WUTHERING HEIGHTSWUTHERING HEIGHTS
Out of Denmark comes WUTHERING HEIGHTS, a very sensational Melodic Prog/Power Metal band that features among others members of TIME MACHINE and TAD MOROSE. The band has just released their 2nd CD 'To travel for evermore' and leader Erik Ravn was kind enough to answer the questions I had. Let's see what he has to say...
Please introduce us
your band, when did you form WUTHERING HEIGHTS and did any of you
play in bands before WUTHERING HEIGHTS?
Itīs a
long story, you know. But I started, as you do, by forming a band
with some mates from school, when we had just started listening
to metal, that was back in 1989. We couldnīt really play very
well, but we managed to make a demotape - which I to this day
believe has the worst production in music history... Anyway, we
had some line-up changes, and made another demo, and based on
that, we eventually got a recorddeal with German label Prophecy
Productions. Then when we had finally recorded our album, the
label didnīt want to release it! Luckily it wasnīt long before
American label The Laserīs Edge/Sensory came in and saved the
day. They bought us out of our German contract and sent us
straight into the studio to record the whole album again! This
time we had recruted the wellknown Swedish vocalist Kristian
"Krille" Andrén as well as producer Jacob Hansen
(known from Invocator amongst others). We released our debut
"Within" in 1999, and now we have just released our
second album called "To Travel For Evermore", and weīre
soon going to record the third one. Besides "Krille",
you may know our guitarist Henrik Flyman, who played with Moahni
Moahna and now also plays with Zool, drummer Morten Sørensen
from Aurora and our keyboardplayer Rune Brink, who has worked
with Cornerstone recently. As a special guest we have Lorenzo Dehó
from Time Machine on some bass parts.
Please tell us more
about your first album 'Within'...
Well, as I
said it was a hard struggle to get it made. But it turned out
rather good in the end. At least the response was quite
phenomenal. If you only know our new album, then I would describe
"Within" as not very different. It is the same style,
but naturally we have improved a bit as musicians since then. We
had quite a clear vision of what we wanted to do, even on our
first album, so it is a rather confident debut, I would say. If
you like "To Travel...", you will probably like
"Within" as well.
How did you get signed
to an Amercan label (Sensory)?
Well, they
had heard the first version of "Within", I guess. They
contacted our management with an offer, and we accepted.
4) You changed the line-up, please tell us about the new members
and whom they replaced?
The
bassplayer and the drummer left. I guess they wanted more of a
bar-band feeling, maybe being more commercial, just having fun,
you know. But Wuthering Heights is a serious working unit with a
musical vision, so we had to find some people with a more
professional attitude. So we got our new drummer Morten Sørensen,
who is really a genius. He joined the band two weeks before we
entered the studio, and he played all the songs perfectly. He has
really boosted our sound, because he has so much energy in his
playing. And then we have added an extra guitarist, Henrik
Flyman. Not only because of his great soloing, but also because
we have a lot of guitar-harmonies, so we really need two
guitarists live. In the old days we were always a twin-guitar
band, so itīs nice to be able to do those things again. We didnīt
have a regular bass player on "To Travel...", but we
have just teamed up with Erik Grandin, who played with Mayadome,
and he is gonna play on the next album.
How did you get in
touch with the TAD MOROSE and TIME MACHINE members?
Through
our management, Intromental. They have a lot of contacts, so that
was actually rather easy. So far Intromental has been able to get
us out of all our trouble...hehe.
Can you tell us all
about your fantastic new CD 'To travel for evermore'?
We
recorded it with Tommy Hansen, who is known for his work with
Helloween, amongst others. That was great. He has a lot of
experience, both with mixing and stuff, but he also knows about
different types of guitars and amps, so I got to try a lot of
stuff - very cool. And he seemed happy to make a real heavy metal
record...hehehe. He really knew how to get the sounds in my head
onto tape, if you know what I mean (do you have sounds in your
head, Erik...do you hear voices too??? hahaha). Anyway, before we
went in the studio, I had spent almost a year doing preproduction
at my homestudio. So it was really a big project, and I was a
little worried, if it would work out at all. Luckily, it seems it
did.
I believe this new CD
is a part of trilogy, please tell us all about it?\
It is the
second part of a somewhat conceptual trilogy. I wrote most of the
songs for all three albums during the early nineties, so they
sort of go together. The songs describe this journey through life
- sort of a quest for understanding of the universe and your own
place in it. So, it is definitely not a fantasy story, as some
might think. Itīs all based on my own experiences. Since I write
the lyrics before I write the music, the music tries to describe
the various moods of the lyrics. I believe music and lyrics
should really work together. I hate it, when bands make great
music and the throw in some crap lyrics. But thatīs probably
just me, because I wouldnīt know what music to write, if I didnīt
have the lyrics.
You're playing
progressive/power metal with a lot of excellent melodies, who
influenced you?
The first metalbands that I heard was Helloween and Iron Maiden.
Also Manowar and Riot (around Thundersteel and Privilege of
power) were early influences. But before I started on metal, I
was into symphonic rock from the 70īs, like Styx and Supertramp
- I still love that stuff a lot. Today I also listen to some of
the more progressive 70īs bands, like Genesis. Then, of course,
thereīs the folk music. I have always loved the celtic sound,
but at some point in time I tried to blend it with the metal, and
it worked. Thereīs the same energy in the folky fiddling and the
metal shreddin, I think. I also have to mention inspirations that
are not musical but just as important. I am a huge Tolkien fan.
He really got me interested in words and language and is the
reason that I put so much work into the lyrics. And also nature
is a big inspiration. You will find lots of weather, trees, light
and
shadows and so on in my lyrics.
How's the scene in
Denmark, how much did bands like PRETTY MAIDS and ROYAL HUNT
influenced you and the whole prog/Hardrock/Metal genre?
I canīt
say, that they have influenced me. They are really bigger outside
Denmark. I donīt think many people in Denmark know Royal Hunt.
So thatīs not what you hear on the radio, when youīre a kid
here. I like the first couple of Pretty Maids albums, though. But
most Danish bands have tried to make more radiofriendly music.
There hasnīt been much room for experiments. Strange really,
because in the 70īs Denmark was really a progressive country
with a lot of really great, innovative bands. But that has sadly
changed. And as far as metal goes, the scene today is almost
non-existing. So you have to look to other countries both for
inspiration and to promote your own stuff.
What are the plans for
the next coming months? (any touring plans or future studio
plans?)
Iīm very
busy making preproduction for the next album, which we will start
recording in May, again with the mighty Tommy Hansen. So far I
think itīs looking to be really great. The stuff really grooves
and sticks in your ears, so Iīm quite excited about it. And if
that record goes reasonably well with the fans, there should be a
chance that we will go out and play before long.
Finally, do you have
anything to add to our readers?
Well, I
hope you will take a chance and listen to our new album, and if
you do, that you like it. If you like real music played with
passion, you could do a lot worse. Rock on !