Rockezine.com interview with Wuthering Heights on Oct 03, 2006

with Erik Ravn on Oct 03, 2006


We play music that´s sometimes a bit weird but not in the usual introvert way - our goal is rather to be as exciting and entertaining as possible.		Could you please introduce Wuthering Heights a bit, and describe the kind of music that you play? I usually refer to us as "the mad metal minstrels". Mad, ´cause Minstrels because a lot of our stuff has a somewhat folksy or ancient feel to it. And metal because that´s what we´re basically all about - we´re just a heavy metal band, though maybe not your totally typical one. Anyway, we´ve been around for more than 15 years now and we´re just releasing our fourth album "The Shadow Cabinet". Except for myself, all the members of Wuthering Heights are involved in other bands and projects as well, and we all have long, varied musicals histories. So we have a lot of diverse experience and influences to draw from. And in this band we sort of try to set aside your usual musical standards and tie it all together in order to bring the heaviest, most emotional, dramatic (and sometimes just plain fun) music to the listener.
		Can you name some of the musical influences of Wuthering Heights? As I said, we come from different musical backgrounds, but since I write the majority of the material, my influences are probably the most obvious. There´s a healthy dose of speed metal in there, we were very high on Helloween and Gamma Ray in our early years - so it´s all very melodic. Some of it is quite epic as well, like some of the more intricate Iron Maiden stuff. Then I´m also a big fan of seventies rock of the more pompous kind - like Styx or City Boy, all those great vocal bands - and some of the more progressive stuff as well, like Pink Floyd. And then we have the whole folk music element, which is not as uncommon now, as it was when we started out all those years ago. I got into folk music only a little after I had started listening to metal, so it soon came to me to try and blend those two things. Not many people had done that back then, only Thin Lizzy and Gary Moore, as far as I knew. So I just started experimenting with it. Then a little later I heard Skyclad, which was a big revelation - not only did it encourage me that I was maybe not totally insane to do "folk-metal", but they just did it so well that I became a huge fan. Also Martin Walkyier of Skyclad is one of my biggest lyrical inspirations, so that band definitely had a huge impact. It was so sad when Martin left and they sort of fell to pieces, ´cause they were always the benchmark for integrity and dedication back then.
		Soon your new album will be released, are there any clear differences in comparison with the previous one? It´s definitely the heaviest, most intense album we´ve done. It´s a bit darker in the lyrical issues, and so the music had to follow that path as well. I think we´ve made a very dramatic album indeed. But there are no direct changes of style as such, the key elements are the same, the balance is maybe just a bit more on the heavy side this time.
		Is there something like a concept behind “The Shadow Cabinet” or what kind of emotions, feelings, lyrics or stories holds the album together? It deals with the shadow side of being human. It´s about those dark forces that govern our lives and our ways of behaviour. And it´s about trying to learn to live with that dark side, accepting it, and maybe even turning it to your own advantage. Some of the themes are quite dark, I admit. There might not be the same sense of hope as on our previous albums, but then the sense of rebellion, steadfastness or defiance is all the more strong.
		Is there a certain message you`d like to pass on with your music? If so, what is it and why? If you mean the whole idea of Wuthering Heights as such, then I guess it´s that we try to push the envelope of heavy metal a bit. Or rather, just use all the tools available to get the best out of the music, without thinking too much about what subgenre people might want to put us in. What I mean is, a lot of metal bands these days seem to set very tight limits to themselves, maybe try too hard to define themselves, so that they end up with too little space to evolve or experiment. It´s like, you have the "progressive" bands, that are so extreme or navelgazing in their technicality, that they lose most of the listeners. And then you have this whole "fantasy-euro-power-metal" thing, that´s entertaining to some extent, but isn´t really about anything - it´s just fairy tales about dragons and shit. And I somehow fail to see the logic that you have to choose either path. When I started listening to metal, it excited me because it was melodic, entertaining and sometimes over-the-top, but the bands also tried out new things and sometimes did complicated stuff. I really don´t see why you shouldn´t try to be "serious" and progressive and still be able to be a catchy and entertaining act. And you can be catchy and entertaining without being silly, too. You don´t need to sing about templars or dragons - I mean what´s the fucking point? I find it the most entertaining when the artist delivers something personal, something he really believes in. That´s what we try to do, and I guess that´s the message, if there is any - we´re doing real music about real stuff, but we try to be real fun to listen to at the same time.
		Can you describe the creative process of making this album? How did the songs get written, arranged, produced, the lyrics.. who does what in the band? Well, it starts with the lyrics. I put a lot of work into the lyrics as they are the backbone of the whole thing. They determine the mood of the songs and are the frame on which I build the songstructures. After the lyrics come the melodies and chords. And then I start doing rhythm programming, guitarriffs, orchestral parts and all that. So it´s a very long, and maybe roundabout way to do it, but the music is very "song-oriented" - we´re not really that much of a "riff-band". I then do a a demo of the album, that I send it to the other guys for them to learn the songs and bring a few inputs. And then finally we have some hectic studio sessions where we put the whole thing together - this time again under the guiding ears of producer extraordinaire Tommy Hansen.
		From your point of view, what is your favourite track on the new album and why? My personal favourite is "The Raven". Because it´s sort of my "theme song" (I am the raven, you know...hehe...), and because I think it has a wonderful flow to it. And possibly the best riff I´ve ever written. It also has this nordic flavour to it that I like very much. But it´s hard to choose just one track, of course. I´m also very fond of the song "Beautifool", which also has a good arrangement, it´s very melodic and I think it also has some of the more accomplished lyrics.
		What is your most memorable moment being in Wuthering Heights? Definitely when we played the ProgPower Festival in Atlanta. The concert itself was OK, but the whole experience was fantastic. We met so many wonderful people, and we also had a great time together as a band. Actually, that show determined the future lineup. The festival lineup was thrown together pretty quickly, and basically just meant to be a one-off, but because we had so much fun together, we decided on the spot, that this was the new lineup. And since then the chemistry within the band has been better than it has for many years. So it was a very important gig in that respect.
		What do you think of the current state of metal in general? Hmm...difficult question. I think there is some wonderful music being released. The technical standard has never been higher of course, and the inventiveness of some of the more crazy bands out there is fantastic. But on the other hand there is also so much music being released that doesn´t make any difference whatsoever. A lot of the current bands - many of the popular ones - seem like they have nothing to say, which is a damn shame, when they´re really talented musicians. It´s like they are content with being average, and because of the label support that some of these bands get, the fans are led to believe that average is OK. It´s not. If you do not think you´re in the best band in the world and that people need to have their minds blown by your music, then shut up and find something else to do. I mean, the fans deserve that you try to do something outrageous and not just try to be a lesser version of your heroes. I´m not saying we´re anything that special, but at least we TRY to give the fans value for their money. It seems to me that many bands fail to try. But on the other hand, I think there are more crazy bands now than there were a few years ago (they breed them in Finland, I think...), so a little bit of optimism isn´t totally out of the way.
		Thanks for answering my questions. Anything left to say? Hope you´ll take a chance and listen to our new album - and may I suggest playing it loud!
(Romana Pavesi)