CRIMINAL
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 28th November 2011.
I last chatted to Criminal at the start of 2009 around the time of their last release "White Hell". With a new album "Akelarre" out, now seemed a great time to catch up.
Lead singer Anton Reisenegger answers questions again.
Hi Guys, thanks for taking a moment to answer these questions. Hope you are well?
Anton: Yeah, not too bad.
I last interviewed you guys around the time of the release of your last album "White Hell". Since then lead guitarist Rodrigo Contreras left, and Olmo Cascallar has joined. What is the story behind that, and how has the new boy changed the band's dynamic?
Anton: Well basically Rod wasn't having a very good time living in the UK, he was going through some pretty heavy personal stuff, so he decided he was going back to Chile. He said he was going to come back, but after a while it became clear that wasn't going to be the case. We were kinda tired of sitting on our arses, so we booked a few shows in the UK and Spain and asked Olmo to do it as a stand-in. I had only known him briefly, but I knew he was a killer guitarist and he had the right attitude. We did the shows and everything went great, both on a musical and personal level, so we asked him to join as a full-time member.
How did White Hell do in terms of sales, airplay and reaction at live shows?
Anton: The sales were not great but not bad either considering the current climate in the industry. The reactions at live shows were mixed, because some of the songs are pretty simple and straight-ahead, but others are longer and more complex, so I guess if the audience doesn't know them beforehand it's not so easy to get into them. But altogether it was really good fun to play them live.
How has the reception to new album Akelarre been so far?
Anton: Great. The fans really love it and the press reviews have been pretty good so far. There's the odd one who doesn't get it, but it's a matter of taste and that's OK with me.
How do you feel it compares to the last release in terms of style and quality?
Anton: It's more simple and in-your-face. As I said, some of the material on White Hell was a bit more complex, so when we started writing this time I think our collective subconscious led us to write stuff that was more immediate, which is ideal for a live situation.
Was the writing and recording process behind Akelarre similar to last time round, or did you approach this one in a completely different way?
Anton: We had a different approach in that we tried to get the best possible sounds in the studio, without having to over-process or even fake them. Also we made a point out of keeping edits and triggers to a minimum, so basically what you hear on the album is what was really played. In terms of time it took slightly longer this time, because we had more separate sessions, and also because we took our time to feel comfortable with what we were doing. It is a luxury to have one's own studio, in this case Danny's, so we really took advantage of that.
Why the title Akelarre? Does it have special meaning for you?
Anton: Akelarre is a Basque word. I have been living in the Basque Country for over three years and Olmo is from there, so there's your connection. We just thought it would be cool to use a word in Basque. In connection with the artwork it also gets a completely different meaning from it's literal translation which is "witches sabbath"
Who did the artwork for the album? Big fan of it!
Anton: It was the same guy who did our last album. His name is Fran and he lives in Chile. Not only is he a very talented designer, he's also a great tattoo artist and a killer drummer! We told him we wanted to get away from the typical photoshopped covers and that we wanted something that looked more political and he absolutely nailed it. Glad you like it too.
What are your current touring plans?
Anton: Well, we just finished a European tour with Ektomorf. Early next year we plan on going to South America, and then we'll do a UK tour and probably a few more European dates. Our agent is also working on getting us on as many festivals as possible.
Any question you love being asked that I've missed? If so, what's the answer?
Anton: I hate interviews, so let's just leave it at that, haha!
What are you up to once you've finished answering these questions?
Anton: I have to go pick up my daughter from kindergarten.
Anything else you would like to mention?
Anton: Just invite everybody to check out our new tracks, as we're damn proud of the album.
Thanks for your time.
Anton: Thanks for your support.
Label: Massacre Records
Artist's website(s): Criminal | MySpace | Facebook
