Chaos Heidi
Asylum Pyre
France's female fronted progressive Power Metal band ASYLUM PYRE has just released their sophomore record "Fifty Years Later" through Massacre Records. In the process of writing the follow up record they changed lead vocalists and have brought in Chaos Heidi to take over that role. Her voice is the perfect fit, as "Fifty Years Later" is an excellent way to unleash her voice on the Metal community. Kati had the chance to sit down and speak with Heidi about how she is adapting to her new role as lead vocalist of ASYLUM PYRE.
By CJ "Music God" Plain
•
March 30, 2013
Hello, thank you very much for this interview. I'm so sorry for it took me a very long time before answering it! We've been touring I had a lot of work recently and it was quite difficult to take time to do a lot of important things, like finish your interview! 🙂
A big part of these songs were already written when I joined the band, but I brought with me my own inflections, my personality and sometimes we changed some details. For "Any Hypothesis" the whole part at the end of the song was improvised at the studio. We wanted to do something a little bit crazy, to symbolize the thoughts bursting out in a brain, while all is melting and superimposing... I just let myself go and you know what the result is 😉 I especially love this song.
Oh really? I'd like to know which songs... I would say it's especially on the beginning of "Any Hypothesis" or maybe on "Fifty Years Later"... I'm not sure anybody in the band is a die-hard fan of PINK FLOYD, but we all know this great band and listen to some of their songs occasionally... However, we've been told some of our songs may sound like Anathema, sometimes... when we know PINK FLOYD is a great influence for ANATHEMA, so, we have come full circle, I guess!!
I think I should mention 2 names, a man and a woman (but I could list dozens of excellent singers I adore!!) I would say Bruce Dickinson and Floor Jansen. The first one is just amazing. One of the best heavy metal singer in one of the best band ever, he's an awesome frontman on stage, he's got something very special with his voice and personality that make him unique. The second one is my favorite female metal singer. I used to love AFTER FOREVER and I was very disappointed when the band split. She's got that very powerful voice and she can sing in many different ways, from soft to powerful, from operatic style to belting... She's a very complete singer and it's what I'm working on for me too.
Yes, of course it would be great! We haven't planned any tour support yet but instead we booked many shows in our own country first, in France, for 2013. We already played with DORO in Paris in late 2012 and we will be playing with bands like WHYZDOM or MYRATH in 2013 and our 1
At the beginning we wanted to do a video clip, yes... We thought about "These Trees" or maybe "Against the Sand", and then we realized we needed more money than we had!! 🙂 More seriously we don't want to make a cheesy video, we'd like to present something really beautiful and original, and it's quite expensive, so we preferred not to do that for now and save our ideas and money for something better later. I'm afraid we won't have any video clip for "Fifty Years Later", but I'm sure we will make up for it on the next album.
That's very good news!! Haha! It seems French bands used to have great difficulty with crossing the frontiers of France so if you noticed more bands lately it's obviously a good sign. I hope it's because we make good quality music and foreign people like it. My opinion is more and more bands do things more professionally, from the very beginning of their existence. To be talented and to compose good music is not enough, unfortunately. To be taken seriously, you have to record a well-produced CD, unless you might sound like a demo, you have to be able to promote yourself by your own, until someone else finds you interesting enough to promote you as well... and so on. It's a long way...
For now, plans are mainly on tour. We booked a dozen gigs until June 2013 and we're also booking other shows in autumn 2013. Then, we will prepare the next songs for our 3
That's a question we've already been asked... and it's not that easy to answer! We should choose bands we fit musically with... I guess we should already have thought this through, but oddly enough, we haven't... maybe because the opportunity of a tour-support hasn't showed up yet.
Now that we have played once with DORO, I would say it would be something interesting... and she's so talented and such a nice person... That would be a dream to tour with her!!
We also could tour with AVANTASIA that would be really, really great! Tobias Sammet is one of the most talented heavy metal composers and the AVANTASIA Project is so huge!
Simply visit our official website:
Thank you, you're welcome! And sorry again for being sooooo late!!
Hope to meet you someday, maybe for a gig! 😉
Hello there Heidi, I'd like to say thank you for the chance to speak with you today. I'm humbled to be asked to do this. For starters Heidi, please give us the history of ASYLUM PYRE and how the band came to be? Your new album is named "Fifty Years Later". Tell us about it?
Hello, thank you very much for this interview. I'm so sorry for it took me a very long time before answering it! We've been touring I had a lot of work recently and it was quite difficult to take time to do a lot of important things, like finish your interview! 🙂
It would be interesting to know about your inspirations for the songs, especially the tunes "Any Hypothesis" and "Just Before the Silence"?
