With:	Anthony Kwan [Guitar, bass, vocals]
Conducted by:	Undercraft
Published:	28.09.2005
Band profile:	Elegeion

01. Hey there Anthony, for the people that don't know Elegeion, please describe the band

Hey Kike. Elegeion is a gothic doom metal band that combines doom metal with classical music & some female vocals. We use traditional metal instruments, female and male vocals, strings, and piano, and our style is dark, bleak, disturbing doom.


02. You have a second album out, what are your impressions on this new album?

I personally think the album turned out really well. It would have to be the best CD I've recorded to date. It is definitely better in terms of production and musicianship.




03. So you are a band now, not a one-man project, is it's different working solo and working as a band? Does everybody took part of the creative process?

Not really that different to working solo. I guess I still have the majority of input as to what actually gets recorded for the album, so it still feels like a solo project. We still haven't really collaborated and co-written many songs, which will be the next step for the band, so when that happens it will be the true test as to whether we work better as a band rather than on my own.


04. You got artist extraordinaire Travis Smith working for you this time, and the results show, the cover art is brilliant, how does the creative process worked? Did Travis came with the idea or you did it together?

Thanks! I gave Travis a brief on what I wanted for the front cover and he made it happen. The concept goes with the album title, where it is the subject's last moment before the end. We passed the artwork back and forth until I was happy with it. It wasn't the exact cover I had visualised, but nevertheless it turned out in a way that I was extremely happy with, so I can say it was a collaboration between Travis and I.




05. You finally got the record deal you waited for so long, how is to work alongside Dark Symphonies?

Yes, it was great switching to Dark Symphonies. They are a great professional team and I can't stress enough how good it is to be on an intelligent and organised label. Hopefully it will lead onto higher exposure and greater things for the band.


06. As I can see, you let the rest of the band participate in the song-writing process instead of hiring them as session musicians, how does it feel Elegeion as a band?

Yes. I invited James back to record some songs for the album, as I really liked some of the stuff he has written over the years. He is also a multi-talented musician, which you can hear on the album. I also invited Dee to record "Scars" for the album because, although her songs are not metal at all, some of her songs are so charged with dismal emotion, they fitted the Elegeion vibe perfectly. Stay tuned, as she has some more brilliant stuff to be unleashed on the world! I really think that using their influences helped break up the monotony of my traditional epic doom style and create a more diverse and interesting album. You can safely say that each song is totally unique from the others, yet they all still maintain that Elegeion sound.




07. You recorded an Ep back in 2003, entitled "For Blacker Things" but it never got released. Any plans on releasing it soon?

Not sure as yet. Dark Symphonies have a copy of it, so we'll see what they say? It is a regression back to the blackmetal days in terms of song writing and I do hope to either release or re-record it sometime soon.


08. Which Cd's are in your stereo lately?

Well I've got the same standard Cd's I've had there since day 1 of Elegeion, like Disembowelment - the re-release of "Transcendence into the Peripheral" with bonus unreleased tracks , and Henryk Gorecki Symphony No.3.
And also some newer ones like:
Shape of Despair - Angels of Distress - absolutely brilliant funeral doom that I've just got into.
Slayer - God Hates Us All - fucken sick ass shit, as Slayer do best, and almost as good as Reign in Blood!
Geto Boys - Self Titled. Brilliant album, just as aggressive, sick and perverted as any metal album, maybe even worse! Songs like "Mind of a Lunatic" and "Gangster of Love" are accurate reflections of who I am and aspire to be.
Saturnus - Paradise Belongs to You - a good doom album to chill out to.
Queen of the Damned - the excellent original songs written for this soundtrack are big influences for me, and dark as fuck.
Enslaved - Isa - This band just keep getting better without losing their trademark style. This album is one of the best releases for 2004.
Virgin Black - Brilliant band from Australia. A true amalgamation of doom metal with gothic opera.


09. How's the Australian Metal scene nowadays? Could you give us a little rundown?

Well I would have to say that I'm slightly out of touch with the Australia metal scene at the moment. I really only like to see black and doom metal bands, and there's not much of that around these days. There used to be a big black metal scene several years ago but that had died down now. There is almost no regular doom scene that I'm aware of. I guess the in thing now is the rock n' roll type bands and crust / grindcore. I do have plans however to create a doom scene by uniting all Australia's doom bands and holding a doom festival.




10. What are your plans now? What's in store for Elegeion fans in the future?

At the moment, I'm concentrating for rehearsing for live gigs. In any spare time, I'm writing stuff for the new album, and doing my bit to promote the new album, but the priority is definitely playing live.


11. Please feel free to say anything you want to our readers!

Please check out the new album, a sample is on Metalstorm.ee Compilation 10 for you to download. If you wanna order one, check www.darksymphonies.com, or see my website www.elegeion.com. If you wanna just say hi or give me some feedback on my stuff, I'm at elegeion@yahoo.com. Thanks Kike for the interview and thanks to all the fans for their support - it's much needed and appreciated! Stay DOOOOM!!!