Interview with: Lacrimas Profundere

For the interview in Spanish/ Para leer la entrevista en español: http://www.lahuelladigital.com/?p=10219

Interview with...

LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE: Out of Nowhere, going Somewhere

Rock and sad is how the German band Lacrimas Profundere describe their own music. Although it was initially formed as a band of doom metal with classical elements, the group created in 1993 by Oliver Schmid has transformed their music over the years.

It was in 2002 with the melancholic gothic rock album "Fall, I Will Follow" where they found their identity. Their latest album, released in April 2010, "The Grandiose Nowhere" is a demonstration of this unique blend of ballads and metal.

After several lineup changes, the group currently consists of lead guitarist and composer Oliver, Rob Vitacca on the microphone, Tony Berger as a second guitar, and Korl Fuhrmann on drums.

On the 10th of December Lacrimas Profundere played at the Temple of Metal Festival in Bilbao where we had the opportunity to talk to them and ask Oliver some questions.

Question (Q): Tell us about this latest album, The Grandiose Nowhere- What was your inspiration?

Answer (A): We did a tour last year in October, and after the tour we had some kind of burnt out, but the studio was booked and the flight for the producer was tight so we said ok, let’s go record it.

We send stuff via mail. I recorded my songs and send it to him, he put his vocals on it and for 6 months or so like this we built a demo together. After the tour, it was like a month on the road with Deathstars, Dopestars and Diary of Dreams, a very huge German band, and after this tour it was too much; too much of beers, too much of alcohol. And we said, hey, let’s do nothing for a year. But then we entered the studio recorded this album and this album throws a speck into the business in my opinion. Everybody loves the songs of the record, the whole band members.

Normally, if you record a CD you have your favorites. Normally what is your favorite is not the favorite of all the other members. One member says oh I like these 5 songs, I like these 3 songs, I don’t like this song blablabla. This was the first time in my life the band said hey, we love all the songs and that makes me a little bit proud.

If you produce an album the next thing is to put the songs in the right direction. Then the next thing is when the label says you have to shoot a video clip and asks you which song you would prefer. That’s the next fight in the band: I want this, and I want this, and in this record “the Letter” was the song the whole band said yes, that’s it.

The whole press came to the studio and listened to the CD for the first time and the guy that writes the review for the biggest German Goth magazine, came up to me after listening to “the Letter” patted me on the back and said “fantastic song. I like it.” There were so many people that loved the songs.

There were many first times on this album; first time the whole band doesn’t have to fight, first time everyone likes the videoclip, first time the whole band loves all the songs.

Q: A new start?

A: Not for the band because the people outside didn’t know that we hated each other [they all laugh].Perhaps it’s a new start, we’ll have to try and see how long it lasts.

Q: What was the best part of recording the album?

A: Someone says: Oli was not in the studio. [General laughter]

A: We recorded this album in parts and if you went to the studio you played your part and then you drove back home. But, if I sit at home and I know the other guys record their stuff it’s something like this, I have to call: [pretends to dial] -hey, hey what’s up?- and they say “no, no, no, not Oli again, hey, please let us work.- 20 minutes later, -hey guys please do this and this and that and that” – “ok we will do it”. and then, [pause] I’m sure that, [pause] This time he’s not my best friend anymore (referring to Rob) and we have fights together not with fists but with words. But at the end the result is the important part.

The best part of recording the CD… There is no best part because recording is hard work, I hate to record CD’s, but the best part is when you listen to the songs the first time, when they are finished in the studio and all the parts are together: the keyboards, the vocals and stuff like that and you get an idea how the songs work. And the next best part is always when the label sends us the finished product CD and it’s all new and exciting and you kiss it, smell it, [laughs].

Q: This is the last 2010 gig for the Grandiose Nowhwere, what are the plans for the future?

