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Under The Metal Sign of Eternal Flight
Updated: 06/09/08
by Kenneth Morton
Eternal Flight perform power metal with a pure vengeange, and has just unleashed their second magnum opus entitled Under The Sign Of Will. Featuring Gérard Fois formerly of Dream Child, Eternal Flight from France are gaining a good deal of attention on the world metal scene. Now signed to Nightmare Records, we recently interviewed Gérard Fois to find out more about this tremendous heavy metal entity…
Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Eternal Flight, and how long the band has been together.
Hi Ken and Folks! My name is Gérard Fois and I do lead vocals for EF, I also play a bit of acoustic guitar. I produced, engineered and mixed the albums. I also co-wrote all the songs. I also take care of most of the business. The band exists since January 2001; we released a demo CD in 2002, an album on Cruz Del Sur music on 2004 and a new one in 2007 on Nightmare records.
What is the metal scene like in France, and are there any particular bands you could recommend?
Well it’s better than a few years ago but the Power Prog Metal style isn’t so popular anymore, so you have to work hard and be very patient. You have Nightmare, Ellipsis, Manigance, Alkemyst, Lord of Mushrooms, Adagio, Spheric Universe Experience, Kragens to name a few.
Is there any story or concept behind the title of the new CD Under The Sign Of Will?
So, the album is not a concept but this song is linked to another one, Dark Society. They talk about the fight of the Morphoenix (our mascot that is a mix of a phoenix, a human and Morpheus, that can control dreams, dimensions and has immense powers) against religious, politics, industrial leaders plotting together to rule the world and open the door to their master an evil entity awaiting in another dimension.
What were the easiest and most difficult aspects of recording and mixing your own CD?
Well, we know our sound and know what we want to achieve. What you hear is really close to the sound we deliver live. Sure there are some overdubs, but it’s not overproduced. The difficult thing is to have an external, critical, honest view. We try to sound punchy, clear but not with a sterile sound. Also we have many styles in the band so the mix of a Melodic Speed Metal song like Edge Of Fire will be different to a more melodic, progy one like Friends. The songs have their own life and we make them sound differently, so the difficult task is to keep a certain unity through diversity.
Where did you get the ideas and inspirations for some of the lyrics on the new CD? Please cite a few song examples and what they are about.
I talk about the reality that surrounds me but I like also to paint some stories in a fantasy, science fiction environment. The Curse is about someone who creates tragedies in his mind that happens spontaneously in reality but he can’t control this! Ghost (With A Different Soul) is about someone who has his soul changed by some horrible dreams. The Forgotten Side is the way I feel when I need to go on the nature and go away from this stupid trendy society.
Have you ever played here in the States or plan to do so in the future?
We are planning a few dates on the Nord East Coast from July 31 to the 4th of August with Suspyre and Odin’s Court! Besides Arnaud, nobody visited the USA and we’re really excited to visit it and meet our fans!
What could one expect from a live Eternal Flight show?
Energy and solid musicianship!
You have an incredible voice! Have you had any vocal training and who are your vocal influences?
Thank you, I appreciate! I learned all by myself and with some books! Since my childhood I sing over the records of my heroes. I continue to warm my voice everyday and make some vocal exercises. I also give singing lessons so it helps to keep in vocal shape too hehe! My influences are mostly from the 70s and 80s: Geoff Tate, Ronnie Dio, Rob Halford, David Coverdale, late Carl Albert, Glenn Hughes, Midnight.
What exactly is Positive Rage (besides your first CD)? Is there such a thing as Positive Rage?
Positive Rage means using the energy, the passion within ourselves to create instead of destroying.
What do you find in Eternal Flight that you did not find in your previous band Dream Child?
We are all open-minded musically so we can show more diversity in the song writing and arrangements.
When you look back in your work in Dream Child, what do you think of it now?
I still think the albums are really good and I’m still proud of what we achieved. The 2nd album was released on Metal Blade worldwide and we were the 1st French band to achieve that! I’m planning to make them re-issued ‘cause they are difficult to find now…
What made you decide to go with Nightmare Records this time around?
This label exists since more than 10 years and is always growing. Lance King the owner loved our albums and the bands he signs are in the Power/Prog vein so it’s the right home for us! We had some good response in the US with our previous album and we wanted a label to make our status grow in this territory.
What are the future plans for Eternal Flight?
We are making a French tour in May, a little tour in the Nord East of the USA this summer, and we’re planning some shows over Europe! At the same time we are working on the song writing of our 3rd album which will be a concept!
Do you have any messages for metal fans here in the States?
We hope we can meet them at our shows! Thanx a lot for the great support so far! For those who don’t know us, visit www.myspace.com/eternalflight .
Eternal Links
Eternal Flight on Myspace: Eternal Flight's Official Myspace Page!
The Highwire Daze Home Page: Return to the Main Page!
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