Ron Heikens & David Marcelis
Black Knight
Ron: Hello Lior, many thanks for your interest in Black Knight. It is always a privilege to get the opportunity to address the band to all the metal fans out there. Yes, these are challenging times. Although Covid-19 puts our lives upside down, we believe there is no time to waist. If you have a keen eye you will find opportunities to go ahead. So, under the circumstances, we have been doing great actually.
Ron: Admittedly, it has been a long time since Black Knight's previous release "The Beast Inside" in 2007, but actually we never stopped really. Indeed, there were some bumps and stomping grounds, so to speak, but the will to go on, to be on the road, has never faltered. "No rest for the wicked"! We are being rewarded for our efforts now things come together around "Road To Victory".
Ron: The Dutch metal scene just needs more warriors to keep the metal alive. The ones that are out there are of a true kind. Black Knight is all about old school metal which is exactly what we will be playing as long as we can. Straight from the heart. We know metal never dies!
Ron: A wonderful question this is, Lior. For a start we were absolutely thrilled that David said yes to our invitation to join Black Knight. We feel very fortunate. It is the cherry on top that completes our proud line-up. We continued with a full belief that "now" we can achieve the extra mile for Black Knight. We shared our new material with David and before we knew our compositions in the making were completed and given lyrics and song melodies. David teams up wonderful, in person, on stage and in his blend in the music we bring. It all just fits like charm in our believe.
David: From my side it also worked out very well. The timing was perfect as Lord Volture had just finished 5 years of very intensive touring. I was ready for something new. I knew and liked Black Knight's music already and I had been in contact with some of the band members on a number of occasions, so I knew what I was getting into. The musical blend, of which "Road To Victory" is the result, is seamless. The instrumental parts were all very well prepared and contain many rich elements that made it easy for me to write vocal lines and lyrics to. Moreover, Black Knight is a really tight group where the "band atmosphere" is ever present. All in all, I was honored to be asked for this position and very eager to get on board.
Ron: For me, the meaning of "Road To Victory" is that you need to reflect on what you want from life, and then unconditionally pursue these goals. It is all about the will and power to accomplish your freedom and dreams in a safe world. This is a theme that comes back in more songs on the album, such as "Legend" and "Crossing The Rubicon".
Ron: "Road To Victory" is our present, the road that we walk today in our real lives. To bring our music to everyone. We try not to look back too much. (Only when drinking beers!). As for the future, we are heading for the full Monty!
David: There is an overall meaning to the "Road To Victory" and I think Ron already expressed it pretty well. What I'd like to add, is that an important aspect of being successful on the "Road To Victory" means that you need to work together with other like-minded people. There are few things in life that you can achieve on your own. Together you are stronger, but it is also more rewarding to walk the road with someone else and share the rewards that lie at its end. To quote the chorus of the title track of the album: "United we will be on the Road To Victory".
Ron: We believe it is a blend of elements. You can compare it with the ingredients you choose to make up a nice dish. Strong melodies, riffs, grooves, power and dedication to get things in a proportional balance without making things too complex.
Ron: There weren't any particular or conscience influences. It was more a matter of the synergy between the band members. The ideas that were created by either one us were adapted like a natural thing. All that was left to do is putting them together into a finished composition. We love 80s metal though. So clearly you can find an old school vibe captured into Black Knight's classic metal.
David: What contributed a lot to the song writing process, is that we focused on the skeletons of the songs rather than on the details. Surely, some parts of the songs were developed by individual band members from home. But mostly the songs were put together and arranged in the rehearsal room. We wanted the songs to sound great with a minimum of musical instruments so that each song would also be convincing in a live set without the need to play along a backing track or use samples. Yes, on the studio recordings we added some additional backing vocals or guitar tracks, but only after we were convinced that the songs stood out on their own. Perhaps this approach was chosen due to Black Knight's near 40-year lifespan. It seems typical of many more modern bands to hide relatively poor song writing behind a thick layer of orchestrations and effects.
David: Yeah, I agree that "My Beautiful Daughters" turned out to be a really powerful song. The basis for the song was written by our guitarist Ruben Raadschelders and then further developed by the band as a whole. Musically, it is a song with many faces (a "Thousand Faces" perhaps?). And like you said, the title of the song may also be misleading because of its apparent innocence. Nothing is less true though because it is actually a song about the artillery of the armies of Napoleon Bonaparte. Before he became a general, first consul and emperor, Napoleon served as an artillery officer. Some historians claim that Napoleon used to refer to his cannons with "mes belle filles", which can be freely translated to "my beautiful daughters". On the battlefield, Napoleon often relied heavily on his artillery, but even his beautiful daughters could not prevent his final defeat at Waterloo.
David: In 49 BC Julius Caesar needed to make a choice. Was he to obey the summons of the Roman Senate and return to Rome to be punished for overextending his authority as a provincial governor, or would he take his battle-hardened legions into Italy and defy the Senate? To do the former would mean surrendering his political power and perhaps even his life. To do the latter would mean open rebellion and civil war. He chose war and led the 13th legion across the river Rubicon into Italy, which would eventually result in the end of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire. Of course, it wasn't so simple as that and a long a bitter struggle ensued. It is very easy to imagine that Caesar must have experienced many moments of doubt whether he should not have surrendered himself to the Senate and avoid the loss of lives in the Roman Civil War. But he must also have known that once he committed himself there would be no turning back.
"Crossing The Rubicon"' story is applicable to many situations and most of us will someday have to make difficult choices that we may live to regret. The message I intend to convey with the lyrics of this song is that it does you no good to ponder whether you made the right choice and to live in regrets. Sure, learn from your mistakes and make better choices in the future. But do not lose yourself into self-doubt.
David: Due to the corona measures we were forced to cancel a few concerts so far, but most of these have already been postponed to a new date in 2021. Together with our label Pure Steel Records we are currently promoting the new "Road To Victory" album. Most of this takes place online. We have not done any live streams yet, but we have some surprises in store to celebrate the album's release on 26th June.
Ron: As we speak, we are busy writing new material. Covid-19 leaves us all time now to start ahead on this process. We do not want to wait and sit still. It does not make sense to waist our precious time on this planet. So, no, with the current line-up a decade seems way too much
David: Due to the Covid-19 situation and the subsequent cancellations of concerts and festivals in 2020 we have to postpone most of our promotion tour for "Road To Victory" to 2021. We already have confirmations for the Zeeltje Rock festival in the Netherlands and the M.I.S.E. Open Air in Germany. More will surely follow. Moreover, with all the extra time on our hands right now we may be able to hit the recording studio for the next album already in late 2021… who knows?
Guys, it was great for me to have you for this interview for Metal Temple, certainly, you came back with vengeance and made quite the effort with the new release
Ron: Much obliged, Lior. It was great to have this opportunity for us at Metal Temple.
David: Cheers, Lior. Keep up the good work! Stay safe you all. Keep the Metal Faith!
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