I N T E R V I E W

Interview Alfred Romero

One year after the release of Autumnal, what do you think about this album?

I think this is the best album of our career. And we had a very good feedback from the audience, from fans, media, press... Everybody likes the album, so we are very happy.

Have you already begun to work on the new album?

Yeah, actually, we are working on it. And we have planed to start the recording in August; maybe it will see the light at the beginning of 2011!

And in the last two albums, the subjects were Tarot, Tales and Mythology; do you know which will be the next?

Yeah we do!

But you won't tell me what it is ?!

(Laughs) No. (Laughs). I actually told you about the recording and releasing, and I haven't told anybody about it before. It's a premiere!

I just ask another question about the next album, and after this one, I stop, I swear!! As you are use to cover classical musician, does the tradition will go on?

Yeah, of course!! But I won't tell you either! (Laughs)

On the albums, we still hear female vocals, so why don't you hire a female vocalist instead of having guest, even if it's for the backing vocals?

I don't know. We are good as we are, four members and we don't want to get more. It's quite difficult to be only four and to travel... One more person means more problems for flights and everything.

Sometimes, we are tempted to compare your voice to Roy Khans' one (laughs). What do you think about that?

I like that because; Roy Khan is one of my biggest influences. But, I don't think it's comparable. He is Roy Khan! (Laughts) I just try to do my things you know, and I try to get my own style and my own vocals. And yeah, we can say Roy Khan is a big influence, but not only him, there are much more singers.

What do you love in Dark Moor?

I love Enriks compositions, because it's a perfect bend of heavy metal and classical music, so I love that.

And is there something you haven't done yet with Dark Moor that you'd really love to do?

(Hesitant) We really would like to play in Japan, where we have a lot of fans. There are always offers to go to Japan, but it's very difficult, because they are really too far away from us. So playing in Japan would be one thing I'd like to do with Dark Moor.

According to you, which are the strengths and the weakness of Dark Moor music?

The strengths and the weakness... (Hesitant) It's a difficult question. I don't know. I have to think about that! (Laughs) It's the first time that somebody asks me that. So... I think the strengths it's the blend of classical and metal. The orchestra gives a lot of strengths to the music, it's very powerful. And at the same time, it's very melodic. And the weakness... Well, everybody have weakness. Nobody is perfect; I know we have to work on a lot of aspects of our music. But, that's what we do, we just keeping improving, and that's it.

The line up has changed several times. Do you think you have the final one now?

Yeah, definitely. Now, Roberto, Mario, Enrik and me, we are the definite line-up.

Tonight, you play in a small concert hall. I guess in Chambéry and in Grenoble too. Is it something you like, or you'd rather play in bigger places?

Well, it's different. But playing in a small concert hall is also good because we have more contacts with the audience. And you can see everybody's faces. (Laughs) And we like it, because we are a band which is very close to our fans, followers, and we like to be close to them, so we like that.

And, have you listen to the other band which you play with?

No, not really. Just right before, during the rehearsal. And I like that band, Broken Mirrors. I will be there in the show! For sure!

It was surprising to see that you were coming in the cities, Grenoble, Lyon and Chambéry. Do other cities will have the chance to see you soon?

I don't know. We'd rather keep the song writing for the album. I don't think we will play more in the next few months, or until the album is out. So probably not.

And isn't it hard to go on tour when you are writing the new album?

Yes it is, because we have a lot of work. But, you know, it's something which is always good, because you can go out. Playing live which is something we like, we can liberate our energy, adrenaline. And it's something important, not to stay always at home and writing songs. So it's something good!

What are the bands you have listen to during the lasts months?

I listened recently to the last Avantasia releases. And I think it's wonderful. These are great albums, with great performances, great artists. But most of the time, I listen to hard rock, and I like bands like Whitesnake or Kiss, some power metal bands like Kamelot which I like a lot. But I listen a little bit to everything into rock and metal.

And what do you think about the actual metal scene in Spain?

It sucks. (Laughs) It's really poor. The scene is not support by any organism in the country. Every time, it's more and more difficult to play. And it's very hard because there are many people who try to put you down when you try to write. The crisis was very bad for the metal scene too, because many people can't buy albums or go to concerts. And most of the concerts are cancelled, festival don't attrack the people they expect so they don't do it again the next year. It's getting worse and worse.

But the audience is good even this situation?

Yeah. The metalheads in Spain are crazy. They are like "waooooow". It's very good. But talking about the scene, the scene is wounded. (Laughs). It's a shame, but, it's the truth.

What is the question we ask you the most during the interviews?

Depending on where I'm doing the interview! In Spain, in most of the interviews, they ask "why don't you sing in Spanish?" And I also answer the same: Nobody asks Helloween why they don't sing in German, instead of English, or Rhapsody why they don't sing only in Italian. There are a lot of bands I can tell you, there are not English, but they sing in English and everybody thinks it's normal. But as we are Spanish, people think we have to sing in Spanish. I don't understand that. And in other countries... (Hesitant) I don't know, I don't remember now. You know all the interviews are differents, and all the interviewers are differents. There are few times, they are repeating some questions, but I don't know which one to tell.

Before I let you rest before the concert, do you know some French words?

Just a few of them (Laughs). But I don't speak too much French. I better don't! (Laughs).

So, do you have something to say to your fans in English?

Yeah. We love you and we are glad to be in France. It's a country in which we feel that people love us, so we always love to come here. We have very good friends in France. And every time we tour, we will play in France.