Faithful and punctual to their regular meeting with their fans, Blind Guardian returns with a brand new studio album after a four-year absence and I am really glad that they came up with something superior than their two previous records. The band’s rhythm guitarist is on the other side of the line and explains how the band found itself…at the edge of time!
Interview: Sakis Nikas
Rockpages.gr: Marcus, welcome back and congratulations on the new Guardian record. What’s the feedback that you’ve gotten so far?
Marcus Siepen: So far the feedback has been really really positive…not a single person that I’ve talked with didn’t like the record and I guess that’s a very good thing. It’s great for us…
Rockpages.gr: I’ll be honest with you. I am an old-school fan of the band and I didn’t really like your last couple of records mainly due to the over-orchestration and the polished sound of the songs. Was it a conscious effort to return to a much basic song structure with this album?
Marcus Siepen: Yes and no. When we start writing, there is no master plan. It’s not like we sit down and start a conversation about how the next album will sound or stuff like that. We just start writing…what happened this time, with this album is that we didn’t take a break after the end of the tour. When we finished the tour for “A Twist In The Myth”, we were asked to contribute a song for a video game called Sacred 2. So, we didn’t have the time to take a break as we normally did in the past. So, the energy and the adrenalin of the live shows were there in the studio with us! I think this fact reflects to the songwriting, too. If you listen to the new stuff, you’ll get immediately the feeling that Blind Guardians sounds stronger and more powerful than the last two records. I think this has to do with the fact that we were on a roll right after the tour. There are three songs in the album that would have easily fit in…let’s say “Somewhere Far Beyond”! There are fast, edgy…almost speed metal. On the other hand, and since you mentioned the polished sound of the two previous Blind Guardian records, we wanted a more natural feeling. The polished sound was achieved on purpose in the past. That’s what we wanted…now, we had the chance and the pleasure to work on a few songs with a real orchestra. In the past, everything that you heard –regarding orchestrations- was done through computers and keyboards…everything was programmed and so the sound, as you said, turned out much polished and not so natural. With the real orchestra all the songs sound better and bigger…we also took a similar turn with the drum sound. Many bands, nowadays, and we have done so a couple of times in the past, bring in drum sounds from computer programs. In this record, all the drums are real and naturally the songs sound more natural and straight forward. The result is exactly what we wanted and everybody loves the songs and the sound of them.
Rockpages.gr: You released a cd single for “A Voice In The Dark”. Do you think that this song is the most representative of the album?
Marcus Siepen: No, there isn’t just a single song that represents a whole Blind Guardian record. The songs are way to different from each other, you know… “A Voice In The Dark” represents an aspect of the album and not the whole album! It definitely represents the old-school Blind Guardian vibe because it is fast and “in your face”. On the other hand, it doesn’t represent such songs as “Curse My Name” or “Wheel of Time”. We don’t want all the songs to sound the same that’s why we include in every Guardian record many different and varied songs. There has to be a nice flow…don’t forget, also, that Blind Guardian is not a band aiming for singles or anything like that…we pay attention to the album and not just a song. It’s not like we are gonna hear our songs on the road and that’s why we don’t worry about how the single sounds. We chose “A Voice In The Dark” because it’s a fast song and…there were many complaints in the past…there were those who said that Blind Guardian are not heavy or fast anymore. Well, there you have it! Blind Guardian is still fast and heavy! All the aggression and the speed are still there.
Rockpages.gr: Blind Guardian is famous for covering some obscure pop songs. This time you went for “You’re The Voice” by John Farnham. Whose idea was it?
Marcus Siepen: (laughs) We were thinking of covering this song in the past, too. Actually, when we were doing “The Forgotten Tales”, there was this idea of doing “You’re The Voice”, but in the end we didn’t record it. The truth is that we all love this song! Back in the 80s, it was a big hit and we absolutely love the chorus and the vocals. So we gave it a shot and I think that it fits perfectly well in the “obscure” category of those Guardian cover songs. It’s nice for us to record something that people don’t expect from Blind Guardian. Of course, we have done many metal covers like “Don’t Break The Circle” (Demon). We don’t want the obvious thing and I am sure that any true Guardian fan enjoys this kind of recordings. That’s why “The Forgotten Tales” is regarded a Blind Guardian classic.
Rockpages.gr: “Sacred Worlds” was initially available in a video game. Was it your decision so as to approach, probably, a new audience?
