ELDRITCH Singer Comments On CPF 2006 Appearance

[GateXII]

In a recent interview with Alina Michelle at Photomistress.com, ELDRITCH singer, Terence Holler, commented on the band’s first ever US appearance, and about the set list for Powerfest:


PM: What was your initial reaction to getting the invitation to play Chicago Powerfest?

TH: SHIT! It was like a dream come true! [The] U.S.A. is the place where every [European] musician would like to play. And believe me, we almost cried when we read the email! We're proud and honored to be there and we'll work our ass off for making a great show! We're too proud also because we're headliners... what else could we wish for???


PM: Since this is your debut performance in the US, will you be featuring songs from your whole catalog or will your focus be more on the material on Neighbourhell?

TH: We'll play like for a couple of hours, so we'll play 50% of the gig doing Neighbourhell songs, and three or four songs from all of the previous works. Of course we'll try to give a taste of all our career in a couple of hours!

For the complete interview go here:
[URL="http://www.photomistress.com/interviews/eldritch.php"]http://www.photomistress.com/interviews/eldritch.php[/URL]


Promoter Chris Lotesto also added, “My partners [Rob Such, John Coyne] and I are really stoked to have Eldritch over for their first show ever on US soil! The new album smokes, the band is incredibly excited, and with the set these guys have planned, you definitely DO NOT want to miss this show!”

 

[Squeak]

Glad you liked the interview, was entertaining to do, THAT'S for sure! Terence is quite the animated guy. The new album is absolutely INSANE and sooooooooooo good. I love the rest of the stuff too, but DUDE I love this cd. WOOT. Can't wait to see them live!

 

[Michael TEOF]

Are they going to play the old songs without keyboards?

The Michael

 

[Squeak]

Well yah, that's what he meant by this part IN THE INTERVIEW (which is SPECIFICALLY why I asked it):

PM: Being that you've incorporated another guitarist in place of the keyboards now, do you find it more difficult to adapt the other material for your live show?
TH: Well, we had to re-arrange the old material, but to our ears it's even better! Songs slip away smooth and the sound with two guitars is more "in your face". Keyboards were nice and important, but we did six albums and three of them are without keys ("Reverse" had only effects on it) and trust me that these last three are the best selling and the best reviewed [of them].

If they don't have a keyboardist, it's kinda hard for them to play the songs with keyboards live (they aren't into fake tracking stuff). Don't worry, it still sounds very good. Just go listen to STANDING STILL on the new cd. You can see they can be heavy and then go into a queen-esque type thing, so they still have all the harmony in the world. Same with More Than Marilyn on the new cd.

 

[Chris Lotesto]

They're going to play the old shit (El Nino, Headquake, etc)
without keyboards and it's gonna fucking kick major ass so quit
worrying about the shit so much and be prepared to have you head
ripped off!! Enough said!!!!!!!!

 

[Michael TEOF]

Well when I read interviews of this band, I get irritated at how arrogant they are toward Oleg and their older work. I'm sorry, but their newer albums suck in comparison. It's night and day. Sure it's heavy and it's metal and it's got great vocals... but they used to be so much more. There used to have such detail and richness to their music that is now lost. And if it's true that the guitarist and vocalist wrote all the great keyboard parts I loved so much and Oleg only had 5% to do with everything (as they said), then I guess it's their song writing that has gone downhill. I always gave the band the benefit of the doubt and assumed the lost of Oleg hurt them.

Oleg may be an arrogant ass for all I know... but his work on the latest Vision Divine album proves to me that he brought a lot to Eldritch's sound. Just listen to the piano outro on "Here in 6048"... it sounds a lot more like Eldritch than Eldritch do lately.

I've been an Eldritch fan since the late '90s; they were one of my first prog metal bands along with Dream Theater and it's always been my dream to see them live. I'm just afraid the band will focus only on their newer stuff (which isnt' so good) and ignore all their classics I hail as genius.

So forgive me for "bitching" or worrying... it's not that I have anything against the new Eldritch sound... I just would love to hear a song from their first three albums. It would REALLY mean a lot to me. Those albums were really special and I'd love to hear them played live.... even if it is without keyboards.

The Michael

 

[Chris Lotesto]

I understand where you're coming from and your concerns...
the reason I keep telling you to stop worrying is because
I know for a fact they will not be ignoring the earlier albums
and the interview quote explicitly states that. I've had
El Nino and Headquake for years and I think Neighbourhell
is definitely on par with those albums. The keys were cool
but I'm not missing them and you can make your own judgement
when you hear all the early material live. It's going to be
a great show including a great choice of songs so go ahead
and get excited about seeing them because I'm sure you will
be quite pleased.