Sphere of Souls are on the hottest new progressive Metal bands on the
scene. Possessing a very unique sound their debut album
"...From The Ashes" received a rave review here at virtuosityone and
the band were kind enough to find time to answer our questions put to
them. Simply said if you enjoy intelligent, finely crafted and
highly original progressive metal then Sphere Of Souls are THE band to
check out.
Many
thanks for agreeing to this interview. How did Sphere of Souls form and
can you give readers who may be new to your music a brief overview of
what you do.
André:
The formation of Sphere of Souls began within days of mine and Joost’s
departure from Sun Caged in May 2004. As you know, Joost left to join
After Forever, but I suddenly found myself without a band. However, I
had been working on what ultimately became the concept for ‘From the
Ashes…’ for some time and was keen to elaborate on it. Over time it had
become clear that this wasn’t going to happen if I remained with Sun
Caged, so when Joost left, I followed suit and decided to embark on a
new project alone.
Kees:
I had known André for just over a year at this point and I was the first
person he contacted with a view to forming a new project. I hadn’t had a
permanent band for almost a year at the time and was looking for a new
opportunity with some serious musicians, so I was over the moon to say
the least. Joost soon expressed an interest, after which we recruited
drummer Patrick Gerritzen, who played in Imperium (with Rob and André)
and Souls of Inbetween with André from 1990 to 1996.
André then set about writing what eventually became the ‘From the
Ashes…’ album. We didn’t rehearse in the true sense of the word for the
first nine months, but André sent me new songs and arrangements on a
regular basis. I also visited him twice during that period to record
bass parts for a number of tracks.
Rob:
I
played with André in the early ‘90s in our former band Imperium, so we
have known each other for a number of years. When André asked me to join
his (at that time) project, I was immediately enthusiastic. After
hearing his first few riffs, I promptly joined the band.
Kees:
The first Sphere of Souls line-up was now complete and rehearsals (minus
Joost) commenced a couple of weeks later in February 2005. However, by
March it had become apparent that Patrick Gerritzen was not going to be
able to combine his busy schedule with the band, and with recording
sessions booked in May we had to find a new drummer quickly.
Ruud:
I knew Kees from our previous band Autumn Equinox and we are also
housemates. Kees told me about the project with André months beforehand
and when he played me some of the songs I was very impressed by their
quality. During this period I was looking for a new ‘serious’ band and
when Kees invited me to audition for Sphere of Souls, I didn’t hesitate
for a second. I joined the band immediately after my first rehearsal
with André, Rob and Kees. We recorded the drum tracks for the album a
mere six weeks later!
Kees:
This is the line-up we entered the studio with: myself, André, Rob,
Joost and Ruud
Anand:
Well, I’ve known André for years and every time we met (once or twice a
year), he would tell me how difficult it was to find a suitable
guitarist... and I promised time and time again that I would let him
know if I came across anyone. I would always complain to André about how
difficult it was it was to find a decent band with a female vocalist.
Finally, I decided to step into the surrealistic world of prog and give
that a try. It was difficult at first, as I was only used to playing
standard 4/4 time signatures, but fortunately the guys accepted me as I
am and I’m now playing 7/8 without realising it.
Kees:
As you can see, each member of Sphere of Souls has played with at least
one of the other members in a previous band. This meant that we knew who
we were dealing with and what we could expect from one another.
André:
With regard to our style, I think – without being arrogant – that
intelligent progressive rock/metal with recognisable song structures
would be a fitting description. On the one hand, we don’t unnecessarily
aim for the most technical delivery, but on the other we’re not afraid
to experiment with sounds and odd time signatures.
Our review described the band as an “amalgamation of the finest prog-metal
talent the
Netherlands
has to offer”. Given the pedigree of previous band adventures, how easy
is it to blend the different styles into one cohesive functioning band?
André:
It’s not difficult at all – it just seems to come naturally. There is no
real band leader and everyone knows what the music requires of them,
which creates a certain natural flow. When writing and recording new
material we usually work in pairs. We subsequently combine the resulting
ideas during rehearsals.
Rob:
Our different musical backgrounds are an asset. We all listen to and
have played varying styles of music and respect each other’s tastes and
ideas. This means that every opinion is taken seriously. That best
describes the way we work together. Nature does the rest.
