Sacred Groove is a band from Germany with a very unique perspective on Metal. The Melodic Metal band has an innovative sound that was displayed in their latest album, release a couple of months back, ‘MSTRPLN’. We had the pleasure of interview vocalist Alona Levina, who explained how her band define their music and answered some nerdy questions that will make you eager to check the new album. Here’s our interview with Alona Levina!
Hello Alona! It’s lovely to chat with you. How are you, and the rest of Sacred Groove members, doing during these weird times?
Hey there Mirk, thanks a lot for inviting me to this interview! I’m really happy to talk about our music. That is indeed the right word to describe the last 1,5 years – weird! All our planned gigs got cancelled and there was a period when we couldn’t even rehearse. Every one of us has a full-time job, but music is our greatest passion and the best way to escape the routine. When four of us are on stage or just meet up to rehearse, some kind of magic happens! We laugh a lot together and have so much fun! And as it couldn’t happen, I didn’t feel good about it at all. It’s one of the most important parts of my life so I was really happy to start rehearsing again. And luckily we are healthy, and that’s the most important thing, so we’re fine!
You released a new album ‘M S T R P L N’ last month. How are you feeling about the way the album was received by the fans?
We released “MSTRPLN“ on June 4th and we’re really proud of it! We started a pre-order some weeks before the release and it went really well. In a different year we would have planned a tour promoting the new album… But it’s not a different year, so we have to wait with that. 😀
We got a lot of positive feedback from our fans and friends. We make music that we truly love, without trying to copy anyone or reach any certain standards. And it’s a great pleasure when the songs you put your heart into are being received well!
How would you encourage someone who never listened to Sacred Groove to go check your new album right now?
Well, guys if you want to listen to good metal music with a very positive and encouraging message – “MSTRPLN“ is the right choice for you! It contains 11 multifarious tracks, catchy and challenging at the same time, with classy guitar riffs, atmospheric keys, groovy rhythm section and loads of melody. I don’t know any reason why you shouldn’t go and check it out!
I am a proud nerd. So to get our readers more excited to check out the new album, how about we play a little nerdy game? I’ll give you a scenario and you have to pick one of the songs from ‘M S T R P L N’ to achieve a certain task. Ready!?
Hell yes!
In a universe where the senses of taste and hearing are mixed up, which song from ‘M S T R P L N’ would taste the best?
There’s a nice saying: You can be the most beautiful cherry, but there always are people who don’t like cherries. So it depends on your taste, it depends on whether you like cherries or strawberries… But I think the song, which tastes most people best, is our first single – “GHOSTS OF YESTERDAY“.
If all songs on ‘M S T R P L N’ were magically transformed into humans, which song would be your best friend?
Oh, that’s a good one! (checks the track list again…). They would all be my friends, because I really like all of them. But the best one would be “THE JOURNEY TO HELL AND BACK” – it’s always fun to sing and it would be a very adventurous best friend, with whom you can go through tough situations and always come back.
Which song from ‘M S T R P L N’ would you use to cheer up a friend going through some hard times?
Most of our songs have a positive message, so many of them can cheer you up. For example, our title song “MASTERPLAN“ will definitely make you feel happier.
But also songs like “NEVER BE ALONE“ are encouraging, and, of course, in the hardest situation of losing someone loved it’s “SEE YOU AGAIN“.
If aliens from outer space invaded Earth and it was discovered that their only weakness is songs with heavy riffs, which song from ‘M S T R P L N’ would you charge against the aliens with?
It’s definitely “NEVERMORE“ – the most straightforward, the most dynamic song on “MSTRPLN“. I’m sure that its heavy riffs would ban aliens from Earth and make them come back… nevermore. 😉
If 1000 years from now, an archeologist discovered an ‘M S T R P L N’ CD in the remains of an ancient Mercedes, which song would the futuristic archeologist like best?
Our music has rather classical rock & heavy metal influences, so I wouldn’t call it futuristic, but it is futureproof! The song that will always be relevant is (also my favourite song from the album^^) “MISERY“. On the one hand it has a beautiful melody and an unusual structure with its progressive middle part. On the other hand the topic of this song is the question of time and how do we spend it, whether we use our full potential. And this topic will always be relevant!
Thank you for playing, Alona, hope you enjoyed it!
Wow, I love those kind of questions! They make me think of our music from a different perspective, thanks for your creativity!
Thank you! Releasing an album is a great milestone in any musician’s career. But what is one treasured music-related memory that you keep visiting in your mind and that makes you smile?
One of my most touching music memories is the concert of Queen (I am a total fan!) with Adam Lambert at Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam 2015. I was trembling from excitement the whole day and seeing Brian May and Roger Taylor so close and Freddie on screen… It was overwhelming!
There are also many happy memories with SACRED GROOVE and I hope some day soon we’ll also play in front of a stadium – we’ll rock it!
We’re in 2021 and unfortunately, despite all the progress we’ve made, we still hear about people dealing with sexism, racism, or other forms of discrimination around the world. Have you ever dealt with any kind of discrimination?
Luckily, I didn’t have to deal with real discrimination so far (if we ignore some mobbing at school many people go through). I am Russian and I have lived in Germany for 14 years now. So far I was never treated differently or worse based on my nationality or gender.
The same applies so far to my music life. Although I get a bit sad, when I read in a review something like “there are too many female fronted bands nowadays”. This sentence would never apply to a “male fronted band“ (well, this term doesn’t even exist). Also the yearly discussion on the “female artists quota“ at the festivals is not normal. So we might still need some mind change here.
What advice would you give to your younger fans who might be dealing with it?
Stay true to yourself and don’t let anyone get you down or keep you from living a fulfilled life and being happy in your understanding of happiness.
Thank you for the interview, Alona! It was an absolute pleasure.
The pleasure is on my side! Thanks a lot :)… and listen to SACRED GROOVE 😉
