 "Be impressive for the moment and live your life, because there could be no new morning for you, make your ideas now and not tomorrow" Medieval Metal or Mittelalter-Metal is one of those rather obscure metal genres that often get lost by the way-side. Granted it's the likes of Subway To Sally who were early pioneers of the sound i.e. mixing traditional German folk / medieval sounds with the solidarity and steeliness of metal music. Quintessentially German, Medieval Metal to the German Metal scene is as what Oriental Metal is to the Middle East-North Africa metal scenes, reflecting their culture and becoming a product of that area. Leading the wave going forward is Feuerschwanz (lit. Fire Tail) whose 15 year career is bristling with 8 albums until the 26th of June when album #9 drops... "Das Elfte Gebot" (The Eleventh Commandment). GMA interrogated vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Hauptmann Feuerschwanz about the band's origins, how Medieval Metal became a thing, the excitement at signing with Napalm Records, what new fans should expect at a Feuerschwanz concert and what plans they have going forward. This was their first interview with a UK metal media.  For those who have not heard of Feuerschwanz could you give us a brief history of the band? "Feuerschwanz was founded in 2004 and originally played in the German Medieval / Folk Rock scene. In the beginning we were playing at markets and then year after year we entered the rock stage of the career; becoming heavier with each passing year and reaching the Hard Rock sound. Since 2012 we headed towards a rock sound and since the last album "Methämmer", we went into the metal scene, embracing this awesome transformation into a very heavy rock sound. So now we are a Medieval / Folk Metal band." Medieval Metal / Rock is an interesting genre, arguably Subway To Sally were one of the pioneers of the sound, so what is it that makes Medieval Metal stand out uniquely? "That's a good question, I think Medieval Metal is a really 'special-German-thing'; this kind of music I think is a little bit kind of like a lifestyle, so a little bit between metal, between old instruments, Folk, castles in Germany; we have many castles and they are very romantic, the time of the knight... this is a mixture of all of this." So generally would a Bavarian Medievial Metal scene / band sound different to that say of a Hamburg Medieval Metal scene / band? "OK! In former times the differentiation was between east and west, so Subway To Sally is a good example for a eastern band and they had a very special style, but now it's not so important from the north or the south, there are many bands with very good and interesting styles... there is no direction from the north or south. Feuerschwanz in former times made funny Thrash Metal music; a little bit like Alestorm, but now we're more epic with Thor and Odin (the gods) with us, but also we drink the special drink of Odin, mead, the honey wine." Now the biggest news was that you signed with Napalm Records, surely this has to be the biggest news since Feuerschwanz started? "Since the last album "Methämmer" our progression to metal music involved us finding our sound and this became a very good step to go to Napalm Records. In former times we were on a smaller label in Germany (not a rock / metal label), so we are very happy and proud to go with Napalm Records for the future." Tell us what a typical Feuerschwanz concert is like, what goes into it, etc? "Our idea is to bring people energy and a good example of this is the song "Metfest", we have pictures online from our last tour, you can see a little bit of the power; the idea is to celebrate the life, drink and have fun." What does album title "Das Elfte Gebot" mean; how long did the recording process take? "It has a very deep message, you be impressive for the moment and live your life, because there could be no new morning for you, make your ideas now and not tomorrow - this is the message. We have a two year album cycle, we make our pre-production - we are self-made musicians, we make the production for ourselves and have all of the songs on the computer, then we go to the studio with our producer and make the last pieces, the vocals and so on. So we need a year for production. We have one song that's not on the album, but it's a very good song and will come on the next album, because we wanted eleven songs on this album and so one song had to go." Given that most of the internationally successful German metal bands have had to switch to English to gain more exposure (except Rammstein), will Feuerschwanz create English songs for the non-German speakers? "We have a second bonus track album with cover versions and we cover some metal songs from the likes of Powerwolf ('Amen & Attack'), Sabaton ('Gott Mit Uns') but also the pop song 'I See Fire' by Ed Sheeran. We try to explain our idea of music with some cover versions, but it's the typical Feuerschwanz sound being used." Given the COVID-19 pandemic, what has Feuerschwanz been doing at home and have you been doing any hobbies / interests? "It's a hard time for us because we tried to promoted our new album and with no festivals or concerts, it's not going to be easy but we had an idea that we have started via crowdfunding, we stream a concert online for the day of our new album's release - we have a concert on a castle, now we have a lot of work to realize it and know where we stand at this time."  Erlanger, Germany / Source: Cruisemapper At what point during your life did you decide that you wanted to become a musician? Who did you get into first? "Oooh! Very good question. During my childhood we founded a rock band at school, firstly I became a bassist and then I progressively go step-by-step to become the vocalist of the band. I listened to the likes of Ted Nugent, Black Sabbath, etc., then I started with the 'Ride The Lightning' tour with Metallica... I loved many metal bands from the 80's and in the 90's I explored folk music, the Medieval folk scene, now I come back to metal." What does your family think of your music? Are any of them musicians? "We have some singers in the family but I'm the only one who has a band, every time my brothers are asking me 'hey how's it going with Feuerschwanz?', it's also nice to have some nephews come to the concerts - I have a very big family." For metalheads visiting Erlangen, what bars and venues, sights or attractions would you recommend? "Erlangen is a city with a big university with many students, the bars are not so high-price and are more for students. It's a very cosy city of which I love to ride my bicycle through and around it, have some beer in the student pubs. There is one club in Erlangen with a 1,000 capacity, the E-Werk kulturzentrum (old power station) has many concerts... but not today (laughs)." Speaking of which, Germany is known for it's beer and so what are your favourite brands of beer? "We come from Franconia, this is a small part of Bavaria and we have many breweries... so we are specialists in beer. We have a special kind of beer which tastes a bit like English beer in a typical Franconian style, in fact I love to taste the beers from the small breweries. Of course you would have heard of Oktoberfest, this is