IronFist
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Дата: 27 Октября 2004, 13:59
Ник Холмс ответил на вопросы фэнов по поводу нового альбома.
1. Did the new drummer have any influence on the songs?
Jeff came in around the last quarter of writing the album, so apart from his style of playing, the answer would be no.
2. When you "make a song" do you write the lyrics and then Greg writes the music or is it the other way round, or do you sit together and think of some songs?
Usually Greg will send me a few minutes of music, I will build a verse and a chorus then send it back to him and vice versa until it’s done. When it sounds "finished” we will play it as a band.
3. Will we have in the forthcoming more electronic elements than in SOL?
No, quite a lot less...the new album is more guitars orientated!
4. What three adjectives would you use to describe this new album?
Solid, melancholic, mean.
5. I guess you had to do all the backing vocals. So, does it bring a different colour to the songs (now that we were used to Lee's voice)?
From an album point of view I don’t think it will make a noticeable difference, voices can be "toyed" with in the studio.
6. Is there a song in this album that you already feel particularly proud about?
I like em all, besides, at this stage they’re not all mixed so it’s hard to judge until we hear the final version. And as I listen more I find my favourites always change day to day.
7. Is the forthcoming album a logical continuation (I do not mean a copy or so on) of SOL, or do you think your public will be once more really surprised by "a new PL sound"?
It’s heavier than SOL. and probably more melodic..
8. What has influenced the band in the making of the new album?
The necessity to maintain a career in the music industry was a big help...apart from that, the lust to be an international celebrity is a constant craving...
9. Have you experimented with new sounds, instruments and Nick, vocally, have you tried new techniques of singing?
We always try new sounds out; vocally I’m always trying new stuff out...fortunately only my family have to suffer when it doesn’t work!
10. It was obvious that the last gigs on your SOL tour were a good balance between energy and emotion, while the first gigs were very 'energy-oriented'. Are the new songs a reflection of this balance?
Hard to say at this point, although I would say there’s more energy in the new material, so hopefully it will reflect live...
11. If you had to present the new album to a PL die-hard fan and someone who doesn't know the band, before they listen to it, what would you say to persuade them to buy it?
The finest crafted gothic metal album available to humanity. I don’t know? Is that a decent enough pitch?
12. What was your main source of inspiration for the lyrics?
Life and death and everything in between (I’m sure someone else has said that, Steven Tyler perhaps...) or probably even me…
13. Who will do the backing-vocals when you are playing live?
The same guy who provides the click track and the orchestra samples. and usually plugs into the wall...although I’m always trying to get the others to participate..
14. Are there any acoustic guitars used in it?
We have one song called "All This Was" that uses acoustic guitar frequently other than that its incidental.
15. Since the release of 'One Second' to this day, how do you think the 'public perception' of your music has evolved and influenced other bands?
I think a lot of fans have "grown" with the band, a lot haven’t! This is life, as far as influencing other acts, its something I’m aware of, but don’t really think about it, although it’s flattering of course.
16. Will the new album contain many electronic, piano and violin pieces, or is it mostly guitar oriented?
The latter...although all the typical pompous PL trademarks will be ever present!
17. What would you say was the predominant theme/source of inspiration for the new album?
The theme is constant melancholy throughout; the inspiration is bitterness and disappointment...seriously...
18. Do you fear all this, the "delay", the two years since SOL and the success it's had etc might create a hype not really wanted? You've no doubt heightened the anticipations, but it's a fine line...
I fear everything; at the moment all we want to do is get it finished!! Doesn’t seem like 1 year since we released SOL, time is vanishing.
19. Has this album been made with an "independent" evolving of sound and concept? (I.e. one second and host) or is it more of a "fan pleasing" production and remaining on the same road? (I.e. Draconian Times and SOL itself).
In our current mode, we always try to reflect on the best parts of former albums whilst bringing new ideas onboard, at this stage in our career we haven’t found it necessary to go off at a tangent and do a jazz album, but as always watch this space!
20. How many songs do you start an album with? And how do you decide which one to lose?
We have written 17 songs...and are looking at 10-12 for the album...its all in the mix as they say.
21. How do you find cooperation with Jeff as a new band member? Not asking about his drumming skills, but about your common relations on an artistic ground. A fresh breeze?
Jeff is cool, but isn’t actually in the band yet!
22. With regards to this new album most of your fans (Myself included) regard your early albums as the bench mark for British Gothic Heavy Metal. Do you hold any loyalty to such a description of your early musical style which spearheaded not just the U.K but the whole world during the early 90's or would you rather this new album be seen as "Paradise Lost" the band who has moved on and left this style for other wannabe Paradise bands to emulate?
