Aeveron
Because band's new album has just been realized under Battlegod Production's banner, here you have an interesting interview I've done a while ago with Aeveron's singer Thomas! We tried to get in "Existential Dead End" atmosphere and look what I got for you readers and band listeners!
Arcana Noctis: Hell(o) Aeveron! What are you doing and how are the things going on out there now that your new opus "Existential Dead End" has been released?
Thomas: Hell-O Raul! This is Thomas, the singer of Aeveron. At the moment I'm at home answering your questions. We are satisfied with the situation that our album has received quite positive acclaim among the Metal press. This is the fourth interview I'm answering. All in all, the attention has very much increased.
Arcana Noctis: I would like to begin with a short introduction in band's history and tell us a few words about your mates if there is someone else who plays in another combo!
Thomas: Even though this information can easily be obtained on our website I'm gonna tell you just a few words about the band's history. Aeveron was founded in March 2002 from the ashes of the former group Endless Vision. All members had previously participated in various other underground formations and could therefore bring in a certain degree of musical skills and diverse influences. All the information about our releases and other important historical events can be looked after on our homepage www.aeveron.com. As for my band mates the guitarists, the drummer and I are engaged in other groups or projects. I also sing in the Death Metal band Inexorable and the Death/Black group Coming Fall.
Arcana Noctis: Two years after the band's formation in 2002, you decided to record Aeveron's first professional material "Construality", this one being preceded by a demo CD recorded back in 2002. Please introduce us the 2 products, but tell us more about the second one who was recorded in Polygam-Studio with the sound engineer Kai-Uwe Schneider from Saxorior.
Thomas: The five songs of the demo of 2003 were recorded at the living room of our drummer and he was also the one who mixed the material. It was the best result we could achieve back then and we are still content with this release. Roughly one year later we could enter a real studio to record "Construality". That was definitely something different than recording songs on a computer at home. But we all arranged with the situation very quickly and were finished with the process after a week. Besides, Kay-Uwe is a very cool and relaxed person. We really enjoyed the time there and became friends.
Arcana Noctis: "Construality" saw the light of the day for Northern Silence Production and if I'm not wrong you have some extra material. Am I right? Are you content with the outcome and CD's feedback?
Thomas: In retrospect, "Construality" brought us a lot of attention in the Metal community as well as many concerts throughout the eastern part of Germany. We are still proud of this record. One can definitely hear the improvement in playing skills and songwriting abilities. I'm not quite sure what you mean with "extra material" so I'm leaving that question open.
Arcana Noctis: Although Robert, the guitar player left the band you've entered in Rape Of Harmonies Studio to record "The Ancient Realm" EP with Patrick Engel and Ralf Müller... Why he left Aeveron, who was his substitute and what are the most important things we should know about this new material?
Thomas: Yeah, that was a dark moment in Aeveron's history. Robert left the band in September 2005 for personal reasons and musical differences. There we stood with one guitarist and an appointment at "Rape Of Harmonies" for October 2005 to record the new material. So Kay, our former lead-guitarist, played all guitars on the "The Ancient Realm". Patrick Engel and Ralf Müller did a terrific job in the mix and mastering of the album. The songs were almost entirely written by Kay and showed a more melodic, playful yet also aggressive side of Aeveron. Robert, as you mention some questions later, was replaced by Matthias in April 2006.
Arcana Noctis: These things happened in the end of 2005, but 2006 seems to be probably the most important step forward from your career because you've won Metalius Band Contest where you defeated almost 80 bands. Can you tell us more about this subject? If I'm not wrong the jury was an incredible one with representatives of some very important labels such as Nuclear Blast, Metal Blade and Century Media, but with international Metal stars such as Alex Krull (Atrocity), Andy B. Franck (Brainstorm), Rob (Born From Pain) and Gerre from Tankard to name a few of them. What happened exactly and what was the price, because I know that there was something unusual?
Thomas: You are damn right that there was something unusual about this whole contest. I won't go too much into detail now because I've explained everything on our homepage already. After the victory over 79 bands we were proud as you can imagine. But that feeling of triumph didn't last very long because the whole affair was a farce. After a 4 day recording session in Hannover, (400! kilometers away from our hometown) which resulted in a horrible mix of the recorded songs, there never was any CD or video or distribution through Century Media. If that wasn't enough to swallow the chief of Metalius told us of the dissolution of Metalius 2 months later. So, to make a long story short, keep your hands off these people. Absolutely unprofessional and dubious!!!