the hardest festival in Germany and it's a little bit 'too much', too many people although it's an international gathering... I don't like it. In Bavaria all towns and cities have it's own beer festival, so in Erlangen we have the Bergkirchweih fair, our special ale fest... but not this year (laughs)." After the COVID-19 pandemic, would Feuerschwanz look to play in the UK? Are you concerned about Brexit? How are people coping with the lockdown? "We are very curious about the reactions of some regions and countries, especially of the UK the godmother of music, but we know it's hard to have concerts in the UK - you get a can of beer and oh, now play. It's very hard to go to the clubs in the UK, so we are very curious at the fans reactions, we hope that there is a good reaction and that they love our music, and then we could go with Powerwolf or so, I don't know hehe. As for Brexit, in a music context I don't think there will be much changes in music - most of the time we've played in Germany and only once in Russia. We hope it's not so difficult to come to the UK to play. Russia involved playing a special concert in Moscow in 2009, it was a great experience to play internationally and gave us a taste of playing overseas. Well the weeks have been quiet, the people are familiar with the regulations and are disciplined, now there are murmurings going around saying it's too long, we wan't more freedom and now it's bubbling a little bit; as a psychologist it's so clear that people are overwhelmed with the feeling of staying at home, to isolate also. What do fans at your show's tend to shout, is it true that fans say the second part of the band name after the band says the first? "Shouting is in many Medieval concerts, so the band would shout out the first part and the audience replies with the second part e.g. 'Feuer' 'Schwanz'. One fan in the crowd shouts first and then the whole crowd shouts out the other part of the name. It's all tradition, like a football song. It is quite euphoric, our goal is to increase the energy and raise the roof, it's our job, it's our profession to 'blow up' the audience." All things considered, what plans does Feuerschwanz have left intact for the rest of the year? "That's a good question too, it could be we make one or two more videos of the new album, presented after the release and leading into the 2nd half of the year it could be we start writing for the next album, it's very hard this time." Have you got any hello's, thanks or greetings you wish to send out to friends, family, fans, etc? "Greetings? Ok, well this was my first interview with a person from the UK and I'm very proud to have this interview, greetings to the UK and we hope you enjoy our next album. Many thanks also to our fans." https://www.facebook.com/feuerschwanz/
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 "We made a lot of friends at Wacken, and I think the most important lesson we learned there is the value of human connection." It probably goes without saying that E-an-na are one of the most exciting and original metal bands to emerge out of Romania (if not Eastern Europe) for a while, it's not often you come across a band who mixes Folk Metal with Modern Metal in such a way it becomes mind-blowing. Despite this it's clear that E-an-na take everything in their stride, are very cool about their origins and where they are heading. Andrei Oltean (Vocalist and woodwind player) put himself forward for the interrogation as he discussed how the band was built on traditional Romanian folk music but with a sharp twist, why Wacken Metal Battle was more than just a competition and why as a band they treat their fans more like family (which is rather beautiful).  For those who have not heard of E-an-na could you please give us a brief history of the band? What does the band name mean? "“E-an-na” comes from ancient Sumerian and would be translated as something along the lines of “The Home Of The Skies”. When we created the band, we searched a lot for a name that would resonate with the concept, and finally found it in Mircea Eliade’s book “The History Of Religions”. E-an-na started out, like so much art in the world, powered by the concept of escapism, of creating a personal world devoid of all the negative aspects that try to bring us down in this one. E-an-na is a community, and each may feel and perceive it in their own way. Everybody is welcome." Your sound is quite unique in the mixing of Modern Metal and Folk Metal, how did you come up with this sound? What would you call your sound? "Well, of course it can be labelled, so we would call it simply Folk Metal. But the thing is, I don’t believe in labelling too much. I mean yeah, some of my favourite bands play Folk Metal, but they don’t generally fit into that labelling when it comes to the cliches. And neither do we. After all, music is movement, it’s not something static that you can point your finger on, and thus, it is ever-changing. You will find works in our discography that have absolutely nothing to do with Folk Metal whatsoever, and the future will make it seem like we are, at times, straying even further from it. Music is a journey of many paths, and it would be a shame to stick to only one just because you already know it." What kind of Romanian folk music do you use given there are so many different styles? "You’re right. Mostly we compose our own folkloric-like themes, as a result of listening and assimilating such music for many years, but we also have a few passages taken directly from centuries old songs. They are songs played on traditional woodwinds: “Fluier” (whistle) or “Caval” (which is a sort of low whistle specific to this area). Besides this, I am a huge fan of “Lăutărească”, which is a sort of mix between traditional music with Turkic influences, developed in the last century, maybe a century and a half, and often played by gypsies (to anyone out there knowing better: forgive me if I’m being inaccurate, I’m not an ethnomusicologist). Again, there are no restrictions, so we will go for whatever we feel is right. In spite of our songs generating sometimes a sense of national pride in our Romanian listeners (which is totally fine, don’t get me wrong), we don’t feel compelled to stick to just that." You came 2nd at the 2017 edition of Wacken Metal Battle, this surely gave you the boost to drive forward and aim higher? "Well, yes, and no. You see, we stood true to music, and sometimes this might have been detrimental to the fastest way to, let’s say, success. There are certainly better marketing decisions that we would have taken, but our ultimate goal isn’t that. As I said, E-an-na is a feeling, something rooted very deep inside us, and a community, a family. Of course we do hope, like most of the bands, to get big and tour the world, but we shall get that on our own pace, whilst focusing on our sonic madness primarily. But yes, we made a lot of friends at Wacken, and I think the most important lesson we learned there is the value of human connection."  