.:: Hall Of Metal ::.

The Swedish trio MIND'S EYE has just released their sixth work, "A Gentleman’s Hurricane", and the first reactions are being incredible, the press unanimously agree: It is their highest and more ambitious proposal. In view of this, we could not miss the opportunity of knowing what the band thinks, so we have hunted Daniel Flores, the drummer of chilean origin who leads this great band.

-HOM: Hi Daniel, we are very grateful for letting us to steal some of your time. We suppose you are euphoric for the reception your new masterpiece is having, aren’t you? In fact, with the previous album you also had a great impact.

Hi there! I'm most certainly grateful and I know for a fact that the other guys are too. Last album had allot of great reviews too but this is just insane! The 10/10 are dropping on us like heavy rain. Off course I'm also puzzled with such praise... with lot's of praise comes lot of responsibility and i don't know if we can handle all the things that need to be taken care off, it sort of blew right up on our faces.
I'm just glad allot of people are opening themselves up to the music that we do. it's funny that a flavor such as metal can open up so many doors, never thought that would happen.

-HOM: A year ago you offered us "Walking On H2O", a really great album, and now you are back with what I think is your best work so far. Where did you find time to create the music and the history behind "A Gentleman’s Hurricane"? It must have been difficult to embody that kind of cinematographic script through music…

Yeah, it was almost like writing a movie script. That took a couple of months and then was the easy part, to write the music. No a days I have too many ideas in my head and it's just to many to control so with a script I can easily take the musical ideas from my head that fit the story line or lyrics and pin them down on one source. With "Walking on H20" it was the other way around I had already made 80% of the music before I even started on the lyrics. I'm much more comfortable with working on finished lyrics... as music comes so easy to me. On the next release we will try to go further in to the cinematic feel that Mind's Eye has only touched the surface off.

-HOM: Could you explain what the story that hides in the album is about?

Well, it's about an assassin and what he went trough when he did all these hits. He has a last job and must speak to someone about his personal problems so he tells everything to this priest who becomes the assassins friend. it seems that the assassinations are some of the most debated and unsolved assassination in our history and time. But he has only seven days to tell him all these stories before his last job. He is being controlled by an organization which is above the law and he has all the money in the world but without peace of mind he feels he has nothing.
Being a orphan he had nobody who take care of him as a child and after spending most of his younger years in different foster homes where was mistreated and molested he went on to become the face of evil: the point where we meet him, he is about 53 and has calmed down... he needs to find a better life.

-HOM: Could you tell your fans in advance what are they going to find in your new album? According to the promotional note, the release is going to be triple…

The new album is my wife's and my first Earview product. There music and picture combined together. As you said it's a tipple package with the Cd, a comic illustrating what the concept is all about and the DVD containing the band in the studio recording and working out parts of the album. There is also
the video for "Feed My Revolver" and allot of other information for the interested fans. the thing is the the concept is kind of impossible to grab without the comic booklet. All the lyrics are in the booklet and the pictures give you as a listener and full spectrum of what you are hearing.
So anyone who downloads the album, I'm sorry to say wont get the full story.

-HOM: The brilliant Mattias Norén has been in charge of the graphic design again. As we have only enjoyed the promotional version we haven’t seen the covers and the comic. How is his work in "A Gentleman’s Hurricane"?

He did a perfect job. Actually I’m never afraid of what Mattias will come up with, because it’s always of good quality. He did such a good job that I don’t even know if he can pull out something better than this. As the booklet contains the story and lines notes + the comic it’s an essential part of this whole puzzle.

-HOM: There is something that has attracted my attention about your new album, apart from the high quality you all have. I’m talking about your interventions with the keyboards and the enormous arrangements the album has. It is not very common that a drummer play keyboards too. How do you do it?

THANK YOU! I have learned to make my arrangements on keyboards as an orchestral arranger would with a symphony orchestra. I have studied orchestral arrangements and gone trough lots of different studies, both self studying and with teachers. I’m actually only touching the surface of what can be done in this awesome area in music. I’m very interested in how music waves affect the brain and the impression we take when listening to music. When I will find more time I will try to study that and try to incorporate that into our music.
I learned to play the piano when I was 20 years old because I wanted to write my own songs and not only do whatever the guitarist or singer tells me to do. I can’t do them both at the same time (for obvious reasons) but for me it’s great fun and I think it’s a major part of the Mind’s Eye sound.

