Interview Visionatica

Regarding to Visionatica's new album called ''Enigma Fire'' I got to do a small email interview with bassist Tim and guitarist Manu. 

How are you all doing?

Manu: Great, thank you so much! You are writing with Manu and Tim.

Let’s start with a little presentation. Who is VISIONATICA and how was the band formed?

Manu: ‘’VISIONATICA is a German symphonic metal band with crystal clear soprano vocals, hard guitars and bass, impressive orchestra elements and powerful drums. We were formed in 2013. First our vocalist Tamara and me got to know each other via an online portal and immediately realized that we had the same musical ideas. Then, after a relatively short time, our drummer Gerhard joined the band, until finally, after some line-up changes on bass, our current bass player Tim joined us at the end of 2017.’’

How would you describe the last couple of years for the band?

Manu: ‘’We have constantly evolved and had to work hard to achieve our goal of getting a record contract. Therefore we are very grateful that we were able to sign a contract with Frontiers Music Srl last year. Step by step everything developed in the right direction and our fan base has grown year by year.’’

It’s been roughly 4 years since your debut, how would you describe the progression of the band’s sound?

Manu: ‘’We’ve invested a lot of time to evolve our own sound and sharpened the edges. With our new album “Enigma Fire” we have also incorporated Balkan influences. This should distinguish us from other bands in our genre. It’s just a constant learning process for us all. Sometimes it’s like rowing against the current. If you stop it, you will drift back.’’

Who is the main writer in the band, or are you all equally involved in the creative process?   

Manu: ‘’The main songwriters are Tamara and me. We meet and collect the developed ideas. Then the other instruments are added step by step. Tamara is exclusively responsible for the lyrics.’’

What can you tell me about “Enigma Fire” in terms of lyrical content, musical styles / influences and production? 

Manu: ‘’The lyrical content is very often influenced by things that governed Tamara. She is interested in many things like History, Mystery and genealogy. So I’m pretty sure that there will be never ending content in the pipeline. Our musical influences are of course bands like Nightwish, Delain, Sirenia or Within Temptation. As with our debut album “Force Of Luna”, our producer Timon Seidl took over the production at the Red Audio Studio in Herzogenaurach, Germany. Olaf Reitmeier (Gate Studio) was responsible for mixing and mastering. After we were already very satisfied with the first album, we worked together with the same people again this time.’’

What do you think is the unique selling point of “Enigma Fire”?

Manu: ‘’It’s a short but heavy ride through our vision of symphonic metal. All songs are unique and strong. Tamara's Balkan influences bring a very special spice to our music, of course our guest musicians hit in the same notch. Her beautiful voice, her emotional expression, our hard riffing. Well, this genre is pretty full but we believe that there is always enough space for unique diamonds like “Enigma Fire”.’’

Is there anything new on this album that makes it special? Did you do something different in some way?

Manu: ‘’For us it’s more like a process… Yes it’s more our own style! So the ‘unique’ edges are much stronger than on the last album. It owns more Balkan spice and fire, more courage to show our real self, and more experimental ideas. For example you can hear a real Darbuka and traditional Maqam singing from Tamara’s Uncle from Macedonia. It is a big step forward and a wonderful musical journey.’’

Are there new themes or new sounds you wish to experiment with in the future? 

Tim: ‘’Yes, we like to experiment with new sounds or instruments. There are already many ideas and dreams but we will not announce them yet.’’

Where do you plan to be with VISIONATICA in five years time?   

Tim: ''We hope to be able to play at the big festivals, to tour and most of all to inspire many people all over the world with our music.’’

How do you feel about the term ’’female fronted metal’’?

Tim: ‘’Female Fronted Metal is a very large area. There are so many different styles of music in this sector. Compare Arch Enemy to us and Therion, there are worlds between these three bands. But of course you can count us among them.’’

Is there anything else you would like to add? Something I might have missed? 

Manu: ''We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our fans from all over the world for their support and trust in our music. That makes us really proud and happy.''