“The Soul that never Dies“

Let’s talk about each band members, beginning with female voc Pay. You are studying operistic music? But your singing in SERAPHIM does not sound like the typical opera stuff as I know it from TV…

P: Yes, my main subject is opera. I know what you mean, but I think its mainly caused by the use of micro. The technique of singing is generally the same but only without the high volume like in opera singings because I am use the micro and have to keep it low otherwise it would hurt (the box and the listeners).

Don’t you ever consider the more normal kind or the rock kind of singing?

K: That would be too cute (laughing)…

P: Because it was set for me to sing this way from the beginning of songwriting, besides I think it wont hurt my voice this way.

When did you get in touch with rock/metal music the first time?

P: You know, I was grown up with classic music education. I finished my studies at Taipei Art University and now I do further music studying at Leipzig University in Germany. I didn’t get in touch with rock/metal until Kessier asked me to join his band. I just want to have a try, thought it would be funny.

How does it come that you met him?

P: A lot of people doing records are coming to the our university and ask students for help to do some recordings for bridges or parts. Then I was doing those recording sessions in Kessiers Studio (Sahara Studios), where he heard my voice the first time. He found it was quiet suitable for his band, so he asked me to join in. It was just fun for me in the beginning, I just want to come out and play. Then I let me head into these stuffs I never get known of, in the end I find out that the more I listen the more I like it. Heavy Metal and Classical Music have both a lot in common, seems like both are some complicated, thought full, deeper music that presentat ones inner feelings, not like commercial pop songs, always about the simple loving thing. I think heavy metal has a lot different levels, many apperances are very similar to classic music. At that time, just to be honest, I really first get into these after I joint the band. Then gave me self a lot of pressure, haha, to listen a lot … then the more I listen, the more I like it.

I learnt that your special fave is EDGUY, who else do you like?

P: Haha … not that special. All are quiet similar to us. I like NIGHTWISH a lot. Then bands like TO DIE FOR. I am now studying in Germany, so I have many opportunities to get know more about these bands. Like the last 3 months I listened a lot, beside EDGUY I also like LACRIMOSA or HEAVENLY.

You named NIGHTWISH, a lot of chinese fans are thinking that you are very similar to them. How do you see this?

K: Me personally, I don’t think so. Because I think their style is also very special. Maybe because of the classic alike style and the comfortable kind of music, they will use a lot of keyboards in according to the female voc. We don’t have that much keyboard parts, the main part are the guitars. So maybe we are sounding little bit harder and not that similar to them. I think the voc of NIGHTWISH is more high pitched, more like power metal and not operistic, so in according to their music I think this kind of strength is quiet good, my own opinion.

Do you think its difficult to combine operistic voc with metal music?

P: I didn’t notice any difficulties. But it’s up to the listeners. We also have a male 2nd voc arrange the rawness of metal feeling.

The Angel and the Devil feeling?

P: Yes, just for more variety.

The female voc is studying in Germany, how do you practise then?

P: There are a lot of vacations. Like two weeks at Christmas, but I only come back for gigs. Then vacation in February I will be back again. So over the whole year I will go back many times. Then we can practise, doing recording sessions or play some gigs. The mean time while I am away they will work on new songs.

That is still to few time for such a professional band like yours. Don’t you need that much practice?

K: Because she is a fast learner, so for her it is the same if you do any practicing or not. She doesn’t cause any problem, her performances are always alright. We are the ones who maybe need more practice. So the rest of the band will spend more time together to solve this matter.

P: In fact, I just need to go through the songs few times then I will be ready for the stage.

K: Yes, she doesn’t have any problems with that.

Do you have many gigs in Taiwan?

K: Mainly during the promotion time. That was the last year short after the release of our debut.

P: Then they began with new songs, preparing for the 2nd album. They also did one new track for the compilation CD “Metal Treasure Attic” Vol. 2, which is also completely produced by Kessier. A kind of support for Taiwan Metal developments…

You also played some gigs in Mainland China, right?

J: First in KunMing before we moved north to Beijing, feels ready great, the whole show was hot like hell.

You also did some jam sessions with local musicians in Beijing?

K: Yes, Simon and Dan were on stage with them…

Simon: It was quiet nice that the people from two different places get in touch in this way, all in the same manner.

From webzines and sites we can see that the Taiwan Underground has grown a lot in the last few years. Tell us something about the situation in Taiwan for metal music.

K: As a matter of fact there are not that many metal bands in Taiwan. There more punks and others, you can count up the number of real metal bands by your fingers. Their only way is maybe to play in clubs and bars or do any efforts for any opportunities. Maybe not exactly the same like us.

Which styles are they of?

Dan: all styles are offered I think.

Mainly normal heavy metal or more death/black?

