1. First of all I’d like you to fill us in on what’s happening in the ENCORION camp at the moment. 

At this moment we are celebrating the release of the album. It has taken quite some time to get it finished, so we are really happy to be able to have it in our hands now. Furthermore, we are planning gigs to promote the CD of course.

Well, an important moment at the beginning of ENCORION was when the band members joined the band. I’m very pleased with each member because I think they all have strong personalities and great characters both on-stage and off-stage. Another important moment was the recording of our album. It was a really big test for us as a group since we recorded it by ourselves. Two weeks of full-time recording and working day and night together didn’t work out all the time, but it was a good way to learn from each other, and we did get the album finished.

“Facing History and Ourselves” is an album for those interested in pagan/Viking metal with folk elements. We’ve been told our music has influences from bands like ENSIFERUM, ELUVEITIE and MOONSORROW. Highlights are “Facing History and Ourselves”, “Symbol of Honour” and “Raging Storms”, but that’s just my personal opinion.

Actually, we do have some new songs ready. The new songs are different from the songs on this album, but they still sound like ENCORION. I guess our overall sound has become more developed over time, but that’s not strange, knowing that “Facing History and Ourselves” was recorded three years ago. We have learned to write the new songs based more on the qualities of each member in the band. If we would re-record “Facing History and Ourselves” we would have done a lot of things differently, but it’s good the way it is, because it’s a result of our efforts made during that time. 

We make pagan/folk metal music that comes from our hearts and souls. The music we make is the music we love to hear and not the music we make just to be another clone of some other band. So, first of all, we make it because we like it and if other people like it too, then that’s great. In general, I think we have a different sound compared to other bands, because our sound is very balanced. Some bands have a lot of traditional folk instruments in their songs at the same time, while we mostly make use of just one folk instrument at a time. We really try to make use of the full potential of our five members. 

I mostly write the basics of the songs. Then Michael comes in to help create a demo track including bass, drums and guitar. We let the others listen to the demo track and let them add their ideas. The final arrangements on the songs are created while playing the songs together. It is there where the violin parts and vocals add the final perfect touch.

“Facing History and Ourselves”, “Symbol of Honour” and “Raging Storms”.

The inspiration for the lyrics is drawn from times we have all forgotten. The pride of one’s heritage, land and beliefs, as well as the strength that comes with defending those values. The lyrics represent such topics in the form of tales of battle and the power of nature.

Yes that is correct. “Facing History and Ourselves” is basically about us. We use our history to look back on who we were and who we are right now. We evaluated our own lives, individually, and learned from it. All the band members have their own stories and feelings about the past years. We all came together at a certain moment and from that moment on, these five individuals became a group with a common goal. 

The cover art is created by Michael (our bass-player). When you look at the album art you can see the shadows of five people watching a house in flames. These five people are watching a moment in their lives that will change them forever. For each band-member individually it represents a different moment.   

We are planning new gigs indeed, and we already played a lot of live shows in the past. In the future we hope to play some bigger shows. The promotion will mostly be handled by our label Sleaszy Rider Records. Tolis (owner of the label) is doing a really great job! We personally don’t see the Internet as a threat; it can be a good way of spreading your music very quickly. People can watch YouTube clips of live performances all over the world for example, and when it comes to downloading music, we, as a band, think that people will buy the album if they really like it. I mean, we all buy CDs because we just want the total package: a good quality CD with a nice looking booklet.

We’ve sent our album to different labels and Sleaszy Rider Records was the label that picked it up and showed interest in our music. Sleaszy Rider Records is a reliable and well-known metal label and we are proud to be part of its catalogue.

The music industry has a good point, but there is a ‘but’. I think the industry needs to search for different ways to sell their music. Metal heads are more true to buying albums on CD and LP compared to the regular music fans, but because they are a relatively small group even the well-known metal bands mostly cannot make a living off their work as artists. I personally think it’s becoming more and more important to create live performances that are really worth visiting. The albums can be sold at the concerts, but are of less importance. 

I hope it creates a feeling of strength, combined with the remembrance of being in another time. Let your dreams take you to places you’ve never been and make your own reality. 

“Don’t let history fade with the time”.

It just popped into my head. It has no reference to any time or story.

Listen to our CD, and let us know if you like it. Hope to see you some time in one of our shows!