Visions Of Atlantis

Interview date

30 Mars 2011

Interviewer

Ostianne

I N T E R V I E W

Interview Maxi Nil, Mario Plank (by mailer)


What are the main subjects of "Delta"?

Maxi : Well "Delta" is an album full of emotions! We talk about rebirth and starting again from the beginning, racism, fury, hope... Everyone who listens to the album can find a little piece of his/her story inside…

How much were you involved in the writing of this new album?

Maxi : When I joined the band Delta was already written. I could only do some changes in the vocal lines and add many choirs.

Mario : Since the songs were ready before the line up was there, Maxi had to work with the ready songs. We made some changes here and there. But she did a great job and gave a personality and a beautiful voice to the album.

Does the fact that Werner came back into the band had an influence on the composition of this album?

Mario : No, since the songs where ready before the line up was there. Werner added this great lick in "Black River Delta".

What are your favourite songs on this album and why?

Maxi : "Memento" because it's about racism and I’m pretty sensitive when it comes to that. Also I love it because it’s so theatrical and it’s full of images… It would be great for a soundtrack!=-)) I also love "Where Daylight Fails"… The melodies are very inspiring! And "Reflection"… it’s a song that I love to sing and the lyrics are really great and touching… I almost cry every single time I listen to it or sing it….

Mario : I also love "Memento" because everything is in this song from choirs to rougher vocal parts. And it is very epic. I like "New Dawn" because it is catchy as hell and I like "Conquest Of Others" where I am pretty proud of the lyrics and the "Star Wars" touch the song has.

You have a strong singing on this album, really powerful and "violent". Was it to have a better contrast with Maxi's voice or because you thought the music needed to have a strong male voice?

Mario : It is mainly about having the contrast and to express Martins' lyrics and mine which are really strong I think. In my opinion this always depends on the lyrics you work with.

We can read a lot of good reviews. Is it a relief for you who sing for the first time on a Visions of Atlantis album?

Maxi : It‘s not exactly a relief but an award for all the hard work and the sleepless nights that I spent dreaming and planning my music life… I really worked hard for that and I'm really really happy that people like it… This gives me courage and strength to fly higher cause now it's just the beginning!

The last years have been hard for the band. How did you live this period and what kind of consequences did it have on this "new" Visions of Atlantis?

Mario : Back didn't know about the future of VoA or the members that would be with us. We only knew that if we wouldn't start writing for a new album Visions wouldn't exist anymore. Despite the fact it was just Harbi Marcus (our orchestrator) and me starting to write the album we focused hard to create something that would bring us back.  

You are singing more and more on each album. How do you explain that?

Mario : I think it is still fifty fifty as it always was in Visions but maybe on this record it is again the fact that we haven't had a female singer for a long time.  

How was your tour with Rhapsody Of Fire?

Maxi : Well it was a great tour! No problems at all and we made many good friends! Vexillum (the support band ,and a great band by the way) is like family now! Rhapsody are very very nice people and they liked our music very much! We saw many of our fans on the road and also met a lot of new ones. Touring for me is a dream coming true every single day!!! I hope to be able to tour a lot in my life!

You only play songs from "Trinity" and of course from "Delta" now. Why don't you play songs from the two first albums?

Maxi : In the future we will play one or two songs from "Cast Away"… But we need to rearrange them a little bit so they can fit to VoA as they are now. I don‘t really think that more songs from the past would fit to us right now… And also to our future plans..;-):

In October, you will play at MFVF like last year. What does this festival represent for Visions of Atlantis?

Mario : It is a great festival. For a band with female vocalists it is the best festival you can play since it is the who is who of this scene playing there. Last year it was great to see that people didn't forget about us. I hope this year we can win some new fans there again.

It mustn't be easy to work with an Austrian band when you come from Greece. How do you do to work with them, did you decide to live in Austria for some months?

Maxi : I'm very often in Austria and Munich for rehearsals or whatever the band needs and for as long as we need. Our label Napalm is paying for everything!=-))) We also have the internet and we all talk everyday. So even if sometimes we don‘'t see each other for two months, we still see each other on skype everyday. It's not difficult at all.

Does the band still have contacts with some former members?

Mario : Yes we still have contacts with the first male singer Stani who appeared on "Eternal Endless Infinity" as well as with our first keyboard player Chris.  

Did you have some worries because of the band past when you joined it?

Maxi : Well as far as I know they are not serial killers… right? ahahahahahahahaha. No I had no worries at all… I had a good feeling about these guys and I also knew that I could make the old songs fit my voice.  

What can your final words for this interview be?

Maxi : I want to thank everybody who's been supporting VoA all these years and I want to welcome the new fans! "Delta" is just the beginning of a new era for the band! Stay tuned and rock on!=-)

Mario : Nice words Maxi, I totally agree. Keep your eyes and ears open for some new revelations of atlantis.  


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