De Amerikaanse band Everdawn is eigenlijk zo'n beetje de verderzetting van Midnight Eternal … Midnight Eternal ontstond in 2014 en zorgde, na een titelloze EP in 2015, ook voor een titelloos debuutalbum in 2016. Tijdens het tweede full-length album waren drie van de vijf bandleden ontevreden over de vocale inbreng van zangeres Raine Hilai. Het overgebleven trio - Dan Prestup (drums), Richard Fisher (gitaar, zang) en Boris Zaks (keyboards) - wilden geen risico's nemen en besloten verder te gaan onder Everdawn. Alina Gavrilenko, een professionele operazangeres (sopraan), nam haar plaats in qua vocals en bassist Mike LePond, is de meest recente aanwinst van de band (hoewel hij er ook al bij was in het prille begin). 'Cleopatra' telt elf tracks die als symfonische metal omschreven kunnen worden. We hadden hier reeds een interview met gitarist Richard Fisher  
Hoog tijd om ook de plaat zelf eens onder de loep te nemen. Everdawn brengt binnen het genre een kwalitatief hoogstaande plaat uit, waardoor ze niet moeten onderdoen voor (top) acts in het zogenaamd 'female fronted' genre. “Ghost Shadow” is er eentje van typische gestroomlijnde gitaarriedels en die mooie opera-achtige stem van Alima Gavrilenko,
Je voelt de adrenaline door de aders stromen, en je wordt meegesleurd naar een sprookjesachtige wereld, ook zo typerend in het genre. Je  wil gewoonweg niet meer terugkeren naar de realiteit.. Everdawn overtuigt dus!
Door de uitstekende mix van gestroomlijnde riffs, drums en die perfecte zang zakt het niveau niet. “Cleopatra”, “Heart of a Lion”, “Toletdo” en het prachtige “Rider of the storm” toont de virtuositeit van de band , zowel vocaal als instrumentaal.
Vernieuwend is het allemaal niet wat Everdawn doet, maar ze brengen wel een kwalitatief hoogstaand schijfje uit, dat elke liefhebber van het genre - met zelfs een sceptische kijk op de zaak - over de streep trekt.
Wij lieten ons alvast van begin tot einde meedrijven door het muzikaal sprookjeslandschap, en kregen een ferme adrenalinestoot bij zo’n trips. Missie geslaagd dus!

Tracklist: 1. Ghost Shadow Requiem 5:42 2. Stranded In Bangalore 3:26 3. Cleopatra 5:37 4. Your Majesty Sadness 4:55 5. Infinity Divine 4:04 6. Pariah's Revenge 4:23 7. Lucid Dream 4:03 8. Heart Of A Lion 4:19 9. Toledo 712 A.D. (instr.) 2:25 10. Rider Of The Storm 4:11 11. The Last Eden 5:00

Everdawn - I feel we will survive on the basis that we as humans need art in order to escape the problems and pressures of our everyday lives

American Everdawn is actually pretty much the continuation of Midnight Eternal. Let me clarify. Midnight Eternal was started in 2014 and, after a self-titled EP in 2015, also provided a self-titled debut album in 2016. While working on the second full-length album, three of the five band members were unhappy with vocalist Raine Hilai's vocal input. However, she herself claimed to be taking over all social media under the name Midnight Eternal. The remaining trio - Dan Prestup (drums), Richard Fisher (guitar, vocals) and Boris Zaks (keyboards) - did not want to take any risks and decided to continue under the name Everdawn. Alina Gavrilenko, a professional opera singer (soprano), took her place behind the microphone and bassist Mike LePond is the band's most recent addition (although he was also there at the very beginning).
'Cleopatra' has eleven tracks that can be described as symphonic metal. High time to ask the band some questions about the past, the new release and their future plans. but also much more.
We had a nice talk with guitarist Richard Fisher.

EVERDAWN was originally created in March 2014 under the moniker Midnight Eterna, can you tell us more about how it all started?
Boris and I were playing in another band that had metaphorically hit a wall.  Nothing was happening.  We were both frustrated with the situation.  Boris then asked me if I was interested in starting a new project because he had a few songs he was working at the time and wanted to release them.  I said yes to his proposal.  We then brought Dan Prestup into the project as our drummer because Boris had worked with him in the past and we knew he was an amazing drummer.  Once we had a couple of songs ready to go,  we reached out to Mike LePond about lending his bass playing prowess to the material and he accepted.  Midnight Eternal was born.  Fast forward,  we then go on to release our debut self titled album in 2016,  tour America with Queensryche (2016),  and tour Europe with Therion (2018).

Fast forward to 2019, EVERDAWN welcomed talented Russian-born Canadian singer Alina Gavrilenko, Where do you found each other?
We were introduced to Alina through Mike.  Mike had come to know her through a project they had done together called Diamorte.  We then reached out to her about auditioning for our band.  She told us she was interested and from there we sent her a couple of songs for her to learn and record to.  After hearing the recordings we were impressed.   Next we set up an in person audition so that we could meet and jam together.  Once we did this we felt a great chemistry together.  It felt as if we had known her from the very start.  We then asked her to join and the rest is history.

