Seven Spires is a very special band. They call their music as "theatrical metal" and that's exactly what they are. They released their debut album, called "Solveig", about a month ago and the feedback so far is very good. So, we are very happy to have them on Rock Overdose for this interview with Konstantinos Sotirelis. Enjoy!
Rock Overdose: Hello guys, welcome to Rock Overdose from Greece. How it’s going on the band’s side these days?
Seven Spires: Hi! Things are going great here in Spires HQ, we are happy and busy with shows and interviews and the unending planning and writing!
Rock Overdose:A few days ago you released your debut album called “Solveig”. How do you feel?
Seven Spires: I can’t really speak for the guys since I’m not sure how they are feeling today aside from our usual “busy and tired as hell”, but this album was so long in the making. Nearly three years – I’ve never worked so long on an album and its release before. Now that it’s out, my first groggy thoughts over coffee are still, “Wait, if I don’t have to work on Solveig today, what am I doing with these hours…”
Rock Overdose: In my opinion, “Solveig” is one of the best albums I’ve heard this year and for sure the best debut album for 2017. So, what’s the feedback so far?
Seven Spires: Wow, thank you so much!! The feedback has actually been extremely positive overall. Sure, there are some blogs that make a living by ripping on people’s art, but aside from those, I am actually thrilled to say that it seems like people actually get the album. All the motifs, the atmosphere, the storyline, and even that we cover so much musical ground both instrumentally and vocally.
Rock Overdose: Something that I really like on you is the theatrical style you approach your music. Is this easy for a band to achieve it?
Seven Spires: For us, I think it is totally easy! I do the majority of the writing for the band on my own or with Jack, and it’s how I write most naturally. Jack is my musical soulmate and our creative forces together like to be unapologetically over-the-top and grand.
Rock Overdose: Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that some of your influences are Cradle of Filth, Carach Angren and other extreme and theatrical metal bands, because I heard a lot of extreme influences on your music. Am I right?
Seven Spires: Carach Angren, yes, definitely! What a cool and unusual black metal band. For as much as we love classical music and pop-metal hooks and everything else in the world, we do love black metal, death metal, the works.
Rock Overdose: Is it easy to combine Romanticism with Metal?
Seven Spires: Surprisingly yes, it is quite easy. Romanticism is known for extreme emotions and fantasy, nature, idealism, tragedy, imagination, beauty, etc, and metal has the potential to be such an expressive medium since it is a genre that holds great power. In my eyes, the two forces are made for each other.
Rock Overdose: There is a concept on the album with a lost soul and his journey through a Demon’s neo-victorian underworld, which is separated in two acts. Would you like to explain the concept and tell us why did you choose this for the album?
Seven Spires: The concept is as you say – a lost soul in a Demon’s underworld. The Demon holds many secrets of the past, and the soul eventually realizes the promised “eternal bliss” actually desensitizes him to joy, making him panic and look for an escape from the decadence at any cost. It is really a bit of a tragedy, if I’m honest. The ending is not exactly happy, not exactly sad – I’ve never liked straightforward plotlines, I’ve always preferred the bittersweet and melancholy. Both characters show the strengths and weaknesses I see in human nature, and there’s a lot of great sacrifice for what may be to some the greatest cause of all.
Rock Overdose: You love film scores, so I would like you to tell me some of your favorite and some of your favorite movies.
Seven Spires: Hans Zimmer’s work on the Pirates of the Caribbean series was what made me fall in love with film scores. Next favourites would be his work on “Interstellar”, James Newton Howard’s “Atlantis: The Lost Empire”, Howard Shore’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, and Joe Hisaishi’s “Laputa: Castle in the Sky”. Actually, these are also some of my favourite films, as well as Labyrinth, The Game, the Underworld series, and pretty much anything Hayao Miyazaki has worked on.
Rock Overdose: A few days ago you played on Metal Days festival. Was it a good experience for you?
Seven Spires: It was an amazing experience, and we really can’t wait to go back overseas to play again!!
Rock Overdose: Do you have more shows so as to promote the album?
Seven Spires: We just finished a string of US dates to promote “Solveig”, and are working on more for this year in the US. And, we are working on EU dates for 2018!
Rock Overdose: Thank you very much for this interview, the last words is yours.
Seven Spires: Thank you so much!! We hope to come to Greece someday soon!
For the Rock Overdose webzine,
Konstantinos Sotirelis
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