Camilla Raven entrevistada pelo Femme Metal

Camilla Raven foi entrevistada por um site internacional de grande conceito que ja entrevistou Tarja Turunen, Thomas Vikström(Therion),Charlotte Wessels (Delain), Maria Brink(In This Moment), Floor Jansen (ReVamp,)Eirin Bendigsten (Where Angels Fall), Danny Cavanagh (Anathema) entre muitos outros, postando o original em inglês mas logo mais postarei ela traduzida.

Originally formed in 1997 and revitalized with a new line up in 2006, Brazil’s RavenLand have since been making steady progress towards a wider world stage with their brand of atmospheric goth/metal which mixes a contemporary edge with a nod to the influence of the 80s. Already working on the next album and with the impressive "…And A Crow Brings Me Back" released last year and due to be available over here in October, Femme Metal took some time out to talk to vocalist Camilla Raven to find out about the band, the music and what the future holds going into 2011.

Hi Camilla, and a warm welcome from everyone at Femme Metal. How is São Paulo today?

Camilla: Thanks! São Paulo is under a crazy weather as always, dry, hot as hell and then suddenly cold. (laugh) Right now, quite hot. (laugh)

How about you? How did you get into music and what path led you to joining RavenLand?

Camilla: Music had always a part in my life. At age 12, I was playing in friends’ bands until I finally started my own, which was called Thiphareth. I met Dewindson when he joined my band as the bass player. By then he already had formed RavenLand. At 15, I began to study the violin and as always I used the keyboard to write. Being that I'm from Fortaleza, Brazil's Northeast and Dewindson is from Brasília, we decided to migrate to São Paulo in order to fight for RavenLand.

The band is well known in Brazil but relatively new to European ears. Could you tell us something of the band, its background and of your fellow members?

Camilla: Yes, we're just now entering the European market, but we've had good feedback from fans all over the world for quite sometime. Our record is being distributed by Ravenheart Music through PlasticHead/Code7 and that was a big conquest. Our song, "Soulmoon", has been on European and Asian radio stations for a couple of years and it was also featured on a Japanese station, Transamix, collection album. I'm glad to know our CD has reached so far out but we still got a long way to go. RavenLand was inspired by the mystic figure of the raven, reinforced by the poem The Raven (Poe), the movie The Crow (with Brandon Lee) and the song "RavenLand" (Lake of Tears). Each member in the band has a different musical background, which combined form our very characteristic sound. We're a family and I admire each and every one of them. João Cruz, the bassist, has a music composing degree, Fernando Tropz (Drummer) and Banes Oliver (guitarist) are both music teachers. Dewindson studied singing at a conservatory. We work very well together.

Your album "...And A Crow Brings Me Back" came out in Brazil in 2009. What has the reaction been like and how has the band evolved in the time since its release?

Camilla: Though it came out in 2009 we recorded it in 2007. The reaction couldn't be better, both from the public and the press. It brought us many conquests and a lot of experience. We've evolved a lot and hope to show it on the new album we're working on right now. We're looking for a record label to release it on other countries. We received many compliments for "...And Crow Brings Me Back" and expect the new album will be even more acclaimed. All the reviews were positive, the magazines and websites gave us high rates. Our cover entered a top ten list of 2009 and the band was considered a revelation that same year.

The album featured collaborations with Tommy Lindal (ex Theatre of Tragedy) and Ricardo Confessori (Angra). How did this come about and what was it like working with them?

Camilla: Tommy was introduced to us by a friend and we hit it off right away. He's been living in Brazil for a while after leaving Theatre of Tragedy. I had the idea of inviting him after he complimented one of our songs. He put a touch of the old TOT on two of our songs which was wonderful. As for Confessori, he was our producer. Soon after the pre-production our drummer had a knee injure and left the band, then Confessori offered himself to record the drum tracks so we wouldn't have to rush in finding a new member. He was a great guest appearance.

On the same subject you have supported Theatre of Tragedy and guested with Moonspell. How did it feel to play with these bands?

Camilla: It was a very unique sensation. We've followed these bands since the beginning. Those were moments we'll cherish for the rest of our lives. May it be for the concert itself, the audience's energy, or the fact we were side by side with people we admire.

Going forward, who, if anyone, would you like to collaborate with on future releases and if you could choose any band for RavenLand to play a show with at the moment, who would that be and why?

Camilla: Hum, there are so many we would like. Pedro Paixão, Moonspell's keyboard player, has agreed to be on our next album which is great. I loved playing with TOT and with Anneke van Giersbergen and Danny Cavanagh. I'd like to play with Lacuna Coil, Evanescence, Katatonia, Paradise Lost, The Gathering and maybe some different choices such as Portishead, Bjork, Cranberries, U2, Emilie Autumn.

