1. Present yourself to the audience
We're a band born and grown in Italy in the 90', on the wake of Metal Prog bands like the Italian Asgard and Black Jester, and on the internationally renown Symphony X, Savatage and Dream Theater. We released two albums for Underground Symphony: “Mémoires” in 1997 and “Fingerprints of the Gods” in 2001. We never had a stable lineup, that's why we were able only to hit Holland Live after the release of our first album. After that episode, we started working on new material, but my forced leave for the US, delayed the release of the album (a double miniCD) until 2001. When I was in the US a met gary Wherkamp from Shadow Gallery, and in one of our meetings we recorded some rough matereial, part of which will be re-recorded for the new album . However, my departure, unfortunately split the band... so when I got back from the US, I was able to have the Cd released, and tried to start a new band with new people, because the former musicians took different paths. But it took a long time (up till now) to have a stable and solid line-up. We were able in 2004 with one of the many lineups tried, to participate to the Valpolicella Metal Fest (Udo, Vader, White Skull, Macbeth, Rain and Thunderstorm), but then the band undewent again one of the many changes of lineup. Finally in late 2006, Luca (the first and original drummer of the band) and I found the right musicians, and here we are. This is the actual lineup : Max “the voice” Bastasi (vocals, also in Great Master and Anarchy X), Yorick (guitar), Aligi Pasqualetto (keys, also in Budregassi and Fireball), Pietro Giovanni Balello (bass, also in Orion and Synapsys), Luca Roggi (drums, also in Anarchy X).
2. The name “HELDREITH”...why?
The name is an Old Icelandic word, meaning “Jurney to the Other World”. It's taken from a poem called “Helreidh Bynhildar”, contained in the Medieval “Poetic Edda”, one of the most important masterpieces of the Old Norse literature. We didn't want an English name, so we picked from the field we best knew... the Middle Ages.
3. Who composes? How that is held between you?
The creative process usually starts from me, but never ends in me, I usually work with the guys more with the function of a creative “director” (even though I don't really like that word).. But more and more we're becoming a composing group of people. I love to work all together, and I think that only together the real soul of the band comes out... so even if the initial idea for a song might be mine, all the band participates in the construction of the whole song. As for the lyrics, usually I write them, just because most of the knowledge of the Medieval/Ancient stories we tell in our songs has been part of my studies.
4. What music style do you prefer personally and what are your influences?
I am a son of the 80s Metal. I used to love from Saxon to Slayer almost everything. But when I got in contact with Savatage, and in particular the “Gutter Ballet” album, my view of music totally changed. Savatage are my favourite band, I love the great evolution they had from th very rough beginning till the refined works of “Dead Winter Dead” and “Wake of Magellan”. I like their unique style, and in the creative process it usually is combined with a touch of the progressive touch of Marillion and Ayreon. I have a great passion for Symphony X, even if their power speed side is not really what Helreidh wants to have. I think you can find a lot of other influences in our music, besides the ones mentioned before: Iron Maiden, Kamelot, Rhapsody, Dream Theater even a touch of the early King Diamond. Mixed in this there is a great love for Classical, Medieval and Folk music. I don't know if this is easily perceived by the listeners, but we rty hard to have also those influences working in the composing process.
5. What's your opinion about the actual metal scene at your place?
In Italy, the metal scene has grown a lot in the last 10 years. Bands like Vision Divine, Labyrinth, Rhapsody and Lacuna Coil (just to mention a few of them) make all us proud. I think that it's just hard today in such a crowded “market” to be outstanding and be listened by the fans. There are so many bands and albums produced that the good things sometimes never get heard.
6. Generally, which is the reaction of the public at the time of your concerts?
Especially in Holland, when we went back in 1998 it was great. In 2004, we had some gigs around Italy and the places were packed... Mémoires has been always considered one of those cult album, so whenever we play people are always very warm with us. Now, that we have a Savatage tribute set in our show I think that they we'll be happy to listen to some songs that probably will never be played live anymore.
7. What is your best live memory? And why?
I think the best is when we played in Holland with Quidam and Martin Orford (IQ). It's been a great experience for us, and the treatment was the one reserved to the big bands so we will always be very grateful to the all DPRP organization. Sharing the stage with big bands is something very touching... because gives you the taste of how it is to be a “professional”... and you never forget it.
8. What would be the festival of your dreams? (With you playing in it of course!!!)
There are so many... I would love to play at the Italian Gods of Metal, at Waken, at the Prog Power in Holland and possibly at the Grasspop in Belgium. But the real dream is to be able to play both in Japan and in the USA.
9. What do you expect from the future?
I use never to expect anything from the future. Of course, we have plans (and dreams), but expectations are usually very hard to meet. What we are all committed to is making our best to produce a solid and evocative new album. That is our duty, if the album is good we've done all we had to do... beyond that point, it's all a matter of promotion, luck, fate, people and audience... usually a very difficult alchemy.
10. What is your motto in live?
Close your eyes and dream with us! We used some verses I wrote a long time ago in our first album to describe what should happen when you listen to our music:
“Enter the realm where time blurs
Where past and present shade
In the dim twilight of memory
Let the powerful winds and the perfumes sweet
Of the reverie evoke the images and sounds
Of the world between dream and reality.”
11. Is there something you'd like to say to the audience?
The only thing I can say is that we hope to be able to bring our music even in Belgium, because we feel that they are a great audience. So please stay in touch and tuned for news.
I want to thanks you Hugues for the interview. This is a great chance you gave us to bring a piece of us in your country, and it's so important to us. Thanks really!!!
