Guess what!? 2020 is a leap year, and leap years come with an extra day! Yup, this year we’ll all see the date ’29th of February’ on our calendars. And since it will be a Saturday, there are loads of stuff you can do on that particular extra day of the year. One thing you can do, is listen to the brand new EP that will be released one day earlier on the 28th of February by Sold, a brand new band from the beautiful country of Estonia!
We had the chance to chat with Sold vocalist, Anne Arrak and talk about the EP, her music life, her thoughts among other things. We hope you enjoy this interview.
Interview
Mirk: Hello Anne. It’s a pleasure to chat with you. How are you and the other Sold members?
Anne: The pleasure is all mine! We are doing fine and we’re very busy at the moment. Just finished shooting our third music video and we’re getting ready for the album release at the end of February.
Mirk: How would you introduce your band to FemMetal readers?
Anne: SOLD is a mix of heavy riffs, fast solos, rough male vocal and pop’ish female vocal. I would safely say that our music sounds like no other metal band. It has a very modern touch to it and it equally savages and soothes the listener.
Mirk: You are the first Estonian band we cover and interview here at FemMetal. How would you describe the Estonian Metal and Rock scene?
Anne: Well, since Estonia is a very small country then of course the metal scene is also small, but very consistent. I became a metalhead only about 8 years ago so I’m still learning about the scene, but I have heard from older metalheads that since it’s now easier to be in a metal band, because rehearsal rooms and studios are more accessible to people, more and more people have found their way to metal. But at the same time, people don’t commit themselves to being in a band as much as they used to and you can hear the result in their music. However, there are a few very good world class metal bands from Estonia, for example Metsatöll, Horror Dance Squad, Cantilena to name a few.
Mirk: Your band follows the formula of a growling vocalist and yourself as a clean vocalist. What are the advantages of having this two-vocalist formula in your opinion?
Anne: I think you can attract a larger audience with this formula. You’re still gonna appeal to those dye hard metal fans who like it rough and extreme and at the same time you’ll attract those who like softer, pop’ier metal. I also think that having two vocalists on stage makes the liveshows more interesting. I guess it’s a matter of taste, but I have always liked variety and the switching between two totally different vocals makes metal music more interesting and varied in my opinion.
Mirk: You are about to release an EP. How do you feel about this new release?
Anne: I feel really good about this album, I truly believe that we have made something exciting and new. I love the songs and Dmitry Kim from XANNAX studio in Ukraine did an exceptional job with mixing and mastering. I think this EP is going to be a bomb and we can’t wait to share it with the world!
Mirk: What is your favourite part of being a Metal vocalist? What about this career makes you most excited?
Anne: I think deep down I have always been a metalhead, I just didn’t know it until I was 22. I sing pop covers too, it’s how I make a living, but I don’t see myself as a pop artist. It’s just not rough enough I guess. I love the power I get out of listening to (and singing) metal music. You can’t ever get this from pop music. Besides, whenever I’m in the company of metalheads I feel like this is where I belong, these are my people. When I discovered metal music, I felt like coming home.
Mirk: What bands did you grow up listening to? And which of these bands influenced you into wanting to be a music maker rather than just a consumer?
Anne: Hmm, where do I start? Well as I said, I haven’t always been a metalhead so I have been listening to some very different stuff through times. I started with pop music and Celine Dion who influenced my singing style A LOT. My favourite bands while being a teenager were HIM, Linkin Park and Coldplay. In high school there was also a short hip-hop period and after high school d’n’b and dubstep. In university I actually studied jazz music …so yeah, the journey has been very diverse and it has all influenced me one way or another. But when I heard bands like Delain and Within Temptation, I was sold to metal music! Before that I didn’t even know that clean female vocals could fit in with this rough music style and I loved the mix so much that I knew I wanted to become a metal singer.
Mirk: Sold has 6 members. I would like you to tell me one thing you love about each of your bandmates.
Let’s start with your co-vocalist, Vitaly?
Anne: His vocal and stage presence
Mirk: The guitarist, Valeri?
Anne: His commitment to the band
Mirk: The other guitarist, Gleb?
Anne: His sense of humor
Mirk: The bassist, Evgeni?
Anne: The way he’s always so chill and relaxed
Mirk: And finally the drummer, Slava?
Anne: He is very easy to talk to
Mirk: Final question, if you had the power to remove one of the problems our world is facing, which one would you choose to get rid off?
Anne: The greediness of humankind.
Mirk: Thank you for the interview Anne! It was a pleasure.
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