FemMetal Home Imperial Age – Interview with Jane Odintsova and ‘The Legacy of Atlantis’ Album ReviewImperial Age is a band from another universe that resides in Moscow, Russia. The Symphonic Metal band has brought the best of the orchestral classical music and fused it with a very fine re-defined Heavy Metal sound, to create a medium perfect for story-telling music and Rock Operas. The band released two studios so far, the second, released in 2018, being our subject of interest in this article. Below is FemMetal’s review for Imperial Age‘s 2018 album, ‘The Legacy of Atlantis’, followed by an interview with the band’s vocalist, Jane Odintsova. Click here to jump right into the interview. Review https://open.spotify.com/album/6oCQeKzl4oamuBenOCjTyH?si=t7i4cOJXRTi373BJq8jpzg ‘The Legacy of Atlantis’ is a 48 minutes long album divided upon 9 songs, telling a tale set in middle-ages Europe around a character called Avva Rama, who possesses the legacy of the advanced pre-historic civilization of Atlantis. We will say no more about the story and leave it for you to discover that amazing tale. The album features guest musicians from Swedish band Therion, such as the vocalist Thomas Vikström, Russian band Arkona, and Moscow Conservatory Chamber Choir. Below are five things we loved about ‘The Legacy of Atlantis’. Single Unit Vocals and Master-piece Choruses The album has 3 band vocalists, a guest vocalist and a choir. The vocals are so greatly arranged you feel a flaw in every song and a musical climax at every chorus. Some might feel a band with three vocalists is a bit crowded, as the classical formation suggests one at that post. However, all three vocalists perform as a single unit, providing each part of each song the momentum it needs. My favourite choruses were on the titular song, The Legacy of Atlantis. Quality and Quantity The music on the album is another remarkable thing. The melodies were varying in tempo, heaviness and darkness. We can find softer songs such as Life Eternal and heavier ones as The Awakening. We can find slow ones as The Monastery and faster ones as The Escape. You can make a whole album of quality music, but if these variations did not exist, the album would be boring. ‘The Legacy of Atlantis’ had both quality and quantity in terms of melodies. Conceptual Commitment Imperial Age took their concept to every edge of the album. We’re not only talking about the gorgeous costumes that were brilliantly designed by Jane Odintsova herself, or the artwork. The album as a whole is conceptually directed towards telling a story. And it can be seen in every melody and every word in the album. There are no ‘Starbucks cup in Westeros’ incidents. ‘The Monastery’ Every good album has one or more songs that remind you of the whole album and create an identity for it. The Monastery is one of these songs. The melody, vocals and solo are all reasons to be in love with that song. Originality Symphonic Metal, as per definition, is Heavy Metal with elements from classical orchestral music. The sound of Imperial Age in ‘The Legacy of Atlantis’ is not like any Symphonic Metal album I’ve ever heard. At certain moments you feel it’s actually an Orchestral Symphony with Heavy Metal elements. The Awakening is an example of that. There is a continuous orchestra playing behind a tenor, a soprano and a mezzo-soprano along with riffs and solos. There isn’t a thing we didn’t like about ‘The Legacy of Atlantis’. However, there are some thing we would have loved to see. For example, additional growling vocals would have taken some songs to another level. Another thing is that some melodies were too good and could have been repeated throughout their songs to make the 48 minutes of pleasure even longer. FemMetal recommends ‘The Legacy of Atlantis’ for all Symphonic Metal, Melodic Metal, and Rock/Metal Opera fans. Ratings Here are the average of the ratings that were placed by the FemMetal Team. Music (30%)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐10/10Lyrics (30%)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐8/10Production (30%)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐10/10Cover Art (10%)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐8/10Total⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐9/10 Interview We had the pleasure to speak with Jane Odintsova about Imperial Age, their sound and many other things! Jad: Hello Jane! I’m very happy to talk with you! How are you and the other Imperial Age members doing? Jane: Hi! It’s a pleasure for me too! I can’t say for the others, but I’m doing great – continue resting after our last EU tour and charging batteries for the upcoming season ) The last time I saw the others was at the shooting of Imperial Age new music video (on 28th of July) and everyone were alive, happy and drunk. Jad: You have released two studio albums so far, latest being ‘The Legacy of Atalntis’, released last year. Are you happy with the results of ‘The Legacy of Atlantis’ or do you feel there are things you could have done better? Jane: There is always a place for improvements but it is an unending way to perfection. We are happy with what we’ve done on this album 🙂 Jad: Your band’s name and themes and artwork are all based on the past days. Do you feel that this bounds you in certain places to certain topics? Jane: Our main theme is prehistoric civilizations, evolution of human consciousness and magic, that’s true. This