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Band page - Cellador
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Band Profile
What is your name and your current position in the band?
My name is Chris Petersen and I am one of the guitarists in CELLADOR
Tell us about the history of the band. More specifically, when was the band formed, how did you meet, and have there been any particular highlights or low points in your career, any crucial events that have taken you where you are today?
The band began as an idea of mine in the Spring of 2003 to form a heavily European influenced catchy melodic metal band that would contrast with the popular American metal and hard rock styles of the time and also introduce the style to the Midwest USA, where power metal has a very little following. Before this I had been playing in a few local metal bands but they never were really what I wanted to play and so I decided if I wanted to be truly happy playing in a band with the influences I had I would have to form the band myself. So I put up some music ads around town and on the internet, and after a year of short-lived lineups and member changes the band finally began to solidify in the Summer of 2004, when I met CELLADOR drummer David Dahir through a music ad in town.
Dave was only 15 years old at the time but already was incredibly solid and energetic as a metal drummer, having grown up around music in his family and playing since he was very young. Several weeks later CELLADOR bass player Valentin Rakhmanov would join the band, originally being a guitarist but switching to bass guitar to fill the bass gap in CELLADOR. Together the 3 of us along with an original Rhythm guitarist named Sam Chatham wrote and rehearsed for the remainder of 2004 without a singer, and by late 2004 began recording the music for our original 4 track demo "Leaving All Behind." Lucky for us right in the middle of doing our demo we found CELLADOR singer Michael Gremio, who auditioned and joined the band in January 2005. Immediately upon joining the band Mike recorded the vocals for our demo and shortly after in the Spring of 2005 the band began playing live. We quickly gained a noticable amount of buzz locally and over the internet on webzines, message boards, and networking sites like myspace, and this recognition brought us many opportunites including opening for national bands and even some smaller label interest.
In May 2005 we were contacted by Metal Blade Records, who had recieved our demo from one of their bands called The Black Dahlia Murder. After a month of negotiations we would sign to the label that Summer. Shortly before our signing we parted ways with our original Rhythm guitarist, and during the Fall of 2005 we held auditions for a new guitarist which brought us in contact with CELLADOR guitarist Bill Hudson, who would join the band in October 2005. We entered MANA Studios in December 2005 to record our debut record ENTER DECEPTION under the helm of producer Erik Rutan. The album was mixed and mastered in Spring 2006 and has now been released in late June.
High points for the band so far have probably been seeing our band on MTV and also seeing the response and reaction from fans and friends on our Summer US tour in support of our new album. For a band like ours with our style and for so early in the bands history to see these type of reactions and happenings unfold is truly a surreal and amazing feeling for all of us in the band. The low points so far... hmmm I'd say probably just the downtime we have had between shows. We have just arrived back home from being on the road for 6 weeks and I can tell ya... I can't wait to get back on the road again!!! Me sitting at home right now is probably the low point haha.
Was there ever a time when you wondered if your band would remain just a local outfit and never make it in the industry?
We as a whole in CELLADOR never expected to gain the interest of any American label, especially one as known worldwide as Metal Blade Records. Once we had our demo finished and began seeing the good response towards it, we figured we could probably find some kind of smaller distribution deal with a European label, and we did actually have a couple offers, but we never expected whatsoever to be at the point we are today. I can tell ya, being given this kind of opportunity, for an American POWER METAL band with young kids like us to have these kinds of new opportunties for playing and being recognized on larger channels of media and press has totally changed our perspectives on how far we can take this band, and it has given a new drive and energy to push forth with reaching new boundries.
I still sit back sometimes and laugh to myself at how the hell I was able to put together a power metal band in fucking Omaha, Ne, USA. The first year and a half things really seemed hopeless, I went through probably 20 guys before coming across the lineup now. I had a pseudo-lineup of all different members actually that lasted several months in 2003, some local midwesterners might even remember the CELLADOR back then playing some scattered shows, but it fell apart very quickly. It was funny because would come up to me and be like "Dude, all your members are gone, your band is pretty much done" but I was like "NO WAY" and kept at it for another year with music ads and coming up with new songs... and sure enough things got together and kicked off. Its all just motivation and determination I think.
What is your latest album and why should people buy it?
