A few days before Christmas, we had the opportunity to speak with one of the most charismatic voices out there in hard rock and heavy metal, Jennie-Ann Smith of Avatarium. She is speaking to us from her home in Stockholm, sharing her thoughts on the latest album of the band, her music journey so far and of course anticipating hitting the road again for live gigs in 2023. I hope you enjoy this interview!

by Antonis Mantzavinos

Good evening from the woods of Småland, how are you doing?

Hello there! I am doing very well actually. As everyone I guess, we have been struggling with all these infections, it has been very difficult. But I am very happy to be feeling well at the moment.

Great to hear that you are feeling better, as things have gone bad for some people, so it’s great to know that you are already better. So, I would like to thank you for your time today. Actually, a few years back, I was lucky and had the opportunity to interview Marcus for Myth of Rock so, having you here today is just great!

Thank you for your interest in our music, much appreciated! I remember when we played in Greece, it was a club gig, but the atmosphere was fantastic, with the Greek fans and everything, we would definitely like to come back soon!

First, before we deep dive into the new album, I was interested first to learn a couple of things about you. For example, whether you have had music education in a music school when you were younger, if you have worked with your voice in a more thorough, systematic, and methodical way, e.g.: vocal training, and in general, what is your music background.

Thank you, very interesting question. I guess I have been singing all my life. I sang as a child constantly. I have these many memories from my childhood and with my parents, for example while eating, they used to say to me “now we are eating dinner, you should not be singing!” I just must have loved doing it, I truly loved it. I grew up on the west coast of Sweden, in the countryside, and there were no opportunities to go to a music school, there was no cultural opportunities, you could only play football around there! Then, I think I started playing piano, when I was in school, you could go to a musical gymnasium, but I didn’t choose that. When I was 16-17 and been singing a lot during my teen years, my music teacher suggested that I should go to a jazz band to sing for them. I had this huge appetite for music, I could listen to anything that would come across my way. I played in a rock band as well. But Jazz sort of suited my voice and sang in local jazz clubs and festivals on the west coast. And then, after the Swedish gymnasium I prepared myself for 2 years for the music university, it gave me theoretical knowledge, piano, I changed my voice then, I was 20 years old. This period helped me a lot to get the foundations in music and understand music better. And also, basic knowledge about vocal techniques. I had already found something in my voice that I liked, I knew my sound, I had clear references on how I would like to sound, and this is a delicate matter for someone around 19-20 years old. Teachers were suggesting changes on me, but at that time I was very reluctant to changes, because I was very self-confident and self-conscious on what I wanted to achieve. I did not want to sound like a music teacher, but I wanted to sound raw and rough and myself! I learned techniques on how to be more careful, that was very helpful to control my breath with all those breathing techniques. I call it economical breathing and it helped me a lot.

That is very interesting, thank you for sharing this. Coming back to Avatarium now: When the word ‘Avatarium’ comes to my mind, I can think first and foremost of Leif Edling, as the band is his spiritual child. To me Leif Edling is a very special person in the music I listen to, therefore I would like to ask, how is life after Leif has decided to slowly get away from the band and leave it in the very good hands of you and Marcus?