After all these years, what are the highs and lows
I would say a low point for me would have to do with the drama created when we parted ways with our former singer.  She hijacked our band Midnight Eternal's social media making it impossible to continue on under that name.   Highlights for me would include touring America with Queensryche,  seeing Europe for the first time on tour with Therion, and now releasing our new album "Cleopatra" for the whole world to hear.

The reason for this interview is the release of "Cleopatra" on February 7. This record was supposed to come out last year. Right?
The album from a mixing and mastering point of view was completed at the end of 2019.  We signed with Sensory Records in 2020  just as the pandemic started to really take affect all over the world.  Because of this the album release was delayed.  The label felt that waiting till the new year (2021) would be the best option.  We are so happy to finally release this album as it has been a long time in the making!

What are your personal expectations of this new release?
I hope that this album re-introduces us positively to the symphonic metal scene across the globe.  We also hope that this album draws enough attention from people to where we can tour play and both festival and club gigs around the world!

To be honest, I haven't listened to the record yet. Should you want to sell it to me, tell me why I should buy this record? Feel free to use your best sales tricks
People should buy our album "Cleopatra"  because I feel the album has the perfect blend of pounding double bass drums,  heavy metallic guitars,  epic keyboards, and soaring melodic vocals.  To me, this album would be a very worthy addition to any fans record collection who enjoy Nightwish,  Epica, Delain, or even Kamelot.  I suggest you buy the album,  put some nice headphones on, and enjoy the ride!

I have read that there is a certain story behind the single "Stranded In Bangalore" ? Is that true, please enlighten us a bit more
"Stranded In Banglore" is a mystical song that incorporates the elements of Asian culture from the Western point of view. This song is for anyone who has ever felt completely lost yet unconditionally found to feeling the mind and heart go to battle. No one is strong enough to always let the mind win. Within the lyrics, the beautiful Indian city of Bangalore serves as a global backdrop to the shared, human experience endured when we are affected, attached or in love.

Is there also a story line behind the full album actually? If so , which one?
Well to be clear, this album is not a concept album.  Each song has its own story/subject matter.  We named the album "Cleopatra"  because we felt that song really encapsulated the sound and style the band was trying to achieve on a whole.  We also felt "Cleopatra"  would lend itself to some stunning visuals for the album artwork.

Like so many bands and musicians, this corona crisis was (and still is) a stretch. How did you experience this crisis as a musician, band and also as a human being ?
Well as a performing musician it's been tough.  Not being able to perform live concerts, both with Everdawn as well as other projects has been frustrating as that's one of my favorite parts of being a musician.  There is no other experience like performing music in front of a crowd.  Another aspect that has been affected is how I teach guitar.  I have had to start teaching my guitar students over the internet via Facetime and Zoom.  Thankfully the process of this has gone pretty smooth and my students have been able to keep learning in this hard and troubling time.  With regards to the band,  we have not been able to all be in the same place because of the travel restrictions.  Thankfully though,  we all have our own home studios and have been able to stay creative and work on new material for our next album.

Most of my interviews, I think with many, are about this crisis. That's why this question. The culture sector is one of the most affected sectors. How do you personally think culture and music will survive this crisis?
While music and culture are in a tough predicament at the moment,  I feel it will survive on the basis that we as humans need art in order to escape the problems and pressures of our everyday lives.  It helps keep our sanity as a society.  As long as artists keep creating and fans keep supporting them,  it will continue to live on.

Live performance is not in the cards yet, are there plans to do something through live streaming?
At the moment there are no plans to do a live stream performance.  This is due to the fact that our singer Alina lives in Canada and the rest of us live in the United States.  Once travel restrictions between the US and Canada are lifted, we might consider  doing it.

Live streaming does not replace a real concert of course, but in these times it is a welcome alternative. What is your opinion about this?
I think live concert streams are a great alternative way for bands to perform for their fans.  Sure, it's not the same as actually being there in person but it gives fans the opportunity to see their favorite bands play in the safety of comfort of their own home.  To me, staying safe should be a major priority for everyone during these unprecedented times.

Networking and social media are becoming increasingly important, especially in these times. What is your opinion on this statement?
I would definitely agree that networking and social media are very important for not only gaining and attracting new fans but also to keep current fans and followers in the loop as far as what is going on in terms of touring,  new music, video content, etc.  Social media is an absolute must for any band new or established.

Does it then still make sense to release a physical record? If so, why?
I think there will always be fans that want to buy physical products such as cds and vinyl so I feel that it still makes sense to release a physical record.  This is especially true of the fans in the metal genre.  Speaking for myself,  I am an avid music buyer/fan.  I love supporting my favorite artists by purchasing their releases on both cd and vinyl.  It would be a very sad day if all physical media went away which is why I want to keep it alive!

As far as possible, what are the band's further plans?
Well our main plan is to complete the writing and demoing process of our next album.  We have over 20 songs we are working on at the moment and we hope to start recording by the spring or summertime of 2021.  We're also planning to film a music video sometime this year to also help promote our new album "Cleopatra".

What are the band's further ambitions? Is there also some kind of end goal or are you not consciously working on that?
Just like every aspiring band,  we hope to gain a massive audience around the globe,  release albums that the fans fall in love with, and play huge sold out gigs all around the world!  That is our dream!

Thanks for this nice conversation, hopefully we can do this again when live performances are possible and you pass our country