Beyond the Black are currently doing a Europe wide tour with Epica and Powerwolf in support of their recently re-released Lost In Forever. Founder and frontwoman, Jennifer Haben very kindly took some time out of their hectic schedule to answer some questions that Ross had sent her..
The band’s first performance was Wacken 2014. What was the feeling among the band before and after such a prospect?
That’s a difficult question…I guess there was no time to really think about anything other than making the music you want to. Because we were just writing songs in the style of Beyond The Black and had recorded five or six songs, when we get the incredible news, that we are playing Wacken, there was no time to think about a feeling among the band.
You’re working with an all-new line-up, is everyone settling in well together?
Apart from the fact that my new members are very awesome and funny people, they are brilliant musicians! Every one of them! We just had to get used to one another a little bit at the first shows performance-wise, but that went away very quickly! I feel very comfortable with them; we had a lot of fun on the last tour and I’m really looking forward to the future!
Last year’s album, Lost in Forever, has recently been re-released with new songs. Were these held back from the original release?
No, they were created after the release during the last half of the year and for us they were ready to get released and primarily to be played live! So why not put that progress on the Tour Edition?
Aside from the changes in band members, how has Beyond the Black evolved between the two albums?
As the saying goes: “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. It was a little like that the last few months. We have more power and energy than ever before to send our music to the world!
What are the main themes of the band’s lyrics?
The lyrics of Lost in Forever mostly are telling sad emotional stories, from the searching of yourself via paranoia, through to seeing the end of your world. But there are some songs that show some kind of hope and the understanding of how precious life is. One of my favourites which includes both sides is the story around “Beyond The Mirror”. In this song, the reflection is a kind of person from another world. That person wants to come to the real world to feel all the real things and feelings in this world and I tell that person that he should stay in his world because the truth and life is hell and the scars will never heal. Very dramatic but I think everyone’s been through that situation; it felt a little like that.
With bands like Halestorm and Nightwish surging in popularity, can you see female-fronted bands becoming more prominent in the future?
I had the impression that they are very prominent. In the metal genre there are not many popular bands with a female in the front, but the group of bands that is, is very prominent. Sure, I would wish for a much bigger group in the future…without a doubt. But let’s see how the music business will develop in the coming years and decades.
Beyond the Black have toured with household metal names like The Scorpions and Saxon, who else would you like to tour with?
I have to say that so many things happened I could never dream of during the last two years. So I think it’s the best way to keep our eyes open and to look for what possibilities appear. That worked great in the past.
With the whole of 2017 to look forward to, what are the band’s plans?
Apart from another great show at Wacken and the two headline shows in Russia, we’re planning many festivals and other shows in and outside Europe and a headline tour at the end of the year! We have many things in the pipeline, but unfortunately we can’t say anything more about it at the moment, but you will find every new announcement at our social media channels.
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