That’s just a funny sentence to phrase it “how is life after Leif?”! Well, me and Marcus wrote most of the material for the “The Fire I long for” album. Marcus works very closely with Leif, because he did the production the 2 latest Candlemass albums, so I think we have been very good friends, Marcus has established this very close relationship. Leif is a songwriting genius! What I mostly respect on him is his musical integrity, to keep focus on what is important, the way he wants music to be presented. I have learned a lot from him, working along with him. We have never played live together. Me and Marcus have worked a lot on Leif’s material on the studio, trying to honor his material the best way we can. From the beginning, Leif had this idea to start a band with Mikael Åkerfeldt and Nicke Andersson, so that was a totally different idea, but obviously they did not have the time all 3 of them. So, Leif wrote a couple of songs, ‘Moonhorse’ was one of them, and asked Marcus to produce these songs and said that he needed to find a singer, therefore, the rest it is history, you know how that went. I came into the studio, the 3 of rehearsed the demos and the combination of the 3 of us, Leif, Marcus, and I was groundbreaking! We have to give ourselves a lot of credits specifically for pushing Doom and pushing our borders on what it could actually Doom be. I think we broke that ground then, and now after all these years I realize that coming to this music journey, being a female singer to this band and also not sounding like any other metal singer the way, I do, it is very rewarding and wonderful. So, we did three full length albums with Leif, and some songs for “Hurricanes and Halos”. And I always wanted to become better and improve myself, both as a singer but also as a songwriter. And that’s what Leif gave us in terms of confidence and initiative.ME and Marcus also wrote most of the material for “The Fire I long for” album. So, it has been a necessary step for me to take, which was a great thing to do, but a bit scary in way, to suddenly taking this step and go to unknown territories. Working with Leif immediately sets the bar to extreme heights for me, you have to make sure you deliver.

I can definitely confirm that you have delivered the goods and you have delivered them in an excellent way!

I don’t know if that answers your question, but that is how this development within the band and in between us has worked within those years. I am very happy to have managed to step into this music and worked very hard, it has opened up new roads for me. I never knew that I would like that music so much as I do now.

I wanted also to ask you, what is most challenging for you as an artist: singing/performing live or sitting down to write new songs? What do you think of the two and why?

It depends a bit on the circumstances and the situation at the time. Performing live is definitely very very challenging, in terms of practice, you need to be very well prepared, you need to respect the knowledge of you towards the material, etc. I have played many many times in front of audiences, and it does not scare me or make me feel uncomfortable at all. Nowadays, it is challenging if you are dealing with a very specific, a very technical situation. After some time and very hard work, you reach a level that you make it work somehow. So, the most challenging situation for me is absolutely the songwriting. It is such a difficult art form. Writing music is so rewarding when things come together, but the process is definitely very difficult for your self-esteem, there will be doubts ‘what the hell you were thinking of doing?’ and things like that, inner criticism towards you.  This dynamic between moments of ‘you are the most crappy and incapable person’ to ‘Wow! You have done an amazing piece of music! The best song I have ever heard’

Speaking about writing songs, is there anything in particular that changed – process wise - on the latest album with the previous ones?

As it happens to be married to Marcus, we are fortunate to sit down together and write and spend time together to write music stuff. The recording process having the guys in the studio, rehears and spend time there, has always been kinda difficult, even before covid-19. Marcus is such a genius in arranging and working in the studio making demos etc. The process however this time was easier, because we had already received really good reviews on ‘The Fire I long for’ album, so that gave us a lot of confidence to ourselves, ‘we have done it once, we can do it now and we are fine with it’ and this proves to be very helpful for the whole process. On the previous album, we had our first child, we took turns in who is pushing the pram and who is writing riffs, lyrics, etc.! That was a very different thing this time. We were more independent, and it was easier. What happens in life is having a direct impact on what you are doing, so from that perspective, this time, things were more flexible and easier for us.

That makes sense, of course. My favorite song on the new album is ‘Stockholm’. This one has a fantastic atmosphere and mood, great lyrics and to my humble opinion really stands out. I would like to learn more about this song, the symbolisms, the lyrics and the overall meaning of it within the context of the album.

I am glad that you like this particular song. We had written the core of this song, the lyrics, and the melodies, we sent the song to Leif, and he decided to write the intro and the outro of this one, it gives a unique ‘Edling’ feeling and sound to it. Of course, it has a little ‘hello’ to the ‘Moonhorse’ with the acoustic version and everything, it has also this epic vibe, it keeps you waiting, it has these beautiful parts where I am singing together with Stefan Nykvist, Marcus is also doing backup vocals, a really epic song, and I am happy how everything came out. Actually, me and Marcus were struggling a bit with the chorus on ‘Stockholm’, we thought of ‘lets have less changes of harmonies, lets keep it in the same key’, but we realized we had a totally different chorus in the beginning and eventually we lowered the chorus later. I sat by the piano and wrote this small piece, a gorgeous moment to me.

