Tristania: Arisen from the ashes with a new fire inside.

 There are bands who can keep silent for some years and than arise as a phoenix from the ashes of fire. One of them is Tristania. The band made some impressive records but decided after the promotion of their last record 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 import 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. The band who I never saw on stage, but loved since I was 15 years old. I decided to my emotions guide me. Happily Vibeke broke the ice and after Anders came in the interview could begin.

 Vibeke is very enthousiastic 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 of 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 an 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 for the fans. Vibeke admit 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 of the mind.

 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 keyboards 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 discussions 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 very strong: “ 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 oudsider the arrangements they make with choir, keyboards, violin and three voices, seems to be very complex to make. When Anders heard this he looks shy to the table, but says clear that is all begins with a simple idea or a small piece of a melody line. 

 Vibeke: “It’s like to build a house and try 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 with each their own sound and also the keyboard is special.” For Anders is it 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 still makes my flesh creep.”

 When other gothmetalbands like Within Temptation and Nightwish had more attention it became silent around Tristania. Vibeke has some regret about that. Sometimes she wonders how it was when they didn’t take that rest. Anders doesn’t think that it is a small market where everybody fights for their audience. “Now gothmetal bands are like nu-metal was a few years ago and I think it’s positive for all the bands. I think the meanstream 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 than can you put emotion in it and we don’t want to compromise.”

 Motivation:

  The band started a long time ago in 1996, still I want to know what the source is of the motivation after all those years. Vibeke starts to laugh: “It 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 causes than you get impute. “  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 more talks about the emotion: “For every part I sing I have another feeling. I am  maybe a technically good classical singer but when I have no emotion with it I can’t do it.”

 “We never have been sure of anything. We never thought this would happen and that’s amazing. When you really want it you can do it.”  Tristania ask a lot from themselves.

 Anders is very happy with that conclussion. “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 live.” 

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

By Silvia Deurwaarder.

band biography

 Tristania was founded in 1996, by Einar Moen (synth & programming), Kenneth Olsson (drums) and former singer/guitarist Morten Veland. Moen and Veland decided to leave the band Uzi Suicide, which they were a part of. They managed to get Olsson to join them in their new band, Tristania. Shortly after, Rune Østerhus (bass) and Anders H. Hidle (guitar) joined the band.

In May 1997 the band entered the studio for the first time and recorded their demo in Klepp Lydstudio. In the meantime, Vibeke Stene had been recruited. She was supposed to contribute on the demo as a session musician, but the rest of the band were convinced on that her voice matched the band perfectly, and she became the 6th member.
During the summer of 97 the demo was distributed to different labels, and Napalm Records came up with the best offer. Tristanias first release on Napalm was the MCD named Tristania, which was the demo, but with a new mix and artwork.

Inspired by good reviews for the MCD all over Europe, the band was eager to record the debut album. After some months, Moen and Veland had the songs ready.
Before the end of 97, their first full-length album Widow's Weeds was recorded and released in the beginning of 1998. Widow's Weeds is a symphonic metal album with elements from different genres, such as gothic rock, death metal, classical music and black metal. Essential for the album were 2 session musicians, which both have been important on the bands later albums. Østen Bergøy (Morendoes), who today is a regular member of the band, contributed with clean male vocals on the song Angellore. Violins were plaid by Pete Johansen (The Scarr), who also has been contributing on the later albums of Tristania.

After doing their first live shows outside of Norway as a support act for Lacrimosa in Belgium and on the Mind Over Matter Festival in Austria during the summer of 98, Tristania went on their first European tour in the autumn same year, together with Solefald and Haggard.

In 1999, the 2nd full-length album, Beyond The Veil, was released. The songs on the album are built around the same elements as the previous one, but all in all the album is a bit more extreme, compared to Widow's Weeds. Moen/Veland were still writing most of the music, but Moen and Hidle also composed a couple of the tracks together this time.
Østen Bergøy and Pete Johansen were once again contributing on a Tristania album, in addition to yet another singer; Jan Kenneth Barkved (Elusive).
The band followed up the album with their first headlining tour, together with The Sins Of Thy Beloved, Trail of Tears and Antichrisis as support acts.
1999 was also the year for Tristania to appear at the Wacken Festival, and joining Tiamat on the Skeleton Skeletron Tour together with Anathema.

In 2000, Tristania continued the extensive touring, and went on a new European headliner tour, in addition to several of the European summer festivals.
2000 was also the year that the band got their first opportunities to tour outside of Europe, with festival shows in Mexico in August and the US in November.
In the end of 2000, Veland and the rest of the band decided to go on separate ways, due to musical and social differences.

The band was eager to go on with the composing, and Moen and Hidle continued to work on their new song material for the 3rd album, World of Glass. The album was recorded in Sound Suite Studio, France during the spring of 2001. Since the replacement for Veland wasn't ready yet, Ronny Thorsen (Trail of Tears) contributed on the extreme vocals, while Bergøy and Barkved contributed with clean vocals. Pete Johansen did the violins for his 3rd time on a Tristania release.

After returning to Norway, Kjetil Ingebrethsen (Blindfolded) joined the band as a replacement for Veland. At the same time it was a natural thing that also Østen Bergøy became a regular member of the band, after participating at all the 3 full-length albums. He had become more and more important as a singer, and on World of Glass also as a lyricist.

World of Glass was released in September 2001, and the album represents the natural next step for the band, after Widow's Weeds and Beyond The Veil, and the band managed both to keep the "tristanian" sound and the basic elements in the music, as well as to have development and natural progress. The musical diversity that always has been important for the band became even clearer with World of Glass. This album also included the first ever cover-version recorded by Tristania, called The Modern End, originally recorded by the legendary Norwegian band Seigmen.

Just days after the album was released, the band started the World of Glass Tour in Europe, supported by Rotting Christ, Vintersorg and country-mates Madder Mortem.

The touring continued in 2002, with more European gigs as well as shows in Mexico, Chile, Brazil and Columbuia.

Tristania is at the moment having a break from touring, focusing solely on the next album, which is expected to be recorded late 2003.