I N T E R V I E W

Interview Sandra Schleret

How are you after the end of the Beauty and the Beast Tour?

I am happy. The tour was really nice, and I stayed health nearly until the end - haha. The people on tour were great and I miss them. Hopefully we will have the chance to tour again soon.

What did you think about this tour and the welcome you received in the different countries?

I think the package was quite a lot "female" but though each band had a total different sound and character. Normally on tour I do not too often go and watch the shows of the other but this time I saw most of them. It was interesting to see how the audience reacts differently in each country. As I never was touring before with such a lot of genre-related bands this was a great experience for me.

How was the ambiance with the others bands?

Although we were sometimes - due to space reasons - packed together very tightly in a backstage room with Sirenia and Stream of Passion we managed to have lots of fun and keep up a friendly and positive climate during the whole tour. Very cool!

You participated to the set of Atrocity on "The Sun Always Shines on Tv" and "Shout". What can you say about it, the audience etc. ?

Well, it was a spontaneous idea from Atrocity to ask me to do the lyrics so in the beginning I was very excited because I was afraid not to forget something, but by time it was simply just fun and I enjoyed it very much. The audience was partying with us and I was every evening looking forward to enter the stage with the guys and girls.

During this tour, you played some new songs. How were they welcome?

I was surprised that the audience welcomed them so well. As they had no chance to hear them before I expected them to be more calm but most of the time they celebrated with us.

Why did you choose "Catharsis" as the name of this new album?

We chose the title "Catharsis" because it represents what we all have been through in the last years. Before I joined Elis I was very sick, I had lymph node cancer and had to go chemo and radiotherapy, and it was a very hard and harrowing time for me. I completely changed my way of living, and since then I see things totally different. The guys were totally shocked after Sabine's death and it took them a very long time to learn how to deal with all the things that had happened.
So we both saw the dark side of life and now can enjoy so much more it's light. "Catharsis" to us seemed the best way to describe our feelings.

It's the first time that a human (you) is on a cover of an Elis album. Why did you choose this artwork and what does it mean?

When I was in the Mastersound Studio recording the vocals with Alex I told him about my story and how it was for me to go throught his hard time, feeling like locked from the outside only with a small window (I was for months in a hospital) to look at the "world outside" while feeling like time stood still and nothing is movin in my own little chamber between fear and hope. We immediately came to the picture of the cover. For us it seemed to be the best desicion to do the picture with me as the "model" because it is something very personal and we wanted the emotions transported with the picture to be real and not acted.

Alexander Krull is your producer. How is it to work with him?

He knows us very well and since a long time. So he knows exactly how to get the best out of us. We trust him and I think this is the best base you can get for collaboration.

The record company is talking about oriental inspirations for your voice. What do you think about that?

It's true. I sometimes like to write oriental-style vocal- lines. I already did this also in other bands of mine, because I think it sometimes fits best to metal riffs, and I like the atmosphere it creates. But I try to never overdo it, because it can be a little exhausting to the listener if it gets too much.

As on the others albums, the half of the songs have male and female vocals. How do you choose which song will have both voices and which songs won't?

It just happens. When I'm writing the vocal lines sometimes I have the feeling that there is something deep and masculine missing. I'm not able to express this with my voice, and Tom does so fantastic growls, it's great to have this cool "instrument".

There are still songs in German on Catharsis. What does it mean to Elis to have songs in his mother tong?

It is cool to be able to express something in our mother language. On one side it is different to write lyrics in German, which of course comes easier to me, and on the other side the language sounds totally different. I think it is really cool that Elis are working with both languages, and I was excited to have the possibility to use it as an stylistic device.

"Rainbow" is the only ballad on this album. Why did you record only one ballad?

Hey, it was already hard enough to convince the guy to do one... haha. Well, in the end we didn't plan too much how many ballads or mid-tempo or fast songs we want to have on the album, it simply happened.

The Song "Warrior's Tale" is a duet with Michelle Darkness. How did the band get the idea for this duet?

When I wrote the vocals for this song it was clear to me from the beginning that I need a very strong, masculine and deep voice for the verses: a broken and though powerful Warrior. I was thinking of a voice like the one of Peter Steele (Type O Negative). I discussed it with Alex and the band and we came very quickly to the idea that Michelle could be the right man for us. Fortunately he also liked our idea and when he sang the first lines in the studio I had goose picks. From that moment on it was clear that he was the perfect choice.

"I Come Undone" is a more rock song than the others and can be release as a single. Do you think it will be a single or not?

In general I am not so excited about the making the only cover song on an album a single. In fact Napalm is not going to do any single from "Catharsis".

What can you say to convince people to buy "Catharsis"?

We've put all our heart and soul into this record. It is very personal and honest. Nothing artificial, for me this is very rare in these days...

On the limited edition of the album, there is a DVD live at Metal Female Voices Fest. Why do you release your performance at this festival as a bonus and not as a real DVD?

We think it is the nicest version for the fans. It was meant as a Bonus and not as a complete stand-alone DVD.

You still sing in the new Siegfried album. Can you talk to us about it?

I'm in the band since many years. The two masterminds of the band are friends of mine, and we have lots of fun when we are making music

Do you plan to work with others bands?  

Except Siegfried I have no other bands at the moment, but if I get an interesting offer I would love to.

Now the Beauty and the Beast Fest Tour is end, what do you plan to do for the upcoming months?

We hope to be able to play many festivals, and we hopefully will also have time to work on the new album

And finally, do you have something to say to the Elis fans?

Thank you so much for all your support and for staying with us through the dark times. Let's hope that the sun will now shine for all of us!