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Interview with Erik Ravn - Wuthering Heights
After I reviewed Wuthering Heights' new album, Far From the Madding Crowd (read it here), I got the opportunity to talk with guitarist and mastermind, Erik Ravn.
Would you say a few words about your new album, Far From the Madding Crowd?
Well, it's our third album, and it's the end of our recording of a bunch of material that I wrote several years ago. Actually I wrote a lot of songs in the beginning of the nineties that were grouped together to form this semi-concept of which we now recorded the final part. So it's a bit like coming full circle as far as what we set out to do. But I'm very happy with the album and it turned out exactly like I wanted it to and it was very much fun to make so I'm very pleased with it.
So all the songs are old? No new ones at all?
Well, there are always one or two additions when I start arranging the songs for the preproduction so a few new ideas pop up and all the arranging with sounds is new but all the lyrics and the melody lines and harmonies... some of them go a long way back, actually. The two opening tracks on this album were actually the opening on our first demo from '92, so it's a bit strange that some of the songs have been with me for so long, but it's nice to finally have them recorded the way they were supposed to be.
So what are the reactions from the fans and critics?
Well, as far as the critics go, it has been absolutely amazing. So far we've got the kind of reviews that you don't even dare to dream about. It's totally amazing. I don't really know about the fan reaction, so far it's all very new. But I hope that people will take a chance and listen to the album. My experience is that most of the people who actually listen to the music actually like it, so it's more a matter of getting the word out that there is a new album and that we exist. Yeah, it's a matter of promotion and distribution. I think it appeals to a lot of people with various tastes. It's not that we aim at a specific group of people or audience, you know. If you like rock music, there should be something for you.
For me it seems to be more melodic than To Travel For Evermore?
Yeah, there were a lot of melodic pieces in the last album too but it was definitely a more stressed album. The new one has very much a flow to the arrangements so the melody comes through better. I think that may be the difference.
Was the music stressed or were the recordings stressed?
Well, stressed, I don't know if that's the right word but you know, it's like on the first album we sort of established the elements we wanted to work with and on To Travel for Evermore we kind of took everything to a lot of extremes to try to experiment with these elements and sometimes you have to go very far to find the suitable level you actually want to be on and once you have been way out there, then it's not necessarily a place you need to stay. You have to push the borders but once they are pushed, you can actually go back and concentrate on doing strong songs. That's what we have been doing on this album. We have been out there and we don't need to exaggerate everything now, we don't need to show anyone what we can do. It's just the songs are very much in focus. And as far as the recordings, it went much better this time, we had all the time we needed, even though the album actually took a shorter time to record. Everything went smooth and we used all the time we had.
Will you continue to write more melodically? You don't feel like going way progressive again?
Well, I don't know. Really, all this is more like an afterthought because when I write, I don't really concentrate on what direction it's going. It's something that's easier to analyze when you have done it. Actually, the songs decide what they need...
So you don't sit down and say "I'm going to write something really melodic"?
No. I try to write the best possible music to express the lyrics I have written.
So you write the lyrics first?
Yeah, I do. And if you are trying to say something about chaos or extremes, you can use the progressiveness and the technicality of the music to express the things, you know. On the new album it's a lot more about getting back to basics, finding some sort of peace of mind, as far as the lyrics go and of course the music has to express that. So you can use progressiveness as any other musical tool, it's not like the progressiveness is the point of the music, it's a tool. So I don't know what the future will bring, time will tell. Yeah, I think that there is no need to prove anything so as far as that goes, I don't think that the overtechnical stuff will come back, not as a general thing in the music, but I don't know...
I was thinking, why did you decide to do a coversong, "The Bollard"?
Yeah, well I have been a fan of that band, The McGalster Clan, for years and years. One part is that I just love that song, I've always thought that it was absolutely amazing and that it needed exposure and on the other hand I wanted to pay tribute to the band because I have seen so many great concerts and they meant so much to me. Also that the new album is a lot more folk-influenced I thought that the ultimate challenge would be to actually do a folk-song and see if it could work. And I think that we pulled it off, it worked amazingly and it was very much fun to do, especially having some of the guys from The McGalster Clan play on the album. That was really cool. So, a dream come true, definitely.
