PAGAN’S MIND og SHOOT THE BREEZE på Union Scene (28/10)
- Posted on 26-10-2011
PAGAN’S MIND
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SHOOT THE BREEZE
C.C. NOK 250
18 år leg plikt
Pagan`s Mind kommer tilbake til Union Scene for å presentere det nye albumet "Heavenly Exctacy" samt gamle favoritter!!!!!! Albumet gikk rett inn på VG lista og har fått strålende kritikker verden over!!!! Dette blir en høytidskveld på Union !!!!!
Her er et lite utdrag fra et intervju som ble publisert her på Eternal Terror med vokalist Nils K. Rue i juni i år.
“Heavenly Ecstasy” appears to be a logical continuation from “God’s Equation”. How does Nils view the similarities and differences between the two albums?
We kind of took a new direction on “God’s Equation”, trying out new and different stuff for the band. Some of our fans didn’t like it while others raved about it. Also, after that album we were very much drained from creative energy and four years had to pass until we were able to put out something we could stand for. People have been talking about the Dream Theater reference for many years now but I think the thing is that DT was just inspired by the same bands as we were – and early in our career when we wanted to show off our playing abilities, we could sound somewhat similar. On “Heavenly Ecstasy”, I personally think we have “grown up” musically and have found our own sound though our sound has had a strong trademark since the beginning. I am very confident in the melody focused songwriting we do on this album.
Eternal Terror gave the new album a well deserved 5.5 / 6 – http://www.eternal-terror.com/reviews/index.php?id=1848, so we stand firm behind Nils’ words. As he said, it took them a few years to get the right energy back. How long of a process does it take Pagan’s Mind to generate ideas and then flesh them out into the final versions we hear for the albums?
Well, it took us four years this time but that was as aforementioned because of a slightly drained creative bunch of guys, and after "God’s…" we toured a lot, which takes up a lot of energy. We have always thought quality over quantity and would never put out anything we could not stand for 100%. We always record pre-production demos and that gives us the opportunity to go through the songs over and over again and be totally satisfied with the compositions before we decide to record them “for real”. Of course, a lot happens when we record them for the second time also, and we may alter a lot then as well.
There seem to be aspects of the new album where you weave in slight off tempo rhythms without sacrificing the sense of melodic arrangement cohesion – especially in songs like “Into The Aftermath” and “The Master’s Voice”. How do Pagan’s Mind maintain a balance between showcasing progressive talent and keeping everything song oriented?
Well, that’s what you call musician craftsmanship – to be able to add odd rhythms and intricate musical colors and still stay focused on the melody. It’s very easy to make a song sound “good” just using whatever the “book” says, but we have always found joy in combining the intricate with the catchy, and still make it sound pretty radio friendly. It’s the “secret” bands like for instance Rush managed to control.