We certainly don’t ignore how influential our early music was and are indeed very proud, but we always want to explore new avenues for our own satisfaction, we have no problem with anything we have recorded or done in the past. It’s a reflection of our lives at the time...
23. Do you have any guest appearances from other musicians as you did for SOL?
Heather from tapping the vein has backing lines on a couple of tracks...
24. Are the songs longer in duration (similar to Enchantment) or pretty much the same as SOL?
We have one long song "Over the Madness" which is about 6 minutes, the rest are 3 to 5 mins, we don’t clock watch songs, you just know when its time to turn it in...
25. How much has Rhys Fulber influenced the band?
Very much, Rhys is from a different background, but an old school fan of PL, and has been very "hands on" with the new album right from the beginning of writing; I think he has definitely breathed fresh air into the band.
26. Will Jeff Singer be a FULL TIME replacement for Lee or would PL just prefer to stay as the same "core" 4 piece that’s been there from day 1 and if necessary use a session member where relevant?
We cannot speculate the future, however at the moment I suppose we can be classed as a four piece....we havent figured out if Jeff will turn out to be a serial killer or not yet..
27. With having experimented with almost all aspects of Rock and Metal styles on your previous releases, and in some cases at risk of losing your fan base cos of the narrow-mindedness of those who cannot accept change, are there any pastures you feel or you are keen for PL to tread (with relation to the dramatic direction the band took when making Host and its diversity compared to One Second.
Not at the moment. Playing metal music can be limiting, something we really felt around the one second/host period, but as far as I’m concerned it’s something that’s in the blood. If the craving goes away it usually comes back...regardless of what other styles we are listening to...
28. One in relation to the new album - "It’s the heaviest thing we have recorded for 10 years" is the bold statement you put out recently which basically says to me that the album is going to be on par with Drac and Icon in terms of sheer heaviness. SOL I felt to be more rocking and heavier than One Second s0o...when comparing, which of your previous releases would you say the new record compliments best in terms of style and heaviness?
The new record has lots of melody on it, lots more than Draconian Times and Icon.... can you be heavy and melodic??
As far as production goes the guitars are easily as loud and played with as much gusto as Drac and Icon, so...that’s how I was judging it, let’s just wait and see...
29. How much life do you still see in Paradise Lost in relation to you guys not wanting to end up just making albums "for the sake of it"? Has it crossed your mind in the last 12 months to just say "fuck it" it’s been great but time to move onto something else?
I think the days of possibly "making albums for the sake of it" are long gone, not that we ever have, getting a record deal nowadays in not easy. We work as hard as we can - to make the album as good as possible, since internet sharing started; it really is "survival of the fittest"
You can never take anything for granted or expect anything.... there is so much uncertainty in the music industry now...
30. You've been alone in L.A. to record vocals (I mean without the other band members). Did they stay tuned, or did they discover the result only when you came back? In this case did they like your work? Do you care about that?
We have been together long enough to trust each others judgement ...besides, any disputes are usually ironed out at pre production...everyone knows their role, and doesn’t need anyone else looking over their shoulder...
31. What keeps you guys going?
The love of broken showers, cracked toilet bowls, flea infested chesterfield settees, and the prospect of free lager and my clothes smelling of cigarette smoke is always a bonus.
32. Has there been any change in the PL writing/working progress?
The internet has changed our song writing big time. We can send files and change stuff in minutes. We rarely actually meet up, only when we rehearse the songs prior to recording/gigging
Some people find this odd. Those people usually don’t have 2 children and live at opposite ends of the country...
33. How do you choose who does the album artwork? Does the band give the artist/designer a direction in terms of theme or just say go for it?
It depends really, it’s nice to give a designer an idea/initial concept, and then let him elaborate on it and interpret it. The artist will usually come back to us with a few ideas and we all decide from there. Don’t ask me about the BIN cover, I think we had our drinks spiked that day!
34. Does Greg write all the bass lines and keyboard parts as well as guitar parts?
When we write and demo songs they are usually programmed or simplified, Greg will write the core of the lines, then Steve and Aaron will play it how - Steve and Aaron play!
Things always need a human touch and once the bare bones are laid down, then we do what we can to make it more interesting.
35. Does the music always come first? Have you ever presented a vocal melody and lyrics to Greg and asked him to write music to fit?
It can work both ways, although usually the music, sometimes a melody can spawn a totally different song musically.
36. Which album are you most proud of personally and which album do you feel best captures the feel of the band?
I’m proud of all our albums. I think the progression from the first to the new one can really be heard, as vastly different as host is from Lost Paradise. Personally I can still make a connection, even though Lost Paradise is school boy death metal! (Which it was. literally).