Now, talking about folk-music, in the song "The Road Goes Ever On", you have this piece on the guitar that has very much of a western-sound...?
Yeah, well it's strange because it ends up sounding western-like, I think probably because of the Hank Marvin sound but actually the melody, the whole theme of "The Road..." is... it's a long story but it's based on... well, years ago I used to play piano and I played a jazz arrangement of a Swedish traditional song and I used the chord progression of that arrangement to write "The Road..." and another funny thing about this Swedish traditional song is that there is a classical piece, I don't know which one came first, that uses the same melody. So it's definitely European but it ends up sounding very western-like. Just amazing what music can do. A lot of people have said that and I think it's quite funny.
Yeah, I think people notice this, like "Huh, what is happening?"...
Yeah!
Okay, so tell me, are you a big fan or a HUGE fan of The Lord of the Rings?
Yeah! Definitely! [laughs]
Yeah, there are a few signs on the album...
Yes, it's something that has come up in almost every interview I've done so far. It's not like this album is Tolkien-inspired actually, it's more like, I'm a huge Tolkien fan and I love everything about Tolkien and he has meant a lot to me as far as lyrics go but not in the storytelling. What I've used in Tolkien is the language, I mean, if you want to learn Engllish, learn from the master, right? So it's meant a lot in the way of me learning to write lyrics but the stories I write are based on my own life and my own reality so it's not like I write stories based on the storylines or the characters of Tolkien. So I think that people think that the music is much more Tolkien-inspired than it actually is, not that there is anything to be ashamed of, it's just not the case. The obvious exception is of course the last song, "Lament for Lórien". And the story about that is that I usually write the lyrics first but on this particular song, our keyboard player had written the theme and I had to fit in words afterwards and I've never really done that before so it was quite hard for me to do. So to not complicate things furter, I used a subject that I knew of. So that is the exception that proves the rule. But I use a line or a title here and there but to make up my own stories.
I was just going to mention that song "Lament for Lórien", it's a very beautiful song. It made me think of the end of the movie "The Return of the King"...
Yeah, I have heard that one before. The whole concept of these three albums, the story actually ends on the second-to-last song "Land of Olden Glory", that is actually the climax of the whole story so we used "Lament for Lórien" to be sort of an afterglow or an afterthought of the album. It's not really connected with the rest of the songs, it just fitted in very well as an end to, not only this album but the whole trilogy and I think it turned out amazingly. Our vocalist, Patrick, was actually quite concerned about if he would be able to do it. Of couse he could sing it, but how to do it, how to express it but I think it turned out really great. It's definitely something different.
I have a funny thing to add here because when I reviewed the cd, in the firste version of the review, I was thinking "Hmmm, who is that second singer here..."
[Laughs] Yeah, well it's amazing what he can do. He is in a lot of bands now but Wuthering Heights was actually the first band that he joined so he didn't really have any recording experience but many years of experience in playing in clubs and jamming and playing coversongs so he is a very good imitator actually. He can sing in so many ways and I've really tried to take advantage of that even though the songs were already written when he joined the band so of course there was a limit to what we could do. We definitely tried to stretch him as far as he could [laughs]! He did amazing things in the studio. We could basically ask him to do any crazy harmony or whatever and he immediately picked it up and did it. Very extraordinary.
So what direction are you going in now, after The Traveler trilogy?
I have the lyrics for a new album and I've had them for some years, actually.
So it will be new music?
Yeah, I'm writing some stuff now, actually. I always have my box of ideas that just need to be fitted into the right frame, you know. So I'm working on it but I'm working on ten songs at the same time, so precisely which parts go into which songs... it's a long process. It sounds unusual that we are using songs that are ten years old but I'm not the fastest writer in the world. A lot of work goes into writing the songs and also because of the way I write, the lyrics first, the arrangements just need to be somewhat "weird" to get the lyrics fitted in. But as far as style and everything goes, I don't really know... The same elements will be in the music for sure but the balance between them, I'm not sure. Time will tell. I think maybe it will be a little more aggressive maybe. It will still be melodic and everything but definitely with some hard edges on some of the atmospheres I'm using. Definitely again trying to focus on the songs.
