Eduardo

Dragonheart

DragonHeart is a Brazilian Heavy Metal band which I am sure someday will surprise us. Read what Eduardo (vocalist / guitarist) told us and you will understand what I am saying.
By Makis Kirkos
June 11, 2001
Eduardo (Dragonheart) interview
Since we are an Internet Magazine, I would like you to tell us your relationship with the Internet?

Internet is a wonderful way to spread our band around the world and it is very important especially because we can to chat with our fans of different cultures. I think that Internet united the heavy metal fans.

Tell us the history of the band and who the members are...

Me (Vocal/Guitar), Marco (Guitar) and Taborda (Bass) played in a band called Brujah, which never released anything. We wanted to make a more powerful metal and so we called Marcelo (Drumer), Marco's brother, for the drums, because he has a great knowledge about heavy metal. We recorded a demo in 98 which was accepted and it was because of this demo that we were guest to record the first official CD, that was released in the beginning of 2000 and it is called Underdark. Now we are recording our new album, the second and it is going to be called Throne of the Alliance. The name, Dragon Heart, came from a nordic legende about a warrior who killed dragons and used the creature's blood to earn power. We wanted a name in this way and that could resume the epic feeling of our songs, later the movie came and reforced this idea.

Are you satisfied with the sales of your album Underdark?

Yeah!!!! Even it has been released about one year and a half the sales didn't stop. The elections, the best of the year 2000, in the major Brazilian magazines showed to us that the band is well known. We have many votes from heavy metal public because of this album and it was excited. (5th best album, 5th best show, 3rd Revelation). But the old label that we worked (Megahard Records) have ever payed us. It was the reason that us don't work more with them.

Let's assume that someone hasn't listened to DragonHeart before. How would you describe your music to him?

Our music is a mix between 80's Heavy Metal with Medieval Music. Our songs are very energetic with speed kicks. The backing vocals give to them an epic atmosphere. Strong melodies inspirited in tavern's songs that bards sang. I think our music have a fantastic and dark sensation at the same time.

Which are your basic influences?

Our basic influences are 80's Heavy Metal, Medieval and Classic Music. We loved bands like Blind Guardian, Running Wild, Gamma Ray, Helloween, Never More, Grave Digger, Forbidden, Overkill, Accept, and thousand bands that play or played the real heavy metal.

Who writes the songs and the lyrics? Tell me a few words about each one of the songs...

All Dragon Heart's members write the songs.
Intro: It's an original medieval song.
Arcadia Gates: One epic story about a Knight that arrived in a strange land, where exist magic powers and creatures.
Battlefield Requiem: A kind of hymn about The Silver Squadron and the feelings in take part in a Battle with the Steel in your hands, one group of brave warriors.
Dynasty and Destiny: One song that tells the story of a King that was born to rule with wisdom to get the glory. In the intro of this song Marcelo (Drum), show all their speed kick technique with an amazing feeling.
Night Corsaries: In this song we were influenced by Running Wild and the lyrics tells about Pirates and a Mystical Sea.
Tide in Tim The most melodic music of this CD. I like of their solo.
Sir. Lockdunam: It's an acoustic song that is played with medieval instruments.
Underdark: A speed and energetic music where Taborda (Bass) singed for the first time in our songs, their style seems the Grave Digger's Vocal.
New Millennium: It's the only music that doesn't speak about medieval themes. Actually how the century and millennium were finishing and the Album was released in that time we want to write this song that talk about the fear and the ignorance that us listened in that days.
Mistys of Avalon: We are fans of King Arthur's Sagga and we want to tell their story in a Dragon's Song.
Gods of Ic It's a special music because it was the first music that us composed. The Vikings History and their Culture are wonderful and I think that us captured these feelings in it.

Which are your favorites songs from Underdark and why?

My favorite song is Sir Lockd?nam because is an authentic medieval music. It is an acoustic song and played with instruments from this age. I think it's pretty cool we, heavy metal musicians, show this side to our public.

What about the cover of your album?

It has drawn by our friend Rodnei Carvalho. As Underdark is our first album it represents a Dragon coming to the world from inside of a crystal egg. The stone's floor and the gray sky represent the dangers and the troubles that he will face.

How would you describe a live DragonHeart performance?

As one fan said me one tim Your concert made me felt in a Battlefield, the epic melodies, the speed and the performance sent me to the old ages. Seemed that I was brandish my sword and fighting. I loved this point of view because it is what we want to show to the public in our concerts.

Let me ask you some general questions now... Tell me an entertaining or funny story concerning the band...

We had very funny stories on the road but now I can't remember anyone.

Other than being a musician, what else do you do?

I have been studying languages: English, German and classic guitar too. I have an office that works with graphic design. I spend my time on the Internet chatting with friends and replying e-mails from our fans.

If you could jam with any musician, dead or alive, whom would you choose?

No doubt I would like to choose to play guitar, the Power Metal's master, Kai Hansen (Gamma Ray), in the vocals, Hansi K?rsh (Blind Guardian), in the bass Markus Grosskopf (Helloween), in the drums J?rg Michael (Stratovarius).

Apart from music, do you like any other kinds of art?

I loved cinema, theater, literature and design. I like all kind of arts that are creative and stimulate our fantasy.

Who or what first inspired you to become a musician?

When I was a kid and started to listen heavy metal, I bought Seventh Sun of the Seven Sun, an Iron Maiden album. It's a wonderful album and I imagined to be playing those songs with my band. I started to play guitar and sing about one year later. After I knew the Classic Music, The four seasons by Vivaldi and I lost my mind. It has been beautiful and energetic. Today I'm very happy because I found tree partners that love these two styles of music.

Ok, let's return to your album...In which studios did you record the album?

We recorded here in Brazil, in our home city on Studio Clinica, a good studio where we recorded our demo CD and after the UNDERDARK album.

How did the title for your Album come up?

We've chosen this title because the Underdark song has the elements that we wanted united since the beginning of Dragon Heart. It's strong, epic, dark and has a fantasy atmosphere seems with Tolkien's books.

Tell me a little bit about your touring plans...

Now we won't any concert. We are recording a new album and we are very busy. It's our second album and it is going to have many cool surprises. We signed with HTRecords a new Brazilian label and it will give to our fans the best Dragon Heart's work. The cover art by Andreas Marschall, mastering and mixing in Finnvox Studio in Finland, a Grave Digger bonus track and participation of a great name of Heavy Metal will make that this album that is going to call Throne of the Alliance a great release in the second half of the year.

What other bands do you hold friendships with? What other bands do you like, as musicians?

We are friends of Sad Theory, a cool band from Curitiba our home city. These guys play a Heavy Metal mix with Black Metal and I liked very much. Soon they are going to record their first album. We loved Blind Guardian. We make the same style that it. They know to compose like genius. It's a great band.

As my final question, what has been the best experience for the band so far in it's career?

In our new album that is going to call THRONE OF THE ALLIANCE the cover art is going to be draw by Andreas Marschall. It is great because we have always been fans of their work.

Is there any message that you want to send to the metal fans? Do you know that you have many Greek fans?

I want to say that's a great honor for us to have Greek fans. You live and love the True Metal. You've joined in Dragon Heart's barbarian army to fight for the Real Heavy Metal and we are going to win. In our next tour we want to play in Greece and meet you. We see you on the road!!!!

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