Sibiu, Romania / Source: Beyond Dracula As you sing in Romanian, do you have any tips for non-native speakers in trying to sing along to your music? "Just go with what you feel, I won’t judge you, ha ha. I myself just went for the sound without understanding a word for many years, mainly when singing along to Arkona in Russian whenever I caught them live. That actually led to an interesting perception of the human voice as solely an instrument, stripped of the meaning of the words, which I think shaped the way I compose stuff. So yeah, don’t be afraid to pour your soul out, even if you literally can’t put it into words." Given the current COVID-19 global pandemic, what plans did you have that are either cancelled or postponed? Any plans for late 2020 / early 2021? "We did have a bunch of shows (some announced, others not yet) that went down the drain... But we’re increasingly more fortunate than bigger bands that had to cancel whole tours for which money had been already paid for whatever reason (logistics, advances, etc.). We are trying to reschedule the gigs, but honestly half-heartedly, because we don’t know if (although highly probable) and when the second wave will strike. That’s why we aren’t saying things like “buy cheaper pre-sale tickets” and stuff like that to our fans at the moment. On the other hand, we are constantly working on new music. In fact, our next single came out on 23.05.2020, exactly the day I turned 25." For metalheads visiting Sibiu, what sights / attractions and bars / venues could you recommend? "Well, Sibiu is not a big city at all. It’s wonderful to visit it, but you will probably learn it in a few days. I totally recommend the village museum, right outside the city. I think it’s the largest in Europe, and extremely beautiful. Also the city centre is quite pretty, if you don’t mind flocks of tourists and pigeons. You can find the Evangelical Church there, right in my high school yard. It’s a nice area. In terms of venues and bars, Sibiu doesn’t have it so great. If you’re looking for metal, you’ll most definitely end up at the Rock & Bike Club, as do we." Do you have any greetings or thanks you wish to send out to friends, fans, family, etc? "Stay strong. Each person is different, each reacts differently to such large-scale events. I, personally, besides the gigs and not being able to see my friends and family or to travel, am not too affected, as I work from home and am an introvert anyway. I’ve been composing and practising like a madman, so the time is put to good use. I’m not saying you’re worthless if you’re not productive. Not at all. It’s simply what works best for my well being. Take care of yourself, and don’t despair. Do a little something everyday. Check up on your loved ones. Listen to our music." https://www.facebook.com/eanna.romania/  For a band whose lyrics revolve around topics involving fantasy and death, you would have thought that the single 'Stalingrad' would have been by a Black Metal band. Instead it's by Egyptian Progressive / Folk Metal entity Riverwood and as frontman Mahmoud went on to explain, the single is drawing a comparison to the second world war and the current war against COVID-19. During his interrogation he confessed as to how the band came about, why Egyptian Metal is embracing a revolution and what venues metalheads should go to in the city of Alexandria.  For those who have not heard of Riverwood, could you give us a brief history of the band? "The band was formed only 2 years ago under the name of Riverwood. Our first album was released in the same year and its called "Fairytale". With 1 million streams online "Fairytale" has been chosen as one of the top 20 Folk metal albums in 2020." You recently released your new single 'Stalingrad', what was the idea behind this - why a song about WW2? "The song basically tells the story about a timeline that is almost the same as the current one, as the world is at war now with the COVID-19 virus. That's why we have decided to release it as a stand-alone single since it will not be a part of our second full album." Your debut album "Fairytale" is out now, what was the reception like and have you had people outside of Egypt download it?; will it be on CD / vinyl? "It has exceeded my expectations. I've never imagined it will be viral in the middle east that fast and also never imagined that it will reach one million streams online all over the world. The album is on CD as well and its sold outside of Egypt. We've sold CDs in Germany, France, Poland, Spain and many more international countries." Do you feel that there is a rise in Middle Eastern / North African tinged metal? (Myrath, Riverwood, Blaakyum, Scarab, Orphaned Land, etc); how would you describe your sound? "Unique. That's how I would describe the sound as all of the mentioned bands including Riverwood are injecting the Arabian sounds and Eastern cultures into their music and stories."  Citadel Of Fort Qaitbey, Alexandria, Egypt / Source: Gazelle Safari Company What is the current state of the Egyptian Metal scene? Is it going strong? When did metal music first arrive in Egypt?
"It was pretty much dead since 2010, but since 2018 it's being brought back to life with a lot of shows and releases." For metalheads visiting Alexandria, what sights / attractions and bars / venues could you recommend? "Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Sawy Cultural Wheel, Jesuit Center... these are the top notch venues for metal heads." What plans does Riverwood have for late 2020 / early 2021? "Currently we are working on our second full length album. Just like "Fairytale", the album will be telling a story that will be visualized in a book. The album also will be featuring more than one artist, of which 2 of them are big names in the metal music industry." Do you have any greetings or thanks you wish to send out to friends, family, fans etc? "As we rarely use the word fans, I would like to thank our family and warriors for all their support through out the "Fairytale" journey, it never could have been done without you and until we see you again on stage please stay safe. Wash your hands! Much love!" https://www.facebook.com/Riverwoodeg/  "When we released 'Ari Ari', a famous Bollywood actress Ileana D'Cruz liked it and actually posted about it on Instagram, that was pretty cool" Arguably one of the most talked about metal bands from Asia alongside Babymetal and The Hu in the last few years, India's Bloodywood have shaken the foundations of metal with their aromatic and flavoursome blend of Bollywood covers, Indian Folk Metal and cultural panache that landed them a slot at Wacken Open Air last year, and a slot at next year's Bloodstock Open Air after the 2020 edition was postponed due to the coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic. Vocalist Jayant Bhadula gave GMA the low down about their humble origins, the strength of the Indian Metal scene, how they became known across the country and why it's Asia'a time to showcase it's wealth of talent to Europe and the USA.  