Chilean band SACRAMENTO releases with its second videoclip

Chilean gothic metal SACRAMENTO debuts with its second official video clip with the song “Purple” , which is  present on their debut album “Weight of Sin”, that was published in June 2011. An album that has received  top notch reviews from the press. The band members are: Laura Vargas (vocals), Alejandro Espinosa (guitars), Juan Pablo Vallejos (bass), Rodrigo Zuñiga (Drums). According to their Facebook the band is already preparing for the new album that will be out in 2013.

Interview : Silje Wergeland & Réne Rutten – The Gathering

Interview by Miriam C.

The Dutch musical revolutionaries are back with “Disclosure”. Elegant, subtle and refined as their style asks. Lone gone are the days when TG used to make your head bang, define them some little genious is so predictable but TG never stops to experiment itself. Everytime that they release a full lenght album is like putting a stepping stone on their long career, also they never stop you to surprised you (see the resuscitated The Gathering ’92 line up gigs). And this matters we have asked some questions to the (once was a) newbie singer Silje Wergeland and to Réne Rutten for some expectation about TG ’92.

Hi Silje first of all thanks for accept this interview. At the end of August/early September your ninth album “Disclosure” will be out. What you can share about its genesis, when you have nail down your first lyric?

Hello! I started writing down lyric ideas for this album some time ago, I think 3 years maybe (I guess right after “The West Pole”), and has been an evolving process since.

“Disclosure” was, in some ways, anticipated by “Heroes for Ghosts” in 2011. Why this choice? And also what you can tell us about the videoclip backstage and preparation? And what about its story?

Yes, we wanted to release this song last year to give a little teaser from the album. We all love this song, and it was one of the first songs we finished totally for this purpose. It is reflecting the atmosphere of the album, so it was a good teaser to go public. Regarding the videoclip it was originally meant to be done in Holland, but we decided in the last minute to do it in my hometown Bergen in Norway due to the script. The band flew in Dutch director Marcus Moonen, and we hired a Norwegian producer, who together with me and my boyfriend arranged for locations, car, styling, crew etc to be ready when Marcus arrived. It was all recorded during 2-3 days. We had a lot of locations so it was a busy busy time, very fun though! Very happy with the result. The video and the song shows a love story that ends with a break up.

I’ve imagined that being your second album that you’ve recorded with The Gathering you feel more “relaxed” and you don’t feel the pressure (I mean all fans eyes’ are not pointed at “who will be the next singer” fact). Thinking backwards did you have find something that worked better this time compared with the last recording session/album “The West Pole”?

Yes, for sure. It is all about the music and the new album this time, which is a relief hehe;-) We as band members knew each other better both in person and musically, so it was an evolving process where we worked on the songs more together from the start. It was also a lot more relaxed and we took the time we needed, and never rushed things.

“Disclosure” is such an elegant and profound title. Who came out with it and what’s the meaning in your point of view? What you want to “disclosure”?

I think “Disclosure” reflects that we’re making a little statement with our music, constantly showing we are developing and changing musically and doing it because we want and need to. And this album shows that the Gathering is all about music, making music we like. Also the lyrics are quite personal, honest and pure about life and dealing with heavy episodes I’ve and we’ve experienced in life.

“Disclosure” is coming with a 10″ EP vinyl called “Afterlights” : why remake this songs that are already present on “Disclosure”? And what’s their main differences?

3 songs are also on the CD/LP but we did the ‘mixes’ ourself to give it another touch… and they are really different that the album versions. Only “Meltown” is a edit version.

Also connected to the previous question : why don’t publish this release in CD format like for “City for Above”?

It’s a extra gift for the people who will buy the full packages, maybe we gonna release it on a CD with extra songs or remixes, but that is still a idea.

In your opinion/idea what the meaning of the cover album, but before this (congratulations for it, I really like it!) who’s the author and is it connected with the lyrics? It was random the choice of the cover to be in steampunk style?