A: I have a family, two little kids and for me it’s very, very, good to celebrate Christmas and the holidays with my family without the band and stuff like that. There was one time we had a tour and we had a concert to play on the 25h of December. And I went home to my family and all the other stayed on Christmas day. I tried to go home to my family and it was drive with train from 2 o’clock in the morning to the next airport in Frankfurt. Then waiting, waiting, waiting to arrive in the airport at 4 and wait till 7 or 8 o’clock till the next plane left to Munich. But if you arrive in Munich I’m not at home. I have to wait ‘till the next train and about 2 hours later I arrive home. And I say hello to my wife, the children, to my parents, then you eat something and you say hey, I have to leave! We have a concert to play. This trip cost me about 25 hours and I stayed at home 3 hours. So this year it is so great that I don’t have to play any concerts or tour and can celebrate Christmas with my family and without stress.

Q: How about after the holidays? You guys had to cancel the tour in the US, are there any plans to go back to that?

A: We have a working visa that cost 2.500 dollars and this working visa runs till the end of August 2011 so we have to do a tour in the US till August otherwise all that money was for nothing.

Q: I read in an interview that as soon as you’re done recording an album you start working on another one. Are you already working on new songs?

A: Yes, I’m always composing songs. I have about 7-8 songs for the next album.

For this album I composed 40 songs and 30 songs were complete crap. But if you compose the song you don’t know it is crap, you like it, but 3 days later you play it and you’re like, what the fuck? You compose about 40 songs and then choose about 10 of them and send them to the other guys and if the other guys and depending whether they like them or not, then you have about 5 songs [to work with] and you continue like this. So it costs time and you have to start to compose a song soon after the recordings or it takes about 4 years until you release the next album.

Q: You came in September to Madrid and now Bilbao. What are your expectations for the Spanish market?

A: It is our first time in Bilbao, we hope, but we don’t know. In Madrid it was always great, and we played in Barcelona too, one time, two times. So it’s our first time in Bilbao. I don’t know, we hope that some people like it.

Q: Do you guys use the new technologies, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, etc?

A: We have to, you have to. At the moment we have Facebook, we have Reverbnation, Myspace.

Q: Do you think they have any use beyond being in touch with those that are already fans of the group?

A: Oli: I don’t know. How about you Rob?

A: Rob: They have use. Facebook is a great thing because you reach people in a short time. You can reach thousands of people with one post. At the moment Myspace doesn’t work very well because Facebook is so big. It’s a great thing. We’ll see how long it works.

Q: Any words for your fans and future listeners out there?

A: Hello. I am it. Be careful. Buy our album and make us rich and famous, please. Otherwise we will find you [laughs]. Thank you.

Bienvenidos al Templo del Metal en Bilbao/ Welcome to the Temple of Metal Festival in Bilbao

Bienvenidos al Templo del Metal

La ciudad de Bilbao celebró los días 10 y 11 de Diciembre su primer Festival en honor a la música metal.

“Corría un 17 de diciembre en la cola de AC/DC cuando vinieron a Bilbao. Hicimos cola desde las 8 de la tarde hasta las 3 del mediodía pero nos quedamos sin entrada. Y esa noche tan gélida nos juntamos unos cuantos que no nos conocíamos de nada y dijimos ¿cómo hacemos para solucionar estas cosas? ¿Y si hacemos una asociación metalera? Y así surgió la idea de hacer la asociación.”

Son las palabras de Iñaki Muñoz, uno de los creadores de la Asociación Temple of Metal. Asociados con el concurso de bandas locales Villa de Bilbao, la asociación se compromete todos los años a hacer un concierto, pero este año decidieron hacerlo a lo grande y crearon el primer festival Temple of Metal que tuvo lugar el pasado día 10 y 11 de Diciembre.

El Festival fue creado con la idea de dar a conocer a los grupos locales y además atraer a los fans del metal con dos cabezas de cartel de origen internacional. El sábado tocarían Darkness by Oath, Waldheim, In Loving Memory, y los italianos Theatre des Vampires como banda principal. Pero la inauguración del festival el viernes correría de mano de Evil Seeds, Dabelyu, Estampida y los alemanes Lacrimas Profundere.

