SIRENIA Mastermind On New Album, Singer

Dimitris Kontogeorgakos of Metal-Temple.com recently conducted an interview with SIRENIA mastermind Morten Veland. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

Metal-Temple.com: So, can you say that the [new SIRENIA] album ["The 13th Floor"] sounds the way it did when it was in your mind?

Morten Veland: You know, an album always turns to be different that it was when you had it in your mind. OK, you are working on a certain directions but things change during the working process. I had the luck to work again in the studio with people that want to get the same results from SIRENIA like I do. We learn each other through the entire process, and yes, I can say that it is close to what I had in my mind.

Metal-Temple.com: I am asking this because I have been wandering, when can an artist be certain that a new album is ready to be recorded? When can he say "OK, I am done"?

Morten Veland: It is true that you can never be sure that you are done; there will always be something more or new that you can do. Personally, I work very much on the pre-production and there comes a certain time point where everything sounds perfect to my mind. All the arrangements and music details are there. So when I get to this point I actually know that if I was to add more details and songs then the album would be too much and over-produced. So, yes I believe there is a certain limit where you feel that you don't want to cross before everything gets out of control.

Metal-Temple.com: Where does the new album stand musically? Can you say that it is closer to a specific SIRENIA album?

Morten Veland: I think that it is close to every SIRENIA album. Usually, I want to take a step further with every new album and musically develop. But with "The 13th Floor" although I did the same thing I wanted to take step towards the past. So, the fans can find elements from all the SIRENIA albums like "At Sixes And Sevens" or our second one, "An Elixir For Existence", among some new stuff that we added. I believe that it is a broad album that represents SIRENIA musically through the entire career; what we used to do and what we are doing now.

Metal-Temple.com: What about the new singer, Ailyn; how did you choose her?

Morten Veland: It was a long process to find a new singer and it actually took a half of a year.

Metal-Temple.com: (interrupting) Did you have any standards in your mind of how you wanted the new singer to be?

Morten Veland: You have always certain things that are very important to you and of course the band. The most important thing was the singing style that should fit the band and the music of course. Another thing that is also important is the personal side of everything; the chemistry between the members of the band. Because when you work in a band and go on tour for a long time these things really matter. And another thing that came up during the process was that we decided that the new singer should be from Europe because it would quite difficult to have big distances in between us. Last but not least is the image of the singer that is something you need in this kind of music.

Metal-Temple.com: What changes did Ailyn bring to the sound of SIRENIA?

Morten Veland: She has a wide vocal range; she gets both high and low pitches. So, for me as a composer it's very good because I have more 'free' hands. I can try things that I couldn't in the past. It is great to have this voice in the band.

Metal-Temple.com: Did you compose the music while Ailyn was in the band?

Morten Veland: The music was more or less ready before even we started looking for a singer. But this is the way I write music for SIRENIA; I find it kind of complicated to write music while working with another musician. It is necessary for me to get in a special state of mind and have peace around me. You can get really distracted when you have to interact with other people (laughs). I can write more personal stuff in this way.

Read the entire interview from Metal-Temple.com.

"The Path To Decay", the new video from SIRENIA, will receive its online premiere on January 5, 2009 via MySpace. The clip was shot in Gothenburg, Sweden with director Patric Ullaeus (DIMMU BORGIR, LACUNA COIL) of Revolver Film Company.

A couple of photos from the video shoot can be viewed below.