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Tom Englund | Tim 'Ripper' Owens | Damian Wilson | Roy Khan |
Which singers who sang on your albums are you most proud of and did some vocalists you asked refuse or say that they didn't have time? "Well, that's a tough one to choose! While I'm totally blown away and thankful to be able to work with each one of the vocalists, I'm of course especially excited by a number of the bigger names that usually don't even do guest vocals. People like Tom Englund (Evergrey), Tim 'Ripper' Owens (British Steel), Damian Wilson (Arena) and Roy Khan. The inclusion of Roy in particular is truly a special one for me! I've been in love with his voice since the nineties, even before he joined Kamelot, and he still sang in Conception. To hear my own lines and lyrics passing through his vocal cords feels almost surreal to me. As far as singers are concerned, I wasn't able to involve; there weren't so many, honestly. Without mentioning any names, there were three or four people I would have liked to work with, but who didn't have the time, or they were simply unreachable, but apart from that, I got everyone I wanted!" You also worked with Franky de Mangelaere on piano, David van Ransbeeck on violin, Karolina Prieels on cello, Maarten Taelman on double bass and Louis van der Linden on drums. How difficult was it to get them for the acoustic albums?
In particular Franky de Mangelaere is very impressive on the piano. Was it difficult for him to play the parts you wrote? "Franky de Mangelaere is a beast on the keyboards. He honestly is one of the greatest and most impressive talents we have in Belgium, and I urge everyone to check out his own music with Circle Unbroken, with the magnificent Marieke Bresseleers on vocals. In that respect, and knowing what he can do, I'm pretty certain he didn't have too much trouble playing these parts from a technical point of view - however, I know Franky put in a staggering amount of time and work in order to arrange and record every note as perfectly and intricately as he possibly could. When you really sit down and listen to the piano album, you'll hear the dedication, the delicacy and the amount of detail he put into these tunes. The result is absolutely haunting, in the finest way possible."
"That's an easy question. It's quite simple since Joris van Daele is Belgium's best guitarist. I'm not kidding or exaggerating, his playing, phrasing, technique and skills are out of this world. I even go out on a limb here, but what you hear on the Entering Polaris records is only a fraction of what he can do. Just like pianist Franky De Mangelaere, Joris is an example of some of the stunning talents that we have here in Belgium, and who deserve so much more. I firmly believe that if some of these players were born in Germany, Sweden or in the USA, they would have had massive, international careers. As it is, I guess we're all kind of fighting the same uphill battle of working in a musical style that doesn't get recognised or appreciated in Belgium. It remains largely unknown and therefore completely overlooked by potential fans from across the globe. All this being said, seek out Joris van Daele on social media and YouTube. His record Magic Number Eight is out now, and it honestly is stunning, and on par with anything Steve Vai or Joe Satriani have ever done." Which album of the four are you most proud of and why? "Ooh, that one is hard to answer, haha! In hindsight, I tend to say Atlantean Shores, from 2023. It's the longest of the records, it contains the most variation, perhaps the most richly colourful lyrics, several epic tracks, and it has Roy Khan on vocals. Then again, that's just me picking that album if I truly had to choose
Weren't you afraid that lovers of a certain musical style will enjoy one or two albums but not the other ones? "Actually, that was an extra motivation behind the release of these records as double albums. In the end, you must be honest with yourself and realise that if the acoustic second discs had been released separately, they probably wouldn't have done very well in terms of sales and attention. Especially in today's rushed climate of diminishing attention spans where gimmicks and video reels of sixteen seconds are the norm. In a way, we more or less force the acoustic records on the listener, and that's all right by me. Sometimes you must be assertive and say: this is worth it; this is what we're presenting in terms of music, both heavy and non-heavy material, and it all deserves to be heard. Incidentally, the acoustic guitar record And Silently The Age Did Pass, was a collaboration with Hans Audenaerd, another amazing musician as we did this record together. I firmly believe we created a masterpiece: haunting, atmospheric and almost gothic in its execution. I feel that it is also interesting to note that both Hans and I really consider the acoustic guitar record to be a metal album. It's not acoustic in a way Ed Sheeran or Bob Dylan might have presented, but rather something you might have expected from the likes of Opeth or Nevermore." Maybe some people compare your work with musical projects such as Ayreon and Avantasia. Were you inspired by them? "Well, I must say that I'm honoured beyond words, if I'm mentioned in the same breath as these timeless huge artists! However, I would like to add an important side note. Entering Polaris stands on its own merits and we do things differently than Ayreon or Avantasia. Of course, this is exactly what an artist should aspire for: to have a voice of their own and to do something others haven't done yet. The albums of Entering Polaris aren't concept albums, and therefore they don't belong to the rock opera category. Also, I dare to say that Entering Polaris is a bit heavier, a bit more experimental, and overall, a bit more riff-oriented too. I'm absolutely inspired by Ayreon! I'm a huge fan, and I even worked with Arjen Lucassen on Empires In The Sun (2021), the second album by Thorium! He played the part of the minstrel on the closing epic 1302. So, check that this out as well if you're reading this!" How do you look back at the results of the four albums and can you explain the album titles? "Absolutely! Here we go! Atlantean Shores is slightly more traditional prog metal, the album title refers to the fleeting nature of things. We're all forever standing on the shores of beautiful things that are ever in danger of being washed away by tide and time which makes our time here more urgent and precious. And Silently The Age Did Pass is the acoustic guitar album I was talking about earlier. The title has an
Myths In Motion is the heaviest of the four albums, played on seven-string guitars. The title is an alliteration, which also refers to an overlooked album that I released in 2019 under the moniker In Motion. It featured the vocalists from Soilwork, Revocation, Dagoba, Uneven Structure and others. Simone Mularoni mixed the album, and it was a very aggressive, yet progressive and ambitious record as well. Unfortunately, it remained under the radar, and it reached only a few people despite receiving excellent reviews from almost all the big media from across the globe. In a sense Myths In Motion slightly refers to that album, which incidentally is also still available on the website of Entering Polaris. So, check that one out too! The title of Songs Of Ivory And Obsidian refers to the black and white keys on the piano, ivory and obsidian. Of course, the title refers to the songs on the album, which are both light and dark in terms of mood and atmosphere. Again, here's that element of contrast which remains a running theme throughout the albums." What are your future plans? "Well, I've been hard at work on the next albums for about a year now, and it's again a great heap of ambitious material. It's all going to take more time to finish, though, but with the four current albums out now, there should be more than enough music to tide anyone over until the next releases." Tom, thank you for answering all my questions. "It was my pleasure, Henri! Thank you, for this in-depth interview with these great questions!" Website bandcamp review album 'Godseed' review album 'Atlantean Shores' review album 'And Silently The Age Did Pass' review album 'Myths In Motion' review album 'Songs Of Ivory And Obsidian' |
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