What was the initial idea behind Bloodywood? "When we started we always had a plan to release original music, that has always been a goal for us, but we didn't find a way to get it out; because I think there are a lot of metal bands in India and that's the thing. We wanted our music to reach out and not just be restricted within our region, state or country, we wanted our music to spread worldwide. This is why we thought the best way to go round it would be by doing covers, actually it wasn't really covers, first we tried to make metal renditions, like give it our flavour 'Sinbad The Slayer'... It was a gradual process through trying to make our sound that we would be comfortable with and eventually it lead to 'Ari Ari' and then to others." What was the reaction from both the Bollywood and Metal music scenes to your music? "It was widely received well in India with the audience here, it was also seen as funny. Finding it funny and then actually appreciating the metal behind it too is what we got from the Indian audience, but I would have never imagined that someone from Bollywood would have actually acknowledged it. The Bollywood industry I mean... it happened with 'Ari Ari' though; when we released 'Ari Ari', a famous Bollywood actress Ileana D'Cruz liked it and actually posted about it on Instagram, that was pretty cool." As you have only been going since 2016, to be where you are now (having played Wacken last year) it must be a dream come true for the band? "Oh yes absolutely, I'll give you a little fun story. This was around the time when I was in my final year at college, I was like 'I should start saving money and go see Wacken Open Air', I wanted to there and experience what it's like so I started saving money, go to Germany and see Wacken Open Air. Then because Bloodywood was going on and then I was actually working with another band; I've got one more project alongside Bloodywood. Bloodywood was getting busy and we eventually finally got the call for Wacken Open Air, that was personally for me and I can vouch for everyone in the band a dream come true for everyone; even the sound engineer he plays guitar with me in my other band, for him to be there to manage our sound was a dream come true for all of us." You've shifted from covering Bollywood music and writing your own material, where does your inspiration come from? "So it wasn't just the Bollywood songs that we used to cover, we used to cover almost anything that used to catch our eye. Literally from Bollywood to anything else, as long as we felt it was catchy we would just make a diddle on it. But the transition began when we started making ''Punjabi Metal', that was for the 'Mundiya Te Back K Rahi'... because while we were composing 'Mundiya Te Back K Rahi' around that time in the end we actually realised that and it was was Karan Katiyar who showed me that dhol goes really good with guitars and I took it as a joke, I was like no I don't think so, that's not going to happen. So he actually created the whole instrumental and was like now check it out, dhol which is a traditional north Indian folk instrument that was going perfectly with it. I felt it made the song more groovy, so what's where we got to the point where we should try experimenting with more Indian instruments and even then we're experimenting with more instruments." Arguably that's how metal seems to be evolving, by utilising other sounds and non-traditional metal instruments like the dhol per se. "I mean it depends on which metal act we're talking about, for Bloodywood at least I can say that when we started experimenting with folk instruments from our country, the idea was actually to incorporate instruments to make our sound a little more Indian. It's like Alien Weaponry who I don't think use folk instruments however they sing in Maori. I mean it really comes down to which bands you're talking about, I mean for example The Hu from Mongolia, they do use their folk instruments with metal so, but I don't think bands are introducing instruments for the sake of making a new sound. I feel that everyone is trying to express themselves in the best way they can like we did with Bloodywood, that's what I think the bands are doing." With all the things that has happened to Bloodywood, surely it must make you pinch yourself in asking 'is this really happening?' "Yes that happens quite a lot at least with me, because every time I go to the studio it takes me back to the time when I used to go to Karan's house and record a lot of stuff. But because a member in my other band owns a studio, we ended up going there thereafter; he's been such a nice guy about it all, given us his studio almost for free - just because he is friends with us and has supported us throughout. So when I look back I have a sheer amount of gratitude for those people, they didn't expect anything, they just wanted to help us out." What do your parents think of your music? "(laughs) my parents? My parents basically asked me 'you cool? Are you happy with what you're doing?' and I said 'yes' and so they said 'Ok we're cool too', they don't get metal. When I was in Chicago with my dad and we were sitting in the same room, Veil of Maya was playing nearby where we were staying and I put some of their music on the music system and my father looks at his uncle, and says 'this is what he does', my father looks at the screen and sees a guy screaming and guts out, and he's like 'yeah don't do that'." For those who listen to Bloodywood for the first time, what languages are you singing in? "'Ari Ari' is Punjabi but if you go to the rest of the songs after that it's Hindi." Are they completely different or similar? Are they easy to understand? "There's a lot of differences, I wouldn't say they're 100% different but there would be around 97% differences. There are a few little words here and there from what I use in Hindi and put into Punjabi. But there's a lot of languages in India, at least 100 plus (I'm not sure of the exact number) and lots of different dialects and they change as you travel in any direction. Yes we can understand each other, that's the funny part... English is actually quite useful in India... almost everywhere I think English is spoken and even though there are times when you get to the point where you are not sure what the person is saying, English comes in and saves us."  Connaught Place, New Delhi / Source: Culture Trip Has Bloodywood released any EP's or an album? If not will we see one this year? "It's not out of the question that we will end up doing that, because I mean this year the festivals are shut, I don't think something will be happening anytime soon, I hope that the world gets better and we can go back to festivals. But as there are not a lot of festivals which are still happening, I think this year we will be focusing on creating and hopefully if everything pans out, an album might not be out of the question, but it's still not been decided yet." Some people refer you to as a Folk Metal band, others a Nu Metal band, could you please clarify your sound? "I like to call it Folk Metal because that is what we want to be seen as for everyone, we do incorporate modern elements because we embrace it - if you look at my influences they are all Deathcore, Metalcore bands. Our drummer Vishesh Singh is heavily into Death Metal, so because all of us come from different niche styles of metal, when we combine it together it comes out to me what the 'Bloodywood sound' is; which I like to call Indian Folk Metal; mainly due to the instruments we use." On that note is it relatively easy or challenging to master the art of playing these traditional Indian folk instruments? "It is tricky, for example the dhol we use