Talking with . . . Wuthering Heights
Interviewed 5/26/2004 by Brett VanPut
Interview with guitarist Erik Ravn
Multi-national band Wuthering Heights comes from the intelligent, literate mind of guitarist/ songwriter Erik Ravn. Over the course of three albums Ravn has developed Wuthering Heights into a visual and aural epic progressive metal machine. For their latest, Far from the Madding Crowd, original vocalist Kristen Andren (ex-Tad Morose) may be gone but in steps new singer Nils Patrik Johansson (Space Odyssey, Astral Doors) a fairly new vocalist on the scene who is being praised for his Ronnie James Dio like voice. Of course when speaking (or emailing) with the always insightful and informative Erik, you must do some discussion on Tolkien. Read on for more info.
What are you up these days?
I was planning to try and relax a bit. After all, Iīve been working on our three albums worth of material for over a decade now. But to be honest, I have in stead started working on new songs, so I guess thereīll be no holidays for me. Also we are soon to start rehearsing for live performance.
Do you have any plans to play live or do any festivals dates this summer?
So far weīve only got one show scheduled, thatīs ProgPower USA in September. If that works out well, hopefully we will be able to do more shows in the future.
This was the first album without Kristian Andren singing, how was it different working with Nils Patrik Johansson? What does he add to the band?
They both have great voices. The difference is that Patrik seems to be more aware of techniques and harmonies and stuff. He was very fast at picking up the ideas that me and producer Tommy Hansen got. Sometimes it could get rather heated up, with tones and crazy chords flying around the studio, but Patrik took it all in good spirit and delivered a stunning performance. So itīs a matter of taste of course which voice you prefer. But from my point of view as the person responsible for getting the record done on time, it's important to have a singer who is certain to always deliver. And Patrik definitely seems to be that kind of guy.
With the band name and the new album named after novels- does this mean that you do a lot of reading?
Not as much as I would like, Iīm afraid. But yes, I've always enjoyed reading. Usually non-fiction but as you can see also the occasional classic novel. The main part of my reading however, is still dedicated to the works of Professor Tolkien. Anyway, you shouldnīt put a whole lot of meaning into our naming stuff after literature. Usually itīs simply because I like the titles and they fit our purpose. I rarely base my writing on other people's work.
Lord of the Rings won almost every major award it was nominated for in the States, do you feel Peter Jackson did a good job in accurately bringing these books to the screen? Do you have a favorite character?
I think Peter Jackson is a hero. I mean, Iīm a huge Tolkien fan, so I was very sceptic about the whole thing. Because it could so easily end up being terrible, if they had let the Hollywood machine set the rules. Luckily it was a nutcase like Mr. Jackson who took on the job, and in my opinion the result is absolutely stunning. The best movies ever. The point here is, that Iīm not that concerned about the few facts they have changed, because itīs a movie- itīs a different medium than a book. And if Iīm missing something, Iīll just pick up the book. Whatīs more important is that they have hit the atmosphere of the books spot on. This is what has been wrong with almost every other adaptation of Tolkien- usually because it has been made too "fairytale"-like, and not grim enough. In Tolkienīs own conception he wasnīt writing fiction, he was writing history. And that spirit is captured in the movies- it is realistic within its own context. My favorite character will always be Aragorn, especially as long as we just know him as "Strider". Now hereīs a real movie hero to look up to- I mean, can you get any cooler than that? Although I think Sean Bean possibly did the greatest acting performance as Boromir.
How were you able to find your own style when it comes to playing guitar and writing music?
To put it a bit on the edge, I think it was a question of not knowing what I was doing, and then staying in my room until it sounded like I wanted. I taught myself to play guitar and to write songs. It gives you some problems, because you may miss out on some things, like useful techniques and so on. But it also gives room for a bit of originality. I mean, the technical level of metal music today is so insanely high. To be the next guitar hero, you would probably need
to spend all your time just rehearsing the guitar. I will rather concentrate on using the little skills I have to produce something thatīs musically interesting. Iīm not sure I have a particularly personal style. Itīs just that my influences may be a bit different than what is common for metal musicians. So in a metal context it may end up sounding more original than it actually is.
In truth, I donīt pay that much attention to these things, I just try to write the best possible songs.
Are you at a point yet with Wuthering Heights, where you are making some money from the band? Do you work another full time job?
No, all the money I have ever earned from working regular jobs have gone into this music. I work full time and have done so for more years than I care to remember. And I have next to nothing except my guitars and now three c.d.īs on the market. Luckily my rent is relatively cheap and I have no family to support, so Iīm able to live relatively well economically speaking. But I donīt have the kind of time to concentrate on the music that I would like. I donīt know who makes money in this business, but itīs not the bands.
The cover artwork and overall presentation must be important to you- do you find yourself having a deeper appreciation for art and photography as a result?
I donīt know. I guess in a way I find art terribly important. Because it is what develops the human spirit. But Iīm no art-freak. I donīt know anything about it. Itīs true weīve been able to have fairly nice covers. But only the first one was an actual commissioned work. The latest two we have had to choose from existing works, simply for budget reasons. It would be nice to have another cover done specifically for the album, īcause I think it should really be a complete package. When Iīm a rich rockstar one day, I will have all the stuff re-released on vinyl, so the covers can get a decent size.
If you were to make a video for a Wuthering Heights song, what song would it be and what would the concept be?
I think I would choose "Longing For The Woods - part I". It seems to be a fan favorite and it would be visually interesting. The idea of the song actually came from a visual conception. I would like to show these people gathering in the wood trying to awaken the old gods to save the world from destruction- that would be kinda nice. And thereīs some rather interesting playing going on in the song that would look cool- imagine a metal banjo solo on prime time
television.
Any final comments?
I would just suggest to everyone to pick up our new album. It should make a good soundtrack for dancing around the campfires this summer. Herne protect you.
Discography:
2004... Far From The Madding Crowd (Sensory)
2002... To Travel For Evermore (Sensory)
1999... Within (Sensory)
Current line-up:
Nils Partik Johansson... vocals
Erik Ravn... gutiars
Henrik Flyman... guitars
Morten Sorensen... drums
Rune S. Brink... keyboards
wuthering-heights.dk
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