That was definitely a very beautiful song, a beautiful moment I would say. Well, from the artist’s perspective and not thinking as a fan, if you had the chance to collaborate and make music together with another artist or another band, who would that be and why?

That’s a wonderful question! I had this dream of a cross over project. Of Jazz and Doom, and to explore that more. The Doom audience and the Jazz audience could have joined and shared experiences, and I would love to have together the Doom audience and the Jazz one, that would be fantastic! In a club or in any venue actually. We have this great fan crowd of our listeners who really care about our music and the similar happens actually to the jazz audience as well, so, why not?! We would benefit from that music blending of different dynamics and different colors in-between.

That sounds really wonderful to me as a project, I would love this diverse and varied idea of those two together! A question going back in time (again). What was the very first album you bought yourself and what weas the very first gig you attended?

Oj! First record I was given I think it was a cassette with Whitney Houston “I wanna dance with somebody”, which had a huge impact to me then and also later in my career. The first gig, I don’t remember how old I was, that was my first performance myself, singing along Whitney Houston songs in the gymnasium! That was my first time! And Whitney Houston had an untouchable voice and vocal abilities, out of this world.. That cassette got worn out due to the fact that I played that one so many and many times..!

Sounds incredible! Yes, I agree, Whitney Houston was so much charismatic and incredible! Coming back to Avatarium, what are the next plans for the band in terms of gigs and touring.

Well, we will be touring in a couple of weeks in Europe and also in the Spring together with the band ‘Swallow the Sun’, so I really look forward to that. Then we have some other gigs in mind, but nothing is confirmed yet.

It’s great to have the band again back playing live gigs, no question about that. Last but not least, a message to your fans.

Well, the Greek fans, it’s been too long since we were in Greece, and I cannot understand why! We need to go to Greece and make it there soon! We have lovely friends and brothers, Slayerking, amazing people. Let’s send out a message and good energy to the Greek promoters, so that we can come again and play! We love Greece!

Really thank you for your time today, I am happy that we had this interview and wish you Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! See you soon on the road on the next Avatarium gig.

Thank you too, Antonis, and I am so happily surprised that you are conducting this interview from Småland, this is fantastic! Wishing you back Merry Christmas and thank you for today, I had a great time, see you soon!

Rob Munk puts his name on the table with “Phased Out”, his first solo album. His talent and skills resonate in fantastic songs, with great melodies and lush instrumentation – Rob is surely your indie rock discovery! However, you will find so many interesting layers in this album. Rob Munk answers our questions and it is obvious that he is here to stay!

by Dimitris Zacharopoulos

Give us a short biography and discography of yours.

I was born in Brooklyn, raised in New Jersey, USA. I started playing music in Boston in my late teens. I played in a band called Thudpucker that put out a single on Lovehammer Records from Ohio. Then in the early 90s, I moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a town with a fantastic music scene, and played in a band called Tinsel. We put out some singles on indie labels and two full-lengths on Jesus Christ Records. This was all prior to streaming, so are largely unavailable. I played in a few more bands in NYC in the 2000s, The Last Band USA and Crack Eyes. The Last Band stuff is on Spotify, but it was way more high concept than what I am doing now.

Your new album, “Phased Out”, is already released. Which are your feelings?

I’m psyched! This was all supposed to happen before the pandemic in a much different way, but as they say, everything happens for a reason. I’m happy with how it ended up. I’m glad that it’s finally out there and I can start thinking about the next one.

Where would you trace the differences between “Phased Out” and your previous albums? How much have you progressed and in what way?

