The guy's of Elmsfire where on our wish list to have a talk with for quite some time. And now with the new release we finally had this opportunity. All our questions have received an answer and those you can read below.
First of all thank you for taking the time to answer our interview.
Our pleasure!
How did you get the idea to found the band?
Germano: The love for the music we listen to first of all! Me and Doro started Elmsfire back in 1999 basically because we wanted to make the music we: to actually play heavy metal, create it ourselves and not only listen to it was the idea.
This year, the band exists 13 years. Normally, an unlucky number. But will this year be successful?
Germano: I think, that if you believe in your ideas and work towards them, you can get through. Believe me, we had so many kinds of “13s” along the way it can't go on forever anymore... I´m too focused on the present actually to concern myself with the future^^
The record was partially released already back in 2010. What was the reason it got officially released only now?
Germano: Well, because Massacre liked “Thieves of the Sun”:) We spend quite a lot of money on this recording and it is hardly possible to promote an album all by ourselves. After a while we thought, it would be a waste not to give it a try and look if some label shows some interest, so Massacre offered us a new release under their wings.
Is the name of the band derived from the natural light phenomena “St. Elmo's fire”?
Germano: Yes, it is. Doro had that idea for the name during a short vacation at the north sea: I found the name right for the concept behind the band. Basically because it has a certain mystical ring to it and leaves enough space for interpretation.
Let’s talk about the cd. The epic sound and atmosphere is the core of almost all the songs trough out the album. Yet there’s always one song that’s different, why Ahab?
Germano: Ahab and all the other lyrics are basically founded on events that really happened to us...it´s a story of a sick relationship that you have to break before it´s too late, before you get worse than you already are and change in a way that you do not want. A story maybe a lot of people can relate to in one way or the other...
Ahab means a lot to us and is one of the core experiences we had. The idea has been with us for a couple of years and dates back to a very early phase of the band.
What was the idea behind the album art?
Germano: I tried to combine the lyrics of Worth a tale and Thieves of the Sun into the artwork bringing the heroes who stole the Sun and the attacking harpy together. The cover is directly related to the songs.
Did you tell the story you needed to to your fans?
Germano: Yes, I think we did. Recording and releasing Thieves of the Sun was like a relief for us and we certainly at that point of time put everything into it that we wanted to tell and pass on. But don't worry, there is a lot more where that first load came from. We now find ourselves in the lucky position that we have a lot of room to concentrate on new songs.
What can we expect from the band the coming months or years? Are there any real plans on what to do next?
Germano: First we´d love to get on stage again (without having to pay for it^^) and then, as you might guess from my previous answer, we´re already writing some new stuff and we´re pretty excited about it. It´s getting a lot “darker” than usual, depending on the latest events in our lives^^/band history.
When can we expect you on a stage in Belgium?
Germano: All you gotta do is ask and tell us when we have to be where basically, and we´ll be right there rocking with you! It doesn't take so much more except than a few bucks for gas and some of your famed beers, really. I hear the beer is extraordinary in Belgium :)
We think Thieves of the Sun is just amazingly fantastic. What are the overall reactions to this record?
Germano: I´d like to thank you so much for the compliment first! It´s a great thing, if someone else likes the music we make. We actually get very different feedbacks from enthusiastic to very bad (mostly from Germany:-) but I really care about the ones who like it^^
Are there still things you want to tell to the fans and readers?
Germano: We want to thank you for your interest and the time you took to read about Elmsfire and we so hope to be on stage in Belgium someday soon! Stay Metal!