5 Questions With... is your chance to get to know a new or up-and-coming metal band. Beyond The Bridge is a 7 piece progressive metal band from Germany. Their debut CD is The Old Man And The Spirit. Guitarist Peter Degenfeld introduces us to his band.
Give us a brief history of Beyond The Bridge.
We started out as a school band. Back then it was Dominik (bass), Christopher (keyboards), and me. We were friends in high school. After our graduation, Christopher decided to become a recording engineer. The band was breaking apart as everybody left heading in very different directions. But I knew that the three of us had to keep contact. First of all we are good friends and wanted to keep that up. But furthermore I thought that if Christopher went for a life of recording music, then we will certainly have the chance to record music in a professional studio. With this in mind I came up with the concept of the album. I convinced Christopher and we wrote the album. Five years later it turned out that my plan worked out just fine.
Christopher met Simon during his studies and they became good friends. After finishing University, Simon went to the Gate Studios in Wolfsburg where he is now a sound engineer and producer. He also recorded, mixed, mastered (together with Sascha Paeth) and produced The Old Man And The Spirit. Simon also brought Fabian (drums) and Herbie (vocals) to the band and I met Dilenya at a concert of hers in Munich, Germany.
Describe the sound/style and concept of your debut album The Old Man And The Spirit.
At first sight the songs are written in a progressive rock/metal style. They contain virtuosity in both the playing and the compositional design. People that like this kind of music will definitely like our album. With the two singers and especially with our way of arranging the songs and vocal lines, we have created something which has been rarely heard before. Dilenya's voice is very unusual in the rock/metal genre and it adds something to the music which is fresh and indeed progressive.
When we decided to create the album we knew that we want to take the idea of a "concept album" really seriously. It is not only that the lyrics tell a continuous story, but you will also find musical connections between passages spread over the whole album. There are many melodic lines that appear intentionally at certain passages in different keys, tempos, time signatures and so on. The songs sound as if they describe the scenes. "The Struggle" sounds like a conflict between the two parties. "All A Man Can Do" composes the strength and pride, but at the same time the limitations and imperfections of mankind. Overall the music and the lyrics merge and create one single story. We feel that The Old Man And The Spirit really gives consideration to our ideal of a "concept album".
But it is more important to say that the songs themselves will excite the listeners. Nothing is just made for showing off technical skills. The music is touching. It will even touch you in a different way each time you listen to it. Inspiring and ambiguous lyrics with a combination of a large variety of musical styles will accompany the listeners through the story of the conceptual album.
The lineup for the 2012 Mayhem Festival has been announced. Headlining the fifth annual festival is Slipknot. Also on the main stage are Slayer, The Devil Wears Prada, As I Lay Dying and Asking Alexandria. Anthrax will headline the Jagermeister stage, supported by Whitechapel and High On Fire. The tour kicks off June 30th in San Bernardino, CA and makes a 26 show trek across the U.S.
