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Back in 2005, after Section X was out I had a little interview with Finn Zierler and everything seemed to be ok between you two. Sometime after I found that you were out of the band with some controversy, Can you tell us anything about this or do you prefer to leave it in the past?
My reason for leaving Beyond Twilight was due to the way things were handled on both a personal and professional level. It was hard to walk away from such great music but it just wasn't possible for me to stay any longer.
As for this "controversy" you speak of…
Emotions run high when someone decides to leave a band and there can be a bit of break-up drama ( in this case on the internet)… but because I believe that the music we made together is sacred and very special I decided not to be involved in any mudslinging or name calling back and forth through the media… it's a disservice to the fans and only detracts from what we create, so I held my tongue and moved one.
If anyone is really curious about the split...they only need to ask one question: " Why must a new singer be found for every album Beyond Twilight records?" I think this pattern speaks louder than words.
The next year Outworld's first release was out and in these songs we can hear how powerful your voice is. However, we see you out of the band now. Not long ago I talked with Rusty in Outworld's messageboard and he said that you where one of his favorites singers, but you just can't work together anymore. We know almost nothing about the reasons why you are out of Outworld, could you tell us anything?
Thanks for the kind words J…I had felt dissatisfied and a bit limited in Outworld for some time. Although I think some of the things we did together were really good… it seemed that there was almost no opportunity to sing melodic lines and explore a broader emotional expression there. After working with Beyond Twilight I realized that I crave a really diverse music…a place where I can use my entire voice. After so many years together and so little to show for it… no future plans for touring or any of the things that might push the band to the next level…their ultimatum of "No Side Projects Period" was the last straw for me.
In the end- I couldn't with good conscience turn down other more fulfilling opportunities to stay in a band I had lost passion for…It was the right time to close that chapter and get on to the next.
Section X is one of the best 10 albums I heard in the last five years (the same goes to Outworld). If I must be sincere I noticed about Beyond Twilight by searching for Jorn Lande's stuff (I love his voice) and after hearing The Devil's Hall Of Fame I decided to get Section X, thinking that the new vocalist will not be as good as Jorn, I hear you and now I think your at least as good as him. How did you go on with the responsibility of replacing Jorn? How did you feel?
Actually- The Devil's Hall of Fame was the first recording I had ever heard of Jorn…needless to say I was very impressed by him...he is quite easily one of the best rock/metal vocalists in the world. So-When I learned that I would replace him in Beyond Twilight I was both excited and a little daunted by what fans and critics might think of an unknown guy stepping into such big shoes.
I remember walking into Tommy Hansen's Jailhouse Studio and seeing all the gold Helloween records hanging on the wall and thinking WOW!…"is this really happening to me ?" ...then Tommy turned to me and said in sort of a creepy voice…"You got a lot to live up to Kelly"...then I remember thinking Holy S*t!!!.. this IS really happening to me!! ha ha!!
But in the end all you can do is be yourself, give it everything you have and hope people will give it a listen before making up their minds.
One of the things I'm most impressed by is the ability you have to manage all those rhythm changes. Lots of singers have huge problems with this but in Outworld we could see that for you it seems to be something almost natural, did you spend a long time working on this or is something innate?
Well-I guess it was pretty natural but we had been together for quite a long time so the weird changes and such were just part of the songs to me.
If I must choose a song with your voice I would go with "City Of The Dead" without any doubt, I think you did your best in this song. What do you think? If you must choose one, which would be?
City of the Dead was one of the first songs we wrote as a band…I really like it's dramatic build up…though I think the performances on the demo version are far superior to the album version…
My favorite song on the Outworld album is probably I Thanatos… it's about how a young boy becomes a serial killer through the pain, cruelty and isolation of adolescence… everything about that song is skewed and warped… all of the performances there paint a picture of sickness and violence you might expect from the mind of such a character.
I'm going to name you some musicians and you must define them in only One word (two at most):
Bruce Dickinson: Fearless
Stephan Forte: Amazing
Rusty Cooley: Relentless
Finn Zierler: Talented
Arjen Lucassen: Inspirational
An Idol?
If I had an idol it would have to be Ronnie James Dio…he has it all...one of the single greatest voices in the world. He has power, range and incredible emotional reach. His lyrics and melodies are superb…for me Dio is the true King of Metal!!!
Before a show, How do you prepare your voice?
I do some stretches and a few scales etc to wake up the voice…make sure I'm hydrated and most importantly …get good rest the night before.
I know you're preparing a new project with Alan DeLeon which is called Desert Of the Real, Can you tell us something about it?
Is there any confirmation of who is going to be in this project?
Well the Desert of the Real project is on hold for a while...I can't say when it will happen but I'm sure we will do something in the future.
Best album ever ?