there are multiple variations of it. But the instruments themselves are tricky, that's my take on it because I don't play them. So I'm probably not the right person to ask regarding this (laughs)." Speaking about the Indian Metal, arguably Demonic Resurrection and Kryptos were the leading pioneers, would you therefore say Bloodywood is carrying the scene forward?" "Well it does not just end with Bloodywood, Demonic Resurrection or Kryptos, it's actually all of the bands that are in the metal scene. The Indian Metal scene is small, but I say this in every interview and I cannot stress enough on it that it might be small, but it's really tight-knit. We've got Systemhouse33, Gutslit, Kryptos, Demonic Resurrection all of whom played internationally, there are just so many bands from India producing so much quality material that I think its all of us who are carrying it forward." Nowadays what are the challenges that most Indian Metal bands tend to face (excluding COVID-19)? "Don't even get me started on that (laughs), Indian Metal bands have been facing so many problems for so long. It started off with venues not being open to letting metal bands to play there, to not being paid or not doing tribute shows or, I mean it's not a bad thing to do a tribute show, but at the same time there used to be less scope for original music to come up because people tended to come out for more of the tribute shows, but now as the audience is opening up there but still there are lots of venues and not a lot of money being invested in it. I think it's going to get better because the number of shows last year at least were a lot, I've never seen a lot of shows like that. There were a lot of bands from the US and Europe coming in, just in January we had As I Lay Dying come here, so I mean we've come a long away from just one metal band coming to India in a year, maybe for Bangalore Open Air per se where we get to see quality acts. Apart from that there was nothing, hardly any shows going on, but now even the promoters are getting into it." Do you feel it's more important than ever for metalheads from Europe to pay more attention to bands from Asia per se? "I feel the world has been sleeping on Asia for a long time and maybe now it will... maybe Bloodywood, or The Hu from Mongolia or Underside from Nepal; I love those guys, so I mean us Asian bands trying to get out and actually doing shows and getting a positive reception actually does make a way for other Asian bands to come out. I think people in Europe and the USA are actually embracing this. I actually met a guy in Osnabrück, Germany who was wearing a Gutslit t-shirt - Gutslit is an Indian band, I wanted a photo and send a message to the guys saying 'hey guys I saw a guy with your t-shirt in Osnabrück, Germany." Finally have you got any greetings or thanks you wish to send out to friends, fans, family, etc? "I want to say hello to everyone who's going to believe in us." https://www.facebook.com/bloodywood.delhi/ 
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The world of crossover music has always been there and for those eager enough to explore it, there are some rather spectacular and imaginative musicians out there. One such musician is Chinese-American cellist and erhuist Tina Guo, who has been a part of a countless number of musical scores most notably as a solo cellist, these include (but not limited to): 'Iron Man 2', 'Olympus Has Fallen', 'Vikings' (TV series), 'X-Men: First Class', 'Family Guy' and more. Moreover she has collaborated with world-famous musicians and composers such as John Legend, Hans Zimmer and Rupert Gregson-Williams respectively.
To top that she has appeared in the 'Mazda 6' and 'United Airlines' adverts respectively... in fact alongside this she has helped score for numerous video games including 'Diablo III' and 'Call of Duty: Black Ops' as well as releasing as of 2017, 8 albums of her own material with guests along the way; some of the albums are covers of game tunes e.g. her latest album 'Game On!' which has a metal feel to it and as Tina goes on to explain in the interview she had with GMA, there is something special about the relationship between metal and classical music.
Furthermore she has recently appeared on 'The Lion King' soundtrack to which she expressed absolute delight at.
Credit: Tomorrow Mingtian
"There is something about both Classical Music and Metal Music that has a lot of deep emotion and power."
At what point during your life did you want to become a musician? Did you have a strong music-orientated upbringing? Are other family members musicians?
"To be honest, I was forced into the family trade as a musician! Both of my parents are classical musicians and music teachers and I started on the piano at the of age 3, violin at 6, and cello at 7. Playing music and performing was a mandatory activity but it wasn't until I was 18 and moved to Los Angeles for University (studying Classical Cello Performance) at the University of South Carolina (USC) when I started really pursuing ways to make my own music, and just work as a cellist in order to pay the bills. I did a lot of work as a session musician and hired gun, and it helped me learn and familiarize myself with all genres of music, but my main love and obsession has always been Industrial Metal. I'm lucky that my "day job" of being a session musician has a lot of crossover with my own music!"
What was it like for you as a child moving from China to the USA? What were (if any) the challenges you had to face?
"I had to take my first grade twice because I had trouble learning English – haha! - but after that I was able to integrate pretty quickly. I always was a very shy person and hid in the library during most lunch periods throughout school because I felt too awkward to be outside and didn't feel like I belonged to any particular group of friends. However, I don't think that has to do with coming from China - that's just childhood in general! I was always drawn to people, art, and music that was gothic and dark however, and my world was completely changed when a goth kid in my middle school lent me his copy of "Antichrist Superstar" (Marilyn Manson) and I heard industrial music for the first time!"
Arguably your career has been rocketing skywards ever since you started making music, surely doing your own rendition of 'The Circle Of Life' is a dream come true?
"Being able to record cello solos on the soundtrack for the new 'Lion King' was amazing! I love Hans so much and am so appreciative and grateful for his friendship and mentorship. Since he saw my "Queen Bee" music video on YouTube 9 years ago, I have worked on many of his soundtracks and also tour with him in his live band. When he asked me to be a part of 'The Lion King', of course I was elated! Recording my own version of "The Circle Of Life" I felt was an appropriate way to celebrate the occasion!"
Out of all the characters from 'The Lion King', who is your favourite and why? What are your thoughts on Disney bringing their animated films to life these days?
"Pumbaa! He is hilarious and adorable. I really liked the live action 'Beauty And The Beast' - I think that it's a great way to integrate new technology with graphics and retell classic Disney stories in a new way."
