1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
Ben- Well basically we've just been doing what we usually do! We've been playing as many shows as possible, shamelessly promoting the album any way we can and as it happens we've started writing the follow up! We've also just signed up with Imperative PR and hopefully going to make a new video soon too. We are busy and that's exactly how we like it!
2.Recently you have released a new album how would you describe the musical sound of the newer stuff and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
Ben-It's actually not that different. The 'Welcome To...' EP we released at the end of 2010 only had 3 tracks and 2 of which appear on the album. The EP songs are like demos and the album versions are more honed and polished with slightly different vocals here and there
3.This is the first release you have had since 2010, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap between releases?
Ben- The huge gap between releases came about because at first we just wanted to get out there and play live. We released the EP before we played a single show! 2011 and most of 2012 was spent promoting the EP and playing live as much as possible. I was new to singing and knew i needed as much experience as i could get. We managed to secure a lot of gigs, some great, some awful but all were a learning curve for us as a band. We got closer and tighter and then around halfway through 2012 it was decided it was a good time to start recording the album. Shortly after this we lost our original bass player which put us back a few months in terms of productivity. When Gary joined the album had been written and we began the long recording process. We had all sorts of issues. The vocals were recorded probably 3 or 4 times because we just weren't happy with them, we all have day jobs which pay the bills so it was a question of trying to juggle all that crap too. There were time constraints and we were getting offered good gigs which we had no choice but to take so instead of recording some weeks we were rehearsing instead! It was a nightmare in many ways but let me tell you this, our debut album literally contains our blood, sweat and tears!
4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
Ben- Our lyrical subject matter knows no bounds! So with that in mind there's always scope to talk about anything we like but i guess you could say we prefer the darker themes. On this album for instance there's a duet about a vampire falling in love with a mortal, a track about revenge and a tribute to my favourite film of all time, John Carpenter's They Live. We also have some great themes for the next album in mind but you'll have to wait and see what we have in store
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name "Neverworld'?
Ben- Neverworld, to us, is essentially the dream world. The place we all visit when we go to sleep. We kinda fell in love with what we could do artistically with a name like that. So it wasn't just about the music, it was like wow this could be completely audio visual. You know in terms of artwork, videos, lyrical themes like we talked about earlier, the scope is huge
6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Ben- We pride ourselves on our live performance. It's very, very important to us that we have a good time up there and the people watching do too. We like to feed off the audience and each other. I'd like to think we sound pretty close to our recordings too but you'd have to ask someone else that i suppose! Personally the last 12 months worth of shows have been awesome. We've been blessed in that respect. We've played with some amazing bands in some fantastic venues to incredible audiences! If i had to pick say 3 shows i'd say Larissa in Greece with Wardrum and Black Fate. That was a special night. We opened for Freedom Call on the day of our album release in London and that was just brilliant. The place was packed. We also play our local club quite often and did a show with our buddies Wardrum and Neuronspoiler there back in November. I think those are my top 3 right now but like i said we've been blessed with gigs for the last year or so
7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Ben- Tours are very hard to get on. You need major label support, a serious manager or you pay a lot of money to get on a tour these days. We've done a couple of mini tours including one in Greece but that was because we know a lot of really lovely people and we all try and help each other out. We'd love to get on a proper tour but realistically for now at least we are just happy to be playing quite high profile single shows. Who knows what the future holds but we'll keep on trying to get to the next level
8.The album was released on Dream Demon Recordings, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
Ben- Yeah DreamDemon Recordings is our 'own' label/studio. Our drummer Mike has the studio and recorded our album so it's kinda his baby. We would like a major record label obviously but the deals we've been offered so far have been really poor. No disrespect to the labels involved but we are just way better off financially on our own at the moment until someone comes along who can do things we can't. It's always been a tough business i think but now it's ridiculous!
9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of power and heavy metal?
