HEAVENWOOD (Eng.)
– Hello, first of all thanks for your time. What are you up to right now?
We are the one that have to be thankfull for the opportunity and interest in our music! We just came from our sold out “ Abyss Masterpiece “ release show at HARD CLUB in Porto center town, it was a great show and the fans feedback for this celebration was fantastic!! We have been promoting our 4th new album “ Abyss Masterpiece “ released by LISTENABLE RECORDS all over the world and at the same time trying to give some shows outside Portugal in the future.
– To start, could you please introduce and make some history of the band?
HEAVENWOOD started as DISGORGED back on 92 and we were more oriented on the classic Death metal with a interesting melodic approach. We recorded 2 demos and played a lot of gigs till 96 when we signed to german label MASSACRE Records and release “ Diva “ and in 98 “ Swallow “. This allowed us to be the first band to play on WACKEN OPEN AIR as doing tours with IN FLAMES, ATROCITY, LAKE OF TEARS, THEATRE OF TRAGEDY, SOLITUDE AETURNUS and more. We decided to sto for a ehile, not in music, with HEAVENWOOD and only in 2008 we got back with “ Redemption “ album. It was a workfull comeback but it was fantastic and delightfull to work with JENS BOGREN on the mixes and have such amazing musicians such as JEFF WATERS from ANNIHILATOR and GUS G from Ozzy / Firewind on some track with killer guitars solos . This “ Redemption “ album got a lot of good reviews around the world and we made something very hard for a Portuguese band to do that is to export an album to the metal market from Europe to the North American Market and enter in the Russian / East Europe too regarding we released it on a Portuguese label. Signing with LISTENABLE RECORDS was important, was a need also and we worked so much for this “ Abyss Masterpiece “ that only a label like LISTENABLE at the minimum have the capcity to do a powerfull and dedicated promotion, distribution work at a world scale. It´s great to be on a label who mix passion with work on a perfect way!
– Why did you choose the name «Heavenwood» for the band?
This have to be with our song “ Juidth Heavenwood “, it´s a myth, the ghost of lady Judith Heavenwood and the forest were everyone who´s enter there came out as if a new person. It´s kind a soul recycle world..
– And what are your main musical influences?
From classic to extreme, I do enjoy good music! I can been listening to the Beatles and after it I can do listen to the new Morbig Angel album..if it have quality I will approve it. My main influence goes from David Bowie to Judas Priest, from The Cult to Black Sabbath and from Alice in Chains to Old School Death Metal not forgetting the classic Gothic stuff..i´m not into EBM or electronic stuff ( Depeche Mode and New Order only!! )
– Your latest album came out past March; how has been its feedback (both from the fans and press)?
Excellent reviews, don´t remember reading any bad review honestly! This “ Abyss Masterpiece “ is not a catchy album..you need to listen to it some times to understand the metaphors and the development of the arrangements..everything makes sense, it wasn-t compose just because it was cool or funny. I do believe a person with at least some deep and hard experiencies on his or her life will understand much better our musical and lyrical world.
The old fans are ultra happy with this new album and the new fans are getting into HEAVENWOOD discovering our past, this is something I noticed in our shows..we do have people from 12 to 50 years old!!
– Now that you have had the time to listening to it carefully; is there anything you would like to change on it?
Nope, nothing at all!! From the music, to the sound and artwork!
– I could say in «Abyss Masterpiece» we can found a heavier and more Black Metal oriented sound than on your previous efforts; was this something intended or just the result of how things flew?
It´s a darker ambient or feeling, we do talk about the darker side of love on a emotive and rational way. The words and musical atmospheres were done with intention regarding the lyrics once we wanted everyone who´s listening to it would feel kind off a cold in the spine. Other very important aspect is that the lyrical themes travel back to the XVIII century in Portugal and I don’t believe this “ Abyss Masterpiece “ would have the same feeling without Dominic Joutsen collaboration. He is very important on this album while “ Redemption “ was a sort of anger release, its more “ in your face “ and surely the rockish side from HEAVENWOOD.
– And due to this I would like to know how was the songwriting for it and if you changed anything of the process.
