{"id":59094,"date":"2017-06-08T00:00:31","date_gmt":"2017-06-08T00:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=59094"},"modified":"2017-07-23T19:03:54","modified_gmt":"2017-07-23T19:03:54","slug":"feature-the-ferrymen-06-17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/feature-the-ferrymen-06-17\/","title":{"rendered":"THE FERRYMEN – Carrying The Souls (June 2017) | Features \/ Interviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE FERRYMEN – Carrying The Souls<\/strong><\/span>
\nAnthony Morgan<\/span>
\nJune 2017<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Ferrymen (l-r): Mike Terrana, Ronnie Romero and Magnus Karlsson<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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\nMelodic metal outfit The Ferrymen was formed at the behest of Frontiers Music Srl president Serafino Perugino, the trio consisting of the following personnel; Lords Of Black frontman Ronnie Romero (also of Rainbow), Primal Fear guitarist and keyboardist Magnus Karlsson (also of Magnus Karlsson\u2019s Freefall), and drummer Mike Terrana (previously of Rage, Masterplan and Axel Rudi Pell, among others).<\/p>\n

\u201cFrontiers were trying to put together some good musicians,\u201d Ronnie expands. \u201cSerafino from Frontiers phoned me about this idea to make an album with Magnus Karlsson. I found this very exciting, because I\u2019ve been a big fan of Magnus from the very beginning of his career; when he did the Last Tribe band, and when he did the Allen\/Lande project. So, it was a really exciting idea to me. Then I started to work with Magnus on the songs, and then Mike Terrana came into the line-up. We made an album really easily, and quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time of writing, The Ferrymen are bereft of a bassist, Karlsson handling bass duties within the studio. The recruitment of a four-stringer isn\u2019t in the pipeline. \u201cNot at the moment, because we don\u2019t have any intention to make it live or do some shows,\u201d the singer explains. \u201cIt\u2019s just a studio project. Magnus Karlsson recorded the bass and keyboards for the album. At the moment, there is no intention to have a bass player.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ferrymen lend their moniker from a composition featured on their June 2017 self-titled debut full-length studio album. \u201cOne of the first songs that we recorded was the second song on the album, called \u2018Ferryman\u2019,\u201d Ronnie cites. \u201cThen we thought it would be a great idea to call the band The Ferrymen, because it was a really nice idea for the cover artwork. We were just looking for a name. The idea came to us, and it was really easy in fact to pick the name.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Ferryman\u2019 takes inspiration from Greek mythology. \u201cIt\u2019s about this character who carries the souls from one shore to another during death,\u201d the vocalist shares. \u201cYou can see it on the cover artwork – this character carrying the souls of the dead people – so I think it\u2019s really nice and good for the heavy metal image, to have this kind of cover artwork on the album. I put some ideas on the table for it. I think Stan did a really good job with the cover artwork, because in fact it\u2019s a hand-drawn cover. I think it\u2019s really cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Musically speaking, meanwhile, The Ferrymen take inspiration from various cross-sections of hard rock and metal. \u201cI discussed this with Magnus and Mike, when we met in Madrid last time,\u201d Ronnie recalls. \u201cObviously, it\u2019s heavy metal – it\u2019s power metal, or whatever – but we have some really good and different elements from heavy metal, like more melodic songs. The vocal lines are really melodic, and we have really strong choruses on the songs. Mike is kind of a groovy metal drummer, and we have some prog-ish elements. It\u2019s not easy to put the style of this project into just one direction, so I think it\u2019s kind of a heavy metal, classic rock, progressive, groovy group. I don\u2019t know (laughs).\u201d<\/p>\n

