Please tell us a few words about the new release, about the music on it as a whole or a few words on each track in part. How are you happy with the final release?
Exodus is Stormhaven's second album. It starts off almost as a concept album with the Exodus story told in three parts. The album continues with Mirror Of Revelation and Eclipse, two songs that do not continue the same storyline but follow the same musical ideas, this gives a nice continuity to the songs. We are very happy with the release as far as the songs go and the mixing as well. We worked harder on this album than the first and we hope to show the prog fans that France can produce some decent prog bands!
How would you describe/label the music on it? Does it sounds like anything we might have heard before?
Our music is clearly Opeth inspired with a more brutal touch I guess. The keyboard parts often make people think of Dream Theater but the grunt vocals give clearly a sharper, more agressive edge to our music. We love Death Metal, Black Metal, Thrash Metal, Progressive Metal, etc., put all of that together and you get something like Exodus.
Where was it recorded and how much time did it take you to record it? Any interesting stories from the recording/producing the material?
It was a long process that took almost a year. All instruments (except drums) where recorded in my small home studio. We were going through line-up difficulties and parted ways with our drummer around that time. We had to find another one quickly! By the time we found Quentin, all instruments had already been recorded so we ended up doing the drums last at a friend's studio (Dismalsound). We worked really hard to make the album sound the best as possible and in the end, it all worked out.
What can you tell us about the cover artwork? Is there a link between the artwork and the lyrics? What are the topics of your lyrics?
The artwork describes the Exodus trilogy. It tells the story of a mysterious journey through time and space. The first part (The Emerging Ghost) talks about an encounter with an ghost-like woman that takes us out of the physical world. The second part (The Crystal Gate) deals with the portal that brings us to a new place, a new beginning. The third and final part (The Celestial Eye) talks about our vision beyond time, true knowledge and revelation.
What do you expect to gain through this release? What are the band's aims at the moment?
With this release we expect to make a name for ourselves in the prog sphere. We're more motivated than ever and hope to find as many gigs as possible!
Is there a special format the material is released in? Or is it released in multiple formats? How many copies were pressed?
There's no special format for this album. We are doing a typical digital and physical CD release.
Where and how will you promote this new release?
We're working on it as we speak! Promotion we be done by webzines, forums, social media and physical magazines across France and Europe.
Where can we order it from?
You can order it on our bandcamp page: https://stormhavenband.bandcamp.com/releases
June 2017