This is my first solo record, but it’s definitely different than what I’ve done in the past with bands. It’s sonically close to where I was in the 90s with Tinsel, but this record has a much bigger emphasis on songcraft. Still indie, but less loosey-goosey, tighter songs, more instrumentation, etc…

How would you describe your music style? Which are your music influences?

I’m influenced by a lot of stuff I liked in the 90s (Sebadoh, Lemonheads, The Shins) as filtered through layers and layers of 60s psych and 70s AM radio soft rock.

Which are your favorite songs of “Phased Out”? Why?

“Heavy Shoes (to Kill the Blues)” may be my favorite, but these days I am liking “Slumber”, probably because I have been working on a video for it and hearing it ad nauseam. But they are all my babies.

Introduce to us the band that is playing in “Phased Out”.

Oh, man. I lucked out with some great players who came in and wrote killer parts. My friend, the actor Daniel London played lead guitars. One of my oldest friends, Joe Ventura (Tinsel) played drums on most of it. The producer Ray Ketchem (Elk City) played drums and some keys and synths. Singer/songwriter Megan Reilly sang some beautiful back-up vocals, and she introduced me to Scott Anthony, who came in with some very additive ideas and played killer bass. Pete Gallagher (Holmes USA) sang some backup (he also draws the comic Heathcliff!) And then I was very fortunate to have compose/musician Chuck Johnson play some guitar, pedal steel and keyboard/synths. Also, I was able to involve my kids in the project. My daughter Maple Munk sang backup on two songs, and my son George played some keyboards.

Describe the recording process/the production of “Phased Out”.

It was originally supposed to be me and a few musician friends getting together for a weekend and banging out some songs at a studio in Woodstock, NY. Somewhat experimental, spontaneous and loose. But when the pandemic hit, I was forced to go another way. As it turns out, there’s a great studio in my hometown of Montclair, NJ, Magic Door. I tracked all there on just rhythm guitar, creating skeletons for all the songs. And then producer Ray Ketchem helped me build them out from there, adding instruments when we could. The pandemic helped dictate schedule. Then we bounced the stuff to Chuck Johnson at his studio in Oakland, who added a few more things and mixed. Ray did some additional mixing at Magic Door and mastered there as well.  It was all very different for me, but I think how it was meant to be.

Where do your lyrics refer to?

I have been trying to write honestly about love, regret, fear, empathy. Being a Dad. Kind of adult stuff for rock, but I think I got to a genuine place with the lyrics on this record I hope people can relate to it.

Which are the feelings and the overall atmosphere of the songs of “Phased Out”?

Just kind of getting on with things. Looking at where I’m at in life, finding comfort when I can and facing fear head on. I think overall, the tone is mournful yet optimistic.

If you could cooperate with another famous musician, who would she/he be and why?

These days I have been listening to a lot of female artists. Faye Webster, Weyes Blood, Shannon Lay… My daughter is obsessed with Taylor Swift, so I’ve been hearing quite a bit of it. So I would probably want to write a song with her because it would make my daughter happy and me rich!

Do you play live? Which is your concert plans?

I have recently started practicing with a band with an eye towards playing live. All of that is TBD, but it’s getting closer.

How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect you?

Oh man. If I was a freak before socially, it’s now much more pronounced. I am grateful for that close time with family, the temporary return to a less-busy life, but the atrophy of my social skills is probably the most lasting effect that I’m seeing now. Plus, it was scary as hell for a while, wasn’t it?

What do you think about the war against Ukraine?

I think it’s awful, and my heart goes out to the Ukrainian people. So much needless suffering and horror. I think my Great Grandmother emigrated from there. 

Send a message to the readers!

Hello readers, especially the Greek ones! Thank you for launching Western Civilization, and thank you for taking the time to listen to my music.

Candy Coffins is a post-punk band with quality, attitude and passion. Its music sounds pretty, enchanting, soulful and sombre, its lyrics have a deep meaning and the new album, “Once Do It With Feeling” has a strange beauty and magic, so attractive, so palatable. Having listened to the new Candy Coffins songs, I confess that I am now a fan of the band – I had a nice discussion with Candy Coffins mainman, Jame Lathren (vocals, guitar), and below you can read what was discussed!

by Dimitris Zacharopoulos

You have just released a new album (“Once Do It With Feeling”). How do you feel about it?

