Interviewer: Brian Rademacher
Interviewer's e-mail: hockyrats@comcast.net
Musician Interviewed: Christer Andresen
Band affiliation: Keldian
Instrument(s) played: Vocals and guitars
Interview date: March 29, 2008
Official Website: http://keldian.com/
Official My Space site: http://www.myspace.com/keldian
Contact: contact@keldian.com

Hello Christer and Welcome to RockNation

Q: In 1988-1998 you were in the band Madam Curie, can you give us any background on that venture?
A: That was my first band, which I put together with some friends of mine. We were very young! Madam Curie toured a bit, but back in those days you needed a record contract to make an album, so it never happened. Me and drummer Kjell Vidar stuck with it for 10 years, and really battled to make our music as good as possible. I guess we sounded a bit like a cross between Paradise Lost, Therapy? and Type O Negative. There was some cool music there, but it never turned into a record contract.

Q: Your musical partner in Keldian Arild Aardalen was member of Protos Nemesis (techno-rock) and Alien Love Gardeners at that time. So how did you get together with Arild?
A: I’ve known Arild since we were kids, and Protos Nemesis was actually our first project together. After that, in 2000, Protos Nemesis and Madam Curie kind of merged into Alien Love Gardeners. There does exist an Alien Love Gardeners EP called “Cuts Shape The Man” that we might make available for you people someday. It’s kind of rock’n’roll and poppier than Keldian, but it’s really were Keldian came from.

Q: So when you started working on your debut CD “Heaven's Gate" you released it as a demo in 2005. After that the project was put on hold for about a year, what was the reason for the delay?
A: We did a demo in the summer of 2005, really just to see if we could write and record metal tunes because we always loved that kind of music. We wrote and recorded 5 songs – “Crusader”, “Requiem for the Light”, “Heaven’s Gate”, “Beyond the Stars” and “Plains of Forever”. It probably still exists somewhere and some of the recordings actually ended up on the album. We liked what we heard, so we decided to write more songs and make an album.

Q: You came back together in early summer 2006 and reworked some of the tracks and also omitted some. Did you omit songs because you had other tracks now that you thought were more of a priority?
A: We kept all 5 demo songs, and added another 5. I still think those original 5 Keldian tracks really stand out. They might be the best songs on the first album, I think. We re-recorded most of them, and added 5 new tunes, and that became the first Keldian album.

Q: “Heaven’s Gate” was finally released on Perris Records in 2007 and received great reviews. Also on the Japanese release you added a bonus track called “Hope”. Was there any other differences in the two releases?
A: “Hope” was the Japanese bonus track, and then “Plains of Forever” was edited and slightly remixed for Japan.

Q: When you signed to Perris Records were you at all skeptical that Perris was getting involved in different genres when they were very strong on eighties rock? Not a label known for power metal or other genres?
A: That didn’t bother us at all. We knew that Perris was a big indie, which means good distribution. And Tom Mathers at Perris saw that Keldian could have appeal for people who were into AOR and more melodic things. We hadn’t thought about that, so we probably thought the album would appeal the most to metal fans. Perris made us realize we could have a crossover appeal, which was great.

Q: What do you feel was the strongest track on “Heaven’s Gate”?
A: I love “Plains of Forever”. That song stands out for me – the writing, the playing and singing, the production. It all adds up to a really special vibe. That is something we have tried to develop further on the new record, creating atmospheres with the songs.

Now in 2008 you’re ready to release your new CD “Journey of Souls”, which is a pretty quick turnaround since you released your debut last year.

Q: Recording the new CD, was there anything you did differently from your debut in the recording process?
A: Arild worked really hard on creating a great sound, fatter bottom end and majestic soundscapes. I’m really pleased with the sound of this album. And we also wrote songs differently. On the first record Arild and I came in with a bunch of completed songs each, but this time we came in with a bunch of parts each. So we sat down and one of us would say “I think this could be a great chorus” and the other would say “Yeah, I think I’ve got an idea that would fit there”. It was a lot more fun, really! And I think the songs got a much cooler vibe that way, because we both reacted to the ideas on the spot. It was fresh for us, and we managed to give every single song great attention and give each of them a unique atmosphere.

Q: Is there also a bonus track for a Japanese release?
A: The album will be out in Japan, but I don’t know about a bonus track yet. We’ll have to wait and see.

Q: You once again used Maja Svisdahl http://www.myspace.com/msvisdahl on “Journey of Souls”. What elements make her special on this album?
A: She has a really soothing voice that lends a rich texture to the sound. We’ve used many different singers on this record to create a specific sound for each song, and it’s always great to have Maja’s voice on there. People will recognize her.

