Interview med Matt Ries (Traveler)

Traveler - press photo Traveler - press photo

I forbindelse med udgivelsen af Travelers tredje studiealbum, ’Prequel To Madness’, har vi haft den store glæde at interviewe bandets guitarist Matt Ries, der fortæller om den nye plade, lineupskift, koncertåret 24/25 og meget mere.

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Kunne du starte med en hurtig introduktion af dig selv og bandet Traveler?
Hej, du taler med Matt Ries! Traveler består af mig selv og Toryin Schadlich på guitar, Jake Wendt på bas, Nolan Benedetti på trommer og JP Abboud på vokal.Jeg begyndte at skrive vores self-titeled album omkring ​​2016-2017. Jeg var virkelig motiveret for at starte mit eget band på det tidspunkt. Det var lidt en af ​​de ting, hvor man, hvis man vil gøre det rigtigt, skal gøre det selv. Og jeg var overrasket over at se al den positive feedback, demoen fik, da den blev udgivet i 2018. Det gik over al forventning. Så da efterspørgslen kom, måtte jeg sammensætte et band, haha. Jeg var slet ikke forberedt. Vores tredje show nogensinde var KIT. Vildt, som tingene fungerer!

For omkring fire måneder siden udgav I jeres tredje album i fuld længde, Prequel To Madness. Hvordan var processen bag albummet? Jeg bemærkede, at der var en ændring i bandsammensætningen efter albumudgivelsen.
Albummet blev næsten udelukkende skrevet under nedlukningen i forbindelse med corona. Og i løbet af den tid mistede Chad (Vallier, red.) interessen for at spille i bandet, hvilket jo er helt okay. Det er ikke noget for alle. Så vi lavede en aftale om at afslutte albummet og gå hver til sit efterfølgende. Vi er dog stadig på god fod. Forsøger stadig at slå ham i golf! Og Dave (Arnold red.) skulle uddanne sig til at være beredskabsperson, hvilket også er helt okay. Livet trækker en i alle mulige skøre retninger, og jeg kan ikke bebrejde nogen for at ville prøve noget andet. Så under indspilningen mistede jeg to medlemmer, haha! Og da der var grænselukninger, og det var et mareridt at rejse, arbejdede jeg og JP sammen om tekster og sangstrukturer fra hvert vores sted, hvilket var en kæmpe udfordring, vi skulle overvinde. Men vi gjorde det! Og vi er meget stolt af, hvordan det hele gik.

Vil den ændring i lineuppet have en effekt på fremtidige Traveler-projekter og gruppedynamikken i bandet?
Banddynamikken er bedre end nogensinde før, vil jeg mene. Jeg selv, Toryin og JP har alle kendt Jake og Nolan i lang tid nu. Og nogle ved måske allerede, at vi spiller i et andet band (Hrom) sammen. Så det var en meget naturlig overgang. Udover at være gode venner er de utrolige til det, de laver. Så for et lineupskift var det det bedste scenario.

Vi hører lidt af en ændring i Jean-Pierre Abbouds vokalstil fra de tidligere albummer til Prequel To Madness. Var det en aktiv beslutning – hvis ja: Hvorfor?
Jeg tror, ​​vi alle havde nogle frustrationer at udtrykke på det nye album. JP tog bestemt en aktiv beslutning om at være ekstravagant. Især da lockdownen i Canada varede et helt år længere end i noget andet land, jeg kender. Vi var så irriterede, haha. Og vi kæmpede. Men det kanaliserede vi ind i albummet. Vi investerede virkelig alt, hvad vi havde, i det.

Tekstmæssigt er der en del paralleller til sci-fi. Er der nogen specifikke historier/fortællinger, der inspirerede teksterne på Prequel To Madness?
Så, tilbage til vores andet band Hrom. Både Powerheart Part 1 og 2 er konceptalbummer. De skildrer Queen of Steel, der kæmper om Time Diamond, som jeg er sikker på, du kan gætte, er en tidsrejsende diamant. Vi syntes, det ville være sjovt at kaste Marvin (vores maskot) ind i historien. Det er også det, du ser på albumcoveret. Marvin redder Time Diamond fra ødelæggelsen. Det var sjovt at finde på alt det her. Kald det en anden måde at holde vores sind optaget på det tidspunkt. Så hvis du vil læse om, hvordan alt dette giver mening, bliver du nødt til at give disse to albummer et lyt!