It is a giant catharsis. From the time we started the recording process to getting the album released on streaming sources and on CDs was about 18 months. I am exacting in what I do in the studio and I didn’t want to compromise that, but I was also anxious to share the songs with listeners.

How much do you think you have progressed in this album compared to your previous albums? Why?

Oh wow. So much. The songwriting has improved, the playing is top notch, the concept is fully-formed. Working with John Furr of Pow Pow Sound as producer afforded me the opportunity to take time in the studio to create the full vision I have for each song, which is something I have always wanted to do. It almost killed us, but we pulled it off beautifully.

When and where were the songs of the new album recorded?

My close friend Furr and I had been plotting and scheming to do something together for a long time. At one point, when talking during the Covid19 pandemic, John came up with the plan to bring the studio to the band. He set up his recording equipment in our rehearsal space, and those recordings led to “Once Do It With Feeling,” which he engineered and produced. Recording started in April 2021 and wrapped in October 2021.

Who did the album production?

The album was produced and engineered by John Furr. We intentionally had him work with us as a producer, which I had never done. It was interesting to hear his input on the songs which pushed me to think of them in different terms. The mixing was done by David Barbe at Chase Park Transduction (Athens, GA). David recorded and mixed our “Somehow Misplaced” EP. The mastering was done by Dave Harris of Studio B in Charlotte, NC.

Which were your priorities, as far as the sound of the new album is concerned?

As many artists do, I was chasing the song in my head, attempting to reproduce it as closely as possible. Beyond that, I wanted to leverage the studio as an additional instrument.

Which are your favourite songs of the new album and why?

Well, I love them all – they are all my babies, but I especially like how “Another Kiss” and “Peel Off The Stars” came out. I think that they embody elements of the original song that I imagined in my head. To me, they symbolize one of the most important aspects of life – they capture and embody the depths of human emotion.

Who is the main composer in Candy Coffins?

I am the songwriter for the band. I am fortunate in that I work with amazingly talented and creative musicians. They can read my intent very well, but they are apt at making suggestions or changes in their approach to the songs to get us closer to great.

What influences you, when you compose new music?

I think personal experiences and personal emotions drive me to write songs. I can be in a terrible mood, sit down and write a song, and come away feeling totally different. Also, at times I am attempting to capture emotions I see in others.

Who is the one who writes the lyrics?

I write the lyrics.

Where do the lyrics of the new songs refer to?

Well, I don’t want to give too much away here, but I really enjoy building sometimes disparate lyrics into a somewhat cohesive, understandable scenario or storyline. It is one of the most rewarding parts of this band for me.

Why did you give this title to the new album?

It is a line from the song “Peel Off The Stars.” As Furr and I worked on preparing the album for mixing, the sentence took on a number of meanings, both from the perspective of the album content, all the way out to the studio concept of “If you’re going to do it, do it right.” We felt thematically it captured the overtones of the album.

How would you describe your music, to somebody who has never listened to your songs?

I would rather someone listen with fresh ears and no categories. But if pressed, I could list some of the artists who we respect and with whom we share some similarities like Joy Division, The Cure, The Psychedelic Furs, The Afghan Whigs, The Cult, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Spiritualized, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Interpol. I believe we are in our own independent sub-genre of uniqueness, though.

What feelings of yours do you want to express through your music and lyrics?

I want the atmosphere of the song to emulate an emotion in a way that it draws the listener into that emotion, if only for the length of the song. I work to make my lyrics pleasing to the ear, but also clever. I love the art of weaving words and lines together to make them into something new and cohesive.

What does the cover artwork of the new album depict?

It depicts a photograph of a person, cropped to include from the shoulders to the nose. Bonus: Unfold the cd cover and lay it flat for an added feature of the artwork.

