ARCANE GRAIL - KIR

Arcane Grail is a Russian melodic sympho death metal band consisting at the present by six musicians. Last year they recorded their first full length album “Mysteries Of The Ancient Charnel” and in the time being they are on the works for their new somophore effort. With the opportunity of this upcoming release we stole a short time of their busy schedule to talk with the bassist of Arcane Grail, KIR. And what he revealed to Metalzone are the details about their new release, the experience sharing the stage with legendary Pungent Stench and Graveworm, their forthcoming tour dates, Russian metal scene and of course their plans for the future.
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\r\nMetalzone: First of all give us a small bio of the band for those who don’t know you yet.\r\n

\r\nKIR: Hello!!! The story of Arcane Grail began in 2001.And since that were a lot of reshuffles in line-up of the band and now there is a stable concert structure of six musicians: singers, guitarist, bassist, drummer and keyboardist. In 2006 we finally recorded our album “Mysteries Of The Ancient Charnel”. It’s a conceptual album and describes about the events which have occurred in first half of XVII century in German district Schwarzwald, where is inadvertently insurgent from a tomb by spells of witches, the shelterless spirit of gothic king Ermanarih (real historical person died per 376 year AD) makes evil deeds, which should be untangled by envoy of fading monastic order. In music of an album of collective it is possible to hear practically all existing substyles of metal music (except like melodic-power and industrial) After album release it began actively sales, and for this moment we have distro almost around the world and half of our circulation is sold at the moment!!!We played with some great guys as Graveworm and Pungent Stench. And for now we’re preparing for 2 tours and for record!!!\r\n

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\r\nMetalzone: How exactly would you describe your music yourselves?\r\n

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\r\nKIR: Well I’d just call it simply sympho melodic death. Maybe on first album it’s not so notable, but on next you’ll hear it!!!\r\n

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\r\nMetalzone: You are working on a new mini-cd. Would you give us some details about this forthcoming release and when exactly is it expected to come out?\r\n

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\r\nKIR: First of all I want to say that it would be not like previous. And btw it could be full-leight CD!!! Specially for this record we have hired a producer. And the recordings will be in one of the best studios in Russia. So we promise that it would be much better in all meanings!!!\r\n

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\r\nMetalzone: In your update you say that is going to be some metalcore elements in your new material. What made you decide such a diverse musical approach?\r\n

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\r\nKIR: As for myself, i think that, metalcore is the next step in metal, advanced melodic death I’d say. And one of inspirers is melodic music, melodic death mainly. But it doesn’t mean that we totally change our direction. Just a little bit improve our style.\r\n

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\r\nMetalzone: Who is the main composer of the band or do you all contribute in the songwriting process?\r\n

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\r\nKIR: Our main music writers are Eugen mostly and Anastasia. The spark usually comes from them. And after all of us, step by step pick it up and mould the song. You know for me is very interesting to play in AG because in this band all people are different and have different music tastes, and when all that mixing, you can hear what it becomes in the end.\r\n

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\r\nMetalzone: Is it going to be a conceptual disc like your debut album "Mysteries of the Ancient Charnel" and what are the themes this new cd is dealing with this time?\r\n

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\r\nKIR: No.Our next CD is not gonna be conceptual. We ventured to make debut album conceptual, it was very interesting experience. Maybe 3rd or 4th gonna be so, but not the next one.\r\n

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\r\nMetalzone: Who is responsible for the lyrics section in the band?\r\n

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\r\nKIR: Oh! Lyrics is the elements of Demether!!! For “Mysteries…” all the lyrics was written by him. He is the BRAIN in this way. And for the next cd he wrote almost the whole lyrics. You can ask why almost? You will know it when you listen it)))\r\n

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\r\nMetalzone: You have a new contract with Belgian label - Poetry Of The Dead Records. How the contact with them occurred in the first place?\r\n

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\r\nKIR: Wanted to place points at once. With POTDR we have only distro contract. As with HDG distribution, Taliesin Records, etc. With this album for now our label is Musica. Just POTDR are people with good brains and know what to do and how. And about our next release, we have a few offers from different labels. So we’ll see!\r\n

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\r\nMetalzone: What about MUSICA Production. Are there any specific reason concerning your departure?\r\n

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\r\nKIR: About Musica I can say only that this is a young label, they helped us in some ways, but... \r\n

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\r\nMetalzone: What exactly triggered the idea for the name of the band?\r\n

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\r\nKIR: The sense of the name consists in aspiration to some psychological ideal, which is necessary on a way of search of spiritual perfection. The finding of "Grail" gives the divine force and wisdom. Mythological image of Grail itself is connected with a bowl, in which was assembled the blood of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion. The group has no christian, or other religious orientation.\r\n

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\r\nMetalzone: Do you read any of all that religious stuff?\r\n

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\r\nKIR: No way. In childhood I had enough of that. And understood what is church, what are they doing and what for. This is not of my favorite themes!\r\n

