Interview with Robb Graves (Winterfell)

The release of Winterfell’s first full-length release The Veil of Summer caught the attention of the MER Crew who contacted Robb Graves, the voice of the band, and asked the following questions.

Metal Express Radio:
You are a band from the USA. How did you end up playing Power Metal with all the Nu-Metal activity all around?

Robb Graves:
Well, truthfully, I don’t think we really knew about Nu-Metal at first. Most of the band got into Metal back in high school I guess. We had (what we considered) heavy stuff like Metallica and Megadeth, and the fun shit like Manowar and Maiden. We weren’t so “into Metal” that we knew all about Black and Death and all that craziness at first. But as we got more and more into Metal as the years went by and we all started branching out, I think we still hung on to that original “Power Metal” feel that got us into Metal in the first place. So when Andy and I, and eventually Jason, got together and decided to form Winterfell, we knew we wanted to at least have a little of that throwback to those days.

MER:
What is in brief Winterfell’s biography?

Robb Graves:
Winterfell plays a technical brand of Traditional Power Metal. We formed in February of 2000 here in Pennsylvania, as a 4 man group. Andy Craven and Jason Nadeau on guitars, myself (Robb Graves) on Vocals, and James Irvine on drums. We released a 4 song EP/demo, Winter Is Coming in late 2002, and played a small amount of subsequent USA shows and festival appearances thereafter. We got a lot of positive feedback from the international Metal community for that, but no record deal. So we worked to refine our sound, wrote new material, got a new drummer (Eddie Silva) and bass player (Greg Weitknecht), and completed our first full-length independent album, The Veil of Summer, in August of 2005.

MER:
Are you still without a recording contract?

Robb Graves:
Yep, we’re still independent.

MER:
Can a Metal band survive without a record deal?

Robb Graves:
We seem to be doing ok so far. The record deal would certainly open a lot of doors for us, but even if it never happens, we’ll keep doing this for as long as it holds our interest. We’re learning everything the hard way right now, but in the end, that might be what sets us apart.

MER:
How difficult is it for a new band to sign with a record label?

Robb Graves:
Apparently it is quite difficult (as we are still not signed). I mean, we have had smaller offers from labels overseas, but nothing that would be practical for us. I think what a lot of the up-and-coming bands need to learn is that they pretty much have to do all the work nowadays. Make the finished product, market it … hard … and see if any of the big fish want to bite.

MER:
What was your writing process for The Veil of Summer? Did the entire band contribute to the songwriting process?

Robb Graves:
We pretty much work with a standard formula. One of the guitarists writes the skeleton of the song (rhythms, leads, time changes, makes spaces for solos and decides where they think it might be cool to put vocals). Then the drummer and bassist write what they think should go where, and the guitarists tweak it so the whole thing sounds good. Then usually I get it and have to figure out how to write vocal melodies over the parts they’ve allotted for me. We constantly refine the song throughout this process. For example, we’ll cut whole sections out that don’t seem to fit, or extend ones that do. Maybe I’ll have trouble writing a melody over some crazy 5/7ths timing part, so we’ll change it up or they’ll assist me in coming up with something that’ll fit there. Then once it’s all in place and we can generally practice it together, I’ll write the lyrics for it. Andy and I work well together on story concepts. Sometimes, the ideas are totally mine, sometimes they are Andy’s, and sometimes they are both. But that’s usually how it goes.

MER:
Did you face any difficulties during the mixing or composing process of the new album?

Robb Graves:
Hell yes. Time, money, inexperience. This was our first time in a really good studio, and we basically weren’t prepared for it. We basically ran out of money and time after the drums, rhythm guitars, and vocals were laid down. We had to take about 8 months and earn some more money to come back to the studio and finish everything. We even ended up buying some recording equipment ourselves and doing most of the solo work at Jason’s house to save money. It was bad at the time, but looking back it was really a good experience for us because we learned so much.