Er der nogen særlige bands, I henter inspiration fra, når det kommer til lyden af ​​Traveler – hvis ja: Hvilke?
Helt fra begyndelsen var vores lyd stærkt inspireret af Deaf Dealer. Jeg synes stadig, de er et af de bedste bands inden for heavy metal. Og det er jo ingen hemmelighed, at jeg kopierede ”Back To God’s Country”, da jeg lavede ”Street Machine”, haha! Hvilket jeg også var meget åben omkring, da jeg tog kontakt til JP Fortin, den originale bassist, som stadig er relativt aktiv i disse dage. Vi endte med at opbygge et så godt forhold, at han endda spillede bas på singlen ”Betrayal” og forærede os en uudgivet Deaf Dealer-sang, som har titlen ”STK” på vores andet album, Termination Shock. Men nu til dags er vores lyd lidt en blanding – fra Maiden over Crimson Glory til hvem som helst. Når det kommer til stykket, forsøger jeg bare at blive bedre og bedre. Det er dog stadig meget fedt at tænke på, at jeg kom til at arbejde med en af ​​mine helte. Livet er underligt.

Prequel To Madness er fyldt til randen med fantastiske sange – hvad er din personlige favorit?
Der bliver jeg nødt til at give credit til Dave og JP for samarbejdet om ”Rebels of Earth”. Jeg havde meget lidt at gøre med at skrive den sang, og jeg synes, det er den bedste. Jeg arbejdede også ekstra hårdt for at sikre, at soloen ramte alle de helt rigtige toner.

Hvad betyder albumtitlen? Titlen Prequel To Madness kunne indikere et opfølgende album i samme bane – vil der være noget som en ”Sequel To Madness”? 
Som jeg forklarede om Time Diamond, spiller titlen på tidsrejser. Altså the ’prequel to the madness to come’. Vi har leget med et par ideer til det næste album. Men det kunne sagtens bare hedde Madness. Hvem ved. Måske ændrer vi mening senere!

Kan vi se frem til nogen koncerter i Danmark eller nær Danmark i den nærmeste fremtid?
Vi har haft fornøjelsen af ​​at spille i Danmark med vores venner i Thunderor. Men det tætteste, vi kommer i år, er måske Oldenburg i Tyskland. Vi skal på turné med Night Demon i slutningen af ​​september til oktober! Hold øje med showdetaljer!

Jeg ser frem til at se Traveler live til Keep It True Rising 2024 i oktober. Er der noget særligt, I gør for at forberede jer til et festivalshow?
Yeah! Jeg kan ikke vente med at være en del af den festival igen. I år ser det helt vanvittigt ud. Men personligt chiller jeg for det meste bare, haha. Måske en øl eller to. Bortset fra det er der bare den typiske guitaropvarmning og nogle jokes i vores backstageområde. Det er godt nok for mig.

Hvad foretrækker du: festivalkoncerter eller selvstændige shows?
Det afhænger af publikum. En festivalkoncert kan være en fantastisk oplevelse. Det er noget helt andet end en pub-koncert. Men nogle gange er disse pub-optrædener mega fede. Et lille proppet lokale, hvor alle synger dine sange, er lige så godt som enhver festival. Jeg tror faktisk, at jeg foretrækker den mere tætte og intime oplevelse end en høj scene langt væk fra folk, der bare vil rocke med en.

Er der udsigt til andre ting for Traveler?
Det er sjovt; vi turnerer ikke lige så meget, som vi ellers plejer at gøre med et nyt album, i år. Vi har Mile High Power i Denver i august efterfulgt af et par koncerter i Alberta. Og så Europa-touren med Hanowar og Night Demon i efteråret. Efter det er jeg ikke så sikker! Min kone og jeg skal have barn i december, hvilket er meget spændende. Så bliver jeg nødt til at skrue lidt ned for, hvor ofte vi tager ud og spiller et stykke tid. Vi har i hvert fald nogle fede planer for 2025 i støbeskeen. Men det kan være spredte småturneer, så jeg kan fokusere på at være en god far. Men hvis der er en efterspørgsel på Traveler, så kommer vi på et tidspunkt!

Er der noget, du gerne vil tilføje?
Jeg tror faktisk, ​​det var det hele! I kan følge os på Facebook og Instagram. Tak for de gode spørgsmål, og vi ses på landevejen. :)

Could you start with a quick introduction of yourself and the band, Traveler?
Hey, you're talking to Matt Ries! Traveler consists of myself and Toryin Schadlich on guitar, Jake Wendt on Bass, Nolan Benedetti on drums and JP Abboud on vocals.
I started writing the self-titled album around late 2016-2017. I was really motivated to start my own band at the time. Sorta one of those things where if you want to do it right, do it yourself. And I was shocked to see all the positive feedback once the demo was released in 2018. It far exceeded what I thought it would do. So, when the demand came in, I had to put together a band, haha. I wasn't prepared at all. Our third show ever was KIT. Wild how things work out!

