Ligeia
Do you know bands like Warlock, Judas Priest or Stormwitch? Do you worship Old Heavy Metal tunes? Are you an Old Heavy Metal maniac? If you said "yes" three times, you should listen to Ligeia - female fronted Heavy Metal band from Germany. In the 21st century, we haven't much of really good bands, but Ligeia surely is one of the best ones. I have talked with guitarist Joerg about their new album, gigs and band's future. Just read...
Hallo Joerg. Your new album has just been released, but with label of Iron Glory / Massacre - why? I ask because those songs were supposed to be out on different company, and under the "Beyond The Sky" title...
Hi Marta!!! Well, we recorded "Beyond the sky" normally as a Album for our former Label SHS Musics, because we must release 2 Albums for this Label. But SHS Musics were not able to release this album, because they lost their distributor. We were also very dissatisfied with them, because they did no good job in promotion , neither with our first Album "Made of Stone" nor with the promotion of this second album. So we decided to left this company. But this had taken a long time, because they won't gave us back the rights of our songs. It was a long litigation, but finally we had won it. After we had signed by Iron Glory, we decided to rerecord this old tunes, because of our new Lineup. We also decided to call this new Album "Gloria" because it fit better to the coverartwork and the songs on it.
As I know, you re-recorded old tunes with some new guys in line up. Where did you get them? Was it hard to arrange those tracks again? And why actually old members left?
Well, our old Members played, besides Ligeia, in a Coverband named Metropolis. Well, that was not the matter that Dani and I decided to dismiss our former members, but as they begun to play the songs, which they had played with this Metropolis, during the Ligeia rehearsals and the fact that they had played our Tracks worse on every forthcomming gig, the time had come that Dani and I decided that we are looking for some new members. Well, the new members we have found via Net. And approximatly 4 weeks after the split, we played our 1 show together with Solemnity with this new line up. You see, there was no exorbitant break and it was also not hard to rearange the Tracks with the new members.
If you could compare them, which versions do you like more?
I think both versions are great. I think, the new ones on "Gloria" have a better sound than the old tunes. We also rearange some old tunes (e.g. "Light of the gods") because we thought it will sound better than the old versions.
I believe that the guys of Iron GLory and Massacre are doing a good job with promotion - any tour in plans?
We are very pleased with the cooperation with Iron Glory and Massacre. They do a lot promotion and other things for us. But a tour is not planed till now. They just do the promotion for our album. We organize a lot of our gigs by our own but we are in search of a booking agency. Well then, maybe we will play our first Gig in a foreign country, but without a management on your side this is nearly impossible.
I know you played with cult acts such as Stormwitch or Doro. How do you remember those gigs?
These Gigs were fantastic. All two bands were very friendly and were very obliging. The Gig with Doro was planed as a Open Air, but I think there went something wrong with the organisation of this event. At least the event was in an old bavarian stable. well it was not small, but the stage was decorated like on the german TV Show "Musikantenstadel" (a show were they play good old bavarian folk musik---hahaha) with great picturest of beer mugs besids the stage and so on... That was very crazy. But the rest of the event was great!!! With Stormwitch we played some concerts here in Southern Germany and there are planned some more events together with them. Doro and Andy Mück are two very friendly persons and it were some very fantastic events to play as a supportact with them. Andy also played on our CD releaseparty the song "Tears by the firelight" together with us as a special guest. That was really great!!!!
Some people used to call you a Stormwitch / Warlock copy... How do you like such comparisions?
Well, people like comparisions. They see Dani with her blond long hairs and her stageacting on gigs and think she is just a copy of Doro Pesch. In my opinion, if she had black hairs, nobody would compare her to Doro, because I don't think, that our music sounds like the one of Doro Pesch and Warlock. We make our own sound and our own songs, and that is the sound we like. Good old '80s Metal. You know, as the band was founded 1999 nobody of us ever thought that we will release an album worldwide in 2004. Right from start we make our own songs and our own sounds and if someone knows our first album "Made of Stone" he/she will see that the songs on "Gloria" are also in this 80's metal style like on "Made of Stone". Well, the songs and the sound advanced, but that is just a develpoment which you hear on all albums of nearly all bands.
