Me and Jake E (vocals) have known each other for over five years; while he was playing in Dreamland I was playing in Dragonland and after a while we naturally started talking about doing something together. Since we hang out a lot beside musical situations there was at least a year or two of just talking about what the music should be like, on a conceptual level. I was also on tour with Morten (drums), and we were playing with Nightrage, three years back, and I discovered that he was completely on the same wave length as me and Jake, so when the time came to put the band together, he was a natural choice. Elize (female vocals), beside being one of the most talented people I've ever had the pleasure to work with, was a close friend of both me and Jake for many years, and we brought her in to sing some guest lines on the first song, and Andy (screams) whom I have known for more than 10 years was originally brought in as a guest as well - in both cases they fit in so perfectly and created such a unique sound me and Jake made the decision to join the band for them. Johan (bass) is a friend of Andy, and we knew instantly after meeting him that he was the perfect guy for this band.
2) What can we expect from the upcoming album? Have you changed your sound at all from the ‘Leave Everything Behind’ EP?
Actually, we never released an EP, we've just released one single, semi-officially, but the songs we've put up on MySpace were quickly ripped and spread onto YouTube, torrents etc, hence the confusion. There are around 5 songs in demo format floating around, and the full album will feature around 12-13 songs, all in Amaranthe's distinct style, and the songs already heard will be hugely improved sonically. I have to point out that most of the songs people have heard from us were recorded in mine or Jake's home studios. Musically, the songs are in a straight forward, catchy style that you have heard from us before, but there is a lot of variation on tempos, moods and musical ideas, to keep the album really fresh throughout.
3) And when can we expect the release of the album?
At this point any estimation would be a mere guess, and we might have made too many official estimations already - but as we are very close to wrapping up the whole label thing, and the album is already completely finished song writing wise, so my personal estimation would be early next year. There are many things that go into planning the release of an album, and this release is going to be HUGE in terms of marketing, promotion and touring, and the label of course has a big say with timing etc.
4) Are there plans for any UK dates in the near future or perhaps a festival appearance over here?
While nothing is 100% confirmed yet, I can definitely say it is within our very highest priority to play the UK as soon as possible! I have personally always loved playing the UK since opening for Malmsteen at the Hammersmith Apollo (with my other band Dragonland) six years ago, and I've been there many times since, and the crowd has always been really awesome. Jake and Elize were there with Kamelot a couple of months ago performing at the Koko in London, and really loved that as well. My estimation is that our first visit over there will be part of tour, and later on hopefully some one-offs and festivals. We will definitely come and rock out for you guys soon!
5) Which track, from the ones you’ve already released, are you proudest of and why?
This is quite a tough choice and while it is almost a tie, I will have to go for 'Hunger', which is up on our MySpace presently. I really love this song because it clearly captures our influences and ideas; every vocalist really shines on it and it also very much the product of writing the song as a collective. While I write the music itself regarding guitars, keys, chord progression, basic arrangement of drums etc, it is when the guys in the band contribute with concepts, vocal lines and general ideas that the magic really happens. The song is probably one our heaviest while still being one of the most melodic, and it doesn't have a boring second in it.
6) Are there any bands that have had an influence on the direction that your music has taken?
Oh yes, very much so. Among the metal bands Soilwork has for long been a huge influence on my song writing and riff ideas. I think those guys were pioneers when it came to mixing melodic vocals with growls - even if they were not the first, they always did it best in my opinion. The whole melodic death metal/Gothenburg style thing comes into our sound naturally, as I grew up right in the middle of that in the mid 90's. There is also a lot of quite thrashy riffing going on in the songs, and a pretty big part of that comes from playing old Metallica/Pantera/Slayer songs as a kid, and all the complex rhythmical/odd time signature stuff stems from bands such as Meshuggah and Mnemic (who are in some ways a big influence after touring with them back in 2007). Personally, my input into Amaranthe's song writing is basically a coherent collection of every band that I've liked, and I think we've managed quite well to fuse a number of different styles and genres. There are also a number of non-metal influences, but I will leave talking about that to the non-metal zones.
7) You guys have three vocalists, which is pretty unusual for this type of music. Was this idea planned from the beginning or was it just a successful experiment?
As previously mentioned in the first question, we were trying out a lot of things early on, and while it was planned for long to have two vocalists, screams and male clean singing, it was only when we finally heard the perfect combination of all three vocalists that it was decided upon going with three vocalists. It seemed like something different and unique, but much more than being just a gimmick, it made it possible for us to use a lot of different nuances and colours vocally - like an artist with a big palette, basically.
8) Where do you get the inspiration for your lyrics from and what are they about?
The lyrics follow a pretty distinct theme, and they will almost form a sort of a concept album put together. While we have a very specific concept in mind, I think it's much more interesting to leave a part of the interpretation of the lyrics to the listener, and people have written to me talking about the meaning of our lyrics with very different ideas of what they were about. The main idea with the lyrics is to thoroughly represent our music in words; we try to keep them energetic, powerful and with a sense of urgency. However, when the album and future videos are out, the concept will become a bit clearer, while still keeping a mysterious edge.
9) How enjoyable has the recording process been for everyone?
We are yet to experience our first professional studio recording, but putting the music on tape on a demo level has been relaxed and incredibly satisfying. Typically I recorded Elize and Johan and myself at my studio, Jake records himself in his, same with Andy and Morten records drums down in Denmark, so everyone is quite comfortable in their own environment. There is always a lot of enthusiasm going on while recording and composing, so it is always a really good experience. It's basically friends hanging out together having fun while doing some cool music, you know?
10) What has been the band’s best moment to date?
In the very short existence of this band, we've had some pretty crazy and incredible moments, such as the initial response when we put up the first couple of songs on MySpace. It blew up overnight, and the next day we had thousands of plays and several offers for record deals in our inbox, and from there the ride has been amazing, even though we are just getting started. For a specific moment though, I have to mention the tour finale of the incredible trek with Kamelot, who have been completely fantastic with their support towards us, and we cannot thank them enough for it. The tour ended in Oslo, and the crazy Kamelot fans greeted us warmly, while it was evident that we already had quite a few fans of our own, as Amaranthe flags were hung from the balcony and people knew the lyrics etc. We also right in the middle of what is probably the best moment presently, but I can't say anything more about that presently, it should not be long before it is revealed though.
A big thank you for the great interview Ben, and hope to see you and the good people of the United Kingdom on tour soon! God Save the Queen! ;)
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