|
|
|||
VISIONS OF ATLANTIS : interview with
Melissa Ferlaak
phoner by Matthew "Newbreed99" Haumschild___May 2007
organized by Melissa Ferlaak and Matthew Haumschild
|
|||
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
SONGS THAT ARE HUMAN
MH:
Now, I’ve known you for sometime now, and I have a question I’ve been
meaning to ask you…so, how exactly did you get into metal? MF:
(laughing) You don’t know? MH:
(laughing) I don’t. MF:
Well, you suck! John Prassas (guitar player for Aesma Daeva) and I went to
college together at the University of Wisconsin at River Falls and
that’s when I started doing studio recordings for Aesma Daeva. Then
after I graduated there I went on to the New England Conservatory and John
called me up and said, “Hey, would you like to start a band?”
(laughing) I thought, “Okay great” because we got invited to do a
festival in Mexico City and so that’s how all that started. Then Earl
(Root, the other guitar player for Aesma Daeva) infected me with the metal
virus then I became obsessed. MH:
I knew it had something to do with Earl… MF: yeah of course, my metal brother, yeah that’s how it happened. MH:
And a good job he did too! I know you’ve probably been asked this a
million times, but I gotta ask…How did you become the singer of Visions
of Atlantis anyway? MF:
Actually, I am really good friends with Ashmedi of Melechesh, we had
played at a festival together in Canada. He knew that I was looking for a
change from Aesma Daeva, to be nice, as a musician and needed to grow. And
I had contacts with him cause he was in the A&R business and he had
worked with a conglomerate of Universal Music and so I knew he was well
connected and so I told him that I was looking for something in Europe
because symphonic-metal was really big there. So, he threw my name to
Napalm (record label) and they contacted me right away and said that
Visions of Atlantis is looking for a singer and the rest is history. MH:
How is it different being in VOA than being in Aesma Daeva? MF:
Well, the first thing is that I have a creative role with VOA and I
didn’t have that with Aesma Daeva. And that was a big big key factor
that came to me right away. The other thing I wanted to be apart of songs
that were human, that weren’t ten minutes worth of artistic, totally
experimental…wildness. I needed more human engagement. MH:
This leads up to another question of mine, were you involved in the
writing process at all with VOA? MF:
(smiling) Yes I was! I wrote two songs, I wrote, “The Secret” and
“Return To You” MH:
Really? I had “Return To You” in my car on my way over. MF:
Did you? MH:
Yes, it’s one of my favourite ones actually. MF:
It’s kind of a roughly sung song but I was choking down emotions during
that song so it was hard for me to sing “pretty pretty.” But I wrote
the melody and the lyrics primarily then Mario…well what’s great about
this band is that with every song, the guys or someone would record
something and send it over to me and ask if I wanted to change anything or
add anything. Which is amazing! Especially in symphonic-metal to do that.
You don’t see that everyday, so I was taken aback but in a very good
way. So I would record my ideas on top of it and Mario would sometimes
say, “Hey Melissa, try singing this.” Then I would sing it and if it
didn’t feel quite right I would change it up. So there is lot of
editing. MH:
Was it kind of a culture shock playing with a band from Europe? MF:
Ya know what, with any other band, I would say yes, but with these
guys, and here’s the creepy part, from day one it felt like we have
known and worked with each other for many many years. We just had an
automatic click. MH:
Was there ever a language barrier? MF:
Well, the guys know really good English, but sometimes they slip into
their Deutsch and I get completely lost so I start zone out.
MH:
Now, you went to China sometime ago and not too many bands do this, but I
am curious, how are the crowds different over there than they are in the
US or the EU? MF:
Well first of all, the crowds were a little bit smaller because we were
the first symphonic-metal band ever to tour China. It was very cool. There
was the same amount of passion as the European audiences. European and
American audiences are different in that Americans are a little more
guarded at show in that they are not as wild and free like
European fans. But it could be the difference of bands because
Aesma Daeva music isn’t like (cookie monster vocals) stuff. But the
Chinese were very into it, they were so nice to talk to afterwards they
just had tons of questions. MH:
I do not have a lyric book for “Trinity” I am curious if this is a
concept album. MF:
No, well…no, the albums in the past were concept albums in that they
were built around this mythology of Atlantis. This one, well, you tell me.
