Welcome to our interview with the creators of 'Angel In The Dark.' Discover the journey behind Freakstorm's evolution, collaborations, and future plans.
1. Congratulations
on the release of your second album, "Angel In The Dark"! How does it
feel to have this project out in the world?
Thank you!
It feels great! It´s always a big challenge to make an album but at one point
it worked by itself. The songs were just coming. Then we found a more
professional label to release “Angel In The Dark”. I can say we are really
proud about the songs and the production.
2. "Fight
To The End" and "Stop The Fire" served as appetizers for your
fans before the album release. Can you share a bit about the inspiration behind
these singles and how they tie into the overall theme of the album?
These two
songs really rock, so it was the idea to show with the single releases that the
new Freakstorm album will be as heavy as the songs on the earlier releases.
“Fight To The End” is for me a typical Freakstorm song. And I like the message
to never give up. The sound of “Stop The Fire” is a little bit more modern I
would say. Toby Wendeler from SchwarzLicht helped us with the guitars. They are
really catchy, just like the chorus. So we show a little development in our
songwriting.
3. "Creature
Of The Night" was released on limited vinyl, with a cover of the
Scorpions' classic "Big City Nights" as the B-Side. What made you
choose this particular cover, and how was the experience of putting your own
spin on such an iconic track?
Big City Nights for us is an all time classic hardrock song. A song we like
since we were teenagers. So it’s a tribute to the real big bands of this genre.
It’s always fun for us to cover a cool song and it also fits to my voice. It
became kind of a tradition to have a cover song on every Freakstorm release.
4. Working
once again with producer Dennis Ward, what did he bring to the table for
"Angel In The Dark" that helped shape the sound and direction of the
album?
We are
working with Dennis since the first EP release. He is the perfect producer for
us and helped us to find a sound from the beginning. His most important idea
for “Angel In The Dark” was to bring in Rick Benton when we asked for someone
who could play piano on the title track. This is a special song, because it is
much different to all the other Freakstorm songs. It has a string arrangement.
We felt the song needed that and Rick did a perfect job on the track.
5. Oliver
Hartmann from Avantasia contributed intense guitars to your music. How did his
collaboration enhance the sonic landscape of your album, and what was it like
working with him?
Olli
Hartmann is one of the best guitar players we know. We couldn’t imagine a
better one for our music. When we listen for the first time to his final
guitars on a track it’s always more than we expected. Working with him is a
very professional experience. Olli Hartmann and Dennis Ward are the team we
found to work with in the studio for years and we hope much more songs will
recorded with these guys.
6. Reflecting
on your journey, from starting as a tribute project to releasing your second
album, how has FREAKSTORM evolved musically and personally since your
inception?
The tribute
for Halestorm was just one song we recorded to hand it out on a meeting with
the band. We wanted to have a special gift and to remain in their head somehow
I guess. We went to a studio to record Halestorm’s “Here’s To Us”. After
meeting them – which was very funny and inspiring for me – I started to write
the first own Freakstorm songs. Around the same time I got pregnant, so we
stopped playing live and focussed on the studio work. Then we met Dennis and
became more and more experienced in producing songs. And somehow it never
stopped until now. We are already working on the next Freakstorm album.
7. "Storm
Inside My Heart" marked your debut album in 2021. How does "Angel In
The Dark" build upon the foundation laid by your first album, and what new
elements did you explore this time around?
As we said,
Dennis helped us from the beginning to find our own sound and I think we still
have the same ingredients for a good Freakstorm song: Heavy guitars and
melodies that remain in the head. But there are always ways to grow in
songwriting or sound. The main difference is that the range of dynamic and
emotion is a little wider on “Angel In The Dark”. Mostly because of the title
track itself, which is very personal and intense on the emotional level. Also
thanks to Rick Benton’s piano and string arrangement. On our first album we
didn’t have a real ballad and no keys.
8. Your
collaboration with David Readman from Pink Cream 69 on "Can't Keep Me Down
2022" was a standout moment. What was the creative process like working
with him, and what did he bring to the track?
When we
were working on the “When Dawn Is Breaking“ EP we wanted to do a new recording
of our song “Can’t Keep Me Down” with Olli Hartmann on guitars. Then we looked
out for a guest singer to make it more different and more interesting to listen
to for the people who knew the original version. We asked David Readman because
we always liked his work for Pink Cream 69 and he said yes immediately. I think
it’s an awesome duet because our voices fit together very well. David is an
awesome rock singer. He is a very fine guy. And on top he came over to film the
video clip with us, we perform the song together which was a great experience
for me.
9. With
the release of "Angel In The Dark" and its singles, what are your
hopes and expectations for how it will be received by both longtime fans and
new listeners?
That’s a difficult question. Of course we hope it will find listeners and that they will like and share it. But we don’t think about that while producing the songs. We just do what we think is cool and fun for us.
10. Looking ahead, what's next for FREAKSTORM? Are there any tour plans or new projects on the horizon that you can share with us?
We
definitely have lots of new material and half a dozen songs are already
recorded. We didn’t make the decision yet if it should be an Album or an EP.
There will be of course another cover song on it. I know which one, but I won’t
tell it right now. Another video is already finished and will be released in
June.
It would be great to play live onstage again and promote our music that way,
too. We are working on it, but there are no dates yet.
Freakstorm (@freakstormband) • Photos et vidéos Instagram
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