Arcana Noctis: After a serious break you've found Matthias as the second guitar player and at the end of the year, in December 2006, you have realized "The Ancient Realm" EP to Castamere Records. Give us some informations please and tell us what is the major difference between this one and the previous materials!
Thomas: As I've written some lines above, Matthias replaced Robert at the vacant guitar position in April 2006. After over hundred unsuccessful applications to various German and international production firms we could finally release "The Ancient Realm" together with Castamere Records. Castamere is a sub label of Northern Silence Productions. I guess the main difference between "The Ancient Realm" and our previous albums is the songwriting. The songs are much more homogeneous and well-structured. I think that we have grown throughout the years and this is audible on "The Ancient Realm".
Arcana Noctis: Just a few months later you've lost Kay, the lead guitar player because of some personal misunderstandings. Can you reveal us what happened exactly?
Thomas: We decided to part ways with him because he overstretched the truth. He was a brilliant guitarist and songwriter but we could no longer work with him on a personal basis. It is one thing for a band to function as a musical entity but another thing to harmonize on a personal level. He broke our trust and therefore we had to kick him out. That's all. We aren't angry with him and wish him the best for his future musical activities.
Arcana Noctis: In February 2008 you've started the recordings of your brand new album called "Existential Dead End" in the same studio and with the same persons that you used for "The Ancient Realm" EP, plus Alexander Dietz (Heaven Shall Burn)! Tell us please a few things about the recording process of the album and don't forget to mention how you felt in the studio surrounded by so many important persons!
Thomas: First of all, it was great to once again work together with Patrick and Ralf. There is a kind of family atmosphere that surrounded us and we all felt very comfortable during the session. The process is easy to explain. Paul started with the drums, then Matthias did all the guitars. Markus was the next to do the keyboards, followed by me and finally Dirk recorded the bass. Alexander supervised the vocal recordings and helped me to bring out the best in my voice as you can hear on the new record. We really like the new album and its sound and hope that all Metal fans will agree
Arcana Noctis: Soon after that you invited Alex to join the band on the second guitar! Please introduce us the new Aeveron's member and tell us how did you choose him?
Thomas: If I'm honest I don't know how we, or better the others, met him. At that time I was very busy at work and couldn't participate in many rehearsals. When I was back at the rehearsal room he was there and played better than any other guitarist that had auditioned before. So he was a part of Aeveron in September 2008 and we were complete again.
Arcana Noctis: "Existential Dead End" saw the day light in September 2008 thanks to Battlegod Production from Australia. First of all tell us how did you find this contract, and than introduce us in the atmosphere of your last material by giving us the necessary technical details about it and don't forget to tell us a few things about each song.
Thomas: Paul, our drummer, played the battery on Baltaks "Macedonian War" and since that has been a friend with Gorgoroth from Baltak/Battlegod Productions. Gorgoroth listened to our latest record and agreed in releasing it. The first press comes in a digipak limited to 500 copies including a bonus track. There will also be a normal press in jewel case.
Arcana Noctis: I must recognize that CD's cover artwork is awesome and I would like to know who the main guiltier for such an impressive image is! Also, I'd like you to tell us if it fits perfectly with your philosophy and your lyrical concept.
Thomas: I totally agree with you on that. It is really an impressive work of art. The artist is a Spanish guy named Juan Jose Castellano Rosado (www.juanjocastellano.com). We got in contact with him via Internet and he was very eager in designing the artwork for the new record. So we sent him our suggestions and rough ideas and he turned it into the picture you can now adore on the album cover. He is a very friendly and talented guy and I can only recommend his work to other bands that need an artwork done. The cover has no direct connection to all songs, so that there is no overall concept. The cover is mainly the visualization of the lyrics of the song "Existential Dead End". The text is a kind of summary or analysis of the human actions on this planet so far. These actions mainly consisted and still consist of the creative construction of societies and their systematic destruction. We have to accept the fact that we are facing an existential dead end. If you read the text between the lines you will discover that there are always certain groups of people that are responsible for the current desolate situation we are living in. The lyrical "I" wants to see these people dead. It's time for a change, for a new era. Here comes the connection to the artwork. The kneeling person in front, symbolizing the greedy and evil machinations of certain groups in society, is facing his personal dead end. Whilst he is waiting for the blade to end his life, the army in the background is marching onwards to new goals and battles. Unfortunately, this whole idea is utopian because if one avaricious regime is defeated another is already raring to go. Thus we are moving back and forth within the same dead end without an exit. But that is man's nature: creating, destroying, again creating and then again destroying and so on and so forth.
