Hanna Tsepesh: Hello Vyacheslav and Verons! Thanks so much for accepting this interview and Welcome to THE GATES OF METAL!First of all: how are you guys?
Verons & Vyacheslav:
Hello, Hanna! We are fine, thank you! We just came home from the Metalcamp festival and feel tired a little bit, but still very good and looking forward for the upcoming gigs here in Baltics.
Hanna Tsepesh: Can you guys tell little bit about your experience in there at MetalCamp? Did you have fun in there?
Verons:
Yes, it was a great event. We’ve got a nice experience to participate in such kind of a festival, met many amazing people from different countries and many musicians from different bands.
Vyacheslav:
We’d also like to say special thanks to the stage personnel at Metalcamp! They really did a very professional job at a very high level.
Hanna Tsepesh: for those who do not know the band, could tell us a little how it all started?
Vyacheslav:
It all started in 1993, when “Heaven Grey” was formed after 2 other Latvian underground bands – “Disgorged” and “Scaffold” - split up. Some musicians from those 2 bands formed “Heaven Grey” original line-up. We began as a death metal band, then moved on to gothic/doom. We have recorded one demo and two full length albums in 1990s : "Memory River" in 1996 and "Northwind" in 1998. They had lyrics both in English and in Latvian. Then the band broke up in the late 90ties. Band's lead guitar Sigvard Blazhevich died in 2004. The leadvocal of "Heaven Grey" Ansis Melderis died on 24th September, 2005 in the motorcycle accident. Remaining members of Heaven Grey – Vjaceslav, Ervins and Ernests has re-united with friends Andrejs (bass) and Vladimir (guitar) to make a commemoration concert for their passed-away colleagues on 31 March of 2007 and decided to return back to active rehearsals and shows shortly after that event. It was a time when a new page in "Heaven Grey" history was started.
Hanna Tsepesh: What inspired the most the band to create the ly
rics and what process the band use to create the riffs to comply with the lyrics? Vyacheslav:
Usually we create riffs first and then Verons writes lyrics.
Verons:
The lyrics are mostly inspired by the life I see around every day. Feelings, thoughts, experiences that I have – they all inspire me to create the lyrics.
Hanna Tsepesh: What are your favorite bands? You have any musician that you admire the most?
Vyacheslav:
My all-time favourites are “Paradise Lost”. This is the band which most of us have grown up on and they inspired us very much when we started.
Verons:
Generally speaking, I like many different genres of metal – black, death, doom etc., but my last time favourites are Sentenced, Poisonblack and Carach Angren.
Hanna Tsepesh: You have another band or some future project?
Verons:
I still have my first band “Catalepsia” active, where I play lead guitar and do lead vocals. This band is 5 years old already, and it has gone through different line-up and genre changes during these years. We are playing death/doom metal there and this is something different from “Heaven Grey”.
Vyacheslav:
No, “Heaven Grey” is my only project.
Hanna Tsepesh: I would like to know if you had or have any singing lessons or any other preparation?
Verons:
I graduated from a music school and sang in a choir when I was a child. But now I’ m planning to take additional singing lessons to make my vocal range wider.
Hanna Tsepesh: When you start to play guitar? It was difficult to learn? What brand guitar you prefer?
Vyacheslav:
I started to play guitar about 20 years ago. It wasn’t difficult at all, because I liked to learn and I liked to play guitar very much. My parents went mad sometimes that time, because they had to listen to metal riffs for 3-5 hours every day, it was a real challenge for them.
I prefer Jackson and ESP guitars.
Hanna Tsepesh: What was the highest and lowest point of your career as a musician?
Verons & Vyacheslav: The lowest point for “Heaven Grey” was the period when we split up in the late 90s, but regarding the highest point for our band – we are sure it is still in the future.
Hanna Tsepesh: Let’s talk about the “Falling Mist” album. I liked a lot this album and is really interesting album to listen to, because have a very interesting elements. I liked a lot the melody on the music “Life”! Congratulations for the entire band! Great work guys! For people who don’t listen yet can you tell to us about this album?
Vyacheslav & Verons:
Thanks a lot, we are very glad to know that people appreciated it! To our mind, the album came out as a set of catchy melodies with a little dose of depression, anger and fear. It’s quite neutral and we think it fits different generations and subcultures, it’s even not for metalhead audience only.
Hanna Tsepesh: How has the response been to the album by the fans and media?
Verons:
The album is out for only some weeks at the moment, but it was already warmly accepted by both the fans and media here in Baltics. We hope that the international response will remain good as well.
Hanna Tsepesh: If one of our readers wants to buy your album, what they can do?Vyacheslav:
Our album can be bought via cdbaby.com (www.cdbaby.com/cd/heavengrey) or it can be also ordered directly from the band - simply send us an e-mail to heaven.grey.band@gmail.com and the CD will find you!
Hanna Tsepesh: what is your favorite music in this album and why?
Vyacheslav:
As for me, it’s “Life” – because we made an experiment with the second female vocals there and I like the result very much!
Verons:
“Driz”, “Zudusi Dziviba”, “Regret” – they all sound very good live!
Hanna Tsepesh: What is your opinion about the metal in your country? It is easy to get some support? Verons:
Since in Latvia there’s no much audience for the metal and for underground music in general, it’s extremely difficult to get support for such kind of music here. There always have been many talented bands here, but only very few of them stayed alive after 1-2 years of existence, because mostly it’s all based on the musicians’ own enthusiasm and finances.
Vyacheslav:
I totally agree with Verons, but we hope that the situation will change and metal community will rise and grow!
Hanna Tsepesh: Do you want to send any message for the people who going to read this interview?
Verons:
Listen to our album, come to see us live! You are the ones we are making our music for!
Vyacheslav:
Keep the spirit of metal alive!
Hanna Tsepesh: Thanks o much for your answers and time. THE GATES OF METAL wishes the entire band a big success! Hope to see you guys very soon in here…
Vyacheslav & Verons:
Thank you for your interest and a very well-done interview! It was really very interesting for us to answer your questions. “Heaven Grey” wishes a good luck and a huge success for “THE GATES OF METAL” webzine! Keep on rockin’! Hope we’ll meet soon in Portugal!
Hanna Tsepesh: You guys don't need to thank me! Thanks a lot for your words and all the best...
By: Hanna Tsepesh
To listen to some HEAVEN GREY music’s and for future information’s go at:
www.myspace.com/heavengrey
