Interview mit András Nagy von Sear Bliss

SEAR BLISS celebrated their 30th anniversary in 2023 – I would like to congratulate you on that. When you think back to the early years … did you ever dream that the band would define three decades of your life?
Thank you. Well, to be honest, I was pretty confident the band would last long because I was so enthusiastic ever since I became a metal head at a very early age. By the time I turned ten, I knew I want to form a band and play metal. I begged for a guitar and my parents bought me one, and I started playing it. I became obsessed with metal music, and I was dreaming about playing it for an audience. So, yes, my motivation was very strong, however it’s crazy to believe I spent three-quarter of my life with SEAR BLISS.

Was there a particular highlight, a moment that you will never forget?
Oh yes, there are many, but for some reason they are mostly from the early years. Probably because of the fever of youth, and also because the mid 1990s were magical times anyway. I will never forget the moment when I first held our first album in my hand. Things happened so unexpectedly. “Phantoms” became quite a success, and we went on tour with Marduk shortly after that. Being only 18 years old, it was more than I ever hoped. I will cherish these memories for the rest of my life.

On the other hand, was there also a low point, a negative individual experience or a phase in which you weren’t sure whether the band would continue to exist?
The existence of the band was never in doubt, but there were some really difficult times too. For example, right after the above-mentioned European tour, the band fell apart. It was a huge disappointment, and it was like a rude end of a beautiful dream. It was not easy to continue from there. Also, we had some difficult times around the “Grand Destiny” and “Eternal Recurrence” albums too.

Now, „Heavenly Down“ is the ninth studio album to be released. In your early years, you released an album every one or two years – recently the intervals have become longer and longer: „Eternal recurrence“ took five years, „Letters From The Edge“ and now the new album six years each. What has caused this extended production time this time?
As we grow older, we have more and more commitments besides the band. We are not teenagers anymore. It’s natural that it takes longer to write and release albums. On top of that, two of my sons were born after “Letters from the Edge”. Even during this busy period almost a whole album was written but then our guitar player, who was one of the main songwriters, suddenly left the band. We had to start almost from the scratch again. So, it’s no wonder it took so long. Before “Eternal Recurrence” and also before “Letters…” we had to re-organize the band. We don’t want to follow this tendency, so hopefully it will not take another six years to complete a new album.

What is noticeable at first glance is a certain „retro trend“: the covers of the last two albums were very modern, whereas the new one is a very clear reminiscence of your debut album, „Phantoms“. What connects the two albums, why was it important to you that this album references your first?
The main reason for the obvious reference is the similarity between the two records in terms of atmosphere and vibe. Three decades passed, and it was time to look back and re-visit where we started. We came full circle in some ways. The last two albums had modern covers because the music was more or less modern and more experimental. It would have made no sense to have an old-school artwork for that. And vice versa, “Heavenly Down” would look weird with a modern artwork. In fact, it was absolutely obvious to ask Kris [Verwimp] to make the artwork again with some references to our past.

How did Kris react when you asked him for a „remake“ of the „Phantoms“ cover?
He was very excited and enthusiastic. I sent him the demo version of each song, and he made the artwork while listening to it. I believe he has really captured the atmosphere of the album. Furthermore, I love the colors and the mysterious scenery. He really did an awesome job again. It’s important that he likes and feels our music. He was part of our history and he always made stunning artworks.

You’ve already mentioned it: The last two albums were more progressive, the new one also sounds more like your early work musically. When in the creation process did this return to the past take place?
I tell you what happened, actually. We didn’t let the negative things affect us this time. We excluded them. Just like in the past, on our early releases. This is why you can hear so many similarities. So, it wasn’t really intentional. We have just realized it later that we are working similarly like in the early days. On the last two records, we had so many issues going on, both inside the band and on a personal level. That is the reason why it is more difficult to listen to those albums. This time, especially after our guitar player left, energies arose, and we turned the negative influences into positive.

But did you work specifically in this direction – for example in terms of the sound or the cover?
Originally, SEAR BLISS‘ music was quite heroic and uplifting. Somehow we have lost it during the years, and now we just went back to the original formula. This album was created in a very similar way, compared to “Phantoms” for example. We went to the rehearsal room and put the songs together, like a real band. It was important to keep the old-school spirit. We went to a professional studio to record almost everything there, just like in the old days. It takes a lot more time and money, but this is why the album is powerful and real. The same goes for the artwork. We didn’t want computer graphics or AI. Most bands don’t do this and try to simplify things.

The album was made with almost the same line-up as your last one, before which there was a big line-up change – apart from you, there’s nobody left from the time before. What actually happened in 2013 that led to this radical line-up change?
I don’t really remember. We had so many line up changes during the years. Around 2013 I decided to take a break because the band didn’t work the way I wanted. One must be committed to the band, otherwise it makes no sense. So, at that time I decided to rather focus on my solo project Arkhē and made an album. It was good to be free. Now it seems we have a stable line up, and I hope it stays because in fact we have never had two albums with the same line-up.

The „new“ members had joined during the band’s more avant-garde phase. Were all of them happy with the fact that you went back to a more traditional approach?
Not all of them were new when they joined. For example, our trombone played was with us for about ten years before the break-up, and he returned in 2013. One of the guitar players was also in the band before. As we worked more as a band now, they enjoyed this more traditional approach too. We all think we are on the right path now. Actually, we have never had such a good chemistry in the band before.

What’s next for you now, will you be going on tour? And will we have to wait another six years (or longer) for the next album?
Right now, we are in the middle of the festival season. We had a great show in Budapest last week, and we will be heading to Germany to play at In Flammen Open Air in a few days. After the summer shows, we will go on tour in October to support the new album. It will be fun for sure. I do hope you will not have to wait another six years for a new album. It would be too much as we are quite old. (laughs)

Thanks for your time – let’s finish with a short brainstorming session:
European Football Championship: We are disappointed that Hungary is already out of the championship. We hoped they’d stay a bit longer. I guess you have similar feelings with your team now.
Darkthrone: Absolutely love them. The new album is fantastic, I listen to it regularly. Fenriz is the man.
Hammerheart Records: They do an amazing job with “Heavenly Down”. Their support is awesome. We are more than satisfied with them.
Artificial Intelligence: One step further to the world demise.
SEAR BLISS in 10 years: We still have lots of plans and I believe we are on the right track now, so I hope we get even stronger. We still have a lot to tell.

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Publiziert am 3. August 2024 von Moritz Grütz