Cualquier cosa que se haga por primera vez puede dar pie a fallos o imprevistos. Uno de los mayores contratiempos a los que tuvieron que hacer frente los coordinadores del Temple of Metal fue la repentina baja del grupo Evil Seeds. La organización supo actuar rápidamente y colocaron al grupo Rasen en lugar de Evil Seeds para abrir el festival.

Desconcertantes. Esa es la palabra que a uno le viene a la mente cuando ve a Rasen por primera vez. Cuatro chicos en el escenario, tres de ellos vestidos en su propio estilo y manera y una cuarta figura vestida de novia sangrienta que acapara toda la atención: Sei, el cantante. Mientras el resto del grupo permanecía inmóvil, centrándose en tocar, él se movía sin parar. Llegó incluso a bajarse más de una vez del escenario y pasearse entre el público a la vez que cantaba. Sin duda, todo un showman.

Rasen fue más que un espectáculo digno de ver. Los jóvenes músicos ofrecieron un sonido en el que se percibía una mezcla de influencias pero cuyo resultado era definitivamente acertado.

Tras este grupo novel, el death metal melódico de Dabelyu tomó control del escenario de la iglesia reformada en sala de conciertos. Inicialmente, al cantante, Ángel, apenas se le oía y la lírica de canciones como “Malas Pulgas” o “Vuela Lejos” se perdían entre los potentes acordes de los instrumentos. El problema se resolvió y la música de Dabelyu retumbo en una sala con una excelente acústica pero que desafortunadamente no completaba su aforo.

De repente, tras la finalización de Dabelyu, la sala se empezó a llenar. Con la llegada de los argentinos afincados en España, Estampida, el Temple of Metal Festival cobró vida. “Nuestras balas son los instrumentos”, declararon Estampida al salir al escenario vestidos de soldados.

Su crítica a la sociedad y la política no se quedo sólo en su intenso trash metal, sino que uno de los mejores momentos de su actuación fue cuando tras una pausa volvieron a tomar el escenario vestidos de religiosos. Cual buen Papa, Lucas Valenzuela, el cantante, bendijo a los fervientes asistentes, que por fin llenaban toda la sala.

Desgraciadamente, al igual que llegaron con Estampida medio público volvió a desaparecer con el fin de su actuación. No obstante, aún faltaban por tocar los cabeza de cartel de la noche, los alemanes Lacrimas Profundere.

Lacrimas Profundere pisaron el escenario con ganas y fuerzas, entonando la canción “Lips” de su último disco “The Grandiose Nowhere”. Con canciones como “We shouldn’t be here”, “Dear Amy” o “Be Mine in Tears” derrochaban energía. Pero exceptuando las primeras filas con algunos fans acérrimos del grupo, los asistentes escuchaban pero no participaba activamente. Puede ser que el cambio de trash metal a rock gótico fuese demasiado súbito, o que tantas horas de concierto sin ropero para dejar las cosas o sitio para comprar bebidas, acabaran por desinflar el espíritu del público.

La razón no estaba clara, pero Lacrimas Profundere lo siguieron intentando. Su rock gótico sonó con poderío y vigor durante un par de canciones más, pero por mucho que los músicos (sobre todo los guitarristas Tony y Oliver) intentaban arrancar los ánimos, la sala se mantenía pasmada.

Quizás la visible indisposición del cantante, Rob Vitacca, y que el público no acababa de reaccionar hizo que los ánimos del grupo se desinflaran perceptiblemente a medida que transcurría el concierto. El resultado fue una actuación de los Lacrimas Profundere breve y que no pasó de ser sencillamente correcta. Una verdadera pena considerando la cantidad de energía que la banda ha exhibido en otras actuaciones y que les hacen dignos de ser vistos en directo. No obstante, el grupo alemán demostró ser muy atentos con sus fans al salir a firmar y hacerse fotos con ellos al término del festival.