"...And A Crow Brings Me Back" contains a video of the track "End of Light" that looks like it was shot in a ruin. What can you tell us about the location, the shoot and the song itself?

Camilla: We recorded the video at a famous spot in São Paulo. A small castle that holds a story of love and death, which seemed to match the song's mood. On the 1930's, the castle was the place of a crime that remained unsolved. The video clip is still running on MTV here in Brazil. The castle holds today a NGO called Mothers of Brazil. They teach working skills to low income people in order for them to increase their quality of life.

The tracks on "...And A Crow Brings Me Back" are laced with an imagery that reflects both the mythology behind the band's name and album title. How did this help with writing the album, and is there a storyline or underlying theme that runs through the songs?

Camilla: It's inspiring, for sure. Especially when the lyrics are stories, but some of them are personal feelings submerged in metaphors. Calling the album "...And a Crow Brings Me Back" reflects the fact that the band was coming from a hiatus that lasted three years.

Talking of stories, I see that you read a lot. What is your favourite book, and if you were asked to write an album based on any one book, which would you choose and why?

Camilla: I read a lot indeed. Love books, even more than movies because I like to form the stories and its characters in my head. I have a lot of favorites. "Wuthering Heights" (Emily Bronte) really touched me. Then again so did "Little Prince", "The Portrait of Dorian Gray," "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (Lewis Carroll), "Veronika Decides to Die" (Paulo Coelho), "The Mists of Avalon" (Marion Zimmer Bradley), "Sofia's World" (Jostein Gaarder), "A House in Darkness" (José Luis Peixoto), "Night in the Tavern" (Álvares de Azevedo), "Curinga's Day" (Jostein Gaarder), "The Xango from Baker Street" (Jô Soares), "The Antichrist" (Friedrich Nietzsche). They would all turn into great records, each on its very own way. I'd choose "Wuthering Heights", Florbela Espanca's poems or "The Portrait of Dorian Gray".

There are some interesting influences running through RavenLand songs which hint at some wide ranging tastes within the band. Which bands have up to now influenced you the most and if you had to recommend a current album - other than your own ; ) - to a friend or fan, what one would that be and why?

Camilla: The tastes are very wide amongst the members in the band. We were influenced by many bands and also different forms of art. I should quote the bands that influenced RavenLand's formation: Moonspell, Type O Negative and Paradise Lost. I always enjoyed The Gathering, plus some names from other genres like Portishead and Cranberries. I would recommend "If Then Else" (The Gathering).

You don't just sing for RavenLand, you also play violin and keyboards. We might know a Strat when we see it but maybe not a Stradivarius. Can you tell us a bit more about the equipment you use and if you have any plans to expand the range of instruments you play?

Camilla: I started by studying the guitar, moved to electric guitar and always wanted to learn the drums. As for the keyboard, I'm self thought and use it for song writing. And the violin, I played at a young orchestra, then a bit on the album. I started with an Eagle and moved up to an electric one custom made by a luthier. But my main passion is singing and songwriting. That is where I am most at home.

What would you say has been the best or most enjoyable gig RavenLand has played so far and why does it stand out?

Camilla: I believe it was the concert with TOT that was magical. The audience was unforgettable. Still we had some other good ones, like the acoustic with Anneke.

Do you have any plans to re-release the "Back" and "Black" EPs to a wider audience on the back of the new LP, or are you happy to leave them in the past and move on?

Camilla: No plans of re-releasing it, maybe in a distant future. Right now we are anxious to show our new songs. I’m breathing the new songs now. (laugh)

I have read that you hope to tour Europe and the UK later this year. Is that still the case and which cities are you hoping to play when you do make it over here?

Camilla: Actually, we postponed the tour until next year, so that we'd show up with the new material as well. We have tour managers all around Europe booking dates. We hope to make the best of our time there, run through as many cities as possible. So far the countries we have confirmed are Portugal, Italy, Spain and England but we want a lot more.

A crow has brought you this far - where is it taking you next? What plans to you and the band have for the rest of 2010 and into 2011?

Camilla: We are inside the studio working on the, yet to be named, new album which we expect to release on next year's first trimester and hope it will reach further than the first one. There are also plans for a new video clip and for the European tour, those are our goals.

Thanks for talking with us Camilla. Is there anything that we haven't touched on so far that you would like to add on behalf of yourself or the band?

Camilla: I'd like to thank the love and support we received through our MySpace page. I ask that you all keep accessing because we have a lot coming up soon. Also follow us on Twitter. Thank you Femme Metal! Hugs and kisses!

Fonte: Femme Metal

by: Jeffrey Dead