Hanna Tsepesh: Hello Andherson! Thank you for accepting the invitation for this interview, i know at this moment that you guys are busy with your new album! For the first question i would like you to tell us a little how everything began with Soulriver, as well that you tell us names of the band members and what do they play.
Andherson: Hello Hanna, it's me that thank you, it's a great pleasure to give this interview to THE GATES OF METAL that since the beginning support SOULRIVER and believe in our potential, it's a great honor to us.
Hanna Tsepesh: You don't have to thank the pleasure it's our to help you because we believe in your potential! Thank you for the chance for this interview. But tell us a little about you guys...
Andherson: Well, the band history it's long but i will try to abreviate it ok!? Under the name of SOULRIVER the band begin their activities in 2002 and from that formation only i remain, all the other members were changed 2 or more times until we stay with the current line up, it's very hard for me like everybody else that try to start a band here in Brasil, to find the right people, but today i have with me the musicians that i always search for as well we are a great family too, in the begining we never record nothing, we used only to give concerts and only in 2006 we record one demo entituled "ENTER THE RIVER". Under the band elements as i said before we are a big family we really are like brothers, our wife's and our girlfriends are also our friends we have one unique complicity and this reflects in the music we make as well on stage too, everyone is peculiar in their own way, Andreas Igorrr (G) was the first to enter the band than i re-arrange the line up, Franz Souza (G) was the third, André Rudge (B/V) the fourth one and last one was Vinnie Kemp (D).
Hanna Tsepesh:That's really beautifull that you all behave like a family i think that is very important and that fact in the end reflects in the ambience and balance between all of you! Can you tell us in what do you inspire to create the Soulriver lyrics?
Andherson: For now who write the lyrics for our songs it's me and i inspire in my way of living and i like for instance adult squares and suspense movies. Squares from Spwan that inspires me a lot because it's one complex character, for him i even made one song "THE SIGN OF THE SPAWN'' that is included in our first CD as well the Stephen King movies and suspense and supernatural movies that inspires me a lot and goes that way.
Hanna Tsepesh: For you and for the band in general, what are the bands of reference?
Andherson: We have lots of influencies of lots of bands from other kinds but the ones we admire more are : Iced Earth, Nevermore, Demons & Wizards, Megadeth, Simphony X, Candlemass, but also we listen to bands like : Arch Enemy, Eluveitie, Biohazard, Testament, Evergrey, etc...
Hanna Tsepesh: Very well, indeed great bands! You are a band that i already follow for some time, i must say that my first impression when i listen to the album was the voice, it's even better, congratulations for your work! Tell me, do you have singing classes or simply was with time and dedication and love for the music that make your voice even better through time?
Andherson: Thank you very much, i'm flattered to know that, let's say that my vocal performance as both things that you mention before, i had singing classes of popular chant and lyric chant as well, but without any doubt the love for what i make it's the fuel for my fulfilment on studio and on stage..
Hanna Tsepesh: Your welcome, i just said what i really think about and without any doubts making what you like give us the strength for lots of things and to grow in this field that you well mentioned! Now speaking about your first work "The Dark Path Of The Fallen Souls", first of all i have to say that i stay well surprised with this album, as i mentioned before your voice is even better as well the instrumental it's amazing, my congratulations to you and to the other Soulriver members for this beautifull work, instrumental, melodys, lyrics and voice! For those who don't have the chance to hear it can you talk a little about this work? What kind of message did you want to pass with this album?
Andherson: Thanx a lot, we were careful in the conception of Dark Path in every details for everything to come out nice for everyone to see and hear it. Well, the CD don't have a concept, it's one mixture of all the band essence and the themes are diverse and complex, some song are older and other ones more recent by this way they were composed during the transition process of the band. About the CD sonority I think that our music is only a few of all the bands I quote before and it sounds like something really original besides the atmosphere that we care a lot, in this debut CD we try to pass on one clear way, the proposal of the band like being one heavy Metal with lots of energy and atmosphere and we dedicated a lot to successfully bring this to the stage.
Hanna Tsepesh: Tell me, how was on studio, did you have everything ready? It was a hard process for you guys?
Andherson: First of all we record all the takes at Andreas Igor home as well guitars,basses and the remaining instruments on studio and also the mixing and masterizing, was a long and hard process, for instance our bass player was in France at that time and he had to record everything in there and send to us all the takes via internet for Andreas...it was tiring but in the end we stay very happy with the result and until now we've been well criticized.
Hanna Tsepesh: Well i have to talk about the cover of the album and all the design because deserves to be spoken! I love the cover and is artistic content in general it's simply amazing, my congratulations! Can you tell us who was the author? Who it comes the cover ideia and what did you want to transmot with this same cover? I ask this because if you look well into the cover specially closer you can see lots of artistic details and also very interesting things! Can you talk a little about this...
Andherson: Thanx Hanna, we wanted the CD to call the attention imediatly with the cover, because we also love CD’S with wonderfull covers like the one’s from Iced earth and Blind Guardian for instance, in the begining we talk with one artist of our town but we don't have sucess with him so for some time we had the conctact from one artist of Rio de Janeiro called Jobert Mello and we were appair of his work and he made all the work and the cover, we stay very happy with his talent and knowledge, he also made our new site : www.soulriver.net Actually the cover is one general vision from what it could be the Rio das Almas /River of Souls) and them components adn beeing one very complex myth it contains diverse figures and representations, so we try to put in there in a complex and surreal way like and for instance the presence of "Black Sparrows" that are all over the CD without counting the Guardião (Guardian) and the Almas Caídas(Fallen Souls), they are the shadows in the water of the river if you pay attention to it, and our bettle that is in the root of the tree of the crow that will be in our covers but in different places and those who aquire the SOULRIVER CD will have a challenge to find (hehe), the bettle is the egyptian symbol of reborning and the Rio das Almas (River of Souls) is the reborning of the soul.
