MARK "HEATHEN" STEVEN - AMULET

💿 Hi, it's a pleasure for us to have on Hardrockheavymetal MAREK "HEATHEN" STEVEN of AMULET!! Welcome!! Cheers for having us Hardrockheavymetal, we appreciate it. Cool name you have!  💿 On May 17th was out your new platter called THE INEVITABLE WAR, positive received on our pages. Can you tell us somethin' about its composition process and style?  Thanks, OK. Well, we really wanted to deliver an album with good songs and riffs (as always!) but this time maybe with a slightly more hi-fi sound than our previous releases. 

We took our time on the song-writing (partly as various band members left!) and also took our time on the recording too.

 We used guitarist Nippy's brother Tom who is not a producer but has a great ear and skills so we can make sure we were really happy with all aspects of the playing and sounds this time. I think it worked, it sounds balanced and colourful, a little heavier maybe but not too shiny. Keyboards and double tracked vocals are a new addition too.

We're pleased people seem to like it, we put the time in. 

The next album might sound BIGGER we're thinking, watch out!  💿 This album marked strong changes in the line up of the band; what's the matter of this choice?  We had the bassist, drummer and singer leave in one-year intervals to get on with their own lives basically. Being in a band like this doesn't make any money and takes up a lot of time so it is hard to justify unless you are very passionate about it. 

New bassist Sam is an old friend and and has added a lot to the band. drummer Neil and singer Fed are both amazing and were recommended by mutual friends. 

We all live in North London, get on well and have the same taste so it's good fun and we're looking forward to playing and recording a lot more.  💿 Your new album is out via DISSONANCE PRODUCTIONS; can you tell us something about the birth of the partnership with them?  They're a UK label and part of Plastichead Distro. Having a UK based label has advantages and the fact they have amazing distribution is a huge plus for us as you want the record to be everywhere online and in stores! They were looking to sign some classic metal so it happened naturally. I also A&R a bit for them which is fun. Send us your quality metal bands!  💿 The real "news" in music industry is the return of vinyl and cassette; what's your feeling about these classic formats and the current music "business"?  Vinyl has definitely had a resurgence and is a good earner for the right bands and the labels. Cassettes are a novelty really but a good way for a band to make a little money quickly or on tour. Most cassettes these days are terrible quality though, you have to be careful. I gather the vinyl sales are still a fraction of overall music sales, majority is online I think. CDs maybe do OK. We find CDs very popular in our main territories like Germany etc. The music industry took a massive hit about 10 years ago, it changed completely. I think the labels are smaller operations now but they still do OK from streaming etc. Bands not so much. It's hard now unless you are already established and can make a lot of money live. You have to be VERY good to cut through the noise these days and crossover. Some bands in our scene like Eternal Champion, Visigoth and Riot City are managing to do that. And then you need to tour really! Phew! Does that answer you question? Haha!  💿 Can you tell us somethin' about your live projects? Are scheduled any gigs?  We just lost our booking agent right as the album was being launched which was awful timing. We have arranged a few shows though and are playing Austria, Germany, Holland and Belgium.

 We will have a new booker soon and we're working on more shows. We want to play as much as possible. Especially festivals and tours of Germany. 

💿 We love the cover of THE INEVITABLE WAR; can you tell us somethin'about?  Thanks, we were looking for a violent medieval battle scene or similar. Nippy was aware of this particular painting. The artwork is a re-touched (by Sam) version of 'The Suicide of Saul', an oil painting by the Dutch Renaissance artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder, from 1562. It's held in Vienna and funnily enough the actual painting is the same size as a gatefold LP.

 It's a biblical scene but depicted in 16th Century clothing etc. It's a story involving war, witches and death - it's a powerful painting, and suitable for our war-leaning album. Highly detailed album covers are always appealing as you can look at them whilst listening to the music. It looks really good, especially the gatefold version.  💿Thank you so much for your time! See you soon on Hardrockheavymetal!  Thanks for your time and space! Never surrender! #pressagent ANDY TURNER www.palmerturneroverdive.com Dissonance Productions 

#amulet