WINTER'S VERGE
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 4th February 2010.
Epic metallers Winter's Verge hail from Cyprus. Their new album Tales Of Tragedy, recently reviewed here on Rock Realms, was produced by Mystic Prophecy singer R.D. Liapakis.
Founder member and vocalist George Charalambous answers questions.
Hi George, thanks for taking a moment to answer these questions. Hope you are well?
George: Hello, we are fine thank you! Everything has been amazing for us in this past week!
Winter's Verge was. I believe, founded by you and Stefanos. How did the two of you meet, and how long was it before Winter's Verge started to take shape?
George: I met up with Stefanos some 5 to 6 years ago. We decided we wanted to make a band playing melodic metal. We had the ideas but not the correct band members to form the group. After 2 years and lot of line up changes, the Winter’s Verge you know today had taken shape.
Did you know early on exactly what sort of music you wanted to produce, or has the sound developed and altered a lot over the years?
George: We knew from the beginning the style we wanted to play but, like every musician, we grew and changed a lot of things - especially in the writing process. This did alter our style a little bit during the years, but we kept the original idea.
We noticed hints of Finnish rock and folk, as well as Firewind-style power metal in your music. How would you describe the Winter's Verge sound to someone who hadn't heard you before?
George: I would like to think that Winter’s Verge plays Melodic Metal with some epic and some progressive elements. You can hear some hints from Finnish metal as a lot of our influences come from there!
Who or what were the band's early inspirations?
George: Early inspirations were Iron Maiden, Metallica, Stratovarius, Sonata Arctica, Rage and so much more!
How does the first album, Eternal Damnation, compare to the latest release, Tales Of Tragedy - in terms of style, production and quality?
George: I believe that ‘Tales of Tragedy’ is a little more grown up as an album, because as musicians we all grew up a little bit and gained some experience along the way. We worked on the songs more this time round, and with the addition of Chris on drums we gained a few more elements to our music.
Another factor that creates the difference is that, although Harry played the guitars for ‘Eternal Damnation’ as well, the songs were written before he came to the band and he did not write all the guitar parts from scratch. With this album he contributed more as he wrote all the guitar melodies.
How did Mystic Prophecy singer R.D. Liapakis end up working with you in the studio?
George: Mr.Liapakis also produced our first album and ever since then, he has also become a very good friend of ours. Taking all into account we wanted to work with him again, and it turns out that with his album we are even happier than the previous time!
Was it important for you to work with him again on the new album after working with him on the debut?
George: I think it is very important to stick with the people that you trust in this world today. We trust him and we believe him to be a very good friend of ours. He has really done a lot for us!
How does it feel having your second album finished and on the way out?
George: This is amazing! And what’s more, being with a record company like Massacre is truly a dream come true!
Who was the main writer for the record - or was it more of a team effort?
George: The album is mainly a team effort, because we believe that everyone should have a part of theirs in something that they help to create.
How long did the album take to create - from the initial writing until the final mastering?
George: It took us quite some time to write the songs as 2 of our members (Harry and Miguel) are studying overseas, so we had to send everything back and forth over the internet. But everyone knew their parts when we came to the studio for recording in 2 weeks.
How does the recording work? Do you go to the studio with all songs written and demoed, or is there a lot of tweaking, improvisation and brainstorming in the studio?
George: We go into the studio knowing all the songs, but always some little changes are made that sound better in the end, maybe a different drum beat or a different vocal line. The base of the songs is there though before we get in.
Was the studio recording hard work, pleasure, or both?
George: I think it has to be a bit of both! If you don’t enjoy what you are doing, then why are you doing it in the first place?
Do you use any special techniques to get your sound?
George: I don’t think any special techniques are used to get the sound, I guess the studio engineer and the producer have to know how to get a good sound from the beginning if the final outcome is to be considered good.
Was Massacre Records there from the start, or did they come onboard when the album was already finished?
George: Massacre Records came as soon as they were able to hear the final mixes. I think it is very important for them to hear the finished product in order for them to make a choice. We were very lucky!
Is there any concept behind the lyrics, or is every song a standalone entity?
George: Every song is a standalone entity, besides from the song ‘I swear Revenge’ which is the continuation of the song ‘Eternal Damnation’ from our previous album.
Was the title Tales Of Tragedy there at the start as an inspiration, or did the album name only come along at the end?
George: If you read the lyrics they are different little stories put together in one album. It’s like taking a storybook with different tales. 'Tales Of Tragedy'.
Were there any guest performers on the album?
George: No there were no guest performers on the album, but the final song ‘Curse of Time’ was partially written by a good friend of ours – Michael Roussos.
Who did the artwork for Tales Of Tragedy?
George: The artwork was done by Meran ‘Darkmouth’ Karanitant. He is an amazing designer and he really captured the whole essence of the album.
Do you do much touring? Any chance we'll see you play the UK?
George: We are actually on our first official tour with Stratovarius and Tracedawn and we are having a blast! We hope to do this again soon and if we get the chance to come and play in the UK we definitely will!
Have you played any of the new songs live so far?
George: Yes we have played ‘Old Man’s Wish’, ‘The Captain’s Log’ and ‘Dark Entries’ on this tour. The crowd’s reaction has been very supportive. It is truly an amazing experience!
If you don't mind me saying, your vocals sound a lot like Mark Owen from UK pop band Take That. Have you heard many other surprising or unusual stories or comments said about the band or any of the members?
George: HAHAHAHAHA that is really the first time I have heard that about me! We have also heard that, when Stefanos (keyboards) head bangs while he is playing, he looks like ‘Cousin Itt’ from ‘the Addams Family’!
Do you manage to make a living from your music or do you do other jobs as well?
George: We don’t make a living from our music. It is impossible to do that from such an early stage. We all have our jobs in order to survive.
Do you live what you'd consider to be a rock 'n' roll lifestyle?
George: I think the only thing that comes close to that type of lifestyle is when you are on tour. We are getting a taste of that now!
Any question you love being asked that I've missed? If so, what's the answer?
George: Right now we are in Czech Republic, and yes the women are great!
What are you up to once you've finished answering these questions?
George: Sound check for the show tonight!
Anything else you would like to mention?
George: Thank you for the support, Cheers and KEEP ROCKING!!!
Thanks again to George for his time. You can check out the Rock Realms review of the latest Winter's Verge album Tales Of Tragedy here.
http://www.myspace.com/wintersverge
