Asterise's upcoming album Tale of a Wandering Soul dives deep into themes of searching and self-discovery. Blending nostalgic and modern elements, each track tells a unique story through powerful collaborations and evocative soundscapes.
1. Congratulations
on the upcoming release of Tale of a Wandering Soul! Could you tell
us a bit about the overall concept and inspiration behind the album?
First of
all, I would like to thank you for inviting me to this interview. With Tale of
a Wandering Soul, I wanted to keep a similar concept to my first album, Two
Worlds—meaning that we focus on themes of being lost and searching for
paradise, or home, once again. That was also the main idea behind the project:
to create a variety of songs, each unique and with a different flavor. This is
the kind of album that needs to be listened to as a whole, not as individual
tracks. The shifts in dynamics and mood make it much more enjoyable when you
listen to it track by track; the order really matters.
At first, I considered the name Twisted
Ferryman because my initial idea for the cover was exactly that—a ferryman
sailing into empty space. If you pay attention to the details in the artwork,
you’ll notice elements connected to the lyrics and song titles. They’re small
details, like a falling star (which relates to the first album) or a raven
(there’s a song called Raven on this album). I know that not many people pay
attention to stuff like that nowadays, but hopefully you will find it enjoyable
2. The
single Golden Land features vocalists Noah Edward Simmons and
Arnaud Menard, who bring impressive performances to the track. What led you to
choose these vocalists for this song, and how do their voices enhance the
overall feel of Golden Land?
They are both
very talented vocalists with impressive vocal ranges. Initially, the song was
written for one vocalist, but while working on the album, I came across Noah's
YouTube channel and was blown away by his covers. At that moment, I knew this
song would be perfect for him to feature on. Arnaud is another vocalist on the
team who can also reach those very high notes perfectly, which is why this song
ended up fitting both of them so well.
3. Bartlomiej,
you mentioned blending a retro, old-school vibe with catchy guitar rhythms
in Golden Land. Can you elaborate on how you approached this
balance between nostalgia and a fresh, modern sound?
Actually, the
retro-style intro I was referring to wasn’t my original intention. I remember
when I sent the demo backing track to Dionysis to record his parts, he came up
with an intro synth melody that really had this ‘80s/‘90s disco vibe. When we
sent the parts to the drummer, he immediately added synth drums, which made the
intro sound even more retro. At the same time, I wanted to reference some of
Timo Tolkki’s classics, like Symfonia – Come by the Hill, which I’m a
big fan of, by the way (you can hear the reference in the chorus of Golden
Land). I also wanted it to sound simple, without fast guitars or
shredding—just a standard, catchy song.
4. With
so many talented musicians and vocalists involved in Tale of a
Wandering Soul, how did you approach the songwriting and arrangement
process to bring all these elements together harmoniously?
It’s a
challenging and time-consuming process. First, aside from composing the songs,
you need to record all the demo tracks and develop ideas for the cover art,
concept, and lyrics. Once that’s all done, I had to decide who would sing each
part and with whom—which, believe me, is no easy task! 😊 Working on projects like this remotely is especially tricky because you
have to make sure everyone records with consistent settings so that all the
tracks fit seamlessly into the project. Tristan did an incredible job pulling
everything together and handling the mixing and mastering of the album.
I remember making
a few mistakes along the way—like sending a demo to Dionysis for his keyboard
parts while also sending the same track to vocalists with my rough keyboard
demo, which had a completely different melody. This led to the vocal parts not
matching our final melodies. But we’re all still learning, and I always take
something valuable from every mistake.
5. The album features a variety of themes, as seen
in song titles like Twisted Ferryman, Raven, and Call
of Whispers. What sort of stories and emotions did you want to capture in
this collection of tracks?
That’s a great
example of why I mentioned at the beginning that the album should be listened
to as a whole rather than as separate tracks. Twisted Ferryman, for
example, has some crazy melodies and bass parts; Raven has lyrics
inspired by real events from my life; and Call of Whispers is a very
short, beautifully atmospheric instrumental piece. Throughout the album, you’ll
experience a lot of mood and vibe changes, which was my intention from the
start.
6. You worked with Dream Visual
Productions on the album and single covers. Can you share a bit about how the
visuals for Tale of a Wandering Soul were developed and how
they relate to the album’s themes?
It was a very
fast, easy, and enjoyable collaboration. I remember sending them a detailed
description of my ideas, and they were able to draft the artwork almost
immediately, which perfectly fit my concept. After applying some visualizations
and using all those new graphic tools, the cover art turned out amazing. I
highly recommend them, and we will definitely work together on future albums!
7. Power metal often thrives on epic and cinematic
elements. How did you work with orchestrator Dionysis Maniatakos to create the
dramatic soundscapes that drive this album?
Dionysis is the
first member I met and worked with on Asterise. He contributed a lot of
ideas and concepts when we worked on Two Worlds. We met a few years ago,
and we’ve been collaborating on music ever since. Typically, I send him my
rough keyboard drafts, and he transforms them into beautiful orchestrations.
Honestly, I can’t imagine this project without him.
8. Asterise’s lineup includes several guest
artists contributing solos and choir sections. How did these collaborations
come about, and what unique qualities do each of these artists bring to the
album?
I think everyone
brought their own unique style and vibe to the project. Even something as
simple as a choir or a solo can add an additional, distinct sound to the song.
Those small details really matter, at least to me! 😊 That was also the concept behind Asterise—to blend the different
and unique styles of all the participants.
9. You’ve released Golden Land, Into
Fantasy, and Twisted Ferryman as singles. How do these
songs reflect the musical journey listeners can expect from the full album?
If I could, I
would release all of the songs as singles 😊, since each one has its own unique mood and sound. It’s hard to showcase
everything with just three singles, but I hope the audience enjoys them, or at
least gets curious about how the full album is going to sound.
10. Finally,
what do you hope listeners will take away from Tale of a Wandering Soul when
it releases on December 6th? Are there any particular moments or messages in
the album that you’re especially excited to share?
I’ve always
wanted to sound like myself, with my own style. I don’t really care about
modern trends, and I’m also not a fan of the current sound where almost every
band sounds the same with overly polished production. I just want to sound like
Asterise. In addition, I always try to draw inspiration from the
classics, particularly from Timo Tolkki’s early productions. I think he poured
a lot of emotion into his songs. I hope the audience will see Tale of a
Wandering Soul as something different—not a typical, catchy
verse-chorus-verse-bridge songs style album. Because of this, probably, some
people might not like it, but I hope I’ve been able to express some of my
emotions and share some unique elements with the audience and there will be
some who enjoy it.
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