- Apr 5, 2003
- 2,668
- 2
- 38
[IMGLEFT]http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/oinkness/cellador_imgleft.jpg[/IMGLEFT]By Brandon Strader
Cellador may possibly be the next big power metal sensation, what with signing to Metal Blade, releasing the fantastic "Enter Deception", and having a music video shown on Headbanger's Ball, a show that normally tailors to hardcore, metalcore, and crap with the occasional gold nugget. Cellador is one of those golden nuggets, which they have proved on tour and with their debut album, of course. I got a chance to speak with the highly-skilled Bill Hudson, lead-guitarist for Cellador.
How does it feel to be the next big power metal sensation?
Thanks for the compliment! We never had intentions of being the next big thing or anything like that. Some people are putting it this way, and we’re really glad that our music is reaching so many listeners, and they’re enjoying it. If I had to say how it feels, the best words would be “surprised” and “glad”.
You guys seem to mix a lot of different influences into your music. Is there a little bit of Dragonforce or Edguy influence in there? What other bands have influenced Cellador in some way?
We’re influenced by power metal in general, we’re huge power metal fans. I’d say our biggest influences are Helloween, Gamma Ray, Stratovarius, Iron Maiden, Blind Guardian… I believe that every newer power metal band such as the ones you mentioned are influenced by them as well, and that’s why people find similarities between us, which is great! Those are great bands! We’re also influenced by heavier styles, such as thrash and death metal. I could mention bands like Megadeth, Slayer, Pantera, Metallica and Testament as huge influences in Cellador’s music.
Michael Gremio sounds like a mix between Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson and Edguy vocalist Tobias Sammet. Is there some kind of vocal influence there?
Michael would definitely love to hear this, he’s a huge Bruce Dickinson fan! I’d say his biggest influences are Dickinson and Helloween’s former singer, Michael Kiske. He’s also a big Edguy fan, which means he’s constantly listening to Tobias’ voice and that ends up influencing him as well. However, I think he’s a little more aggressive. Like I said before, power metal in general is always influencing all of us.
The label, Metal Blade, doesn't always deal in power metal so the release of Enter Deception through Metal Blade was a surprise! Do you think being signed with Metal Blade will help bring power metal out into the open more in America?
Definitely, and I think it’s already happening. Of course it’s not just us, since Dragonforce also got signed to a big label. It’s a bit hard to believe that we are on MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball, since all of the other bands are death metal/metalcore, and now the kids are getting into power metal. I think we’re definitely helping to bring the style to the United States, and I’m very happy about that! I hope it gets bigger and bigger, because the style has been on the underground for time enough!
Does having under-21 members limit what clubs or venues that Cellador is able to perform in?
Not at all. In fact, we just have one member under 21, and it’s our drummer, Dave Dahir. He’s 17, and the only restriction he has is that most of clubs won’t allow him to drink. That’s good…somebody needs to be sober!
How did all of the members get together? There's one from Russia, one from Brazil....
