We’re glad that our new album keep on getting beautiful words by the media!
After our new album great review, this time Metal Divas.com warmly welcomed Helalyn Flowers on their female-metal-portal asking for an interview with both band members.
Interview from Metal Divas portal http://metaldivas.com/2013/10/30/interview-max-n0emi-helalyn-flowers/
HELALYN FLOWERS are one of the most revolutionary female-fronted acts in the Industrial scene, performing a hugely unique combination of Goth, Metal, Punk and Electro sonorities. Max andN0emi were kind enough to answer our questions about their new album and also about the band in general.
Metal Divas: Hello HELALYN FLOWERS and congratulations on your new album. What’s the feedback so far?
HF: Thank you so much for enjoying. All feedbacks are really great, also the ones from the Metal scene. We’re really happy with that. We are satisfied with the new album. Not only it’s important for our musical career but also for us personally.
Metal Divas: Could you please introduce yourselves and tell a brief history of your band to our readers?
HF: We rose from the electric suburbs of Rome back in 2004. It took only a bunch of months before we entered the studio to record our first Mini CD “Disconnection“. In 2006 we released a new single which included the songs “E-race Generation” and “Voices” that literally shook the scene and led us to a contract deal with Alfa Matrix which released three albums so far: “A Voluntary Coincidence” (2007), “Stitches Of Eden” (2009) and “White Me In Black Me Out” on last May. Also we shared European stages with Emilie Autumn, Theatres Des Vampires, Ataraxia, Neon,Das Ich and Gothminister. The official line up exclusively consists of N0emi Aurora (Singer, Songwriter, Designer) and Max (Songwriter, Guitarist, Producer), while we are accompanied by two session members on stage: Marco Fiormonti (Bass Guitar) and Ernst Ruscio (Drums and Electronic Pads).
Metal Divas: And what exactly does HELALYN FLOWERS mean? Has it anything to do with the primitive meaning of the words?
Max: Yes, we played with the archaic form of “hell” as meant as subconscious or hidden part of ourselves and of the universe. Flowers symbolize life emerging from chaos. We see this as a symbol of countless possibilities, of pure freedom.
Metal Divas: It’s been very nice listening to your new album “White Me In Black Me Out“, it was a first for me and I enjoyed it. Please tell us more about the song-writing process.
HF: There’s no process we follow in particular. This album was conceived in a sort of detachment from the world. We didn’t have any models of direct inspiration from other music. Simply we deepened ourselves in every single note and word.
Metal Divas: What did you guys had in mind writing this album? What did you do different this time and why?
N0emi: As mentioned above, the only thing we had in mind was simply writing our album. Previous record “Stitches Of Eden” had a marked 80s music appeal, so at the time we liked to take inspiration from the bands of that period. The result was that every evident reference to those sounds was wanted by the band. This time, we went in the opposite direction. We took several time to find the ideal sound since it’s an album based on opposites, songs mood changes very often and we needed to create a continuity. So we decided to record, mix and produce all by ourselves at our Az Tech Room studios. In this way we had all the time to take care of every little detail.
Metal Divas: It sounds to me as if you combine elements of Gothic, Industrial, Dark Electro and Synth Pop music. How do you characterize your sound?
Max: Even if the target of the band is to combine Rock music and electronics, always we feel free to contaminate this basis formula with everything that has a relevant place in our likes. There’s Hard Rock and Metal but there’s a lot of Post-Punk and Dark/Goth too. What we really care of is the mood of a song, not how it should sound like. Our free approach to genres and the unique vocal style of N0emi always distinguished HELALYN FLOWERS and pleasantly brought our band to be a reference for many young groups.
Metal Divas: What are your influences and sort of your musical background?
Max: Personally, I come from genres like Hardcore Punk, Crust, Speed/ Thrash Metal. But also bands like Madre Del Vizio, Bauhaus, Christian Death or Ministry and Skinny Puppy had a strong impact on me.
N0emi: My very first music approach to music was with Metal and Hard Rock. Bands likeMetallica, Iron Maiden, Sepultura, Guns’n’Roses, Ozzy Osbourne, Megadeth, Led Zeppelin,Nirvana, NIN, Killing Joke…have been played in my stereo since I was a child. Also industrial and dark electronic have influenced me a lot, especially bands like Marilyn Manson, the Prodigy,Ministry, Skinny Puppy, Shotgun Messiah and projects like Bjork, The Gathering, PJ Harvey,Miranda Sex Garden…If you listen carefully to our albums you can perceive all these influences even from the most subtle element.
