Leaves' Eyes w/Liv - added - December 15th, 2006
Interviewer: HelveteKrieg
Leaves’ Eyes is a rather peculiar sort of band. They base entire albums around the concepts of Viking life and tales of the North, yet are definitely not “Viking metal;” in fact, they share more similarities with Nightwish than Thyrfing. They have a female singer with a history in the world of pop music, yet are about as far from Evanescence as you can get. Lastly, they’re a “supergroup” of sorts – Leaves’ Eyes is actually composed of the members of the band Atrocity, with Liv Kristine and her husband, Atrocity frontman Alexander Krull, sharing vocal duties. I had a chance to catch up with Liv backstage at the Philadelphia date of their tour with Blind Guardian; in between a photo shoot and a soundcheck, we sat down and talked about life, Leaves’ Eyes, and why it’s important to always, always follow your heart.How are you?
Oh, I’m fine. Busy, but, I love this place – I love this city, I think it’s a nice place.
So I guess it’s safe to say that things are working out better this time around? I know that the last time you were in America you had some issues, and things didn’t work out very well. Are things going more smoothly this time?
Oh yes, definitely. Everything is very well-organized. This time, it’s for real – it’s the way it should be! Last time was – we were kind of warming up. You learn by doing.
Very true. So, how did you end up going out on tour with Blind Guardian? Your sounds are very different – they make some sense, but then on the same token, they don’t. Do you feel that you fit on a power metal bill?
Well I think that it’s not the rule anymore that you’d have two power metal bands or two black metal bands or two gothic metal bands touring together. Nowadays, you might set up a bill that has bands from different backgrounds, which I think makes the bill more interesting.
Your sound is fairly hard to pin down as it is; I’m sure you hear it all the time, but how would you describe it to someone who’d never heard Leaves’ Eyes before? After all, you’re the best person to ask!
I’m not very good at that (laughs) I’m always trying to get it down to one sentence, but it’s very difficult! I’d say…symphonic gothic metal with female vocals, and then you have the concept – there is always a concept behind the album. It’s more than the music itself; it’s also the concept behind it all. There are so many things I would like to add!
Your music is very conceptual, especially recent offerings like “Vinland Saga” and “Legend Land,” which follow the story of Leif Erikson and the Vikings. It’s obvious that your lyrics are influenced by the history and folklore of your native land; why did you decide to use these topics in your songs?
Well, we Norwegians do learn a lot about the Vikings at school, and since I moved to Germany ten years ago, it actually opened up my eyes and mind to the history of Scandinavia. I read a lot, I study a lot. It’s the music itself, actually, that makes me write the lyrics I do, and also, to come up with the theme, the concept. So it’s like a mixture of both the music and my own personal interests.
Norway is both famous and infamous for the legions of metal bands it produces. Why do you think that Scandinavian countries are so conducive to the creation of metal music?
Hmm, that’s a very good question! I think actually it has a bit to do with the fact that we do only have 4.3 million inhabitants up there, and you don’t have that many things to do! Everything closes pretty early, and sometimes you might happen to live in a house or grow up in a family that is the only one on an island or maybe in that part of the city, so you have a lot of time to sit down and think, and that’s like opening a door to art. Spending more time on art, like music and writing poems – I think that’s a consequence of that kind of loneliness. I wouldn’t say it’s something bad or negative, I would just say it’s a part of living up there, if you don’t live in Oslo or one of the other big cities.
Going on what I’ve been told by several other musicians of Scandinavian origin, it seems like the governments there are much more supportive of the arts. I know that in Sweden they used to give out grants and help with practice spaces; did the Norwegian government help you guys out at all?
They help a lot. The Norwegian government helps their artists a lot, because the state has a lot of money. So if you want to be an artist, it’s better to be one in Scandinavia!
What made you want to be a singer? When you were a young girl, could you have ever seen yourself being where you are today?
Well actually I started singing before I was able to talk! But, I grew up with metal – Black Sabbath, Ozzy, Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden, and later, when I turned six, I discovered Madonna! That was the time when I started to practice in front of the mirror with my hairbrush, changing my hair according to how Madonna was doing her hair. Today, I’m very much into classical music; of course metal will always be the music which is closest to my heart, but I also love classical music, soundtracks, and Madonna is still a great idol for me. So all these things made me have dreams at a very young age. I don’t know much about notes, I never studied music theory – it’s just something I’ve been given genetically, it’s in my heart and in my blood. I’m very lucky.