Our other guitar player, Chris Petersen, started this band back in 2003. He’s always had a hard time finding musicians, so he started placing ads looking for them. The first one to respond was Dave, who at the time was only 15 years old. The next one was bass player Valentin Rakhmanov, and they immediately started to rehearse as a band and record the demo. At the time, they didn’t have a singer, but in January 2005, Michael Gremio was found through an ad looking for “power metal singers”. As soon as he joined the band, Michael had to start recording the vocals for the demo and playing live. That line up lasted until about November 2005, when I joined the band. I’m from Brazil, and my story is a little complicated. I lived in the USA for about a year between late 2004 and early 2005, and was always looking for power metal musicians. Back then, nobody seemed to even know what the style was. After my visa expired, I went back to Brazil, and got really depressed. One day, surfing on the internet, I found an American band who claimed to be power metal. I decided to take a listen, expecting them to be anything BUT power metal. To my surprise, they were fast, melodic and really good! That band was Cellador! I got happy and angry at the same time. I thought “Jesus Christ…I was just there…now I’m stuck in Brazil and I find these guys”. My anger got a little bigger when I found out they were looking for a guitar player. I didn’t care and e-mailed the band! They responded me, saying that they already had someone in mind, but if I wanted to try out, I should record their 4 demo songs, and sent me the drum tracks. I learned and recorded everything in about 10 hours and sent back to them. I literally didn’t sleep that night to record the songs. After that, Chris sent me two other songs they were working on at the time (A Sign Far Beyond and Never Again), and I recorded as well. Also, I sent a bunch of my own stuff I was working on at the time. After about 2 weeks of sending files back and forth, online chatting and a couple of phone calls, I bought a plane ticket to Omaha and have been living here since. Valentin is from Russia, however he’s been living in the United States since he was 9 years old (he’s 22 now). He went to high school with Chris, so they’ve known each other for a long time. It wasn’t ‘till summer 2004 that he joined the band though.
How did you guys gain such musical proficiency at such a young age? Did you practice 10-hours a day for years or is there some kind of secret?
Thank you very much! I can speak for myself, and yes, I was a guitar freak. My first guitar lesson was back in 1993, but I didn’t really give much attention to it. I started taking my studies more seriously around 1996, and had lessons with the best teachers in my country. When I was 14 or something like that, I started an Yngwie Malmsteen/Joe Satriani Tribute band, because I was looking for a technical challenge. Seriously, during my high school years I did NOTHING but studying music. When I found Dream Theater, my personal goal was to learn all of their songs ‘till the latest album back then, which was Falling Into Infinity, and so I did! I wasn’t interested in girls or going out…I just wanted to play guitar! I think that’s because I wasn’t very popular in school. After that, I went to music college both here in the United States and Brazil, but never finished them.
Before you guys became a big hit and were still participating in the local scene, what kind of bands were in your area? Were you guys the only power metal group?
We’re still the only power metal band in our area. When I joined Cellador, the band was already signed, but I can see the scene in our town. Everybody sounds alike around here. I have absolutely nothing against the metalcore scene, and I have many albums by bands like Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall and Trivium. The problem is all the local bands sound like them, and that left Cellador no choice in the past. I remember talking to Chris before I joined the band, and he was always telling me about how there are no power metal bands anywhere for them to play with, so they were always in the death metal/metalcore scene. It was good in a way though: When they opened for The Black Dahlia Murder, one of the most popular death metal bands nowadays, the members in that band asked for a copy of the demo and took it to their label, Metal Blade Records. That’s how Cellador got contacted and signed by such a great label.
On a more technical note, can you recommend any certain books that could assist the learning musician, whether they be a guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, or even a vocalist?
I’ve studied lots of books since I started, but there a couple that were very important for my musical formation. The first one would be a video I got when I was about 13 years old. It’s called “Rock Discipline”, and it’s by Dream Theater’s John Petrucci. I’d say I owe 85% of my alternated picking technique to that video. Another very good video, this time for the arpeggio freaks, is called “Speed Picking and Monster Licks” and it’s by Frank Gambale, a very well-known guitar teacher and fusion guitarist. When it comes to theory improvisation, I’d say “Modes No More Mistery” by the same guitarist, and a book I can’t really remember the name right now, but it’s by another excellent fusion guitar player called Allan Holdsworth. Get those videos and books and your musicianship WILL improve! No matter how good you are right now, there’s always room for improvement and those methods WILL help you!
There was a lack of growls and screams on Enter Deception! Are you going to stay away from growls, or would you like to incorporate it into the music eventually? Dragonforce has some screams on their latest album!
I can’t really say as of right now whether we’ll have growls and screams or not. It is a possibility, since we almost did it in one of the songs in Enter Deception. The truth is we’re mainly influenced by bands with clean, melodic singers, so we don’t see much room for it. However, if we write something like that and it sounds good, we’ll definitely do it!
