song EP because there arnt any good studios or engineers here. We have to struggle for everything, I would say; its hard to even get a place to practice. Space is a problem here in the capital city (Male'); its pretty crowded here. I could just go on complaining like this... (laughs). I just cant think of any advantages for a metal band here, but of course, there is a lot of sun and beaches (laughs).
MR: Where in Europe did you go to record the EP? Who did you work with, and what was the experience like?
AH: We recorded most of the stuff here in my home studio and a friend's studio. We recorded the remainder and mixed/mastered in Finland. The mixing was done with Anssi Kippo at Astia Studios; Anssi has also been the producer of popular bands of this genre like Children of Bodom. And we were going to do the mastering at Finnvox studios with Mika Jussila but unfortunately he was in France at the time, and
was unable to do the mastering. So, it was done by Minerva Pappi from the same studio who did a great job on it.
MR: You mentioned the sun and beaches of your home; when I Googled Maldives, gorgeous pictures assaulted me. I thought, "How can a metal band find aggression in such a beautiful area?", but a little more research revealed that there's was some social unrest following the tragic 2004 tsunami. How much (if any) of that experience has worked its way into the band's art?
AH: Yeah Maldives have some of the best beaches, but i should say there have been a dark side of paradise (laughs). Maldives have had a metal scene since the late 80's and it has grown, but it remains underground to this day. A lot of local thrash/black/death metal bands have also emerged here recently. And about the tsunami tragedy, it almost destroyed some islands but didnt have that kind of effect on the capital island Male' where we live. So i would't say that it really has anything to do with the band's music.
MR: I'm assuming that you developed a strong working relationship with Marco Sneck (
Kalmah) during your Finnish adventures, seeing as he's since become your full-time keyboardist. Explain how this came about, as well as the addition of Kevin Talley (
Daath,
Dying Fetus,
Misery Index, etc...) to your ranks.
AH: Marco and I had known each other before the recording and have been in contact. I just thought of asking him to do a solo for a song because I liked his work on the Kalmah stuff. Our original keyboard player and drummer had to leave the band to continue their higher studies just after we completed the recording. I asked Marco whether he could fill the position as the keyboardist and he was really into it since he was quite impressed when I showed him the songs. It was kinda the same case with Kevin, he agreed to be the drummer after listening to the EP.
MR: So will you be recording tracks in your home studio and sending them to each other? How exactly is the relationship going to work, considering the distance?
AH: Yeah, something like that. I guess it could really work out well with the help of Internet and all the technology we have today. We plan to record the tracks at home and exchange with each other. It would of course be quite difficult to meetup and jam regularly due to the distance and everything, like you said.
MR: Is this the lineup that will be touring in support of the EP? What touring plans to you have for 2009?|
AH: Yes, this is the lineup that would be touring but we got session musicians just in case our schedules collide with Talley's or Sneck's. We dont have any plans for touring in 2009
yet, but that may change. We
are doing couple of festivals in europe this year though, and we'll announce those dates soon.
MR: While it's obvious that
Nothnegal are fond of the Finnish brand of melodeath, what other influences do the band have? And, what were some of the bands that got you interested in metal in the first place?
AH: We did incorporate the Gothenburg sound from bands like
Dark Tranquillity,
Arch Enemy, etc. Also, we are planning on making the guitars and drums thrashier with bit more groove --while retaining the melodic keys-- in order to achieve a more unique sound for the next record. The first bands that i listened to were the classic metal bands like
Metallica,
Black Sabbath,
W.A.S.P,
Megadeth,
Iron Maiden...
MR: So, as a melodic death metal band, what do you hope to achieve? And why should a fan pick up
Antidote of Realism instead of just spinning
Damage Done and
Wages of Sin for the billionth time?
AH: We hope our name to be someday mentioned as a band that is important to the genre of melodic death metal, alongside the bands that have made an impact in the scene. There is not a huge selection of classic or even new records in this genre of music, and recently only a few albums have been able to satisfy the average listener. We haven't seen the kind of albums you mentioned when we look at the new releases by the current melodeath bands. A lot of their sounds have evolved, or they've completely lost their original sound. I will say that Antidote of Realism has the kind of music and sound that fans of the old albums from these bands want.
MR: Definitely, man. These have been a trying few years for melodic death fans, and it's cool to see someone step up to the plate and deliver something for the fans while getting back to the fundamentals. Are there any preliminary plans for a full-length as of yet? I know the EP hasn't even officially dropped yet, but all signs are pointing to it being well-received; and as you mentioned, melodeath fans are hungry.
AH: Yes, there are plans for a full length, and we are in the process of writing songs even now. However, we don't have plans to release it before we sign a record contract, as it would be no good if we are not able to distribute it worldwide and market it properly. We are trying to generate an even more original sound this time and have our own unique sound in it...you can expect it to come out sometime next year, I suppose.
MR: We'll have to keep our eyes and ears open, for sure. Wrapping this up, is there anything you'd like to say to both the
MetalReview community and metal fans worldwide?
AH: We maybe the first band from Maldives to breakout to you guys like this, but i should say that there are a lot of other bands with potential here -- hopefully you will be hearing about them as well. We all wish to thank everybody for their support to
Nothnegal..hope to see you all at the festivals we are doing this year in Europe...