The band hails from 2006. Without any other CD-release you scored a record deal with Metal Blade, how did you succeed in that?

Gorka Elso: Yes, we didn't release any CD, but we've been working since long ago. We recorded several demo CDs just for promotional purposes. The idea was to sign with a label after the release of the 'Secrets'. We thought of  'Secrets' as an introductory card to show our music, but instead of that our manager Phil from 2wild4 Productions (who became manager after listening a demo of 'Secrets')  thought that the songs were good enough to find a record label for the release of the album.

ZA: Phil really relied on us and in our music so he decided to send the label a couple of songs of 'Secrets'.

GE: After the mix of Ad Sluijter and the mastering at Gates Studios with Sascha Paeth and his team he sent those two songs to Metal Blade.

ZA: To be honest, I wasn't sure about it, because actually Metal Blade isn't the label you should expect for a symphonic metal band. To my surprise, they asked for the whole album! After listening to it they told us that they were interested in signing the band. I couldn't believe it when we were signing the contract! And I really felt honoured about being the only symphonic metal band in their roster.

Adrián Vallejo: We are lucky to work with very professional people who gives us all of them.

'Secrets' is a well balanced record with softer and rather heavy parts. In my review I situated the band somewhere between Nightwish/Within Temptation and Epica/After Forever. Heavier than the first two, but not as heavy as the last, can you agree with that?

ZA: Well, it could be... we actually are heavier than Nightwish or WT mainly because we have a 'grunter' and a 'screamer'.  I don't know if we are softer than After Forever and Epica, it could be as well in the whole of 'Secrets', but it depends a lot on the song. In fact, we had to select some songs to be included in the album (we had more than twenty) and we chose what we thought that could fit the better 'Secrets'. We also wanted the album to be varied because we have many influences and wanted to give expression to all of them. We have a really soft ballad with only piano and voice and also a harsh black metal influenced song so, as I said before, the style depends on the track. Besides, for us style is not exactly a product of a deliberated decision, I mean, depending on what and how you feel like, you can write a beautiful ballad, some killer riffs or scream like the devil haha. That's DiM. We are not always on the same mood, neither is our music...

Next to the symphonic gothic elements, there are also much heavier parts in your songs, can we expect more of that on the next record, or will it disappear and will the band go to a softer style?

AV: I don't know, time will tell, but we love hard music.

ZA: We have already written a few songs for the next album and for the moment I can say that it's going to rock!! ;-D There will be both, heavier and softer parts. It's early to talk about the next album, but ok, I'd say that the extremes are going to be even more marked, and as we are always searching for new sounds, there'll also be more influences and colours.

Who is the main songwriter in the band, or is it a band kind of effort?

ZA: For 'Secrets' it was Gorka, Adrian and me who wrote the songs. Usually one of us writes a complete song and then forwards it to the other band members. It's in that moment when we start to work together, to arrange the songs until we consider they are completely finished. Now, we have a new member, Alex, and he is also a great song writer so for the next album we'll be four composers.

Is there a lyrical concept in the songs?

ZA: 'Secrets' it is not a conceptual album. In the one hand that's why it is called 'Secrets' because there are different 'secret aspects of my mind reflected in the lyrics, nothing to do one with the other, as I have a messy brain haha I would say that the topics of the lyrics are personal worries, fears or feelings in general, Freedom and Nature are also two of the main aspects in the lyrics, there are some mythological themes as well, but what I like when writing is that everyone can interpret the lyrics as they want, that's the magic of the metaphorsa That's more or less what we can find on 'Secrets', topics related or not with others, but all of them are a small piece of mine, maybe hidden behind the metaphors, that's why they are secrets ;-)

A nice album-cover, it expresses the album title very nice, who made it?

ZA: Glad that you like it, we're very happy with the result! It's Xabi Ang�s (www.petitxabi.com) who did it. He is a young local designer. He had worked with other local bands and we really liked his works. He takes perfectly the essence of every band. He achieved a kind of 'corporative image' that really fit us. We wanted to transmit an image inspired in the Romanticism but with a modern touch, a kind of mixture between the past and the present, with the mysterious halo of the kept 'Secrets' on them. I think he did a great job!