Are there any plans at all for the next album, or is it too soon?
We’re already working on new songs. Michael and I have one that’s already demoed and I have 2 or 3 more that are almost ready. Michael is working on something, as well as Chris. I haven’t heard any of their material, but I can definitely say that we’ll have a lot. We came back from our first US tour a year ago, and we’ll go again in October, supporting Trivium, so I can’t really say when the songs will be done. It’s all still in the beginning...
All of the artwork on Enter Deception looks great, but is there a meaning behind the cover?
It basically refers to something called “self deception”, when a person needs to change the way he/she is in order to fit something or a situation. It goes along with our lyrics, the whole “be yourself, don’t change what you are because they tell you to”. We’re not preachers, you know? This is just the way we live OUR lives and we write about it. The cover goes along with that idea. If you wanna follow it, do it, if you don’t, it’s ok. It’s your life. But basically, we’re all against people changing they way they are are/act in order to fit a certain trend or even a group of people.
Do you guys think you can succeed in bringing power metal out into the mainstream a bit more?
We sure hope so! Like I said before, it seems that people are giving it more attention! I’ve met MANY people on this tour who said they’ve never heard of power metal before, but saw us on MTV and became fans and now own CDs by other bands as well. Will it become mainstream? I don’t know, but I can tell you that, at least in America, it’s closer than ever!
In closing, is there anything you'd like to say to the fans, or perhaps some current news? Is everything going well on the road?
Right now, we’re getting ready for our October tour, where we’ll be supporting Trivium, as well as working on some new music. We have a couple of shows in the meantime as well. I’d like thank all of our fans around the world, and anybody who’s reading this interview. Also, thank you and all at Ultimate Metal for this opportunity. If you’re reading this interview, but it’s not familiar with our music, check out our debut album Enter Deception! I guarantee you will NOT be disappointed! Check our website at http://www.Cellador.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/Cellador, with songs from our album and our music video.
ROCK ON!
Official Cellador Website
Official Metal Blade Website
Cellador may possibly be the next big power metal sensation, what with signing to Metal Blade, releasing the fantastic "Enter Deception", and having a music video shown on Headbanger's Ball, a show that normally tailors to hardcore, metalcore, and crap with the occasional gold nugget. Cellador is one of those golden nuggets, which they have proved on tour and with their debut album, of course. I got a chance to speak with the highly-skilled Bill Hudson, lead-guitarist for Cellador.
How does it feel to be the next big power metal sensation?
Thanks for the compliment! We never had intentions of being the next big thing or anything like that. Some people are putting it this way, and we’re really glad that our music is reaching so many listeners, and they’re enjoying it. If I had to say how it feels, the best words would be “surprised” and “glad”.
You guys seem to mix a lot of different influences into your music. Is there a little bit of Dragonforce or Edguy influence in there? What other bands have influenced Cellador in some way?
We’re influenced by power metal in general, we’re huge power metal fans. I’d say our biggest influences are Helloween, Gamma Ray, Stratovarius, Iron Maiden, Blind Guardian… I believe that every newer power metal band such as the ones you mentioned are influenced by them as well, and that’s why people find similarities between us, which is great! Those are great bands! We’re also influenced by heavier styles, such as thrash and death metal. I could mention bands like Megadeth, Slayer, Pantera, Metallica and Testament as huge influences in Cellador’s music.
Michael Gremio sounds like a mix between Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson and Edguy vocalist Tobias Sammet. Is there some kind of vocal influence there?
Michael would definitely love to hear this, he’s a huge Bruce Dickinson fan! I’d say his biggest influences are Dickinson and Helloween’s former singer, Michael Kiske. He’s also a big Edguy fan, which means he’s constantly listening to Tobias’ voice and that ends up influencing him as well. However, I think he’s a little more aggressive. Like I said before, power metal in general is always influencing all of us.