Q: You also have Jorn Holen, drummer for the Norwegian black-metal bands Vreid and Windir. Do you feel Jorn brings in the Helloween comparison that I read in so many reviews on “Heaven’s Gate”?
A: Well, the songs are what they are, and some are probably reminiscent of Helloween. But Jorn can play any style of rock and metal music, there is really nothing he can’t do. He has always been great, but this time his playing had gotten even better, which really blew my mind! He nails it quickly and is a true professional. We also had the pleasure of having another 2 drummers on this record: H-man from California who has played with LA Guns and The Black Crowes, and Per Hillestad, who has played with everyone important in Norway, including a-ha. They both delivered awesome drumming.

Q: Now let’s get down to some of the tracks on “Journey of Souls”. The opening song “The Last Frontier” is killer! It’s melodic, yet has the power to drive the song with some great guitar and I totally understand why you use Jorn Holen. The guy sure does kick it up on the tracks. What is the process when picking a song to open your CD with?
A: That’s a great question! Picking the right opener is very important. You want a song that can elicit just the kind of reaction you described right now! To the point, catchy, heavy. We usually discover the opener quite early on. I’m obsessive about running order, so I always start thinking about that way too early. But we really know when we hear the song. We set high standards for ourselves. It needs to kick our asses if it’s going on the album.

Q: “Lords of Polaris” is another phenomenal track that has a feel of religious Goth. I really enjoyed this track and it gives an uplifting spirit feeling. Can you give us any background on this track?
A: At the moment this is my favorite on the album. I think it’s a good example of the way we’ve opened things up a bit, let a little more air into the arrangements. We knew we needed to go a step further with this record, and “Lords of Polaris” was a great example of how this manifested itself in the studio. We had the chorus, but wanted to do different stuff for the verse and middle eight than we usually do. Just drums and keys on the verse? Yeah, cool! Gregorian chants leading into the chorus? Sure, man! We really wanted to build a picture, where you could visualize barren snowscapes and northern lights flashing across the sky. I love the song.

Q: Will there be a video made for a particular tune?
A: “Lords of Polaris” is a likely candidate. And “Reaper” might also work. There will be a video.

Q: I really can’t pick a favorite song off the new CD (there’s too many), what’s your favorite track?
A: What I know is that I’m happy with all of them. On the last record I thought there was stuff we could have done differently on certain tracks, to be more inventive. This time I’m happy with the attention given to all the songs. I’m curious to find out how people react to the more epic songs, like “Memento Mori”, which is almost 10 minutes long. That one is a favorite of mine.

Q: Seems that Keldian always has special effects on their releases, is that done to give the songs a certain feeling? Like rain drops or other sounds.
A: Definitely! We try not to overdo that stuff, but I think Arild is really good at finding atmospheric effects that contribute to the mood that the music and lyrics are communicating. But it’s important to balance it just right, and sometimes we take it off.

Q: “Journey of Souls” has such an array of different directions going from power metal, folk metal, rock, but every song brings a new turn. I hear sounds of Europe, Helloween, and Stratovarius. Have many fans of those bands e-mailed you with there feelings of Keldian music?
A: Many people tell us we remind them of those bands, but the really cool thing is that no one says we sound exactly like anything. People seem to feel that Keldian has created a unique sound that blends a lot of classic metal influences, and that’s really exciting. It’s important to us that we build our own thing, because there will be at least 10 Keldian albums, I promise you!

Q: Is Keldian basically a studio band or are there plans to play live shows?
A: We’d love to! But our focus has been on creating good records, because you need great music to build a following on. Putting a show on the road would take work and money, because we won’t do it unless we can give you a great show. If the records keep doing well, and people want us to tour, we’ll certainly listen.

Q: What is the goal you hope to achieve with the “Journey of Souls” record?
A: We hope that it sells well! And we hope that the fans feel that we are building something good here, and that they want us to keep making this kind of music. Because we’re eager to go on making Keldian records.

Q: RockNation would like to thank you for taking time out to talk with us and “Journey of Souls” is one on helluva release. The musicianship is extreme, the arrangements are top notch, Keldian fans should rejoice and hurry to get this one. If you like some tasty keyboards, riveting guitar work and phenomenal songs, this is it. Would you like to end with some parting words?
A: It’s so cool that you like the record, because we really put in a lot of work to make this one great. It’s important to us that we try as hard as we can to make great records, and we hope the people out there give it a listen. If you’re into classic melodic metal of some kind, Keldian is trying to please you! Thanks for the talk, Brian.