Arcana Noctis: What have you done to promote the new opus as it deserve, and tell me if you are content with label's work concerning band's promotion and about the feedback that you've received until today?
Thomas: There has been only a record release party in late December 2008 so far. Still we have received quite good acclaim from Metal magazines and from our fans as well. We are content with the work of Battlegod Productions. As I have said above we get more attention from the scene and that is really a positive side effect.
Arcana Noctis: Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you have some dates starting with February 2009. Are you going to play somewhere else in Europe this summer?
Thomas: You're damn right my friend. There are already half a dozen concerts confirmed for the first half of the year 2009. For detailed information on this please visit our website. Also there is a festival gig in Austria at Northern Lights Festival. But that is the only date in a foreign country so far. We hope that this will change in the second half of the year.
Arcana Noctis: As a very important band from the extreme German Metal scene can you tell me please if we can find some other bands involved in this Metal style that you are playing now, I mean Black/Death Metal with melodically parts and symphonic elements?
Thomas: There are some bands in our hometown and region that play Death or Black Metal but not our specific style. Even though I don't want to do any advertisement here I can name Coming Fall and Inexorable. Concerning the German scene in general there are dozens of bands that play melodically adorned Death Metal. Any kind of namedropping would go too far here I think. Apart from that I'm not dealing with the scene in Germany so I can't give you names. But I've heard that a band called Aeveron is damn good.
Arcana Noctis: Because we are at the end of the interview tell us please what are your future plans concerning Aeveron's activity and what should we expect from you in the next years?
Thomas: Since we are all working there won't be a tour or something in the next time even though we would like to do something like that sometime in the future. Currently we are writing on new material and we will enter the studio in late 2009 to record the new album. Until that we are playing as many shows as possible to promote "Existential Dead End".
Arcana Noctis: That will be all for now my friend! Thank you very much and stay Metal!
Thomas: I also want to thank you for this interview and the interest in Aeveron. We really appreciate that. We will definitely stay Metal until the day we die. Up the Irons!
Arcana Noctis: Hell(o) Aeveron! What are you doing and how are the things going on out there now that your new opus "Existential Dead End" has been released?
Thomas: Hell-O Raul! This is Thomas, the singer of Aeveron. At the moment I'm at home answering your questions. We are satisfied with the situation that our album has received quite positive acclaim among the Metal press. This is the fourth interview I'm answering. All in all, the attention has very much increased.Arcana Noctis: I would like to begin with a short introduction in band's history and tell us a few words about your mates if there is someone else who plays in another combo!
Thomas: Even though this information can easily be obtained on our website I'm gonna tell you just a few words about the band's history. Aeveron was founded in March 2002 from the ashes of the former group Endless Vision. All members had previously participated in various other underground formations and could therefore bring in a certain degree of musical skills and diverse influences. All the information about our releases and other important historical events can be looked after on our homepage www.aeveron.com. As for my band mates the guitarists, the drummer and I are engaged in other groups or projects. I also sing in the Death Metal band Inexorable and the Death/Black group Coming Fall.
Arcana Noctis: Two years after the band's formation in 2002, you decided to record Aeveron's first professional material "Construality", this one being preceded by a demo CD recorded back in 2002. Please introduce us the 2 products, but tell us more about the second one who was recorded in Polygam-Studio with the sound engineer Kai-Uwe Schneider from Saxorior.
Thomas: The five songs of the demo of 2003 were recorded at the living room of our drummer and he was also the one who mixed the material. It was the best result we could achieve back then and we are still content with this release. Roughly one year later we could enter a real studio to record "Construality". That was definitely something different than recording songs on a computer at home. But we all arranged with the situation very quickly and were finished with the process after a week. Besides, Kay-Uwe is a very cool and relaxed person. We really enjoyed the time there and became friends.
Arcana Noctis: "Construality" saw the light of the day for Northern Silence Production and if I'm not wrong you have some extra material. Am I right? Are you content with the outcome and CD's feedback?
