Interview with Autumnblaze

Interview with Autumnblaze:

Just before Wave Gotik Treffen we had a chance to ask some questions via email to Eldron, the main man and inspiration behind the band, and here is what he had to say about the return of the band and the new album in general:

Infernal Masquerade: Thanks for the interview and let’s get started with the questions:

3 years ago the band called it quits and now it’s back with a new album. What happened that made the band want to quit? And what was the reason behind the band returning to action this year?

In flashback I must confess it was some kind of burn out syndrom which caused the split of Autumnblaze. I was totally down, frustrated of the music biz and the musicians I worked with back then. Also some private changes. The return was caused by the newborn friendship between me and founding member Arisjel. We had a difficult relationship over the last years but step by step we built up trust again.
Finally it was the only chance for Autumnblaze to come back – in the original line-up and with the philosophy of the founding years.

5 years have passed since “Words Are Not What They Seem”, how would you describe the band’s musical evolution since that album to what your newest release “Perdition Diaries”?

I wouldn’t describe it as an evolution. We just decided to change our style and to go back to our deepest musical roots which are the early 90ties with bands like Katatonia, Paradise Lost, Anathema, My Dying Bride, At The Gates and so on. It was a new generation of metal – borders were broken and innvovation was the spirit of these days.

On your MySpace page, you have stated that you are going back to a more Dark Metal oriented release, how would you imagine fans will react to this change from your last album?

Hard to say. Those who come from the alternative or prog rock edge will definitely have their problems if they are not open-minded. I hope they will understand and follow us though cause it’s a very important album for us and we really love it. Sometimes you have to jump over you expectations. You know, metal is not metal – we are not Manowar or kind of that silly cliché band but we are definitely heavy enough to scare some older people, hehe.

What is the concept behind “Perdition Diaries” (both musically and lyrically)?

Musically we wanted to emphasize the heavy roots of our music – like I said before. Though we have some mellow songs on the album. That’s also a result of the lyrical concept cause the songs follow a kind of story. It’s not like a book but the lyrics are connected and there is a red line from the first to the last song. Lyrics are generally about the things you learn in life – that even your darkest hour could be the beginning of new ways that will lead you to beautiful places, metaphorical speaking.

Will the band remain together after this album is released? Or will it be the final nail in the coffin for Autumnblaze?

We will remain together as long as we breathe the spirit of our music. I guess we now found the best line-up for Autumnblaze and that’s basically Arisjel and me. But the experience says – never be safe, everything can happen. But we wanna continue with our new style and improve it on the next record.

After being involved in so many projects and playing different styles of music, what would you say are your main musical influences? What style of music do you prefer to play?

I have the advantage to work with different musical projects. So I can satisfy all my musical infuences. With Autumnblaze I’m celebrating my dark metal roots, Sidewaytown shows my interest in post rock, indie-pop and filmmusic and finally Scarlet Youth is my shoegaze pop heaven. I love them all – depends on mood and season I guess.

Autumnblaze is only performing one show this year at Wave-Gotik-Treffen, what is the reason behind this? Will there be any other shows in support of “Perdition Diaries” next year?

We just haven’t the time to play more gigs. So we thought about one exclusive gig with the release of the new album. But if there are some good offers we will think about some more live shows definitely. Let’s see what happens.

Why did you select WGT as the festival to have your only performance of the year?

Oh, we had good experiences playing on the WGT. We love Leipzig, it’s a great town and actually they made us the best offer.

Every band member plays in several other bands, are there any new albums coming out in the next few months?

Well, I will work on a new Sidewaytown album this year. Also I will sing on the next Scarlet youth record. And I know that Schwadorf is working on a new The Vision Bleak album.

Anything else you guys want to add to our American readers?

It’s great to know you guys are supporting us. Hope to play some shows in the US sometime. Would be fun.

Thanks for the interview and good luck on your WGT show, I’ll definitely be attending that one.

Thank you! Hope to see you.

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