How is this artwork connected with the music and lyrics of the new album?

When I saw it, it reminded me of the warm tones and style of a Renaissance painting and in an odd way, a link to the New Romantic elements in our music. I like the ambiguity of it, yet how it can be tied directly into the theme of the album.

How did the recent live shows in support of the new album go?

Shows have been good, thanks for asking. I now have people coming up to me asking if we are going to play certain songs, asking to have my photo taken with them. Those small things go really far having worked on this so hard. It is rewarding.

Are you satisfied with the fans’ reactions to the new songs?

Absolutely. One of the things I wanted to do with this release was to issue singles in a way to call attention to how diverse we are, and it worked. “Every Day A Fresh Atrocity” is a good primer for people who know nothing about us. Then “Seaside Girls” came out and showed a different side of the band. When people reviewing the album bring this up it is to note how there is such diversity in the songs on the album, but yet it is all cohesive and makes sense together. It is Candy Coffins. I really like that everyone seems to have a different favorite song on the album as well.

How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect you?

I don’t think many people foresaw the impact the pandemic would have on the music scene. Personally, we had some of our biggest regional shows cancelled and took precautions such as postponing rehearsals for the first two months. As it became apparent that the pandemic was going to be something we needed to adapt to, I made adjustments to our rehearsal space to allow for increased air circulation and distance between band members so we could safely resume rehearsals. In order to remain relevant during a time when we could not play live or record at a studio, I decided to record a performance without an audience and premier it online. Thus, “Live From A Distance” was born. It turned out extremely well, thanks to my friends at DV8 Productions, and garnered immense positive feedback.

If you could travel in time, to which period of time would you like to travel?

Honestly, probably back to when I was like twenty years old.

Why?

I would like to start over there and pursue music in earnest like am now, but with a longer runway. I was always in bands, and I had the tenacity and passion about it, but I didn’t have the direction and the insight, the knowledge, or the money. It is said that hindsight is 20/20.

What do you think of technology and internet, and their impact on music? How important do you think internet is for the bands and the fans?

Social media is the necessary evil for musicians and bands. With regards to technology and its impact on music, its water - it just permeates into everything. Every aspect of what I do has tentacles into technology. For instance, technology is likely the only way we would have found out about one another, and I am thankful for that. I do willfully stay away from a lot of digital equipment that has hundreds of choices. It causes decision paralysis in me. I’d prefer to have a very limited number of options so that I can contemplate, “How can I make something fantastic using only these limited things?”.

Which are your future plans?

In every endeavor I take on, I innately push it as far as I can, and Candy Coffins is no different. I truly believe that we have something new to offer that seems vaguely familiar, but is vital, new and refreshing at the same time. I want to get our songs into as many people’s ears as possible and then bring the music to them via live performances. I would really like to explore touring in the UK. I think our music would do really well there.

Send a message to the readers!

I want to tell anyone who has read this interview, listened to any of our songs or watched any of our videos, not to mention has come to our shows, bought merchandise or wears our shirt – THANK YOU. You are the fuel that keeps us doing what we are doing. 🖤

It is somewhat late that I have discovered After Evolution, but as people say, better late than never. Because After Evolution is a great band and its sophomore album (“War of the Worlds”) is a magnificent record release that will thrill all fans of melodic rock/metal music. Imagine a more metal, symphonic and gothic version of Evanescence and you will understand how After Evolution sounds. Their melodies are exquisite, each song of their new album is an earworm, with hooky vocal lines, massive guitars and thunderous drums! So, it was a matter of time that Myth of Rock and Dimitris Zacharopoulos would interview the frontwoman of the band, Nikolette Olson, who gave some really fantastic answers! Behold a new hope of the female fronted metal scene, After Evolution!

Give us a biography of After Evolution.

