First Video Interview With THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF

The first "official" video interview with 22-year-old Norwegian seven-string guitarist/singer/songwriter The Commander-In-Chief can be seen below.

The Commander-In-Chief released her debut EP, "Evolution", digitally on February 15 via Commander Records/The Commander-In-Chief Ltd. The effort was produced by Sterling Winfield (PANTERA, HATEBREED, HELLYEAH),who previously mixed The Commander-In-Chiefs' "brutal, adrenalin-fueled" cover version of the BLACK SABBATH classic "Paranoid" (audio stream avialable in YouTube clip below).

According to a press release, "the recording process of the EP was very different from what normally happens in studio these days, so Sterling Winfield made a statement about it.

He said, "I would first like to say thank you again to 'The Commander' and Elisabeth Hagen for giving me the opportunity to work on such an original project. It is refreshing to work on a recording that is nothing like everything else that is going on in music currently. Furthermore, as a producer and engineer for the last twenty-one years, I feel that the following needs to be said for many reasons: I am very proud to acknowledge the fact that what you are hearing is all 100 percent musician-played performances! During the course of listening to these songs, you will NOT hear one drum hit that was moved around, placed on a grid, 'sound replaced' or augmented in any way whatsoever. You will also NOT hear Auto-Tune, Melodyne or any other vocal-tuning software of ANY kind!

"That being said, I will answer the burning question looming in your minds… Yes, The Commander-In-Chief played ALL of the guitars you're hearing and sang every single note. Not only did she do all of this, but she did it all with more great attitude, and professionalism than a lot of the veteran musicians I know that have been doing this almost longer than she has been alive. All of the musicians that played on this project were truly great! They all performed above and beyond the call of duty and I was proud to be a part of it. I think that it is important to mention these things so that listeners and musicians alike can see that music can be made without all of the trappings or abuse of digital recording tools. This experience was also proof to me that there are musicians out there that still take pleasure in playing/singing and relying upon the discipline it takes to do so."

"Evolution" track listing:

01. Thou
02. Famous
03. Evolution
04. Let It Go

In a 2010 interview with Metal Express Radio, The Commander-In-Chief stated about her music, "I used to call it hybrid rock; the power of rock with the message of punk, and the catchiness of pop inspired by metal techniques. NOW my music has taken a more heavy direction than last year, so it's less punk and more metal."

Regarding her name, The Commander-In-Chief, she said, "I wanted a powerful artist name, since I've always been doing my own thing and still am. I do all the songwriting, guitar playing, singing and I write all the lyrics. For the first demo I made in Chicago I also made my own animated music video which generated quite a buzz on MySpace and gave me all my first fans. I also created illustrations for all my songs, mixing the music with visual arts. I don't do that anymore though, as I just don't have the time."

For more information, go to this location.

Interview:

"Evolution" EP teaser:

Cover of BLACK SABBATH classic "Paranoid":