How do you look back at the creation of the new album ‘The Screaming Of The Valkyries’?
It was actually finished last Summer, so I kind of got used to the idea that I was busy with other things. Now that we are doing press, I have been listening to the album again and got excited again because it will be finally released and a new video is coming out next week, all the touring is planned, etcetera. I remember making this album took a long time and the reason it took a long time is that we were touring so much. We started recording drums and spent a couple of weeks doing that. Then we went on tour, came back, had a little break, did some guitars and went on tour again and this during the whole process. It took about a year to do, because of all the distractions. It was a different way of working, but we are very pleased with the end result. We just think it is a strong album with quite catchy songs. We did not want to release an album that was exceptionally long. So we did not want to do any bonus tracks for a special edition coming out at the same time. We wanted it straight. Nine very solid songs, being as catchy as possible. Just like in the early days: give people an album and not too much large intros or outros.

It leaps to the eye, because my first impression was that the album is rather catchy and accessible. It is not that complex as it used to be sometimes when you deliver an album. I get it after few spins…
There is a couple of complex songs on the album. ‘You Are My Nautilus’ and ‘Ex Sanguine Draculae’. The three last songs are more hectic and complex. They are longer, they are meandering, they are a little bit more involved and glorious. They are also inspired by the early days of the band, so I agree that the multi-layered tracks are at the end of the album. But ‘The Trinity Of Shadows’ is quite a long song as well.

Why did you choose the title ‘The Screaming Of The Valkyries’?
Because it best encapsulates the record and the emphasis is on non-escapism. The lyrics are inspired by the world around us, the fact that we are so much closer to the doomsday clock, you almost cannot get any closer. My synopsis of the album title would be… if you have ever heard the valkyries screaming, you would know that it is the day of all days, Ragnarök, the end of everything, Asgard or heaven, where ever you are in the firmament, it is being attacked by an outside malignant force, the darker force. The cry of the Valkyries would herald the offset of a nuclear war. If you have seen an atom bomb or a H bomb explode, you will see that flash and you will know that it is the sign for everything to end. The cry of the valkyries is like a grim portrait of everything ending. That was inspired by several events and the mythology surrounding it, literally. Also the title is very heavy metal like (chuckles).

A track that really stands out, is ‘Non Omnis Moriar’. I even hear any doom influences in it… What can you tell about this song?
When it was written, I was just projecting the idea of the title on me. It could be anything, but a very dark song anyways. It means ‘not everyone will die’. It is dark, but it also has a sense of hope. These two lovers – or two people very close – are on a death bed, but this is not the end, when you pass over, we will meet again in our Avalon, a spiritual dimension or whatever it may be; the next step of evolution, life after death or whatever. It is a romantic song actually. Indeed, on this album we have one song which is quite ballad-like. On the last record, it was ‘Discourse Between A Man And His Soul’, now this is the one which is slightly a bit more melancholic, doomy. We take whatever we can to make the music good. We don’t think about it in terms of death or black or doom, it is just music to us. We had early influences from bands like Anathema and My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost. There is no denying.

Can we see a bit of nostalgia in the title of the latest track ‘When Misery Was A Stranger’? It seems like longing for former times, or isn’t that the case?
Yes, of course, because it is about reflection as last song on the album. The album ends with a positive note because the more than possible or ‘impossible’ event has struck and it is looking back at a time when we were appreciating our freedom in our rights or the fact that we did not live under the shadow of war. Obviously these events haven’t happened, but lyrically they have, so it is a time for reflection as well. If you don’t think about it too much, it can just be a metaphor for realising that you have been living in the golden years. This is actually the best time to be living we should protect it. So yes, there is a positive message behind the horror.

What do you mean by ‘You Are My Nautilus’ with the sound of water at the end? It is also a very dark song I think, isn’t it?
The Nautilus was the fictional submarine that Captain Nemo piloted from twenty thousand leagues under the seas by Jules Verne. In this context, it is like a steam punk metaphor, it is like someone that you lean against. He is like the backbone, so he can do a lot to rely on. It is about the mythology of this craft which was supposed to be invincible, but there was a terror attack and they destroyed it. Normally this submarine was exploring civilizations and finding mythological places. Like I said, it is just a metaphor for someone who can be trusted, someone who is a little bit mysterious, someone who has prowess, someone with a very strong will but in a steam punk way. You know I am a fan of the Victorian age (chuckles).

Another impression is that one can hear a lot of pure heavy metal elements and guitar solos on the album, which makes it also a bit more melodic…
Yeah absolutely. We are the generation growing up with Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Thin Lizzy, that kind of things. We are also a British band, although there are only two British people in the band now, because this album sees the arrival of Donny Burbage and Zoe Federoff, who are both Americans. They had to be found, because we had a desperate need three years ago, just prior to a big support tour with Danzig in the US. We had to find two new musicians and we found them in America, as we did not have the chance to get visas. It was too close to the tour when two people left the band and they fit perfectly into the family. At the end of the tour, we did not say ‘thank you for your services, see you again some time’, no, it was like ‘welcome to the family, you guys are great’ and just really what the doctor ordered and things are going very well in the band. I mean, the marriage of Zoe and Ashok is testament to that fact indeed. It is only a few weeks since I got back from visiting Arizona where Zoe and Ashok got married. It was an amazing wedding, and there were cool people from different bands as well. You see, things are going very well. We have a great crew, great management, great people around the band, great musicians in the band, two great guitar players in the band. I would say three great guitarists, because Daniel Firth, our bass player, writes a lot of the songs as well. He contributed a lot to the album. Those guitarists restored our faith in twin guitar harmonies. We always wanted to be a duel guitar band and I think that way you can have new influences of NWOBHM because it is in our blood. All the musicianship on the album is totally top notch and I can say that because I am only the vocalist.