Sirenia – Morten Veland

Norway’s SIRENIA welcomes 2011 with the release of their fifth studio album The Enigma of Life. The album has already gained a solid reputation with numerous positive reviews, making it a sure fire winner for any fan of symphonic goth metal this season. Spanish vocalist Ailyn, returns to lend her unique vocal talents with long time accompaniment and creator of the band, Morten Veland.

Metal Obsession got the chance to speak with Morten about the inner workings of the band’s fresh new release.

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Metal Obsession: The new album ‘The Enigma of Life’ has just been released overseas. Are you happy with the way it turned out and the way that it has been received by critics?

Morten Veland: From what I’ve read or heard so far it seems that the response is good and that most people likes the album.

MO: Of all of the songs on the new album, which one are you most proud of?

MV: I really think that the album is full of strong material, but if I have to pick just one song I’d like to mention the title track; ‘The enigma of life’. It is probably the song on the album that took me the longest time to write. I have been through several versions of this song before I finally found what I was looking for. I think it turned out to be a great ballad filled with emotions and beautiful melodies.

MO: This is the first time you have had the same female vocalist on two subsequent albums. Does this make the writing process easier?

MV: Yes, it actually does. As a composer it is always a huge advantage to know who will sing the vocal melodies that I compose, so I can compose especially for that voice. Now that I know Ailyn’s capabilities, voice span and sound it is easy for me to arrange and compose the songs especially for her.

MO: How much does Ailyn contribute to the writing process?

MV: I have always been writing and composing the songs alone with Sirenia, so this is how we have been working for 10 years. However on this album we choose to do some bonus tracks, one of the ideas we had was to do 2 songs in Spanish. So Ailyn have been translating the lyrics for the songs ‘The enigma of life’ and ‘This darkness’ into Spanish. I think the result turned out really cool, and it feels very interesting and fresh to actually hear Sirenia sing in Spanish. This was also meant as a special treat for all our Spanish speaking fans.

MO: Were there any guest musicians on this album or was it handled completely by yourself and Ailyn?

MV: Stephanie Valentin performed the violins on the album, she also worked with us on the previous album. The 13th floor. And our choir was of course joining us again, it is the same French choir that has performed on all Sirenia albums, so we have been working with these guys for 10 years.

MO: How does the writing process for a Sirenia album work?

MV: The first thing I do is to start composing riffs, most Sirenia songs start with a guitar riff. Once I have a really cool riff or melody that I really like I start building a song out of it. I make the arrangements for the other instruments and I compose more parts that fits with the main riff. The vocal melodies usually comes to me along the way. Just from working with the compositions I am always humming along and the melodies comes out of it. Writing the lyrics is usually the last thing I do. Usually I end up with 25-30 songs and I pick the best ones for the album.

MO: What is the hardest thing about writing an entire album by yourself?

MV: I feel really comfortable with the writing process, this is the part that I love the most. I always saw myself more as a composer than as an artist or musician in a way. Most of the time I have so many ideas that I can be hard to pick the right ones.

MO: What is the concept of the new album?

MV: I do not see the album as a concept album. But I follow the same visions as I always did. I try to write music that is a reflection of the shadow sides of life. I always put my heart and soul into my music.

MO: A planned tour in Australia supposed to take place last year has already been cancelled. Have any plans been made to return to our shores anytime soon?

MV: Yes, there were plans for a tour in Australia together with Paradise Lost. This would be our first time in Australia and it was something that we were really looking forward to. It was a sad thing to know that the tour were cancelled. We are very eager to come over to Australia as soon as possible. Unfortunately no new plans has surfaced yet.

MO: What was the reason for the cancellation of that tour? Did the band get much time off between touring the last album and writing and recording for the new album?

MV: I do not remember exactly what it was, but as far as I remember I think it was an issue between the headlining act and the promoter.

MO: Are there any countries you haven’t toured yet that you will visit on the upcoming tour?

MV: We will play in Portugal for the first time this summer. We have also set up a South American tour that will include several countries we did not visit before. Hopefully we will also make it to North America with this album.

MO: Will the tour for ‘The Enigma of Life’ include Jonathan Perez and Michael Krumin’s as session musicians?

MV: Jonathan is still playing with us, however he has less time for band activities these days, as he recently became a father for his third child. But Jonathan will still join us for festivals and single shows. For longer tours we will use a session drummer. It does not seem as we will continue our cooperation with Michael anymore .

MO: Last year you released an album for a side-project of yours, Mortemia. Do you have any other projects in the works at the moment, and is Ailyn committed to any other projects?

MV: At the moment I am writing songs for the next Mortemia album. Working for both Sirenia and Mortemia takes a lot of time so I am uncertain if I will have time for more projects, but time will tell. At the moment I do not have any concrete plans.

MO: Sirenia have definitely evolved a lot since the release of the first album ‘At Sixes and Sevens’. Do you deliberately try to change the path that the band’s music takes with each album, or is it something that occurs naturally?

MV: Everyone changes with time and it is the same thing with the music. My preferences as a song writer is developing and changing along with my taste for music. From album to album I keep the elements that I still find interesting to work with and I change the things that I want to change.

MO: Over the last few years, female fronted metal has become a lot more mainstream an popular. Do you think that this is a good thing, and what do you think about the current state of the genre?

MV: Well, to be honest I am not so updated on the whole genre anymore. I have seen how the genre has been growing a lot over the last years, but I am not so interested in what the other bands in the genre are doing. I focus on my own stuff. When I listen to music I usually listen to bands that sounds different from what I perform myself. I listen to a lot of rock and metal from the seventies and eighties.

MO: Were you a very musical child? When did you learn to master so many instruments?

MV: No, I was not a musical child. I bought my first guitar at the age of 14. When I got my guitar I kissed my old life farewell and dedicated myself to music. Hehe. I took a few guitar lessons when I was 14, but preferred to find out of things by myself, so I quit taking the lessons. I have learned most of the stuff I know from myself.

MO: Cheers for taking the time to speak with us, Morten.

MV: Thank you.

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The Enigma of Life is now available via Nuclear Blast Records, Riot! Entertainment Australia and all leading music outlets.

For more info, go to www.mortenveland.com/sirenia