Heaven's Gate pre-release interview with singer & guitarist Chris
by Vegard Steine

What is your musical background?
I started playing the guitar 20 years ago, a bloody long time! I was just 10 when I started my first band, and I just wanted to be Ace Frehley or Adrian Smith and mesmerize those audiences. As we all do when we're 10, right?

You are obviously inspired by great bands of the 80’s like Iron Maiden. Do you think there are any real heavy metal bands today who are capable of replacing these bands?
Yeah, Keldian! Well, seriously - there is no band around with the combined integrity and mass appeal that Maiden have. But the funny thing is that these metal bands were supposed to die in the 90s when grunge appeared. Guess what? 10 years later, Maiden is the biggest band on the planet. Who cares about Alice In Chains or Pearl Jam anymore? I don't, anyway.
Stick to your guns. Ignore the fads. Only way to go about it.

What musicians have influenced you?
As a guitarist I have these favourites: Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden), Jacob Binzer (D:A:D), David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi), Slash (Guns N' Roses) and Martin Barre (Jethro Tull). How's that? I guess I like guitarists who sing with their instrument and really build solos and melodies into little songs within the song.
When I was a kid though, Kiss was the biggest thing. I was too young to have been there in the 70s, but I caught a late Kiss fever and got really into the vibe, the image, the whole package. That made me realize the importance of style. Probably why I never got into the grunge thing.

Keldian is currently a two-member band. Does this exclude the possibility of any live performances in the future?
Playing live is a big operation. We've had our hands full creating a good album, so we haven't had time to work on the live bit.

You have used the service of quite a few guest musicians. Is this the way you are planning on working in the future as well? No consistant line-up?
This started as a studio project, so we haven't focused on live work yet. In the studio we don't need a proper line-up. We handle the singing, guitars, bass and keyboards ourselves. Luckily, Jørn Holen stepped in and did the drums, all in one day's work! He's a great drummer and very easy to work with. That's how I like to work. Making this album has been fun. We'll see about the future.

How has the response from the record companies been?
Well, that's the great news! We've just signed a 2 year deal with Perris Records of Houston, Texas. Tom Mathers picked up the record and liked it. That's really cool, and we've got a release date set for February 27. Stay tuned!

Will the album be distributed worldwide?
Yes, it will. You will find it in stores in the US, UK and most of Europe. Otherwise you can buy it online from Perris, starting February 27.

How would you describe your music?
It's good music. That's how I'll describe it. If you like powerful and melodic metal, you should check it out. 'Cause you'll like it.

It’s quite hard to define what genre “Heaven’s Gate” belongs to. What would you call it?
Good question! It's tough to tell. Arild brings with him certain power metal influences, I bring with me certain 80s influences. We've tried not to deny what we like to listen to, and just let it rip. At the same time, I like to bring some darkness to it, 'cause I'm a big fan of gothic rock like Paradise Lost. I don't know. How about powerful and melodic rock with a gothic edge? Oh man, too many words. How about powergoth? No. How about metal?

Do you have a specific theme for the album?
It's about the future and destiny of mankind. All the songs are about certain aspects of the journey into the unknown universe. It's science fiction. What happens when we reach out? What will we find beyond the stars?
It's not really a concept album, but all the songs are inspired by the same themes and by books and films. We're really interested in the notion that man's existence at some point will change dramatically, and we'll probably abandon our planet, willingly or not, to find new homes and destinies. If you read the lyrics, it's all about this fear and excitement.

Who composes Keldian's music and lyrics? Do you work together or do you individually write the songs?
For this album we wrote separately. I came in with a few songs and Arild came in with a few, and we worked them out. 10 made it. I think we had 13 or 14 kicking around. It came out good enough, but it can be a tough process to impose our songs on each other, because one will know how the big picture should be and the other won't have a clue. So in a way you're missing out on options. It's going one way. On the next record we'll work in a very different way, and try to compose most of the stuff together.

Are you working on new material?
Yes, we are. We actually finished this album some time ago, and we've started working on the next one. But one album at the time!

On “Heaven’s Gate” the songs vary quite a bit. From the power metal anthem “Sundancer” to “Redshift”, which is quite a dark song. Do you think this contrast will make it difficult to meet the record buyers' expectations of a heavy metal album, power metal album or a gothic metal album?
I have no idea. I don't really know what people expect. Redshift is obviously the ballad of the album, but as you say a pretty dark one. Apart from that I think it's fair to call it all metal. We'll find out what people think of it in a couple of months...