Credit: Sony Music Entertainment / Justin Goff
You've done numerous albums, some involving metal music and so, could you tell us how you became interested in metal music? Do you feel classical music and metal music have strong correlations with each other?
"Yes! Industrial Metal is my main love and after hearing Marilyn Manson when I was 13 secretly, since I was not allowed to listen to anything but classical music in my household, the next big revelation came when I turned 18 and moved to Los Angeles to attend the University at the University of Southern California where I studied Classical Cello Performance. I felt my world open up when I was able to go online, watch YouTube videos, and discover so many amazing bands and artists - including my favourite band, Rammstein. I feel all music is just music, there is good and bad music in any genre - but to me personally, there is something about both Classical Music and Metal Music that has a lot of deep emotion and power.
From your experience, do you feel that classical music of any kind should receive more respect and recognition than it does currently?
"To be honest, I don't really play traditional classical music any more, but I think that there are so many amazing musicians online who are using technology and social media to connect with a new and young audience. I feel like if you want more people to recognize something, it also has to be made accessible and energetically open, not closed off because for members of the general public who have never had experience with Classical Music, it may seem intimidating. I think that Soundtracks are an amazing way for people to hear orchestral music, and it has really reinvigorated people in being curious about instrumental music based on the tradition of European Art Music."
For those looking to get into playing the cello or erhu, what tips and tricks could you offer? What make and model of cello are you currently using?
"Lots of practise! I practised 8 hours a day from when I started the cello at age 7 - in the past 10 years as I've gotten busier, I haven't been able to do as many hours but that foundation of technical ability is very important to establish when starting an instrument if it's something you'd like to pursue professionally. I would recommend find a good private teacher, and taking regular lessons - but most important is the follow through and practice.
My Acoustic Cello is an 1880 Gand & Bernardel that I purchased 7 years ago, I love him very much and his name is Cello Guo! I have a few bows but my favourite is by Lothar Seifert, with a Wholly Mammoth Ivory tip.
Do you have any greetings or thanks that you wish to send out to friends, family, fans, etc?
"I love and appreciate everyone who has supported my music and art, because without people to watch and listen, what is the point of music? Music and art is to communicate our own emotions and interpretations of the human experience, and I love being able to share that energetically with others.
Thank you!"
http://tinaguo.com/
Skyforger are arguably Latvia's most successful and well known metal band, here is a Pagan Metal band who have stood against the test of time since their inception back in 1995; previously known as Grindmaster Dead from 1991-1995. Since then many changes have taken place, with vocalist / guitarist Pēteris Kvetkovskis and backing vocalist / bassist Edgars Grabovskis being the only members from the original line-up, both of which also take on duties of playing traditional Latvian instruments; joining them are Alvis Bernāns on guitars and Artūrs Jurjāns on drums.
Their latest album "Senprūsija (Old Prussia)" which saw daylight back in 2015, is their sixth album and provides more evidence that Skyforger are more than just a metal band, they're dedicated at pushing more of their cultural heritage, folklore and history to the fore. This is even more so evident with their new music video 'Nothing Is Forgotten' which was released in celebratory honour of the 100th anniversary of Latvian independence.
Peter was more than happy to chat to GMA about this momentous occasion, Skyforger's history, the importance of learning about one's national history and folklore, what makes Pagan Metal uniquely separate from the overarching Folk Metal genre and of course what metalheads can do in Latvia's heavily-steeped-in-history capital Riga.
Skyforger has stood the test of time with seven albums and 24 years under your belt - will you be celebrating your 25th in style?
"No, we don’t plan to celebrate 25 nor 30 years, if we will still be around, and have nothing more important to present our fans than retrospective on what we have done for all this years. But I hope not and that instead we get out new albums and new songs to show! Last year we did a concert dedicated to 20 years of our first album “Kauja Pie Saules”, but it was initiative from our friends to make such a concert happen, we just took part in there. However, it was all about the album, not the band. Personally I don’t like this kind of fake celebrations – who cares if a band is around 10 or 25 years, what matters is music they create. We do big shows when we have a new album out and could call it a “celebration”, but never cared about for how long band has been going."
How long did it take to make the latest video? Where was it filmed and who was involved?
"Well, the idea for this video was floating around in the air for some couple of years. We wanted to dedicate a song “Nekas Nav Aizmirsts”, or in English “Nothing Is Forgotten” for all those nameless Latvian soldiers and riflemen, who make freedom of Latvia possible 100 years ago. Since we had exactly a centenary date coming up, there was no more time to waste. The video clip was filmed in various locations near Riga during the Summer and September / October of 2018. Then we put it all together in one month and release date was decided to be 18th November, the day of our 100th independence day, which is a very symbolic date. We invited a great upcoming actress Maija Arvena to join the video clip and also used a couple of excerpts from some famous Latvian movies, like massive war scenes which we could not film ourselves, And we ourselves, of course ha ha. You can watch video online in YouTube."
Along with the other Baltic countries, how did Latvia celebrate 100 years of independence?
"Oh, there was a lot of stuff going on! Concerts, movies, various events, it is hard to name them all. The Government gave away money to special foundations, which took care of such events to happen. It was all around our country for some time. Needless to say it went on with high national pride and spirit. Also we had the annual Song Festival celebrations for one month. Skyforger also took part in these activities: we played a concert at the Soldier Remembrance Day on 11th November 2018, and most importantly, our biggest show ever – metal opera “Kurbads”, a whole spectacle based on our "Kurbads" album performed by dancers! You can watch it here: http://straume.lmt.lv/lv/kultura/kultura/kurbads/1001003"
Can people learn basic Latvian from your songs? Is it easy / hard to learn Latvian?