is what me and Aor had in minds when we were thinking about the band’s name. We chose this topics ourselves, this is what we want to talk about with our listeners. It would be strange if we suddenly started writing lyrics about politics, so yes we are bound to certain topics 🙂 Jad: We have seen many bands with a growling vocalist and a female soprano or a tenor and a soprano. But you are one of the few bands that present two female vocalists, alongside a male vocalist, and it’s a wonderful touch. What are the differences between your voice and Anna’s and how does their presence together enrich Imperial Age’s music? Jane: It is much more interesting for a composer to write not only for one voice, but to have freedom with 3 or more different voices (our main composer is Aor and he has told me this many times). According to the classical music terminology, Anna is a Soprano (high female voice) and I am a Mezzo Soprano (low female voice), but I don’t like these labels. I can sing a bit lower than she, and she can sing a bit higher than me, but in the end it is the question of the shade of the voice. Anna’s voice is lighter, while mine is darker and heavier. We were thinking about adding a low male voice (Aor is a Tenor – a high male voice) but decided that we are not ready for a new member now ) Jad: Do you remember the first time you performed on stage live for an audience? When was it and how did it feel? Jane: It was in 2012 in Moscow at the first ever Imperial Age show. Maybe other people remember such moments of their lives in details, but I only remember (slightly) the venue and the fact that I was nervous (of course). Jad: Your band makes us travel back in time. But if you had the ability to actually travel in time, what age would you go to, or would you stay in our time? Jane: Hehe 🙂 There are a few epochs I would like to see: the Carboniferous period of the Paleozoic era (I would love to walk among the gigantic forest ferns and horsetails), Ancient Atlantis at its best times and Ancient Egypt. Jad: You’re from Russia, a culturally rich country. Do you try to add elements from Russian traditional culture and music into your style of Symphonic Metal? Jane: Some people say that we have some national elements in the music – however, even if that is the case, it was never done on purpose:) We are not about the Russian Empire, tsars and stuff like this, we are not playing folk music. Despite that, we do have a balalaika in two songs and we have one song in Russian. We also have 3 or 4 songs with bagpipes. But that does not make us a national band tied up to any existing country. We want to be totally international and we want to free ourselves from any political or cultural borders.. Jad: You’ve been to lots of places in the world on tour with your band. What are some places you’d like to go to and perform at next? Jane: I think America is the next place to visit – both North and South. I’ve never been there but I somehow know that it will be wonderful! Jad: You have a big fan base on social media. What issues and causes would you use your ability to reach people to promote and talk about? Jane: I don’t want to transmit any concrete ideology. I have always been, am and will be in favour of health, sport, love and not being an asshole (which can happen in many ways). Sometimes we as a band are asked to take part in some charity and we always do it because it is the right thing to do. Jad: Aside from music, what hobbies and interests do you personally have? Jane: I’m a doctor by education and though I left that career when we started the band, I’m still interested in everything what happens in that field. I’m trying to stay aware of all the newest research in medicine, health, beauty, longevity and youth. I LOVE sport. Every year I go camping with my closest friends for about a month to some remote places in Russia (I really like sleeping in a tent, cooking on a campfire, collecting firewood in the forest, chopping it etc.). And I’m really interested in paleontology. You see – in the end it’s all about Nature and Life.. Jad: Thank you Jane for your time and this interview! Jane: Thank you for the interesting questions! Stay Metal \m/ Follow Imperial Age on social media... Read more...Full Mourning Release New Single – Interview with Dorian LecterFull Mourning, a project created by Dorian Lecter, has released today their debut single. We had the chance to chat with Dorian about her debut single before its release. Interview Jad: Hello Dorian. It is lovely to speak with you. How are you today? Dorian: Hello, it’s lovely to speak with you as well. I am fantastic, thank you for having me. Jad: Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself and your project Full Mourning? Dorian: I am Dorian Lecter, I am a composer, lyricist, and vocalist based in Nashville, TN, USA. When I was younger I performed in a couple bands but Full Mourning is my first real project as an adult and I am very excited about it. The music of Full Mourning is what I call Séance Metal. I refer to it as a band but it is just me at this point in time- I write the songs and send them to producer, engineer, mixer extraordinaire Chris Collier who records them. I am currently focusing on writing and recording but would like to bring in some musicians for live shows down the road because I have some pretty cool ideas I would like to use for a stage show. Jad: Your debut single is set to be released