I like stumbling across new bands, especially when they portray an image that can be associated with their music. I came across this Swedish Band, from Stockholm to be precise. Their EP was a little different, so I felt an interview coming on. Here it is!
Can we be introduced to the members of the band and can you tell us how it all started?
Circus of Lamia are:
Jade Shady on clean vocals, birdsong, horror movie screams and insane laughter.
Mad Matt on harsh vocals, demonic whispers and deep growls that are a fist in ones face.
Alex with his burning fingers on all kinds of guitars.
Evve on bass, holding up the foundation of this insane asylum that is CoL, with her nimble hands.
Fredrik handles all of the keyboards sounds and effects from strings to sitar and music box.
And last but not least; Samuel behind the drums, hammering away, laughing manically all the time
The former bass player uploaded ads all over internet, looking for people who wanted to start a band. During the first months it was a roller coaster ride with people joining and leaving, until he found four completely different individuals from separate genres within and outside of the metal scene; Matt, Alex, Jade and Samuel. We instantly felt some kind of connection, apart for everyone’s passion for music, horror and drama. A lot has happened since then, with both Fredrik and Evve joining the constellation, and at long last Circus of Lamia is complete.
And how did you come up with the name CIRCUS of LAMIA?
We wanted to combine insanity and chaos with mythology and horror. Circus is all the madness and chaos while Lamia – the greek goddess with a serpent body who feasts on infants represents the mythological horror and dark fairytales.
You are from Stockholm? I am well aware of the Gothenburg Metal Sound, but what is the rock and metal scene like in Stockholm?
Our perception is that the Stockholm Metal Sound is a more aggressive and heavier metal with harsher vocals, growls and screams and is less progressive than the Gothenburg sound.
Can you give us more information about the EP ‘Welcome Madness’, where it was recorded and what the studio experience was like?
It was recorded at Helter Skelter studio in Stockholm. We were there recording during three days, working hard and having a ton of fun and we learned so much about producing music and about ourselves as musicians. The studio was good, we felt very comfortable in the environment and it had equipment of high quality. The control room is designed by one of Sweden’s foremost acousticians, Lennart Nilsson. Though we would have wished that the technician would have been more metal oriented. We recorded our studio experience and can be accessed on our YouTube channel with English subs; YouTube
And why has the EP been called ‘Welcome Madness’?
This is just the beginning, our very first recording. These are just our first, unsteady baby steps, a little sample on what is to come.
Apart from the Ravenheart Music review, have you had any other media feedback?
No, this is our first review, our first touch with media, except for likes and comments on our Facebook, Youtube and Myspace
And for those unfamiliar with your music, how would you describe it to the uninitiated?
Catchy Melodic Theatrical Pretentious Gothic-influenced Heavy Horror Metal with a huge sense of humor.
And can you explain the lyrics behind the music?
Every song is based on one single emotion that everyone has felt at some point in their lives, like fear, sadness or anger. We just happen to dress this emotion up in visually beautiful or horrific words and scenery, like madness, snow, asylums, zombies etc. Mostly we incorporate insanity and things that very much connects to the madness/horror/fairytale theme, that is on the EP and that is the main theme of CoL.
If you could have one track played from your EP on the radio, which number would it be?
Jade, Matt: Nr. 3 – Dreamland. This is the song we are most happy with the production of.
Alex, Fredde: No 2 – The Asylum, we think that the chorus is really strong.
A question for Jade - being a female fronting a rock band, although there shouldn't be, is there ever a problem with being taken seriously by some sections of the media?
Jade: Absolutely not, actually it’s quite the opposite. Many people do get more interested because I am a female fronting a metal band. Especially the melodic scene has loads of female fans, and they are mostly positive. Although many people into more brutal music consider that clean vocals, and especially female ones, softens up the music. My only issue with gender in the metal scene is that people often talk about “hot women in metal”, which is not a problem in itself, it’s just nice, everyone likes to look at attractive people. My problem is that there are just as many hot metal men out there as there are women, but I never hear about any “hot men in metal”, and that is something I have missed for years. It really shows how much of a man’s world this is.
Good point Jade. Anyway, the female-fronted metal scene features quite a few classically trained front ladies, although this is not the style Jade adopts. As a singer Jade, can you name any bands or singers that have been an influence to you?
Jade: When I joined the band, I did not want to do a lot of classical singing since such a huge part of the female metal scene already contains classical vocals. Although that is actually my comfort zone and the vocal style that I have studied and that feels the best for me to sing. More and more I go towards classical singing, because it feels good and hence it sounds better, but I still want to keep the range of my voice in our music that we already have. The female voices that have influenced me the most in my singing are: Emilie Autumn, Sarah Jezebel Deva, Tarja Turunen from old Nightwish and Annlouice Loegdlund from Diablo Swing Orchestra, among many others.
Matt offers up gruff male vocals on this release. Although I feel that the male vocals are an integral part of this record, how important is it to have the ‘harsh’ male vocals, and do you feel that it may actually put some people off (who are unfamiliar with your style) listening to your music?
Matt: I think that growl vocals intensify the emotions in music, especially negative ones, like anger and despair. It roughens up the music, making it sound rawer and heavier. I am aware that some people may be put off, but I think that growl complements clean vocals very well and creates a contrast that can be very interesting, complex and really versatile. We have both harsh and clean vocals because we want to combine two worlds; the one where clean vocals are rare as well as the opposite. We can do both really heavy, mangling songs as well as slow ballads and we hope that as many people as possible may enjoy some part of our music.
Looking at your Facebook page, you sure have an interesting image. How important is an image to the band on or off stage?
It is very important to us that we present ourselves as to how we want to be percieved. We are creating an atmosphere and setting the mood for our music. Circus of Lamia is all about theatre, madness, horror, the beautiful and the ugly. Everything we write and upload goes along that line, while being ourselves all the same, making the music that we love.
Musically, who or what are your musical inspirations at the moment, and what/who do you listen to when you are chilling out or relaxing?
Wow. We are all so different, and our preferences in music are crazily different. Someone likes Cannibal Corpse, while someone likes Voltaire. Someone prefers Nightwish while someone prefers Pain of Salvation. Someone likes Creature Feature while someone likes Evergrey. Someone likes… You get the picture. We really can’t agree on anything while chilling together as a band, so we usually just make a list together where everyone chooses ten songs each. That is fair and democratic. But most of it is heavy and from the metal scene.
And if you had the choice to open for any band, who would that band be?
Any band that puts on a great, big, ambitious show with lots of fireworks would be cool, since Circus of Lamia really is about the grand and dramatic. But the one who comes closest to that is Alice Cooper. It would be totally badass to open for him.
Do you have any future plans in the pipeline for recording a full length album, and what are your band's plans for the future regards touring?
In the nearest future we are planning on playing lots and lots of shows in Sweden and the Nordic countries, working our way from there out in the world.
Well, thank you for your time and good luck in all your future endeavours. We wish you all the very best for the future, and if you are Birmingham (UK) way, please come and find us. Finally is there anything that you would like to say to anybody across the world via this website? You have a free reign.
Welcome the madness.
Dave Smith (Dec 29, 2011)