-HOM: As a curiosity, how do you do to practice when you have a bass/guitar player, a singer and you playing drums and keyboards? And when you are on stage, does anybody else play with you?

Well, that’s an issue we are trying to solve because next year we are actually going out to tour so there are some talented people we will bring in to make this album come alive. The problem is to find time to do it. I guess you never see the dvd. In the dvd we explain that we never rehearse like the other bands do. We instead improvise everything we do in the studio and try to keep that freshness into the style which in my opinion is kind of stiff. People always think that we take like 6 months to rehearse to record these albums but nothing could be further from the truth as we only laugh and have allot of fun when we work in the studio. That’s why we did the Dv to show people it actually can be done.

-HOM: Being Johan involved in a band of international prestige like Therion and what it entails (tours, promotions..) Will you have time to play this album on stage? Will you play in soon?

Next year Therion will take long break and then we will have a chance to go out on tour.
Johan is very exited about this album as he is such a big part of it and I think we will try to do a small but serious tour. Off course we will try to come to Spain. As said it all depends on the sales there… so tell people to buy the album ;-)

-HOM: According to your biography, you bought your first drum kit when you were 15 years old. Did you dream about becoming what you are now? What is the best advice you would give to a kid who is starting to play?

That is correct. I’m living my dream, sometimes I have to pinch my self just to see if I’m dreaming. I recently recorded an album together with Mark Boals on vocals and Magnus Karlsson (Allen/Lande, Starbreaker) on guitars and it’s on times like these I’m really living my dream. My advice to anyone who is trying to make music these days is:
Play music that you love because even if the money can be bad, there is nothing like regretting that you didn’t follow your dream. Focus and hark hard, classic values that are always appreciated by your peers and that can really get anywhere in life.

-HOM: You have recorded more than 60 albums, are you incapable of saying ‘no’ when someone talks you about a new project? hehehe your life must be a total madness!

I have said no, many times. I’m picky in what I do. I don’t do death metal or hip-hop but if there is something that has some value, then yes. I’m always glad to find time o work with musicians who have a cool vision and a certain goal to achieve.
My life is like chaos right now! I’m recording two albums at the same time and also answering to interviews and trying top be a good husband to my wife. I think it’s all about planning your time and I’m very good at that. Don’t forget that after a while you start top get he hang of it and then things start top get easier. In the beginning it was madness…Life bridges are always tough to go trough.

-HOM: As we can see, through your musical career you have placed aor/hard rock (Deacon Street, Chris Catena, Pavic, Sha-boom, Moonstone, Novak…), melodic metal (Hubi Meisel, Faro, Speedy Gonzales..), progressive, (Tears of Anger, Minds Eye..), also accompanying guitar heroes (Joop Wolters, Benny Jansson), or even playing pop (Wasai). Is there any style you’d like to try but you have not time or something like that?

I would love to try to play some flamenco rock actually! Can u hook me up? I’m totally in love with the music that you guys have in Spain. I also would love to play some classic rock like. I love stuff like the Traveling Wilbur’s and Tom petty. I would also appreciate to play some latin jazz in the future. I guess it’s all around the corner.

-HOM: As we said before, you use to collaborate in many projects and I’d like to know something else about two of them particular: Speedy Gonzales (it would have been a great pleasure to be able to see Tommy Denander, Marcel Jacob, Thomas Vikstrom and you in a studio, practising..) and 7Days (repeating with Thomas, part from the people of Narnia or Dionysus). Will we hear anything else of the two bands? I think both albums were incredible..

Thanks you. Yeah, we have plans to record another speedy Gonzales album but right now Thomas is on tour with Therion so we have to wait and see. Marcel I think is just waiting for a new opportunity to record with us. Maybe we will film our session in the studio next time, good tip!
The new 7days is already on the working table. I have actually already laid down my drums on that. That album will have three singers including Thomas, who the rest are will be a surprise.
I think the new album is much better than the last. Hopefully you will like it.

-HOM: You know a lot of musicians, who of them have surprised you more, musically speaking? And now answer only if you want, have you regretted participating in any project? No need to give names.