Well we almost record 3 albums, thinking of the full pre-production very elaborated, very clinical that when we went to studio there was almost no Production at all just recording it. For “ Abyss Masterpiece “ we decided we would like to focus on a portuguese important figure but someone whou wouldn´t be so famous..it would be easier to talk about Fernando Pessoa for example..i remember to have an “ eureka “ and search for the very first female poet in Portugal and suddenly I was reading the rare info about D.Leonor on the net. I did have a lot of difficulties to have the most information possible about her regarding her books and poems perhaps because she was like riding out of hand concerning the Portuguese mentality on the XVIII, women wernet allowed to express their feelings on a book, on a poem or even criticize the Portuguese society and religion. Marquesa de Alorna was one of a kind for the Portuguese culture, she was the first to translate to Portuguese the best French, german and british authors and she fought for the Portuguese women rights too. Her interest on the spiritual and occultism is not mentioned for the general people but indeed she was the founder of the Rose Society in Portugal centuries ago. As you can see we had a lot to do regarding the musical aspect and ambients so people can listen to the album and feel that darker approach.
– Between «Redemption» and this new piece have been 3 years; what were you up to during that time? Did you spent those years creating «Abyss Masterpeace»?
We played on important shows in Portugal, we had a show booked in Spain supporting Kamelot and Leaves Eyes but it was cancelled for us and the Spanish band one week before the show due to the venue change. We only played once in Spain, it was in Vigo´s REVOLTALLO FEST and everything fom the people to the fest was great, we do hope to play in Spain this year!
“Abyss Masterpiece “ compositions started in 2009, we took almost one year composing and pre-producing it step by step in Bruno´s 213 Studio in Porto.
– Anyway, in 1998 you had released 2 albums but you didn’t unleash the next one until 2008. Why did it take you so long?
We decided to stop with HEAVENWOOD due to matters related with our previous label and it was a question of thinking in our own lifes future on a professional view. Nowdays each of us have a profession that allow us to spend the time HEAVENWOOD demands without thinking if we will have money to pay this or that. In this league of metal music it´s impossible living from metal music in Portugal and in many other coutries! I love rock n roll but me and my family don´t eat or dress strings, picks or amplifiers..i would love to live from and for music but in our case it´s impossible on the present days and in Portugal to be independent, having a family living from the money metal music gives to you.
– This is your first album for Listenable Records, how’s everything going with them? And what prompted your move from Recital Records to Listenable?
Everything going fine! They work very well and gave us what we asked for, in a limited sens of course! It´s a respect label on the world metal scene and great indie that demands for their catalogue a quality standard..I like it and identify with their vision ! We had contacts from other labels and their conditions could be good for some newcomer bands ( the opportunity for releasing an album on a good label and getting acess to a world distribution and promotion is very hard now days due to the amount of bands ) but we know what we want and what we don´t want!
– We don’t get many bands from Portugal actually but, how’s the Metal scene like over there?
We have an healthy scene but sadly the Portuguese bands, excluding us and Moonspell, work and think on a global aspect. I understand it must be hard for a Portuguese thrash metal band to get into the world scene because there are thousands of great American, German, Swedish or even British thrash metal bands but what I think honestly is that the Portuguese bands must look for input some Portuguese charisma, melodies or even words on any kind of metal style if they want to enter on the international scene, I´m talking about musical personality because I do believe the international fans, press or even label are enough of Copies from photocopies!
– And finally, what are the band’s near-future plans?
To promote “ Abyss Masterpiece “ the most possible! Recently we entered on the U.S Market via E ONE Entertainment that is the most powerfull distribution on the American market so it´s early to have results from it. We´re feelings some difficulties in entering on the Spanish market and at the same time is kinda a strange because we live just side by side! I cant understand why we have great feedback from France or ven Germany and those coutries are fair way from us…but we still working on the spanish quest!!
– That’s all from my side, thanks again for your time. If you want to add some final words, feel free to do it.
Thjanks for the excellent interview and I would like to invite everyone to visit our official site at www.heavenwoodclan.co.pt or www.myspace.com/heavenwood not forgeting our official FACEBOOK!
