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| Sunday, 7 March 2004 |
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Chitral Somapala after his Japan-Tour with 'Firewind', talks about the gigs on the other side of the world, his love for the genre for metal, globalisation processes in music business and the future of heavy metal. Chitral talked with Sandra Roth of Klang Mag. What impressions did you take home with you from this tour?
How did you become Firewind's lead-singer on their tour to Japan? The American Guitar legend David T. Chastain hooked me up with GUS G, and I was asked to do some demo auditions of some Firewind songs and finally I got the call to join them for the Japan Tour. How has it been to perform with twenty-three-year-old 'Wonder Child' Gus G? Well GUS is a guitar super star in Japan among with George Lynch/Nuno Bettencourt and many others on all guitar magazines of Japan at the moment! He's also featured on the new Young Guitar magazine in japan on the front page and I must say, I can't complain about his playing/musicianship....He knows exactly what he wants and he's doing it Great! How does Gus G. deal with his success and the fact that the media celebrates him as a new Metal-Guitar-Hero?
I guess....he deserves that! He works very hard on it and I know many many jealous people still put him down! But I'm happy that we got to know each other and we rocked Japan! Did you try to add your own vocal interpretation to the songs or did you try to sound similar to the original? As you know......I'm a huge Rainbow fan and I adore all these classic metal singers like Bonnet/Dio/Turner...so it wasn't a problem....hahahaha...But I added a bit more of my personality into these songs it sounded great. But for sure Stephen is one of the most sophisticated vocalist in the vein of Power Metal today and it's not easy to fill someone else shoes without knowing what you are doing! How do 'Firewind' Songs differ from ordinary metal-mainstream? Firewind songs aren't that different from Metal mainstream in my honest opinion! It sounds heavier because of dropped down guitars and of course because of the heavy vocals of Stephen Fredrick. Still it's Power Metal....it's not Alternative Grunge or Nu Metal. Has it been difficult to sing to people whose last CD had been produced in a global studio project and who never met before? Not at all! I've done this many many times and that's how everything goes today. I guess if you are professional....you are able to do anything. Why do you think the songs on 'Burning Earth' can be called 'Metal classic'? Well...all these songs are written in a great form and the guitar work is amazing....you can't compare him to Yngwie Malmsteen, but I must say GUS is a great musician and guitarist. He is actually in that level of those bigger names in the guitar business today. Which are the bands and singers that influenced you most throughout your career? Dio/Tony Martin/Glenn Hugues/Gillen/Freddie Mercury and many many others...the list is too big. I even like some of the Pop singers as well. How did you develop your preference for the metal-genre? Very simple....cos. I love it and I think I belong to it. The Metal music itself has a lot of passion/power and precision and I felt always embarrassed when some people put this music down....but on the other hand there so many people who care for it. But I don't blame anyone....it's their choice. What do you think of the fact that the major labels do not put their fingers into the metal-area? Is it possible in our time that a new straight metal-band can be as successful as for example the new emerging 'Black Sabbath' or 'Metallica' were once? Actually....Firewind in Japan is with a major label called Emi/Toshiba. In Europe the overall business is very hard at the moment, I'm sure even the bigger bands are having a tough time these days and changing their personalities to follow the modern trend which I think is a bit strange as they made a trademark in their career earlier and why can't they keep it? I guess all big labels only wanna make fast money...which is also a trend today. Will the next generation see a revival of the old metal heroes again? Has this genre still enough power to give our youth a collective subcultural identity? For sure Truer Metal always will remain as you see all these reunions of old bands coming up again! At the moment I don't hear anymore about people raving about Nu Metal? Why? I think it was only for a while. Is a Japanese audience different from a European audience? Of course, totally different Japs are very kind and loyal fans! If they'd love you the first time...that means it's forever. How do you manage to work on so many projects like 'Faro', 'Avalon' and 'Firewind' along with your job as a vocal teacher? Well it's not easy, but somehow I manage. How would you describe the musical vision behind 'Faro' your other melodic rock project? FARO is kinda commercial Hard Rock music! I love it. Do you think there are some really good German Metal-Bands out there? Of course! Germany is full of Metal bands....Helloween, Scorpions, Accept Blind, Guardian Edguy Kreator and so many. Germany is the land of metal in Europe! (Excerpts from Klang Mag) |
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| Produced by Lake House |
All in all...Japan was great! A lot different to the European
audiences....But as you know Heavy Metal has an excellent market in Japan
still and they are really thirsty for it...that's how we all experienced
it!