Aunque el viernes la sala no estuvo llena del todo, el equipo de la Asociación Temple of Metal logró poner en marcha un primer día de festival sin apenas incidencias.

El sábado era el turno de Darkness by Oath, Waldheim, In loving Memory, y Theatre des Vampires. Two Times M tuvo la oportunidad de escuchar el final del concierto del grupo Waldheim. La mezcla de la voz gutural de él y la melódica voz de ella recordaban a Draconian, y aunque el grupo se encontró con varias dificultades técnicas, es un grupo que suena bastante bien.

Sin embargo, la gran expectación de la noche estaba en la banda italiana Theatre des Vampires. El grupo liderado por la cantante, Sonya, puso en marcha un espectáculo. Desde sangre saliendo de su boca a libros quemados, pasando por cambios de vestuarios (aunque ella iba más bien ligera de ropa para regocijo del público masculino), y un poquito de ayuda del playback hicieron que su concierto fuera un excepcional final de el primer festival del Temple of Metal.

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Si la Asociación sigue este camino sin duda podría llegar a convertir el festival Temple of Metal en algo muy grande en un futuro. De momento, Iñaki nos asegura que “ya estamos trabajando para buscar algunas bandas para el año que viene y continuar.”

ENGLISH---------

Welcome to the Temple of Metal

The city of Bilbao, Spain hosted its first Temple of Metal Festival on December 10^th and 11^th

"It was December 17^th and we were in the queue to grab some AC/DC tickets for when they came to Bilbao. We were there from 8 pm to 3pm and we didn’t’ make it. So that chilly night, some of us got together and we said, how do we fix this sort of thing? How about we make a metal association? And so, 1 month later we did it.”

This is how Iñaki Muñoz, one of the creators of the Temple of Metal Association in Bilbao, Vasque Country, explains its creation.

Associated with the contest Villa de Bilbao, the organization does a concert each year, but this year they decided to make a grand event out of it and created the first Temple of Metal Festival which took place on December 10^th and 11^th.

The Temple of Metal Festival was created with the purpose of publizing local groups and attracting metal fans with the inclusion of two international headliners.

Evil Seeds, Dabelyu, Estampida and the German band Lacrimas Profundere were the ones in charge of ianugurating the festival.

However, things done a first time can always give way to unexpected mistakes or incidents. One of the largest set backs that the organizers had to face was the last minute drop out of the group Evil Seeds. Fortunately, they reacted quickly and replaced them with Rasen.

At first glance this group from Bilbao was puzzling. Four men on stage, three dressed in their own particular style and a fourth, the singer, dressed in a bloody white wedding gown.

The man dressed in white, Sei, is undoubtedly a showman. While the rest of the group stood motionless focusing on playing, he moved nonstop, jumped around and even stepped down from the stage and wandered between the audience, all the while singing. Songs like “Fire”, “Silent “ or “Tonight” displayed a mixture of influences, but overall a sound that sounded good.

Dabelyu came up next. Initially, the singer, Angel barely could be heard and the lyrics of songs like "Malas Pulgas” or “Vuela Lejos” could barely be heard among the potent chords of the instruments. However, once the problem was solved the group’s metal rumbled through a venue with an excellent acustic but that was unfortunately half-empty.

As their name suggested, there was a sudden stampede when the Argentinean (settled in Spain) group Estampida appeared. The Temple of Metal Festival came to life as the band dressed as soldiers cramped on stage and stated “our instruments are our bullets."
Criticisms of society and the world around us did not stay there. After disappearing for a few minutes the band came back on stage accompanied by two monks and dressed as religious icons. The singer dressed as the pope blessed all the attendees and continued playing a powerful trash metal which was fervently received by the crowd. Unfortunately, after Estampida left the ancient church turned into concert venue once again became half empty.

