– Hi, thanks for your time. What are you currently up to? How is everything doing right now with MAGICA?

Hello, Thank you for the opportunity. We are all doing fine, thanks, we have just just released our 6’th album and right now we are setting up the last details regarding the online promotion.

– First off, as you are a realtively young an undergroud band, could you please share some history of the band for all those who may don’t know about you yet?

Magica started in February 2002 as a project of Bogdan Costea, directly with the recordings for the 1st album «The Scroll of Stone» (having more of a demo purpose). After 2 months of intense work, the material was ready! 12 power melodic heavy metal songs, in the vein of Rhapsody, Nightwish, and Helloween, which show the high potential of the band. After the songs were ready Bogdan recruited the members of the band.

The second album, «Lightseeker», has been launched in October 2004 in France through Underclass Music .

Magica’s first video, «Bittersweet Nightshade», was ready on February 10, 2005. Magica has been featured in the famous «Metallian» and «Rock Hard Magazine».

In 2006 the band had the pleasure of touring Europe opening for After Forever and Nightmare, Apocalyptica and Leaves Eyes .

The third album is called Hereafter and was recorded in the autumn of 2006 but due to label change, it was released at 19 October 2007 via AFM Records Germany. 2 videos were shot for this album, » All waters have the colour of drowning» and «Entangled».

In November 2007 Ana was invited to take part in the huge Hellish Rock tour alongside Helloween, Gamma Ray and Axxis for 3 months of intense touring . It was a unforgetable experience.

After that, three more studio albums and lots of gigs: 2008 «Wolves and witches»; 2010 «Dark Diary» :2012 «Center of the Great Unknown» that also released a video with the same title.

 

– You have just unleashed your new album, «Center of the Great Unknown». What are your expectations on it? And how has its feedback been so far?

We don’t really have expectations. We just want it to get to as much people as possible that hopefully will like it. The people’s feedback was excelent. We had some complaints though from some webzines that somehow the music is not so unique sounding . In my defense I can say that when I wrote this album I was not trying to be unique and original. I just wanted to write and play exacly what I like and what I feel. That’s it. I don’t want to try to be unique just for the sake of doing something different and then risk not to like the outcome myself and not to really feel what am I playing.

 

– I noticed on this album both vocals and guitar are in front of everyhing, it seems like you have even focused a little bit more on both elements. Is that true or just a personal interpretation?

I guess it is true. Guitars are the trademark of metal music and I wanted for people to understand that we are a metal band that really plays guitar and not just oneof that bands that create boombastic keyboard arrangemets while the guitar only plays straight basic chords in a rap manner. Of course that at the same time we emphased the vocal lines because after all, Ana is the main element of the band.

 

– For this album you’ve got a new bass player and drummer. What have they brought to the band?

The rhythm section :)) hahaha. Eh, Tibi is a very versatile player with lots of blues and jazz background so live he gives a different groove to the band that we like very much.

 

– And with new blood on MAGICA; has the songwriting process changed?

Not really. I did not change the way I write songs, although I do not have only one way of doing it. Sometimes a song can start from a riff, sometimes from a some lyrics I come up with of from a tune that pops in mind while I drive my car. When the ideea arrives, I record it on something rudimentary like a cellphone and when I have time I go to a computer, take my guitar in my hands and start developing it.

 

– I also believe «Center of the Great Unknown» is in general a pretty powerful album, with a some kind of victorious feeling. Could you say the new blood on the band has also helped reenergize your sound?

Yes, it is a powerfull album, but it had nothing to do with the new blood of the band. It’s just a natural progression of the creative writing of Magica.

 

– If I’m not mistaken the album is based on different pieces and authors. Would you mind to shed some light on the overall concept and what did inspire/interest you so much of these authors/books?

The idea of this 2012 album came from the books that I was reading. It started with some news about the arctic expeditions, continued with some research about Admiral Byrd’s attempts to reach the north and south pole by air and then derived in a series of books written around the year 1800 about the hollow earth. The album is based on «The Diary Of Admiral» by R.E. Byrd, «Godess Of Atvatabar» by W. Bradshaw, «Beasts, Man And Gods» by F.A.Ossendowsky and a few more authors and adventurers

 

– On the other hand, the artwork was crafted by the Chilenan artist Claudio Bergamin, whom has already worked with several well-known artists. Could you please tell us what did you want to express with the cover and how did you work on it (I mean if you gave Claudio any guidelines, the lyrics, album’s title and that kind of stuff)?

We are very happy that we decided to wirk with mr. Bergamin . Once I told him what the album was about, I did not had to say a word. He knew everything about what I was talking about. The stories, the lore, the gossip, the pro and against arguments. I really liked this guy from the first words we shared online. In Claudio’s own words (this is a copy paste from his blog): « I’m a huge geek of the paranormal but I rarely propose that kind of stuff to my clients. Strangely enough, these subjects find their way to me. This painting is based on a very cool «modern myth»; The Hollow Earth!!! It is partly based on Admiral Byrd’s Diary about his expedition to the North Pole and partly based on the book «The Goddess of Atvatabar» (which is somewhat similar to «Journey to the Center of The Earth by Jules Verne). The book tells the story of a group of expeditionaries in route to the North Pole on board a trap steamer. Eventually, they realize that they are actually going to the interior of the Earth through a huge opening in the Earth’s pole!. Once inside, they sail the inner oceans to discover amazing cities and new civilizations! You can actually see the horizont curving up to the sky! » You can read even more about it if you visit his personal blog.

 

– You have even done a video for the title-track. How did the shooting go?

We had a great time shooting this video. The shooting was made in more than 5 locations, lots of 3d art was combined with the real footage. Lots of greenscreen shooting and lots of crane filming on top of the mountains. As a fun fact I can disclose that during the shooting of this video Ana was 6 months pregnant 😀 .Most of all we want to thank «DigitalArk» for all their work and faith in this project

 

– All this about «Center Of The Great Unknown» being said; how could you describe it in just 3 words?

Powerfull, melodic, honest.

 

– Romania is not a really prolific country into Metal (a few bands we know are NEGURA BUNGET and DORDEDUH mainly) but, what Romanian Metal bands could you suggest?

Well I can say that I like «Taine», «White Walls» and I could also suggest my project Lupu’celRau 🙂 (www.facebook.com/LupucelRau).

 

– And is Romania a difficult country to play Metal?

Compared to Germany, it is. But we have our underground that is growing every day. Very few chances for metal bands to make a living out of this though.

 

– Finally, what are your near-future plans?

Getting back on the road is our biggest wish !

 

– That’s all, thank you once more for answering our questions. If you want to add some final words; feel free to do it.

Thank you Tania ! Horns Up readers of Queens of Steel ! Visit Magica on facebook : www.facebook.com/metalmagica

 

Tania Giménez

tania@queensofsteel.com

 

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