Daniel Lioneye Interview is up 3/24/2010

http://www.myspace.com/daniellioneyeofficial

1. For us new to Daniel Lioneye how did the band come to be ?


- The band actually started about 10 years ago. It was a completely different band back then. The line up was Ville Valo (HIM) on drums, Mige (HIM) on bass and myself on guitar and vocals. We just started to jam together and realized that we might actually have something worth while here. We released an album called "The King Of Rock n Roll" in 2001. It was a tongue in cheek psychedelic stoner rock album that was written, recorded and mixed in 5 days while being completely wasted. We did a few festival shows in Finland that summer and after that the band has been on a hiatus.




2. With members of Him and Enochian Crescent I was not expecting such an avant post black metal sound. You have a lot in common with bands like Code, Virus and Borknagar to my ears..

- This album will probably sound odd and unexpected to a lot of people and thats kind of what we were looking for. We didn't intentionally try to sound like any of those bands but I'll take that as a complement for sure!




3. Is Vol II very different from your 1st full release?

- Yes it is completely different! Daniel Lioneye has always been about breaking boundaries. This is the way we felt like this time. Vol II is very heavy, aggressive but still melodic and groovy. I think its important to listen to the little voice inside you and be honest with your music...




4. I love the mix of Death, Clean and Black vocals all in same song did that come about over time or was it from begining?

- Thank you! I'm pretty pleased with them myself. I had an idea in my head of how the vocals should sound like and this is the closest I could get. The vocals on the first album are VERY different. This album is a reflection of very difficult times in my personal life and thats where the aggression in the vocals and in the songs in general comes from.




5. I love the odd synths and horns in the music even though there buried that add so much?

- I wanted this album to sound massive and I wanted it to be full of little details. I think we succeeded quite well. You hear something new every time you listen to it. Especially with good headphones. And Burton, the keyboard player is a genius. That helps too...





6. Where did the name Daniel Lioneye come from?

- The name Daniel Lioneye is a result of some hazy pot smoking session over ten years ago. I don't really know what it has to do with anything except that my horoscope sign is Leo and I'm kind of stuck with it now. Its pretty random and thats why I love it!





7. How did you come to work with The End Records for Vol II?

- We finished the album ourselves first and then started to look for someone to put it out cause we didn't want to compromise anything. Andreas Katsambas from The End Records got his hands on the album and I guess he liked it a lot. I have heard only good things about him and he seemed very enthusiastic from the beginning. I much rather prefer working with people like that than some narrow minded major label people. And its an honor to be on the same label as Ulver.




8. TO Most of us in the USA Daniel Lioneye is known for the them to Via la bam how did that happen?

- Bam is a good friend of us and when he asked for a permission to use the title track as the theme song for his show, I had to say yes! I think it fits the show perfectly! Bam is cool!




9. Why did you not sign with Bam's label Filthy Note as they seem to have major label distro?

- I don't know how well that label is doing or if they are even looking for anything new to sign at the moment. Anyway, Andreas got there first...




10. Will Daniel Lioneye be performing in North America in 2010 for Vol II?

- I really do hope so! I'm just very busy touring with HIM at the moment. We are trying to squeeze in at least a few shows here and there. If and when we get the chance to do it, I promise you it will be a spectacle unseen before!




11. Are there any new or unknown projects that impress Daniel Lioneye right now?

- Our drummer, Bolton's band Enochian Crescent is putting out some new stuff soonish. That sounds very exciting! Also there is a finnish/english band called HALO that are yet unsigned but not for long! You should definitely check them out! They are also fronted by a very hot girl!




12. Was Vol II more a studio collab or did you go in as a full band and record the album?

- First I went to the HIPstudios in Helsinki with the producer Hiili and the drummer Bolton to do the basic drum and guitar tracks. Then I recorded the bass, some additional guitars and the vocals at my home "studio". Then I sent all the files to Burton and he did the keys at his home studio. And then we sent all the files back to Hiili and he mixed it all at his home studio. The wonders of modern technology! You can record good quality stuff anywhere these days!




13. Whats you thoughts on the current indie music scene do you see the CD dying for the digital format and DVD and Digital media the future to keep music alive?

- I haven't really thought about that too much to be honest. I guess the CD as a format is slowly but surely dying. Music is definitely not dying or going anywhere. The world is changing all the time and thats nothing to be scared of, I think.




14. Thanks for the time any closing thoughts here?

- No, thank you, its been a pleasure!

Take care of yourselves and each other. And go buy the fucking album! ;-)