SEVEN THORNS
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 12th April 2011.
We reviewed the latest album by Seven Thorns - Return To The Past - a few months back, and finally got chance to have a chat with them about it...
Lars answers questions.
Hi Guys, thanks for taking a moment to answer these questions. Hope you are well?
Lars: Hi, yes we are!
What is life like in Seven Thorns in 2011? You seem to have a band with a fairly turbulent history...?
Lars: I guess most bands have experienced the same kind of turbulence we have. The search for finding the right people, and the need to say goodbye to those, who, for some reason, do not fit in the future of the band, be it because of lack of skills, different views of the musical direction or ???
But here we are today and I really feel we have the band now I always have dreamed of! These guys are the best musicians I have ever played with, we have a fantastic feeling/vibe when we work together. The road has been long and hard but the was a light at the end... ;-)
Who were the early influences? Do all the present members have similar listening tastes?
Lars: My influences from my early days were Accept, Saxon, Judas Priest, all the early 80's metal bands, and later bands like Helloween, Metal Church and Testament... Being a child of the 80's I had the privilege of experiencing the evolution of metal; the birth of bands like Slayer, Metallica, Helloween, Running Wild and the whole LA hair metal scene, NWOBHM, thrash metal and so on. I know that the others have different influences since there is almost 20 years between the oldest, sorry wisest (me) and the twins (Gabriel and Christian) and Asger. But we have many influences in common.
How would you describe your sound to somebody who hadn't heard you before?
Lars: Pure melodic power metal European style! Up-tempo and catchy melodies.
Latest album "Return To The Past" has been out for a few months now. How is it doing in terms of sales, airplay and reviews?
Lars: We haven't heard how the sale is going right now but we are curious. We will know soon... After we signed a promotion deal with Rock'n'Growl we have experienced a huge amount of reviews and a lot of airplay from all over the world. And the album has been extremely well received everywhere!
How long did the album take to write and record, and was the creation of it hard work, fun, or a bit of both?
Lars: We started writing the first songs just after Mik and I got together again in 2007. When Gabriel joined the band our goal was to make the 2 songs ready for studio recording while at the same time continuing the search for the missing members. Luckily both Christian and Nicolaj were added to the band in time for them to learn the material and be part of the first studio recording. At that time we didn't have more songs to record, so the next 6-8 months were spent writing new songs and record them when they were ready. So we recorded first 2 then 3 and finally 4 songs. Then we mixed it all and sent it to Tommy Hansen for the finishing touch. It has been a really good experience for us all. We have grown together and found a way to work together in all the parts of the process. It has been hard work, but these guys make it worth the effort!
Is there a story behind the title?
Lars: When things were going wrong with the previous line-up I started talking to Mik about getting him back (in the band) and taking it back to where we both wanted the band to be the place we started out from the pure power metal. So when the split came in early 2007 Mik and I were ready to start all over. We also changed the name back to the original (Seven Thorns instead of 7thorns that was the way it was spelled in the period with the "wrong" line-up).
How do you go about writing your songs? Talk us through the construction of a typical track...
Lars: Mik and Gabriel works together for 2-4 weeks on an idea, presents the 60% finished idea for the rest of the band and everyone is part of finishing it. We feel it gives us all ownership of the songs and we are all part of the creative process nothing is dictated. Decisions are made by Mik or me if there are disagreements, but mostly we have the same view on how the songs should sound.
Where do you look for your lyrical and musical writing ideas?
Lars: Life! And I know that Mik always carries a digital recording with him, because ideas can come any time of the day.
Is there a story or theme running through your songs?
Lars: Trust in yourself, don't be told by others how you should live your life.
Do you do anything unusual or special in the studio to get your sound?
Lars: Not unusual for us... I don't think so, we use one of the best producers around (Peter Brander) and we do spend a lot of time correcting tiny things in the sound. It has to be perfect! We don't settle for OK. Everything below perfect is not good enough. I would guess that most bands have that as a goal.
Talk us through your existing touring/gigging plans...
Lars: Well Jokers Ball tour was postponed until 2012 so right now we don't have any touring plans. We will headline Bremer Metal festival later this year and we have some single gigs lined up. Our German booking partner Redlionmusic are working on finding us a good support slot.
What is one of your live shows like? What should fans expect from one of your performances?
Lars: People should expect a party. Up-tempo energetic power metal, blistering and blasting guitar solos and a lot of sing along! We want the audience to participate in the music. I can't promise it but we are pushing Gabriel to run naked on stage...
What have been the highlights and lowlights of your musical lives so far?
Lars: Having the new album out is in top 3 along with getting the new line-up ready and just playing concerts with the rest of the guys. Lowlights: Wasting almost 4 years on/with the wrong people.
Any question you love being asked that I've missed? If so, what's the answer?
Lars: It feels good! Question: How does it feel to be a sex symbol? :)
What are you up to once you've finished answering these questions?
Lars: Lunch...
Anything else you would like to mention?
Lars: Thank you for wanting to know more about us. Hope you didn't fall asleep (before halfway through). Thanks for the support and we hope that we one day will meet you and your readers! Check out our homepage http://www.seventhorns.com/ and sign up for the newsletter, leave a message in the guestbook, request Seven Thorns on one of the many radio stations around the world that plays quality music ;-) Remember: Metal Is Your Destiny!
Thanks again to Lars for his time. You can check out the Rock Realms review of Seven Thorns' latest album Return To The Past by clicking here.
Label: Nightmare Records
Artist's website(s): Seven Thorns | MySpace | Facebook
