FLOOR JANSEN Discusses Upcoming REVAMP Album In New Interview

Rock N' Heavy recently conducted an interview with former AFTER FOREVER frontwoman and current NIGHTWISH touring singer Floor Jansen about her REVAMP project. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Rock N' Heavy: Floor, you said that for the forthcoming [REVAMP] album, "Wild Card", the band faced "entirely new situations," and several "challenges" had to be overcome. One of those situations was your illness. What else may you share with us about the recording process and all the efforts and endeavors made, so we could have a new record from REVAMP?

Floor: I was referring to my burnout, which gave plenty of challenges in a bad way. The positive one was me joining NIGHTWISH on tour while we were still writing the album. Even though 80 or 90% was already done, the last part needed to be done while touring. The recordings stayed as planned but I personally couldn't be there when the instruments were recorded. I knew however that the guys would do an amazing job and when I came back from touring I could record my vocals.

Rock N' Heavy: From the trailer, the studio reports, and some live footage of "Sins" we get the feeling that fans are right to be thrilled and anxious for the arrival of "Wild Card", because it sounds even louder, aggressive and bombastic than "Revamp". What can you tell us about that?

Floor: indeed it will be. The sound is even more guitar-oriented and there is more heavy riffing going on even though there is enough space for more melodic and bombastic parts. I sing more diverse as before with the use of raw vocals, screams and even grunts. The songs became more divers and even more progressive at some points.

Rock N' Heavy: Would you please share with us the concept or main ideas behind "Wild Card", going through the cover artwork, lyrical inspiration and instrumental arrangement?

Floor: the cover artwork shows a playcard which literally visualizes the card from "Wild Card". The queen of heart is a bit of a wild card herself in many stories; sometimes she's a nice queen, sometimes and evil one. The double faces on the card refers to the music which can be heavy, dark and aggressive but also nice, melodic and more feminine. Like on the first album, the background in white, we have one main color (pink on the first one, red on "Wild Card") and you see me. I am on both albums a part of the artwork, [but] it's not about "the picture of Floor." The music I described in my previous answer. We made a musical moodboard while writing to get inspiration from a long playlist full of very divers music. We wanted to write a heavy but modern album, something fresh. The lyrics all have different subjects but there are a few connected in one theme called "The Anatomy Of A Nervous Breakdown". Three lyrics about my burnout and being sick. Others also refer to it and others have nothing to do with it, but the overall thing is that the lyrics are more direct and more personal than ever before.

Rock N' Heavy: Floor, you're a talented and amazingly versatile singer, so how was touring with NIGHTWISH, and will the future bring more cooperation between you and the Finnish symphonic metal giants?

Floor: I am still touring with them and it is amazing! I feel very honored they've asked me and had a great time on the road with them so far. What the future will bring is not decided on yet. We play festivals until August and after this NIGHTWISH will take some month off. After the break, they will decide on who will sing on the new album in the beginning of 2014.

Read the entire interview at Rock N' Heavy.

"Wild Card" album trailer #3:

"Wild Card" album trailer #2:

"Wild Card" album trailer #1:

Photo credit: Richard Stark for NI Concept & Design