The realm of heavy metal has never been particularly female-friendly; why do you think it’s so hard for women and girls to gain respect and be accepted into this scene?
Well actually, I never had any major problems with working with men. I’ve been very lucky, so far. I’ve had some trouble in the past, concerning my solo project. The pop business is very harsh, very tough, and I think the most important thing is to stay true to yourself, and that everything you do, you do it with heart and soul. It’s not just about going into the studio and singing and writing lyrics, you have to perform it, too! So you should feel comfortable when you do it, and you should listen to your inner voice, and not so much to what people around you are saying – business people, record labels, whatever. I do listen to what my bandmates tell me, but besides that, I just act on my own behalf and am comfortable with it.
You’ve had a long, successful career in music, but most metalheads know you as the former voice of Theatre of Tragedy. They were one of, if not the first, bands to use the now-familiar female/male clean/growling vocal style. How does it feel to see so many bands today using the style that you pioneered?
It’s interesting to see bands like Nightwish, Within Temptation; they’re both great bands, and as I’m not in Theatre of Tragedy anymore – I was kicked out for some reason...I was pregnant, and has to cancel two shows, no flights would let me fly with them; I mean, I was in my seventh month, and nobody wants to fly with you then! So I cancelled two concerts, and then I was kicked out. I think that was a big mistake, but sometimes bad luck leads to good luck, and Leaves’ Eyes is definitely my good luck. I don’t want to change a thing. Today it’s nice to see good bands like Nightwish and Within Temptation getting successful; they really deserve it. There are also some bands that are not so good. But, you have to start from somewhere, so at some point in time you will probably find yourself, and that’s the most important thing.
Your band, Leaves’ Eyes put out "Vinland Saga" on Napalm Records last year, recently released an EP, "Legend Land", and you’ve also just released a solo album, "Enter My Religion". You’ve also got a family to attend to. How do you manage to stay so prolific while achieving a balance between home and work?
Well, I’ve heard that Madonna sleeps like four or five hours a night! The audience gives me so much, and being a mother – my son gives me so much energy. When I have time, I do sports, yoga; I try to spend time by myself – even if it’s just thirty minutes a day, it helps. I feel very comfortable with what I’m doing so it’s very seldom that I feel that I'm very tired or burnt out. So far, I've been fine. It’s been a dream come true to become a singer and a mother, and those were two things I really wanted.
Historically, musical couples tend to produce either very great or very terrible music. Obviously you and your husband fall into the former category; what is it like being in a band with your husband, Alexander Krull?
That’s a good question, because actually, if we’re on tour or in the studio, we spend a lot of time together, but most of that time is not private, it’s always with somebody else. The only problem is when we’re not working or performing or touring, to stop thinking about music and the business, to close the door and say “hey, now it’s all about us, the three of us, our family”. Sometimes it’s difficult…sometimes I wish I’d never gotten a mobile phone! Well actually my SIM card got stolen, so I don’t have one at the moment – it’s not that bad, really!
You really seem to love doing what you do. Can you see yourself continuing down this route and doing this for the rest of your life?
For at least ten more years and then, well, I always wanted to write children’s books. My other job, apart from being a singer and a mother, is teaching, at a special school for violent kids, drug-addicted kids, kids with problems. For that you don’t need a formal teachers’ education; you just have to have a lot of life experience, and I really love that job, so maybe I will do that afterwards. Of course, dealing with the arts – like I said, writing children’s books, composing music – I would love to do that! I don’t know if I would tour as much as I do right now; all you have is a couple of square meters, and this tour is for six weeks, that’s very long.
Do you think you’ll ever come over here on your own, and tour as simply Liv Kristine?
I’d love to! I’m just waiting for the solo album to be released here.
Yeah, everything’s released later over here – we miss out on everything!
Haha, I need your help!
Well, doing press is always pretty helpful...there’s no such thing as bad press, and of course you wouldn’t be getting any of that from us anyway!
Oh, thank you so much, it was an honor to talk with you; I’m sorry it’s been so rushed. Not every day is like that, but today – things got stolen today, and my little boy’s a bit upset, so I’ve got to get back to the bus and get something to eat, and put on my red dress – my lipstick’s already on because of the photo session, so I save some time – when you have an extra five minutes, that’s a lot of time!
Do you have any parting words you’d like to share?
I would just like to say thank you to everyone for listening to Leaves’ Eyes, and taking interest in Leaves’ Eyes. I’m so amazed that so many people know about Leaves’ Eyes here, though it’s only our first real tour in the States. I hope that we will be back again next year!