Hhhmmmm?…now that's a really difficult one…Heaven and Hell…Piece of Mind…Holy Diver…Master of Puppets…Operation Mindcrime… and that's not counting The Beatles '-)...too many great albums out there…
As far as I Know, you're in contact with Arjen Lucassen, would we see you working together soon?
You could say that…He and I have emailed each other a few times…I think what he does is brilliant, I love the theatrical vibe he creates and the big melting pot of influences he draws from. Of course!! I would really like to work with him in the future... we'll see!!!
Apart from (Desert of The real), have you got any other project by now?
…I do have a full album finished and some projects on the horizon but unfortunately I can't give any details on who is involved until everything is in place.
How old you were when you started to sing?
I started singing when I was about 18 years old…the day I heard Geoff Tate on Operation Mindcrime…something in me woke up …I knew what I wanted to do with my life!!
In "Shadow Self" and "The Grey Tide" you did a really good job, those are two very difficult songs. Tell us something about how the recording of each one was.
Thanks-
Because of the time pressures and other factors the Section X recordings are sort of a blur…I remember Finn and myself writing the lyrics to Shadow Self while in the studio…recording the vocals for it …getting about one hour of sleep and driving to Copenhagen to shoot the video for Shadow Self. The last vocal session for Section X lasted over 18hrs…somebody call Guinness Book!!
The Outworld recordings were done at Spyder Studio with Greg Gill who is now partners with Bobby Blotzer of Ratt at Diamond Recording here in the US. Greg is really great to work with…he's easy going, fast working and has a great ear, so it was a very natural process there. Most of the vocal work on the Outworld album is quite over the top and requires a lot of energy to perform… so -lots of blood and sweat on that record!! Grey Tide is one of my favorites as well…it was originally called Concentration Camp and is about what terrible things can happen when the masses are manipulated by politicians through fear and patriotism…sound familiar?
Do you prefer to compose your own lines or do you prefer someone to tell you how to do your part?
For the most part I really enjoy writing my own melodies and lyrics but if someone else comes up with something good I'm always open to it. In Outworld I wrote all of the melodies and lyrics. In Beyond Twilight I wrote a good amount of the melodies and lyrics but some things were already thought out… Ideally- I think a song is best served when you have more than one perspective to draw from.
Who is the best musician you worked with?
So far I would have to say Finn and the guys from Beyond Twilight…incredible talent there.
If you have to name someone to work with for a hypothetical new album, who will he/she be?
Tony Iommi and Black Sabbath for sure!!! That would be the dream of a lifetime!!!
¿Beyond Twilight or Outworld?
I prefer my work with Beyond Twilight… Section X is very powerful- it's got a lot of soul and has that theatrical atmosphere I really enjoy. The music is very organic and is in harmony with the vocals… lots of room for exploration there…
Outworld was quite different…the music there was very cold and technical…it was sometimes difficult to put melody into it…so I set out to do the most extreme vocals I could without doing any guttural stuff which I think is a bit overdone today. I think it's a strong album with a very unique sound.
Well, now a very important question, Could we see you on tour in Spain in a near future?
I really hope so!! One of the best things about being in music is that you get to see the world…so I really look forward to the opportunity to sing for the metal heads in Spain!!
A short time ago you were in Japan for some shows with Adagio, Is it possible to hear you on the new Adagio album? A duet between Gus and you could be awesome.
It was a real honor to be asked to step in for the Japanese tour with Adagio…they are all such cool guys-not to mention what an incredible great band they are…the Japanese fans were very good to us and Korpiklaani was a blast to hang out with…
It would be fun to do a guest vocal with Gus…you never know!!
Surely there are some starting singers looking at you as some kind of reference, what would you tell them?
I would say to anyone starting out …take care of your voice and go through the paces of building it up properly…I have had both classical and contemporary training…for me contemporary training made more sense…for you it may be something different . Also… stay tough and keep your chin up…there are a lot of disappointments in this business and you are gonna get knocked down a lot, just keep getting up and moving forward no matter what anyone says…Believe in yourself, not in what others say or think about you.
It seems that there are appearing a lot of new prog metal bands, Do you think that the style is having a good moment?
Yeah-I think it's great...there are a lot of good prog metal bands coming out…it would be nice to see the genre get the attention it deserves.
If I told you that you're probably one of the top ten singers nowadays, what would you tell me?
Well- I would say that the money I paid you to say that was well spent…just kidding!!
But seriously…it's very nice to hear such a statement but I feel that I am just beginning to show what I am capable of…so I look forward to more opportunities to live up to that sort of praise.
If you couldn't sing anymore, what would you like to do in your life?
If I couldn't sing...I don't know what would happen to me… but perhaps I would do some sculpting...I really enjoy this when I get the chance.
And last, some words for the fans.
Nothing is possible without your support…so from the bottom of my heart…THANK YOU!!!!
3:19 AM
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