Metal Express Radio:
Congratulations on your fantastic debut album As The Truth Appears. This album has been in the works for quite some time… is there a sense of accomplishment now that the album is finally released?
LW:
Thank you. Yes, definitely. We were discussing the possibility of a debut album in early 2008 because our demo did so much more for us than we intended. The demo was recorded to assist us in gaining gigs, but we were lucky enough to have it played on both local and national radio programs across Australia. By 2009, after a stack of great gigs in 2008, we firmly believed a debut album was the next step and we began searching for an engineer to work with. Our search proved fruitful and our partnership with Ermin Hamidovic was born. July 2009 saw tracking begin with the drums. Bass and guitars were shredded out in the months that followed. I should mention here that the reason for our album taking so long to be released was partly due to us losing two members throughout the recording process. Our bass player left just as we were about to embark on recording and our keys player departed half way through the recording process. Robb Inglis (one of our guitarists) covered both of these parts and we pressed on. Mixing began in October 2010 and we had the album in our hands in January 2011. We were all set to launch our debut ourselves when the second part of the reason for us taking so long to release came about — a local radio host asked us to hold off while he showed it to his friends at Intromental Management. They liked it and asked us to hold off on releasing it too. Through Intromental we met Lance King at Nightmare Records and Masa at Hydrant Music (Japan) and the October 14, 2011 release date was set. So again, yes, we are definitely feeling a sense of accomplishment now that the album is finally released, as it has clearly been a long time coming. Our Melbourne fans in particular have been very patient!
MER:
For our readers not familiar with the progressive sounds of Divine Ascension, how would you describe your brand of Metal?
LW:
We describe our music as Melodic Metal with a trace of Progression. However, since the release we have heard a lot of descriptions of our sound and they are quite similar to ours with both the melodic and progressive elements shining through in people’s descriptions, but they can often include words like: Symphonic Metal, Power Metal, and AOR among others. There are definitely small elements of each of these within our music, but it is predominantly Melodic and Progressive Metal.
MER:
All of the tracks on As The Truth Appears have a lot of depth… what goes into the songwriting process, and how does a Divine Ascension song evolve?
LW:
Most of the tracks on As The Truth Appears spawned primarily from one or two member’s ideas. Those ideas would be brought into the band, usually as full, complete tracks (in terms of composition) to be played, changed and rearranged as a band until they seem to work. Some songs require very little changing and rearranging, others more. The songs grew in stature as each member injected their own take on their parts. Our catalog developed and we played most of the tracks live. “One Last Caress” and “Unscathed” were the latest additions to the track list and “Not Today” – a ballad, one of the two bonus tracks on the Japanese release through Hydrant Music – was played live for the first time at our Melbourne album launch.
In recent times, since again having a solid line-up, we have had some great ideas come from jams when warming up at rehearsal and also when getting together for band writing sessions. These are normally recorded quickly with a room mic, taken away and turned into a more succinct song idea for us to work on.
MER:
What other bands have inspired you the most, and how does their music influence your songs?
LW:
Inspiration has come for each of us from many different places. I remember one point early on in the band’s life, perhaps even before our debut show in 2007, when Robb and I went to see a local benefit show in Melbourne for Screaming Symphony – a Prog/Power Metal radio program. The night featured five bands from the Australian Prog/Power scene: Black Majesty, Voyager, Vanishing Point, Eyefear, and Template. It was a fantastic show and the crowd was really into it. Robb and I had a little moment where we dreamed that one day it would be us up there. Now, that may sound a little corny or even cliché, but when you live in Australia and the European and North American festivals are so far away, that Screaming Symphony benefit show seemed like Prog/Power Europe or USA to us! So I guess a little bit of inspiration and motivation was lit that night!
Other bands that have both inspired and influenced us include bands like Evergrey, Kamelot, Nightwish, Symphony X, Queensryche, Iron Maiden, and many, many others. These are the types of bands where we own their entire catalog, or close to it, and have spun their discs many times, so little nuances of their sound and playing, as well as the general character of their songs will have rubbed off on us over the years and perhaps be evident to listeners in our own tracks.
MER:
Your vocalist, Jennifer Borg, is obviously extremely talented. Being a female singer in a male dominated genre, what does her presence add to the band’s dynamic?