on the 14th of August, which would be a Wednesday. Why is the release in the middle of the week unlike usual releases? Dorian: Yes! The August 14th release was very important to me because of a memorial piece I have in my home. A few years ago my husband purchased a gorgeous Victorian memorial for me and I hung it above my keyboard. As I was writing I felt very inspired by this piece and it actually ended up being the whole reason for the concept album that this single is from, as the woman it was made to commemorate was named Martha. Her date of death was August 14th, 1895 so it felt like the perfect release date since she inadvertently helped me so much. I always jokingly say that the band is me and Martha. Jad: What will be special about Full Mourning that you can say will make it stand out among other acts? Dorian: I really want Full Mourning to be an experience. I love film scores and theater and Victorian mourning culture, so I’m trying to pull all of these things together to make something that people can immerse themselves in because I feel like my favorite bands provide that kind of experience for me. Ultimately I’m creating something I love and enjoy myself, and I hope that love comes across to help it stand out. Jad: Who would you say are your main influences as an artist? Dorian: I would say my main musical influences right now are Marco Beltrami, Hans Zimmer, Carach Angren, Alesana, and Stephen Rennicks specifically for his score from The Little Stranger, which was my favorite score of 2018. Jad: Thank you for the interview and hope your single will reach the results you hope for. Dorian: Thank you very much and thank you for your time! Listen to Full Mourning’s debut single in the link below:... Read more...Ear Buzz – Interview with Ilaria Bellucci and ‘Planetarium’ EP ReviewEar Buzz is a Rock band from Italy fronted by the vocalist Ilaria Belluci. With a sound of modern Rock at its best merged with many elements from other genres and times, Ear Buzz is a band worth checking. The band has released their debut EP in 2018 entitled ‘Planetarium’. Here is FemMetal’s review of ‘Planetarium’, followed by an interview with Ilaria Bellucci. As always, you can skip to the interview by clicking here. Review The EP is made up of four songs, extending over about 15 minutes. The style Ear Buzz displays in their music, unlike many other modern Rock bands is very dependant on a classical “band” sound, with the brilliant addition of keyboard music bringing an additional tune to the guitar riffs and solos that emerge out of the melody every now and then. The EP opens up with November 11 that provides an excellent melodic intro with a very good riff and beat. Ilaria’s voice is another one of these beautiful voices you always love to hear. All along the 4 songs of the EP, it is marching note by note with the melody, and bonding with Pietro Montesarchio (Keyboards and Vocals) in the second track, Harriet, in a beyond beautiful display. In the EP, her voice is calm and yet, expresses all strengths it needs to express. Mass Destruction is the song on which you can hear the best display of Ilaria’s voice. Brilliant guitar solos can be heard all over the EP, in all 4 songs, my favourite being that of Shining Eyes. Besides the EP being only 15 minutes long, there’s nothing we did not like about it and nothing we thought the band could have done better. We recommend Ear Buzz and hope this EP is the clue of what awaits us! Rating Here are the average of the ratings that were placed by the FemMetal Team. Music (30%)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐9/10Lyrics (30%)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐7/10Production (30%)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐6/10Cover Art (10%)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐5/10Total⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐7/10 Interview Jad: Hello Ilaria! I’ve very happy to chat with you. How are you doing? Ilaria: It’s a great pleasure to speak with you too! I’m having a really great time in this period. Jad: You’re the lead vocalist and rhythm guitar player of Ear Buzz. Can you please tell FemMetal readers a bit about yourself and your band? Ilaria: I’ve grown up dreaming about being the lead singer of a band, but the place where I come from doesn’t offer so many opportunities to women in the rock industry…then in 2016 Ear Buzz asked me to be their lead singer. We had a first rehearsal and we were very comfortable each other. They started playing together one year and a half before but looked for me to improve their career. Jad: In 2018 you released an EP called Planetarium. Is that how the future work of Ear Buzz will sound, or are you still working on your sound and experimenting? Ilaria: Well man, I think it’s both…we are always writing and we always try to be faithful to our original sound on one side, but also experimenting on the other. It’s like, you know, mixing rock with electronic stuff. If you do it the right way, good results will come! Jad: As you know, I support women in Metal and Rock music industries and promote feminism in music. How much do you believe music can help spread ideas of equality and respect? And do you plan to address women’s rights-related issues in your next releases? Ilaria: Nowadays we have a lot of ways to talk each other, but the only thing closest to people is music. Of course, music can help to spread ideas of equality