Thank you, we love it too!:-) It is made by Carlos Vergara Rivera, a very talented Chilean artist. We have been in touch with him for some time and followed his art as he has sent us pictures he’s done. We already started thinking about using drawings and artificial artwork for “The West Pole”, but found the perfect picture for that album in a real photo. This time Carlos presented this artwork for us after we talked to him about a possible collaboration, and we all fell in love with his picture immediately. For me it reflects the beauty of expressing your heart and mind with art and music. It is something beautiful and fragile about it, messy but also very clear and atmospheric with many layers, just like our music.

Reading the tracklist, the fact that hit me so much is “Gemini I/II”. What you can tell about these songs, are entwined in each other and why split in 2 parts?

Frank made this song, sent us a demo version like “Gemini II” with only strings. We all loved it immediately. I made the vocals on top of it. After some time the song developed more and more as a band song while the other band members worked on the song as well and “Gemini I” was born too.

I know that you’ve replied maybe a million of times but in which status we must consider your previous band Octavia Sperati?

Hehe, no worries. The status is basically that the band is not active and there are no further plans with the band. We are still very good friends, but everyone has started on other chapters in life with other bands, family or studies.

Now for René : I’ve noticed that The Gathering 1992 are come back to life, when is born this idea and also how did you felt play with them after so much time? Also never thought to record a live album of the recent played gig, sort of an official bootleg? Does this “collaboration” is something occasional or must expect something (I mean for a real record)?

Réne: Playing again the first gathering album is just for fun, we started with this idea because a friend needed help with a benefit show, and we all said yes! Let’s do it for the fun! And when we announced it we got 6 more shows to do. Maybe we gonna record one club show and release it as a TG92 Live record. In 5 years form now we will come together again, but for now we have no plans for a new record with TG 92.

Now what are your next planes?

Réne: Our next plans are for The Gathering 92 line up to play some shows in September and right now we are doing a lot of interviews for the release of “Disclosure” in September and then we’ll hit the road again early 2012 to finally play the new songs live. Can’t wait!!

Thanks for both you and Réne for replying our questions. Please greet your fans as you want!

Thanks for your interest and reading this and for all the superb feedback and nice comments about our two singles released from “Disclosure” (“Meltdown” and “Heroes for Ghosts”)! Hope you like the rest of the album just as much!

Links

MySpace * BandCamp * Facebook * Twitter * Site

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Interview : Elisabeth Vásquez – Six Magics

Interview by Ed MacLaren

In the last few years, female-fronted metal has turned into a revolving door for vocalists. To satisfy the bands and their fans, vocalists have to be able to do justice to the older material plus have the potential to take the band in new directions. We’ve seen bands conduct highly publicized searches across countries and continents trying to find that next great singer. In the case of Chile’s Six Magics, they had to look no farther than their band manager. The smoldering contralto of Elizabeth Vásquez officially debuts on “Behind the Sorrow”, the excellent new album from Six Magics. Femme Metal got a chance to speak to Elizabeth about “Behind the Sorrow”, how saying “No” can get you the job anyway and what we can help the victims of the recent earthquake in Chile.

“Behind the Sorrow” is a re-release of your 2008 album “Animal” with a new track and new packaging. Why did you choose to re-release the material?

Well, “Animal” was just a promotional CD that we made for Chilean friends and fans. It was something very small and we did it because people were crazy asking and asking about our new material. We were looking for a good label at that time so we decided to edit a limited amount of copies here. So our real third album release is “Behind the Sorrow”.

You spent years as Six Magics’ manager before you became the vocalist. How did you get the gig? Was this your plan from the beginning – do the manager thing for awhile and then strike when the opportunity appeared? Were you the first choice or did you have to convince the band to give you an audition? Perhaps you didn’t even give them an option.