"Hmm hard to say, but I doubt it would be possible to learn basic Latvian just from our songs - few words, sure, but not the basic language, you need some dictionary for that. In my opinion the Latvian language is hard to learn - could be a lot harder than German, English, or Russian. We had a lot of those ķ, ļ, dž, ž, š and a/ā, i /ī, u/ū and so on. Very few words built on a Latin base like English or German have and even then those words are borrowed from languages I mentioned. So it would be quite difficult for foreigners to learn and pronounce words like kaķis (cat) or dzelzsceļš (railroad) ha ha I bet!"
Old Town, Riga / Source: TripAdvisor
With your lyrics are you hoping people would pay interest in Latvian history and folklore?
"Sure we do! That is one of our goals! That is why we have everything translated into English and even more – we always add some explanations and stories for people to understand what it is all about. Just check our website, it is full of explanations about what we sing and what we tell: http://skyforger.lv/en/"
Do you have any favourite songs from the albums you have done?
"No, they all are like my children, everyone is equal in the eyes of the father ha ha. But honestly, I never listen to my music at home. Probably it is because I hear those songs differently to anyone else from aside or they were in my ears already for so many times when I created, recorded and performed them, so I had enough already. Therefore I can’t name you any specific song I love from Skyforger, sorry."
What is it in your opinion that makes Folk Metal, or in your case Pagan Metal that bit special?
"Hmm, I can tell you what makes our music special, but if you ask how those (Folk / Pagan) styles stand out, I have a hard time today to tell something original here. So-called Folk Metal of late reminds me more of Power Metal than what it was (Folk) when it all started. Today I see Folk Metal as jolly Power Metal hymns with pathetic pompous choruses and of course bagpipes playing along the band, add here Odin and Vikings ad nauseam and you’ll get the picture. It is funny that even non-Folk Metal bands now sing about Vikings and add that folky stuff in their music. Like when you have Judas Priest and Saxon singing about Valhalla!
It is to the point that we as Skyforger feel a bit shameful to be named as Folk Metal band. I know it will sound like bragging, but here are a few things that makes us stand apart: we sing in our language, we sing about our Baltic heritage and history instead of Vikings, we try to play a more aggressive and grim style of music, we do real research about what we sing. So maybe it is better, in our case, to call it Pagan Metal. I know, I maybe take it all a bit too serious, but then again that is my personal attitude to the music."
For Metalheads visiting Riga, what sights / attractions could you recommend? What venues? Best alcohol drinks?
"Old Town of course - there is a lot to see, all that medieval style most of metalheads would love. Then there is the Ethnographical Open Air museum on the outskirts of Riga. What else… probably the folk club-pub Ala, with live Latvian folk music and dances and something like 30 kinds of beer. The Folk music shop Upe (you can buy traditional folk instruments there) and ancient jewellery shop “Baltu Rotas”. Some traditional food places, like Lido Dzirnavas. For best alcohol – beer - there is no better stuff here as we have old beer traditions. I can recommend Bauskas, Tērvetes, Valmiermuiža beers as good ones one can buy in shops and then there are countless craft beers in places like Labietis. Two of the best places for Metalheads to hang around with metal music and like-minded people inside is the tavern “Zobens and Lemess” and café Leningrad. If you come in Summer (June) we have our own Pagan Metal festival 'Zobens Un Lemess' or 'Kilkim Žaibu' festival in neighbouring Lithuania. So this is what comes into my mind right now."
What plans does Skyforger have for going into 2019? Are there any greetings you wish to send out to friends, family, fans, etc?
"We started to work on new songs, but I guess a new album will be out only in 2020 as it still goes slow due to not enough of free time and just one rehearsal in a week. But at least it is started! Then we have some great festivals ahead and few concerts here and there for this year. For example Party.San festival in Germany. Maybe some more opportunities will arouse as the new year is just started!
As always we want to say big thanks to everyone who supports our band, comes to concerts and listens our music – we appreciated it a lot! Thanks Global Metal Apocalypse for this interview and see you all soon around!"
http://www.facebook.com/skyforgerofficial
Croatia has had it's fair share of rich metal music history, however it has only recently spawned it's first ever Pirate Metal band; the genre itself popularized by Scotland's Alestorm in 2004 although it's antecedents originates back with Germany's Running Wild releasing the album 'Under Jolly Roger' in 1987. GMA caught up with Marko Vučković (drummer and band manager) otherwise known as The Admiral and looked into what makes these scallywags tick, Croatia's pirate history and what the Croatian Metal scene is like.
"We grew out of the cliche that everyone thinks they [Alestorm] are the only pirate metal band that exists"
Could you give us a brief history of Rum Smugglers, how you started out, etc.
"We started as a duo back in 2011, playing a variety of blackened thrash with pirate themed lyrics. We soon recruited the bassist and the rhythm guitarist, to further explain; we regularly switched those band members due to differences in styles and then not being able to comply to the regime of the band. In 2015 we released our demo, 'Hemp Rope Justice', and later on found the new addition to the band, our keyboardist, thus switching to a more folk / power metal method in our songs. He left in the Autumn of 2017, being with us only for a short time, around 9 months. We re-recorded our single during the time he spent with us, and after his departure we are currently trying to employ two violinists. Hopefully they will prove to be better band members then most of the aforementioned."
Presuming one of your influences is Alestorm, what are you aiming to bring to the Pirate Metal movement?
"One of our influences was Alestorm in the beginning but, we grew out of the cliche that everyone thinks they are the only pirate metal band that exists. We also take influences from Skyclad, Running Wild and Swashbuckle, we are trying to freshen up the scene with our more 'thrashy powery' approach on the subject at hand."
What is the Croatian Metal scene like? Tell us about the festivals, media, venues, bands, etc
"It's a bit poor at the moment, there are some great bands here, but everyone's focus is mainly on tribute bands and on some weird avant-garde and experimental type of music, thus disregarding the metal scene as it was a few years back. There are some great venues like OKC Palach in Rijeka, and Insomnia in Slavonski Brod, Epic club in Osijek and Kset and Močvara in Zagreb. The Croatian metal scene is still strong though, pushing out bands like Flesh, Frozen Forest, SpeedClaw, Uma Thurman, Decomposing Entity and many others. Just type in Croatia on the Encyclopaedia Metallum website and hope for the best, and check out YouTube links with the same search.-"
You say you combine gypsy melodies, where do you get your influences from?
