result of years of work; it defines a sound and a way of writing music that we’re very satisfied with. There are many details on the album, that will keep a keen listener exploring the music on Youtopia - and we like to have both a very straight-forward soundscape, with an underlying finesse that adds richness to the songs.

And are you satisfied with where Youtopia landed?


We’re very pleased with the album. Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Aborted, Pretty Maids etc) has made it sound both extremely heavy and fragile too - a perfect balance of clean passages that conveys deep emotion and a wall of metal guitars and drums that sounds brutal as fuck… We wrote 15 songs for the album and picked the best ones to record. We recorded them at home before entering the studio so we could go through all the songs and change what we felt was necessary to make the songs great. We definitely feel we succeeded. It’s been receiving great reviews, so it appears our fans and the critics are really stoked about it too.


What are the themes you explore in your lyrics?

The main theme on Youtopia is a critique of power and authority. But also about a population that takes so much at face value, ensuring they’ll stay trampled beneath suffocating religion, politics and power structures. It’s about allowing illusions to remain truth and about trying to dismantle the fears that keep us from reaching a better state of being. The cover is a symbol of that - that we’re taught to choose blindly with dire consequences.

Marcus Gronbech
The Vision Ablaze released lyric videos. Do The Vision Ablaze lyrics reflect any of you guys’ personalities? Or do they hide stories behind?

We’ve got two lyrics videos out, and motion video too. The lyric videos vary greatly in their design, but tie in very well with our themes. Subversion shows clips from human history - both horrendous and sweet. The video actually features the first ever recorded kiss on footage - simply to contrast the evil of dictatorship and manipulating authorities. Peter made the lyric video and it reflects well on his view on the world.

Fear is a live action lyric video - we recorded it in one take with a cell phone camera in some buildings that were marked for demolition. It’s an homage to old horror movies and this gripping fear that cripples us. It actually features Christian sitting at a poker-table facing a dead man’s hand and Lars is hidden beneath the plastic wraps about 1/3 into the video. It also features Peters girlfriend, so we packed it with small Easter eggs which we’re obviously now spoiling…

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

There are several cool bands we can relate too - but our inspiration is more in broader terms: the world and our own emotions. We think a lot of metal is really about refusing to accept everything at face value and about conveying an abundance of emotion. It’s like poetry that isn’t afraid to be hard and abrasive.

Is there any band that has a real huge impact on The Vision Ablaze’s music?

There are several bands that mean a lot to us in The Vision Ablaze - but if we were to point out one band that has had a huge impact - it would be Killswitch Engage. Great songs with strong melodies and they’ve never been afraid to just be happy about playing metal - in a live setting KsE are all smiles and, it seems, gratitude. We care a lot about musicians that love what they do - that pour their heart and soul into their songs and relish being on stage. And KsE is a great example of a band who writes music that is both inviting, very heavy, intricate and simple at the same time - and a great mix of clean singing and screaming.

Where do you see yourselves in the future?

On the road! That’s the short answer. We’re working hard to promote this album - and we want to meet new people and play shows. We’re based in Copenhagen, Denmark. It’s a small country and we want to be part of the world. We’re working on a small tour of Denmark and later in 2016 a European tour. In late 2016 or early 2017 we’ll write our follow up and continue to work to play and share our music with as many people as we can!

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