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| Monday, June 8, 2009 - Cirrha Niva - New Album Due In September | On September 3rd Cirrha Niva will release their new album For Moments Never Done. The album will be released through the band's own independent record label Parnassus Records. Suburban Distribution will take care of the availability in stores through the Benelux. In the USA/Canada, the End Records will handle the distribution of the album. For Europe and the rest of the world distributors are still wanted.
For Moments Never Done will be the first band release with new vocalist Legrand and the first release after their 2001 rock opera album Liaison De La Morte. The band has put their earlier theatrical en gothic influences aside in order to develop into a modern style and sound. In the new songs influences and cross references can be made with names like FAITH NO MORE, PSYCHOTIC WALTZ, NEVERMORE, DREAM THEATER or even IRON MAIDEN and THIN LIZZY. Raw melancholic metal riffs, groovy drums and dark grunts will be enlightened with the powerful clean sometimes almost poppy and soulful, lead vocals of Legrand.
'Dreamon' and 'Framed, two songs of the new album can already be heard on www.cirrhaniva.nl.
The album is recorded and produced by producers Jochem Jacobs and Bouke Visser at Split Second Sound Studio (TEXTURES, AUTUMN, STREAM OF PASSION) and Excess Recording Studio (AYREON, AFTER FOREVER, GOREFEST). For Moments Never Done carries seven songs with a total playing time of approx 47 minutes. The songs in running order are: 'The Fooling', 'Dreamon', 'Framed', 'Running From The Source', 'Golan Heights', 'Spring Before Winter' and 'Self Chosen'.
On the album Cirrha Niva is supported by the following guest musicians;
Manda Ophuis (NEMESEA), Joost van den Broek (AFTER FOREVER), Yuval Kramer (AMASEFFER), Robin de Groot (CHIRAW) and Bouke Visser.
A CD release party including a live concert by the band will be held in Club Plein 79 at Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands on Sunday September 13th.
For more info visit www.myspace.com/cirrhaniva.
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| Friday, January 2, 2009 - Cirrha Niva Album news | News from Cirrha Niva:
"Hi Friends,
The recordings are done, the editing is done, the mixing is done, the mastering is done and everything that is in between all of that is done!! Our new album is ready!!!
The next step is to get a label interested, in this time crisis we got no high hopes, only goals:-) Well, let see what 2009 brings us!
We will upload some out takes of the new album for you. The 1st one is from the song 'Golan Heights'. We also have to thank our Israeli friends for the samples, you know who you are!
Soon we will reveal all the names of those who did a splendid job in making this Cirrha Niva album the best so far!!
For now we wish you all a musical 2009! Enjoy the out takes!"
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| Monday, June 25, 2007 - Cirrha Niva announce new vocalist | After 2 months of searching, Dutch progressive metalband Cirrha Niva have found a new vocalist to replace the recently departed Arnold Kloek.
The new singer's name is Legrand and he did an amazing 5-song audition. He learned the songs in only a few weeks and was very convincing while performing for and with the band. The minute they started playing the first song, it felt so good that the band offered Legrand the job right after the audition.
It has been a long journey since Cirrha Niva began writing songs for a new album. Since their last album, Liaison De La Morte (a rock opera, released in 2001), the band had their share of problems. When the Liaison De La Morte Tour ended in 2002, they immediately started working on new ideas. Halfway 2003 band members Liselotte Hegt (bass, vocals) and Rommert van der Meer (guitar) left the band. It wasn't until 2004 that the band found new musicians to replace them. With Carlo Heefer on guitar and Daniël Huijben on bass guitar, the band kicked off 2004. They continued writing songs, but faced difficulties with the vocal melodies. In 2006 it became clear that singer Arnold and the band were having musical differences. Although they tried to resolve whatever the problem was, it was inevitable that Arnold was leaving the band. Arnold has been Cirrha Niva's vocalist since 1998.
His own statement;
"Yes, almost 10 years I have been the singer of Cirrha Niva. Years I will never forget. But times change and so do I. In the last year of being busy with writing songs it slowly became clear to me that I was not really happy with the way and the direction the other guys wanted to go with the melody lines and style of singing. In other words, we have grown apart in musical ways. Therefore I have decided to leave Cirrha Niva. It was not an easy decision but I need to be honest to everyone and myself. Not being happy affected my creativity more and more. It started to leave a mark on the band and that is not a good thing. I would like to thank Carlo, Daniel, Rob and Tommy for all the good times we had and wish them good luck in the future. And I would like to thank everyone who supported us all those years. I also thank the crewmembers for all their effort, time and energy. You guys and girls rule!!! So I close this door behind me to open other doors with new roads to follow. You will soon hear from me again.
