EMQ’s with RAVENOIR
Hi everyone! Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview with Czech Republic based Atmospheric Black/Death Metal band, Ravenoir. Huge thanks to them for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
On behalf of Ravenoir, let me extend my cordial greetings and sincere thanks to all Ever Metal Zine readers. The idea of embarking on a new project had been bouncing around in my head for quite some time. As I’ve mentioned in previous interviews, I’d like to make it clear that I started RAVENOIR not because I was unhappy or dissatisfied in ROOT in any way. I breathed life into this new outfit because new musical ideas keep coming and I need to channel my creative energy into something new. Also, the lockdown at the beginning of 2020 had a great impact on me at the time and hastened the creation of RAVENOIR. Just like ROOT, I consider RAVENOIR a full-fledged band I am fully committed to, holding the reins as a vocalist, guitar player and the driving force behind the band.
How did you come up with your band name?
The person who coined the word RAVENOIR was our bassist Igor Hubík. The first lyrics he wrote for me was titled Ravenoir and, the second I saw it, I knew that RAVENOIR was the right name for my new musical vision. People who know me well know that I love ravens and find the symbolism behind them fascinating. In mythology, the raven symbolizes the mind, knowledge and intelligence. In addition, the raven is portrayed as a portent of death, a messenger from the other side. So, the play on words truly resonates with me – the English “raven” and “noir”, the French for black – a majestic, evocative blend of words and a perfect name for a metal band.
What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
RAVENOIR hail from the Czech Republic, in Central Europe. Heavy metal took root in former Czechoslovakia in the early 80’s.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
Our debut, “The Darkest Flame of Eternal Blasphemy”, was released on February 21, 2021 as a beautiful six-panel digipak as well as a jewel case CD. The album is also available on USB, fashioned as a credit card, complete with the album cover art, all the album tracks both in wav and mp3 formats, translations of the lyrics in Czech, the booklet in the pdf format, as well as RAVENOIR photos and logos. The latest I’ve heard from our label was that the album would be released on vinyl some-time this year.
‘In The Sign Of The Horns (Lyric Video)
‘Alter Ego’ (Lyric Video)
‘From The Dead Shadows Of The Void To Eternity’ (Visualiser)
Who have been your greatest influences?
It’s been a long time since I was first exposed to metal music back in the late 1980’s and I started to live and breathe metal. A few years later, in the early 90’s, I had been a member of TERROR, my first metal band. We were three thirteen-year old boys, all classmates from the same town, crazy about heavy metal and driven by the desire to emulate our idols from the pages of Metal Hammer magazine. I was introduced to heavy metal through the first albums of IRON MAIDEN and KING DIAMOND, two of my beloved bands and all-time favourites to this day.
What first got you into music?
My parents, who fostered my love of music ever since I was a kid.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician, who would it be?
I’m not a dreamer. I stand with both feet on the ground, so I don’t concern myself with hypotheticals. That said, however, I really wanted to have Andy La Rocque (of KING DIAMOND fame) as a guest on our debut. In my book, Andy is a brilliant guitar player and a true metal legend. Ever since I picked up my first guitar some thirty years ago, I’ve looked up to him as my guitar hero with a unique sound and amazing, memorable solos that come close to perfection so, it goes without saying, his guest appearance on our album is a musical dream come true for me. Andy and I had been in touch for some time before we started recording. I brought up the idea of him appearing on our debut, but I was just testing the waters at the time. Then in 2019, I had a chance to meet Andy in person backstage at a metal festival in the Czech Republic, where KING DIAMOND was headlining. I gotta say for a metal legend, Andy came across as a nice, friendly and down-to-earth guy. We stayed in touch, exchanged a few more emails and worked out all the details. Eventually, Andy La Rocque recorded a solo in his home studio in Sweden, which is featured on the title track The Darkest Flame Of Eternal Blasphemy. Working with him was a great honour and joy and I am extremely thankful for that.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
There’s a number of great festivals around the world. That said, it is all the less likely for us to get invited and play at these festivals, so I don’t really have an answer to that question.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Fortunately, I don’t receive weird gifts.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
I focus on promoting my new band and reaching out to as many metal fans around the world as possible. What would I say to our fans? Support RAVENOIR because we are here for You.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
That would be Thomas Börje Forsberg a.k.a. Quorthon from Bathory.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
It’s all a great adventure that I still find making music gratifying and fulfilling. What I hate with a passion though is all the bland, superficial, overhyped and overproduced music fluff and the people who are completely devoid of any taste who blindly consume it.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Well, you can guess from my previous answer what I would love to do. I’d call for a strict ban on all would-be artists from the mainstream cesspool!
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
It’s next to impossible to pick just one album. The list of my favourites is pretty long…but if you insist, I’m gonna say IRON MAIDEN’s “Piece Of Mind” from 1983.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
If there’s quality content, any format will do. Recently though, I’d go for vinyl because it just has its charm.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
All gigs I’ve played in my life have been great without exception.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
I would listen to music and I wouldn’t run around the stage. I’d be in the crowd.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
I would definitely invite Steve Harris, Bruce Dickinson, King Diamond, Andy La Rocque and Wolf Hoffmann.
What’s next for the band?
Our second album, of course. I’ve slowly started to work on it. And when the situation allows, we’ll definitely start doing gigs.
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
Anyone interested in RAVENOIR updates should check out our Facebook page and the official website of our label, Gothoom Productions.
www.facebook.com/RavenoirOfficial
www.gothoomproductions.com/ravenoir/
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thank you and stay safe in this difficult and strange time.
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