SM: We are fine !!! Ready to answer this interview !!! And thanx to you for that ! 😉
M.S: As you haven’t played in Spain yet, could you introduce yourselves to our readers? Tell us something about when and how the band was formed, your present situation and work…
SM: First of all, hello to all spanish readers !!
Hurry up to publish that interview coz if you wait, we will have played in spain before we introduce the band here 😉
Skeptical Minds is a hybrid band from Belgium, formed in 2002 and the start idea was to mix 3 different musical influences: Electro-indus, heavy sharpen guitar riffs and female melodic vocalist. We were 3 members in the beginning and actually, Skeptical Minds is formed by 5 members… hybrids too… Female singer, chello player, drummer, bass player, guitar player and very important, electronics (samples). The musical spirit and the componants are the same but we developped the concept to make a more homogen music and arrangements are more complex.
Skeptical Minds today is still a dark band but music is much more powerfull than before where we used lot of mid tempo and ambiant songs.
The band is also formed by hybrid nationalities… Polish (Karolina – singer), Belgian (with Greek origins – Catherine – Chello), Italian (Gab – Drums & electro), French (Pat – bass) and Greek (Mich – guitars)… so, many influences, many mentalities, many ideas… we think it’s a very rich mix… and we try to express it in our songs, personalities and shows.
Now, we finish working on album before releasing and we prepare MFVF fest !!!
Recently, SM signed a managing deal with 2Wild4 agency (www.2wild4.com) and many projects are already discussed and.or started… for SM but also common projects for all bands of agency (see website for all names).
M.S: What is the function from Cath and her
cello?…. what is her role, what is she add in the band?
SM: For the album, we wrote a song for SM and 4 chellos. As the drummer plays in a Apocalyptica cover band called Arkancelli, we had the idea to compose a song with SM and 4 chello voices, a little bit like a Apocalyptica VS Skeptical Minds. It’s cheaper than Apocalyptica and easier to make them accept haha.
We played that song once all together on stage and the global feeling was so wonderfull that we immediately said: we must have chello in SM. As some people asked us why not a second guitar, it was a good occasion to satisfy everybody. We use the chello like a guitar mainly… but sometimes, we also use it for his classical chello sound. That instrument brings us many possibilities and source or creativity.
Other good point, we have the chance that Catherine is also a "female’ player. Visually, she is very cute and fans of MFVF will have 2 "Females" for the same price !!! 😉 but they are not for sale !!! search for the mistake 😉 Both girls are complementary and we love the result ! 😉
M.S: If someone wants to gather info about you, where could they listen to you or buy your albums?
In the past, most of our sales were made during gigs.
Since few years, we are available on Sonic Cathedral’s website, where you can buy the CD by internet. (www.soniccathedral.com)
If you want to listen samples, there is official website and myspace (www.skepticalminds.com – www.myspace.com/skepticalminds).
We hope to have a larger distribution for new album but it will easily be available through internet…. more info will be available soon on websites.
M.S: How did the MFVF organization get in touch with you? Did you send them first your material? Or did they call you? I’m sure you’ll be more than proud participating in this festival which is held every year, right?
SM: first of all, it’s the third time Skeptical Minds will play @ MFVF. For this edition, as we changed line up and by the fact SM’s music is different on stage, we had to participate to the MFVF contest to have the opportunity to play…
We won, and here we are ! 😉
About being proud, of course we are !!!! I don’t know any amateur metal female voiced band who doesn’t dream to take part to that fest !!!
Bands like Epica were pushed by that fest… and they are like the "american dream" of MFV bands… i think that secretly, each band who plays there expects to live that kind of dream too… so, yes !!! everyone is proud to play there ! and when i say everyone it’s everyone… if you read interviews, you would read that Tarja, Doro and more were and will always be happy to play there… so, no need to be hypocrits 😉
That fest is annual and since he started, he grew up each time more, first in size (which is stabilized now) and then in popularity… now the fest is known all around the world… we can evaluate that too coz since the promo started, people from everywhere discover us and send us emails from Chile, Mexico, Japan, China, Australia, Greece, Poland, USA, Canada, and many more… that’s a little bit "unbelievable" but it’s a fact !!! we already feel the impact before playing there ! We’ll try to increase that during the fest !!! we are motivated and prepare it since months… we don’t want to deceive people who wanted to see us back ! they write, they ask, they express themselves and it’s our way to thank them: THE STAGE !! coz stage never lies !
M.S: Nowadays, would you say that having women in a metal band leaves you in a second place concerning the rest of the bands in the metal scene? I mean, in the rest of the metal festivals you can find only 2 or 3 women fronted bands. Do you consider MFVF as a good way for bands like yours to have the chance to play in big venues?