However, the headlining band of the night, Lacrimas Profundere, still had to play. The group took the stage with force, singing “Lips” from their latest album "The Grandiose Nowhere." Songs like "We shouldn’t be here”, “Dear Amy” or “Be Mine in Tears” were full of energy but except for some die-hard fans at the front row, the rest of the room remained impassive. Guitarists Tony and Oliver didn’t give up and demonstrated their skill while trying to encourage the audience.

Perhaps the visible indisposition of singer Rob Vitacca (although he tried his best introducing songs, animating the boys and girls to scream…) along with the fact that crowd didn’t seem to find it in them to react (maybe the change from Trash metal to Goth metal had been too much for the viewers) made the group’s energy die down as the concert progressed. The result was a brief and correct concert on behalf of Lacrimas Profundere. A real shame considering the amount of energy the band has displayed in other concerts and which make them well worth while to see live. Nonetheless, after the show the german group demonstrated their attentivness with the fans and came out to sign, take pictures and talk with the audience.

Just as fast as it had started the first day of the festival was over and though the venue was never totally full, the team from the Association managed to launch a successful first night of a festival.

On Saturday it was the turn of Darkness by Oath, Waldheim, In loving Memory, and Theatre des Vampires to play. Two Times M had the chance of hearing the end of Waldheim’s concert. The mixture of male guttural vocals with melodic female vocals reminisced of Draconian. Although the band had several palpable technical difficulties their music seems worth a try.

However, the great expectation for the night was the Italian band Theatre des Vampires. The band led by singer Sonya puts on a great spectacle. From blood spurting from her mouth, to a burning book, or several costume changes (although she was scantly dressed which was definitely an asset for the male audience), along with the help of a little playback made the concert an exceptional final act for the first Temple of Metal Festival.

Without a doubt if the Association keeps working hard and continues on this path, The Temple of Metal Festival could become something big in the metal circles. For now though Iñaki assures us: "we are already working to bring groups next year and continue."

I Spain Gothic Festival/Primer Festival Gótico de España

I Spain Gothic Festival

Primer Festival Gótico de España: Madrid se oscurece

Nada es perfecto la primera vez que se hace. El I Spain Gothic Festival definitivamente no lo fue, aunque el tiempo, lluvioso y gris, parecía acompañar el ambiente siniestro.

Cuando Two Times M llegó al recinto a eso de las 19:45 de la tarde se encontró con una sala sorprendentemente vacía. Quizás el hecho de que Lacuna Coil tocará ese mismo día en la Riviera tuviera algo que ver, o quizás la gente simplemente no estaba interesada en los grupos de ese día. Eso parecía pues los pocos asistentes estaban bastante más pendientes de hablar entre ellos que de lo que ocurría en el escenario. Es más, el público incluso parecía haberse marcado una barrera invisible entre el escenario y ellos. Era como si la cosa no fuera con ellos.

Sea como fuera, los grupos a los que tuvimos el privilegio de ver, intentaron dar lo máximo de sí mismos. Al llegar, nos encontramos con The CureProject, los cuales aunque hicieron el esfuerzo, no pudieron tocar nada. Tal y como nos explicó la organización a los pocos minutos de una actuación bastante fallida, les habían robado todo el material en el aeropuerto de Italia. El público se lo tomó con comprensión y tras un aplauso, siguió a lo suyo.

The CureProject

A los pocos minutos Ahráyeph ya habían montado sus cosas. El público algo más interesado se acerco al escenario, pero aún así siguieron dejando ese misterioso espacio. Aunque los asistentes estaban divididos entre aquellos claramente entregados al grupo y su música y los indiferentes, Ahráyeph lo dio todo de sí, y logró animar bastante la sala.