And as well, specific band influences emanate from various cross-sections of hard rock and metal, although the influence of Magnus Karlsson cannot be overstated. \u201cThe album and the songs are similar to the Allen\/Lande project, obviously because Magnus Karlsson is the songwriter,\u201d the frontman laughs. \u201cYou can see, hear and listen to Magnus Karlsson\u2019s way of writing the songs, and then I tried to put my own influences on the vocals. I have really classic influences from classic bands from the 70s and 80s; bands like Dio and Black Sabbath, and obviously Deep Purple and Rainbow. I think we have a really good mix of influences on the record.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ronnie happens to be familiar with the discography crafted by his bandmate. \u201cI know Magnus\u2019 works from the very beginning with his progressive band The Last Tribe, and then I really fell in love with the Allen\/Lande albums – with J\u00f8rn Lande and Russell Allen, the first three records (September 2005\u2019s The Battle<\/em>, May 2007\u2019s The Revenge<\/em>, and November 2010\u2019s The Showdown<\/em>,\u201d he lists. \u201cThe most important thing to me with the Magnus music is the melody; he always brought really melodic songs, and with really, really nice and strong choruses on the songs. To me, it\u2019s a really attractive thing about Magnus\u2019 music.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Songwriting fell to the Primal Fear axeman, the tracks being authored during the summer of 2016. \u201cHe sent me the songs almost finished,\u201d the performer tells. \u201cI just needed to put my voice on the songs. I think naturally from all of the musicians, you have an idea, but like I told you, for Magnus, the melody lines are really important. So, I think he probably has kind of a melodic idea about the chorus or whatever, and starts to work from that point. I really love to work with Magnus because he always thinks about the singer. For the singer, it\u2019s really important when a songwriter sends you a song focusing on the vocals and not the other instruments. So, I think it\u2019s really important, and it\u2019s definitely one of the highlights in terms of Magnus\u2019 way of songwriting.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ferrymen<\/em> consists of 11 compositions, in all, the 12th a bonus affair. \u201cWe need to have a bonus track on the CD for the Japanese market, so we recorded 12 songs and have just been discussing the bonus track,\u201d Ronnie divulges. \u201cIn fact, it\u2019s one of the songs which is on the original track listing, but just recorded acoustically. Like I told you, it was really, really easy. It was really fast, because it was like, I don\u2019t know, maybe three months just recording the songs – like the demos – and then recording them for the album.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ferrymen happens to be a lighter proposition in comparison to Lords Of Black. \u201cIt\u2019s different,\u201d the entertainer agrees. \u201cI think like I told you, The Ferrymen songs are a little bit more melodic, and more focused on the singer. The difference with Lords Of Black is with Lords Of Black, we have four strong musicians with high skills, and you need to put all of the skills on the song at the same time. Probably the Lords Of Black songs are a little bit more complicated to listen to for the fans. It\u2019s not easy to listen to for the first time, so there\u2019s a different way to write or whatever. I think that The Ferrymen songs are easier to listen to for the fans, and with Lords Of Black, you need to listen three or four times to understand the music. I think this is the most important difference with Lords Of Black.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ferrymen<\/em>\u2019s lyrical fare also arrived from the pen of Karlsson. \u201cWe have some really strong, heavy metal songs, like \u2018Ferryman\u2019 and \u2018Cry Wolf\u2019 or even \u2018Welcome To My Show\u2019,\u201d Ronnie submits. \u201cWe talk about the heavy metal way of life, and then we have some love songs like \u2018One Heart\u2019 or \u2018Eternal Night\u2019. We have this kind of universal message that you can defend, and that you can express in a loving way or even in other ways. I think we have really different songs, and I think that\u2019s very important for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each individual\u2019s parts were recorded in separate locations. \u201cMagnus recorded the guitars, the keyboards, and bass in his home studio in Sweden, and then Mike Terrana recorded the drums in his home studio in Italy,\u201d the singer details. \u201cThen I recorded all of the vocals in Madrid, in Cadillac Blood Studios with my bandmate from Lords Of Black – Andy the drummer. It was kind of a test for the next Lords Of Black recording, because it was the first time I recorded at Cadillac Blood Studios in Madrid with my bandmate Andy. We\u2019ve been trying to test some new microphones, and new equipment to record. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe found the sound that we were looking for really easy and really fast, and finally Simone from DGM – who mixed and mastered the album – found it really easy to work with the vocal tracks since we had a really good sound. I think it was really easy and really fast; I recorded all of the songs in six days or something like that, so it was really fast to record this album. So yeah, we\u2019ve been trying some new stuff, and I think he will use it on the next recording sessions with my band Lords Of Black.<\/p>\n

