SUIDAKRA

Journey to the Isle of Skye

-What is your favorite instruments from those old, traditional ones? In my opinion especially bagpipes parts on „Crógacht” sound very powerful and add some special vibe to your music, if you know what I mean...
Yeah I know, I agree with you I love the sound of the bagpipes, that's also the reason why we started to introduve this instrument in 2005 for the first time. At this time on the „Command To Charge” records it was just a Experiment, because we didn't know if it would fit to our music style. But it did, so we worked on that from now on and introduced the bagpipes more and more into our sound.

-The album features also some choir parts. Ugh.... wasn't too much for, you know, just one album?
No I never get enough hahaha... The idea with the real choir came up by the ending of the songwriting and it wasn't really planed in the beginning. Marcus & Lars took also singing lessons for the backing vocals. Their teacher listened to SuidAkrA song at home and his roommate, which is a choirmaster liked our sound and told him, if we ever need some help we should let him know. I was excited about introducing a real choir in that song. So I wrote the arrangements and sent it to him and he recorded the Choir in Berlin.

-Without any doubts a song called „Feats Of War” is one of the greatest moments of your new album. It makes me think about BLACKMORE'S NIGHT. Who's that girl responsible for vocal parts in this particular song?
Her name is Tina Stabel and we've worked with her on the „Command To Charge” album for the first time, than on the re-recorded track of the DVD package. We knew that there's gonna be a song on the new records that has to be sing by a female because the layrids deal with Scáthach which is a sythien warrior and she teaches her art of war to Cuchulainn. It was 100% clear that we will ask Tina again, and in my opinion there is no doubt that she did a really good job.

-„Isle Of Skye” is another song I enjoy a lot, especially that middle acoustic part with some male choir parts. It sounds like a sailor, shanty based folk standard...
Yeah this parts tells the task Cuhulainn was given to cross the bridge and reach the other side, so we thought that it's a really important part in the story and would fit to a acoustic folk part. I wrote the lines for the acoutic guitar before we came up with the idea to introduce this mal echior part, and I think it works hehe

-One of the trademarks of SUIDAKRA is your very specific approach to melody, the way you combine all those catchy, easy going melody lines with the other stuff. The new album is no exception. And it also must be a challenge for you to come up with some new ideas, something that has not been written yet, mustn't it?
Sometimes... But when I got the flow than it's easy for me to create those melodies. Sometimes when I write a riff I had a special meldoy in my mind. But it also happen that I write a melody and have this feeling... Man I know this shit from anywhere else, in this case I have to cancel the whole idea hahaha

-Undobtedly you have recorded a very successfull CD. Do you believe that „Crógacht” will become a milestone in SUIDAKRA's career and help to push this band up to the next level?
For me it's hard to say if the new record will become a milestone, because it's no me who decide that hahahaha But I think that this album will help us to bring SuidAkrA to a new level. I think the new songs will work like very good and we will play a lot of shows so we have the chance to reach much more people, than we had in the past.

-How do you see SUIDAKRA's status on the contemporary music scene? How far to reach the peak?
Oh it's very hard to tell, because we aren't an underground band anymore for a long time, but we aren't that big fish in the buisness as well... I think we are something between those two. I see our fanbase growing from year to year and especially the last two year were very succsessful for the band.

-How long it would take to record a better, more interesting metal album than „Crógacht”? Have you already started thinking about new compositions, ideas and so on?
Almost one year more hahaha... I started to work on some new ideas and we still have some very good ideas left from the „Crógacht” songwriting. Our plan is to records maybe a new album next year in the summer, but we will see. I mean there are a lot of tours planed this year so this could delay our future plans.

-Last year „13 Years of Celtic Wartunes” compilation was released to celebrate band's thirteenth anniversary. The DVD disc features your live show from Wacken Open Air, an acoustic performance, interviews and videoclips. The second (audio) dics is kind of a best of, including some re-recorded and remastered tracks from your previous albums. How did you come up with the idea for this release?
We received a lot of fan-mails who asked us to release a DVD. I mean nowdays it's normal to bring out a DVD after two album releases. So we thouht it would be a good idea to create a package with a best of album because our first releases are sold out and many fans outside germany have no chance to get any older SuidAkrA albums. I was a bit disappointed with the sound of the first two releases so I saw a chance to re-record few track from this both album. When we finished the filming for the acoutsic show we were confirmed to replace Vader on the Wacken Show 2007. After the gig we get a DVD with the live material and we thought that it good enough to add this to the whole package. So as you can see it started with one idea and became so this big package release ;-)

-„13 Years of Celtic Wartunes” was actually your first release for Wacken Records. Could you tell me some more about your „new” label and close associations between your former record label Armageddon Music and Wacken Records?
Since 2005 we have been signed to Armaggeddon Music, a label that was transformed into Wacken Records / SPV last year. We’re happy so far because SPV can supply a much better distribution now than we had before. They are really providing their support for our band and our new album.

-In March 2009 you are going to appear on a long US tour together with TÝR & ALESTORM. How much do you expect from this tour? What are the other band's plans for the rest of 2009?
We already had the opportunity last year to play six US shows as a special guest on the Pagan Fest USA Tour last year. It was a blast. We noticed that there are many SuidAkrA fans out there. We knew we would have to come back as soon as possible. After returning home we get the offer to play a “real” North American tour in March 2009. This time we will play about 4 weeks with Týr & Alestorm. We’re really looking forward to meet some friends and gain some new SuidAkrA fans! When we'll return from the US tour and I think at the same time we will start to write new material for the next release. We can’t wait to record a new album hahahaha…

-OK, that's all. Thanx for taking some time. Is there anything else you would like to add?
We hope to meet many people this year on our tour! Feel free to check out SuidAkrA on the net: http://www.myspace.com/suidakra so you know the lyrics to sing along or the correct timing to bang your heads off at the show! See you there! Prost. Thanks so much. Thank you for supporting SuidAkrA!

www.suidakra.com

Line Up:
Arkadius Antonik - vocals, guitars, keyboards
Marcus Riewaldt - bass
Lars Wehner - drums, backing vocals

Discography:
Lupine Essence (1997)
Auld Lang Syne (1998)
Lays From Afar (1999)
The Arcanum (2000)
Emprise to Avalon (2002)
Signs For The Fallen (2003)
Command to Charge (2005)
Caledonia (2006)
13 Years of Celtic Wartunes (compilation 2008)
Crógacht (2009)