Metal Divas: What’s “White Me In Black Me Out” all about lyrically? Who is responsible for the words?
N0emi: I take care of words and lyrics concept. ‘White Me In Black Me Out‘ born like a flash, a title that I conceived correlating our social lives to a white-out landscape made of tons of medias, subliminal messages, life-style. A kind of artificial snow falling inside ourselves which implicitly instill us the need to be part of the system suffocating our ego and personality. But we don’t need to be afraid to face our darkest side. Even if sometimes our instinct leads us to self-destruction, I don’t think it’s always a negative factor. Oblivion’s calling is part of us, let us fill alive and it’s fundamental to re-connect ourselves to life, with a brighter halo. I don’t mean white for ‘good’ and black for ‘evil’, but I think at both parts as one energy we need to keep on balanced. When one pushes the other to move away from the center, then it is negative.
Metal Divas: Why did you guys release a bonus disc with so many remixes and covers? Perhaps it’s a way to give more back to your fans? Or maybe reach a greater audience?
HF: That’s our label’s policy. For each album they release a bonus disc including mainly remixes which are addressed to Industrial and EBM media. This time we wanted to do something different and added some covers of 2 Unlimited, Ramones and Rolling Stones plus our own club-mix of the title-track. 2CD edition is a limited collector box featuring lots of goodies, poster, cards…A beautiful piece for our collector fans.
Metal Divas: Do you honestly believe there’s money to be made nowadays in the music business with all the illegal downloading and such?
HF: We think that nowadays you should have to be a talented marketer of your music. Doing good music is not enough when you’re literally submerged by tons of free tunes and the apathy generated by social networks abuse. Illegal downloading represents a threat of course, especially if the listener is absent-minded and uses music as a decoration for his iPod archives. In that case, it’s a shame. Bands really need financial support because recording an album, doing an artwork, doing photos, doing promotion, instrumentation and traveling are not for free and people should be aware of that if they claim to love music. ‘Success’ is a word that has a meaning in the music-biz only when it comes in form of millions copies sold. But if you want to reach that level you’d better realize that you have to sell out your arse and your soul.
Metal Divas: According to your opinion, what’s the real essence of “White Me In Black Me Out” and your music in general?
N0emi: The coexistence of opposites.
Metal Divas: Some people consider you a “goth” band. What do you think about the modern “goth” scene?
N0emi: If “goth” represents detachment from social mediocrity, focusing on your inner ‘dark’ side, rejecting mainstream music and trends, raising passion and anti-conformity, loving what normal people hate and so on… then, yes: we are a Goth band. I don’t know if modern Goth really embraces these values, we come from the old Dark/Goth scene and our musical, visual and literary likes take inspiration from those days. You know, everything becomes a trend and everything ends to be incorporated by the industry, but we are not interested in this. Even the trendiest guy is free to listen to HELALYN FLOWERS and enjoy us. What we come from or our background is part of our life. And everyone has its own.
Metal Divas: Correct me if I am wrong, but you guys have been together for almost 10 years now. What kind of difficulties you had to overcome?
Max: I think that difficulties rise when you are not the only to manage your music. It’s the business-side of things and once you understand where and why you’ve committed mistakes then you become stronger. Besides this, of course the band lived their own dark periods but I’m proud of saying that those were because of our mental wickedness, not because of money or the musical trend.
Metal Divas: Do you feel you sacrifice yourselves in the altar of art just to fulfill your personal expression and ambitions?
Max: We really enjoy what we do. We are sinful human creatures so always we aim to what’s best with us. I don’t like the idea of suffering to reach your own goals. If you have to suffer why do you do that then? It’s bourgeois mentality. I prefer the word ‘passion’ which deals with both happiness and sadness which is not torturing yourself.
Metal Divas: Are there any confirmed shows on the agenda to promote your new album?
HF: We’ll headline a couple of festivals here in Italy by the end of this year. Probably we’ll land the UK again for a bunch of shows on early 2014. I suggest you all to check our main media for updates.
Metal Divas: Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions. I wish you best of luck in the future and much success. The final words belong to you.
HF: We take this opportunity to tell all your readers that a new EP has been released since few weeks. It’s called “Videodope” and it is available exclusively onwww.helalynflowers.bandcamp.com
It’s a collection of previously unreleased stuff plus a new killer remix of “Alkaline Twins“.
Thanks to you for this nice talk!