All the best, Arnold Kloek."
Luckily Cirrha Niva has found a great new singer in Legrand and with him they hope to start recording a new album by the end of this year. Besides learning all songs already written by the band, Legrand can immediatly prove himself also in the writing process. The band has recently written some more new songs which still needs to have vocal melodies and lyrics. Legrand's personal bio will be added to the band's website in a few days.
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Other information
Band Profile
What is your name and your current position in the band?
Let me introduce the band to you:
- Michel "Legrand" de Groot - Vocals
- Tommy White - Drums
- Rob Willemse - Guitars
- Daniel Huijben - Bass guitars
- And finally myself, Carlo Heefer - Guitars.
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?
It's difficult to categorize the music of the band, "progressive metal" would be the most suitable I guess. Most reviewers categorize us as progressive metal so....
The former Cirrha Niva album was totally different from what we are doing now. The album before that one was different also.
As for the different band members, I know almost all of them played in other bands doing different kind of music styles before joining Cirrha Niva. For example, I've been playing in death/thrash metal bands for a long time, Tommy has done, and still occasionally does session work for some people in the music business and Legrand sang in a thrash-metal band.
What is your latest album and why should people buy it?
Our latest album is called: "for moments never done". I'll let some of the review quotes tell you people why you should buy it, or at least give it a chance and have a listen to it:
"Perfect CD's do not exist, but this one comes very close!"
"To all Prog-Metal Fans digging Dream Theater - or to those who just love extremely good song writing: check out "For moments never done!"
"With vocalist Legrand the band has a well kept secret in hand, who can sing as extrovert as Daniel Gildenlöw."
"This is the first time I give a maximum score for an album, but it certainly deserves it."
"A top-notch, must have CD."
"High class metal that gains lots of respect!"
"Ambitious, expressive, referring to the best traditions of prog-metal and progressive rock"
"Strongly recommended to fans of progressive metal!"
"Cirrha Niva is highly recommended for Prog-Metal lovers."
"To Sum up: Superb musicianship, great songs. The best comeback of the year so far."
"For Moments Never Done is an unbelievable-amazing great release."
"It's difficult to describe a climax on this album, as the CD almost blows you mind from beginning 'till end".
"Häftigt!!"
"Well played, well produced"
"High class music, high class production, high class songs."
"A fine piece of prog rock."
To our opinion it's an album made with a lot of care, attention and love for music. From what the reviews have been saying so far we can tell people can hear this. So give it a try and let us know if you like our music and more specific: what do you like about it.
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?
Cirrha Niva has been founded by a group of musicians in 1993. Since the year 2001 they are combining rock music with art to visualize their songs as a concept. Projects in which music and art are melted into an audiovisual show. From 2001 until 2003 the band played all over The Netherlands (and a few shows in Belgium & Germany) with their first production, the rock opera Liaison de la Morte.
After the conclusion of the 'Liaison de la Morte' shows in 2003, Cirrha Niva took a lot of time to evolve as a band. The band its line-up has been changed drastically, with vocalist Legrand and his powerful voice and vocal melodies as the biggest improvement.
In 2009, under the guidance of producers Jochem Jacobs and Bouke Visser of Split Second Sound Studio (known of Textures, Autumn, Stream Of Passion), the band developed their already unique sound even more, resulting surprisingly in 'For Moments Never Done'. Cirrha Niva his sound consists of technical thrash riffs, pounding drums, melodic and shredding guitar solos. Musical references can be compared with bands such as Nevermore, Dream Theater, Rush, Faith No More, Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy.
On 'For Moments Never Done' the band received the help of a few guest musicians. Vocalist Robin de Groot (Chiraw) emphasizes with his grunts and screams 'The Fooling' and vocalist Manda Ophuis (Nemesea) sings with Legrand in 'Dreamon'. Keyboard player Joost van den Broek (After Forever) adds spherical elements to the album with piano, Hammond organ and soundscapes. Bouke Visser plays a heartbreaking Floydian Saxophone solo in 'Spring Before Winter'. And finally, the spoken words in Hebrew of Yuval Kramer (Amaseffer) are completing the theme of 'Golan Heights'.