A second The Ferrymen jaunt is being planned. \u201cIn fact, we have the idea to record a new album probably in 2018, or in a couple of years,\u201d Ronnie notes. \u201cThis is just because the experience of working with Magnus was really great and really easy, and I think the fans really like the results. We will see what happens in the coming months after the release, and yeah, we will probably make something more in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

A musical direction has yet to be mapped. \u201cI think it\u2019s too early to talk about that,\u201d the vocalist muses. \u201cI don\u2019t know if Mike will be involved, or if we need to look for new musicians, or if we will play live and do some shows. I don\u2019t know. Everything is a possibility, and we will see what happens with the release, because the album has just been released. We will see what happens, but obviously everything is a possibility in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

As referenced, a third Lords Of Black studio proper is in development. \u201cWe are already working on the third album from Lords Of Black, so probably the beginning of 2018 we will release the new album,\u201d Ronnie observes. \u201cWe have done almost all of the demos for the songs, and after my commitments with Mr. Ritchie Blackmore (guitarist, Rainbow \/ Blackmore\u2019s Night \/ ex-Deep Purple), we will go to the studio to record the songs. Then it\u2019s up to Frontiers as to the release date, but like I told you, at the beginning of 2018 we will have a new Lords Of Black album on the market.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Ronnie Romero<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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A re-recorded version of Rainbow staple composition \u2018I Surrender\u2019 was digitally released on May 26th. Further material has been recorded with Rainbow, perennially spearheaded by former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn fact, one of the songs we have recorded is new material, and is an unreleased song,\u201d the frontman confirms. \u201cI don\u2019t know when that song is going to be released, but it\u2019s a really nice and good song. I think after the shows in the UK, we will see what happens as to the intentions of Ritchie Blackmore to make some new music, or do some new shows, or whatever. I don\u2019t have any idea right now. Probably we will have some idea at the end of June, after the UK tour.\u201d<\/p>\n

The unreleased number hearkens back to Rainbow\u2019s earlier days. \u201cIt\u2019s really surprising,\u201d Ronnie feels. \u201cRitchie sent me this song some months ago. I expected something different, but the song sounds like the early days of Rainbow – the first album, the Ritchie Blackmore\u2019s Rainbow<\/em> album (August 1975) – so I think the fans will really like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The existence of fresh Rainbow material leads to speculation with respect to a fully-fledged LP of new Rainbow offerings. \u201cIt\u2019s an idea, of course,\u201d the performer recognises. \u201cWe\u2019ve been recording some different stuff; some new songs, and then some songs from the old albums of Rainbow. Like I told you before though, it depends on Ritchie. After this UK tour, we will make some decisions about recording a complete album, or just a couple of more songs, or whatever. It\u2019s all about Ritchie\u2019s feelings after this month. Right now, I don\u2019t know his ideas for the band, but I\u2019ve got the feeling that if the shows go well, probably we will make some different stuff. If the shows don\u2019t go well, June will probably be the end of the new Rainbow (laughs).\u201d<\/p>\n

A compilation of re-recorded Rainbow tracks also seems to be a distinct possibility. \u201cSongs from different eras have been recorded, like \u2018I Surrender\u2019 which has already been released, and then some songs from the Dio era, and then a song from the Graham Bonnet era,\u201d Ronnie informs. \u201cIt\u2019s generally like a demo, so we will see what happens with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ferrymen<\/em> was released on June 2nd, 2017 via Frontiers Music Srl.<\/p>\n

Interview published in June 2017. All promotional photographs by Antonio Garci.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE FERRYMEN – Carrying The Souls Anthony Morgan June 2017 The Ferrymen (l-r): Mike Terrana, Ronnie Romero and Magnus Karlsson Melodic metal outfit The Ferrymen was formed at the behest of Frontiers Music Srl president Serafino Perugino, the trio consisting of the following personnel; Lords Of Black frontman Ronnie Romero (also of Rainbow), Primal Fear […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,3577],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-features","category-the-ferrymen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59094"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59094\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59106,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59094\/revisions\/59106"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}