The Edge Of Paradise are gearing up for their third release, 5-song EP Alive, to be released via ILS/Universal on March 10th. In the run-up, the band have released a teaser video (down below) and front-woman Margarita Martirosyan took some time to answer our Band of the Day questions…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
Hello! We are based in Los Angeles, California. None of us are Los Angeles natives, but that’s where we met and where it all began.
How did you meet?
I moved to Los Angeles in 2011, after attending NYU in New York City. I was hired to work on a song by a local producer in LA and that’s how I met guitarist Dave Bates, who was working on the same project. Dave used to have a band fronted by Robin McCauley with Gregg Bissonette and Tony Franklin. Robin got a gig touring with Survivor so Dave was looking for a singer. We worked great together and shared similar visions, so we decided to start a whole new project and that’s how Edge Of Paradise was born. We went through a few lineup changes, and we met our bass player Nick Ericson at Bob Kulick’s studio, where Nick was interning and he introduced us to John Chominsky (drummer)!
How long have you been playing as a band?
Dave and I started the band five years ago, but as a current line-up – 3 years, and going strong!
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
We wanted the name to reflect the music. Dave is from a heavy metal background, and I’m a classical pianist, so we wanted something to represent the different styles that meld together and complement each other in our music. Also, we live in LA and it can be a slippery slope, on the outside it might look like the land of paradise, but people live here on the edge and one wrong move just might tip you over that edge!
What are your influences?
As a singer, I love Ronnie James Dio. I also grew up playing piano, and have a deep love for classical music! As a band, we are influenced by Korn, Black Sabbath, Rammstein, Van Halen, Iron Maiden… Ultimately we strive to create music that’s unique to us and can withstand the test of time.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
We are a hard rock band with an industrial and symphonic edge. Our music is dynamic, and theatrical at times. What makes us unique… I think it’s our different backgrounds. Dave comes from a traditional heavy metal background, but he can play anything and I’m a classical pianist who also did a lot of musical theater. I think we found a way to create music where our styles complement each other and John and Nick bring everything together!
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
I put my heart and soul into everything I write, so I always try to write about something that I’m really passionate about or that’s really close to my heart. On the last CD, Immortal Waltz, the underlying theme was that we all get one chance at life and it’s up to us what we do with that. On the new CD, Alive, the underlying theme is that we are so caught up in the digital world and how we are perceived in this virtual reality, that we can forget what it’s like to feel alive and what it means to experience this world and have real human interaction.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
It’s epic! We put a lot of emphasis on sounding like the record, but amped up with the energy of a live show. We have stunning visuals that complement the sound and of course lots of lights. We’ve toured 30 states, played over 200 shows, and can’t wait to get back on the road and meet all of you out there!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
To us this was pretty wild and awesome… we have a fan who became a good friend of ours, Rob Raymond, and he is the first to get our Edge Of Paradise logo tattooed on his arm! He was visiting Los Angeles from MI, and we had him jump on stage with us and play a song (he plays bass). It was a really great time! When you see how your music can influence others, it makes all the blood sweat and tears worth it.
What kit do you use / guitars do you play etc.?
We use Charvelle, Jackson, Schecter guitars, Fender basses, DW and Pork Pie drums, Telefunken microphone and Wizard Amps!
What are your plans for 2017?
Our new CD, Alive, comes out March 10th! We are touring the US starting in April and going to Europe in September. We’ll be playing Female Metal Event Festival in Eindhoven, Netherlands. This is going to be a very exciting year for us and we can’t wait to share this next chapter of Edge Of Paradise with all of you!
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
There are so many great bands out there! Lately I’ve been into Avenged Sevenfold and Korn, so would be awesome to open for one of them! And as the opener, there is a cool band called Osara out of South Carolina!
this band is fantastic! Just downloaded their new single, freakin rocks!
Thanks for the feedback, Michael! Keep an eye out for their forthcoming CD :)