"Yea, gypsy melodies, well we are on the crossroads between the Mediterranean and the eastern front, so we get our influences from both sides of folk melodies and folk culture."
Croatian National Theatre, Zagreb, Croatia
Are there any Croatian pirate stories you could tell us?
"Of course there are! Mainly representing bandits in the Adriatic sea but there are also many more, check this link and try to translate it to English :) https://hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gusari"
What plans do you have for 2018?
"We are currently practising new songs and making new material with our new violinists. So you can expect a new album with fresh and not so fresh tunes to hit the internet soon."
Do you have any greetings you wish to send out?
"Do what you want, cause a pirate is free!"
https://www.facebook.com/RumSmugglersCRO/
Lithuania despite it's relatively well-positioned geographical position, seems to have a metal scene devoid of western attention with the exception of a few metal bands. One band who fits that category is Blackened Thrashers Dissimulation, whilst on the other hand of the spectrum it is arguable that Žalvarinis is another band who has garnered attention outside of Eastern Europe. But what about the new generation?
Well, with the latest news concerning Berserker's signing to Sliptrick Records the future looks bright for the Lithuanian Metal scene. This female-fronted melodic metal outfit have been around since 7th March 2009 and are set to release their latest offering and debut album "Dark Worlds Collide" this year. Having already performed in Latvia, Estonia, Belarus and Poland, it's only a matter of time before they reach British soil.
But before they get that chance, GMA decided it was only fair to give the two ladies and four gents a brush over and interrogate them...
What does it feel like signing to US label Sliptrick Records? Where does this go in terms of the bands achievements?
"Dark Worlds Collide“ is our first released album. Our debut album, the digital version of it was released after 6 years since the band was founded. We gathered old songs, wrote new material, arranged intros and interludes. Now that this task is behind us, we are excited to have the opportunity to release this album not only in digital format, but also in physical format together with Sliptrick Records. We believe that this is only the beginning and with the help of Sliptrick Records we can further develop as a band, and share our music with broader audience.
Could you give us a brief background history of the band?
Berserker was founded in 2009 by classmates Romeo (bassist), Krzysztof (guitarist) and George (drummer). Over the years we as a band suffered line-up changes that held us back from playing more gigs and finishing the record earlier. Our current singer Agnieška and second guitarist Mažvydas joined the band in 2013, Kristina – keyboardist in 2015. Now we can say that we have a stable line up.
The Lithuanian Metal scene appears to be very small (from a UK perspective), what can you tell us about the scene? (can talk about clubs, labels, media, successful bands, public perception of metal, etc.).
There are a lot of interesting metal bands, playing and incorporating very diverse styles into their music. The Lithuanian metal scene is quite small in terms of places to play in / at. There are a handful of clubs and a couple of festivals where you can play such music. Therefore bands tend to write English lyrics and share their work with audiences in other countries.
With Eurovision 2016 have been and gone, has Berserker ever considered (or thought about considering) entering the contest? What are your thoughts on it?
We have not thought about participating in the Eurovision Song Contest. For now we have many other
goals to achieve and to grow as musicians. Maybe we will when we get older.
 | Track-list 1. Intro 2. Dark Worlds Collide 3. Warhell 4. Madness Machine 5. The Day Human Died 6. Wolf 7. Prelude 8. Viking Ship 9. Mūšis už Žemę |
Kristina & Agnieška, what are your thoughts on female musicians playing metal? Would you agree that the stigma towards female musicians in metal is not as oppressive as once was? Would you agree that modern society is more appreciative of having diversity in music be it gender, race, religion, etc., that there is very little oppression towards the mentioned traits?
Agnieška:
I believe that gender does not matter in music nor that it ever did, female musicians can be as good as their male opposites. Although sometimes female musicians do not get a whole lot of respect from some metal fans, there are a lot of strong and respected female-fronted bands out there. I always felt good being a female singer in a metal band, for me it is fascinating to be a part of a band playing strong music.
Krisina:
Metal music lets you express your inner energy, spiritual power, emotions and rebellion – traits, which every person has, regardless of their gender. Of course, not everyone can play this kind of music, but if metal is not only in your ears, and makes your heart beat faster and lets you feel the passion, it means you play the right music – that’s what I feel. Modern society is very diverse, meaning its tolerance to a wider spectrum of music styles, I believe, that we are living and playing in the right time, when people want diversity, when it is pursued to be tolerant in all of aspects, because it gives a freedom of choice and actions. I can’t argue, there is always some disapproval, but without it, it would be harder to improve.
Where has Berserker got lined up to perform in support of the album re-release (via Sliptrick)? Is the UK on the table? (in contention).
We did a "Dark Worlds Collide“ tour in Poland, performed in Latvia, Estonia, Belarus and of course Lithuania with the purpose of promoting the albums digital release. Now the planning stage concerns
how can we support the re-release and find time to work with new material and other projects. Gigs
are being planned in Lithuania, Latvia and Poland and we can say, that the UK is planned for November. With proper support there is a bigger chance we will actually do it!
What would you describe your sound as without using genres in your answer? What sets you apart from other similar bands?
Our music combines epic melodies, apocalyptic lyrics to bring every listener to his own unearthly, magical, fantastic reality.
Finally have you got any hello's, thank you's etc you wish to send out?
We would like to thank all the people that support us, that attend and have fun at our shows. This is the main reason that pushes us to go forward and create music.
"Dark Worlds Collide" is out via Sliptrick Records date tba
https://www.facebook.com/BerserkerOfficial
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