Ben- Never in my wildest dreams did i expect the reactions we've been getting. Both from fans and the metal media it's just been incredible. It's pretty much been like that from the start so it's always been a major confidence boost to know so many people enjoy what we do. That's got me through all the hard times and especially when we were having so much trouble recording the album. It's an amazing feeling to just check your Facebook and to see so many people on your feed sharing your music. I also got goosebumps reading some of my favourite magazines and seeing glowing reviews of our album. I've waited so long for that kinda thing. I thought it might never happen you know? So yeah it's been totally awesome
10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Ben- We are 5-6 songs into the follow up album and this is going to be a pivotal stage in our career. It's very important to us that we improve upon what we've already done. Music is all about progression. We really don't want to go and make another Visions. We have to improve and progress. I'm not talking a change of styles here but more a case of making a really polished album. We'll write another 10-12 songs and pick the best 10. The album will have light, shade, epics, rockers etc. The challenge is to write a classic metal album!
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Ben- For me i have to say i just love good music. My CD collection is absolutely huge and quite varied. I'm pretty sure i've been influenced by all of it in some way or another. I think that happens subconsciously. When i was a very young kid it was all about Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy, Guns N Roses and then when i got a bit older Judas Priest, Manowar, Crimson Glory, Winger, Fates Warning, King Diamond, Van Halen etc. I could literally go on and on forever. There are so many bands that i love. I really admire bands that do something different with every album but still manage to retain a signature sound. That's talent! Winger and Fates Warning deserve a special mention for that. The rest of the band all have their own influences. Same genres obviously but it's great because we all bring something different to the table
12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Ben- Music is a huge part of my life but it's not healthy to do anything 24/7! I love to escape with a good film. I'm a huge wrestling, football and UFC fan and i lift weights religiously. I like to read and keep informed on the shit that doesn't make the mainstream papers/TV and i have a beautiful fiance who keeps me busy too
13.before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts
Ben- Yes i sure do. I'd like to say thank you for doing this interview. The mainstream metal press don't seem to give new bands a platform anymore unless they pay them for the privilege! So cheers for taking the time and interest. Also just gotta give a huge shout out to all the Neverworld fans around the world. You guys always put a smile on my face. Thank you so much for all your fantastic support
Ben- Well basically we've just been doing what we usually do! We've been playing as many shows as possible, shamelessly promoting the album any way we can and as it happens we've started writing the follow up! We've also just signed up with Imperative PR and hopefully going to make a new video soon too. We are busy and that's exactly how we like it!
2.Recently you have released a new album how would you describe the musical sound of the newer stuff and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
Ben-It's actually not that different. The 'Welcome To...' EP we released at the end of 2010 only had 3 tracks and 2 of which appear on the album. The EP songs are like demos and the album versions are more honed and polished with slightly different vocals here and there
3.This is the first release you have had since 2010, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap between releases?
Ben- The huge gap between releases came about because at first we just wanted to get out there and play live. We released the EP before we played a single show! 2011 and most of 2012 was spent promoting the EP and playing live as much as possible. I was new to singing and knew i needed as much experience as i could get. We managed to secure a lot of gigs, some great, some awful but all were a learning curve for us as a band. We got closer and tighter and then around halfway through 2012 it was decided it was a good time to start recording the album. Shortly after this we lost our original bass player which put us back a few months in terms of productivity. When Gary joined the album had been written and we began the long recording process. We had all sorts of issues. The vocals were recorded probably 3 or 4 times because we just weren't happy with them, we all have day jobs which pay the bills so it was a question of trying to juggle all that crap too. There were time constraints and we were getting offered good gigs which we had no choice but to take so instead of recording some weeks we were rehearsing instead! It was a nightmare in many ways but let me tell you this, our debut album literally contains our blood, sweat and tears!
4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
Ben- Our lyrical subject matter knows no bounds! So with that in mind there's always scope to talk about anything we like but i guess you could say we prefer the darker themes. On this album for instance there's a duet about a vampire falling in love with a mortal, a track about revenge and a tribute to my favourite film of all time, John Carpenter's They Live. We also have some great themes for the next album in mind but you'll have to wait and see what we have in store
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name "Neverworld'?