37. How many more albums do you think Paradise Lost will record? (Hopefully many more!)
Oh god... who knows... Gary Numan told us he had done 29 albums or something , so maybe 10 isnt that many?
38. Draconian Times and Host are very different in sound and texture. How did you arrive at the decision to change the sound of the band so drastically for Host? What made you want to record a heavier album this time?
After drac...we had Overdosed on metal...regardless of our success, we felt like we were going down a clichéd -"ironic" road, maybe on reflection we should have just taken some time off, but we toured for 2 years constantly and it wore our metal ear drums out..
We just wanted a change...some bands don’t and that’s fine, but we just wanted to try out other things, although that was a long time ago, and this, as they say, is now.
39. Where do you draw inspiration for your lyrics? Do you have a stockpile of ideas accumulated between albums or write specifically when it's time to record another album?
I like dramatic sentences and clever phrases. Personally I don’t need lyrics to make sense, the right words at the right time can be just as powerful, Rammstein are a classic example of this... I don’t understand a word he says... but it makes total sense for him to sing in German!! English would sound weak...
40. Are you still good mates with the other guys in the band after all these years? Do you hang out together when not actually writing, recording or touring or go your separate ways until the write/record/tour cycle starts again?
Only Steve and myself live close by, we go out occasionally, but as we all have families etc... Usually its only when the "cycle" starts...
41. What would you be doing if you weren't singing in Paradise Lost? Have you ever seriously considered quitting the band and if so, what stopped you?
I quit for 10 minutes about 16 years ago...other than getting booted out, illness or dying I would find it hard to find a good reason to quit the band. It’s so much a part of my life. I find it scary to imagine not doing it...
42. Was it difficult parting with Lee? How many drummers did you audition before making a decision on his replacement?
It wasn’t nice parting company with Lee, especially after all the years, being in a band is like any relationship, you can grow together- or apart...
Playing aside, our personal relationship had gone as far as it could, touring became difficult, and we had to accept that Lee wasn’t working out anymore...
And we still haven’t made a decision on his replacement as yet.
43. What is the most enjoyable aspect for you of being in Paradise Lost?
There are very few negatives if you break it all down, however, as I’ve got older I really appreciate the travelling aspect. Well...not the travelling! That sucks...but getting there is cool...
44. Small Town Boy is an interesting choice of cover and although I don't like the original, PL's version is great. Who initially came up with the idea to cover that track?
Hard to remember... the songs layout isn’t vastly different than a PL song, as with a lot of totally unexpected songs...a lot of the 80s songs in minor keys make great cheesy metal covers...and they do...
45. Was it too hard to come up with the name of the album?
Very taxing!!...It was a compromise, something that gets harder and harder as you get older and older.
46. Why do you change your music style in each album?
We don’t, we just turn the guitars up and down...
47. It's always been a source of frustration for life-long fans in the UK that the band has never had the recognition you've garnered in Europe and beyond.
However, with the recent rise of many Goth-oriented bands like HIM,NIGHTWISH,OPETH and LACUNA COIL here, many of whom cite PL as a major influence, what do you hope to achieve with the new album?
To be honest, We have had great success in Europe, granted, we probably don’t have that many middle aged housewives humming along to our highly polished euro-vision style rock tunes, but so far we haven’t done bad!. Chart success is one thing...longevity is something else...It’s pretty hard to combine the 2 in today’s climate.
What we do want, is to concentrate on the American market as we fear, "love us or hate us" there is a severe lack of knowledge of the bands existence,
Let alone the fact that we created and coined this widely used phrase "gothic metal".
48. What are the main messages and contents of the songs?
A saddening look at pityful self degradation.
49. Why is your new album self titled?
Cos it is, why not?
As our first album was called “Lost Paradise”, we thought it would be nice to mark our 10th album with our own name, we never imagined being here this long…it’s a good time to do a self titled album.
50. Have you changed the process of writing songs since the last album?
Not particularly apart from I can never remember working so hard and changing so many things before...
51. Structurally wise are the new songs more simple riffs/keyboard or complicated guitar parts and keyboard parts?
There’s a good mixture hopefully...
52. Is there an instrumental song?
Nope...
53. How long does it usually take you to write a song? Is it a matter of days, or can some songs take weeks/months to write?
It can take minutes or months. For me its all very mood orientated. If im in a bad mood or pissed off im not very creative but when a song does come together, it’s a brilliant feeling...
54. Do you ever get writers block and if so, what do you do to get past this problem?
Yeah all the time, but its better to have a day off to recharge, rather than flogging a dead horse which can sometimes happen.
55. Do your kids like PL's music (in spite of their age)?
Can’t speak for Greg’s, although like mine- I’m sure they have no interest, Steve’s’ son loves the band and is a keen bass player too... so that’s handy for him!
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