You know, it's been almost a year I launched this huge box of good ideas and good rock called The Rock Explosion in the web galaxy. In these eleven months We got many satisfactions and many disappointments. It's been a hard period of sweat and stress, but also of great passion for the underground rock scene. But one day I woke up and found in the huge list in may mail box an e-mail by a young dutch journalist who wanted tosee her interview published also in English on our site. So I had the chance to meet Ms Silvia Deurwaarder, who, after a while, sent me this interview with Tristania. What can I say? Sometimes we like to bring some changes on our pages and I would be a liar if I'd hide my deep love for metal and its derivations. Besides, I think that The Rock Explosion was born to be an information keeper and for this reason it wouold be great if someone else could add their own contribution to make this site more complete and better. So I take this chance to thank Silvia and I invite you to read this article in which she meets Vibeke e Anders from Tristania!

TRISTANIA : ARISEN FROM THE ASHES WITH A NEW FIRE INSIDE
(by Silvia Deurwaarder, photos by Edward vd Ende from Concert Visions)

There are bands who can keep silent for some years and then arise as a phoenix from their own ashes. One of them is Tristania. The band made some impressive records but decided after the promotion of their lastone, called "World Of Glass" (2001), to take some rest. After two years the band performed at this year's German festival M'era Luna, and now they're on the road with Therion and Trial Of Tears. Enough reason to think that they're back. The most important thing for the band will be the release of the new record "Ashes" in January. After their show on November 2nd in Tilburg (NL) I had the chance to speak with front lady, Vibeke Stene, and lead guitarist, Anders H. Hidle, about what drives Tristania: motivation and devotion.

After the gig there's some time to talk with them. After half an hour, when they had some rest, we had a long talk in the backstage room. In the meantime the other band members are taking a shower or are listening to Therion. I must admit that it was hard to prepare this interview. This is band I never saw on stage, but loved since I was 15 years old! So I decided to my emotions guide me. Happily, Vibeke broke the ice and, after Anders came in, the interview could begin.

Vibeke is very enthusiastic about the tour with Therion: "We haven't done concerts for two years and it was time to come back and it's nice for us to go on tour before the release of the new record. Now we can do some tour training. Therion is very nice!" Anders also wants to say something about it. He says that they did a tour with Therion before, and that it's nice to be a support act. "We have the chance to reach some new fans." When I wonder if they don't have the feeling they have to work harder because they have to play before Therion, both react with a loud 'No!'. It's Vibeke who explains it. With her soft voice and little smile she tells me that they want to give a hunderd percent with every gig they do. Anders gives a simple conclusion: "We even will be a better live-band by doing these shows, because you get spoiled when you only do some headline tours. For us it is a very good thing. Our goal is to have the same energy on stage now as during our headline tour next year."

To be on tour can be very hard: night after night a band has to give everything to the fans. Vibeke admits that there are some days that it's difficult. What helps for her is to be with the band before they go on stage, do a soundcheck and thus motivate herself. For Anders it's important to get himself in a certain mental state.

ASHES
Before the process of this new album there was a silence for some years. The band was very tired and wanted to sit down and decide what to do in the future. After that they had a lot of new energy to make this new album. Anders eyes are twinkeling when he talks about the new album: "It's a direct album, much more straight in the face than the other things we have done. We're very proud of it and we're showing a totally new side of us and at the same time we still sound like Tristania. To compose this album it was a totally natural process. The creative process of Tristania is never easy, but it was a natural thing. The front lady interrupts him: "We still have those complex things like the keybords but maybe in a more organic way." Anders was looking for words and as soon she's finished he almost screams: "It's more aggressive and there are some common songs, but more focussed on what's the key element of the songs." The band had some dicussions during the writing process of the album but everyone is happy with the final result. The reason is because all the members share the view how it has to be in the end. The band had a positive pressure during the process. Vibeke feels that strongly: " It's more a pressure to myself to do a good job. To stay there and do my best."

She is very happy with the way it goes at the moment: " I think it's great to be on tour again, doing this new album and we can't wait till it's out. The new management from SPV helps us very well." Anders fills in: "We have a stable package and the social chemistry in the band is better than ever and than it's great to look the fans in the eyes and say: we're back again with a great album and this is what we love to do, and we have the energy!" The choice of the new label was very important. Anders says about it that they didn't think "moneywise" but more like they want to give Tristania all the exposure.

COMPLEX MUSIC
For an outsider the arrangements they create with choir, keyboards, violins and three voices, seems to be very complex to make. When Anders hears this, he looks shy to the table, but says clearly that it all begins with a simple idea or a small piece of a melody line. And Vibeke adds: "It's like building a house and trying a lot of different things. We love to experiment and to work in the studio. The keyboard player has a good ear for harmony and arrangements. Actually it's a very natural process. Well, we never changed a lot in the past. I think that's important. Even when we do something new, it sounds like Tristania with the same basic." Wondering what the basic exactly is, Vibeke is very honest: "We have three different vocalists each with their own sound and also the keyboard is special". For Anders it is the diversity of the keyboards and the and the different emotions. Vibeke interrupts him with a smile: "Yes when I listen to some old songs I played thousand of times it still makes my flesh creep."

When other gothmetal bands like Within Temptation and Nightwish had more attention it became silence around Tristania. Vibeke has some regret about that. Sometimes she wonders how it would have been if they hadn't take that rest. Anders,instead, thinks that it's just because of the small market, where everybody fights for their audience. "Now gothmetal bands are like nu-metal were a few years ago, and I think it's positive for all the bands. I think the mainstream is not bad for us because we'll always be Tristania and that's not because of the fans, we just want to be true to ourselves." Vibeke adds to that: "That's the way to make music. Only then can you put emotion in it and we don't want to compromise."

MOTIVATION
The band started a long time ago in 1996, and I'd like to know what are the sources of their motivation despite all these years have passed. Vibeke starts to laugh: "It seems such a long time ago! Well, for me it was singing. I started to sing when I was very little and I love it. It's great to do it with others cause than you get input". For Anders it's more his devotion to the music: "We have all different kind of music tastes and that gives us the diversity we need." Vibeke talks again about the emotion: "For every part I sing, I have different feelings. I am maybe a technically good classical singer, but if I had no emotion with it I couldn't do it. We never have been sure of anything. We never thought this would have happened and that's amazing. When you really want it you can do it". Tristania asks a lot from themselves.

Anders is very happy with that conclusion: "Yes that's why we had to sit down and to say 'what we want to do now.' Well and with "Ashes" some ideas are older than "World Of Glass" but we had all the time and took a long time for we were happy because we had high expectations of ourselves. So it was a long process". Both missed the touring, part but wrote a lot of things during those years, and the band has never been down. Anders: "This time I am very positive because the band works hard and is very creative. The goal will always be to live from Tristania and more devotion. Tristania is our life."

Thanks to Tristania, organisation from the venue 013, Carlos Reuter and manager Carlo