D: both, but all not very much.

You are also playing in other bands before SERAPHIM, right? Which kind of style were those of?

K: Jax and me, we were both in a speed metal band called FIRE DANCE.

FIRE DANCE were also included in the compilation CD “Metal Treasure Attic” Vol. 1?

K: Yes, short after we broke off and I discovered Pays voice.

D: That time, we were all in different bands.

Who of you was former member of the legendary metal act ASSISSIN?

J: Kessier was one of the founding members!

Really? ASSISSIN is quiet famous in Chinese speaking areas with their album “My Home is a Zoo”. We have also heard that your drummer has learnt this skills and techniques at an American drum school … do you see any difference between Taiwan and for musicians to play or learn?

S: In fact, Taiwan is quiet up-to-date with the international stand, the teaching materials are very similar. I was in Hollywood, there are a lot of artists in there, I went to there for further developments. I also visited many concerts. In the school there will be really skilled musicians giving lectures once in a certain time. Live performances each week, a lot of opportunities to look and learn.

Are there many those schools for music instrument playing skills?

S: Mainly Guitar Shops or instrument stores. Selling and teaching the same time.

Are there many fans doing bands?

K: Quiet a lot, its quiet usual. But mostly Rap and stuff, really metal stuff are still few.

S: There is a Award called Goldensong Awards each year in Taiwan having section for best band awards, getting more attention over the years in musician circles.

You double bass drum blasts are pumping really fast. That is not quiet usual for Chinese Bands, especially for bands from mainland. But in our interview with US/EU-Bands asking about this matter, all the drummers say that this is not a question of body condition but of practice…

S: Yes, they are quiet right with it.

You are also a Chinese and not that strong looking like US-musicians. Do you have any advises how to practice?

S: Jogging is not bad, because the drumming needs breathing conditions. Breathing condition is the most important thing because playing drums is a long run, especially for the tight speed parts its quiet good for your conditions, but every one has different ways.

K: In fact he is quiet well build, too. Only because it’s a bit cold here in the north and he is wearing some more clothes so you can’t see his muscles. (laugh)

S: Some arm muscule training is also usefull.

Do you have any special reason that you are playing nearly always that fast?

K: That’s our superiority, haha! (big laughter)

P: Taiwan people are all very impatient, haha.

We also notice some keyboard parts in your songs, not bad. Never considered to hire an steady keyboard player into the band?

K: I don’t think so because the band with 5 members is already well filled. Because many stages are very small, if you have 6 members in a band, first of all you will have more equipments, the other thing is that maybe won’t have enough place to stand any more. That will cause too much problems.

J: We will ask for some guest musicians if we have the need.

K: In fact Pay plays piano quiet well, too. Unfortunedly we don’t need so much keyboards.

GAMMA RAY for example is re-issued by Magnum Rec. in Taiwan, where you are under contract too. Does Magnum Rec. have any world wide distribution ambitions for its Taiwan Bands?

May (PR Manager): It just getting started now for SERAPHIM. They will release an English Version of their debut. It will come out around April in 8 Countries out side Taiwan. The main publisher is the Spanish label Arise Rec.

Oh, that’s really great. As far as I know none of the Chinese bands has been ever published on the US/EU market yet.

K: In fact our music is just like the kind of european metal stuffs in the moment. No matter if it comes to operistic singing or the back ground music, all is quiet similar to them. The engenear from Finvox also told us as we were doing the mastering there, beside the Chinese lyrics that he can’t understand, every thing else is not much different to the bands that they are producing. Hins compliment gave us a lot self confidence. He said if there is any opportunity to come out in EU we should not think twice, he think the EU Fans will like our music as well. So we told our label Chief Simon Wang about that. He was quiet interested and wanted to give a try. The response from European labels are great, too. They only didn’t understand the lyrics, so they gave us the request to make an English version of it.

D: Yes, because the massage that Kessier brought back was a prove that our music and technical ability are on the same level for the international scene, that is a huge support for us.

J: Yeah, that is a big encouraging thing for us!

How was your trip to Finnvox in Finland, Kessier?

K: It was cool. But their studio was very old. Build in the year 1965, I viewed all rooms. Then I met their boss and he took me on a little tour to see the whole equipment stuffs. Actually their equipments aren’t that good, but their staff was very skilled guys in their profession. And they all like this kind of music. Like the guy who was responsible for our mastering, he has been doing this for 17 years now. He did such jobs like for EDGUY etc so he was the right guy for us.

Now, a lot of bands just sound the same after recording, then they find an experienced producer doing the mix and you will get a totally different feeling of the music after the mix was done. Does your music also sound different after the whole production thing?