During their tight and energetic live performances Cirrha Niva will be using above mentioned guest musicians in the shape of samples. If possible they will support the band live. Depending on the size of the venue and possibilities, the band will be using decors and video visualizations designed by VJ Michel de Klein (the Gathering / DVD A Sound Relief).
Besides the numerous headline shows with 'Liaison de la Morte', Cirrha Niva supported well known acts such as Lacuna Coil (IT), Evergrey (SE), Pain of Salvation (SE), Planet X (USA), Skyclad (UK) and Stream Of Passion (NL).
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 always ask ourselves how we can stand out from the masses, how we can get noticed, musically speaking. We believe that making good music should be the biggest part of getting noticed, and working hard to get yourself noticed is almost as important. But the music comes first, we always try to make sure what we do is done to our best possibility.
Can you share with us one or two of your favorite moments with the band?
For me personally, when I finally held "for moments never done" in my own hands, I was proud as a man can be. Second some gigs are really great, for example our CD-presentation held a few weeks ago was a blast, people really enjoyed the show and the reactions afterwards were awesome.
As for the band as a whole I can tell you we all get a big kick out of playing live. That's when the five of us get the feeling "this is what it's all about", and we feel like one. We all get a big satisfaction out of doing gigs.
How is the writing process in the band?
Most of the time someone creates a basic idea, a riff, a drum fill, melody, a vocal line, whatever. This often inspires the other band members and they will each find their own "answer" to that basic idea. Eventually, after a long and painstaking process of trial and error a song structure starts to appear and details slowly start rising to the surface more and more. In the end this all results in a song.
We always keep in mind that things still can be changed as long as it's done for the better. So we may decide to make some adjustments during the recording process itself.
As you can see, it takes us a long time to be happy with a song. When we tell you it's finished, you can bet your life on it we gave it a lot of thought. And everybody's happy with the final result.
What brought you on the path to becoming a musician? Did you ever consider or take any other paths through life besides music?
Me personally, I heard Richie Blackmore's lead before speed king on Deep purple's "In Rock" when I was 7. I knew then....."This is what I wanna do, what's this? A guitar? Okay, I'm gonna play the guitar". From that moment on I sold stuff to buy my first guitar. After buying that one I kept on playing and I can't imagine life without music anymore.
Sadly enough, music business in Holland is not very profitable for our kind of music. We all have jobs to provide for ourselves. I myself chose for the job I have because I want a stable basic situation to live in. From that situation we try to take our music to a higher level. We'd love to be able to make more music and live music every day all day.
Do you have any idols? If yes, who?
For the band as a whole, we are influenced by lots and lots of music, from the Doors to Slayer, from Meshuggah to Thin Lizzy. We all have our own influences and incorporate these in our songwriting.
Personally as a guitar player, I dig Steve Vai, John Petrucci. Mattias IA Eklundh rocks and so do Ron Thal, Greg Howe and Tony Macalpine. And don't forget Rory Gallagher (I really love his energy) and Richie Blackmore, and off course, the man of the riffs, Tony Iommi, he's great. Oh and finally, Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King from Slayer and the guitar players of Meshuggah. I love the aggression shown in the Slayer guitar riffs and I love the experimental way the Meshuggah guys use their guitars.
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?
As a band I believe we still stand behind our former releases, you should see them as reflections of their time and the situation you were in at that moment. If it's correct, you were doing what you believed in at that moment. In hindsight there are always some things that could have been done better or in an other manner. So regrets no, future lessons yes.
Are there particular songs in your catalogue that the fans love but you're not particular fond of yourself?
Of course, everybody has his darlings. I myself am not too fond of playing running from the source; it's just not my thing. It's a great song too listen to but technically speaking, I am more of a riffing guitar player. Still the audience seems to love it... and the audience gets what it wants.
How important do you rate the lyrical side of your albums?
Very important. You can see the lyrics as autobiographical. Legrand describes his thoughts and experiences from his point of view, and because of that he sings them the way he does. His lyrics are very close to him.
