| Kunstner: Avian - Interview med: Yan Leviathan, Guitar | ||
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Revolution-Music: Hallo. First of I would like to congratulate you on your new album “From The Depths Of Time” which is about to, or has just been released.
Yan Leviathan: Thank you very much. Revolution-Music: Could you start out by introducing your self and tell us what part in the band you have? Yan Leviathan: My name is Yan Leviathan and I am the founder, guitarist, and songwriter for the U.S. power metal band Avian. Revolution-Music: How did the band get to getter and how did you come up with the name AVIAN? Does it have any special meaning? Yan Leviathan: The band began as a studio project that I formed. I had some songs written that I wanted to record for a demo. During my search for studio musicians, I was introduced to David Ellefson. We hit it off and quickly began working together. We were in and out of the studio for a few months recording the songs, and then the day came where we had to find a singer. David suggested that we give Lance King a call. I was a big fan of his Balance of Power work and was very thrilled at the possibility of him singing for us. We sent a couple of tracks to Lance and shortly thereafter we received them back with his vocals on them. I was blown away by his performance and very quickly worked out an agreement with him to sing on the entire cd. So, what originally started as basically myself and a couple of songs, within a few months turned into a full fledged band consisting of myself on lead and rhythm guitars, David Ellefson on bass, and Lance King on vocals. We rounded out the line up by hiring Lance’s Pyramaze band mate, Jonah Weingarten, to handle the keyboards on the cd. Then, we hired another one of Lance’s old pals, Roger Moore, to do all of the solos. On drums, we used David’s F5 band mate, David Small. I chose the name Avian from a set of books written by Arthur C. Clarke and Gentry Lee. These books, entitled Rama, are some of my favourite pieces of literature. One of the creatures in the books is an Avian. I always felt strongly toward the Avians and when it came time to choose a band name, it seemed natural to me. Revolution-Music: This is your debut album, and is released trough Massacre Records, how did the contract get established, and how are they to work with? Yan Leviathan: We hired Intromental Management to handle the various tasks that a band needs to get done. Number one on that list was to find us the best possible record deal, or deals. Once the cd was complete, we sent it to the Intromental gang and they began shopping it. When we saw that Massacre was interested, we were very thrilled and excited. We worked out the deal with them and I think that all parties are definitely happy about that ;-) Revolution-Music: It must be incredible to be a part in such great roster, which Massacre Records have? Yan Leviathan: Yes, of course! It is an absolute honour to be label mates with such acts as King Diamond, Dreamscape, Manticora, PC69 and so many other great bands. I had the pleasure of meeting Wolfgang and Benno from Dreamscape at this year’s Progpower USA festival; they are a great bunch of guys and hopefully one day we can go out on tour together. Revolution-Music: Why did you choose the title “From The Depths Of Time” for this record, does it have any special meaning? Yan Leviathan: The title comes from the lyric of the last song on the cd; The Depths of Time; “From The Depths of Time they’re rising, Fearing none they march ahead, Through The Past And Into Forever, they’re the ones approaching with the storm”. We felt that these lyrics sum up the album very precisely so that’s where it came from. Revolution-Music: When you started working on this album, how long did the process take from the first step to the final product? Was it hard to write new material for this record or did it come naturally for you? Yan Leviathan: The very first step was taken in November of 2002 when I had written the first song, Final Frontier. The album was 100% complete in May of 2005. That might seem like a long time; but you have to understand that there was absolutely nothing in place before November of 2002. Considering I had to write all of the music and lyrics, find band mates, management, recording facilities, producers, record deals, and a ton of other things, I think its not so bad ;-) As for writing the material, it came very easy and naturally. The lyrics took a lot of time because I had to make sure that they fit the story line. Revolution-Music: Where did you record this record and who was the producer on the album? Yan Leviathan: We recorded the drums in a studio in Arizona. We also recorded the basic guitar and drum tracks there but we then re-recorded them in my home studio, Yanmonster Studios, where we also recorded all of the keys on the album. The vocals and all guitar solos were recorded in Nightmare Studios in Minnesota. Lance and David produced the album together; David was in charge of the guitars and drums, and Lance produced the vocals and guitar solos. Lance also did the mix on the album. Revolution-Music: How was it to work with him/them??? Yan Leviathan: It was very easy and comfortable. The three of us see and hear things very similarly and we had very few times where we didn’t agree or see things eye to eye. Additionally, we had Tommy Hansen (Helloween) master the cd and that was quite an honour for me since I am such a huge fan of his work. He did an outstanding job on the mastering. So between production, mixing and mastering, we had three metal gods working on it; not too bad ;-) Revolution-Music: What are you trying to express through your music? Is there a hidden statement? Yan Leviathan: On the surface, it might seem that my lyrics tend to be doom and gloom. They are written that way to try to get people to wake up and see what the hell is going on in the world. I try to deliver that message on a sub-conscience level instead of just coming out and saying it. Hopefully, the people that listen to it will get a message from it and it’ll help them try to make a better world for all of us. Revolution-Music: How has the album been