Per Fredrik Pellek Asly

Damnation Angels

Symphonic Power Metal is a genre that is growing by leaps and bounds. There have been some amazing releases in 2013 by SERENITY, AVANTASIA and VISIONS OF ATLANTIS. Add newcomers DAMNATION ANGELS to the list, as their new debut record is mind-blowing. YngwieViking was honoured to speak with vocalist PelleK about their new release and their future plans.

By YngwieViking

• April 28, 2013

Per Fredrik Pellek Asly (Damnation Angels) interview

Hi, great to have you for this interview for Metal Temple. I will jump right in. First I think "Bringer Of Light" is a bloody great album and as a fan of epic Symphonic Metal It was for me a real treat. What will be your words to describe it?

Thank you! It's a very emotional album, and even though the songs are about various subjects and feelings it's ultimately about accepting your fate and embracing it.

Can you first tell us about you, your background as a musician? Your past or actual involvement in other bands! I want to know everything, go!

Well I'm 26 year old, born in, and still live in Norway, and I make a living singing for the bands and projects/studios etc that are good enough to hire me. I worked for 2 years non-stop singing several hours every day to develop a 4 octave vocal range, and I still every day practise to get better. It would be hard listing all the bands I've been involved with as I've both written for and sung for very many bands, but I have 2 projects that I am exclusively a frontman and lead singer for, and that is DAMNATION ANGELS, and my solo-project PELLEK which now has a full band line-up. We're on tour right now so I'm doing this on the road haha, but all in all I just love metal, I love singing and I love my life. Just living the dream!

Concerning your solo album "Bag Of Tricks", can you tell us more about your collaboration with genius Tommy Reinxeed Johansson?

He's a friend of mine and I guest-sung on a song with him for his "Swedish hits goes metal" project. After we met there I decided to try out releasing some songs I had written as a kid as a solo album and it went through the label that Tommy works for, therefore he did a lot of the mixing, guitars and programming etc. He's a very talented guy

Do you share his Christian beliefs?

I'm afraid I don't know very much about Tommy ReinXeeds Christian beliefs as we've never talked about it. I've read that they are a Christian metal band and stuff but their albums are about titanic and movies etc not about God as far as I've understood, so I'm not sure what to say about Tommy's beliefs. He's a great guy though but you'd have to ask him about his beliefs.

If yes, do you call yourself, a Christian musician or you aren't interested in singing about God?

Wouldn't feel right pushing religion or politics onto people with my music. Although I'm very interested in science and technology and I find many things in the bible etc to be strange I choose to believe (not know) in God, but I'd never force it onto anybody by sneaking in songs of worship or anything. Would just feel wrong. Just the other day on tour here in the UK I saw all these TV channels promising you Gods love etc for money donations. It's wrong in my opinion. I have no interest in debating it with people or converting someone either, it's just something I do. It's hard to believe, but I choose to do it nonetheless.

In my review for the superb album "Bringer Of Light" I states that the album is pretty much dominated by the Scandinavian sound style and that the album beats at its own game the whole Scene from Norway, Finland or Sweden…What is your feelings about this quote?

I would say that is spot on for my first PELLEK album which is a celebration of Scandinavian power metal more than anything, but DAMNATION ANGELS is different to me. It's heavier, darker, and rockier.

In the same review, I also pointed a lot of similarities between your voice/Singing styles to the great Conception singer Roy Khan (Ex-KAMELOT) it is a fluke? Or did your famous compatriot influence you in any?

Hmm. I like Roy Khan very very much, but I haven't been influenced by his way of singing. I think I know where your coming from with that quote though and I'm not saying I totally disagree, but I don't necessarily hear it myself.

Do you think that the complexity of some of the structures in your multiples ambitious project can be a block for some listeners, do you keep this aspect in mind while composing, or did you just get the inspiration flows?

I don't think so, it might seem complex sometimes but it's quite a simple layout actually.

Tell us what we have to expect from your side in the future to come?

From my side. Except from 2 UK tours we'll be having our U.S debut this year at ProgPower USA. Then we're heading to the studio again right after it to make another album. Also releasing my second PELLEK album next month, and a Scandinavia-tour is in the works.

Please let us know your Scandi Metal TOP 5?

1. Seventh Wonder
2. Jorn
3. Nighwish
4. Stratovarius
5. Hammerfall

Please let us know your Alltime TOP 10?

1. Angra
2. Rhapsody of Fire
3. Luca Turilli
4. Helloween
5. Seventh Wonder
6. Masterplan
7. Bon Jovi
8. Iron Maiden
9. Kamelot
10. Nightwish

I wish to thank you for the interview and wish you guys the best of luck with the new album, any last words for the fans out there?

Thanks to you for the interview and for the kind words, and thanks to all the fans for the support. Without you we wouldn't be able to do any of this, so thank you! I hope to see your faces in the crowd sometime

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