and respect. Think about a rock icon like Patti Smith, who started a revolution that brought men and women on the same level in music. I’d really like to address such an important issue like the one of women’s rights in my future works. Jad: As it had been mentioned, you’re a vocalist and a guitarist. If you had for a future project to choose only one role, either vocalist or guitarist, which would you pick? Ilaria: Vocalist, at all. I love playing guitar but my first passion is singing. Jad: Is there any projects coming soon for Ear Buzz you’d like to tell us about? Ilaria: We’ve just finished the promotional tour for Planetarium, and now we’re gonna stop for the rest of the year because our keyboard player and also our leader will be abroad for a period. We have planned to re-start working in February and I can say there’s much more to come! Jad: Aside from music, what hobbies do you enjoy doing? Ilaria: Aside from music, I love to take photos, draw and to watch TV series. Jad: Thank you for the iterview Ilaria! Good luck for you and Ear Buzz in your future work! Ilaria: Thank you for this opportunity! Follow Ear Buzz on social media... Read more...Epica releases ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ Lyric videoEpica has just released lyric video for Kingdom of Heaven, taken from the re-release of Design Your Universe album. Watch the video on YouTube.... Read more...Null Positiv – Interview with Elli Berlin & ‘Amok’ Album ReviewNull Positiv is an Alternative Metal band from Berlin. Their sound is a fusion of extreme Metal, with vocalist Elli Berlin performing mostly harsh vocals with occasional clean singing. The German band has released to back-to-back albums in 2017 and 2018 – Koma and Amok. FemMetal had the chance to interview the lead vocalist Elli Berlin and ask her about Null Positiv’s sound and plans and other things. We also had the privilege of listening to the 2018 album and writing a review. Click here to skip directly to the interview with Elli Berlin. Review ‘Amok’ is an hour long album containing 13 tracks. The album is all in German language, with the exception of the 12th song, Scars. Here are four things we loved about ‘Amok’. The Ranging Vocals of Elli Berlin Elli Berlin has a voice that can reach the deepest depths of hell and highest peaks of heavens. Her vocal ability was showcased all through the album, clean and harsh, low and high, fast and slow. You can enjoy her great vocal range especially in songs like Trauma, Amok, and Hexenjagd. You can also enjoy the great quality of her clean vocals in Scars and Rabenhaar. The Mono-duality Yes, I just made this word up. One great effect modern Metal bands use is a duo between an operatic voice and a growling singer, which creates a beautiful contrast allowing bands to add more theatricals into the songs. Null Positiv managed to duplicate this effect with one singer. This happens all over the album, but my favourite examples are in Psychopath and Neue Matrix. The Resonating Anger The album is mostly angry except for the last two songs. It’s the type of angry music you’d listen on the way home after a long day at work where you put away all the day’s trouble. Neue Matrix This song for me is a milestone Null Positiv reached in this album. I’ve spoken about the contrast between Elli’s clean and growling vocals in it previously, but that is one of a thousand things you can adore about this song. There’s a flow in melody along with the vocals that make this song one of the best by this band, at least for me. As for the few things I did not like about ‘Amok’ probably the first of them is the lack of guitar solos and long instrumentals. Although the album’s melodies in general are great, I feel that instrumentals would make it richer. I also did not like a couple of songs: Als ob wir Götter waren and König Ego, although they’re still better than most shit on the radio, I felt they’re of lesser quality than the rest of the album. We recommend this album for all extreme Metal lovers. Even if you do not understand German, I promise you’d enjoy it. (I can assure that because I don’t speak German and I have enjoyed it). Ratings Here are the average of the ratings that were placed by the FemMetal Team. We would also like to thank our friend Nadine Rothfuchs who helped us rate the lyrics of the album . Music (30%)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐6/10Lyrics (30%)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐8/10Production (30%)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐8/10Cover Art (10%)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐6/10Total⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐7/10 Interview Jad: Hello Elli! It’s wonderful to talk with you. How are you today? Elli: Thank you, its great to live this dream. Jad: You’re the vocalist of Null Positiv, a band that makes awesome extreme Metal music. What first attracted you to this style of music? Elli: It was the power of these songs and the honesty of the lyrics, every song is a little revolution ,and not least the wonderful fans of this music. Jad: What bands would you say have influenced Null Positiv to create the unique sound you have now? Elli: Its not easy to answer. Korn, Slipknot, System Of A Down but also bands like Rammstein. Jad: You released two albums in two years, 2017 and 2018. Would you like to tell us a bit about these albums? Elli: There are a lot of problems in the