Rockezine.com interview with Red Wine on Jun 26, 2003

with Red Wine on Jun 26, 2003


		First of all could you tell us a little bit about the history of Red Wine and introduce the band to the readers of Rockezine? Ok. The band Red Wine was formed in La Rioja (Spain) six years ago. We started playing melodic heavy metal with the only purpose of having fun; you know… like so many other bands. But we noticed that the songs had something special that the people seemed to like, so we decided to record our first album “Hijos Del Despertar” in 2001. This album was self produced and then we met the people of Arise Records, and signed with them. Our second CD “El Fin De Los Tiempos” came one year later and was released in some countries across Europe, Canada, USA, South America and Japan. This album made the band become more popular and stronger. And now, in 2003 it’s time for this album “Sueños Y Locura” (Dreams and madness).
		“Sueños y Locura” has just been released, how have the reactions to the album been so far and are you satisfied with the result? We are totally satisfied with the result and the sound of this album; it’s the best work we have ever made, no doubt about it. The reviews of the album are great in every country, the same happens here in Spain, where the album is getting very good critics and reviews, better than our other albums. So we think it’s time for us to reach new horizons and grow as the heavy metal band we are, with this “Sueños Y Locura”.
		All your lyrics are in Spanish, is there a specific reason why you use your native language? At the beginning we talked about this matter, and after that we decided that first of all the most important thing was to succeed here, in Spain. Not many Spanish heavy metal bands have lyrics in Spanish; I mean, a lot of bands choose to write their lyrics in English, so we thought it was a good idea to start singing in Spanish.
I mean, a lot of bands choose to write their lyrics in English, so we thought it was a good idea to start singing in Spanish.		Of course, we would like to know what Red Wine sings about; can you briefly explain the general ideology of Red Wine’s lyrics? All human beings have millions of thoughts and feelings that cross our minds. In our heads are dreams, fears, sadness, etc… We try to talk about all of these things, always trying so that every song has got a “romantic” atmosphere. “Sueños Y Locura” means that, Dreams and Insanity. We like to talk about dreams and things that we or any person would like to accomplish, but we also talk about many things that sometimes blind our minds and leave us in a haze that impedes us to keep on dreaming.
		When I listened to your album, it struck me that it sounds really refreshing; different from the current trend in power metal. What bands have influenced your music the most and how would you describe your music in your own words? It is obvious that there are a lot of bands that have influenced us in our music; you can guess which these bands are if you listen the album, some of these bands are Helloween, Gamma Ray, Rage, Stratovarious, Angra, etc… But apart from these, there is an important fact to consider, and it’s that Red Wine has now got its own way of making music, its own sound, that is a difficult and necessary thing for every band to get. We got it! And we are very proud and glad.
		Apart from Mägo de Oz and Ankhara (both very good bands by the way), I don’t know any other bands from Spain, how’s the metal scene over there in general and what are the leading bands? Well, you forgot to mention Dark Moor and Tierra Santa, probably the bands that sell most CDs outside of Spain. There are great bands here that people don’t know, although the language is often the main obstacle for these bands to succeed outside of Spain.
We have a lot of ideas, and we think our next album will be harder, darker, …		What is the biggest problem for a young Spanish metal band in a quite unknown scene and how do you cope with it? We are lucky to work with the label Arise Records. They know how to work so that their bands are being listened to in every place around the world, and also have a lot of contacts, especially in Europe, which makes it easier for the band to become known in the metal scene. Other labels here in Spain are not as competent as Arise Records.
		You recently recorded “Rise And Fall” for the Helloween tribute album released by Arise Records; how did you get to be part of this record and can you tell us a bit about the whole experience? Arise records is the label who edited that tribute CD so they talked directly with us and proposed us to be part of the tribute album, very easy! We chose “Rise And Fall” because it is a different song, not so power metal as the other songs, and we wanted to do something different from the music that we normally play. It was a great experience for us; a lot of bands would kill to be part of this album!!!
		What can we expect from Red Wine in the future? We will keep on working so that you can get our new album next year, we are already composing for the next album, we have a lot of ideas, and we think our next album will be harder, darker, …
		Any hopes or dreams? Yes, to be playing on Wacken 2004 (he he he……)
		Thanks a lot for this interview and I hope we get to hear more from Red Wine in the future! Is there anything you would like to add to this interview? Thanks for giving us the chance to talk to the people in your country, and we sincerely hope you like the album. Listen with your hearts!
(Frank van de Voorde)