Yes my friend, now it's time to spread to the world the name of Vision a young band from Chicago devotod to the cause of progressive rock/metal, in the same vain of old Queensryche, Fates Warning and Eternity X (do you still remember the band of Keith Sudano, right?) that have released, just some months ago, a fantastic debut album, that i consider one of the best release of this genre.
I've personally contacted one of the mastermind of the project, the talented guitarist Sean P. Gahgan, the spokesman of the band, that will explain to us, the backstages behind his first official relase called "The Other Side Of Grey", where song like the amazing track "Steel The Thunder", or the dramatic call of "Deadly Embrace", bring us again the old lesson of the great master of the past, so....
(Sean)The Other Side of Grey has a couple of meanings. The origin comes from when Nefarious and I were working on the songs for the album and trying to come up with an appropriate title for the album.
Nefarious made the comment that at times, he and I are so opposite… he on the dark side and I on the light side… his world black and mine white, so when we meet in the middle we are grey.
Then I said, “So…what’s on the other side of grey” and we said that’s it…The Other Side of Grey! It fit so perfectly as many of our songs are written from two different perspectives, you can interpret them it different ways and ultimately the listener will interpret the song the way it best fits them.
Your first release is for me the typical kind of the word perfection, an album where passion and emotion lives in perfect symbiosis, but during the record’s session, you have ever thought that you were giving life to a real masterpiece?
Thank you for the kind words. These songs went through many stages… some came very easy while others took quite a lot of time and work. We grew as musicians and some of us as sound engineers during the recording and writing process.
But above all else, the primary purpose was to convey the emotion behind the song to the listener. Because we produced and engineered the album completely ourselves, it took more time than we would have liked, but the passion was always there.
Now we can take the knowledge we have learned in the recording process and use it to expedite the new album which is already 50% written. The fact that we have received such positive feedback is a dream come true and we are just happy that the listeners are moved by the songs.
Also your style is incredible, a perfect mixture of progressive element, from rock to metal, and some part keeping from the tradition of seventies hard rock that reminds me the gods Rush, but also to Queensryche and Fates Warning and Eternity X, do you agree with me, or for you is better to talk only about metal?
I always find it interesting to hear what other people think we sound like. Peolple have told us we sound like anything from Queen to Queensryche, Tad Morose to Dream Theater, Meatloaf to Megadeth. I take the wide variety as a complement because one thing Vision strives for is diversity. I
personally listen to so many different types of music, from Sarah Brightman to Evergrey, Kamelot to Kansas, Vanden Plas to Sammy Hagar… I have so many influences that it all influences what I write. Then Nefarious comes in and puts his spin on things and sends it through the stratosphere.
So yes, to a point I agree with you about the influences, maybe not the specific ones you noted but I hear many different ones in our music.
Excuse me Sean, why you have chosen to record the album as a self production? Have not you found any label interested in your style, or have you thought about not allowing external people to put his hands on your music?
When we first embarked on this journey Nefarious and I said let’s do it all ourselves, if it sucks, we will take the blame, if it’s good, we’ll take all the credit.
We just didn’t want someone else telling us how we should communicate our passion and the emotions we were trying to express.
We are actively seeking a record label now for distribution and for the release of our second album as well.
In my review I say that it's really a crime that a band as your has not succeeded in finding an international label deal that believe in your potential, how can explain this situation to yourself.
Being in the right place at the right time. We are still aggressively pursuing all avenues and have a few things pending which I cannot speak of for legal reasons.
I think the economic crisis that the world is in today does not help matters as well because record labels are cutting back. But we remain positive and will keep pushing on. At the moment we are actively seeking a record label for distribution and support for the release of our second CD.
How much hard has been to complete a work as your first effort?......and the satisfaction?
It was a labor of love…I ate, slept, bled, and cried The Other Side of Grey for 7 years. Building my recording studio in the process. The day I got the final CDs from the manufacturer and held it in my hand was very gratifying…. A dream come true!
How would you describe your process when composing a song? Which do you think is the most ideal to represent your music from all the songs you've composed and why?
When I start to right I usually have a mood in mind, whether it’s being sad, happy, despair, aggression, hope, fear… I have this mood, this feeling and the music comes from there. Maybe it’s one word or a situation that causes an emotional reaction in me and it just manifistates itself from there.
Sometime the music falls into place all by itself, other times I need others to help me out, but it all starts with that one mood and carries itself from there. However, there was one song on the CD that was unique in the fact that Nefarious had all the lyrics written, and although he does not play an instrument, he hummed, tapped out, and basically fed me his ideas to right the music. It was a very different process for me but also produced one of the best songs on the CD.
Can you tell us where have you record the compositions, and especially who was the producer of the album?
We recorded the CD in my own studio I spent the last 7 years building, Lake of Fire Studios.
I would one day like to open it to the public but for the moment it remains private. The CD was produced and engineered by Azrael, an up and coming producer with incredible ideas and a great ear for music.
I’ve received my copy form you, but a typical fan of your music where can find your disc here in the old continent?
We are looking for some shops over in Europe to carry our CD until we sign a deal with a label so if there is any that are interested they can contact me at admin@lakeoffire.net .
I don't know if I am wrong, but looking the cover album and listen to the atmosphere of your music, I’ve understand that the “The Other Side Of Gray” is a kind of concept that remind me to masterpiece as "Operation: Mindcrime", it is possible?
The Other Side of Grey is not a concept album. Each song stands on its own. We would most definitely like to do a concept record in the future, but right now we have too many individual ideas to focus on.
Can you tell us a few words about the lyrics? And according to you exist a particular track that is able to represent at the best the spirit of Vision?
What track would best represent Vision? That’s tuff… we strive for diversity… “Ocean’s Away” and Decsention are both very atmospheric yet two totally different emotions. “Over” & “Steel the Thunder” are more straight ahead Power Metal, “Burning Hope” & Frozen Tears” are on the lighter side, “Deadly Embrace” is more progressive, and the rest are somewhere in between… I love all the songs. For me personally My favorite guitar solo was in “Frozen Tears”.
Now a strange question, well music fans face the dilemma whether the album they wish to buy, will be good for them, so that they won't spend the money for nothing, right? So, in times the releases are too many, explain to us why a music fan should buy your CD?
Fans should buy our CD if they like diversity with a common thread. I believe we write good, emotional, thought provoking songs. If that seems interesting then give us a listen!
Coming from Chicago, that from many point of view can be an advantage, but how is hard for a newcomer band as your, to build a strong reputation in your area?
Playing live is one of our most favorite things to do. We bring the music to life and I have no doubt that people only need to see us for a short period of time and they will be hooked.
On a sad note, We just parted ways with our drummer and had to cancel some tour dates. We are in the process of auditioning new drummers and are accepting application at admin@lakeoffire.net .
What would be your plans, looking in a crystal ball a few years further on and given the opportunity? I know that you still recording a new cd, right?
We have more than half of the new CD written and some recorded. Plan is to have the new CD, Hope & Fear, out by early 2010.
Once we have a new drummer we will revisit our tour dates and get back out on the road. We just want to make music that ourselves and others enjoy and move the listener emotionally. A personal goal for myself would be to play ProgPower USA and ProgPower Europe.
Well Sean, this is really the end, thanks for your availability your last word are your….
Thank you so much for your kind words and review. It’s with your help that bands like Vision get the word out to the people. Thanks again.
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Pubblicato su: 2009-07-12 (280 letture)
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