world today. We tried on the first album Koma to shout out all our worries. On the second album Amok we have tried to find the causes of these problems in the human psyche and in ourselves. Jad: Do you remember the first time you performed on stage life for an audience? When was it and how did it feel? Elli: There I was a teenager, and I was excited. Today I am too, but only with joy. I love to tour with my band. Jad: If you had the ability to go back in time and live in any other music era than ours today, which era would you choose? Elli: I am happy here and now. I do not need another musical era. I feel like all modern musical currents are flowing through my body. Jad: You are a band that performs fully in German language. To what extent do you think you can reach the non-German speaking world? Elli: We have already made several long tours through all European countries. It makes no difference if you sing German or English in Greece or Romania. Often we are approached because of the special timbre of the German language. People like it. Jad: Your performance on stage and in music videos shows a lot of strength in the way you express yourself. What advice would you give young girls and women in places where they still can’t express themselves due to lagging behind community standards? Elli: Be strong. Be educated. Be self-conscious. Any kind of repression is wrong. Jad: You’ve been to lots of places on tour with your band. Many cities and festivals in Europe. What are some places you’d like to go to and perform at next? Elli: We will be touring exclusively in Germany for the rest of the year. A lot is already planned for next year. All current dates can be found on our website www.nullpositiv.com Jad: Are there any projects for Null Positiv in the near future you’d like to tell us about?Maybe an album before the end of 2019 to make it 3 in 3 years? Elli: We are working on our third album, but it will not be finished in 2019. At the moment some music videos are planned, but first of all there are the live shows. Jad: Aside from music, what hobbies and interests do you personally have? Elli: I’m a musician with all my heart but I also paint, ride (I love horses), like being sporty … Jad: Thank you Elli for your lovely interview! Elli: You are welcome! Follow Null Positiv on social media... Read more...Familia Jeff – Interview with Laura Șincă and ‘Family Ties’ ReviewFamilia Jeff is a new-born Rock band based in Romania. The young band that was formed in 2017 has already released an album entitled ‘Family Ties’. FemMetal had the pleasure to chat with Laura Șincă, the vocalist of Familia Jeff. We also enjoyed hearing the album and writing a review about it. Click here to skip to the interview. Review ‘Family Ties’ is a very good album, rich in its content and very well-written and produced. Here are five things I loved about it. The Authentic Rock ‘n’ Roll Sound Many bands have reduced their use of instruments and used in its stead keyboards and computer-generated sounds and beats. When this might be okay in other genres, it reduces the feelings that classic Rock songs used to give. ‘Family Ties’ is an album where you can feel and hear every instrument as the classic Rock fans would like. It is 100% authentic Rock, especially in tracks like Tataie, Sharonna, and Save the Monkey. Band Identity The band identity is embedded and easy to find in the album. Their sound is very well established and can be recognized early on the first track and followed up in all other songs. The Riffs & Solos ‘Family Ties’ is rich with wonderful riffs. Almost every song has a unique and beautiful riff, from which I liked Varu’ and Adoptatu most. The album solos are also remarkable, and come in great numbers, my favourite being the one on Mamaie at 2:27 – 2:58 and Unchiu’ Betiv at 1:57 – 2:27. The Voice of Laura Șincă Laura’s voice is like the liquid that would take the shape of its container. The way it flows with the melody is really recognizable. Some great examples of Laura’s vocal beauty would be in my opinion the chorus of Unchiu’ Betiv and the intro of Sharonna. The Smart Production Writing a good melody and good lyrics are a thing, but a good production would make a good song better and an okay song great. Familia Jeff made their album even greater by introducing and concluding each of their songs in a building-up or a collapsing-in manner, choosing the right length for each track (some are 2 minutes long, others 4, one is 6, but all of them are complete and without annoying repetitions), and by varying the tempo and varying the styles of their songs. One thing I would have liked hearing more is some sort of experimental music. The album is very mature, but some experimental music would have made it sound more youthful, even if it went wrong in some places. We highly recommend ‘Family Ties’. If you like Alternative Rock and Post-grunge you will sure enjoy this album! Ratings Here are the average of the ratings that were placed by the FemMetal Team Music (30%)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐8/10Lyrics (30%)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐6/10Production (30%)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐9/10Cover Art (10%)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐9/10Total⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐8/10 Interview Jad: Hello Laura! I’m very happy to talk with you. How are you today? Laura: Hello