Avatarium - Rockpalast 2015 - Part 1
Avatarium - Rockpalast 2015 - Part 2
Darker, heavier, and more emotionally charged than recent efforts, Avatarium’s upcoming album “Between You, God, The Devil And The Dead” showcases a refined blend of soul-stirring lyricism, colossal riffs, and atmospheric depth. Led by the dynamic partnership of Jennie-Ann Smith and Marcus Jidell, the band has carved a sound that is uniquely their own, creating a rare space where both the artists and listeners alike can forge a shared journey through the universal questions of life and death. We had an opportunity to sit down with vocalist and lyricist Jennie-Ann Smith, reflecting on the band’s journey, and the diverse inspirations and influences that resonate throughout the album.
How are you feeling now that you’re close to the release date?
“It’s odd. It’s always fun because this album was finished in early summer last year, so we’ve worked very hard to get everything finished. It’s new again, and that gives you perspective, but we’ve done a lot of promotion. Besides listening to it over and over again, we also got feedback. And so far, it’s been overwhelmingly good.”
How did you and Marcus decide to incorporate different musical styles on the album?
“It happens quite automatically. We feel it when we are writing towards the right direction. We care about our heritage and where we come from, but we aim to be as creative and free as we possibly can. And this time, I brought my old piano, it traveled from the west coast of Sweden to Stockholm. It sounds great. We wrote a lot of the material on that piano and translated that to guitar riffs. I think that broadens the possibilities… the range of what the guitar actually does. On this album, we’re going back to the roots. I’ve been very focused on melodies. And, as you know, we’ve done this for over 10 years, and I know what I like to sing live, what kind of melodies are intriguing and interesting. So back to the roots, but it’s also influenced by piano, and we listen to a lot of classical music.”
How do you feel your vocal style, which has clear jazz/blues influences, fits within heavier doom influences?
“It was a lucky accident that me, Leif Edling (Candlemass) and Marcus found each other and had the courage to try out this music together. Immediately we heard that this is something special and unique. I think that the unique thing is that we come from different musical backgrounds. I’m not the average metal singer. I come from a quite jazzy background and the way I perceive music, and my timing, is quite jazz oriented. In music history, things get interesting when you have these contrasts.
Do you have any jazz or blues artists that have influenced your vocal style and your evolution as a musician?
“As a teenager, I was introduced to jazz music, artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Nina Simone. These types of singers made such a huge impact on me. I do not come from a musical family. I was influenced by my parents because they like to listen to music, but none of them was a musician. Then I went to music school, and I was introduced to these wonderful Canadian heroes that I treasure, like Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. Listening to Joni Mitchell‘s “Blue” (1971) was life changing for me. I cannot describe how much it meant to me in every way.”
I understand that you’re a psychotherapist, and you mentioned that you encounter patients that deal with death anxiety. How do your professional experiences influence your music?
“I have thought a lot about that, and I think that sometimes your consciousness directly pulls you in a certain direction. I think it’s definitely been that way for me. It’s not morbid for me. I’ve been interested in these existential questions my whole life, I was quite a philosophical child. I remember writing this essay about death and the dying process in the region where I grew up, and the traditions around that. It’s interesting because as a person, I’m not particularly depressive or depressed, I have a quite light personality. I’m fortunate to have music to channel these questions, because these topics create new questions. I get to deal with that through music, which is a huge privilege. If you listen to the lyrics and the music, you can probably hear that.”
You have described Leif Edling as a mentor to both yourself and Marcus. How has working with him shaped your approach to the way you think about the music?
“Leif is a master of his craft. Working alongside him, I’ve learned a lot about songwriting, not because he explicitly told me “this is how you do it”, but by listening and interpreting and working with the arrangements of his songs. What has also been really important is learning from his musical integrity. He is such a free spirit, he allows himself to just go about music as he sees fit, which I think is so amazing. He’s free, and he does what he wants, follows his intuition.”
I have been collecting data on the diversity of bands signed to major labels or who have performed at major heavy music festivals. Very few had any gender and cultural diversity at all.
“And then, if you were to analyze that further, how many of those females have written the material they performed, or have chosen how to interpret the material, what to wear, and so on? It demands integrity and also certain conditions to be able to do it. I think in my case, my husband, who is also the guitarist of Avatarium, is enabling me. He provides a certain security for me. To do this, I’d have to say that he believes in me, he protects me, and I can be as free as I want and that’s great. The music business is competitive, and as anyone else, every man and woman in music, you have to earn your place and work hard.”
Is there a specific song on the album that stands out the most to you?
“I think there are several songs that I really like on this album. If I were to mention a song, I do like “Being With The Dead” a lot. That one has a quirky, odd riff. It’s sort of resisting, and then it opens up in a major chord on the chorus, and I really like that.”