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\r\nMetalzone: Poetry Of The Dead Records is also releasing a compilation in which you are participating with 2 songs. Can you tell us a few things about that too? \r\n

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\r\nKIR: Well slots on compilation we occupied before signing the contract. Just Poerty found us and we saw that they make compilations. They offered - we agreed.\r\n

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\r\nMetalzone: Though there has been a delay in the compilation’s release. Why was that?\r\n

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\r\nKIR: I know not much in that question. Only thing that I know is that were mostly technical problems.\r\n

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\r\nMetalzone: What are the main influences to your music?\r\n

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\r\nKIR: Mostly Melodic Death and Sympho Black, but we have a place for some opera stuff, some doom and as I already said the new CD will also include some modern stuff.\r\n

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\r\nMetalzone: Advancing to your performances you happened to join legendary Austrian death-metal group Pungent Stench. Do you have any remarkable memory from that gig?\r\n

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\r\nKIR: Well I wasn’t a part of the band in that time, but I remember what guys told and saw the video, it was great. Especially in the beginning of the concert activity. There was a lot of good reviews after. So in 2 words – it was great.\r\n

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\r\nMetalzone: You were also the support act for the famous Italian sympho-black metal group Graveworm at club "Tochka" in Moscow. Any particular moment from that gig that you would like to share?\r\n

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\r\nKIR: I can tell from the face of the band that that gig was the best our performance. That night everything was GREAT! People who came there, the atmosphere, Graveworm. Themselves. Just great, what I can tell you….\r\n

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\r\nMetalzone: You will also play on Metal Crowd 2007 festival in November, 3rd in Rechitsa(Belarus). Are you going to play any of your new songs there?\r\n

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\r\nKIR: Yes, we are planning to play 2 or 3 new songs. And organizer promised us that there gonna be recording video of each band for new Metal Crowd DVD. So I think that soon you can not even hear, but watch it.\r\n

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\r\nMetalzone: Do you have any other confirmed dates on your schedule or are you discussing about some other appearances?\r\n

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\r\nKIR: Yes, of course! In December we’ll have about 12 shows. We’ll have a tour over Russia + few shows not of tour. In February we’ll have a tour over Ukraine and in March in Moscow will be First Body Art festival “Moscow tattoo convention 2008” and Arcane Grail will be there.\r\n

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\r\nMetalzone: How are things going with the Russian metal scene?\r\n

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\r\nKIR: Russian metal scene as business is young. Mostly bands make everything for themselves. Labels are just release and sell your CDs. But for the last time here we have lots of really good metal bands, so I think soon it will be a “metal blast” of Russian bands.\r\n

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\r\nMetalzone: Do you believe it is hard for a Russian metal band to ascend from the underground?\r\n

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\r\nKIR: It’s sad but true. To ascend from underground for a Russian band is triple hard than some Europe band for example. Main problem here I think is that we just start to work in that way with other more experienced labels, organizations, countries and they have a lot of doubts with that. But we believe in what we’re doing and will try to get on top with full force!!!\r\n

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\r\nMetalzone: Do you have a day job?\r\n

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\r\nKIR: Yes. Music for me is a hobby that I hope someday becomes my earnings. Then I could spend more time to work with music, to write it and make it more interesting.\r\n

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\r\nMetalzone: What’s your opinion about the spreading of the free downloading or the Internet’s existence in general? What are the helpful or the destructive things? \r\n

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\r\nKIR: Well in generally for musicians now it’s a real chance to show themselves. Who would hear about us now with first album without internet help. About downloads, with mp3 format now you can just buy and listen the album or a song without leaving you house. We have a contract with Indigo Tunes, where man can buy our songs and not wait days or weeks to get a CD. Other thing is illegal downloading, where musicians lose their money. Everybody remember that scandal with Metallica and Napster, one of the brightest examples! I know that our album already downloaded much more than sold. I can understand that guys. But if all go down this way, the band will not have enough money to record next album for example. Just people need to understand that when they buy a CD, they invest it to what they like and want to see. You buy an Arcane Grail album, you like it, you wanted to see their show. But if you see that our albums do not sell there, what for somebody will want to make a show there!!!
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\r\nMetalzone: What are the future plans for ARCANE GRAIL?\r\n

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\r\nKIR: For the closer future is ride with few tours. Not only that I told you. To play on European festivals and to record new CD. Btw we tried to get to that Greek festival where Septic Flesh gathered again. And we almost done it, but… So hope next fest we’ll make it and happy our fans with kick ass show!!! \r\n

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\r\nMetalzone: Any last comment for our readers or something you would like to add and I didn’t ask you?\r\n

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\r\nKIR: I ‘d like to wish everybody to be patient and Tolerant to each other, no to go n occasion, always have your own opinion and not to scare to show it. And the main thing is that do not go always with easy way to solve you problems, ‘cos easy way not always the right one! Thanx for everybody who spend their time reading this interview. Hope you liked it. Cheers and good luck!!!See ya on tour!!!\r\n

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\r\nVaso Prassa \r\n

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