there! I’m really excited to do this as well. I’m pretty good, thank you. Jad: That’s nice. Can you please tell FemMetal readers a bit about yourself and your band, Familia Jeff? Laura: Well, my name is Laura Șincă, I’m 24 and I live in Romania. I consider myself one of music’s lovers, although sometimes I cheat music with psychology, but if I were to choose, I would pick music every second of my life. I recently got my master’s degree in Psychotraumatology, but music has always been my biggest passion, although I did not study it at all, only sang with my heart.I’ve been singing since I was little and as a kid and as a teenager, I only wanted to be a musician. You know how they say about what they wish to become when they get older… I only dreamed about being a singer. I remember that, at 14 years old, I really wished that one day I’ll have a band and that I’ll be the only girl in the band, a front vocalist… And now it came true and it feels great!I was singing pop, ballads, blues, soul, jazz, but I’ve always loved rock music, but never had the courage to approach it, until I met the boys.So Familia Jeff started when I first met my boys, in 2017. Albert (bass) and I knew each other already and then he introduced me to Robert (guitar) and after a while I met Jeff (drums) at our first rehearsal. I guess that was my audition, since they were looking for a new vocalist, but it felt more like a rehearsal, ’cause afterwards, we did not really talked about it, I just kept on going and then, boom, we were a band and we were calling ourselves, (at first as a joke, then for real, because why not?) Familia Jeff. It seemed like we had the same goal, to play our own music, although we started doing some cover songs, but that’s how we began to see our abilities. After a month, I came with some old lyrics and I worked with them and created our first song, “Mamaie” (translated as Grandma).We like to think of ourselves that we are a non-conventional band and we do not like to stick to one sub genre, we really like to explore our ideas and not be caged by the concept of genre. Therefore, we don’t really want to define our genre. Jad: That’s a very inspirational and beautiful story! What artists and bands did you grow up listening to, Laura? And what bands can you say influenced Familia Jeff? Laura: I was mostly influenced by Avril Lavigne as a teenager, I used to listen to her all day long and I still know all the lyrics to all of her songs. I grew up listening to a variety of musicians, from P!nk to Scorpions to Alicia Keys to, I don’t know, Sum 41.Familia Jeff is influenced by every band member’s influences, and they are very different! I’m looking up to bands like Halestorm, Skid Row, Black Stone Cherry, Tonight Alive, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Audioslave etc., Robert is into grunge as well, but he’s more metal than all of us, I guess, he likes Pantera, Black Label Society etc., Albert loves his progressive music and Biffy Clyro and Jeff really likes hip-hop, those old vibes, but he is into rock as well. Jad: That’s amazing. Avril Lavigne was my obsession as a teenager as well. What did you think about her last album? Laura: Honestly, I don’t listen to her new music, I just like to keep my memories the way they are and when I get nostalgic, I listen to her old music. I still appreciate her a lot, but I’m not into her new stuff so much as I was into her first albums. Jad: That’s my strategy with many bands too (lol). Your band’s name is Familia Jeff. How is being in a band and having to work as a team and sometimes a “family”, as your name says, make you feel? Laura: Being in a band is really cool and it feels great working with people towards a common goal. My team is my family, because we are close to each other and just like families, sometimes we disagree on things, haha, but we always try to make things work. Jad: You released ‘Family Ties’ in 2019. Are you happy with the result of the album? Laura: Oooh yes we did! We are very happy that we did it! We’ve been waiting for a long time to do it and we can say that we are pretty happy with the results, but we will strive for better results with the next one! Jad: And I loved listening to the album, I have to say. If you could live in any musical era, would you stay in the current one or choose an era from the past? And in that case what era would you rather live in? Laura: I’m really glad that you did! If I could live in another musical era, it would be either 80’s rock or 90’s grunge era! Well, it’s a tough choice, I would feel tempted to go to the 90’s and meet young Sebastian Bach and Layne Staley, but I guess I rather live in the present and try to make the best of it. Jad: Many artists said that making music and performing helped them overcome problems they faced in their personal lives, being a sickness or anxiety or any other problem. In what ways did singing in a Rock band help you, Laura? Laura: I agree with all of them, it really helped me too! To me, singing is a form of therapy and being in a rock band has given me the opportunity to express myself and to deal better with my unexpressed anger and fears. It’s a bit paradoxical that although I have stage fright, I still do it and singing is helping me with my anxiety. Expressing what you feel inside will always be relieving and sublimation has helped me a lot, it’s my mechanism of choice, ha. Jad: What do you think about the condition of