Ahráyeph

A medida que la actuación de Ahráyeph llegaba a su final, la sala empezaba a llenarse. Estaba claro que el mayor interés del día 17 de Septiembre estaba puesto en el grupo alemán Qntal. Como prueba de ello, tras finalizar Ahráyeph la multitud se abalanzó a buscar un hueco delante del escenario. En algo menos de medio hora, Qntal ya tenía montado sus instrumentos. Una organizadora salió para agradecernos nuestra presencia y pedirnos de parte de Syrah, la cantante de Qntal, que por favor no se fumara durante la actuación. Cosa que no se cumplió del todo, incluso por parte del equipo técnico de la organización.

Qntal

Con una sala bastante más llena pero sin llegar al aforo completo, el grupo salió a escena y arrancó con los acordes de “Translucida”. Desde el comienzo el grupo se entregó al máximo. Pudimos apreciar no sólo el gran nivel de compenetración entre ellos, con bromas, sonrisas furtivas, y bailes entre Syrah y Mariko (la violinista y corista) sino también la entrega del público, el cuál no dejaba de moverse y corear como buenamente podían las letras de Qntal.

Tanto Syrah como Michael Popp, se lanzaron a hablar español. Popp que confesó que era la primera vez que hablaba castellano en público incluso dio una pequeña lección de historia en lo referente a lo gótico. El repertorio fue variado con canciones como “Departir”, “Entre Moi et Mon Ami” (la favorita de Syrah, según nos contaron), “Flamma”, o “Palestinalied”. No falto “Ad Mortem Festinamus” que se llevó una gran ovación por parte de los asistentes.

Desgraciadamente, la sala decidió echarnos a dos canciones de finalizar el concierto. Tocaron una, pero claramente disgustado, Fil, intentó convencer a los organizadores que les dejaran tocar al menos una más. ¡Lo consiguieron! Tocaron “Veni” y pusieron un fin apoteósico a un Festival que de momento se había presentado como poca cosa, pero que prometía al día siguiente ser mucho más.

El Sábado día 18 de Septiembre, con un tiempo todavía inestable, Two Times M se presentó en la Sala Penélope, Madrid, también sobre las 19:40. El local estaba bastante más lleno que el día anterior. Al poco tiempo de nuestra llegada, comenzaron a tocar Merciful Nuns. Aunque las máquinas de humo a veces no dejaban ver al grupo, el público estaba bastante entregado a la actuación.

Merciful Nuns

Seguidamente, subieron al escenario los alemanes Lacrimas Profundere. Empezaron saltando con “We shouldn’t be here”; seguido de “Be Mine in Tears”. Rob Vitacca, el cantante, se mostró bastante taciturno al principio ocultando sus ojos detrás de unas gafas de sol, pero al poco, libre de gafas y chaqueta, brindaba con el público y daba las gracias tras tocar canciones como “My little fear”, “The Letter”, “My Mescaline”, “Ave End” o “A Pearl”. Al margen de las máquinas de humo que no dejaban ver el escenario y estaban sofocando a los asistentes (y seguramente al grupo también), el corto concierto de los Lacrimas Profundere estuvo bien, pues aunque las primeras filas estaban rendidas a los encantos de los alemanes, se podía apreciar que muchos de los asistentes tenían ganas de ver a Diary of Dreams. Quizás por esa razón, Two Times M, encuentra que Lacrimas Profundere no lo dio todo de sí como podría haber hecho.

Lacrimas Profundere

Afortunadamente, tras la actuación de los Lacrimas, y tras la insistencia de la primera fila, la organización desvió las máquinas de humo. Aún más gente pareció llenar la sala ante la inminente salida de Diary of Dreams. El concierto se quedo corto. Adrian Hates y compañía comenzaron a tocar alrededor de las 22:45 y finalizaron antes de las doce de la noche. Sin embargo, fue intenso. El público estaba rendido a los pies de Adrian, Gaun:A, Flex, Torben y D.N.S. De un lado para otro, invitando a los asistentes a corear canciones como: “The Wedding”, “She and her Darkness”, “Kindrom” o “HypoCryptickAl”. Un bis compuesto por “The Curse” y “Amok”, puso el broche final con una velada casi perfecta.

