Aldaria interview

Interview with Frode Hovd – author and composer of ALDARIA, March 2015.

Aldaria is a new Norwegian power metal saga composed byFrodeHovd. The recordings will be mixed and mastered by RolandGrapow who is also invited to take part in the project. Many guests from all around the world will contribute to this epic tale. Some of their names are: FabioLione (Angra/Rhapsody of Fire), MaxAguzzi (DragonhammeR),KristofferGöbel (ex-Falconer), EliPrinsen (Sacred Warrior), and many more.

Aldaria is the place and dimension between Heaven and Hell, where sinners come to be redeemed, or forever be banished to Hell. Let’s see where we should go…

Would you please present ALDARIA? What is the main idea behind the project?

This project has been a dream for me for years, and I’ve always wanted to do something big like this. And while band main band Memorized Dreams now is on a longer break, due to work commitments and such, now was the right time to do it. It’s such an honor to be able to work with artist I’ve been a fan of for years, and that has been a real inspiration for me.

You invited lots of guests. Reveal some of their names and tell us more about their part in the project!

Well, the lineup is starting to come together now, and I am very proud of it. I’ve got a solid bunch of lads with me in the band, Christer Harøy and Rayner Harøy from the fantastic prog metal band Divided Multitude, and with Andreas Nergård on drums, it will make a solid rhythm-section. Jimmy Hedlund from Falconer also does a lot of lead guitar work on the album.

As for the singers I have great names like Eli Prinsen (Sacred Warrior), Max Aguzzi (DragonhammeR), Kristoffer Göbel (ex Falconer), Raphael Dantas (Perc3ption). The legendary Fabio Lione (Angra/Rhapsody of Fire) has also agreed to do a track.

What is the libretto about? Share with our readers the leading story! What is the concept that unites the songs?

Aldaria is the place and dimension between Heaven & Hell, Where sinners come to be redeemed, or forever be banished to Hell. There are signs of a darker time ahead, with torn and slayed angels falling from the sky in broad daylight. If evil will find foothold in Aldaria, this will be the end of all light. Someone will have to find the lightbringer, the chosen to enter Aldaria, and from within: find the Key to end all wars.

What is your favorite theme or song of ALDARIA, and why?

Its hard to pick out a favourite, as I’m still deep in songwriting and arranging, but I’m very proud of the last track of the album, where I plan to have all the singers unite, in a 12 minute epic, to conclude the story. This is a very diverse track, with huge choirs and good melodylines.

Who composed the tracks? Who wrote the lyrics?

I have composed all the tracks on this album. Both Music & lyrics. It’s all been written and composed in my own studio, Aldaria Studios.

At what stage is the project? Did you already record the tracks?

We are still recording; most of the songwriting is finished, so we still have a lot of work in front of us. The drums will be recorded in early summer, and the vocals are being recorded as we speak.

Will it be released on CD?

Yeah, I am working towards that. Firstly now I’m focusing on writing and recording the album as good as possible, and when this is finished, I’ll start working towards the release. I’ve been in touch with a couple of labels, so we’ll see where it’s gonna be released.

When we should expect this release?

It’s a bit hard to set a schedule for the release, because I’m still arranging and working on the songs. However, I hope to have a single ready this summer, to be released digitally, on iTunes, Amazon and such.

Where and who will be responsible for the mastering?

Roland Grapow at Grapow Studios will do both mixing and mastering. Its going to be a great honor to be working with him, especially for me as a huge Helloween and Masterplan fan.

Can you recommend some other metal operas you admire?

I need to mention Avantasia here of course, which has been a huge inspiration for me. Other cool projects are AINA The Metal opera, really loved that one.

What inspired you for organizing and arranging this project?

As I said above, Avantasia and Tobias Sammet has been a huge inspiration for me, the Avantasia Metal Opera part 1 & 2 is still one of my absolute favorite albums of all time.

Do you plan to present the project live someday?

Hopefully that can be done some day. With the guest spread all around the world it sure would be a challenge, but it would be absolutely fantastic if it happened one day.

Who are the musicians you wish to take part in ALDARIA? Let the sky be the limit!

My biggest dream would have to get Michael Kiske joining my project one day. He is the one of the best metal singers of all time, and I’ve been a fan since Keeper of the seven keys part 1. Also, it would be a dream to have Tobi Sammet on board some day. As for female singers, Tarja would certainly do a kickass job on a project like this.

Could you recommend us some metal bands from Norway that we should watch and give a listen?

You have to check out Divided Multitude, one of the best metal bands from Norway. Their latest album Feed on your Misery has gotten fantastic reviews all over the world. It’s a great honor for me to have these guys on ALDARIA as well. Also Marius Birkeland Danielsen’s Legend of Valley Doom is worth checking out. It’s another metal opera from Norway, with AMAZING guests. I also have to mention a band called Crossnail, previously known as Teodor Tuff, which has many of the same members as Divided Multitude, great band. And of course my main band Memorized Dreams J

Do you have any personal message for our readers?

Be sure to check out our homepage at: www.aldariaband.com and like us on Facebook at : www.facebook.com/aldariaband to get the latest news. And feel free to spread the word about Aldaria 🙂

Interview by Rock Thrashler