LINE-UP:
Aurélien Thomas:bass, vocals Sergio Barbero:drums Paweł Staszewski: lead guitar Kamil Kowalczyk: rhythm guitar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn7Zv0llIGQ
Well,Friends of Aristocracy!
We speak of our newsroom, where in a little while, we will begin in all its emotions, the eighty-second interview of the Aristocracy.This time, we will be happy to speak with the Polish band EKOA who released in March of this year, more precisely, on March 23, their first EP or mini-album titled Chrysalis. For now, let's go to the interview with them where they talk about the EP, their careers, philosophies and advance some details of the full album which is still being prepared. Let's go to the interview immediately!
A1:Talking about the composition work in Chrysalis?
KAMIL: Paweł is the main composer in the band and brings entire instrumental structures to the table, then we collectively shuffle ideas and arrange the material into full songs. TOM:I dealt with the bass lines, the vocals, and the lyrics. PAUL: That’s true, everyone of us has a little part of herself in each song
A2:People and bands say much time your sound as modern,What kind of modern thinks band doing for Chrysalis?
KAMIL:Most modern bands use vst plugins instead of recording real amps and drums in the studio. In today's life, it's much more cost-and-time efficient. As opposed to more oldschool tone, the mid-range is definitely more scooped and focused in the mix, the sound is definitely drier and has more brittle.
A3:How the progressions is work by band in this album?
PAUL :Progressions are very slight in our music. It’s not Dream Theatre for sure, but some riffs has different and complex meter or accents which maybe are not so super visible for layman but someone more experienced for sure will notice that
A4:On a Spanish site, you claim to be influenced by the butterfly effect. Was this influence generated from a personal experience?
TOM :I think that obsession with the butterfly effect came from the movie of that name. The idea that every choice or event defines our future,even in the long term is fascinating. Later on,I naturally got interested in the ideas of free will and determination.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8GptZ9K-CE
A5:Not that I don't like the band's metalcore vibe, because I really like it. But, how is it united with Death Metal?
KAMIL:Everyone interprets music in their own way.We don't really identify as death metal band, however if there is a link between what we play and this genere, it's for sure the growls and double bass.However,we prefer to say that we are a progressive band, if our style can be defined by this wide category.
PAUL:Recently someone said about us “Modern Prog/Death” and I like this term (*laughs*).
A6:Is it correct to say that the bassist and drummer are not Polish? If so, what benefits did they bring to the band's growth and work for the EP?
SERGIO:Yes, Tom is french and I’m spanish. The fact that we come from different countries and we have different backgrounds helps to make the music fuller and richer. Also the fact that we can comunicate in different languages is a big advantage for us to connect with more fans around the globe.
TOM:I don't know if coming from abroad helps, but it's always nice having Sergio bringing some ham from Spain (*laughs*).
PAUL:For me, knowing that I have foreigners in the band is amazing experience. I don’t remember how many times Sergio supported me and Kamil in good spirit that we will find singer and bass player. Of course I believed on this and had in my mind that this day will come,someday,but for Sergio it was so obvious as day and night. His calm and composure gave me strength. I wanted to say that Sergio and Tom personality is not replaceable, Myself and Kamil can learn a lot from them.
A7:Do both the clean voice and the louder voice come out of the bassist's lips?
KAMIL:Yes,Tom is a very versatile singer. He also plays guitar, I think better then the rest of us (*laughs*) TOM:Yes, it's all me (*laughs*). As a fan of Opeth and Katatonia, I've always loved the dynamic of having both screams and clean vocals. PAUL:Agree with Kamil. This guy sings better then I expected and I had to start practicing guitar more (*laughs*)
A8:Can the band give a few details about the full album you are preparing?
SERGIO:We currently are working on a 11 songs album, keeping couple of songs from the EP. With the perspective of our EP we will be able to deliver a better experience for the listener. We want this album to be a whole journey for the fan, a unique experience over our world.
KAMIL:We have 11 songs already prepared and actually began recording the guitar tracks recently. On the EP we used LTD EC-1000 with Seymour Duncan pickups, and this time we're doing it on LTD Arrow-1000, which has hotter output and Fishman pickups for rent more modern sound. As Sergio said, we also plan to re-record and include the two singles from the EP on the full LP.
A9:What´s the idea behind artwork´s album?
Pawel:You see, the butterfly reflects image of us, the beginning of band existence. “Chrysalis” as name indicate evolves into something bigger. The mouth and eyes hidden in it are us. We added darkly colored accents showing that it cost us a lot of work and sacrifice
A10:What will remain in my ears indefinitely when listening to EKOA?{Phrase taken from EKOA's BANDCAMP!}
PAWEL:I think that emotions which are hidden in every single part of song and the maturity of the compositions. This music is simple and deep that could be a key to stay in listener mind for long time.
A11:What kind of subject don´t deserve a EKOA song?
TOM :I guess, everything that could be political or too casual. In the lyrics, I usually want to address issues or questions about humankind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hkCcYRYDoU
A12:Does the EP have sound variations on all the songs?
KAMIL:Speaking of the heavy guitar tone, it's the same for all the songs, but on cleaner or mildly overdriven parts we used different settings to fit the vibe of their specific parts.
A13:Can we say that the second song is inspired by stoicism?
TOM:How did you guess (*laughs*) ?! Yes, definitely!That is one of the philosophies that I most appreciate.As they say, it is a complete philosophy; it's a way of thinking that is also applicable in the everyday life.
A14:How is EKOA different from your previous bands and other projects?
SERGIO:Talking about my personal experience, this is the most “extreme” music style I’ve ever performed with a band, I’m coming from a rock/metal environment, and jumping into progressive/death metal it was quite a challenge for me. KAMIL :Ekoa is a unique band in my experience. I played in some less serious bands previously, and I also have a death metal project, but no luck in finding such a strong lineup yet.
TOM:In my solo project, Karthesis, I am free to go in every direction and let myself go a little too far with the song length (haha).But it is really hard to manage everything on your own.
With EKOA, we rely on each other, we share ideas and try to focus on a certain vision together.Soundwise, I would say EKOA has a more defined sound, it is clear and concise.
PAUL:For me, EKOA is absolutely different then previous projects because is serious and professional. I hope that everyone of us found themselves here, even if not in 100%, so at least close to 80/90% Kamil and Tom have another projects, serious or for fun, doesn’t matter, every musician needs to find place to vent your emotions and for me is fully ok, don’t have problem with that. Personal I stopped looking and I wouldn’t like to change anything in this band.
A15:Some literature inspire the band?
Tom: I like to read or listen to stuff about science and philosophy in general. With writers like Marc-Aurelius, Spinoza, and Nietzsche.
A16:What´s bands influence ours?
TOM: For the EP, I'd say that Gojira was a big influence. For the vocals, I was usually inspired by Mikael Akerfeldt and Jonas Renkse,but on that record, I've tried to add a bit of a pitched scream in the style of Joe Duplantier. KAMIL:Exactly, You can probably hear some influences of bands like Gojira, Opeth and Mastodon in our style.And of course to each of us the list could go on and on. PAUL:Everyone have inspirations, even if you think that not, you are wrong. Band which influenced me most was Soen.
A17:EKOA is a code?
PAUL:No, meaning is different. It’s about rejections in our lives.
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