Despite being close to the Netherlands
here in the
UK,
it’s not a country you normally associate with rock music, yet there is
an abundance of talent coming out of the country. How healthy is the
music scene there and does prog metal have a good following?
Kees:
The
Netherlands
has always been a stronghold for alternative music in general and it has
spawned more great bands that a lot of people realise. For example,
Dutch bands like Focus, Kayak and Exception played an important role in
the prog rock movement of the 1970s and ‘Hocus Pocus’ is still getting
plenty of airplay well over 30 years later. The Netherlands also shone
during the death metal era of the early ‘90s with bands like Gorefest,
and Pestilence… and those are just the bigger names. There were a great
many talented bands in the country at that time that never fulfilled
their true potential.
On the whole, the music scene here is very healthy, especially when
compared to other countries. Having grown up in the
UK, I know how difficult it can be for up-and-coming bands. The bands I
played in only ever lost money and many venues operated a ‘pay-to-play’
policy. The situation here is very different. It’s not easy by any
stretch of the imagination, but most venues are subsidised, which means
that payment is a fairly standard requirement. This means that you can
usually at the very least break even, which perhaps makes musicians less
likely to prematurely throw in the towel.
Like anywhere else, prog metal is still a cult phenomenon in the
Netherlands. The more successful American bands such as Dream Theater,
Fates Warning and Queensryche have the same status and following as here
as they have in other countries, but bands like ours play to much
smaller audiences. There are many lesser-known bands that produce music
of a very high quality, but unfortunately never progress beyond local or
national recognition. I’m pleased that our album and the internet have
enabled us to reach a wider audience, but we’re currently not in a
position to perform live for that audience. I hope that we can at some
stage reach a level of success that makes that feasible.
The
debut album ‘From the Ashes…’ is a very strong effort, and has a very
personal sound in so much as it’s obvious you aren’t trying to be the
next Dream Theater as so many prog-metal bands sound like. Was being
original a main focus for the band?
André:
I don’t think we make a particularly conscious effort to be original. On
the other hand, we didn’t want to follow the so-called unwritten rules
of prog. We’ve incorporated easy-to-follow structures with somewhat
less-easy-to-follow patterns. This seems to work, as we do have
listeners who dislike prog, but do like Sphere of Souls. The prog label
certainly fits, but it doesn’t entirely do the music justice.
The album is home to a dark vibe and I believe has a concept to it. Can
you tell us more about the concept and how you tried to reflect that
both musically and lyrically.
André:
It’s purely fictional. Once I had more or less finished the concept, I
tried to incorporate some more personal aspects into the fictional
story. After a while, I found a reasonable formula. The story is about a
man, an inheritance and history repeating itself. A vicious circle
really. That’s the theme. I think telling a story that people can
understand is important.
The production of the album is quite a lot rawer in the guitar tones
that most other prog-metal acts. Again it’s very unique. Were you just
sick of hearing productions and tones that sounded the same or did these
guitar tones prove to be a catalyst for coming up with certain musical
passages?
André:
I like the ‘rawness’ of the sound. Many metal/rock bands have this
over-compressed, heavily chorused guitar tone. In my opinion this
reduces the impact of music. I think that rock/metal should be delivered
‘raw’, with a punch and without compromise. It was a conscious decision.
This sound also provided us with a means to let the listener in on what
kind of chords we use. An overly compressed sound can bury some of the
tones in such chords, which defeats the object of using them. This meant
that we needed something different.
J
Anand, you joined midway through the recording of the album. Being a big
fan of your solo releases I was pleased to finally hear you in a band
format. What do you like about the band’s music and how do you see your
place within it?
Anand:
I like the fact that these are really songs and not just one guitar riff
after another. What’s important to me is that the vocals are melodic and
easy to remember. And, of course, these are great guys to work with.
My place in the band (besides making sexual jokes) is pretty much the
same as everybody else’s… playing my part and hopefully helping to
create a great mix of ideas. Nobody is better or what not – everybody is
an equal musician!
The rhythm section of Kees Harrison and Ruud van Diepen obviously have a
very good understanding of each other. What would you say is important
in getting that rhythm section super tight?
