|
 Hi
Carsten and congrats on "Criticize The Truth".
C: Thank you very much indeed!
Tell me how came out the idea to form Evidence One?
C: Well, at first Evidence One started as a solo project for Frontline guitarist Robby Bφbel. I met Robby's friend and boss of German AOR Heaven label Georg Siegl at a Kansas show in Munich some time
ago. Georg told me about their plans of releasing a solo record for
Robby, because he had so many ideas and songs left, that couldn't be used for
Frontline. As I am a long time Frontline fan, I told Georg, if they ever need a
singer, I'd love to do it! That's how it all started. The point was, soon as Robby and I started working on the new
material, we found out that we had a certain chemistry, which really made us work together unbelievably
quick. We decided to form a new band out of this. As Robby's Frontline bandmate Hutch Bauer already should be playing on the original solo
effort, we asked him to join in, and I asked my friend Roger Tanner, drummer of
Shakra, if he was interested?! Well, that's it - we then had Evidence One
together!
Do you consider Evidence One as a full time band or a side project?
C: Well, it started as a side project, but now it's simply another
band, we're all in - nowadays many musicians play in several days. It's definitely a band - no project!
Unfortunately, we can't tell about the drummer position, as Evidence One has grown bigger as some might have
expected, and Roger will stick only to Shakra, but the other three will go on working together for
sure!
"Criticize The Truth" is one of the biggest surprises 2002 for
me! It came out of nowhere and left me breathless.
C:
Thanx again, man!
Do you think that Evidence One will go on producing albums like that? Or the band was just planned as a one-album thing?
C: It started as a project, but turned definitely into a steady
band! We will go on a small European tour (no Greece, I'm afraid...) next month as support of Saxon
(unfortunately without Roger, because he's gonna record the new Shakra album then - we'll have Frontline drummer Rami Ali
in), and Robby and I already started writing material for the next album, to come out
October/November next year! These songs will definitely blow you away, believe
me!
Well Evidence One is a really strange name for a band. Can you tell us how did you get your name?
C: There's nothing special behind it. At first, we wanted to call the band simply
Evidence, but there's a Power Metal band by the same name, so we took Evidence
One. Some might think that it's because we wanted to proof that especially Robby and me could do it without our main bands Frontline and
Domain, but it was simply because it sounded cool... ;-)
What the idea behind the album's title? Is there any connection with the artwork and the lyrical concept of the album? Is "Criticize The Truth" a concept album??
C: Definitely not! In fact, I've been working with Sebastian
Kozak, whom did the album cover, for some time. He also did an amazing job on Domain's latest
"The Artefact". We asked him, if there was a painting he did in the
past, he always wanted to use as an album cover, but never had the chance
to. This was the one, he showed us. By the way, his first version had the girl completely
naked, but we wanted her dressed somehow. Now we took her fully stripped for the CD glass
tray!
Why are you criticizing the truth? Do you intend to urge people to criticize all the things that happen around them? Or you just want to "wake up" all those who are sleeping for ages?!
C: It's basically a message to tell people, to think about what they take for
granted. Things change every once in a while, but it's sometimes hard to
recognize. Question the things that happen around you - this is what keeps you alive and
running!
Trust Vs Heart??? Who will be the winner? Can you analyse this song, which I think that is the best in the album?
C: This is a very personal track. When a relationship has ended in a tragic
way, you sometimes have problem trusting a new love! You know what you
feel, but you've been hurt so badly that it's hard for you to believe
again.
How would you characterize the music style of Evidence One? I would say that they are a melodic metal band with many hard rock and also some power metal elements. Do you agree with me?
C: Absolutely. I see Evidence One in the vain of bands like Victory or Dokken. Combining hard guitar riffing with catchy
hooklines. It's strange, because some people define the band as heavier as
Domain, other say we're softer. To me it's a way of showing my own roots
again.
What are your influences as a musician?
C: I've been growing up basically with US Hard Rock acts, like Y&T, Dokken, Quiet Riot or Bon Jovi. My main influences as a vocalist are Robert Plant of Led
Zeppelin, because simply all he did sounded amazing; Jon Bon Jovi, because he was (!) to me the ultimate Rock
voice, the great Ray Gillen, because he simply was the best Hard Rock singer this planet ever had
and, someone completely different, Sting - because he always was
different! Whereas most singers took their lines from heavy Blues, he took
Jazz! Outstanding, absolutely.
In which band do you prefer most to sing? In Domain or in Evidence One?
C: Difficult question. I'd say singing in Evidence One to me comes much more
natural, because I do write my vocal lines by myself and set the mood my own
way, but singing Domain always is a challenge to me. Axel Ritt (mainman of
Domain) always makes me sing stuff, I normally wouldn't do, so I always learn a lot about my
voice, when I record Domain albums!
And some Weird Questions now!!! I think a big problem of the today's music industry are all the CD copies people do with their computers or the music they can download from the Internet. How do you think about this problem??
C: To be honest, I don't have that much problem with it. I see downloading from the net for example as some sort of
library. People take one song, sometimes of a band; they wouldn't normally listen
to, and maybe find out that they like it - so they buy the album! A real fan or collector always wants to own the original
CD, as I see it.
Imagine that your wife is selling your whole album-collection just to buy for her an expensive, good ring. How would you react?
C: In fact, she wouldn't, because she knows me as an addict to music
(got about 3000 CDs at home, so it could be a pretty expensive ring...), but if she
would, without asking me, I would simply quit the relationship!
If you were living in Middle Earth (I hope that you have seen or read the Lord Of The Rings) which character would you choose to be and why?
C: Arwen, so I could squeeze Liv Tyler's nipples the whole
daylong (Interviewers note: What a nice idea!!)!!! Haha! Well, I always had a favor for dwarfs or
midgets, so I dig Gimli, but I'd say Legolas. Long blond hair, killer ears
(I'm a huge Star Trek fan!) and always foreseeing things very
intellectual. An almost animal instinct as well... I know, most man would love to be like
Aragorn, as the typical hero, but I'd prefer Legolas...!
Thank you again for your time! If there is anything else that you would like to tell to your Greek funs, just do it!!
C: Well, simply spread the word of Evidence One! Unfortunately the Saxon tour won't take us to
Greece (Interviewers note: We are used in things like that!!), but I heard of many friends that you people simply kick major
ass! Crank our album and POWER TO THE MUSIC!!!
Rock on,
Carsten.
by
Thanos (Mc) Aggelakis |