Well, in 2013 me (Nikolette) and Michal have met and we talked a bit about our dreams and he wanted to be the part of a band and be musician as well as me. So later that year we joined some “garage” band but we wanted more. We wanted to create original music and take it more seriously. So we decided to create “After Evolution”. For a few years we were just “duo” and trying to find right members to start with creating our original music etc. In 2016 we’ve decided we are ready and we started to play few gigs and people told us that our music sounds great and asked us a lot if we have some album they can buy to support us but we didn’t have any so we’ve decided to record one in a garage with only 1 microphone. It was really a challenge but people liked that a lot even if it was “garage” quality. Later in 2017 a recording studio found us and emailed us with a proposal to record a professional album and get signed with WormHoleDeath and we’ve agreed but when I told about those news to my band our ex bass guitarist decided to leave because he wanted to play different genre and to go his own way so we asked Adam Bittó to join us and he agreed. In summer 2018 we have recorded our first official album “War of the Worlds” in Italy, but a month before the recording session our ex drummer decided to leave because of some personal reasons so we hired a session drummer to record that album with us. We were already in contact with our current drummer Vic Janas that time, but he was not available to go to the Italy to record the album. About the year 2018/2019 the mix and master of the album has been finished and we were working on album art, new image and all those necessary things and also we were rehearsing a lot to get synchronized and as you already know in 2020 and 2021 was Covid-19 pandemic so we’ve decided with our manager to wait with the album release until the pandemic is gone and in August 2022 we have officially released our “War of the Worlds” album!

You released your second album some months ago. How do you see this album now? Why did it take you six years to release this second album?

I see in this album a lot of potential and I am proud of it! Every time I receive a message from some fan or another musician about how much they love our music, it makes me and all the band members very happy! It is really a huge inspiration for us! And why we took 6 years? Well, it is as I’ve already mentioned in the previous question. First thing is that we were students and we were not able to pay for professional recording session for our album and I wanted the next album to be professional and also I didn’t want to release the album (“War of the Worlds”) which our drummer or the members were not able to play live due the changes in the band and when we were ready to release it the Covid-19 hit us.

Where would you trace the differences between “War of the Worlds” and “Threnodies”?

“Threnodies” is more gothic styled album and less orchestrated. It is about feelings, rotten world around us and about all we are going through in our life in more poetic way. “War of the Worlds” on the other hand has whole the story I have created, it is more symphonic, it is bigger in orchestras and more towards the style I want to direct my band musically. With the “Threnodies” album I was kinda finding myself, the way I want to compose and lead the band and the album “War of the Worlds” is the right way I wanna go.

How would you describe your music style?

If I would have to describe our music style, the simple answer is “Symphonic metal” but the reality is, that it is more epic, more orchestrated and more towards epic film or game music with the metal and rock elements. So I would say epic “symphonic” metal genre because the main element in our music are not guitars or drums, but orchestras. When the orchestras are ready the second we are working on are guitars and drums.

Which bands have influenced After Evolution? Which are your personal vocal influences, Nikolette?

It was not exactly the bands who inspired us, our music is inspired by Audiomachine, Two steps from Hell, Thomas Bergersen or Hans Zimmer. But the idea to start with symphonic metal in general was thanks to Nightwish and Evanescence. We all like symphonic/gothic metal genre and those bands are the biggest names who directed us this way. My personal vocal influences are Amy Lee for example, because she has an amazing vocals and also “The Phantom Opera” in general is my inspiration, because I love getting my vocals better by being able to sing all the songs. I am self-trained vocalist, not classically trained so I am working by myself on my vocals. I am only classically trained pianist.

Where and when was “War of the Worlds” recorded? Who did the mixing of the album? Who did the mastering? Please describe the whole process of the production of the album.

As I’ve already mentioned, the album has been recorded in Italy. It was in the Mathlab studio and the mixing and mastering has been done by Jonathan Mazzeo with help of our manager Carlo Bellotti. How the process was exactly of the mix and master is unknown to me, because we have recorded the album, and the mix and master has been done after few months we have left the studio. I have composed all the music before we’ve reached the studio, all the orchestral parts were ready as well, so we’ve just recorded the instruments and vocals and the rest was up to the Jonathan Mazzeo.