And how do you like latest productions of Doro Pesch and Stormwitch?
Well, I had never heard the latest Album "Fight" of Doro Pesch. But I like "Calling the wild" which was released before "Fight" because it sounds a little bit back to the roots like. The latest Stormwitch album is great. Well, I´m a big Stormwitch fan and I like nearly all of their albums.
Didn't you think about record some cover tunes? Maybe something from other Teutonic Metal h eroes, such as Atlain, Veto or Gravestone?
On our next album we will record one coversong. But the song will be something completely different we normally play. We just play it on a few livegigs here in Germany to see if the audience like this song and how we perform it. Well, the one who knows the original song were very impressed of our cover. But let you surprise on our next album.
I know you play live "All We Are" from Warlock, any other covers in the setlist as well?
Well, "All We Are" we played last time a few years ago on one or two shows. It was no good idea to play this song because since then we were really the Swabian Warlock. We just like this song and wanted to make an covertune during our gigs and thought "All We Are" is a great song and Dani could perform it very well with her voice. But then we realized, that it was a bad idea to play it (comparisons, you know. The topic a few questions before:-)). Well, I think you saw one of our video tapes which was recorded a few years ago by one of our fans - I think it was in Vöhringen - don't you?
Any chance to find you on some big festivals such as Wacken or Bang Your Head? Well, this year mighty Warlock will be at the first one, I guess you guys will be banging in the front row?
No. I hope that we will play next year on some bigger festivals. But it is nearly impossible for a small, unknown band like Ligeia, which just released its "first" Album, to play on such big events like BYH or WOA. But every year nearly the entire band are visiting these two big festivals, because they are great. Well, personally I like the BYH more than the WOA, because they have just one stage. You have the chance to see all bands. On the WOA you must decide which band you will see, because there are playing sometimes 2 good bands at the same time. But there are all very great events. But besides this two great festivals, there are also very good smal ones, like the KIT or the HOA.
I also need to ask about my country - do you have any contact with Poland? Do you know some Polish acts maybe?
Well, I actually know just a few bands by the homepage of one of our representators in Poland - Bart Gabriel (hope you're doing fine my friend) and his agency dragonight.de. I just know Crystal Viper (aren't you the singer of it?), Stos, Hellfire by name and by their mp3s which I downloaded, but I've heard a lot more, because one of my friends is a big fan of Polish, Russian or Czech Metalacts. Very often we are lisening to this acts and it sounds really great. But I actually don't own an album of one of these bands, because it is very hard to get one here in Germany.
What about planned Running Wild cover for tribute album of those Metal pirates?
This was a contest by the webmaster of the Running Wild page. Bands should record a song of Running Wild and the visitors of the Running Wild webpage should deceide, which bands are on this album. Well and we have done it with our coverversion of "Running Blood". This Album will be released in summer/autumn 2004 through Remmedy Records. There are also other cool acts on it like Stormhammer, Twisted Tower Dire, Crystal Shark and more.
Any chance to see your releases on vinyl? Maybe just a limited 7"?
Well, this is not in our hand. Maybe if this album sells fine, the next will be also released on vinyl. But that will be a decission of Iron Glory wheather they want to release a Album on vinyl. Well, I hope, that one of our CD's will be released on it, because I'm a big record fan.
I guess that's all I wanted to ask for... Thanks for a nice talk - last words are yours. Heavy Metal bis zum Ende!
Well, I have to thank you for this Interview!!! A big salute to all our fans and a big hail to every Metal fan all over the world. You are listening one of the best musicstyles of the world... Heavy Metal!!! I hope that we will see us on one of our concerts - maybe in Poland! Yeah!!
Interview done by Marta Kroczak-Gabriel in May 2004.