Women’s rights in many countries around the world? And what would you tell women in places that are still fighting for basic rights? Laura: That’s hard, for real, because I would like to tell them so many things, maybe in individual therapy sessions. It feels wrong that women need to fight for HUMAN basic rights in 2019! That would be a long conversation, but to be short, I would tell them not to give up hoping and fighting and to stay as strong as they can and to seek help if they feel mentally and emotionally drained by this struggle. Jad: That’s awesome to say. Is there any project or tour in the near future of Familia Jeff you’d like to tell us about? Laura: We are working on another project, maybe an EP or maybe an album. We have many ideas all over the place and we want to continue them. We started creating more songs, but being a band requires all of us working together and sometimes the time is not on our side. We dream about being on tour but for now we are only doing small gigs or attending biker festivals. Jad: Can’t wait to hear new things from you! Final question. What hobbies do you have aside from music? Laura: And we can’t wait to release new music! Besides listening to music, singing and writing lyrics, I like to draw, write short stories, read psychology books, help people, pet dogs and enjoy nature! Jad: That’s great! Thanks a lot for the interview Laura! Good luck for you and Familia Jeff Laura: Thank you too, Jad! Great talking to you and thank you very much! Follow Familia Jeff social media... Read more...Alexandra Zerner – Interview & ‘Opus 1880’ Album ReviewAlexandra Zerner is a solo-artist, composer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. Alexandra has released four solo albums and featured with many artists as a session musician. Below is a general review of Alexandra’s latest album, Opus 1880, followed by an interview with the Bulgarian guitarist. Click here to jump directly to the interview. Review ‘Opus 1880’ is a 22-tracks concept album released in 2018. I have to say I was worried about listening to the album and writing a review. I mean it’s a very long album (2 hours long). However, as they say, good times pass so quickly. The melodies are very enjoyable and the whole work is attractive to the ears. Here are five things I loved about ‘Opus 1880’. The Instrumentals The record is centered around the guitars of Alexandra Zerner, containing several instrumental tracks, my favourite being Diamind, and long instrumentals on each track. The melodies in the instrumentals and “elongated” solos are very well-made and pleasing. I mean just listen to that hell of a solo on Questions that extends from 3:20 on the track till 4:30! Genius! The Fluidity Although ‘Opus 1880’ can be easily classified as a Metal album, the record contains elements from various music genres, such as Jazz, Blues and classical music. This variety is a wonderful thing that keeps the album away from being monotonic or rotating around one center. You can feel that in tracks like Desaturation Point and Cumulonimbi. The Other Side of the Sky This master-piece divided on two tracks, 14 and 21, is a wonderful ballad that features the beautiful vocals of Svetlana Bliznakova (Sevi). Both parts are songs that you come back to listen to again and again. The guitar solo on the second part is very magnificent, and these two tracks are the big jewel in a treasure chest of gold coins. The Theatricals The album, being concept, naturally contains theatricals connecting the tracks together. What I loved about the theatricals in ‘Opus 1880’ is how they were merged into the tracks, keeping the musical continuity. In The Oracle and Questions for example, the music flows out of the sounds we hear in the short theatrical intro. No sudden cuts or weird connections. That’s just great. The Variation of Vocals One advantage Alexandra Zerner has over many other acts and bands is that she can choose the vocalist that is best to sing each song. We see some bands avoiding certain places in music because their vocalist doesn’t sound good there. Well that wasn’t a problem for Alexandra. Her choice of vocalists was very fruitful. Svetlana Bliznakova‘s voice on The Other Side of the Sky (Pts. 1 and 2) and Angel Wolf-Black on Questions and Pinch of Time are breath-taking. We really recommend this album for every who loves instrumental or conceptual music. Ratings Here are the average of the ratings that were placed by the FemMetal Team Music (30%)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐10/10Lyrics (30%)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐7.5/10Production (30%)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐8.5/10Cover Art (10%)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐9/10Total⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐9/10 Interview FemMetal had the wonderful opportunity to chat with Alexandra Zerner about her music, her album, and many other things! Jad: Hello Alexandra! It’s very great to talk with you. How are you today? Alexandra: Hi Jad! Thanks for having me! I am bit tired but overall fine. Jad: You’re a solo artist and a guitarist. You’ve featured with many artists and released four solo albums. What do you think is your best achievement so far? Alexandra: I believe my last album is my most ambitious work so far and I definitely can categorise it as my best achievement. Credits: Sofia Zasheva Jad: You’re from Bulgaria. What