The label, Metal Blade, doesn't always deal in power metal so the release of Enter Deception through Metal Blade was a surprise! Do you think being signed with Metal Blade will help bring power metal out into the open more in America?
Definitely, and I think it’s already happening. Of course it’s not just us, since Dragonforce also got signed to a big label. It’s a bit hard to believe that we are on MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball, since all of the other bands are death metal/metalcore, and now the kids are getting into power metal. I think we’re definitely helping to bring the style to the United States, and I’m very happy about that! I hope it gets bigger and bigger, because the style has been on the underground for time enough!
Does having under-21 members limit what clubs or venues that Cellador is able to perform in?
Not at all. In fact, we just have one member under 21, and it’s our drummer, Dave Dahir. He’s 17, and the only restriction he has is that most of clubs won’t allow him to drink. That’s good…somebody needs to be sober!
How did all of the members get together? There's one from Russia, one from Brazil....
Our other guitar player, Chris Petersen, started this band back in 2003. He’s always had a hard time finding musicians, so he started placing ads looking for them. The first one to respond was Dave, who at the time was only 15 years old. The next one was bass player Valentin Rakhmanov, and they immediately started to rehearse as a band and record the demo. At the time, they didn’t have a singer, but in January 2005, Michael Gremio was found through an ad looking for “power metal singers”. As soon as he joined the band, Michael had to start recording the vocals for the demo and playing live. That line up lasted until about November 2005, when I joined the band. I’m from Brazil, and my story is a little complicated. I lived in the USA for about a year between late 2004 and early 2005, and was always looking for power metal musicians. Back then, nobody seemed to even know what the style was. After my visa expired, I went back to Brazil, and got really depressed. One day, surfing on the internet, I found an American band who claimed to be power metal. I decided to take a listen, expecting them to be anything BUT power metal. To my surprise, they were fast, melodic and really good! That band was Cellador! I got happy and angry at the same time. I thought “Jesus Christ…I was just there…now I’m stuck in Brazil and I find these guys”. My anger got a little bigger when I found out they were looking for a guitar player. I didn’t care and e-mailed the band! They responded me, saying that they already had someone in mind, but if I wanted to try out, I should record their 4 demo songs, and sent me the drum tracks. I learned and recorded everything in about 10 hours and sent back to them. I literally didn’t sleep that night to record the songs. After that, Chris sent me two other songs they were working on at the time (A Sign Far Beyond and Never Again), and I recorded as well. Also, I sent a bunch of my own stuff I was working on at the time. After about 2 weeks of sending files back and forth, online chatting and a couple of phone calls, I bought a plane ticket to Omaha and have been living here since. Valentin is from Russia, however he’s been living in the United States since he was 9 years old (he’s 22 now). He went to high school with Chris, so they’ve known each other for a long time. It wasn’t ‘till summer 2004 that he joined the band though.
How did you guys gain such musical proficiency at such a young age? Did you practice 10-hours a day for years or is there some kind of secret?
Thank you very much! I can speak for myself, and yes, I was a guitar freak. My first guitar lesson was back in 1993, but I didn’t really give much attention to it. I started taking my studies more seriously around 1996, and had lessons with the best teachers in my country. When I was 14 or something like that, I started an Yngwie Malmsteen/Joe Satriani Tribute band, because I was looking for a technical challenge. Seriously, during my high school years I did NOTHING but studying music. When I found Dream Theater, my personal goal was to learn all of their songs ‘till the latest album back then, which was Falling Into Infinity, and so I did! I wasn’t interested in girls or going out…I just wanted to play guitar! I think that’s because I wasn’t very popular in school. After that, I went to music college both here in the United States and Brazil, but never finished them.
Before you guys became a big hit and were still participating in the local scene, what kind of bands were in your area? Were you guys the only power metal group?