Who writes the music and the lyrics in After Evolution? Where do you draw inspiration from?

It is me who does all the work! :D I am writing all the music and the lyrics of the band. But I am trying to give some space also to other members. So basically I compose the orchestras, the whole structure of the songs, vocals and lyrics and when it is ready we work together on drums and guitars. I share with them my ideas and they share their ideas with me and which one is better and more suitable for the song that wins. I am not drummer or guitarist so we cooperate together when we do guitar and drum parts. All my inspiration comes from game and film music. Because I love epic orchestral music and also the inspiration is the story I have created. I want to include in my songs the story and let the people to feel the story, to feel the music. I want my music to speak to their hearts and souls. That’s my biggest inspiration.

Where do your lyrics refer to?

I will repeat myself a little bit, but it is about the story of apocalyptic world, where the people are hidden in the underground from the demons and apocalyptic world above. If you read the lyrics of our album, song by song, you will see the story, but mostly it is about the girl who is destined to restore the balance back between those two worlds again and it is up to her if she reaches her way or decides to destroy the world with her power. It is full of magic, hope, trust, demons, darkness, pain and everything you can imagine.

Do you watch movies? Name your favourite movies.

Of course I do! I am movie fanatic if we are talking about sci-fi and fantasy world! I am huge fan of Star Wars, Marvel, DC, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones and now also House of Dragons etc. When it comes to some kind of fantasy or sci-fi genre I have to be on the movie premiere in the cinema!

Do you read books? Name your favourite books.

Yes I do, it is the same as the films, but little bit different. I am more into fantasy/romantic genre, I love Shakespeare’s books, “Romeo and Juliet” is my most favourite one, Lauren Kate “Fallen” series etc. I also love mythology books.

You come from the Czech Republic. How are things for metal bands in the Czech Republic? Is there a scene? How difficult is it for a Czech band to achieve worldwide success nowadays?

Yeah there is a metal scene in Czech Republic. Not as big as in Finland for example, but there is a lot of people loving metal music genre and also we have few musicians / bands well known here playing this genre and also great festivals. The bands are not worldwide known, but yeah. I don’t know, if it is difficult, because the problem is, that most of the well-known big bands have songs in native language which is problem and there is very few Czech bands trying to reach that world known status and having songs in English and I don’t blame them. When we were at the very beginning a lot of people told us something like: “You are living in Czech republic, why don’t you sing in Czech? Why English? You are not in England, sing in your native language etc.” Kinda rude. But with time, they just accepted it and nowadays people are chiller about it.

If your music was a color, what colour would it be?

When my music was a colour, it would have colours of the universe … Dark black with beautiful sparkles and shades of blue and violet. Dreamy and powerful.

If you could cooperate with another famous musician in a song, who would he/she be and why?

I would love to sing some nice duet for example with artists like Amy Lee, Anette Olzon, Marco Hietala, Charlotte Wessels, Tommy Karevik, Elize Ryd, Dani Filth … I really don’t know, there is a lot of amazing musicians I really love and appreciate so depends! I could name you almost everyone, it would be really long list!

If someone asked you about the atmosphere of After Evolution’s music, how would you describe it?

Atmosphere is dark with a sparkle of hope, magical, powerful, emotional and epic. It is apocalyptic about the ancient world far, far away from us so mostly epic!

Do you play live in concert? Do you have some tour plans?

Yes we have some plans for next year and we are discussing that with our manager. But we do not have exact dates right now. Everything is now in a planning phase!

Send your message to the fans!

So firstly I would love to thank you for this wonderful interview and thanks to all the readers for taking time to read it! I would love to invite you to listen to our album and check out our video clip if you haven’t done it yet! Thank you so much for your support and love and we hope we will see you soon on stage!