Ha-ha! Yeah, that could be a good strategy but I was too young when I started with the band as the manager so that never was on my mind. I started with the band seven months after they decided to have a band. I did all the stuff managers do. I was very proud of them because they were very talented and the band had started to be well known here too. When they recorded the second album, “The Secrets of An Island”, which contains a lot of voices on it because of the choir, Erick Avila, the composer, was crazy looking for a contralto voice. As it was so hard because most of the girls were soprano, he asked me to sing in the choir and record the lines with them. After that I was also asked to sing some female parts live because it was also needed for two songs. When Sergio Dominguez decided to leave, we were looking for singers even in Argentina and the States but it was hard to find a foreign singer who fulfilled all the requirements the band asked. So, when I was also looking for a singer, Erick had the idea to ask me if I could do it. My answer was no: I was very impressed and I thought it was an insane idea!!! So as I wanted to free myself from this, I told him I would record a song – the most difficult song. I recorded “Behind the Sorrow” and when they listened to my version it was just silence. I thought, “Cool. I did it!” but then Erick said, “It’s amazing!! I love it!. Send it to (producer) David Prater to know what he thinks!”. The band liked it and David Prater said he was impressed and that I was what Six Magics needed to be complete! Everything was unexpected!

Considering the band was established for many years, why did the band choose to change directions and move from a male singer to a female one? Was it considered a risky move?

Fortunately, the band was always taking risks with everything: the performances, lyrics, etc., so when Sergio quit they thought it was a good opportunity to get another singer better than him so it wasn’t a traumatic situation for them. They just wanted to solve the problem soon because Sergio quit when he had already recorded four songs. They never thought about having a woman singing because they thought that having a girl among them could be a problem because of her requirements, or because she would be a soprano singer or something like that. As the band was very recognized and valued here, they thought it could be hard – not for them – but for fans to understand it. The guys did what they had done before: not to be afraid about the risk and they were very convinced that this was the best for the band.

How was it for you to step into a male singer’s shoes especially in a recognized band with a large repertoire of songs?

As I am a contralto, the band’s songs weren’t a problem for me – the thing was to be respectful with each song and show this to the fans. I didn’t change the songs for me; I still sing the old songs in the same way Sergio did it. I think fans understood that and they felt good about it too. At the beginning, we thought that when the news about my arrival to the band was published, fans would be annoyed or something but on the contrary, they were surprised but happy. It was really crazy! We thought that as they (the fans) have always trusted in the band’s decisions, fans (would think) that if the band decided to have a female singer now, it was because it was the best for the band and they would respect that. People were very, very, kind with us since the very beginning. I think it was also because they knew me from when I was the manager! Personally, I have a lot of respect for all the guys in the band. It was amazing to share the stage with these monsters. All of them are well recognized here as virtuosos and all of them are music teachers. So it has been an honor for me to be with them.

Was there an adjustment period for you, the band, and the fans while you learned to make the music your own?

Just musically speaking, because we had known each other for 10 years! We had a lot of rehearsals because I knew all the songs perfectly but we needed to understand each other with my new role. I was ready after a month of rehearsal. I must say all of them were very generous and they always showed me they were happy to have me with them. The problem was then to find another manager. Ha-Ha! Erick is the main composer and our musical director. He was very, very, demanding, but it wasn’t in a dramatic situation. Erick started taking advantage of having a female voice and we started to make some new melodies for the new material, etc.

Six Magics’ music is very atmospheric and dark with many heavy and progressive elements. Being from Chile, is there a sound associated with South American metal that makes it distinct from the rest of the world? Have you made it a part of your music?

In the second album of Six Magics, you can find a lot Latin-American elements: the lyrics are about a Chilean island and their mythological stories, musical rhythm, and also in the instruments the guys played. At that moment, we wanted to save our roots and record an album with all these elements. It was a very well recognized album here and the band was considered as a contributor to the music and Chilean culture too. After that, we decided to record a third album with a different point of view, musically speaking. I think as Erick loves classical music, and in the band we all have different musical likes, it’s easy to find different influences in our music too. I think Pablo Stagnaro, the drummer, is responsible for the Latin-American patterns we play live sometimes.