HELREIDH
We're a band born and grown in Italy in the 90', on the wake of Metal Prog bands like the Italian Asgard and Black Jester, and on the internationally renown Symphony X, Savatage and Dream Theater. We released two albums for Underground Symphony: “Mémoires” in 1997 and “Fingerprints of the Gods” in 2001. We never had a stable lineup, that's why we were able only to hit Holland Live after the release of our first album. After that episode, we started working on new material, but my forced leave for the US, delayed the release of the album (a double miniCD) until 2001. When I was in the US a met gary Wherkamp from Shadow Gallery, and in one of our meetings we recorded some rough matereial, part of which will be re-recorded for the new album . However, my departure, unfortunately split the band... so when I got back from the US, I was able to have the Cd released, and tried to start a new band with new people, because the former musicians took different paths. But it took a long time (up till now) to have a stable and solid line-up. We were able in 2004 with one of the many lineups tried, to participate to the Valpolicella Metal Fest (Udo, Vader, White Skull, Macbeth, Rain and Thunderstorm), but then the band undewent again one of the many changes of lineup. Finally in late 2006, Luca (the first and original drummer of the band) and I found the right musicians, and here we are. This is the actual lineup : Max “the voice” Bastasi (vocals, also in Great Master and Anarchy X), Yorick (guitar), Aligi Pasqualetto (keys, also in Budregassi and Fireball), Pietro Giovanni Balello (bass, also in Orion and Synapsys), Luca Roggi (drums, also in Anarchy X).
2. The name “HELDREITH”...why?
The name is an Old Icelandic word, meaning “Jurney to the Other World”. It's taken from a poem called “Helreidh Bynhildar”, contained in the Medieval “Poetic Edda”, one of the most important masterpieces of the Old Norse literature. We didn't want an English name, so we picked from the field we best knew... the Middle Ages.
3. Who composes? How that is held between you?
The creative process usually starts from me, but never ends in me, I usually work with the guys more with the function of a creative “director” (even though I don't really like that word).. But more and more we're becoming a composing group of people. I love to work all together, and I think that only together the real soul of the band comes out... so even if the initial idea for a song might be mine, all the band participates in the construction of the whole song. As for the lyrics, usually I write them, just because most of the knowledge of the Medieval/Ancient stories we tell in our songs has been part of my studies.
4. What music style do you prefer personally and what are your influences?
I am a son of the 80s Metal. I used to love from Saxon to Slayer almost everything. But when I got in contact with Savatage, and in particular the “Gutter Ballet” album, my view of music totally changed. Savatage are my favourite band, I love the great evolution they had from th very rough beginning till the refined works of “Dead Winter Dead” and “Wake of Magellan”. I like their unique style, and in the creative process it usually is combined with a touch of the progressive touch of Marillion and Ayreon. I have a great passion for Symphony X, even if their power speed side is not really what Helreidh wants to have. I think you can find a lot of other influences in our music, besides the ones mentioned before: Iron Maiden, Kamelot, Rhapsody, Dream Theater even a touch of the early King Diamond. Mixed in this there is a great love for Classical, Medieval and Folk music. I don't know if this is easily perceived by the listeners, but we rty hard to have also those influences working in the composing process.
5. What's your opinion about the actual metal scene at your place?
In Italy, the metal scene has grown a lot in the last 10 years. Bands like Vision Divine, Labyrinth, Rhapsody and Lacuna Coil (just to mention a few of them) make all us proud. I think that it's just hard today in such a crowded “market” to be outstanding and be listened by the fans. There are so many bands and albums produced that the good things sometimes never get heard.
6. Generally, which is the reaction of the public at the time of your concerts?
Especially in Holland, when we went back in 1998 it was great. In 2004, we had some gigs around Italy and the places were packed... Mémoires has been always considered one of those cult album, so whenever we play people are always very warm with us. Now, that we have a Savatage tribute set in our show I think that they we'll be happy to listen to some songs that probably will never be played live anymore.
7. What is your best live memory? And why?
I think the best is when we played in Holland with Quidam and Martin Orford (IQ). It's been a great experience for us, and the treatment was the one reserved to the big bands so we will always be very grateful to the all DPRP organization. Sharing the stage with big bands is something very touching... because gives you the taste of how it is to be a “professional”... and you never forget it.
8. What would be the festival of your dreams? (With you playing in it of course!!!)
There are so many... I would love to play at the Italian Gods of Metal, at Waken, at the Prog Power in Holland and possibly at the Grasspop in Belgium. But the real dream is to be able to play both in Japan and in the USA.
9. What do you expect from the future?
I use never to expect anything from the future. Of course, we have plans (and dreams), but expectations are usually very hard to meet. What we are all committed to is making our best to produce a solid and evocative new album. That is our duty, if the album is good we've done all we had to do... beyond that point, it's all a matter of promotion, luck, fate, people and audience... usually a very difficult alchemy.
10. What is your motto in live?
Close your eyes and dream with us! We used some verses I wrote a long time ago in our first album to describe what should happen when you listen to our music:
“Enter the realm where time blurs
Where past and present shade
In the dim twilight of memory
Let the powerful winds and the perfumes sweet
Of the reverie evoke the images and sounds
Of the world between dream and reality.”
11. Is there something you'd like to say to the audience?
The only thing I can say is that we hope to be able to bring our music even in Belgium, because we feel that they are a great audience. So please stay in touch and tuned for news.
I want to thanks you Hugues for the interview. This is a great chance you gave us to bring a piece of us in your country, and it's so important to us. Thanks really!!!
HELREIDH
