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Talented
guitarist Michael Kammeyer, Lance King & co. is back with
their second album called “Legend of the Bone Carver”. Once
more Michael has written all of the music, with the exception of 3
songs. We have put a few questions together for Michael Kammeyer.
Kenn
- Michael, “Legend of the Bone Carver” is your second Pyramaze
album – and once more you’ve taken it upon yourself to write
almost everything, with the exception of "Blood Red Skies",
"Flame and Retribution" (Bonus track for Japan) &
"Era Of Chaos", which were written by Jonah Weingarten.
The album will be released shortly, what kind of expectations do
you have for it?
Michael: I expect this album to take us 'to the next level'.
I want the people to understand that "Melancholy Beast"
was not a one shot deal, and that we will continue making quality
heavy metal. "Legend of the Bone Carver" will also show
that we have evolved as musicians, and it will show a more epic
side of us. Basically I just expect that this album will open the
eyes of the metal community and make them realize that Pyramaze is
all about writing and performing music with a lot of heart blood.
Therefore I expect that this new album will give us a quality
stamp.
Kenn
– What do you think set “Legend of the Bone Carver” apart
from “Melancholy Beast”?
Michael: Well, first of all
"Legend of the Bone Carver" is a concept album, which
means, that the writing process was a lot different. Everything
had to fit right from the start and by that I mean song structure,
story development and the general mood. Musical, lyric wise and
production wise I think that "Legend of the Bone Carver"
is simply a notch better. Also our general sound has become a bit
more epic and orchestral orientated, which adds to the overall
epic feeling of this concept story.
Kenn
– On this album you’ve added a lead-guitarist to the band, why
and when did Toke Skjonnemand join the ranks?
Michael: Toke started out in
Pyramaze as being our second guitarist for our first live shows in
2004. It turned out, that he is a very nice guy and a very
talented lead-guitarist and he quickly became a good friend,
therefore it seemed like a natural thing, to make him a permanent
member of the band.
Kenn
- “Legend of the Bone Carver” is a concept album; could you
give us an insight into the story?
Michael: The story takes place in
a medieval kind of world, where all the good is slowly being
exterminated. Evil is taking over and there is not much hope left.
In the middle of all of this, a child is being born. The child has
no mother and father and nobody knows where he came from, so it is
kind of a divine birth. The story is about him growing up; finding
his fate and the story will finally reveal if he is the one, who
has to bring back the balance. On his journey to find some answers
lots of strange and magical and also frightening things will
happen.
Kenn
- If you should suggest one single song to understand the full
Pyramaze musical potential, which title would you choose and why?
Michael: This is almost
impossible ha-ha - but if it is from the new album, then I would
probably choose "Souls in Pain", because this song is
both fast, midtempo, epic, orchestral and melodic. It's got pretty
much all the ingredients that make out Pyramaze.
Kenn
– You have recorded the album with well-known producer Jacob
Hansen, and Lance has recorded his parts in his own studio. The
result is magnificent, and I bet you are all more than pleased
with the result?
Michael: Yes we are very pleased
with the production. Once again Jacob has come through and made a
fantastic production with a heavy sound. He knows what we want,
and therefore he is very easy to work with.
Kenn
- If your music was an emotion, which one would it be?
Michael: The music of Pyramaze can't
be narrowed down to just one emotion. I think we hit the full
spectrum, which is also why many people find our songs to be very
fulfilling. Although our style tends to be described as rather
melancholic at times ha-ha. Well - let me give it a shot anyways,
and just say a really epic emotion ;-)
Kenn
- Is there any plans for you to go out on the road to support
“Legend of the Bone Carver” – will we be able to catch you
somewhere on the festival scenes in
Europe
this year?
Michael: Yes - we will play the
following shows so far: Banehuset, Kløften Festival and The Rock,
all in
Denmark
in June. Then we are playing the Bloodstock Open Air in the
UK
and the Headbangers Open Air in
Germany
, both in July and then we are playing the Prog Power Festival in
the
USA
in September. For more info please visit out homepage at www.pyramaze.com.
Kenn
- I was wondering – is there a deeper idea behind the – once
more excellent artwork from Mattias Norén?
Michael: Yes - the artwork shows the
main character seen through something, that I would call a time
mirror. You see the child’s face from the young years, but the
hands reaching out from the mirror are those of a grown man, thus
you have a time effect. All of this is surrounded by hidden
creatures and a mystical world. The hands are carving some signs
into a bone with a knife, which is related to the story.
Kenn
- If someone told you tomorrow that you can't be involved in music
anymore, what do you see yourself doing in 5 years from now?
Michael: As a daytime job I would
probably be doing, what I am doing now, which is working as a
shipping manager. Besides that I would probably be doing a pilot
certificate for small planes. I’ve always been fascinated by
flying, and had I not gotten in to music, I’m pretty sure my
hobby would be to fly.
Kenn
– Name a person, event or maybe an album, that have had a big
influence on you life, and why?
Michael: Musical wise I would say Bon
Jovi, because they made me want to play music when I was a
teenager. As a creative role model, I would say Peter Jackson,
simply because he displays true passion for his work.
Kenn
- What are you doing besides Pyramaze, job wise as well as hobbies?
Michael: Job wise as I mentioned I am
a shipping manager. My hobbies are aquarium fish, reading, DVD
movies, my wife (hi darling!) and my motorcycle.
Kenn
– When you sit back to relax at home, what kind of things do you
do? Listen to music, read, and watch TV or…
Michael: When I finally have some
spare hours, I watch movies, read or go to the gym. I also like
taking long walks in the forests.
Kenn
- We thank you so much for participating in this interview and
sharing this information and your thoughts with us - these last
lines are entirely for you. Any final words you would like to
round off with?
Michael: First of all thank you for
the interview and I also want to send a big thank you to our fans.
I truly hope you will enjoy our new album. Cheers!
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