Marcus Siepen: Actually, it wasn’t our decision. We were approached by the video company…they asked us if we would like to write a song for a game called Sacred 2. Andre (Olbrich) and I play all sorts of computer games and as a matter of fact we had played the first part of Sacred. We loved the idea! From talking to our fans, we saw that there are many people who listen to Blind Guardian and also play these fantasy computer games. So, it was a great chance for us and since we haven’t done this before, we saw it as a good opportunity to do something different once again. The absolute highlight for us is that the band appears in the game. We appear as animated characters in a latter stage of the game…you have to pass through some basic stages first…anyway, we perform in front of a peculiar audience that includes goblins, various beasts…you get the picture. It was amazing.
Rockpages.gr: “Curse My Name” is the trademark Blind Guardian medieval ballad in the vein of “The Bard’s Song” or “Skalds And Shadows”…not the same but similar in the whole mood and atmosphere. Do you think that if the “The Bard’s Song” wasn’t that popular, maybe there wouldn’t be at least one medieval ballad in every Guardian record?
Marcus Siepen: I know what you mean…you know, this has nothing to do with “The Bard’s Song” and its success among the fan base. “The Bard’s Song” was recorded in 1992 and we released a live album from that tour a few months later (ed. note “Tokyo Tales”). Well, “The Bard’s Song” wasn’t included in that album and it was the tour for “Somewhere Far Beyond”. For us, it wasn’t so special back then. The fans made this song special…in the live shows! But, this has nothing to do with the fact that we write medieval ballads…we like this music, this acoustic, medieval type of music. “Curse My Name” has these Celtic influences…it’s so different than the previous ballads that we’ve done. We have never tried to reproduce “The Bard’s Song”…this time we took some steps forward and recorded back pipes, harps etc. But, I am sure that we cannot write another song like “The Bard’s Song”…even if we tried, we wouldn’t make it so special. I believe that it is a not reproducible song!
Rockpages.gr: It’s been several years since we last saw your name on the credits of a Guardian song. How come you don’t contribute more on the compositions?
Marcus Siepen: Well, I am not the biggest songwriter…that’s the reason. I always try to bring 1-2 ideas that eventually find their way in a Guardian record. But, Andre and Hansi are definitely the main songwriters. I don’t have an “ego” problem and all I want is a strong and powerful Blind Guardian album. If there is my name in there…fine! If not, that’s fine, too. The result is what matters to me. I am sure that in the future I will write more with the guys, but it didn’t happen with this record.
Rockpages.gr: Greece is one of the very few countries around the world that supported Guardian from an early point at your career? Why do you think you have such a special relationship with the Greek fans?
Marcus Siepen: I think that Greece has many loyal fans that support the metal bands. You are right…Greece discovered us in the very early days and almost immediately the fans appreciated our style and our songs. We have done some of our best shows in Greece and all of us remember the awesome reaction of the Guardian fans. We have a solid relationship with our fans in Greece and I want through this interview to say to them that we always try to give 100% and write the best songs for them. Greece has a very special place in our hearts.
Rockpages.gr: Marcus, I am a big fan of the band and when someone asks me which my favorite Guardian record is, it is always a toss between “Somewhere…” and “Imaginations”…how about you?
Marcus Siepen: It’s hard to say…really…it is something that constantly changes for me. It depends in the mood that I am in…I mean that if you ask me the same question tomorrow, you might get a different answer. So today’s answer is: “Somewhere Far Beyond” because it captures the band at its peak…it represents perfectly what some people say “the old Blind Guardian style”. With “Imaginations…” we headed towards a different direction. So, yes, I think “Somewhere Far Beyond” would be my choice.
Rockpages.gr: I know that you are a big fan of the first Iron Maiden records. Have you listened to their new song “El Dorado”?
Marcus Siepen: I know that they have put it online on their site…actually, I haven’t checked it out yet.
Rockpages.gr: Did you see any football match of the World Cup Series?
Marcus Siepen: Of course! Although, I must admit that I am not the biggest football fan. But when there is a World Cup or a Euro Cup…I am always in front of the television (laughs). I really enjoyed these matches…I think that Germany played some good matches and even if we lost from Spain, we took the third position and then again Spain became the new World Champions. I believe that Spain rightfully took the cup. Germany was not as good as them, although I really enjoyed the fact that we beat Argentina.