| INTERVIEW
WITH EDENBRIDGE (italian version) by Giancarlo Bolther What are your impressions about the realisation of Sunrise in Eden, are you satisfied? Yes we are. It´s great to be at Massacre Records, they´re doing a fantastic job for us. I think we´ve done the best we could on the recordings last year and the reactions everywhere are fantastic, especially in Italy. I heard we got 95 out of 100 in your magazine, thanks for this. Is there something in the album you don´t like? No, absolutely not. I mean there is always room for improvement and you will hear this on our next studio album. How much time did you take to record it? Well, we made the recordings in Gandalfs studio in 2 weeks, I think this is really fast, when your hear other bands talking about their studio time. The mix in the House of Audio studios in Germany with Dennis Ward of Pink Cream 69 lasted another week, so we have 3 weeks at all. What is the meaning of your name, is there a mystic or religious sense? Edenbridge is actually a town in Kent, England, this is where I heard the name. But for me it is a perfect name for our music and can be interpreted in many ways. It has no religious sense, cause I don´t believe in religions, I believe in God or a higher being above us whatever you may call him, but not in the church itself. What is the Heaven for you? Heaven can be many things. Your personal paradise where you feel well. All the things you enjoy. I feel like in heaven at the moment, cause everything according to Edenbridge is running so well, making the music I love and to have the chance that many people can listen to. This is a heavenly feeling. At the first look Edenbridge seems to be the continuation of what you have done as a soloist, why have you formed a band? I don´t think it´s a continuation of my solo-project, cause it´s quite different. In the years when I made my solo-project I always had the band beside. When I wrote songs it was always clear for whom they were made. My solo albums were guitar orientated instrumental symphonic rock albums, Edenbridge is a bombastic metal band. Well my solo playing is more or less in the same style but this is all. Now I am happy to have a band to play with and my solo project lays on ice at the moment. How was the band born? I´ve been playing together with Kurt (bass) for more than 6 years now. We were in a prog band called Cascade till 95. In 96 Sabine joined the band, but at this time it was more a studio project. When drummer Roland entered the band in 98 the line up was completed for the Sunrise in Eden production. 2 weeks after we sent the CD to about 30 record companies around the world Massacre offered us a deal immediately. In Februar 2000 Georg Edelmann joined the band as a second guitar player and he will be heard on our forthcoming tour. Do you think there will be more records as Lanvall? Sure, but not within the next 2 years. I am totally busy with Edenbridge every day, I am constantly writing the next record, which we want to record next spring, so I have nearly no time for a solo album. A couple of songs are still written, but I want to make a really big instrumental album with a whole orchestra for the next time and this costs a lot of time. I don´t think this can be realised before 2003. Listening to your Cd seems to me to find some influences very different from each other. The epicity and power of Boston, the singing of Enya and, obviously , the classical music, but which are your really musical influences? I grew up with classical music, started playing piano at the age of 7 and took lessons for 12 years. At the age of 14 I discovered Heavy Metal. Then I always tried to combine those 2 styles and make something new out of it. I also love good new age music like Kitaro, Vangelis and Gandalf. In the metal scene I like many bands, especially Royal Hunt, Shadow Gallery, Dream Theater, Stratovarius, Fair Warning, Valentine and many more. Sabine also likes the melodic metal bands and also Sarah Brightman, Celine Dion and musical stuff. Kurt is a big prog fan (Yes, Rush, Dream Theater, Shadow Gallery, Asia). Roland is a pure metal guy, he loves Dark Tranquility and so is Georg with bands as Annihilato, Nevermore and Angra What do you think about the actual symphonic metal scene? Well, it seems to be a trend at the moment, but only the best and unique bands will survive. We don´t need 1000 copies of Rhapsody. But better 1000 copies of Rhapsody than 1000 copies of Morbid Angel. Do you believe to be a part of a movement or not? If yes do you like it? I don´t think we´re a part of a movement, cause we are unique enough to have our own style. Well maybe 3 years ago very few labels would have signed us, because there was no market for this music, trends come and go Edenbridge will stay. Which are the subjects that you like best for your lyrics? The most important thing in our lyrics is the positive energy you can feel when you listen to. "Sunrise in Eden" and "In the rain" are about nature, "Cheyenne Spirit" about the indian races, "Holy Fire" and "Wings of the wind" about dreams and freedom and "My Last Step Beyond" about the transcendence from life to death and how it could be. Do you believe that it is important to be able to seperate oneself from the day to day reality? To a certain point, yes. Every day when you watch the news on TV, it`s crime, murder, catastrophes, corrupted politicians and so on. This can´t be inspiration for our music. This is why I prefer to write positive songs. I don´t want to change the world with my music and lyrics but I think music should be something you can hide from reality. Dreams are important for everyone, so all I can say is my personal philosophy: Don´t dream of life, live your dream! Your collaboration with Gandalf is six years long, can we say that he is a part of your past and a great friend? Well, I`ve been loving his music since I was a child. We played 2 tours together and he is a very good friend of mine. I think we have the same feeling about music although we are doing completely different styles, but it´s always great when we are jamming and sitting together. Which are your future projects? Many concerts are on our plan, so we are busily rehearsing at the moment. It´s great to be on the tour with Pink Cream 69 and Axxis through Europe. Our next studio album will be very important too. The main aim for me is to bring Edenbridge on top, getting better on every album and to become a great live band too. I saw that you haven´t Italian dates in your next European tour, why? That´s a pity. I would love to play in your country, but I can´t tell you why it don´t happen. In the first tour schedule 2 gigs in Italy were planed but they didn´t come true as it seems. But I`m sure we will play in Italy on one of our next tours, hopefully. GB Reviews (in italian): Sunrise in Eden |