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Hi,
first off I just want to congratulate you on your new album. To
new fans could your please fill us in on the history behind it
all?
Drago
- Thanks!
Hope you like our new album!
PANTOMMIND has existed for over 10 years now; we’ve had
the same line-up since 2000.
The band was originally started under the name of “LAVENDER
HAZE” in the early 1990s in
Gabrovo
,
Bulgaria
. In ’95
we changed the name to PANTOMMIND.
We
have done 2 demos -
“Unreality” EP’96
and “Farewell”CD’99.
Unfortunately,
none of them has been
released so far.
Yet, the
US
edition of “Shade of Fate” includes
2 “Farewell” bonus
tracks.
How
has your new album been received by the media?
Drago
- I
think the media are treating us in a very special way right now.
Through them we are able to reach our fans quickly. We would like
to thank you too – we really appreciate your interest. The album
was received even more warmly than we expected. To be honest, when
I read some positive review,
I feel as if it’s some other band they have written about …
Incredible!!! I know that these opinions are pretty personal but
it’s really exciting to see 10 out of 10 points
or 89/100 … below
a review!
This
is our reward after all those long years in the deeper underground.
A reward for all the love and effort we’ve put into these 11
tracks.
I
know artists are not happy to categorize their music, but how
would you describe your music to an outsider?
Drago
- As
progressive …. ! As
something this is difficult to categorize in terms of music and
style. Our music combines hard riffs and melody and incredible
keyboard layers and solos.
Rhythm and mood change often and abruptly, starting with the
vigorous guitar and drum session in the title track through the
fast-moving tempo of the instrumental “Spectastral” and the
melancholic “Knocking
On My Door” to the very end of the album,
which sounds like a fantasy movie soundtrack.This
is surely our best piece of work so far.
Where
does your inspiration come from, both musically and lyrically?
Drago
- Our
songs are so diverse because of the freedom we have while writing
both the music and lyrics.
What’s more, we are not restricted by a concept, where
everything has to follow a particular line. Our main composer is
Pete Christ,
an incredibly talented musician and artist – he’s just full of
ideas and motifs; sometimes he hasn’t got enough time to record
a riff or a melody and forgets them ... So we lose great hits
irretrievably ... hahaha
What
topics do you deal with in your lyrics and why?
Drago
- About
everything around us and in us …. About the mind that keeps
looking for something different… about the mystic and the
inexplicable ... Somewhere between fantasy and reality.
A person doesn’t just sit down on a Friday afternoon with a
clean sheet of paper to write a great song. This happens
spontaneously, sometimes even after you’ve heard a piece of news
on the radio ... Inspiration is everywhere. Tony has told me that
he sometimes wakes up with some words in his mind and jots them
down immediately. Perhaps a dream of his could be the beginning of
some new lyrics?! Yet, our lyrics are not gloomy; they are a
little romantic, optimistic even.
Who
has produced and mixed the album, and are you pleased with the end
result?
Drago
- We
produced “Shade…” ourselves; guitar player
Pete
Christ and Scaldor did the mixing and mastering. Thanks to Scaldor
we have the atmospheric analog keyboard sessions in “Orpheus
Whisper” and some other songs.
This
has both good and bad sides. If we had a producer, he could give
us fresh ideas we may
never come up with … or ones we may not like In both cases
the results would be different. I think in “Shade” the result
is positive rather than negative; of course, there are things we
don’t like but we are perfectionists and we’ll never be
completely happy with the product, no matter what.
Who
has done the artwork? And how important do you feel it is to have
a great cover?
Drago
- Our
friends Alex Sokerov and Kosta “Jovi” Atanasov did the artwork
– we are all very thankful to them indeed! We believe this cover
best reflects the title of the album. I think sometimes a good
cover can sell a mediocre album; when both the album and the cover
are good, that makes a bestseller!
Do
you have any touring plans?
Drago
- We
would like to boost the sales of “Shade” by performing live
but it’s not entirely up to us … I sincerely hope we attend
some festival this summer – this seems a more realistic option.
How
do you feel about the co-operation with your label, and are you
satisfied?
Drago
- Of
course, we are so proud of the fact that thanks to
“Shade
Of Fate” our label LUCRETIA RECORDS makes the release of
a little known band from
Eastern Europe
throughout the world.
We appear from nowhere, having been underground for so many years
and now the whole world knows about us ... Sounds nice, right?
Every musician’s dream, hahah, isn’t it?! We owe this to our
partners from INTROMENTAL
and our overseas partners from Sensory
Rec.
The
stakes are really high this time but they trusted us and so did we
...
The
internet is a very important source for many music fans - how do
you use the internet and how important is it for you and other
bands?
Drago
- We
use the Internet every day – it’s our main way of keeping in
touch with the media and our fans all over the world.
Our contacts on the Internet are so precious! On the other hand,
new bands appear every day, the fans are offered too much music
and they don’t want to “buy blind” a random CD.
For that reason they download some stuff, listen to it and if they
really care for quality, buy the original CD.
But it’s rather nasty when someone you’ve sent a promo CD
plays your album 2 months before the official release … in the
form of a bad compressed MP3. Thus
no fan will be able to feel the spirit of the album and later buy
it.
To
sum up, via the Internet fans throughout the world can hear about
us. In this aspect the global network is invaluable!
How
do you see the progressive rock/progressive metal scene at the
moment?
Drago
- I
think that for years there have been no fresh ideas. Some people
even say :“After Rush and Dream
Theater there is no place left for anything new … don’t even
try to surpass them …”
Damn it! That’s not true! Styles
do develop – a
lot of musicians experiment and take risks, they do not just walk
along the well trodden path. Isn’t
good progressive one that tries to use new means of expression
within the set framework?!
To
finish things off - could you pls. make an all-time Top 5 or sort
of the 5 most important albums in your opinion?
Drago - Hmmm
...
This has always been a tough question for me – choosing “the
best” or the “top 10”, “top 5”, etc….
Prog bands from the mid ‘80s had the greatest influence
on us. So we all got together over a nice drink or two,
and each of us suggested his favorites. Because there are 6
of us, we decided to choose the top 6 albums that collected the
greatest number of votes. Here they are… finally:
-
Queensr˙che
- Rage For Order
-
Fates
Warning - Parallels
-
Psychotic
Waltz - Into The Everflow
-
Savatage
- Streets
-
Dream
Theater - Images And Words
-
Symphony
X - Rhe Divine Wings Of Tragedy
Drago/
drums and percussion
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