Ruud:
A few weeks prior to the recordings, Kees and I worked together
intensively. We went through every song in detail and brought our parts
into line with one another. The fact that we also played together in a
band previously (Autumn Equinox), was also extremely beneficial. It may
otherwise have been much more difficult to cooperate efficiently within
such a short period of time. Consequently, being able to work with Kees
was a major advantage.
Kees:
Definitely! I had really missed playing with Ruud ever since Autumn
Equinox split in 2003, so when Patrick left I seized the opportunity to
get him involved. At that time we did have one or two other possible
candidates, but I knew that I would never be able to achieve the same
level of cohesion with someone whom I didn’t know within a six-week time
frame. Ruud and I always played well together, as we always listen to
each other’s parts and try to make the rhythm section a whole. Rob is
also very much a part of that. As Ruud said, we prepared meticulously in
order to synchronise the parts as much as possible and we’re both still
very happy with the result. Next time around we’ll have more time, so
things can only improve!
Do you have any favourite moments on the album?
André:
The title track ‘From the Ashes…’, ‘Loss’, ‘Until Death Do Us Part’,
‘Empty’ and ‘Untruth’.
Kees:
I was always very proud of ‘Sweet Sorrow’ because of the way the bass
and drum parts turned out and it was my favourite track for a long time.
However, these days I find it more difficult to pick a favourite, but
along with that track, ‘Beneath the Surface’, ‘Until Death Do Us Part’,
‘Empty’ and ‘No Salvation’ represent definite high points for me
personally.
Rob:
One of my favourites is number 9 (‘No Salvation’), just like my
favourite pizza! It’s really a lot of fun playing all these songs.
I hope the audience will notice, feel the vibe and enjoy it as much as
we do.
Kees:
We should perhaps explain what Rob means by that. At 9 p.m. on 9
September of each year the former members of Imperium (André, Rob, Rob’s
brother Michel, Patrick and bassist Remco Nijkamp) all meet up at Piazza
Mameli in Hengelo for a number 9 pizza (Bolognese). They’ve been
customers there since the early days of Imperium. Hengelo is Rob’s home
town and is located next to Enschede, where André has lived all his
life. In the early ‘90s, André’s next door neighbour was a certain
Patrick Mameli and Piazza Mameli is owned by relations of his.
Anand:
Oh yes! Check out the parts where André sings so emotionally that I
almost start to cry… Let me know if you experience the same...
Ruud:
My favourites are: ‘Loss’, ‘Extinct’, ‘Room 9’, ‘No Salvation’ and
‘Untruth’.
You have also been gigging quite a lot with some strong support slots to
Stream of Passion and Vanden Plas, as well as solo shows. How has the
material been going down with a live crowd?
Kees:
The responses have been very positive so far. We actually played two
festivals last weekend and they were without a doubt the best gigs we’ve
done to date. The first was Sleutelrock, an annual MS benefit, which was
held on 30 September in Valkenburg, Zuid Holland. Yesterday (Sunday, 1
October) we opened at ProgPower 2006 in Baarlo and that was also
amazing. The venue was packed and we noticed several people in the crowd
singing along to all the lyrics. We also did an interview for a German
webzine and signed CD sleeves. At both festivals people approached us
with questions that showed that they had really listened to the album in
depth. This seems to happen more with every gig. The fact that we’re
still very much an up-and-coming band makes this all the more
rewarding.
Have you begun writing the follow-up, and if so how do you feel it will
compare musically/lyrically to ‘From the Ashes…’?
André:
We’re currently in the process of writing new material. I’m very curious
as to how the new songs will sound once they’ve been completed.
Ruud:
Compared to ‘From the Ashes…’, the
follow-up will certainly contain more influences from the different band
members. I’m sure it will still sound like Sphere of Souls, but I think
the band has diversified and is still growing.
Kees:
It’s really too early to provide an accurate description of how the
music will sound, but the initial ideas are somewhat heavier and very
rhythmically orientated. With regard to the lyrics, we can’t really tell
you a great deal either, other than that it won’t be a concept album. We
wouldn’t rule out the possibility of a smaller number of tracks
comprising a concept, but it won’t be a fully fledged concept album.
What else is planned for 2006 and beyond?
Kees:
More gigs! That’s something we definitely need to work on. And, of
course, new material. This should provide us with plenty to do during
the next few months. In the long term we simply want to continue to make
the music we enjoy making and reach as may people as possible with it.
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