Our latest album is our first album and is entitled ENTER DECEPTION, which is a sarcastic command sort of, saying "Enter your world of Deception" which is reffering to SELF-DECEPTION, the idea that you make excuses and lie to yourself to dignify and support your choices in life. It goes along with our lyrical concepts I think, with avoiding societal manipulation and whatnot haha so I thought it was a suiting title with a darker sort of vibe which is also what I wanted. What can I say about this record? It is a no holds barred onslaught of pure bombastically aggressive speedy power metal. Its a very honest record really.. we take all the things we love about metal and put them together to form a hybrid metal record thats anthemic and melodic but very intense.
We wanted our first record to be upbeat and intense beginning to end, and really thats how the record turned out. In addition to this the honesty is really brought out in terms of performance too,, its a very raw sounding record with very little effects or studio editting. We wanted to go with a different sort of production style for this record, something that is not in the norm for the usual melodic bands from Europe. I think we really succeeded in bringing out these intentions and can't be more proud of how it turned out really. In short I can say its a true metal record with many elements that would appeal to a broad range of metal fans, certainly not just the power and traditional metal fans.
How would you categorize the style of the band? And did you ever consider or try playing other styles of music than the one(s) you are playing now?
One of the main priorities for CELLADOR was we really wanted to play a heavily European influenced style, mainly because our influences are so European in general. In addition to power metal we are also huge death, thrash, and melodic death metal fans, but we wanted to have a little bit more originality in our music because there was already a growing interest in that style, which nowadays is very common and prevalent in today's metalcore scene. No, from the beginning we always really had the goal of playing more melodic type music, with dual guitars and clean vocals, catchy choruses, etc. Before I was into power metal I was an obsessive thrash fan, and so when CELLADOR began to form I wanted the music to be melodic and catchy but with a bit of an edge too, with some riffing styles maybe sort of thrash influenced too. All in all we really have stayed pretty focused from the beginning in what type of music we want to play.
Can you share with us one or two of your favourite moments with the band?
The best moment was most certainly the day I got off the phone with Metal Blade after them saying they were mailing us a contract. I was actually at band practice when I took the call and we fucking threw a fit when we got confirmation on the contract. We went insane, fucking screaming our lungs out and jumping around like we won the Super Bowl. I was always the cynical one saying "ah, we'll never get a deal with them" and I remember as we were screaming Mike our singer was yelling "I told you man!! I fucking told you it would happen!!" hahaha it was good times indeed, it'll be hard to top that feeling.
How is the writing process in the band?
Its a pretty intimate process. I did all the writing for this record aside from the song "A Sign Far Beyond" which was cowritten by myself and Mike our singer. Basically I start off with general riffs or ideas that usually arise at band rehearsel. After I have an idea where I'm going I take the ideas home and put the song together in my own personal studio I have in my home. Basically I record a rough version of the song with my ideas, using sequenced drums and guitar and bass gear. I will listen to the recording then over and over again and change parts up to add complexity or to enhance certain parts. Once I have a demo recording with the music I then go over the verses and choruses with a guitar and record on guitar my ideas for the vocal melodies and backing vocals. After I have a demo version with the vocal melodies and lyrics I take the song to the band to get their input. Sometimes someone in the band will have an idea to change a certain part... and so we change it up until everyone is happy with how the song has turned out. Mike our singer will also do demo vocals with the lyrics to get an understanding of the parts and to gain confidence in knowing whats supposed to be sung. Once we have a finalized demo that everyone agrees on everyone then learns his part and we practice the song together until everyone has it down!
I composed majority of the material for ENTER DECEPTION but I think in the future more members will be contributing material. For instance Bill our other guitarist joined the band very late in the game when all our songs were already composed. I know he had a lot of ideas for songs, some of which might end up on the next record.
What brought you on the path to becoming a musician? Did you ever consider or take any other paths through life besides music?
I think like many teenagers I just embraced metal music as a passion and became so engaged in it that I took it up to create some of my own. I have been into metal music since I was 12 years old and pretty much since then its been a serious passion of mine. To this day I still maintain an extensive album collection and keep up with all kinds of bands and the metal scene in general. I started playing guitar in November 1998 when I was 15 years old. I bought my first guitar and amp together for $80 from a best friend who recieved it as a Christmas present but never built up enough interest to play haha, so I took it off his hands and became obsessed. My first 3 years of playing was pretty obsessive, I wanted to get good fast so I made alot of efforts to play all the time. I began playing in bands by 16 just a year after playing played my first show shortly after too. In addition to playing in CELLADOR I am also a college student too so as much as I would love to say its the only thing I do unfortunately its not haha. Never know what the future holds though haha
Do you have any idols? If yes, who?
I think Dave Mustaine is a cool dude. Megadeth used to be my favorite band for like 3 years in high school. People say he's a dick but I like his personality haha. He's the first person that came to my head.. lets go with him.
