INTERVIEW: Evangelion-B – Rise Of The Northstar
In 2014 RISE OF THE NORTHSTAR took the world by storm, bursting out of Paris with their high octane blend of thrash, hip-hop and hardcore in the form of album Welcame. Over the last few years they have been running riot across Europe and Asia but it is now finally time for the french outfit to release their long awaited follow up The Legacy Of Shi which is due for release on October 19th via Nuclear Blast Records. We caught up with lead guitarist Evangelion-B to lift the lid on the new album and how they have risen to prominence.
It has been four years since the release of Welcame, how have RISE OF THE NORTHSTAR progressed in that time?
Eva-B: We presented that album on tour for a long time at big festivals all around Europe, in Japan, China, Indonesia, Taïwan, Hong Kong, Russia. It allowed us to see what works live in a musical way. It also brought us influences throughout our life experiences. Seeing different countries, ways of life, culture, it probably made us evolve and it had an impact on the writing process.
Your second album The Legacy Of Shi is due for release on October 19th. What can we expect from this release?
Eva-B: The Legacy Of Shi tells the story of a Yokai (Ghost, Japanese spirit) who will possess and fight the band throughout 11 tracks. It’s a darker, heavier and richer album than Welcame. We used seven strings for the first time on half of the album, with a very low tuning. Personally, it changed a lot of stuff for my writing process and made me compose something different, some unexplored sides of RISE OF THE NORTHSTAR. We opened up our mind to more potential, that’s why we call our music crossover. We mixed even more musical styles into this album.
Do you feel the gap between albums has helped with the development of concepts for this release and diversification of your sound?
Eva-B: Taking our time definitely helped us. We composed more than 40 songs for this record. We wrote a lot of different things in different styles. The positive part in taking time to write music is the possibility to comeback to your songs after a long time. Some of the songs are two years old already and you actually need that time to know if you went too far into the song or if it sounds the way it should be and overall if after 2 years you still like the song, then it’s a good one. Vithia [frontman] also put a lot of work in on the visual aspect and the concept of the record.
Was there anything in particular that inspired your writing style for this release?
Eva-B: The last few years of touring probably influenced us in a musical way. This album is in some part made to be heard live. We wanted to have some big parts where the audience will go crazy. But the most important thing is to create music that we like. The first people we need to convince are ourselves.
You worked with Joe Duplantier at Silver Cord Studios, how did this opportunity appear?
Eva-B: We were searching for someone who would take us further on this album, like a coach if you will and to go far away from our homes. Being in the Silver Cord Studios in New York made us 100% focused on the recording. We all loved the production on Magma from GOJIRA, half way between a modern production and a more organic 90’s vibes. That’s what we were looking for. The fact that he is French made the communication simpler and it was easy to explain what we were looking for. We contacted the studio and we quickly had a response. Joe was immediately won over by the project. He comforted us in our musical choices and pushed us a lot during the recording.
How did you find working with Joe?
Eva-B: Having Joe‘s look on our music was really rewarding. The album was 95% finished when we came into the studio, but Joe added some details, and subtleties that pushed the songs further. He is a very humble man, full of generosity, and with an unlimited creativity. He spent a lot of time with Vithia, and worked a lot on his accent, so he can be understood by most people.
How has the response been to the tracks released thus far?
Eva-B: Very good! Our first song Here Comes The Boom has reached over one millions views in three months on YouTube, which is a good result for us. Fans were not disappointed at all by the new style and the new visual aspects we came with. We can’t wait to have some feedback on the entire album. It’s the best album we have written so far and we are very confident about it.
Your fan base is predominantly in the Far East, has this influenced your decisions for touring?
Eva-B: Since the beginning touring in Asia and especially in Japan is the goal for RISE OF THE NORTHSTAR. It’s always a pleasure to play shows there. The people are very welcoming, respectful and crazy! The essence of the band makes the most sense when we are there and it brings an incredible feeling of comfort. And we also have the opportunity to buy some figures and manga’s [laughs].
It is a shame that there has been a lack of UK dates, we would love to see RISE OF THE NORTHSTAR tear it up over here!
Eva-B: We will actually play two shows in UK with DOPE D.O.D at the end of the year. One in Sheffield (Nov 30th) and one in London (Dec 1st) . We hope to see you guys there!
Obviously being signed to Nuclear Blast Records is a massive honour but how did you find the transition from being a completely DIY band to being signed to a major record label?
Eva-B: It was a honour to grab Markus Staiger’s attention during a live show at Summer Breeze festival. Nuclear Blast has helped a lot to bring RISE OF THE NORTHSTAR onto the map, and offered us a lot of visibility. But the DIY is still there. Vithia created his own label Repression Records to have full artistic and musical control over RISE OF THE NORTHSTAR. We are still doing all our own visuals and concepts, the only thing that changed is that you can find us all over the world.
What does the remainder of 2018 and the new year hold for RISE OF THE NORTHSTAR?
Eva-B: First of all the release of the album of course. We have a European tour with DOPE D.O.D in December, we are also working on a USA tour. Japan next year probably, working on some new music videos. In the long term, to become legends and unite the whole extreme metal scene, that being RISE OF THE NORTHSTAR‘s absolute aim since the beginning.
If you had to choose only one song from your catalogue to help convince someone to listen to Rise Of The Northstar what would the song be and why?
Eva-B: I would take Here Comes The Boom because it’s a perfect synthesis of The Legacy Of Shi, from the way it sounds to the lyrics. Everything is summed up in this song. You’ve got the groove parts, a big chorus, some french lyrics, a big breakdown, a thrash part and a solo. All aspects of RISE OF THE NORTHSTAR are in this song.
The Legacy Of Shi is set for release on October 19th via Nuclear Blast Records.
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