Read the full interview here! (German)
This interview with Stephan Möller from Metal.de was originally in English. For all you who prefer this over German, here’s the full interview in English.
Thanks for your effort, Stephan!
Hi there! First of all, congratulations on the release of your debut album! Since “Habitat” is your first album and your name probably not very known in Germany, can you maybe introduce yourselves (as a band) to our readers? Maybe give a little overview of your band history?
Mark: Thank you, Stephan! We’re a Dutch metal band, playing not the most average stuff. Alvenrad’s core is Jasper Strik and me at the moment. Jasper is the key player and the master behind the sound production. I’m the singer, guitarist and lyricist. As a duo Jasper and me once started both Faelwa and Stormsterk, after we left the metal band we were both involved in. Those projects were mostly in an acoustic setting, whereas nowadays our metal hearts awakened from hibernation, so to speak. We felt the need to plug in the electric guitars again and were very stimulated by our label manager who heard metallic potential in the projects earlier mentioned.
What I think is one of the most striking things on “Habitat” is the wide range of influences – you can hear classic Folk and Prog Rock, but also influences from the more extreme regions of Folk Metal. How had the idea to unite these elements in one single album been born?
Mark: It was not a well thought out decision to do so. We just gave way to enthusiasm and naivety and included all the stuff we like to listen to. Nevertheless we gathered the wild mixture in some catchy song format.
And which of these two extremes, classic Rock and extreme Metal, do you prefer to listen to privately?
Jasper: Personally, I prefer classic rock to extreme metal, although I listen to both in equal amounts. Being a keys guy, I like the more melodic stuff with some interesting arrangements; a good example of that is Ihsahn. Still bands like Uriah Heep, Deep Purple, Genesis and Jethro Tull are in my favor when I would be forced to make a choice.
Mark: My preference is not about style, but of artistry instead. Both Tull’s “Songs from the Wood” and Death’s “Symbolic” are of my all time favorites per example.
Since I’ve just told you how what I think is (one of) the most interesting things on your album, how would you describe and categorize it yourselves?
Jasper: Categorizing our music is one of the hardest things to do; although for promotional reasons it still is necessary. I would say we make positive, energetic metal, heavily influenced by classic rock and folk music.
Mark: We created our own niche in rock / metal and included a wide range of traditional elements; old-fashioned heavy metal meets archaic folk music, dressed up in both 70’s prog and black metal aesthetics. The style is topped with Dutch lyrics, of which the content really varies from the other few Dutch-singing metal bands.
You are a duo, but the info sheet says that you got help from friends when composing the album – are these friends maybe musicians or other artists we might know? And what did they help with?
Mark: Well, composing the album is really a matter of the two of us. Nevertheless Arjan Hoekstra arranged a lot of the bass parts himself. People should know Arjan from his work with The Good Hand, Mirna’s Fling (also signed by Trollmusic) and Sidius. The grunts are coming from Koen de Graaf. He was lead vocalist in the well-known metal band Thronar and later in Burning Hatred. My friend Hanna van Gorcum from AmmA, an uprising folk group, took care of the female vocals. Erik Sprooten we all know from black metal pioneers Ancient Rites; he played some wild solo’s on our album.
The info sheet also tells me that “Habitat” was inspired by ‘landscapes, literature, arts, classical music and a wild mixture of all that’ – so, maybe can you go a little bit more into detail? In how far have you been inspired, and by what kind of literature, arts etc.?
Mark: I wanted to renew the meaning of the term “Habitat”, placing it in both an empirical and spiritual context. Therefore the subjects turned out very divergent and personal. I meditated on the landscapes surrounding me and our cultural lineage, asking myself how my habitat is unfolded to this day. So in my lyrics you can see my world rise; the landscape of the Veluwe, the stuff I read like novels from Thomas Mann, the art I explored like the Veluwian / mythological paintings from Gust van de Wall Perné, the classical music I listened to, like symphonic works from Gustav Mahler and Franz Liszt. But everyone’s habitat is subject to change. A good example of this is the return of the wolf to the Netherlands. The opportunistic character of this quest is iconic to the evolution of one’s habitat. That’s why I chose this subject to be the title song. Moreover I hope that our listeners will be able, strengthened by the music, to read between the lines: it says something like “go your own way”. And perhaps I added an urgent suggestion to go with a certain consciousness, but who am I…
If the internet isn’t lying to me, “Habitat” is your very first release, there is no information to find on any demos, EPs or the like – still, you managed to release the album on a respected label like Trollmusic. How did you get in contact with them? Or did they contact you?
Jasper: Thor from the Trollmusic label got to know us through our projects Faelwa and Stormsterk, of which the latter really got to him; so you could see the work of our other projects as our demos or EPs. Thor and Mark stayed in touch, we did some interviews, and eventually he pronounced the idea of releasing us if we ever had plans to do a metal record. Already having some ideas and ready to pick up the metal spirit again, we went for it! Just before the release “Habitat” our deal was extended to a four-album deal because the label was so positive and enthusiastic.
Mark: We even met up in his homeland, since we wanted to know and feel if a collaboration would be the right thing to do. Since then I believe our meeting was really meant to be so to speak. This can be illustrated by an answer I gave to one of your previous questions. You asked us if we prefer classic rock or extreme metal and I said, for me personally my preference is a matter of artistry. Thor must have recognized something in our artistry, which got to him. Something beyond words which needed to be fulfilled, be it a metal project now. Well, as Trollmusic spokesman he stated, signing Alvenrad was almost a matter of the heart!
I couldn’t find any information about future or past live shows – is that because you don’t want to play live or is it just that you haven’t had the opportunity yet? (Or am I wrong and you already have been playing live?)
Jasper: For a long while we didn’t feel the need to perform live because we were perfectly happy playing in our home studios and creating new music. Also, it’s been a long while since we have been on stage so it will take some time to get used to it again. We have been making plans to do some shows, since we like to spread our music and ideas as much as we can and performing live is the best way to do that, especially in the rock/metal scene. There’s a long road still since we need some additional band members for live performance. Especially the right drummer is of importance. If anyone is interested as a drummer, guitarist or bass player, please contact us!
That’s it so far – thank you very much for your time and answers! Any last words or comments?
Mark: A drummer, we need a drummer, folks! Contact us! Cheerio, Stephan!
Jasper: There will be more to come, so be sure to follow our movements on our Facebook page.
And cheers to you, Stephan!
Cheers!
Stephan
