Hanna Tsepesh: Hello Miguel and Bruno! Thank you so much for accepting this interview and Welcome to THE GATES OF METAL! For those who do not know Waterland could you tell us a little how it all started and if you guys have other projects? I know that you Miguel are guitarist player at Oratory…
Miguel/Bruno: Hello Hanna! First of all we like to thank you for this interview and all the support that you are giving to Waterland. Also, congratulations for your excellent work!
Hanna Tsepesh: thank you so much for your words!
Miguel: I started playing guitar quite late (17 years old). It started with street friends (Marco ex- Oratory vocal and Waterland guest vocals), and then came Blood Vomit and we played Death Metal back in 1993/94. Two years later, now with the name of Oratory, we entered in studio to record the first demo “Enchatation”. This is how it all began for me in the world of music and yes besides Waterland I am guitarist of Oratory.
Bruno: I started with14 years old in an orchestra called "Antidote" (vocalist / percussionist). With 17 years of old in 2001/2002 and in 2002/2003, I was ranked in 1st place in the Youth Music Festival "Barcelos for music," at the time as vocalist and collaborating in synthesizers and keyboards. Later with 23 years old in 2008, Miguel invited me and I accepted as a promising challenge in view of Miguel’s experience in the world of music.
Hanna Tsepesh: What are the inspirations to create the lyrics for Waterland?
Miguel: Waterland is a story created before the music itself materializes. All lyrics follow the concept of a story, formed to measure each song; each one is a phase of a story. It is a world of whimsy, a world competing for a single fundament: the City of Immortality in Waterland!
Hanna Tsepesh: Very original story! How are the things with your other band (Oratory)? Do you guys have any troubles to release?
Miguel: Well, Oratory I can say to you that we are on hold but not finished. We have 10 songs prepared and ready to enter studio. The fact that we were without a drummer since 2006 led us to a pause. Maybe this or next year Oratory returns to active. We are still depending on some small things that I hope soon will be resolved.
Hanna Tsepesh: Good news! Bruno, I wonder if you have or had some kind of singing lessons?
Bruno: I never had singing lessons, but it’s not a thing to discard.
Hanna Tsepesh: What are your favorite bands? You have any singers/composers that you guys admire the most?
Miguel: I listen a little bit of everything and I like a lot classic music, new age and of course heavy metal. The bands I like the most are: Freedom Call, Dreamtale, Insania, Stratovarius, Power Quest, Iron Maiden, etc. Depending on my mood. As the musicians and composers I like a lot: Timo Tolkki, Luca Turilli Tobias Sammet.
Bruno: My references are among many like: Rui Veloso , Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Alexandro Sanz, Oratory e Nine Out and my favourite musicians are: Pet Mattine, Jorge Palma, Carlos Paredes e Diana Krall.
Hanna Tsepesh: I give you guys my sincere congratulations for your work and for your bet in this musical style that I personally don’t know much in Portugal! About the Demo “Waterland” I have to say that I liked a lot! The riffs are spectacular, the voices worked well together and the keyboards are fantastic! It has calm and also very fast songs! But now I let you guys speak a little of those songs for the readers know more about your style and the Demo itself.
Miguel: I deeply thank you for your words. The idea was to create a bit of everything. Fast, slow, medium-term, symphonic, melodic, and straight music’s, with some mixtures of trance without ever losing identity and musical sense. Some songs take a long time due to the orquestrations and narratives, other were extremely quick and easy to make. This is far from what I want for Waterland, it’s still a first step, a sample of what I want for this future project.
Bruno: I think the songs of Waterland are a melodic metal pleasant to hear. It’s a balance of different styles and influences. I never heard anything like this in Portugal...
Hanna Tsepesh: No doubt Bruno, in Portugal I also never heard anything of this kind and that gives to Waterland the originality to bring something different to us! What plans do you guys have for Waterland? When I showed your MySpace profile some people asked me that and they enjoyed a lot your work! You guys have a fantastic upcoming career…
Miguel: Thanks again for the words! We're still in a phase of spreading the project that has no label yet. The plan for the future is to continue this adventure, but now we only want to the people know our work and if possible put Waterland in CD format.
Hanna Tsepesh: Last question, you are thinking about playing live?
Miguel: Not for now. Maybe later with the addition of a drummer, keyboard player and bassist we can start to think of giving concerts. For now this is simply a project by me and Bruno.
Hanna Tsepesh: thanks so much for your answers and time! THE GATES OF METAL wish you both a big success with “Waterland” demo and we hope to have more news and maybe see you guys in a live concert someday…
Miguel: I appreciate all the support and interest in Waterland. I give my congratulations to the excellent work by you and for your sympathy and professionalism in the interviews. I also wish all the best for THE GATES OF METAL because people like you are missing this music circuit. Hugs for all the readers and Stay Heavy!
Bruno: I want to thank for the opportunity by THE GATES OF METAL to Waterland. Thanks Hanna and thanks to all followers of Waterland!
Hanna Tsepesh: Thank you for your words and I am very happy to know that bands like my work too! Good luck to you guys and for your personal projects!
By: Hanna Tsepesh
To DOWNLOAD “Waterland” DEMO GO TO:
www.megaupload.com/?d=Y4S5JUCJ
To listen to some WATERLAND music’s and for more information go to:
www.myspace.com/waterlandband