You tagged David Prater of Dream Theater fame to produce “Behind the Sorrow”. How did you get him on board and what did he bring to your music?

A couple of years ago we decided to record a new album. Our main idea was getting this new album considering other sounds, rhythms, melodies and lyrics. He had recorded another band here in Chile some years before and as we knew these guys we could contact him rapidly. We wanted this third album to be different from the previous ones. We also thought it would be a good idea to reach this goal if we worked with a producer. With all of this in mind, we contacted some people to take this job and after some months we decided to produce the new material with David Prater. He wanted to work with us because he thought the band had enough potential to get good results and the idea of working with him was quite attractive to us because, talking about music, he wanted the same we wanted. I mean, we were lucky because we found a producer that didn’t want to change our music as his wish and we wanted to do the same he wanted! It was a long time in which many things happened: since his arrival with the band, we had almost everything recorded and the singer quit the band. So then I took his place and David had to come to Chile again to record the vocals with me having a very serious illness etc… At the end of the process, we realized that everybody was very happy with the result and that all the sacrifices were absolutely paid with this new album. I think what he brought to our music was the idea of simplicity, the previous albums had thousands of notes sounding at the same time and the musical spirit went more for having a lot of complex arrangements working together at the same time. Fortunately we wanted to do something more simple too.

South America is crazy about metal music. What is it about metal, especially European bands that South Americans respond to?

Yes. Latin-American people love metal bands from Europe and they used to go to their concerts too. In Chile, we have the chance to see almost every band so I think people are losing their capability of being surprised: one day we have Metallica, next month Iron Maiden, then Blind Guardian, Sonata Arctica, Slayer, Dream Theater etc…so sometimes we need to save a lot of money to go to the concerts – especially because they cost a lot. Chile is one of the most expensive countries to have a concert; even small band’s gigs are expensive. About language: Chile is a bit different from other Latin-American countries: people love bands that sing in English but in other places I know they prefer bands that do it in Spanish. As Chile is more influenced by the USA and Europe, that’s not hard to understand. Here we have a lot of good bands but as we don’t have a “metal industry”, it’s always difficult to make music and live from it.

Your vocals on “Behind the Sorrow” are very sultry, very low and ominous. The vocal heat really adds a level of seduction to songs like “It’s Not the Way”. Your voice also allows you to easily stand out from the upper-register operatic singers in so many other female-fronted metal bands. Were you always a singer or did you come to it later in life?

Thank you so much for your kind words and I’m happy to see you have listened to our music carefully. I have been listening to music since before I was born! Music was also my favorite subject at school and I was asked to sing every time I could do it. As I like jazz and rhythm & blues, I had some cover bands where I learned a lot. As I told you before, I like R&B and jazz and metal of course! My favorite singers are Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Peabo Bryson, Freddy Mercury, Dio and many other metal singers, so I used to sing this music too. When someone asks me to sing something from the 80s pop or rock I don’t have any problem. Sometimes I sing bossanova or jazz depending on the moment and feelings. All music gives you something special but what metal is for me is part of my entire life!

“Run” implies there was more to the World Trade Center bombing than another terrorist attack. This track is a bit of a misfit lyrically among the rest of the tracks on “Behind the Sorrow”. What was the inspiration to write the song? Does the band have a political edge that fans don’t know about yet?

