Aldaria is a new
Norwegian power metal saga composed by Frode Hovd. The recordings will be mixed and mastered by
Roland Grapow who is also invited to take part in
the project. Many guests from all around the world will contribute to this
epic tale. Some of their names are: Fabio Lione (Angra/Rhapsody of Fire), Max Aguzzi
(DragonhammeR), Kristoffer
Göbel (ex-Falconer), Eli Prinsen
(Sacred Warrior), and many more.
Aldaria is the place
and dimension between Heaven and Hell, where sinners come to be redeemed,
or forever be banished to Hell. Let’s see where we should go…
Would
you please present ALDARIA? What is the main idea behind the project?
This project has been a dream for me for years, and I’ve always wanted to
do something big like this. And while band main band Memorized Dreams now
is on a longer break, due to work commitments and such, now was the right
time to do it. It’s such an honor to be able to work with artist I’ve been
a fan of for years, and that has been a real inspiration for me.
You
invited lots of guests. Reveal some of their names and tell us more about
their part in the project!
Well, the lineup is starting to come together now, and I am very proud of
it. I’ve got a solid bunch of lads with me in the band, Christer
Harøy and Rayner Harøy from the fantastic prog
metal band Divided Multitude, and with Andreas Nergård
on drums, it will make a solid rhythm-section. Jimmy Hedlund
from Falconer also does a lot of lead guitar work on the album.
As for the singers I have great names
like Eli Prinsen (Sacred Warrior), Max Aguzzi (DragonhammeR), Kristoffer Göbel (ex
Falconer), Raphael Dantas
(Perc3ption). The legendary Fabio Lione (Angra/Rhapsody of
Fire) has also agreed to do a track.
What
is the libretto about? Share with our readers the leading story! What is
the concept that unites the songs?
Aldaria is the place and dimension between Heaven
& Hell, Where sinners come to be redeemed, or forever be banished to
Hell. There are signs of a darker
time ahead, with torn and slayed angels falling
from the sky in broad daylight. If evil will find foothold in Aldaria, this will be the end of all light. Someone
will have to find the lightbringer, the chosen to
enter Aldaria, and from within: find the Key to end
all wars.
What
is your favorite theme or song of ALDARIA, and why?
Its hard to pick out a favourite,
as I’m still deep in songwriting and arranging, but
I'm
very proud of the last track of the album, where I plan to have all the
singers unite, in a 12 minute epic, to conclude the story. This is a very
diverse track, with huge choirs and good melodylines.
Who
composed the tracks? Who wrote the lyrics?
I have composed all the tracks on this album. Both Music & lyrics. It’s
all been written and composed in my own studio, Aldaria
Studios.
At
what stage is the project? Did you already record the tracks?
We are still recording; most of the
songwriting is finished, so we still have a lot of work in front of us. The
drums will be recorded in early summer, and the vocals are being recorded
as we speak.
Will
it be released on CD?
Yeah, I am working towards that. Firstly now I’m focusing on writing and
recording the album as good as possible, and when this is finished, I’ll
start working towards the release. I’ve been in touch with a couple of
labels, so we’ll see where it’s gonna be
released.
When
we should expect this release?
It’s a bit hard to set a schedule for the release, because I’m still
arranging and working on the songs. However, I hope to have a single ready
this summer, to be released digitally, on iTunes, Amazon and such.
Where
and who will be responsible for the mastering?
Roland Grapow at Grapow
Studios will do both mixing and mastering. Its going to be a great honor to be working with
him, especially for me as a huge Helloween and Masterplan fan.
Can
you recommend some other metal operas you admire?
I need to mention Avantasia here of course, which
has been a huge inspiration for me. Other cool projects are AINA The Metal
opera, really loved that one.
What
inspired you for organizing and arranging this project?
As I said above, Avantasia and Tobias Sammet has been a huge inspiration for me, the Avantasia Metal Opera part 1 & 2 is still one of my
absolute favorite albums of all time.
Do
you plan to present the project live someday?
Hopefully that can be done some day. With the guest spread all around the
world it sure would be a challenge, but it would be absolutely fantastic if
it happened one day.
Who
are the musicians you wish to take part in ALDARIA? Let the sky be the limit!
My biggest dream would have to get
Michael Kiske joining my project one day. He is
the one of the best metal singers of all time, and I’ve been a fan since
Keeper of the seven keys part 1. Also, it would be a dream to have Tobi Sammet on board some
day. As for female singers, Tarja would certainly
do a kickass job on a project like this.
Could
you recommend us some metal bands from Norway that we should watch and give
a listen?
You have to check out Divided Multitude, one of the best metal bands from
Norway. Their latest album Feed on your Misery has gotten fantastic reviews
all over the world. It’s a great honor for me to have these guys on ALDARIA
as well. Also Marius Birkeland Danielsen’s Legend of Valley Doom is worth checking
out. It’s another metal opera from Norway, with AMAZING guests. I also have
to mention a band called Crossnail, previously
known as Teodor Tuff, which has many of the same
members as Divided Multitude, great band. And of course my main band
Memorized Dreams
J
Do
you have any personal message for our readers?
Be sure to check out our homepage at:
www.aldariaband.com
and like us on Facebook at :
www.facebook.com/aldariaband
to get the latest news. And feel free to spread the word about Aldaria
J
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