MY DYING BRIDE (Eng.)
– Hello Lena, thank you so much for taking your time. How’s everything doing in the MDB’s camp?
Hi, at the moment we are busy writing new material for the next album. We’re taking our time to make sure it’s the best we can possibly produce, hence why we have so little gigs booked for this year.
– Your latest release is «Evinta» in fact, it came out just a few weeks ago. How do you think its being its feedback so far? As, though the album may be essential for some fans and beside its emotional content (so to speak), I guess not everyone is open to hear some of your mightiest songs re-arranged…
Feedback has been very positive and a lot of people love the concept and view it as a bone fide MDB release even though there is very little new material. Its ambient and classical music comprised of bits f our back catalogue, anyone expecting a metal album will be disappointed. This isn’t our new direction, its only a one-off that MDB have been planning for year. I haven’t heard or seen any criticism of the songs that were chosen, just that some people prefer the metal.
– To start getting a bit into it; why «Evinta»?
Evinta means to deliver with clarity and confidence. It’s an ancient Italian word that they no longer use.
– With this album you are celebrating your 20th anniversary. How did you come up with the idea of commemorating these 20 years of existence with an album like this?
The timing just felt right to bring this project back to life. The 3CD version has a book that has photos from the bands’ personal photo collection from the very beginnings of My Dying Bride up to right now. Its a beautiful thing to have.
– I have read this project was already in the works 15 years ago. Would you mind shed some light on this?
MDB were planning this 15 years ago but the idea was abandoned around 1998 when Martin Powell left. There’s a much broader spectrum of songs to choose from now, this idea probably wouldn’t have worked so many years ago.
– As I said, «Evinta» marks your 20th anniversary as a band so, what does this mean to you?
I think that doing anything for 20 years deserves a celebration! There are people that came to our recent Albion In Ruin tour that saw MDB on their first tours, I met people that came from America, Russia, Romania, Australia and a load of other countries to England just to see us. It’s fantastic that people are so enthusiastic, it’s a celebration of those people just as much as at it for MDB.
– Regarding the songs’ selection, would you have liked to include any other song or now, with the album in your hands, do you think there are some tracks that could have been overlooked?
We spent so long deliberating over which songs and which parts to use that it’s the best we could have possibly done. It really does cover everything, I don’t think we’ve overlooked any song at all, quite the opposite perhaps.
– In this record we can find several guest artists as French soprano Lucie Roche, keyboardist Johnny Maudling (BAL-SAGOTH) and classical musicians. Why and how did you decide to have these artists?
We went to Johnny with our ideas, the exact riffs and parts we wanted to include, and asked him to piece it all together with musical glue. For example, you have the violin part from A Kiss To Remember leading into a guitar part from The Wreckage Of My Flesh. Lucie got in touch with us ages ago saying she was a fan of the band and a professional opera singer and if we ever needed operatic vocals then she would help out.
– And what have they provided with their cooperation? Specially those classical musicians as, in someway, have provided a new deep to these songs.
We have flute, cello, violins and opera thanks to the guests. The songs aren’t instantly recognisable for what they are, they’re the same songs, but looking at them from a different perspective. There has always been a classical element to MDB because of the violin and this brings to fantasy to life for us.
– I think «Evinta» overall captures the MY DYING BRIDE’s essence, specially feeling-wise, as its really expressive. Was this something you wanted to get?
Absolutely, we want all of our music to do something to you.
– The arrangements in these songs are obvious: less guitar-driven, more piano, more keyboards, some elements that remind us to electronica… But, in your opinion, what are the main and essential changes?
There are no guitars, bass, drums or death growls. It is not a typical MDB release. We could have easily put guitars etc all over it but that would be defeating the point.
– MY DYING BRIDE has always been a really dark and depressive band. How uses to be the composition process like in a band like MDB?
The writing process never ends, even between concerts and rehearsals we all play around with riffs. We usually just go straight into the studio with the best bits and piece it all together. Right now we’re spending a lot of time together writing and recording in our home studios. We’ll be in the proper studio soon enough.
– You joined the band in 2007; how did everything arise? And how have been these years to you?
I knew MDB personally for years before I joined them. When Adrian left I was invited to audition and here I am now. The last few years have been unbelievable, the best years of my life so far without a doubt. I’m getting to meet and have drinks with people I used have on posters on my
bedroom wall and inspired me to play in the first place. Enough said.
– During these years we have had the chance of knowing what the main band’s influences are, but what are yours (both bands/styles and bass players)? Does playing in a Doom Metal band affect you in any way or even does it affect your mood?
I’m not one of these people that can say “yeah I listen to anything and everything” because I only listen metal. everything else just doesn’t do it for me in the same way so why bother? Playing in a doom band hasn’t changed me but it has changed how I look at writing. I haven’t had to write doom before MDB and it’s certainly not easier because it’s slower, quite the opposite. Also making the transition from guitarist to bassist was a challenge. My influences aren’t the typical ones you might expect, I just aim to create strong, powerful rhythms that swirl around between the drums and guitars.
– Nowadays seems difficult to keep on working with the same record label, and you guys have always been with Peaceville Records, so I guess everything works pretty well with them…
Peaceville are great, they listen to what we want and need and they don’t interfere with what we write. They just leave us to it! You’d be lucky to find another label like this one.
– As you may know, from Queens of Steel we have always brought special support and promotion to women into the Metal scene, so I can’t actually help asking you a couple of things about this matter. First of all, could you say there’s discrimination into the Metal world? In any way, as I don’t just mean giving women into this music a wrong role or undervaluing their work, but also making differences just because the gender can be considered a kind of discrimination.
Yes there is discrimination but it’s in every aspect of life. Gender discrimination is one of the main ones along with race and sexuality. I get asked stupid questions by Neanderthal men and sometimes assumed to be a girlfiend of someone in MDB. It’s important not to be hung up on it though because we’re better than that.
– On the other hand, some females into Metal music seem to be seen just as an image or «Metal girls» instead of skilled musicians/artists. What are your thoughts on this?
Those girls can do what they like, if they have the right image and they can make money on it and be successful why not? It’s all transparent anyway, you can’t photoshop talent.
– And finally, what are the band’s near-future plans? Any tour on the works?
As I’ve already said, we’re heavily focused on writing and recording right now. A couple more gigs planned for later on this year and 70,000 tons of metal in Florida next year. This is a very busy year for us actually, we’ve done a UK tour, finished Evinta, also on the way is an autobiography and DVD documentary.
– That’s all from my side, thank you once more for your time and our best wishes. If you now want to add some final words to our readers; take the last lines.
Thanks for your time, and Ladies, we are awesome.
