A: Hi Snowy! Let's start off with the new album, how are the reactions it's getting in the meantime?
S: It seems they are very good, probably the best we received yet, I do think it's our best album to date, probably the best we'll ever make.
A: Hey, don’t say that. Let's hope your next one will be even better!
S: (laughs) Yes, that's the right thing to say…
A: I noticed that the sound is a lot rawer this time, more aggressive, is that something you we're trying to achieve?
S: Not exactly, I guess it was created through the songs, which are heavier, more riffs, and the riffs themselves are heavier this time, but it’s the trademark Fredrick (Nordstrom – Guitarist and producer-A.M) sound.
A: The singing is a lot heavier and more aggressive as well; the title song has almost death metal growls through the chorus.
S: Actually that’s me, during the AHHHH screaming (demonstrates) and the lower whispering (another demonstration), so it does add some aggressiveness to the song.
A: It seems the band is always hard at work, three albums in three years?
S: It just seems that way, the first album was actually created during two years prior to its release, we work faster now, but its not like we actually record an album every year, I mean, the music is not that complicated for us to write, that's the point, it’s the kind of music we grew up on, so it isn’t hard today to create it.
A: Now, most band members have other projects as well, you are the creator of the avant-garde black metal band, Notre-Dame, Gus, the guitarist also has other projects, how do you fit all of them with Dream Evil?
S: Well, it wasn’t a problem until recently, I always liked to do several different things, so I can create diverse music, Gus is active in something like three bands, and I'm also in Notre-damn, which you mentioned, and in a band called K2, so latly wa really hectic, I did a show in Gutenberg with Dream, then flew to London to do a show with K2, then back to Sweden for a show with Notre Dame,
A: Is there a priority band of the three for you?
S: Not really, I like to do all three; I like to make as much music as possible.
A: How did the band begin?
S: Well, Fredrick called me, and said he met this Greek guitarist (Gus), and they want to do this 80's metal band, and asked if I wanted to play with them, as a session drummer, so actually, the first time I met the guys was when I came into the studio!
Well, after we did the album, they asked if I want to be on the sleeve, so I said yes, and then they asked me to do some shows, which I did, as a session drummer, meaning, I got paid to do them, eventually I just had so much fun with them, and I was the only one getting paid! So I joined as an actual member.
A: Did you do any writing on the album?
S: Most of the songs are mine, I wrote like 28 songs, of which we picked the best ones for the album.
A: Was it the same on the prior albums?
S: On the first one I didn’t write anything, on Evilized I wrote some,
A: My favorite track on the album is the one I call "the Ozzy track".
S: It's my favorite as well!
A: How was it written, and who sang the part of Ozzy?
S: We wanted to get that Zack wild riff, with Randy Rhoads licks, and while we we're in the studio there was a young Swedish band there as well, who's vocalist sounded exactly like Ozzy, so he sang the part, the amazing thing was, the more drunk he got, the more he sounded like Ozzy!
A: You should have kept him boozed up all the time!
S: (Laughs) it’s a good idea,
A: Since when did you write and play the guitar, besides paying the drums?
S: I played quite a lot through the years, since I wanted to do a lot of writing, and you really cant write songs on drums,
A: What's the meaning of the album's title?
S: Well, we always felt like a band that wears its influences n its sleeve, we are proud of the metal cliché's we represent, things like the high pitched screams, the lyrics, so the Book Of Heavy Metal is like the guide line book, the one that has all the clichés, all the heavy metal signs and characteristics, and we wanted to embrace our character, not to be ashamed of it, there may be people who'll hate us for this, but this is what we are, my other project, Notre Dame, may be different, more rebellious, more "out there", but Dream Evil is a melodic metal band, a tag which we’re proud of.
A: I understood there's a Video Clip for the title track,
S: yep, we had these strange costumes, we all wore this silver and blue make-up, its an idea me and the director, a very talented guy who did videos for In Flames and Dimmu Borgir among others, thought up,
A: Does that evolve from your passion for such bands as Kiss?
S: certainly, I'm a big fan of Kiss, and I believe that this whole show thing, this role playing thing is great for the fans, when they come to see a show, its much more interesting then just jeans and t-shirts.
A: what are your touring plans for the next few months?
S: well, we hope to do a lot more then we did in the past, Century Media is really supporting us, the CD will include a DVD, and we really feel their support, but we missed most of the summer festivals, we have a tour with Saxon coming on, and some festivals but they're pretty scattered, we hope to go to Japan, where about half of the albums we sell are sold in,
A: Well, hopefully this record will reach the amount of success it seems to be starting to get!
S: I hope so!
A: Well, thanks Snowy, and good luck further on!
Alon Miasnikov
