You can tell some bands are going to be huge even from their first couple singles released. Æries seems like one of these bands. The German Progressive Metal band has released 3 singles so far, one of them touching 8,000 plays on Spotify, while their music videos for Gisma has reached 22k views on YouTube.
We had the chance to chat with ÆRIES vocalist, Laura Kiddo and talk about their future plans among other things.
Interview
Hello Laura! It’s great to talk with you. How are you and the other Æries members doing these days?
Hi! Thanks for having me! The guys and me are doing good, happy that everyone stayed safe and healthy during corona times!
That’s great. For our readers who haven’t heard about your band yet, how would you introduce Æries?
Hi everyone, we are ÆRIES, pronounced [ɛə.riːez], a progressive metal band from cologne, Germany, we just came home from our very first tour supporting the mighty Jinjer and we can’t wait to show you guys more of our music!
You’ve released three singles so far: Waves, Alienate, and Gisma. I really enjoyed listening to them. How do you feel about the reception these songs got from the fans so far?
Thank you so much! When we released Waves this April, we were overwhelmed by the positive feedback! It was our debut single, so we didn’t expect the video to hit 10’000 views on youtube during the very first month. Also, the reception for Alienate was terrific, as it was more technical, more brute an honest than Waves. But with Gisma it seems we just hit a spot with the audience. They really loved it so far and we are so grateful for everyone’s positive feedback!
Most recently you released Gisma in a music video. Are you planning for a bigger release soon, maybe an EP or an album?
Yes! We will definitely release another track this year and we are already writing for an upcoming album. The release date is still a secret though 😊
That’s awesome! Your band participated in Macro World Tour 2020 with Jinjer, as you said. How did this experience feel for you?
Supporting Jinjer on their tour were actually our very first gigs, we’ve ever played in this combo. We acknowledge and admire them and their playstyle and of course this all happened during a global pandemic. So this combination of – first gig – show with Jinjer – under very difficult circumstances made this an unforgettable and imprinting experience for us, we never want to miss!
In order to get to know you better, and because we at FemMetal are proud nerds, let’s play a game! I will give you a certain scenario in an alternate universe, and you have to react! Ready?
Hell yeah!
In a universe where you’re the vocalist of a Jazz band, what would your band’s name be?
The Cm/maj9add6add11(b13)+11/E s
That’s the best answer I got got this question so far 😂 In a universe where people are born with superpowers, what would your superpower be?
Make Corona Virus go away
In a universe where the currency is one’s sense of humor, how rich would you be?
Jeff Bezos called, he wants back his password for his private amazon account.
Another best answer 😂 In a universe where the sense of taste and the sense of hearing are mixed up, what would Æries’ music taste like?
A top note of zingy, a heart note of savory, scalding and vivid, a base note of ambrosial with a pinch of hope
In a universe where you are the ruler of your country, what interesting law would you make?
There shall be free tacos for everyone!
In a universe where you’re not a real person, but a character in a series, what genre would the series be?
Tragic Comedy
Finally, in a universe where it’s illegal for vocalists to sing both clean and growling vocals, and have to pick one style only, which style would you choose?
Clean anytime
Thank you for playing Laura! Hope you enjoyed the game. Aside from music and your band, do you have other hobbies you’d like to tell us about?
I am currently writing a book 😊 Besides this I love to play video games A LOT, going on medieval fairs, meeting up with my best friends playing pen and paper and eating.
That’s interesting! What bands did you grow up listening to? And was there a turning point where you decided you want to be someone who makes music rather than only consuming it?
I grew up listening to bands like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra, Etta James and various other great artists. Music or singing hasn’t been and will never be a choice for me. It’s in my DNA, my identity. My grandfather was an opera singer 😊 And I remember sitting on his lap as a little child and sing along with him to a German song called “Granada” by Fritz Wunderlich. This influenced me so much as a person and musician.
Lovely! Do you remember the first time you performed live on stage? How was the experience?
I remember very clearly and I love to think back to this experience. It is exactly the feeling I have now when I go on stage. I am home.
Have you ever been treated in a sexist way? How would you face sexism and what advice do you give to young people who face discrimination in their lives every day?
I have and I would advise everyone to speak openly about it, because sexism or racism is something we do NOT need to accept in our society.
That’s brilliant! Thank you for the interview Laura! Good luck for you and Æries in all your future plans.