Ok, now for something completely different. I heard that you are going to ProgPower in USA?
Yeah, I just heard that as well. I just heard today that it was being announced because we had to keep it a secret. But yeah, that will be exciting.
I was surprised because you haven't played live for some time.
No, and never with this lineup and it's not really a steady lineup. There will be different people on the stage than on the record. It's like, when you have a new project, you have to see who is willing and able to do it, who is available at that time. Maybe I'll still change a person or two but I think that the main ingredients are there. Those who played the most on the record are definitely there. So I don't think that will be a problem and I'm looking very much forward to do it, to finally get a chance to do our thing on stage. To meet some of the fans. It will be really cool. Of course it's a big project to do your first gig on a big festival and there are a lot of practical issues as well. How to get there and rehearsing and stuff so it will be a big project but I hope it will turn out well.
How did you get the gig? Did they just contact you?
Yeah, I think so. It went through our management. I don't know, they asked the record label or the management or whatever. I was asked to do it so ... get some people together and rehearse and blow the roof off! That's the plan.
I wish I could be there, I'd really like to see you. Are you going to play everything live or will you use samplers instead of all the different instruments?
Yeah, I assume it will be live. I'm not the kind of person who thinks that a livegig should be the same as the record because it's two different worlds, really. Especially the way we make the records. The way we played before was totally live, so that's the plan so far. Again, if you have songs that are strong enough, they can be played in any context, with any instrumentation. At least that's my opinion, or my goal, you know. So it will be something a little rougher but I think a live show should be that. I don't think we will use samplers and stuff. I'm not really into that.
So now that you have a touring band, are you going to play other places?
I hope so! It depends on what offers come in and, well, if we will be able to finance it. Of course ProgPower will be extremely expensive so I don't know how many other places we will be able to play. It also depends on how the record sells so if some money come in there, we can spend that on playing live but I don't know so far.
So, I can hear that you are not getting rich by playing live?
[Laughs] No, definitely not! It's very expensive. Especially travelling to the states. It would perhaps have been nice to have a warm-up gig or something in Copenhagen. Also, just the cost of getting together to rehearse is very high, so we actually have to limit that as much as we can. Play the gigs that are important. At least so far.
What about all the summer festivals here in Europe? Like Wacken or Sweeden Rock Festival?
Yeah, that would be cool. There should be a chance to play Sweeden Rock at some time, perhaps Wacken.
So you are going to play more live now on?
I hope so. Of course we have to see how it works, it's a little early to say. We haven't met up yet to rehearse so I'm very excited and anxious about how it will go but I have no worries and I think it's going to be great. It's a matter of getting the stuff arranged the best possible way for a live performance. So it will definitely be something a little more heavy metal. It should be cool. It's definitely some very talented people so I guess I have to practice a lot [laughs].
Now, if you could pick two bands to go on tour with, who would you choose?
Bands that would fit musically or just something that would be fun? I don't know, I haven't really thought about that. I would probably like to go on tour with Manticora but I don't know if that would work because we would be so unserious all the time. I'm not sure it would be safe but it would definitely be a riot! [laughs] Uhm, I don't know, I don't really know any bands personally so it's hard to say who you would like to tour with so I'm pretty open about that. Of couse it would be cool to tour with some of my heroes but most of my heroes are from the seventies or dead already! [laughs]
If you could put together a band with any musician, living or dead, who would it be?
Oh my god! Uhm, that's a tough question also because the best musicians are usually very egocentric so I don't think the ultimate band would work. [laughs] But, well, it would be something like... oh I don't know... for rythm guitars you would have Jeff Waters and for lead guitar Yngwie Malmsteen.
Yeah, talking about egos!
