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Tell
us a few things about the group; How did you meet? And when?
Dirk - Hi,
my name is Dirk Stühmer and I am the lead singer of the German
Melodic-Power-Metal-Band ETERNAL REIGN. We are from
Bremen
in northern
Germany.
We
started out in 1997 working under the name PERFACT CRIME and won a
local band contest in 1999. After that we got the chance to record
our first demo CD called “Crimetime”. Our song “Perfect
Crime” opened the Rock Hard Magazine’s “Unerhört” sampler
and we played numerous gigs at small festivals and supported
US
metal legend BREAKER and the hard rockers from AXE. All this
resulted in a contract with TTS Media Music, who, in 2002,
released the "Crimes Of Passion" CD. The reactions on
the album were very positive and after we’ve recorded our second
album “Forbidden Path”, we signed the contract with LMP.
Did
any of the band members play in bands before Eternal Reign?
Dirk
- We
all played in different bands before ETERNAL REIGN. Our guitarist
Mick founded SECRECY, but he left the band before their first
release. He also played with FINAL PROPHECY and INVADER. Our bass
player and our drummer played together in a band called EXPLODER,
who also released an album. I sang in different cover bands before
I started with ETERNAL REIGN.
Tell
us about the recording of “Forbidden Path”; Where did you
record it? Who was the producer? Are you satisfied with the final
result?
Dirk
- We
recorded “Forbidden Path” in a three week recording session at
TTS Media Music. TTS was our first label and they have their own
studio near Bremen. We chose the studio because of the nearness to Bremen
and because we knew the studio from our first album “Crimes Of
Passion”. The music was recorded during the first ten days and
we spent the rest of the time to mix the album. J.R.Friede was the
producer and owner of the TTS studio and we already knew the way
he works. I think he made a very good job! All
in all we’re satisfied with our performance on “Forbidden Path”.
Of course, afterwards there are always some things you
would like to change or parts that could have done better, but
that seems to be normal and we'll have the chance to improve our
work on the next album.
To
what subjects do the lyrics of Eternal Reign refer to, and who
writes them? Who writes to music?
Dirk
- The
main ideas concerning the music came from our guitarist Mick
Sebastian, but of course he needs the whole band to develop the
songs. So during the song writing everybody gives input to the new
material. I am responsible for the lyrics and the vocal lines.
Some of the lyrics are just fiction but I’m also influenced by
personal experiences or situations everybody goes through. I try
to work a lot with metaphors. The song “Nightstalker” is based
on the story of “Interview with a Vampire”, which is one of my
favorite movies. My
favorite song on the album is "Edge Of The World". The
song is speaking of reality and has a very personal meaning. It's
about a person who stood very close to me.
How
did you secure the deal with Limb? Is it a worldwide deal?
Dirk
- Our
first record deal was for only one album and so after the debut
album we decided to look for an alternative. We
are happy with the contract with Limb Music. The label is well
known in
Europe
and they’re doing a lot of promotion for their bands. Of course
they also have a lot of experience working with metal bands. I
think we made the right decision.
Your
first album was released by the TTS label, great album small
label, how did that work out?
Dirk
- Our
first label TTS was a very small indie label and of course they
were a little limited with their support for the bands. As I
mentioned before, it was a contract for only one album and so we
got in contact with Limb.
Please
tell our readers what kind of music Eternal Reign plays, and what
are your influences?
Dirk
- Our
sound is leaning more towards
US
metal than towards the typical European power metal sound. The
main influences are bands like Vicious Rumors, Queensrÿche or Jag
Panzer. During the song writing progress we don’t think about
sounding like one of these influences, but that’s the music we
like to listen to and that’s why our music might sound not
typical European. Some
people trying hard to define the sound/influences in your music,
which is an indication for us that ETERNAL REIGN has its own
unique sound.
What
can we expect from an Eternal Reign live show?
Dirk
- ETERNAL
REIGN is a typical live band, because the songs working really
well live. We put a lot of energy into our gigs and many people
say that we’re sounding much harder playing live than on our
CD’s. You will have to check us out!
Are
there any plans for an Eternal Reign tour?
Dirk
- Yet
there's nothing planned concerning a tour. We already had an offer
to take part in a tour in spring this year, but unfortunately it
wasn't possible for personal reasons to make it happen. We'll wait
and see what will happen in the near future. We will promote our
album with some concerts during the first half of 2005. In autumn
we will start writing new songs for our third album and hopefully
enter the studio in 2006.
I
know that “Forbidden Path” has just been released, but how are
the reactions so far?
Dirk
- The
latest reviews in the internet and the print media showed us that
we can't be wrong with our album "Forbidden Path". All
of the reviews were pretty good and many magazines asked for
interviews. We got a lot more press for this album than for our
first release "Crimes Of Passion".
Can
we expect a vinyl release of “Forbidden Path”?
Dirk
- No,
I don’t think so, because as far as I’m informed, LMP only
releases CD’s.
What
do you think of the metal scene of today?
Dirk
- I
think the international metal scene is pretty much alive, which is
fantastic. Every month there are a hundred new releases of all the
different styles of heavy metal, but only a band with a unique
sound and good compositions will stand out among the other
releases. I think ETERNAL REIGN will take their chance.
Please
give me a list of your 5 favorite albums of all time.
Dirk
-
-
Queensrÿche
- Operation : Mindcrime
-
Metallica
- Master Of Puppets
-
Iron
Maiden - Number Of The Beast
-
Pink
Floyd - Wish You Were Here
-
The
Police - Synchronicity
Add
if you like any final words to our readers.
Dirk - Check
out our website at www.eternal-reign.com
to sign our guestbook and listen to "Forbidden Path"...it's
gonna kick your ass!
Thanks for your time, hope to see you on tour.
Thanks a lot for your interest in ETERNAL REIGN
Dirk
Stühmer
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