On the other hand, the lyrics are not carrying a certain message, we are not a political band, and we don't try to get a certain message abroad. Just listen to the lyrics and think for yourself. If listeners have any questions about specific lyrics they can always ask and we'll be happy to explain.
What do you think about the state of the music industry today?
This is a difficult question....Regarding the major labels; I believe it's an economical power, with the aim to generate more money as a prior aim. Music is not something they want to share; it's a great product to profit from.
Having said that, I'm very happy with all the independent labels who sincerely believe in the music they release, who genuinely are interested in music, not as a product to benefit from but as an art form. I believe that what is happening to the major labels right now is something they are to blame for themselves. They invested in a lot of products without taking care of the quality. People will pay for quality, but if a product lacks that, they aren't so keen on paying. So the major record labels should return to what they started with in the first place: Releasing good music and being there to help the artist spread his creativity. This is just my two cents.
What do you think is the best way to fight music piracy?
See the previous question, with the added comment that I believe you should always try to keep up with society's new developments, use them to your advantage. The downloading of music has its positive sides too. For instance, I listen to music I never would have known if it wasn't for downloading. Now I know these bands I bought (and still buy) all their products, and if they have a gig I will certainly go and see them. If there is someone who should be sued it's the big salesmen who copy CD's/DVD's professionally, and then illegally sell them, but not the ordinary citizens. It's sad to see the RIAA sue a mother on welfare because her 12 year old daughter uploaded some songs. Several times research has shown downloaders buy more music than people who do not download. Don't complain but use this statistic to your advantage!!! And finally: the internet gave young talented people a place to show themselves, which wouldn't have happened if things had stayed the same. There are a lot of chances out there nowadays. Use them!!
Do you have a life philosophy? If yes, what is it?
Always try to reach your goals. You may sometimes stumble and fall, but if you are persistent - you will get there in the end. Never accept it when people tell you that you can not do something. If you want to get there, you will get there.
Always believe in yourself. If you are open for it, you may surprise yourself even
more than others.
Second: love yourself and share your love with others.
Can you describe a typical day in your life?
I live a very irregular life, because of the job I have. One day I work from 7.30 (CET) until 15.30, the other day I start working 14.30 until 22.30. On Tuesdays we always rehearse and at Sunday I rehearse with the band if possible (considering I have to work every 1 weekend out of 2). Typical for me is I always try to have a cup of coffee between 19.00 - 20.00 and I always want my dinner at 17.30. I'm very strict concerning these 2 things!! Furthermore I check my e-mail very regularly and I love being creative, whether it's making music, carpeting or maintenance of the real estate I own.
What do you like to spend your time with besides music?
Well, the previous question sums it up pretty much, I should add having a beer with friends, going to the movies and enjoying nature. I love nature very much, it's beautiful.
What's the craziest thing that has ever happened on a tour?
I already had my first "spinal Tap"moment, I got lost backstage together with a guest from the band. We were told "Stage? First door to your left" and ended up in a little conference room with all the people there having a good laugh about us. Seems there was a second "first door to your left" some employees forgot about. We had a good laugh about it and went on to find our way to the stage.
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:
Atheist - Elements
Pain of Salvation - one hour by the concrete lake
Carcass - Necroticism
Movies:
True romance
Sin city
Desperado
Books:
3 books of Herman Brusselmans, a great Belgian writer with a true style of his own
What is your favorite joke?
Lots of 'em, I love dark humor. But I don't seem to be able to think of one at this moment. I think that's because I'm not that good at making up jokes, I'm more of a listener.
Can you tell us about any future plans for you and your band?
Right now we want to play live as much as possible, we want to be out there and share our music with you guys.
We're also in the process of composing new music right now. When ready we will be recording a new album, but there are no dates set for that yet, first we want all our music to be ready and as perfect as we feel we can make it. Then we'll start thinking about the recording process.
Thanks for answering these questions. Now you are free to write a few lines to our readers.
First of all, we really want to thank everybody for the awesome reactions so far, great to see people enjoy the album.
Second, we would love to see you guys in a live situation, playing our music for you. Hopefully we'll meet in the nearby future and until then, if any of you guys have any remarks, questions or just feel like saying "Hi" please drop us a line.
Kind regards
On behalf of Cirrha Niva,
Carlo Heefer
Added by Steen - 10/8/2009
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Album Review - For Moments Never Done
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