Yeah that would clash already! And for bass... No actually I would have Yngwie Malmsteen on bass because he is the best bassplayer in the fucking world! [laughs] And then possibly Uli Jon Roth or the dug-up Randy Rhoads on lead guitar. Who else do we need? Keyboard players? Jens Johansson is probably one of the most amazing keyboarders. Or we could go the organ way with John Lord. Drums? Depends on the style, of course, but I think my favorite metal drummers are... uhm.. well, it's Morten Sørensen, actually (of Wuthering Heights) [laughs]. I can't really imagine working with anybody else. Possibly Mike Terrana. Also because that would be a lot of fun. And for singers, again depending on style. I don't know. My favorite metal singers can't really sing, like Kai Hansen and Martin Walkyier are my favorite metal singers [laughs]. I don't know, is Midnight still alive? That would be cool. And then again you could go with a seventies approach; I'd have Phil Lynnot. I don't know.
That would be a cool band. It sounds like your influences are mostly bands from the seventies?
Well yeah, seventies or early eighties perhaps, I'm not very good at catching up on the new stuff, at least not in metal. I guess that what I like in hard rock is not very much around anymore or at least not in the original form. There are tons of bands that I supposedly should like because I like the style but none of them are as good as their idols so I don't see the point in really listening to them.
You don't listen to too much new stuff?
No, I'm not listening to too much progressive metal or power metal actually. At the moment I'm more into everything that has some folk influences. But ufortunately a lot of thos bands have really extreme vocals and I don't like that. Once in a while comes a new band that's really cool. At the moment I'm listening to Tyr, from the Faroe Islands. That's a really cool band, I think. And Finland has had a couple of cool bands lately. So something is happening but it's very much in different periods, you like different styles. Also because I play sort of progressive metal, so I don't want to listen to that all the time. But I like a lot of different stuff. A lot of rock and pop music as well. But I definitely like a lot of seventies stuff. On this album, Thin Lizzy was the big inspiration. You had to have some kind of benchmark or goal or general spirit of the album to go for, to assemble everything right. On this album we used Thin Lizzy as a sort of spiritual blueprint for the album.
What equipment do you use? What guitar are you playing?
I'm playing Ibanez at the moment. I got a new one between theese last two albums, I'm playing seven-string now, which is very good for the folk-stuff, I found out. It was kind of an experiment but it just turned out that the riffs and themes that I usually play, work very well with the seven-string guitar. At least as far as sound goes, it's a big difference from the last two albums that I use the seven-string on all the songs. On this album I was actually able to use only that guitar, whereas on the last one I used six or seven different guitars to get all the sounds I wanted. So the new one is just so much more versatile. I just needed to adjust one guitar. And I used acoustic guitars as well, of course. And I got a cheap five-string bass which is actually amazingly good. I got it on super special offer because I had such a short time to record the bass. But that turned out very well actually.
What amps are you using?
Well, there was a big setup. I'm a Marshall guy. I had a Marshall midi preamp that I used but then we ran it through a lot of Tommy Hansen's old gear. He has a room full of vintage gear so you try out stuff and you find something really old that sounds amazing. So it's a big old Marshall head and then through some Tubescreamers and one of my effectprocessors and he dug up some old compressors and stuff. It was very much fun to use all of this. About the leadguitars, I don't really remember what we did. We probably did the same as on the last album where we used just a small combo, a Fender I think. From '57 or something, it just sounds amazing, it just rips. And it's just so old and so ugly. That's really funny. Then we used some old effects pedals. I don't know which version of the album you have but we did some bonus tracks? On one of them it's a Jimi Hendrix version of Gather Ye Wild. It was a really old sixties fuzz pedal and it was really cool. Just so loud that your couldn't be in the room, it really made a lot of feedback. It's always funny to work with Tommy because he has all this old crap that you can use.
Yeah, you can really play around with this.
Yeah, it has a nerve and a very organic sound. And especially on this album because we wanted this organic approach to the whole thing. It works well with the folk-theme.
I don't have too many questions left...
Okay.
Do you have any last words?
Well, uhm, see you at ProgPower [laughs]! And I hope that people will take a chance and dig up the album, hopefully you will like it. There has definitely been put some effort into writing some catchy tunes. There should be some good hours of dancing around the campfire for everyone!
Hehe, okay. I hope to see you on tour sometime.
Yeah, see you.
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Written by Tajs - 5/27/2004 |
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