Spain is not a country that delivers a lot of heavy acts, but I think there must be a big metal scene, is that correct?

AV: Here we have a lot of 'beach music', metal is an underground style, and metallers don't go together. Hope it could change any day..

ZA: Hahah! beach music?! The metal scene is not really big In Spain, the most successful genre in metal is the national one. Mostly traditional heavy metal bands who sing in Spanish. There are also some new cool metal bands but I don't think they are supported enough here. I'd say that the new (and not so new) styles are not very popular. Little by little this is starting to change or so I hope...

Fortunately, we have some nice independent webzines and radios that are helping unknown bands of different styles and this is the beginning of the change.

You are going to tour throughout Europe and you also play at Dokk'em Open Air, which is 30 kilometres from my home, what can we expect from your live gig?

ZA: Really? That's great, we could drink a beer together then ;-) Unfortunately, we cannot take the choir and special guests with us as we are doing for our release concert in Pamplona, but you'll see a band that really enjoys playing and sharing their music with others. We love that connection among us and with the audience. In short, lots of energy and complicity.

AV: We'll have some great time, I think our music sounds harder live, we'll try to give you all our energy.

Alejandro Sanz: Well, I want you to imagine a newbie band, a small one that has recently born. That's what I want you to expect from us, and then when you finally go to the show, I expect from you a surprising reaction besides warming and with satisfaction touches. You'll see, we don't need fireworks, cause we are fireworks. That's it. Haha! ;-)

Already a little nervous to play for a big audience, or is that already gone?

AV: In my case, I never feel nervous, I love stage and I love expressing myself. Can't wait for Dokk�em!!!

ZA: Really? Lucky you! For me, nerves never go! Grrrrrr... I think I never get used to them. Besides, in the case of Dokk'em, it's going to be our first show outside Spain so I feel even more nervous, but of course, really really excited as well!! By the way, I've read that Dokkum is a very beautiful place, so we'll enjoy our staying as much as we can!

GE: When we knew we were going to play at Dokk'em I felt very excited and the next month I was very very nervous, but I get tired of this, hehe. I remembered my first gigs in front of a silent audience when I was studying piano. Each breath was well heard even the flight of a butterfly! And I said to me: 'This is harder than play in front of a metal audience' and now my nerves turn out into willing to play!

In which other countries can fans look forward to your performances?

ZA: For the moment, we are playing a few concerts to present 'Secrets' in June. The first one is going to be in our city and after Dokk'em we'll go to Mexico City. In October, we are playing at MFVF, in Belgium. Our manager is also working on a tour around Europe but nothing is confirmed yet.

I guess some of you have regular jobs, is it possible for you to go on tour for a long time?

ZA: You�re right, unfortunately we need to have a regular job. I dream about the day that DiM becomes my job! Haha For the moment, touring is not a problem because they know at work that I'm a singer and they let me go if I have to play. If we had to go on tour for a long time, as you say, then I don't think my job would be necessary for me anymore haha Anyway, I have two jobs and one of them is teaching, so, if necessary, I could continue teaching on my own, not in the company, I mean.

AV: Someday I would have to take a dramatic decision, music is my passion but, for the moment, I can't pay my bills. Please don't download our music!!!!!!!

GE: I work in a family business and my mother is my boss, so I think it won't be a problem ;-) Furthermore, if we can go for a long tour that will mean that we could live thanks to our music, that would be awesome!

Could you name the 5 albums that made your heart beat a little faster?

AV: Only five??? Those are the first five that comes into mind.

Sepultura, Roots

Steve Vai, 7^th song

Megadeth, Youthtanasia

Metallica, And Justice....

Diabulus In Musica, SECRETS hahahaha

And many more, I can't enumerate all.

DiM: Thank you for asking! It's always a pleasure to answer J