would you say about the Rock and Metal scenes in Bulgaria? Alexandra: Honestly, here the Rock and Metal scene is not very prominent and it’s pretty difficult to flourish, especially if you play a bit more demanding music. My personal observations show that the main segments could be roughly narrowed down to ska/punk bands on one side, and extreme metal on the other. Everything in between is struggling to survive, except the ubiquitous cover bands. Jad: Your latest album is Opus 1880. Can you tell us a bit about this album? How is different from your other albums? Are you happy with the result you reached with it? Alexandra: I wanted to produce a double conceptual album for a long time but I was scared that I will be probably biting more than I could chew. After I had my first two solo albums released and they received very positive feedback, I concluded that it would worth it to try this double album idea and develop it. I worked on it for two and a half years and made a lot of compromises during the process therefore I am not entirely happy, especially considering my perfectionism. Anyway, given the circumstances, it’s overall satisfying. Credits: Sofia Zasheva Jad: In most bands, the front-woman or front-man would be the vocalist. In your case, you are the leading musician and the vocals feel like another instrument in the music. What is the difference between your music and the traditional one in your opinion? Alexandra: Well, you kind of answered that in the question itself – I consider the vocals as another instrument of the full composition and this approach creates very homogenic music tissue, unlike many bands where the instruments are rather a support of the vocals and this is logical since the singing and the lyrics transfer the message of the song. I’ve always been more focused on instrumental music and this has shaped me into the kind of composer, who prefers the voice integrated equally into the instruments. Jad: When you’re in your domain, you get to meet a lot of people, and not all of them are good ones. Have you ever been in a situation were you felt you were treated in a sexist way? Alexandra: I’ve received a lot of negativity and condescension but the positive treatment always surpasses them significantly so it definitely helps in learning to ignore the negativity. Of course, in the beginning it’s quite harmful and one pays a lot of attention to the attackers and this could deviate the inner perspective into a very destructive direction. I believe that this is one of the key points leading to the “I will never be good enough.” mindset in many girls fighting for a place in a man-dominated field and consequently they often give up. Fortunately, this is changing in a positive way in the last years. Jad: Do you remember the first time you performed live on stage in front of an audience? Can you tell us about it? How many people were there? How did it feel? Alexandra: I started with classical guitar when I was almost 8-year-old and after about a year later, it was my first public performance. The audience wasn’t big – probably 30-40 people, consisting mostly of other kids’ parents. However, it was really terrifying – I was so stressed out that my stomach had shrinked into a tiny wiggling rubber ball and I had the feeling that I will either throw up or blackout… or both. I’ve always been a strongly introverted character and all kinds of public exposure is bothering me. Frankly, I still have a stage fright to a certain degree but meditation and focus help to overcome it and take the best out of it. Fear makes you more cautious and if you use it as a tool it can be beneficial to a better performance. Credits: Sofia Zasheva Jad: What is your favourite part about your job as an artist and what is your least favourite part? Alexandra: My favourite part is to compose, play, record my music, and enjoy the process of it becoming a full and alive structure. I also like to teach, despite that I am not particularly happy when my students don’t do their assignments – it obstructs the development and I don’t like things getting stuck. What I really hate though, is to deal with paperwork and marketing – if I have the chance, I would hire someone to do that for me and I will never engage in such activities again – I find them more annoying than waiting for a progress bar on the computer. Jad: You are a successful solo artist, but do you ever consider joining a band permanently? Alexandra: Yes, I would love to but since I started my serious music career back in 2014, so far nobody has invited me to join a band and I am not really the type of person to beg someone to take me on board. Jad: Away from music, what other interests or hobbies do you have? Alexandra: I really like reading books but I rather consider that as a part of my living and daily routine. I could say that drawing is my hobby, especially calligraphy. Also, lately, I am very interested in luthiery and I do a lot of research on the topic so hopefully, I can start building guitars at certain point. Jad: Thank you for the interview Alexandra! It was a great pleasure to talk with you! Good luck on your future plans. Alexandra: I thank you for the opportunity! It was a great pleasure for me too! All the best! Credits: Sofia Zasheva Follow Alexandra Zerner social media and visit her official website... Read more... FemMetal on Instagram Load More...Follow on Instagram Latest Videos Share this:TwitterFacebook