Thomas: In retrospect, "Construality" brought us a lot of attention in the Metal community as well as many concerts throughout the eastern part of Germany. We are still proud of this record. One can definitely hear the improvement in playing skills and songwriting abilities. I'm not quite sure what you mean with "extra material" so I'm leaving that question open.
Arcana Noctis: Although Robert, the guitar player left the band you've entered in Rape Of Harmonies Studio to record "The Ancient Realm" EP with Patrick Engel and Ralf Müller... Why he left Aeveron, who was his substitute and what are the most important things we should know about this new material?
Thomas: Yeah, that was a dark moment in Aeveron's history. Robert left the band in September 2005 for personal reasons and musical differences. There we stood with one guitarist and an appointment at "Rape Of Harmonies" for October 2005 to record the new material. So Kay, our former lead-guitarist, played all guitars on the "The Ancient Realm". Patrick Engel and Ralf Müller did a terrific job in the mix and mastering of the album. The songs were almost entirely written by Kay and showed a more melodic, playful yet also aggressive side of Aeveron. Robert, as you mention some questions later, was replaced by Matthias in April 2006.
Arcana Noctis: These things happened in the end of 2005, but 2006 seems to be probably the most important step forward from your career because you've won Metalius Band Contest where you defeated almost 80 bands. Can you tell us more about this subject? If I'm not wrong the jury was an incredible one with representatives of some very important labels such as Nuclear Blast, Metal Blade and Century Media, but with international Metal stars such as Alex Krull (Atrocity), Andy B. Franck (Brainstorm), Rob (Born From Pain) and Gerre from Tankard to name a few of them. What happened exactly and what was the price, because I know that there was something unusual?
Thomas: You are damn right that there was something unusual about this whole contest. I won't go too much into detail now because I've explained everything on our homepage already. After the victory over 79 bands we were proud as you can imagine. But that feeling of triumph didn't last very long because the whole affair was a farce. After a 4 day recording session in Hannover, (400! kilometers away from our hometown) which resulted in a horrible mix of the recorded songs, there never was any CD or video or distribution through Century Media. If that wasn't enough to swallow the chief of Metalius told us of the dissolution of Metalius 2 months later. So, to make a long story short, keep your hands off these people. Absolutely unprofessional and dubious!!!
Arcana Noctis: After a serious break you've found Matthias as the second guitar player and at the end of the year, in December 2006, you have realized "The Ancient Realm" EP to Castamere Records. Give us some informations please and tell us what is the major difference between this one and the previous materials!
Thomas: As I've written some lines above, Matthias replaced Robert at the vacant guitar position in April 2006. After over hundred unsuccessful applications to various German and international production firms we could finally release "The Ancient Realm" together with Castamere Records. Castamere is a sub label of Northern Silence Productions. I guess the main difference between "The Ancient Realm" and our previous albums is the songwriting. The songs are much more homogeneous and well-structured. I think that we have grown throughout the years and this is audible on "The Ancient Realm".
Arcana Noctis: Just a few months later you've lost Kay, the lead guitar player because of some personal misunderstandings. Can you reveal us what happened exactly?
Thomas: We decided to part ways with him because he overstretched the truth. He was a brilliant guitarist and songwriter but we could no longer work with him on a personal basis. It is one thing for a band to function as a musical entity but another thing to harmonize on a personal level. He broke our trust and therefore we had to kick him out. That's all. We aren't angry with him and wish him the best for his future musical activities.
Arcana Noctis: In February 2008 you've started the recordings of your brand new album called "Existential Dead End" in the same studio and with the same persons that you used for "The Ancient Realm" EP, plus Alexander Dietz (Heaven Shall Burn)! Tell us please a few things about the recording process of the album and don't forget to mention how you felt in the studio surrounded by so many important persons!
Thomas: First of all, it was great to once again work together with Patrick and Ralf. There is a kind of family atmosphere that surrounded us and we all felt very comfortable during the session. The process is easy to explain. Paul started with the drums, then Matthias did all the guitars. Markus was the next to do the keyboards, followed by me and finally Dirk recorded the bass. Alexander supervised the vocal recordings and helped me to bring out the best in my voice as you can hear on the new record. We really like the new album and its sound and hope that all Metal fans will agree
Arcana Noctis: Soon after that you invited Alex to join the band on the second guitar! Please introduce us the new Aeveron's member and tell us how did you choose him?