K: theoretically the difference should be quiet a lot. But our album was produced all in our own studio in Taiwan including the mix. So, only the mastering was done at Finnvox.

(Kessie has studied recording technique in Canada)

Please introduce us your equipments…

D: I normally like to play on a BC Rich guitars, I have a Warlock special edition made in US, I didn’t brought it with me this time because the guitar case was too big. What I am using tonight is a special editional Jackson SL-1. I also use T C Electronic effector and Mesa Boogie Boxes.

K: I only use J-Custom guitars from Ibanez, effectors and boxes are also T C Electronic and Mesa Boogie.

J: I am playing an Spector bass guitar and Ampeg boxes.

S: I use costumized DW drums and doppel bass drums.

Not bad indeed, you can get all this stuff in Taiwan? You know it’s hard for the mainland kids to get good equipments…

K: Well, only a part of it. Mainly are ordered from US or we bring something back from Japan.

D: Qualified equipments are very important for us. Every time we do some gigs we always try to bring all the needed equipments with us. On this trip to the mainland we’ve got a lot problems with our over weighted luggage.

If you want to push a band in the US/EU you will have to do a lot busy tours, do you have any plans due to this?

J: If that is necessary…

P: That depends on more tight cooperations.

Are you finished with the English edition of your album?

P: Yes, all are done.

Will there be any difference in the melody line of your singing?

P: no, the music is all the same, in some parts the rhythm of my singing may differ a little because it is a totally different language. But it remained mainly the same.

Who wrote the lyrics?

P: Kessier is responsible for all music and lyrics.

How do you write a song? Lyrics and music what comes first?

K: It differs, cause I don’t have a routine set up in this. It’s just like I have time today so I work on a song. I just do what I feel like to do. When I got to the half of a song I will know how it shall sound like. Then you will have to consider every members taking part in it and slowly work it out.

When I am finished we will do rehearsals to get an clue how it sounds like and discuss about it, if the other ones has any better ideas.

Don’t other members taking part of the songwriting?

K: They do. Like the drum parts. I will tell Simon how I feel about how the song shall sound like and ask him for his opinion. He will make his own thoughts and show me his ideas on his drum set or he just tell me what he would do to this song. A song is maybe done in such kind of arrangements, step by step, part for part. Then we rehearsal again to see if there still are any thing unsuitable. Doing chances on influent parts. So every one is really taking his own part in the song writing.

What about the English songtexts?

P: Also Kessier. Jax wife is an American and she took a short look on it for simple rewrites, but Kessier did the main writing.

K: Actually the content of the Chinese and English lyrics are quiet the same.

Where did you get the inspirations for the lyrics?

K: Emotions in any ways, whether it comes from living or from the mental or spiritual level. So, what we are expressing is some kind of abstract. It’s like fantasizing or making own thought, and not criticizing the society or some thing all the time. We often will want to avoid these things.

Your band name is SERAPHIM, the biblical Angels who are singing to praise the name of god. Do you have such a song on this theme?

K: Won’t that be too religious? Our concentration is focused mainly on the music. And when it comes to religion, politics or other social phenomenons we don’t want to step too deep into these.

Are you Christians?

P: Only me.

Did you every considered to do a concept album? All lyrics for one theme?

K: Well, yes. But I think we will try that kind of things out after our 3rd album. Now, our first album is already out, and before we left the whole material for the 2nd album is also finished. Maybe at the time of our 3rd album we will be in top form to do an one-theme album with unique thoughts and ideas.

If you are going to do so, which kind of themes will you like to choose?

K: We didn’t think about it yet. The Choice can vary from time to time, sometimes we feel like to do this and sometimes that. The main reason for the differences between the debut and our next album is because they were done at different times. Maybe there were more bitterness for us to taste in the last time… (laugh)

J: When the right time has come everything will just take its natural way.

So, what will be the stylish difference between the 1st and the fourth coming 2nd album?

K: We are more melodic, there will be less of this black death touch in our music.

Is the production schedule already set for the 2nd album?

K: Yes, Pay came back this time for recording our rehearsal tracks.

(Her vocal part will be the end version and all other instruments will need a final recording session)

Looking back, which song does please your own satisfaction the most?

K: It’s different for everyone. My fave is “Majestic Farewell”.

P: I like “Samsara”.

J: “The soul that never dies”

D: “Immortal silence”

S: “Immortal silence”

Meanwhile, their English version of the debut was successfully published in Europe via Spanish label Arise Rec. Later this year (2002), their 2nd album “The equal Spirit” (recorded at Sahara Studio, owned by Kessier him self, mixed at Fredman studios and mastered again at Finnvox) was released, too.

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For more information:

http://www.magnum.com.tw/seraphim/
<http://www.arisemetal.com/seraphim.htm>

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