LW:
Interestingly, Jennifer’s background is not Metal. She has some classical voice and theatre training behind her, and has done a lot of work in the Cabaret and Jazz genres. Her background has really been a boon for us as she definitely brings a unique sound to the Prog/Power genre, as she is not your atypical operatic vocalist a la Tarja Turunen. I think Jennifer’s vocal style alone enhances the dynamic of our band and sets us apart from other female acts within our genre. I also believe Jennifer has the power to cut it with the male singers out there too. I’m only saying that because I’ve had firsthand experience with Jennifer’s voice, but as we get out there and tour, I’ll let others make up their own minds!
MER:
Your first single “Answers” is an amazing track. Can you talk about the meaning behind that song?
LW:
Thank you. Guitarist Karl Szulik wrote that track so I think it best he responds.
KS:
Answers is kind of a tricky one. Everyone can surmise a slightly different meaning for it, which I think is really cool. However, for me personally, it is about a relationship that seemed to be going well in all aspects. One person just gets up and leaves the relationship without a word, leaving the remaining person in the dust and ashes wondering what went wrong and why. The person left behind is crying out, wanting to simply know what went wrong to the point they become angry that they cannot be given a simple answer as to why the relationship ended. I guess this is most evident in the chorus lines. What makes it really cool is the dual vocalists on the song, which really emphasize that dynamic as Silvio (guest singer from Vanishing Point) is singing his lines in an almost demanding, angry type of way, while Jen is more content with the situation. It really drives that point home. I also like the fact that most people can relate to this song in some way as almost everyone has lived through a situation similar to this.
MER:
You recently shot a video for “Answers”. What was that like, and are there any funny stories you can share from the video shoot?
LW:
For many of us, the “Answers” film clip shoot was our first filming experience. It was all filmed in one day, which translates to arriving at 7am and leaving at 11pm. We wanted our first clip to give our fans a chance to see who we were and I believe we accomplished that. It was a really fun day for us. We had to work hard throughout, but in between shooting, the shenanigans were plenty! Answers was filmed at a primary school in Melbourne’s outer eastern suburbs on a Sunday. Jennifer was able to secure the venue by offering to run a school disco for the students later in the year through her children’s entertainment business. We were told by a school representative to make sure we locked the doors as they get a lot of families and kids using the school grounds and play equipment on weekends, much like a park, and that they might be tempted to venture in to see what was happening. So, there we are, blackout for lights, lockout for visitors, in a primary school indoor amphitheater hammering out “Answers” take after take. The PA wasn’t loud enough, so we cranked it even louder. We were all in our stage gear (black) and we had a makeup artist come along to ensure our faces weren’t washed out on camera. Simon (bass) and Karl (guitar) opted for heavy eyeliner to look more … I don’t know… and repeatedly asked if we thought it was too much! At lunch we thought it was an opportune time to get some band photos, as we hadn’t had any shots done since Simon joined. We all bunched up in front of the lights and got a few indoor shots and then someone mentioned we should go out onto the play equipment. So we did. Well, the families and kids and grandparents enjoying the sun-warmed winter’s day that were there before were nowhere to be seen upon the completion of our outdoor photo shoot. In our full film clip attire, we climbed, perched, hung, swung, straddled, and slid from every piece of child playground apparatus as we could, all in the name of capturing that “Kodak moment!”
MER:
Can fans expect some upcoming show dates to support As The Truth Appears?
LW:
Fans across Australia can definitely expect some dates in the new year. For fans further abroad, we would love to visit and perform for you and we will be out to you as soon as we can. We are always looking for the right opportunity to play overseas, but since we are a new band, it’s a little harder to turn that into a reality. We are persistent, however, and will continue to work hard and get overseas to you as soon as we can.
MER:
Do you have any final words to share for your new fans out there?
LW:
To our fans, thank you! You are the reason you are reading this. The support, comments and well-wishes we have received both leading up to and after our debut was released from people all over the world has been an added inspiration. We endeavor to reach you all at some stage and put on a killer show. Until then, know that we are trying and we are only a few clicks away on-line. Cheers all, Luke & DA.
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