Cabe mencionar, que en ambos días, es una pena que tras los conciertos se diera tan poco tiempo para comprar merchandising. Apenas salían los grupos del escenario que la sala ya nos estaba echando. Por lo demás, en general, esperamos con ansias que el año que viene podamos tener un Spain Gothic Festival II.

Diary of Dreams

ENGLISH

I Spain Gothic Festival: The Darkness takes over

Nothing is perfect at first. The I Spain Gothic Festival definitely was not, although the weather, rainy and grey, seemed to make for the perfect atmosphere.

Two Times M arrived at the premises at about 19:45 pm and found a surprisingly empty room. Perhaps the fact that Lacuna Coil was playing that day in the Riviera had something to do, or maybe people just were not interested in the groups playing that day. As a matter a fact, it seemed people were much more interested in talking to each other than paying attention to what was going on at the stage. Moreover, the public marked an invisible barrier between the stage and themselves. It was as if the whole concert had nothing to do with them.

Whatever the case, the groups which we had the privilege of seeing, tried to make the most of themselves. Upon arrival, we found The CureProject on stage. Although they made an effort, they could not play anything. The organization explained after a few minutes of unsuccessful trying that the group’s material had all been stolen in the Italian Airport. The audience took it with understanding and after a round of applause, kept to his own.

A few minutes later Ahráyeph had mounted their stuff. The public, showing more interest approached the stage, but still continued to leave this mysterious space in between. Although the participants were clearly divided between those surrendering to the group and their music and the indifferent, Ahráyeph gave the best of themselves and uplifted the environment.

As Ahráyeph’s show drew to a close, the room began to fill. It was clear that the interest of the September 17^th shows was on the German group Qntal. As proof, after Ahráyeph left the stage, the crowd rushed to find a space in front of it. In less than half an hour, Qntal already had assembled their instruments. An organizer came to thank us and ask us from Syrah, Qntal singer, behalf to please not smoke during the performance. All, including the technicians, did not meet this requirement.

With an almost full room, the group took the stage and began strumming the chords to "Translucent". From the beginning of the show Qntal gave their all. We were able to assess not only the high level of rapport between them, with jokes, furtive smiles and dances between Syrah and Mariko (the violinist and backing vocalist) but also the commitment of the public, which kept moving and chanting Qntal’s lyrics as best they could.
Both Michael Popp and Syrah, had a shot at speaking in Spanish. Popp confessed that it was the first time he spoke publicly in Spanish and even gave a little history lesson regarding the Gothic roots. The repertoire was varied with songs like "Departed," "Entre Moi et Mon Ami" (a favorite of Syrah, as we were told), "Flamma" or "Palestinalied." They did not miss out on "Ad Mortem Festinamus" which gained a standing ovation by the audience.

Unfortunately, the Venue’s organization decided to kick us out two songs away from the end of the concert. They allowed Qntal to play one more. However, clearly upset, Fil, was able to convince them to let them play another one. “Veni” put a great finale to a Festival which promised to be much more the following day.

On Saturday September 18th with still unstable weather, Two Times M arrived at Sala Penélope, Madrid around 19:40pm. The place was much more crowded than the previous day. Shortly after our arrival, Merciful Nuns began to play. Although smoke machines sometimes did not allow us to see the band, the audience was devoted to the performance.

Soon after, the Germans Lacrimas Profundere took the stage. They began their act with an energizing "We Shouldn’t be here" followed by "Be Mine in Tears." Rob Vitacca, the singer, was rather taciturn at first hiding his eyes behind sunglasses, but soon, free of glasses and jacket, he cheered with the public and thanked everyone after great songs like "My little fear" "The Letter", "My Mescaline", "Ave End" or "A Pearl". Apart from the annoying smoke machines which did not permit us to see the stage and were suffocating attendees (and probably the group too), the Lacrimas Profundere concert was short but good. For although the front rows had surrendered to the charms of the Germans , it was clear that many participants were keen to see Diary of Dreams. Perhaps for that reason, Two Times M, thought that Lacrimas Profundere could have given a whole lot more.

