Coldseed

Posted on Jul 25, 2006

by Anders

Coldseed a new band with its base in Germany, but besides 4 Germans, a swede and a spaniard have joined the force that makes up Coldseed. The band delivers a crossover of older and more classic metal deeds with modern and straight ahead metal, a quite fascinating blend. I hooked up with the one German without a record in Blind Guardian, the great guitarist Thorsten Praest who gladly answered all my curious questions.

Hi there, will you please start off by introducing yourself and tell us how you ended up doing Coldseed?

Hi, it's me…Thorsten Praest… one of the guitar players in Coldseed. Mi (Coldseed Keyboarder) asked me to write some songs with him and Thomen… and maybe get a project going. That's how it started… the rest is history!

A little bit about how the different members ended up in Coldseed as well a bit about why exactly they are a part of the band, will be much appreciated as well!

Well, Gonzalo Alfageme (guitar) is a friend of Thomen Stauch and they already wrote some songs before the idea of Coldseed emerged. Mi Schüren (keys), Oli Holzwarth (bass) and of course Thomen (drums) were partners in crime in Blind Guardian. Björn "Speed" Strid (vocals) was asked by Thomen if he liked the concept and wanted to be a member of the band. Even though we're all pretty different guys from different countries etc. it clicked immediately when we started composing and playing! 

How did the idea for Coldseed surface and how long time have you used on getting the music ready for recording?

We started writing material and recording first demos in July 2004. Then we continued writing – most of the time separately, checking out new stuff via email – and started recording in 2005.

What do you wish to tell with the music in Coldseed and what is the mission with the band?

We want to melt all our musical influences and experiences to a powerful and modern sounding style. Maybe that's our mission… to be free in creating and composing the music we like and not to be caught with a predictable sound.

Who are the main songwriters in the band?

Basically, we're all songwriters. Every one has his share of ideas and songs on the record. But of course first there's always one person that brings in a new song idea, then the other band members are involved in the working process to finish that song. 

Where is the inspiration for the music found?

Everything can inspire you to get a song idea… really everything! I mean it could be a nice/bad experience, movies, dreams…äähhh women… ;-).

Considering the members of the band, I was personally very surprised about how "modern" the music on "Completion Makes The Tragedy" is, was it a "goal" to make a modern metal record?

Of course we wanted a fresh and modern sounding record! But during the production process we really never thought of "being modern" or whatever. It all fell into the right place!

How has the album so far been received by the press?

So far the reactions are pretty good!

How do you in the band feel about it?

It feels great!

What do you expect of the album?

Well, we should sell 50 millon copies of it so that we can retire in a big Beverly Hills mansion… no, just kiddin'… the album should establish the band Coldseed as a powerful and unique voice on the scene!

Is Coldseed a band that will deliver more albums, or is it a one-album project?

More albums are planned, but of course first we have to wait and see the reactions on "Completion Makes The Tragedy".

Who is the man behind the lyrics in the band?

That's Björn!

Do you have a message with the lyrics and how important are the lyrics compared to the music?

Again, it's a Björn question… but I'll give my best :). The lyrics deal with themes about human relationships, life and death, political stuff etc.

What does the album title "Completion Makes The Tragedy" symbolize and what are your thoughts behind it?

To me it's a kind of a metaphoric description of life and death with all it's circumstances etc…

Who has made the cover artwork for the release and how is it connected to the album title?

Anthony Clarkson did the artwork. It shows an angel's life having led to tragedy. There's no real concept behind it. It just quite perfect expresses the album title.

If you care, you are very welcome to pick out your 3 favorite tracks on the album, and tell us a bit about how the idea for the music surfaced, what the lyrics are about and so forth!

Well, my 3 favourites are 'Democracy Lesson', 'Five More To Fix' and 'Hatchet'. In general, the idea for a song comes more or less spontaneous during playing, rehearsing etc. Personally I record all ideas on an old walkman – later I work on the details. Well, the lyrics for the songs… 'Democracy Lesson' deals with the question if a real democracy is possible anyway… 'Hatchet' deals with not being able to "bury the hatchet" after a strong conflict… and 'Five More To Fix'… is maybe about beer… five more beers to drink?

Are you going to tour a bit in support of "Completion Makes The Tragedy"?

We definitely want to – but there are no plans yet.

How do you look upon the future for the band and what can we expect of you?

We want to record more albums and play our asses off!

Do you care to share your 5 all time favourite albums with the readers of Nocturnal Horde?

Oh shit…well I like so many different kinds of music that I'll only list my 5 favourite rock/metal albums:

KISS - Dynasty
Van Halen - 1984
DIO - Holy Diver
Metallica - Master Of Puppets
Pantera - Vulgar Display Of Power!

Thanks a ton for answering my questions, if you have anything to add, feel free to add it now!

Well, it was fun to answer your questions and I hope to see you all to a Coldseed gig in the near future! ROCK ON and greetings, Thorsten!

Coldseed website

Review of "Completion Makes The Tragedy"

Buy the album at

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