Thomas: If I'm honest I don't know how we, or better the others, met him. At that time I was very busy at work and couldn't participate in many rehearsals. When I was back at the rehearsal room he was there and played better than any other guitarist that had auditioned before. So he was a part of Aeveron in September 2008 and we were complete again.
Arcana Noctis: "Existential Dead End" saw the day light in September 2008 thanks to Battlegod Production from Australia. First of all tell us how did you find this contract, and than introduce us in the atmosphere of your last material by giving us the necessary technical details about it and don't forget to tell us a few things about each song.
Thomas: Paul, our drummer, played the battery on Baltaks "Macedonian War" and since that has been a friend with Gorgoroth from Baltak/Battlegod Productions. Gorgoroth listened to our latest record and agreed in releasing it. The first press comes in a digipak limited to 500 copies including a bonus track. There will also be a normal press in jewel case.
Arcana Noctis: I must recognize that CD's cover artwork is awesome and I would like to know who the main guiltier for such an impressive image is! Also, I'd like you to tell us if it fits perfectly with your philosophy and your lyrical concept.
Thomas: I totally agree with you on that. It is really an impressive work of art. The artist is a Spanish guy named Juan Jose Castellano Rosado (www.juanjocastellano.com). We got in contact with him via Internet and he was very eager in designing the artwork for the new record. So we sent him our suggestions and rough ideas and he turned it into the picture you can now adore on the album cover. He is a very friendly and talented guy and I can only recommend his work to other bands that need an artwork done. The cover has no direct connection to all songs, so that there is no overall concept. The cover is mainly the visualization of the lyrics of the song "Existential Dead End". The text is a kind of summary or analysis of the human actions on this planet so far. These actions mainly consisted and still consist of the creative construction of societies and their systematic destruction. We have to accept the fact that we are facing an existential dead end. If you read the text between the lines you will discover that there are always certain groups of people that are responsible for the current desolate situation we are living in. The lyrical "I" wants to see these people dead. It's time for a change, for a new era. Here comes the connection to the artwork. The kneeling person in front, symbolizing the greedy and evil machinations of certain groups in society, is facing his personal dead end. Whilst he is waiting for the blade to end his life, the army in the background is marching onwards to new goals and battles. Unfortunately, this whole idea is utopian because if one avaricious regime is defeated another is already raring to go. Thus we are moving back and forth within the same dead end without an exit. But that is man's nature: creating, destroying, again creating and then again destroying and so on and so forth.Arcana Noctis: What have you done to promote the new opus as it deserve, and tell me if you are content with label's work concerning band's promotion and about the feedback that you've received until today?
Thomas: There has been only a record release party in late December 2008 so far. Still we have received quite good acclaim from Metal magazines and from our fans as well. We are content with the work of Battlegod Productions. As I have said above we get more attention from the scene and that is really a positive side effect.
Arcana Noctis: Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you have some dates starting with February 2009. Are you going to play somewhere else in Europe this summer?
Thomas: You're damn right my friend. There are already half a dozen concerts confirmed for the first half of the year 2009. For detailed information on this please visit our website. Also there is a festival gig in Austria at Northern Lights Festival. But that is the only date in a foreign country so far. We hope that this will change in the second half of the year.
Arcana Noctis: As a very important band from the extreme German Metal scene can you tell me please if we can find some other bands involved in this Metal style that you are playing now, I mean Black/Death Metal with melodically parts and symphonic elements?
Thomas: There are some bands in our hometown and region that play Death or Black Metal but not our specific style. Even though I don't want to do any advertisement here I can name Coming Fall and Inexorable. Concerning the German scene in general there are dozens of bands that play melodically adorned Death Metal. Any kind of namedropping would go too far here I think. Apart from that I'm not dealing with the scene in Germany so I can't give you names. But I've heard that a band called Aeveron is damn good.
Arcana Noctis: Because we are at the end of the interview tell us please what are your future plans concerning Aeveron's activity and what should we expect from you in the next years?
Thomas: Since we are all working there won't be a tour or something in the next time even though we would like to do something like that sometime in the future. Currently we are writing on new material and we will enter the studio in late 2009 to record the new album. Until that we are playing as many shows as possible to promote "Existential Dead End".
Arcana Noctis: That will be all for now my friend! Thank you very much and stay Metal!
Thomas: I also want to thank you for this interview and the interest in Aeveron. We really appreciate that. We will definitely stay Metal until the day we die. Up the Irons!