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Arwen interview (12/2004)


With: José A. Garrido [Guitars]
Conducted by: Malcolm
Published: 18.12.2004

Band profile:

Arwen






- I know this is a little cliché, but can you introduce your band to our readers, at least for those that don't know about you yet?

Hi everyone. We are Arwen, a band who start in the end of 1996.
We are an eight member band who plays melodic metal, trying to make music by our souls and as fresh as possible.
We have edited our last album "Illusions". It is working very well, we are really happy about this, and we believe that this album have just arrived to your country. We hope you will like it.

- The reason why you're eight members in the band, is that only because you didn't want to play live with samples, or are there other reasons to?

The first reason to be an eight member band is the one you have said: play concerts with all the music in live, but in this last album we want to use this to make some parts more orchestral, in order to have two keyboard players because they don't play only chords. Another reason is to play with two different voices, the male one of Nacho Ruiz and the female one of Mamen Castaño. Don't think that is like a fight between male aggressive voice and female lyric voice, we search other concepts; more melodic and trashed depends on the moment of the song, independently of the singer who is singing in this part. These are some reason to be an eight-member band. Another one is we play all the choirs recorded in the album.

- Isn't it hard to decide something for the band with (maybe) eight different thoughts?

I would lie to you if I said that is was false, and its very hard because we are eight members, and ever we talk about something, ever we match a draw. But anyway we try to be the most democratic we can, ever helped by the common idea that we want to make in "Illusions".

- Arwen have just lost one member since the start (if my information is correct), do you feel that the band got a good chemistry?

Many musicians have passed in Arwen before "Memories of a Dream". The one who have to leave the band in the middle of the tour was Jonathan Zapatero by professional matters, because he received and scholarship to study the orchestration complete career. He went to Londres to work and study, actually our relationship with him is the best we can. Before he had to go to Londres, he composed "Keltia" (track six of "Illusions") with Luisma Hernández. We send our best wishes to him.

- Do you spend time together private too, or just with the band?

I think that cause we travel a lot and share so many emotions together we have a very strong friendship and it carry us to pass a lot of time together out of the band. For example, Luisma and I are friends since we was little boys, when we start listen music and living all who pass at the moment with the big bands of these years. It can be the very real birth of Arwen because in one moment of our lives we decide to make our own way and show your ideas to the people.

- You also joined Dark Moor, but what happen there really? I mean you're off the band less than a year after you joined.

Yes. You see, "Illusions" is all produced in "New Life Studios S.L." where we work as producer, and here was where "Illusions" was recorded, mixed and mastered. There was a moment in that I can't work to Arwen, New Life Studios and Dark Moor, then we have to choose. They said me there will be no problem but I know that one day I can´t work as I want to work, at 100%, and decided to leave Dark Moor. Today I still have a very strong friendship.




The coverart of the new album "Illusions"




- Let's switch over against your new album, "Illusions" that just been released in whole Europe. I know it's a bit early, but how has the feedback been so far?

At now the album is carrying many good things, a very big acceptation and a lot of greeting emails from the fans.

The reviews of the album are being so much curious, cause the critic's can´t find any similar conclusion about this. But I think that is good for the band because we want not to be a "catalogued" group, but it is a little bit soon.

- What do you think separate "Illusions" from "Memories..."?

We have searched different concepts for music and lyrics. "Illusions" contains more dramatic, aggressive moments and clearer, with the production we wanted. We want "Illusions" to have two faces:

1) Every song was completely different from the next.
2) When you hear one song in the radio or in a pub, you could recognize it like: "This is a song from Illusions."

We search another kinds of atmospheres, orchestrations based in winds, in strings and all this above Mamen, who have now other situation in the band, so much more important than the one she had in "Memories of a Dream", playing with Nacho by the moment the lyric of the song needs.

- I wrote in my review that it feels like the music is moving against a more progressive way, at least the songs that you written is more progressive, do you agree?

Perhaps, but we think that the change was by more aggressive songs neither than progressive. I have searched a special sound for the guitars that it could be the most aggressive possible but leaving space for the orchestration like in "Dance of Souls" or "Illusions". But for example, if you hear "Somewhere in the Past", you'll see that you said is exactly what happen, with a refrain by the kind of the Arwen ones. I think it depends on the song you choose.

- Mamen now sings three full songs, was that a request of her to get to sing more, or did you just think that her voice should fit better to those songs? I mean her part on "Memories?" was mostly just doing back vocals.

Well, she continued studying and, of course, now is a very better singer. We have some songs and moments in "Illusions" better to a female voice, as you can see.

- How does the future for Arwen looks like? Will you tour? If yes, will you tour the more Nordic countries, or will it just be around Spain? And how much have you been thinking of a successor to "Illusions"?

The future of Arwen seems to be good, we are so surprise and happy with the new album. We have a Spanish tour; some concerts of this one will be with "Evergrey". But to go out of Spain we need the help of the companies of the other countries because the situation of Spain is very bad, we can´t go out without a company that want us to play in his country.

- The Spanish Power (mostly) Metal scene is growing as never before, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's conquer with Finland as the leading country for the moment. What are your thoughts about the Spanish Metal scene?

It is so hard. The moment in Spain for music is living the worst moment in our story, money is not used to move the music now. Here the support of the society for the music is terrible, ridiculous, we can´t only live by the music and only think in create great albums.

- There's one subject that's larger than everything else in the music business now, and it's about downloading. What are your thoughts about it? Do you feel that Arwen suffered anything because of it?

I think that Internet is a marvellous way of communication and information, quick as no one. But the matter of the downloads is being used very bad. I think that if you want to buy one album but you want to hear it after buy it, you can download this album. But now people are downloading ALL albums they can, and it can hurt so much the bands and music in general. Well, in a case like if you live in a country where you can´t get the album that you want you have any other way to have it than to download it, I can understand it. But the way the people have chosen will drive we to the end of the industry, the bands will stop playing concerts and many of them will prefer to auto produce his own albums. We are not far away this moment.

- What bands/artists would you say that influenced you personally?

By myself I tell you musicians from John Williams, Danny Elfman and James Horner to Lorenna McKennit, Enya, Michael Jackson and Helloween, and of course, modern bands like Ark or Devin Townsend. You see that are some different influences but if you see my music collection we will have a lot of speaking (laughs).

- If you could categorize Arwen in a genre, what would you then call that genre?

I can´t catalogue Arwen but if I had to do it I think, perhaps, melodic metal with? I have no idea! (laughs). I can´t say it in two words, it so extensive, Arwen is Arwen.

- Finally, is there anything you want to add to this interview? Maybe tell our readers something? Or just add something that you feel I have forgotten?

Yes, I hope you hear "Illusions" and try to find the soul have this album; we have left our soul in it. If you can hear it with the lyrics to understand the message and enjoy it as we do.

- Thanks for taking some of your time and answer my questions. Good luck in the future, and I hope to hear much more greatness for you in the future.

Thank you Mikael (Metal Storm) for your time, the chance for us to make your people know the news of Arwen, to all our fans there and everyone who make this possible.

Thanks a lot, see you on Illusions Tour!!!





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