Do you have any regrets looking back at your career? For example any songs or even full albums that you regret recording? If so, what made you regret it?
No regrets yet... still pretty early though I think. I'm really happy actually for how far we have got in so little time... well I guess there's some old stuff from the early days that a few people have clips or copies of... hahahahahaha its ok though because most people hear it and think its not us anyway.
Are there particular songs in your catalogue that the fans love but you're not particular fond of yourself?
I love every song on ENTER DECEPTION... there's no filler on this record. I have a couple complaints about how certain parts turned out... some parts I wanted to add more vocals or guitar but really nothing else. One good thing about this record is we've heard nearly every song on the record as being someones favorite, which we love because it shows the album isn't being carried by just one song.
How important do you rate the lyrical side of your albums?
We take high importance on our lyrics like every other aspect of our songs. Essentially the lyrics on ENTER DECEPTION touch on topics such as individualism, being yourself, self-realization, empowerment, lots of cool stuff like that. We didn't have any fantasy or sci-fi concepts on this album, I know thats a cliche for power metal but its something we tried to stay away from, besides these other concepts came to us more naturally anyway.
What do you think about the state of the music industry today?
The state of the METAL industry is great I think, at least here in the USA. There's been a noticable amount of rising interest, and many more bands coming out with awesome music. The fact alone that a band like CELLADOR is gaining a following in the USA playing this style of music is a great example. Just a few years earlier I think there wouldn't have been a chance for a band like ours, but now with the state of the scene here and a movement to traditional metal elements and styles and preference has now given us a chance to gain noteriety and recognition.
What do you think is the best way to fight music piracy?
I'm not sure, I've never really put too much thought into the idea. Music sharing is certainly a hamper on music sales in the short run, but also has a benefit in spreading the name and recognition of a band which could in the long run create a bigger drive for the band and thus more sales. LISTEN AND THEN BUY YOU BASTARDS
Do you have a life philosophy? If yes, what is it?
It changes waaaay too often!
Can you describe a typical day in your life?
Recently... hmmm I wake up... usually a couple hours later than I wanted.. get up and sit on the internet for like 2 hours, then find something to eat... then usually hit the gym or get some kind of excercise, then get back and do more internetting, eat, play guitar, run whatever errands I need to do, then usually eat again or more internetting, then socialize if its a weekend, then pass out, drunk if its a weekend.
What do you like to spend your time with besides music?
In addition to music I also am a college student working towards a business degree... if not that then I enjoy being active, either working out or biking or running or sports, also I'm on the internet alot for random stuff, I also read here and there and think WAY too much!
What's the craziest thing that has ever happened on a tour?
Eh nothing absolutely mind boggling hahaha. We sometimes get a little destructive after a few drinks... well me and Bill at least. Just stories of lots of broken items and damage, broken guitars, laptops, lights, ceiling panels, hoods of cars, construction signs, drywall, etc. We threw a party one time in our hotel where we had invited like 10 people after the show to come over and hang, but it ended up being like 35 people coming down with all sorts of wierd stuff. We ended up getting another room adjacent to ours just to fit everybody in,, and when we woke up the next day things looked really bad.. a bed was turned upside down, tables knocked over with TV's laying on the ground, beer cans everywhere. We found out somebody pissed all over BOTH bathtubs and a sink, which was pretty disgusting. That's about it so far haha.
You're heading off to live on a deserted island for a couple of years with your portable entertainment system... Which albums, movies or books would you bring? (Max. 3 of each)
Albums:
Iron Maiden - Best of the Beast
Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 2
Megadeth - Rust In Peace
Movies:
Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Books:
Motley Crue: The Dirt
Leadership and Self-Deception
Dracula
What is your favourite joke?
Anything by Dane Cook! That Dane Cook's a silly bitch...
Can you tell us about any future plans for you and your band?
We're hitting the road with TRIVIUM for about 10 shows... after that we have a couple festivals we're playing and then some more touring prospects late this year.. the plan is to get out everywhere and show people what we're all about! I know there's tons of people who we need to reach hahaha
Thanks for answering these questions. Now you are free to write a few lines to our readers.
Many thanks to Steen Jepsen and RevelationZ Magazine for giving CELLADOR a chance to be exposed and publicized!!! To all who are reading and are unfamiliar with our band, check out our debut album ENTER DECEPTION, certainly has elements from many styles that appeal to all metal fans!! Thanks again and KEEP IT METAL
Added by Steen - 9/11/2006
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