SM: first place or second place doesn’t mean nothing for us… do what you like… we have female singer, we will never reach Metallica’s level (thanx god… we hate psychos haha) but we can tell you that many female fronted bands, in lower levels are much higher than many raging male fronted bands 😉 it’s not a competition… when the only thing you care about is to make your band go further, while following the way you choosed. Now, if we reach second place it would be a miracle hahah…. ok, seriously…. no female fronted band is big enough NOW to be considered as big headliner in big metal fests… but we don’t care…
The success of the female fronted stage is more and more popular. And more and more bands play in big venues (Tarja, Nightwish, Within Temptation, Lacuna Coil, Evanescence, Epica, Doro, Arch Enemy,…).
If you look, this year, at Dokk’em Open Ait Fest in Netherlands, there were two stages… one with heavy and extreme bands and a "metal female voices stage" (in collaboration with MFVF promoters). We played there and let me say that the "female’ stage was successfull !!! affluence was as big as for main stage… that is a sign that female fronted bands are popular. Everything goes step by step… one dya, they also have their Maiden, Metallica and others… let the style grow up and reach maturity… it was the same with heavy metal and rock bands…
U2 played here in front 100 persons in the past… Maiden too… so, everything’s possible…
As Lemmy says: "you have to be at the right place, at the good moment"
M.S: MFVF is characterized mainly in hiring bands from so many different countries to come and play in Belgium, how’s the metal scene in your country? Would you recommend any bands for our readers?
Metal scene in Belgium is very rich ! Because there are thousands of bands !! but few female fronted bands.
Few metal bands had the opportunity to have an international carreer coz nobody helps metal in belgium to reach those levels. The most famous belgian metal band is Channel Zero. They were an example for many that belgian bands CAN do it too. Since the nineties, many good quality bands in every metal style started to grow up, but it’s almost impossible to become professional in Belgium… we all stay amateurs… but many can have professional attitude and result. That’s good.
We cannot give you the whole list of belgian metal bands, but we’ll give you some metal female fronted bands, amateurs and more professionals: Anwynn, Ethernity, Virus IV, Manic Movement, Valkyre,…
Taste them and enjoy ! most bands are young bands… that stage will grow up more and more…
M.S: You’ll be at the eight edition of MFVF, which bands would you like to see?
everyone !!! 😉 but particularly the bands who are on 2Wild4 and who became real friends !!! i mean Diabulus in Musica (Sp), Dylath Leen (F), Bare Intinify (Gr) !!
We support each other and we have good party !!! but we’ll surely attempt to most of gigs like always… Headliners are of course something you want to see, but for others bands like "the agonist", we are curious coz we always can have good surprizes with bands we never saw before ! 😉
M.S: Concerning your show, what can the audience find on stage?
about our show, we won’t say everything but as small band, don’t expect a Rammstein like show hahaha. Most impact will be choice of play list, attitude, scene design and lights. The rest is not easy to develop as not headliner. We have to adapt to what is there… but… what makes the show is also what you are able to share with the public and what he gives you back !!! so, watch your back !!! we’ll hurt you !!
M.S: I guess you are playing tracks from your EP “The Beauty must die”, what could you tell us about it?
SM: If you think about MFVF 8, yes, we plan to play 2 songs from that EP (who contains 3 songs) We love it… depending of the lenght of live sets, we play 2 songs or all 3…
M.S: This EP was released back in 2007, will you play any new songs in the festival? Do you have future plans for a new SM album some time soon?
Second Skeptical Minds’ album will be release @ MFVF 8.
The first one was released in 2005 and due to line up changes, we had to wait to find a strong team and stability. Since two years, Skeptical Minds has a his best team ever and worked to finish that second album. It’s almost ready and you’ll discover it very soon !
Most of songs we’ll play @ MFVF 8 will be taken from that album.
M.S: What would you say people to attend the festival?
WE ‘ll REALLY HURT YOU !!! and for those who never went to that fest, you can go without hesitation… It’s a very good quality fest… good sound, good lights, perfect organisation, good line up , good ambiance and for those who like Female fronted band, it’s THE annual place to be ! there is not other fest like that one.
M.S: After the festival, which are your more immediate projects?
SM: we’ll reastart to play everywhere and then, with 2Wild4, we’ll work on different possibilities… summer fests, foreign tours and/or exchanges but our biggest priority will be to play on stage and promote the album, as much as possible and as far as possible. So, you can expect spanish dates !!! 😉
M.S: Thank you for your time! See you this October in the MFVF and good luck in your career!
SM: You’re welcome !!! thanx for the interview and patience for reading everything we wrote hehe. See ya there in October for pics together !