Ben- Neverworld, to us, is essentially the dream world. The place we all visit when we go to sleep. We kinda fell in love with what we could do artistically with a name like that. So it wasn't just about the music, it was like wow this could be completely audio visual. You know in terms of artwork, videos, lyrical themes like we talked about earlier, the scope is huge
6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Ben- We pride ourselves on our live performance. It's very, very important to us that we have a good time up there and the people watching do too. We like to feed off the audience and each other. I'd like to think we sound pretty close to our recordings too but you'd have to ask someone else that i suppose! Personally the last 12 months worth of shows have been awesome. We've been blessed in that respect. We've played with some amazing bands in some fantastic venues to incredible audiences! If i had to pick say 3 shows i'd say Larissa in Greece with Wardrum and Black Fate. That was a special night. We opened for Freedom Call on the day of our album release in London and that was just brilliant. The place was packed. We also play our local club quite often and did a show with our buddies Wardrum and Neuronspoiler there back in November. I think those are my top 3 right now but like i said we've been blessed with gigs for the last year or so
7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Ben- Tours are very hard to get on. You need major label support, a serious manager or you pay a lot of money to get on a tour these days. We've done a couple of mini tours including one in Greece but that was because we know a lot of really lovely people and we all try and help each other out. We'd love to get on a proper tour but realistically for now at least we are just happy to be playing quite high profile single shows. Who knows what the future holds but we'll keep on trying to get to the next level
8.The album was released on Dream Demon Recordings, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
Ben- Yeah DreamDemon Recordings is our 'own' label/studio. Our drummer Mike has the studio and recorded our album so it's kinda his baby. We would like a major record label obviously but the deals we've been offered so far have been really poor. No disrespect to the labels involved but we are just way better off financially on our own at the moment until someone comes along who can do things we can't. It's always been a tough business i think but now it's ridiculous!
9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of power and heavy metal?
Ben- Never in my wildest dreams did i expect the reactions we've been getting. Both from fans and the metal media it's just been incredible. It's pretty much been like that from the start so it's always been a major confidence boost to know so many people enjoy what we do. That's got me through all the hard times and especially when we were having so much trouble recording the album. It's an amazing feeling to just check your Facebook and to see so many people on your feed sharing your music. I also got goosebumps reading some of my favourite magazines and seeing glowing reviews of our album. I've waited so long for that kinda thing. I thought it might never happen you know? So yeah it's been totally awesome
10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Ben- We are 5-6 songs into the follow up album and this is going to be a pivotal stage in our career. It's very important to us that we improve upon what we've already done. Music is all about progression. We really don't want to go and make another Visions. We have to improve and progress. I'm not talking a change of styles here but more a case of making a really polished album. We'll write another 10-12 songs and pick the best 10. The album will have light, shade, epics, rockers etc. The challenge is to write a classic metal album!
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Ben- For me i have to say i just love good music. My CD collection is absolutely huge and quite varied. I'm pretty sure i've been influenced by all of it in some way or another. I think that happens subconsciously. When i was a very young kid it was all about Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy, Guns N Roses and then when i got a bit older Judas Priest, Manowar, Crimson Glory, Winger, Fates Warning, King Diamond, Van Halen etc. I could literally go on and on forever. There are so many bands that i love. I really admire bands that do something different with every album but still manage to retain a signature sound. That's talent! Winger and Fates Warning deserve a special mention for that. The rest of the band all have their own influences. Same genres obviously but it's great because we all bring something different to the table
12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Ben- Music is a huge part of my life but it's not healthy to do anything 24/7! I love to escape with a good film. I'm a huge wrestling, football and UFC fan and i lift weights religiously. I like to read and keep informed on the shit that doesn't make the mainstream papers/TV and i have a beautiful fiance who keeps me busy too
13.before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts
Ben- Yes i sure do. I'd like to say thank you for doing this interview. The mainstream metal press don't seem to give new bands a platform anymore unless they pay them for the privilege! So cheers for taking the time and interest. Also just gotta give a huge shout out to all the Neverworld fans around the world. You guys always put a smile on my face. Thank you so much for all your fantastic support
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