The best musician that I have ever worked with must be Mats Lindfors. He always keep amazing quality in what he does and is an amazing musician who I admire allot.
I only regret doing one project and that is Xsavior. That project had to many pilots controlling the plane so to speak. I jumped off with a parachute the others stayed aboard only to crash into despair. Too bad as it was good music and Göran Edman is an amazing talent.

-HOM: After some complicated moments at the beginning, regarding record labels, signing up with Sensory first and then creating your own label and later agreement with Metal Heaven, the signing with rising Sun and its bankrupt, how is the relation with Lion Music? Have you got everything you need?

Sort of. We know it’s a small label but we have control of our own music and that’s really what we need. The financial parts can be fixed and are easily debated and we have never collided. The president is nothing but one of the best persons I have ever meet and I love the fact that his an accomplished musician him self. That is something which not so many bands can brag about as our president hears our music as a musician first and then as a salesman. I hope that we can make more album with LM as we are really comfortable with them.
Our past labels are a different story.

-HOM: What is your immediate future? Can you tell in advance about any project you are involved in?

Like I told you: I’m currently the drummer of the Codex (Mark Boals and Magnus karlsson) and I’m also recording the drums for the new Evil Masquerade which will be a great album. I’m also producing this new band called "Black Candle Wedding" which is easily one of my finest moment as a producer. We have just found a new singer and she is nothing but incredible, this is going to be a huge release for me. I have also being contracted to record drums on these releases: A new album with Tommy Denander, Beyond The labyrinth, Mindcage, Frozen Rain, Dark Illusion, Silent Call and Johnny Lima’s new album. Also smaller artists which are releasing own financed albums so I have plenty to do.

-HOM: Being so busy we almost know the answer but we are going to ask you. What kind of music do you usually listen to in your free time? How do you see the progressive scene lately?

I listen to classic music when I’m home or something from my old records. The prog scene is a total mess IMO. Everybody sound like a bad Symphony x cover band or a Dream Theater copycat band. Nothing new under the sun but no one is trying to do something new either so it’s their own fault. I’m not saying we are original but we are at least trying to do serve the fans something new.

-HOM: You are from Chile but you have been living in Sweden for many years, have you thought about the idea of collaborating with other Hispanics musicians who live in Sweden and make something together? I’m thinking for example in Martin Mendez (Opeth’s bass player), Martin Lopez (ex-Opeth, ex-Amon Amarth drummer), Jaime Salazar (The Flower Kings drummer)…With your quality I think it’d be a very interesting project with a lot of fans waiting for it.

Is Martin Mendez from Chile? I didn’t know that. Well, I don’t know if that would work but I’m always open for new cool project to be part of. I will drop him a mail anyway as we are not allot of guys from Chile in the Swedish business.
My musical door is always open.

-HOM: How is Sound vs. Science working? Apart from being in charge of the production of the last albums of Mind’s Eye, you have worked in the album of your fellow Andreas Novak (Novak "Forever Endeavour"), with Xsavior ("Caleidoscope"), Daniel Palmqvist…

Yeah, it’s working out fine. In the beginning is was kind of hard but now it’s getting along well. I’m mixing and producing the new Chris Catena album, MBO (country pop) and Black Candle Wedding. I have also written music for short films and mixed sound for film. Everything is proceeding like I have foreseen.

-HOM: We read in your web page that you are very interested in the world of cinema soundtracks, is that something you want to try in the future?

Yes! When I’m old and gray and can’t play drums anymore I would love the chance to write music for a big film. Net year I’m actually doing music for a small budget movie which is going to have a fantasy theme. I will also continue to make music for documentaries which I love together with my wife who films and writes and does great work. I will keep the fans posted on my site.

-HOM: Up to here the questions we had prepared. Do you want to add anything?

Well, it’s been great talking to you and I’m glad to see that so many all over the world are enjoying the new album which I almost lost my marriage too… so you guys don’t know how much work it was. I’m guessing next time will be even harder but what can I do… I love pain.

-HOM: Before thanking you and say farewell, I’d like that you transmitted to your two companions my most sincere congratulations for this album and for your career in general. You help us to have great moments listening to your music. That’s all Daniel, thank you very much for the interview and we hope to enjoy your music on stage in Spain very soon.

THANK YOU! For supporting us with your very cool reviews and interviews. I will for sure pass on your wishing wells to Andreas and Johan. We will continue to try to bring good music to your ears even if it takes our own lives, we live to make music and that’s our destiny.

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