A big part of these songs were already written when I joined the band, but I brought with me my own inflections, my personality and sometimes we changed some details. For "Any Hypothesis" the whole part at the end of the song was improvised at the studio. We wanted to do something a little bit crazy, to symbolize the thoughts bursting out in a brain, while all is melting and superimposing... I just let myself go and you know what the result is 😉 I especially love this song.
Listening to this album, I hear definite hints of PINK FLOYD in some of the songs. Are any of the band member's fans of that band?
Oh really? I'd like to know which songs... I would say it's especially on the beginning of "Any Hypothesis" or maybe on "Fifty Years Later"... I'm not sure anybody in the band is a die-hard fan of PINK FLOYD, but we all know this great band and listen to some of their songs occasionally... However, we've been told some of our songs may sound like Anathema, sometimes... when we know PINK FLOYD is a great influence for ANATHEMA, so, we have come full circle, I guess!!
Who are some of the artists that have inspired you to be a performer and musician?
I think I should mention 2 names, a man and a woman (but I could list dozens of excellent singers I adore!!) I would say Bruce Dickinson and Floor Jansen. The first one is just amazing. One of the best heavy metal singer in one of the best band ever, he's an awesome frontman on stage, he's got something very special with his voice and personality that make him unique. The second one is my favorite female metal singer. I used to love AFTER FOREVER and I was very disappointed when the band split. She's got that very powerful voice and she can sing in many different ways, from soft to powerful, from operatic style to belting... She's a very complete singer and it's what I'm working on for me too.
What are the touring plans for the band? I believe a show with WITHIN TEMPTATION would be amazing if you played together.
Yes, of course it would be great! We haven't planned any tour support yet but instead we booked many shows in our own country first, in France, for 2013. We already played with DORO in Paris in late 2012 and we will be playing with bands like WHYZDOM or MYRATH in 2013 and our 1
st show out of France will be in Switzerland in June. Then, we are also trying to play in other European country, hopefully, but nothing concrete for now. We're still a small band and it's quite hard to convince people to let us play in foreign countries!!
Are there any plans for a video of any of the songs? If so, please share a few details.
At the beginning we wanted to do a video clip, yes... We thought about "These Trees" or maybe "Against the Sand", and then we realized we needed more money than we had!! 🙂 More seriously we don't want to make a cheesy video, we'd like to present something really beautiful and original, and it's quite expensive, so we preferred not to do that for now and save our ideas and money for something better later. I'm afraid we won't have any video clip for "Fifty Years Later", but I'm sure we will make up for it on the next album.
I'm noticing more and more bands coming out of the French music scene. What are your impressions of the music environment in your country?
That's very good news!! Haha! It seems French bands used to have great difficulty with crossing the frontiers of France so if you noticed more bands lately it's obviously a good sign. I hope it's because we make good quality music and foreign people like it. My opinion is more and more bands do things more professionally, from the very beginning of their existence. To be talented and to compose good music is not enough, unfortunately. To be taken seriously, you have to record a well-produced CD, unless you might sound like a demo, you have to be able to promote yourself by your own, until someone else finds you interesting enough to promote you as well... and so on. It's a long way...
What are the future plans for ASYLUM PYRE?
For now, plans are mainly on tour. We booked a dozen gigs until June 2013 and we're also booking other shows in autumn 2013. Then, we will prepare the next songs for our 3
rd album. Some songs are already written, we now have to work on it and prepare the demo versions before going back to the studio, but not before 2014 I guess...
If you could organize a "Dream Tour" with ASYLUM PYRE and any other two artists, who would you choose to tour with?
That's a question we've already been asked... and it's not that easy to answer! We should choose bands we fit musically with... I guess we should already have thought this through, but oddly enough, we haven't... maybe because the opportunity of a tour-support hasn't showed up yet.
Now that we have played once with DORO, I would say it would be something interesting... and she's so talented and such a nice person... That would be a dream to tour with her!!
We also could tour with AVANTASIA that would be really, really great! Tobias Sammet is one of the most talented heavy metal composers and the AVANTASIA Project is so huge!
Please tell everyone where they could go to find more about the band and hear some song samples.
Simply visit our official website:
www.asylumpyre.com or our Facebook profile:
www.facebook.com/asylumpyre
To hear more of "Fifty Years Later" go on Deezer or on our YouTube's channel where you can find some live videos of the band 😉 :
http://www.youtube.com/user/AsylumPyre
I'd like to thank you once again for this opportunity to chat with you and I wish the band great success in all future endeavors. If there is anything at all that I or any member of Metal Temple can do to further help promote your music, please feel free to let us know.
Thank you, you're welcome! And sorry again for being sooooo late!!
Hope to meet you someday, maybe for a gig! 😉
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