About four months ago, you released your third full length album, Prequel to Madness. What was the process behind the album like? – I noticed there was a change in personnel after the album release.
It was written almost entirely during Covid lockdown. And during that time Chad was losing interest in playing in bands all together. Which is totally cool, ya know. It's not for everyone. So we made a deal to finish the album and go our separate ways. We're still on great terms though. Still trying to beat his ass at golf! And Dave was going to school to be an emergency responder. Which again, totally cool. Life pulls ya in all sorts of crazy directions and I can't blame anyone for trying something else. So, all during the recording process I lost two members, haha! And since there were border closures and the nightmare it was to travel anywhere, JP and I worked together on lyrics and structures almost entirely remote. Which was a massive challenge we must overcome. But we did it! Very proud of how it all turned out.

Will that change influence future Traveler projects and the group dynamic in the band?
The band dynamic is better than ever, I would say. I, Toryin and JP have all known Jake and Nolan for a long time now. And some may already know we play in another band (Hrom) together. So, it was a very natural transition. Aside from being great friends, they're incredible at what they do. So, for a lineup change, it was the best-case scenario.

We hear a bit of a change in Jean-Pierre Abboud’s vocal style from the previous albums to Prequel to Madness. Was that an active decision, if so, why?
I think we all had some frustrations to express on this one. JP made an active decision to be over the top. Especially since lockdown lasted in Canada an entire year longer than any other country that I'm aware of. We were pissed, hahah. And we were struggling. But we channelled that into the album. We really put everything we had into it.

Lyrically, there are quite a few parallels to sci-fi. Are there any stories that inspired the lyrics on Prequel to Madness?
So, back to our other band Hrom. Both Powerheart part 1 and 2 are concept albums. It depicts the Queen of Steel fighting for the Time Diamond. Which I'm sure you can guess is a time traveling diamond. We thought it would be fun to throw Marvin (our mascot) into the storyline. It's also what you see as the album cover. Marvin saving the Time Diamond from destruction. It was fun coming up with all this stuff. Call it another way to keep our minds occupied at the time. So, if you want to read about how all of this makes sense, you'll have to check out those two albums!

Are there any bands you draw inspiration from when it comes to the sound of Traveler – if so, which ones?
From the very beginning it was heavily inspired by Deaf Dealer. I still think they were one of the greatest bands in heavy metal. And I not so secretly ripped off Back to Gods Country to make Street Machine, haha! Which I was very open about when I reached out to JP Fortin, the original bass player who is still relatively active these days. We ended up building a great relationship to the point where he even played bass on the single Betrayal and gifted us an unreleased Deaf Dealer song which is titled STK on our second album Termination Shock. But I think nowadays it's an assortment. The obvious Maiden to Crimson Glory to whoever. I'm just trying to get better at it at the end of the day. It's still very cool to think I got to work with one of my heroes though. Life is weird.

Prequel To Madness is filled to the brim with awesome songs – what is your personal favourite?
I'm going to must hand it to Dave and JP for collaborating on “Rebels of Earth”. I had very little to do with writing that song and I think that it's the best one. I also worked extra hard to make sure that solo hit all the right notes.

What does the album title mean? The title, Prequel to Madness, could indicate a follow-up album in the same lane – will there be something like a “Sequel To Madness”? 
Like I explained about the Time Diamond, the title plays with time travel. The prequel to the madness to come. We've toyed with a few ideas for the next album. But it very well could be called Madness. Who knows though. Maybe we'll change our minds later!

Can we look forward to any concerts in Denmark or near Denmark soon?
We've had the pleasure of playing Denmark with our friends in Thunderor. But the closest we get this year might be Oldenburg, Germany. We'll be on tour with Night Demon in late Sept to Oct! Watch out for show details!

I’m looking forward to seeing Traveler live at Keep It True Rising 2024 in October. Is there anything that you do to prepare for a festival show?
Yeah! Can't wait to be a part of that fest again. This year looks insane. But for myself, I just chill for the most part, haha. Maybe have a beer or two. Aside from that just the typical guitar warmups and some jokes in the green room is good enough for me.

What do you prefer, festival gigs or standalone shows?
It depends on the crowd. A festival gig can be an amazing experience. It's an entirely different animal than a pub gig. But sometimes those pub gigs are off the hook. A small, crowded room with everyone singing your songs is equal to any festival. I suppose I prefer the more up close and intimate experience than a tall stage far away from people that just want to rock with you.

Are there any other things on the horizon for Traveler?
It's funny, we're not touring as much as we normally would with a new album this year. We have Mile High Power in Denver in August. Followed by a couple Alberta gigs. And then the European tour with Hanowar and Night Demon in the fall. After that, I'm not too sure! My wife and I are having a baby in December. Which is very exciting. But I'll have to dial back on how often we hit the road for a little while. We have some cool plans for 2025 in the works right now. But it may be spread out into small one week runs so I can focus on being a good dad. But if there is a demand for Traveler, we'll get there sooner or later!

Is there anything you would like to add?
I think that about covers it! You can follow us on Facebook @travelerheavymetal and Insta @heavymetaltraveler. Thanks for the great questions and we'll see ya on the road. :)