Interview: Blackbriar at Rock The Lakes

In the ever-evolving tapestry of the music world, few bands possess the power to captivate audiences with a unique blend of ethereal melodies and hauntingly resonant lyrics. Hailing from the enchanting landscapes of the Netherlands, Blackbriar stands as a musical force that transcends genres, embracing a signature style that weaves together elements of rock, symphonic metal, and fantasy. We chatted with them during our time at Rock The Lakes, so see what we talked about!

Hello, guys. How are you doing today?

We are doing very well.

Very warm, but very well. We had a great show.

The show was indeed amazing! How do you prepare the setlist for festival shows?

We try to pick the most energetic ones because we are a band that has a lot of atmospheric songs and songs also a little bit slower, so we try to pick the most energetic ones.

Yeah, the most suitable songs for events like these. But still trying to keep our atmospheric nature in the setlist because we are not a power metal band, so it is different.

We got that feeling; I got that feeling that you wanted to transmit to us something very atmospheric. Do you have any rituals before going on stage?

Uh, not really. Just that I’m always very nervous. So, I’m just trying to deal with my nerves. Maybe, like, I sing a lot, of course, for the show.

I honestly don’t think anybody in this band has a specific ritual. Usually, there’s no time for a ritual. That would be the short answer.

You were anticipating that next month you will release your next album, of course. And we’re all eager to hear it. Are you satisfied with the final results?

Of course. It’s the work that I’m most proud of.

We can’t wait to let everybody hear it. We’ve been listening to it for a very long time now because the recordings were a long way back already. So now it’s time for other people to hear.

Have any of the tracks of the new album been inspired by a real-life situation?

Yes, I get inspired by my own life a lot as well, besides being very drawn to folklore, myths and legends.

An example is “An Unwelcome Guest”. It’s the first song on the album. “Thumbelina” is very personal as well. It might actually be the most personal song you’ve ever written.

I think so, too.

What do you think is essential to the work of an artist nowadays?

Complete surrender to the work. It’s a lot of hard work being an artist, at least in my opinion. And if you are willing to go 100% all the time, then you’ll probably end up a lot further away than when you’re slacking. I think that’s a very big part of hopefully someday being successful. For me, it’s one of the most important things to always grind it out. In all forms and everything that’s needed, you need to be 100% prepared to go to length, basically.

You said it perfectly.

Music is your life, of course, like our life. But do you have any hobbies outside of music?

Well, I read a lot. And watch TV shows. I got very boring hobbies. Cuddling my cats.

I like gaming and that’s one of my hobbies. For the rest, music is also one of my biggest hobbies. Even though we’re trying to make this our day job, music is also continuing to be a great hobby of us. Our life goes around this band fully, so there is not a lot of room for hobbies.

Have you ever dealt with discrimination or sexism towards you?

Luckily not. That’s good because I don’t think I could handle it very well. But I’m lucky to say that everybody has been very respectful.

I don’t think there’s ever been a situation where Zora felt that she had a disadvantage as a woman in metal music. So, I mean, if you look at this festival, or yeah, Summer Breeze, where we went, everybody’s so respectful and open-minded, and it’s just great to work with that type of people and that type of organization. Rock the Lakes is giving us the opportunity to play here, so that’s something that we are very grateful for. And yeah, luckily, nothing weird has ever happened.

Awesome. Well, I wanted to play a little game with you, if that’s all right.

Twisted or Monopoly?

Taboo! Hahah! The game is: if you could meet in real life a fictional character, which one would it be?

Jamie from Outlander.

Captain Jack Sparrow. I’m a huge Johnny Depp fan, so yeah, that would be crazy.

Well, guys, thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview. Is there anything else you’d like to add to our readers?

Well, first of all, I would like to thank your readers for taking the time to read this interview. I’d like to thank you for giving us the opportunity to be featured in on your website. It was very enjoyable. And do you have anything to add?

Yes, please let us know what you think of the album. I love reading all the comments, and we are very curious.