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
“The music speaks for itself. It’s powerful, but wherever a classical sound is, you can immediately hear that. So that means it’s very dynamic. We moved from being very, very fragile to bombastic and super powerful. Since your webzine is focused on females working in this genre, I hope this will inspire more women to take active part in creating music.”
From: https://www.femalefrontedpower.com/interviews/avatarium-interview/
How are you feeling now that you’re close to the release date?
“It’s odd. It’s always fun because this album was finished in early summer last year, so we’ve worked very hard to get everything finished. It’s new again, and that gives you perspective, but we’ve done a lot of promotion. Besides listening to it over and over again, we also got feedback. And so far, it’s been overwhelmingly good.”
How did you and Marcus decide to incorporate different musical styles on the album?
“It happens quite automatically. We feel it when we are writing towards the right direction. We care about our heritage and where we come from, but we aim to be as creative and free as we possibly can. And this time, I brought my old piano, it traveled from the west coast of Sweden to Stockholm. It sounds great. We wrote a lot of the material on that piano and translated that to guitar riffs. I think that broadens the possibilities… the range of what the guitar actually does. On this album, we’re going back to the roots. I’ve been very focused on melodies. And, as you know, we’ve done this for over 10 years, and I know what I like to sing live, what kind of melodies are intriguing and interesting. So back to the roots, but it’s also influenced by piano, and we listen to a lot of classical music.”
How do you feel your vocal style, which has clear jazz/blues influences, fits within heavier doom influences?
“It was a lucky accident that me, Leif Edling (Candlemass) and Marcus found each other and had the courage to try out this music together. Immediately we heard that this is something special and unique. I think that the unique thing is that we come from different musical backgrounds. I’m not the average metal singer. I come from a quite jazzy background and the way I perceive music, and my timing, is quite jazz oriented. In music history, things get interesting when you have these contrasts.
Do you have any jazz or blues artists that have influenced your vocal style and your evolution as a musician?
“As a teenager, I was introduced to jazz music, artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Nina Simone. These types of singers made such a huge impact on me. I do not come from a musical family. I was influenced by my parents because they like to listen to music, but none of them was a musician. Then I went to music school, and I was introduced to these wonderful Canadian heroes that I treasure, like Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. Listening to Joni Mitchell‘s “Blue” (1971) was life changing for me. I cannot describe how much it meant to me in every way.”
I understand that you’re a psychotherapist, and you mentioned that you encounter patients that deal with death anxiety. How do your professional experiences influence your music?
“I have thought a lot about that, and I think that sometimes your consciousness directly pulls you in a certain direction. I think it’s definitely been that way for me. It’s not morbid for me. I’ve been interested in these existential questions my whole life, I was quite a philosophical child. I remember writing this essay about death and the dying process in the region where I grew up, and the traditions around that. It’s interesting because as a person, I’m not particularly depressive or depressed, I have a quite light personality. I’m fortunate to have music to channel these questions, because these topics create new questions. I get to deal with that through music, which is a huge privilege. If you listen to the lyrics and the music, you can probably hear that.”
You have described Leif Edling as a mentor to both yourself and Marcus. How has working with him shaped your approach to the way you think about the music?
“Leif is a master of his craft. Working alongside him, I’ve learned a lot about songwriting, not because he explicitly told me “this is how you do it”, but by listening and interpreting and working with the arrangements of his songs. What has also been really important is learning from his musical integrity. He is such a free spirit, he allows himself to just go about music as he sees fit, which I think is so amazing. He’s free, and he does what he wants, follows his intuition.”
I have been collecting data on the diversity of bands signed to major labels or who have performed at major heavy music festivals. Very few had any gender and cultural diversity at all.
“And then, if you were to analyze that further, how many of those females have written the material they performed, or have chosen how to interpret the material, what to wear, and so on? It demands integrity and also certain conditions to be able to do it. I think in my case, my husband, who is also the guitarist of Avatarium, is enabling me. He provides a certain security for me. To do this, I’d have to say that he believes in me, he protects me, and I can be as free as I want and that’s great. The music business is competitive, and as anyone else, every man and woman in music, you have to earn your place and work hard.”
Is there a specific song on the album that stands out the most to you?
“I think there are several songs that I really like on this album. If I were to mention a song, I do like “Being With The Dead” a lot. That one has a quirky, odd riff. It’s sort of resisting, and then it opens up in a major chord on the chorus, and I really like that.”
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
“The music speaks for itself. It’s powerful, but wherever a classical sound is, you can immediately hear that. So that means it’s very dynamic. We moved from being very, very fragile to bombastic and super powerful. Since your webzine is focused on females working in this genre, I hope this will inspire more women to take active part in creating music.”
From: https://www.femalefrontedpower.com/interviews/avatarium-interview/