Is this a concept album? MH:
Some parts of it sounded like it. MF:
Okay MH:
Like “The Poem” did. MF:
Right, because it’s a bit “storyish” MH:
And then the rest of it…well…no I just don’t have a lyric book so I
have no idea. But the poem sounded like it could have been. <both
laughing> MF:
Honestly it’s not a concept album it’s really not. Each song stands
out as it’s own in that it’s based on truth, emotion, and real
experiences. It’s not mythologically based, if anything, we took the
symbol of Atlantis and wrote songs about hope which is what Atlantis kind
of represents. MH:
Basically this is much different from the other albums. MF:
Yes, I cannot stress that enough. <laughing> We changed, but we
hadn’t changed to the point were we alienated our fanbase, because now
we are almost a completely different band as you mentioned in your review
which is true. The writing has significantly changed hands. But at the
same time we have to give people who love our music already something they
recognize. MH:
Who wrote most of the vocal parts? MF:
Mario wrote most of them, but it was collaboration,
I would say that Mario wrote about 60-70%. A lot of them were already
started before I joined, then I came in and wrote some melodies and
harmonies and they worked together. It’s
hard to tell now actually, it was just so working together as a unit it
seemed homogenized. MH:
When you were touring with Xandria last year, I was curious if you had any
special moments you would like to share. MF:
<laughing> Lisa (singer from Xandria) and I made out! <both
laughing> MF:
No no just kidding!! No, I
wish I made out with Lisa! MH:
I would have paid to see that! MF:
I would have too! Honestly, we made some really great friends from that
band, like Lisa and I are really tight we are all really good friends I
think she would really laugh at that comment. Yeah, we had such a great
time, it was my first time out with the guys so there was this great
virginal energy. MH:
Here’s an optional question whether I could print or not print, it’s
all up to you. What do you think when I say, “Nightwish Clone?” MF:
Fuck you. <both
laughing> MF:
So, the whole Nightwish clone thing, do you really want me to be honest
about that? MH:
Absolutely! MF:
When people compare us it
really pisses me MH:
Really? MF:
It’s a symphonic-metal band a standard symphonic-metal band, we could be
compared to them all in one form or another because it’s all driving off
the main inspiration of Metal music meets Classical music. So I am not
going to say that we’re the most cutting edge band, we certainly don’t
aim to be the most cutting edge band, we aren’t trying to be the most
experimental with 7 minutes worth of egoistical music. It’s not our
style. We are writing songs that are human and that tell a real story. MH:
Ah ha ha ha ha! Our final question. Since this is the first time that
Gryphonmetal.ch has interviewed you, you draw “The Game of the Tower.”
MF:
Oh no. <both
laughing> MH:
There is this tower. At the top of this tower, it could only fit two
bands. And your goal is to be on top of this tower. However, miraculously,
on your way up, you discover that there’s a problem, there’s three
bands on top, and in order for you to fit, you have to push down two of
the three bands. The bands that are up there are: Xandria, Epica, and
Leaves’ Eyes. MF:
<laughing> Ah… Leaves’ Eyes would be first to go because
there’s no personal connection. Oh shit you suck! <laughing> I
love them, they are labelmates, but good bye. MH:
I couldn’t think of any other band. MF:
You really suck! MH:
<laughing> MF:
Ah…geez…who do I piss off? Someone who I am friends with or somebody
that I’ll have future ties with? I would say Epica because they are a
given. They’ll climb back up later so it’s okay to push them off now. MH: thank you Melissa it has been a pleasure!
Matthew Haumschild 19.05.2007
|
|||
|
|||
zum
Seitenanfang 
top - inizio pagina
|
|||
|
presentation|news|reviews|interviews|live reports|tours|dates |videoclips|mp3's|venues|links|contacts|suggestions| movies/dvd's| gryphonbook |
|||
|
|
Niederrohrdorf
- Switzerland