Not really. Chile was under a dictatorship for almost 20 years but we were children then. We belong to the generation that lived that but we don’t have a political view of certain things. Politicians are really worried because of the lack of interest of Chilean youth. I think we are tired of politics because for many years after democracy was set in 1990 we have listened to a lot of (political) discussions in our families and also seen it on TV. And as our album is very realistic and we talk about things we really believe in, that’s a song we wanted to write but we didn’t know how, then the idea of making something related to this topic was very strong. What really motivated us to do this was that all of us think we shouldn’t believe everything we are told. Sometimes we can lie and make other people believe we are the victims but we are not. We wanted to talk about different topics we strongly believe and we had the opportunity to record two previous albums where we didn’t want to do it, but we talked about a fantastic world or mythological being from our country instead. This time, as a natural process in life, we wanted to do something different. It was also motivating because we had David Prater with us and we could share a lot of experiences about this topic, his feelings and thoughts, so it was really nice to share the ideas of an American guy with our own beliefs.

We’re starting to hear of more and more bands from South America making an impact internationally. Should we prepare ourselves for the next wave of metal bands? Who are the top female-fronted metal bands we should watch out for?

I think music is a nice way to join people, countries and cultures. We have lived that! You can see how people who don’t know you can have an effective approach to you just because your music could reach their heart. So I think if music is sincere it doesn’t matter where it comes from. Unfortunately, I don’t know too many bands from Latin-America. It can be curious, I know, but I still listen to the old ones like Angra and their derivations (ha-ha) Sepultura and Criminal from Chile.

Releasing “Behind the Sorrow” must give the band some time to work on new material. Are you working on a new album? What can we expect to hear?

The album was released just last month and, of course, we are interested in recording another album soon but now we are just concentrating on the next promotional tour and supporting our label with everything we have to get “Behind the Sorrow” the best results. We wanna enjoy this album completely first! We will see about a new record during the second semester of this year and I will let you know for sure!

A new album means a tour. Where is Six Magics performing in 2010? Are you staying close to South America this year or can we expect to see you in Europe and the U.S.?

Yes, a new album means a tour. We understand that and we love it, too! We have been working with some people to have our promotional tour in Europe next semester. We are still booking the gigs so you will hear about them soon. We want to go to the USA too and we have got some invitations so maybe we will have good news very soon.

The recent earthquake in Chile was a tragedy and we at Femme Metal send our condolences and support to the Chilean people. There are many metal bands that have a close relationship with their Chilean fans and are raising money by performing in Chile or in their own countries. Does Six Magics have any performance plans to help raise funds or to participate in relief efforts?

Thanks for that and we know many bands like Chile and its people. We really thank all the bands that are trying to help or are simply sending their support. We have got many emails from different parts of the world. Fans and other bands have sent us their valuable support. It’s a so sensible situation for all of us. We had returned from our promotional trip in Germany and after nine hours the disaster began. It was really scary and we are still having news about the real consequences of this tragedy. It has been something that has affected us in different ways – mainly psychologically speaking. Feeling our houses or apartments so vulnerable and feeling hundreds of aftershocks has been very hard. Emotionally, we are still affected and I think it will take a lot of time to be totally recovered. Life has changed for all of us since that day, no matter if our house was or was not destroyed or if we have relatives missing or not. As many of us are teachers so the professional situation hasn’t changed too much, but our students are also affected. It’s a circle, but we are trying to stand up. We have seen a lot of tragedy in our country and you suffer when your country is suffering too. We have been collaborating with different foundations as a band and also individually. We are always available to do benefits too. It’s also a way to cure our souls when you can help others and you realize you must be grateful to be alive and have all your family with you. If readers want to donate to the relief effort what is the best way they can contribute? As you can imagine, there are many ways people can support Chile. If they really want to do it they will find the best way. Fortunately, Chilean foundations are very confident. One is Hogar de Cristo (Christ Home) at and here you also have another interesting link. Thank you very much for your patience and support. God bless you all guys. With love, Elizabeth and Six Magics.