We’re still the only power metal band in our area. When I joined Cellador, the band was already signed, but I can see the scene in our town. Everybody sounds alike around here. I have absolutely nothing against the metalcore scene, and I have many albums by bands like Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall and Trivium. The problem is all the local bands sound like them, and that left Cellador no choice in the past. I remember talking to Chris before I joined the band, and he was always telling me about how there are no power metal bands anywhere for them to play with, so they were always in the death metal/metalcore scene. It was good in a way though: When they opened for The Black Dahlia Murder, one of the most popular death metal bands nowadays, the members in that band asked for a copy of the demo and took it to their label, Metal Blade Records. That’s how Cellador got contacted and signed by such a great label.
On a more technical note, can you recommend any certain books that could assist the learning musician, whether they be a guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, or even a vocalist?
I’ve studied lots of books since I started, but there a couple that were very important for my musical formation. The first one would be a video I got when I was about 13 years old. It’s called “Rock Discipline”, and it’s by Dream Theater’s John Petrucci. I’d say I owe 85% of my alternated picking technique to that video. Another very good video, this time for the arpeggio freaks, is called “Speed Picking and Monster Licks” and it’s by Frank Gambale, a very well-known guitar teacher and fusion guitarist. When it comes to theory improvisation, I’d say “Modes No More Mistery” by the same guitarist, and a book I can’t really remember the name right now, but it’s by another excellent fusion guitar player called Allan Holdsworth. Get those videos and books and your musicianship WILL improve! No matter how good you are right now, there’s always room for improvement and those methods WILL help you!
There was a lack of growls and screams on Enter Deception! Are you going to stay away from growls, or would you like to incorporate it into the music eventually? Dragonforce has some screams on their latest album!
I can’t really say as of right now whether we’ll have growls and screams or not. It is a possibility, since we almost did it in one of the songs in Enter Deception. The truth is we’re mainly influenced by bands with clean, melodic singers, so we don’t see much room for it. However, if we write something like that and it sounds good, we’ll definitely do it!
Are there any plans at all for the next album, or is it too soon?
We’re already working on new songs. Michael and I have one that’s already demoed and I have 2 or 3 more that are almost ready. Michael is working on something, as well as Chris. I haven’t heard any of their material, but I can definitely say that we’ll have a lot. We came back from our first US tour a year ago, and we’ll go again in October, supporting Trivium, so I can’t really say when the songs will be done. It’s all still in the beginning...
All of the artwork on Enter Deception looks great, but is there a meaning behind the cover?
It basically refers to something called “self deception”, when a person needs to change the way he/she is in order to fit something or a situation. It goes along with our lyrics, the whole “be yourself, don’t change what you are because they tell you to”. We’re not preachers, you know? This is just the way we live OUR lives and we write about it. The cover goes along with that idea. If you wanna follow it, do it, if you don’t, it’s ok. It’s your life. But basically, we’re all against people changing they way they are are/act in order to fit a certain trend or even a group of people.
Do you guys think you can succeed in bringing power metal out into the mainstream a bit more?
We sure hope so! Like I said before, it seems that people are giving it more attention! I’ve met MANY people on this tour who said they’ve never heard of power metal before, but saw us on MTV and became fans and now own CDs by other bands as well. Will it become mainstream? I don’t know, but I can tell you that, at least in America, it’s closer than ever!
In closing, is there anything you'd like to say to the fans, or perhaps some current news? Is everything going well on the road?
Right now, we’re getting ready for our October tour, where we’ll be supporting Trivium, as well as working on some new music. We have a couple of shows in the meantime as well. I’d like thank all of our fans around the world, and anybody who’s reading this interview. Also, thank you and all at Ultimate Metal for this opportunity. If you’re reading this interview, but it’s not familiar with our music, check out our debut album Enter Deception! I guarantee you will NOT be disappointed! Check our website at http://www.Cellador.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/Cellador, with songs from our album and our music video.
ROCK ON!
Official Cellador Website
Official Metal Blade Website
