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Melodic
metal is a unique beast with so many twists and turns in today’s climate.
Seven Tears, Europe’s newest entry into this game, is once such band.
Full of turns and valleys their music never ceases to find a different
curve. Jonathan Carlemar, their
phenomenal guitar player and founder, gave Metal Exiles insight into the band
and his own career. I Hope this moves you to get their CD as they are the next
best thing. Jonathan
Carlemar of Seven Tears. An
interview with Metal Exiles by Jeffrey Easton. Metal
Exiles: Give us the history of Seven Tears for those who have not heard of you. Seven
Tears: Well, we are a quite young band and we started to play together in
November last year. We recorded a demo and it didn't take long before Frontiers
Records gave us a deal. The history is very short and there's not that much too
say. After we got the deal we started to record our debut album and did some
live gigs. Metal
Exiles: When did you start playing guitar and what motivated you. Seven
Tears: I picked up my father's acoustic guitar when I was about nine and I
started to study classic guitar a year later. It was actually the Swedish guitar
hero Yngwie Malmsteen that inspired me to pick up the electric guitar when I was
about twelve. I played a lot of Kiss and Metallica songs back then and tried to
pick up as many as possible from them. Metal
Exiles: Why did you want to start a band and what pushed you in the direction
that you are currently in? Seven
Tears: I think that when you play an instrument you will always come to a point
when you want to play with others and form a band. It has always been a dream
for me to play with a great band at great venues and stages. I found four good
musicians that love the music I love and we are still doing music that we like. Metal
Exiles: What equipment does the band use and why? Seven
Tears: I use Ibanez guitars and I have always been a fan of their axes. They are
easy to play and has a sound that fits our music very well. I also used a Fender
Stratocaster for the clean guitar parts and a Jackson on some songs. But I
always try to find a sound that fits the song. I used a Peavey 5150 amp and I am
really satisfied with the way it sounds on the record. I love the
"edge" in the sound but it still keep a warm and comfortable tone.
Unfortunately, I don't have that much to say about the other guy's equipment. Metal
Exiles: You have some demo material out, how do you think it compares to the new
record, In Every Frozen Tear. Seven
Tears: Well, all the songs on the demo can be found on the record. The demo
songs are probably heavier than the rest of the album (except for "All
Alone") and means a lot to us. They are of course way better recorded on
the album and we recorded the demo in two days so there are a great difference
between the recordings. Metal
Exiles: The name of the band is Seven Tears, how did you arrive at that name? Seven
Tears: Seven is a holy number and the tears will symbolize our dark image and
lyrics. But it doesn't mean that much to us. It's just a cool name! Metal
Exiles: The vocalist, Zoran Djorem, was the last addition.
Where did you find him and how did you know his spectacular voice was
what you wanted? Seven
Tears: He has studied with Michael and Kristofer so we knew him that way. And we
all live in a small town so the people who are in to music are often familiar to
each other. Metal
Exiles: The artwork for in Every Frozen Tear is breathtaking.
Who did the work and how did you find the artist? Seven
Tears: It was actually Frontiers Records that contacted Thomas Ewerhard and let
him do the artwork. It's awesome!! Metal
Exiles: In your bio you state that your band is Evergrey meets Journey. What elements do you think you bring from both bands? Seven Tears: We bring the dark and heavy parts from Evergrey and mix it up with the catchy melodies and keyboards from Journey. I think that's a very important element in our music!
Metal
Exiles: Your new disc is being released on Frontiers.
How did you guys come to their attention? Seven
Tears: I sent the demo to the president of the label and we got the deal almost
immediately. We are very satisfied with Frontiers and hope to release more
albums for them! Metal
Exiles: Discuss the material on In Every Frozen Tear.
What inspired each track? Seven
Tears: Twist of Fate: It's a heavy guitar based song that we wrote long ago. I
think it's inspired by Evergrey and also Symphony X. Faded
Memory: This is Kristofer's song and I think it's inspired by the sound of the
80's. A lot Winger and Queensryche! Hollow
Ground: This is truly an Evergrey inspired song that Michael wrote. It's
probably the heaviest song of the record! Reflections:
This is also an 80-inspired song that I wrote. It's very catchy and has a lot
cool melodies. All
Alone: This power ballad is probably inspired by Journey and you can hear if you
listen to keyboards! In
Every Frozen Tear: This song is actually inspired by the Swedish band Last Tribe
and it has a lot of prog elements. I'm really satisfied with this one! Metal
Exiles: Powerful melodic metal is still huge in Europe and everywhere else
around the world but America. Why
do you think that is? Seven
Tears: I think that great melodies always will live on. That's the essential in
music and melodic metal is also very similar to the music that you hear on the
radio. I hope that it will live on forever! Metal
Exiles: What do you think you will achieve with this stellar release? Seven
Tears: Hopefully, we will be able to play more live gigs and record more albums.
It's always fun to meet the fans. I really hope that we will record a new and
ground breaking record in next year! Metal
Exiles: With the record now out, what are the plans for Seven Tears? Seven
Tears: We will start to work on new material and play some live gigs out in
Europe (hopefully in the U.S in the future. Metal
Exiles: MySpace is a powerful tool for bands like Seven Tears, how has it helped
your cause? Seven
Tears: A lot! You can easily bring out your music to the masses and it's truly a
great tool for bands. Good work, Tom! Metal
Exiles: Last words for the fans? Seven
Tears: We hope to see you all in the near future. And BUY the record, because
it's cooler than downloading it! Not to many bands can take the darkness of Evergrey and meld it with the thorough melodic sensibilities of Journey but these guys have done it and they will be around for a long time.
http://www.myspace.com/seventearsmusic
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