Hanna Tsepesh: Your welcome Andherson, i had the chance to see the album closely and it's really good, congratulations to Jobert, great work! In this album you also count with the participation of André your bass player and also the female voice if i'm not mistaken it calls Ana Paula, correct?! My congratulations also to André i liked a lot his voice, in my point of view it was a good bet to join his voice in “The Dark Path Of The Fallen Souls”! Can you tell us the reason why you decided to have 2 voices?
Andherson: I thank you in André's name. Well to be true he always sing in our shows he is not one backing vocal he is lead vocal too but he always sing in contrast with me making one vocal more powerfull and strong, we have 2 voices in SOULRIVER and he makes the voice of the Guardião (Guardian) as well, and like the Guardião (Guardian) represents so well good and evil his voice as 2 nuances and André's wife, Ana Paula that give life with her soft voice, like i said we are a big family and we work together all of us!
Hanna Tsepesh: I think that is very good that to happen and also to take advantage of each one's talent to explore, congratulations to both of you for youe work! Defenitly Soulriver as a LOT to be proud of since the first work, but lets talk of other themes because i want our beloved readers curious and to keep like a secret (Ahaha)! What about supports in Brasil? It's been a hard fight?
Andherson: Ah yes (hehe), and more still to come ...Here in Brasil the underground is very hard, the metal scene it's very good and with great bands with talent, but the support it's never enough for a band to develop all work easily, it's a long and tiring road but if you give your best of yourself and dedicate with body and soul people will see that!
Hanna Tsepesh: Yes, unfortunattly it's like that in more country's too but i still have the hope that one day things will change for better (ehehe)! I know that you already had one concert to divulgue your first album, who everyhting was in there? Did you felt a great support from your fans in there?
Andherson: This concert was very good, we had the best performance until now, the crowd supported a lot we have a great support from those who like our music and support us since the first show..
Hanna Tsepesh: One certain "bird"(ahaha),that told me that you guys in the reviews have one great classification as well told me very good things about this album in Brasil, can you talk a little about that?
Andherson: Ahá maybe it one "Black Sparrow" that told you that (ahaha), yes, the reviews are good, in our first review they gave us 9,5 and the CD was quoted as one great candidate to the best CD of 2008...we are waiting for the reviews form other country's form Europe that we also send to them.
Hanna Tsepesh: (ahaha) that i will not reveal, it's top secret (ehehe)! What do you like to do more in your free times Andherson?
Hanna Tsepesh: I think you make very well and by the way i send one big kiss to Alessandra (ehhehe)! Concerning to concerts did you have already more dates? Can you reveal some dates and places? There's already one relative plan to come to perform in Portugal?
Andherson: We have one confirmed date to play in Minas Gerais, day 19/07 it's other state of Brasil, and we also have other dates to close other states here, to confirm our agenda in "DARK PATH TOUR 2008". About playing in Portugal it's one of our great desires, country of great band like Moonspell and Heavenwood, among others. We have plans to play in there and we will, we only need to fix some details and to wait for the feedback of the CD and like this we can have one bigger knowledge from the Portuguese crowd and well the rest of Europe, i think that will take some time to play in there unfortunattly, but it will happen and yes we are anxious to recruit fallen souls there in Portugal!
Hanna Tsepesh: I believe that soon you will come to Portugal, and thanks for the words about Heavenwood and Moonspell that indeed are great bands that deserves our respect even if you like it or not their sound! There were lots of people in Portugal that ask me when i will interview you because they stayed anxious to know more about you after the news that was posted on HELL ON FIRE concerning to this album, do you want to leave any message to your Portuguese fans and also to future fans?
Andherson: It's really good to know that you like SOULRIVER in there, this gives us motivation to continue our work and i hope that this interview can clarify who we are and what we want as a band and people, we have to say that we are very proud of having fans there in Portugal it's a great honor to us that listen and like our music, we are very happy with that, Portugal it's the first country from Europe to give credit and have interest in our work and this will be rewarded com a big concert when we go there to perform and who know's the first live album will be in Portugal(hehe), thank you in the name of the band to all people from Portugal that supports SOULRIVER since the begining, i really thank you all from the heart!!!
Hanna Tsepesh: Me and Nightshade will be there to give you total support that you deserve as well the Portuguese fans and future fans, I'm sure that they will not miss this opportunity! Thanks a lot for you answers! THE GATES OF METAL wish you all the success to Soulriver and for this first album and future concerts! Hope to see you soon in Portugal!
Andherson: Once more we thank you for the chance and space given to SOULRIVER here on THE GATES OF METAL, thanks to you Hanna that besides being a professional you are a great personal friend of the band, we wish you and your work as well all the success and yes we will perform in there with a big concert, wait and you will not regret, a big hug and...JOIN THE FALLEN SOULS!
Hanna Tsepesh: thank you for your words and support!
By: Hanna Tsepesh
http://www.myspace.com/soulrivermetal
http://www.soulriver.net/