received by the press, the critics and the fans so far? Yan Leviathan: The reaction has been fantastic both from the media and the fans. This is a great thrill (and relief) knowing that what we’ve worked on so hard and for so long is appreciated by nearly everyone. Revolution-Music: What is your view on the group’s position in today’s music scene? Yan Leviathan: I think that we’re coming out during a good time for the scene. It seems like many people are sick of the garbage they hear on the radio and television. So, they search the internet for real and meaningful music that they can enjoy. It is noticeable here the in the U.S. also; a few years ago it was virtually impossible for the Euro metal bands to play here. Within the past couple of years or so, we’ve had Gamma Ray, Edguy, Blind Guardian, Hammerfall, Stratovarius, and Helloween play and/or tour the country. I think that helps the whole genre when these great bands come here and expose a bunch of people to this wonderful music. Revolution-Music: Metal band now days don’t make a lot of music videos, are you planning to record any videos to support the album? Yan Leviathan: Right now we have no plans to make a video; that could change depending on the sales of the cd. If we do make one for this album, it will definitely be for As The World Burns; I already have a great idea of how it should be done ;-) Revolution-Music: Do any of the members have any side-projects you wish to bring out in the open or are you fully committed to this band? Yan Leviathan: I am 100% committed to Avian; everything I do is with the intention of making Avian the best possible band it can be. David has few other projects he’s working on, you can check them at; www.davidellefson.com. Lance and Jonah are also members of Pyramaze. Revolution-Music: What kind of stuff did you grow up listening to, and what kind new music do you listen to these days? Yan Leviathan: I grew up listening to all kinds of music; some of my all time favourite bands include: Rush, Savatage, Iron Maiden, Dream Theater, Helloween, Gamma Ray, Hammerfall, Judas Priest, Stratovarius, Mercyful Fate, Yngwie Malmsteen, Boston, Triumph, Night Ranger, and Blind Guardian. I have about 8000 songs on my computer and mp3 player, so I listen to them all of the time. Lately, I’ve been listening to Gamma Ray’s Majestic, and Helloween’s The Legacy a lot; I’m enjoying both very much. A couple of new bands that I also really enjoy listening to are Circus Maximus and Spheric Universe Experience. They are both amazing! Revolution-Music: Have any of these bands been source inspiration for the album? Or where does it come from, both on the musical part and the lyrical part? Yan Leviathan: I believe that all the music I listen to inspires me in one way or another. Usually the initial idea for a song will come from a guitar riff. If it’s something that interests me, I’ll keep working on it until it sounds right to me. From there, I’ll keep adding bits and pieces to it until it sounds like a complete song. I then play around with the arrangement until I get it the way I like it. I then make a demo of it on my computer and begin listening to it until I develop the lyrical idea. I’ll just keep listening to it and work on the lyrics until I’m satisfied. Sometimes this process takes only a couple of days, other times it could take over a year. I never force it; if I feel I’m going in a direction that I don’t like, I’ll leave it alone for a while and work on something else. Revolution-Music: What is in your own opinion your biggest musical achievement so far? Yan Leviathan: Having our debut cd, From The Depths of Time, released worldwide. It took a lot of hard work; and there were times when I thought about quitting, but it’s a wonderful feeling knowing that we created a pretty good metal album. Revolution-Music: Could we expect any European tour and maybe see the band in action here in Denmark any time soon? Yan Leviathan: We can all hope ;-) That is my biggest goal right now; to get Avian out on the road and hopefully make it out to Europe. The big problem with that is that there is simply very little tour support for bands like us nowadays. Hopefully something will come along in the near future that will allow us to do it. Revolution-Music: How did you think the music scene is in Europe, compared to the scene in the US? Yan Leviathan: I think its obvious that Europeans are far more knowledgeable about this particular kind of music than the Americans. Both are subjected to mainstream stuff on the airwaves, but it seems to me that the Europeans will go out of their way to find the music that they love; they won’t just sit there and be brainwashed by corporate controlled stations. It’s definitely getting a little bit better in the States because I think that people are beginning to become fed up with it. They now realize that they have many more options to find the kind of music they like and they’re starting to go out there and find it. We still have a long way to go, but I think we’re heading in the right direction. Revolution-Music: What would be the ultimate tour, festival or show for you to play at? Yan Leviathan: The ultimate tour would be; Avian, Gamma Ray, and Iron Maiden, playing stadiums across Europe ;-) Ever since I was inspired to create Avian following the Progpower USA III festival, it has always been my dream to play that festival one of these days. We were actually invited to play the festival’s pre show party this past year with Dreamscape, Orphaned Land, and Outworld, but we had to back out a few weeks before because we had a problem getting our live line up together. We’ve ironed out those issues and we are definitely ready to hit the road now! Revolution-Music: That’s all we’ve get this time, do you have anything that you'd like to add or say? Yan Leviathan: I’d like to thank everyone for taking the time to read this and for checking Avian out. We look forward to seeing all of you in the near future. Revolution-Music: We would like to say thanks a lot for you’re time. And we wish all you guys all the luck in the future what ever it might bring. Yan Leviathan: Thank you. |
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