Fortunately, after the performance of Lacrimas, and the insistence of the first row, the organization turned the smoke machines around. More people seemed to fill the room with the imminent release of Diary of Dreams. The concert was brief. Adrian Hates and company began playing around 22:45 and ended before midnight. However, it was intense. The public totally surrendered at the mercy of Adrian, Gaun: A, Flex, Torben, and D.N.S. Adrian moved from side to side, inviting the audience to chant along with him songs like "The Wedding", "She And Her Darkness", "Kindrom" or "HypoCryptickAl." An encore consisting of "The Curse" and "Amok”, put the finishing touch to an almost perfect evening.

It is worth mentioning that on both days, it is unfortunate that after the concerts the audience was given so little time to shop for merchandising, for we were thrown out almost as soon as the last group abandoned the stage. Nonetheless, we look forward to next year and having a II Spain Gothic Festival.

Diary of Dreams

Madrid Musical / Musical Madrid: Spain Gothic Festival

Spain Gothic Festival: el primer festival de música gótica de Madrid

Este otoño la temporada de conciertos viene con fuerza. A partir de Septiembre y sólo hasta Diciembre esperamos la visita de: Lacuna Coil, Apocalyptica, Dark Tranquility, Madrid is the Dark Fest, Alice Cooper, Therion, Finntroll y 30 Seconds to Mars entre muchos otros.

Para ir abriendo boca el próximo viernes día 17 de Septiembre se inaugura el Primer Festival Gótico de España: “I Spain Gothic Festival”. Con un impresionante y variado cartel, el festival se celebra a partir de las 16:00 de la tarde en la Sala Penélope, en Madrid (Calle Hilarión Eslava 36- Metro Moncloa).

Los días 17 y 18 de Septiembre Qntal, Angels & Agony, Madre del Vizio, Lacrimas Profundere, Cureproject, Date at Midnight, Love in Cage, Der Blaue Reiter, Opera Glases, Zeitgeistzero, Los carniceros del Norte, Endless Asylum y Diary of Dreams entre otros convertirán a Madrid en un verdadero tributo a lo gótico.

Las entradas se pueden comprar en varios establecimientos como http://www.ticktackticket.com/ , 666 Club, Rara Avis store…por 30euros para la sesión de un día, y 50euros el abono de los dos días. Los horarios concretos de cada actuación se publicaran la semana próxima.

Para más información: http://www.myspace.com/spaingothicfestival

English:

Spain Gothic Festival: Madrid celebrates its first gothic music festival

This fall concert season is arriving with vehemence. From September through December only, Spain is expecting visits from: Lacuna Coil, Apocalyptica, Dark Tranquility, Madrid is the Dark Fest, Alice Cooper, Therion, Finntroll and 30 Seconds to Mars among many others.


For starters, next Friday September 17th the first Gothic Festival in Spain will take place: "I Spain Gothic Festival." With an impressive and varied line-up, the festival is held from 16:00 pm in Sala Penélope, in Madrid (Calle Hilarión Eslava 36 - Metro Moncloa).


On September 17th and 18th Qntal, Angels & Agony, Mother of the Vizio, Lacrimas Profundere, Cureproject, Date at Midnight, Love in Cage, Der Blaue Reiter, Opera Glaser, Zeitgeistzero, Northern Butchers, Endless Asylum and Diary of Dreams, among others will turn Madrid into a true tribute to the Gothic culture.

Tickets can be bought in various stores: http://www.ticktackticket.com/, 666 Club, Rara Avis store ... 30 euros for one-day, and 50euros for both days. The specific times of each performance will be published next week.


For more information: http://www.myspace.com/spaingothicfestival