Links

MySpace * Facebook * Site

Edenial – “From the End” (2011)

Label : Ravenheart Records

Review by Tony Cannella

From Chile, the four member Metal band Edenial formed in 2000. In 2003 they released 4-song demo and in 2011 – 8 long years later – Edenial resurfaces with their second album titled “From the End”. This Chilean band definitely has got the ability and potential to raise their profile in world of melodic (yet heavy) metal. The song which the album is named after “From the End” begins things and is not really indicative of what to expect on “From the End”. It is still a good song but it has a dreamy, more laid back vibe than the other material presented here. It is on the second song “Wind” where Edenial find their groove and “From the End” really starts to take off. Vocalist Francisca Lastra has got a solid, energetic, powerful voice. I know that those are three adjectives that are possibly overused at times, but they really and truly apply to Francisca Lastra. Throughout the CD Edenial is constantly barraging the listener with some dense and crushing guitar riffs, and a style that lies somewhere between Thrash Metal and Classic Metal, with some power metal and guitar virtuoso moments thrown in as well. “The Big Day”, “Maiden” and “Don’t Look Behind” sees the band in full-on attack mode. My favorite songs, without a doubt is “It’s Too Dark, Too Wet & Cold”, I know I don’t understand the title either but with that a side this just proves to be a great song. That is followed by the attitude heavy, in-your-face assault of “Payback”. The melodic “Staying with Me” brings things to a great conclusion even though this is not as heavy as the other material and has leanings in the realm of the ballad, this is still a powerful number and a wonderful way to end things. “From the Beginning” is a very effective debut. “From the End” by Edenial is 12-songs and 49-minutes worth of some solid material. The songs are mostly up-tempo, well played/written and feature some wicked hooks, infectious melodies and memorable choruses. The songs also possess enormous commercial potential (in my opinion) if given the opportunity to reach a wider audience. At the end of the day, Edenial are still a metal band (and a very good one at that) but their accessibility factor can’t be denied.

Rating – 88/100

Tracklist

1. From the End
2. Wind
3. The Big Day
4. Maiden
5. Don’t Look Behind
6. The Hunting
7. I Love It
8. It’s Too Dark, Too Wet & Cold
9. Payback
10. Count till 10
11. Freedom?
12. Staying with Me

Line Up

• Francisca Lastra – Vocals
• Gerardo Ihle –  Guitars
• Eduardo Pasten – Bass
• Daniel Urdangarin – Drums

Links

MySpace * ReverbNation *  Facebook * Twitter

Six Magics – “Behind the Sorrow” (2010)

Label : Coroner Records

Review by Tony Cannella

Six Magics are a powerhouse outfit from Chile. They play good, traditional power metal, a style that can be heard on their fourth – and latest – release “Behind the Sorrow”. The band is fronted by Elyzabeth Vasquez who really adds her own power and talent to the mix. The 10-songs and 48-minutes worth of music contained on “Behind the Sorrow” is an impressive mix of traditional power metal, progressive metal combined with heavy thrash metal like riffs and great melodic songs.The band certainly delivers a wide range of variety on their pallet throughout “Behind the Sorrow”. A fact evidenced in the songs: “Run”, “Animal”, “Behind the Sorrow”, “Hands of Time” and the mid-tempo “It’s Not the Way”, before the band brings back the heaviness for the final track “I Remember”. The band also worked with well known producer David Prater on “Behind the Sorrow”, he had previously worked with progressive metal legends Dream Theater on their “Images & Words” and “Change of Seasons” releases, and he adds his touch to the music on this CD. “Behind the Sorrow” is an exciting piece of work by Six Magics. There really are not too many female fronted metal bands doing this sort of thing these days, so in a sense “Behind the Sorrow” is a refreshing change of pace.

Rating – 85/100

Tracklist

1. Run 
2. Animal 
3. Behind the Sorrow 
4. Lies and Rules 
5. Hands of Time
6. All My Dreams
7. They 
8. No Time to Grieve 
9. It’s Not the Way 
10. I Remember

Line Up

• Elyzabeth Vasquez – Vocals 
• Erick Avila – Guitar 
• Gabriel Hidalgo – Guitar 
• Mauricio Nader – Bass 
• Pablo Stagnaro – Drums

Links

MySpace * Facebook * Site