MER:
You are greatly inspired from the George R.R. Martin book series. Can we take The Veil of Summer as a concept album?

Robb Graves:
No, those are definitely 9 stand alone songs. We’ve talked about doing a Song of Ice and Fire concept album, but I don’t know if we ever will. I like to take my time writing those songs. Try to make them the best that I can. I could see releasing 1 or 2 of those per album, and then maybe releasing a compilation of them later on … who knows? Maybe we’ll change our minds and totally release a concept album next year. I know Andy is not opposed to the idea of a concept album, but is very much into coming up with our own unique story. So, we’ll see what happens.

MER:
What are the main differences between Winter is Coming and The Veil of Summer?

Robb Graves:
The production and recording quality are 10 times better on Veil. Veil is twice as long as Winter. The songwriting matured a lot between the two, and Veil is a little more Progressive. Jason, Andy, and I got better at playing our respective instruments. We got an amazing drummer and bassist on Veil. I love both CDs, and all the songs, but Veil was just done better, and I am sure our next CD will be way better than Veil, as well.

MER:
What are your major influences?

Robb Graves:
That’s a long list. Only because each of us is varied in his musical tastes. I guess we usually list our biggest Metal influences as Iron Maiden, Death, early Metallica, Megadeth, Manowar, Symphony X, Kamelot, Blind Guardian, and Iced Earth. There are a lot more than that if you are talking music in general. Greg is really into bands like Kittie, and Tool. Jason listens to a lot of Black Metal and Japanese composers. Andy digs Classic Rock stuff and anyone who can play the guitar really well. I listen to all kinds of stuff with good vocals.

MER:
What is Metal community’s reaction to The Veil of Summer?

Robb Graves:
Very positive, overall. We’re selling a lot more CDs these days and we’ve been meeting some really awesome fans, and distributors all over the world. There seems to be a gaggle of folks still comparing us to Iced Earth, but that’ll change over time.

MER:
What is the situation of Metal as a business in the USA?

Robb Graves:
I can only tell you what I know and that isn’t much. It’s basically impossible to get onto any radio except underground and college. All the clubs expect you to bring in X-number of fans and if you don’t, you either have to pay to play there, or you’re never invited back. Opening for any major band costs A LOT of money. The festivals here in the states are usually not worth playing or impossible to get on (Prog Power). And lastly, the internet is your friend!

MER:
Can you think of a reason for the great differences between the Metal scene in Europe and the USA?

Robb Graves:
I don’t know, maybe they put something in the water over here. Basically money runs everything in the States. There are major media corporations that tell the kids what is popular and what they should like and listen to, and for some reason, they just go along with it. If there is a way to break out of this, we are going to try to find it. But for the time being, with the way it works now, I don’t ever expect to see another “Metallica” coming from the USA. It just doesn’t work that way anymore.

MER:
What are the future plans for Winterfell? Are there any tour plans?

Robb Graves:
We played a few shows locally when the album was released, but sadly, our drummer decided to leave the band soon after the album’s release. We were able to play a show recently opening for Kamelot and Seven Witches at Jaxx in Virginia with a replacement drummer, but we still don’t have anyone permanent at this point. So, our immediate plans are to find a permanent drummer, and we actually just started preproduction on our next full-length album. So we have a lot to keep us busy.

MER:
How would you convince someone to buy a Winterfell album?

Robb Graves:
Point them in the direction of our Web site www.winterfell.org. Free sound clips and whole tracks, links to all of our online retailers, reviews, news, an intelligent fan community forum, all the things someone would need to be convinced. Seriously though, I think if someone listens to one of our tracks like “Asatru” (which we freely distribute online), they’ll understand what we are about. If they like it, they’ll want to buy the CD. If they don’t, then we’re probably not the band for them.

MER:
Name the worst and best album that you’ve bought recently.

Robb Graves:
Best: Kamelot: The Black Halo; I love these guys, but man, this album was something else. They brought back the guitars in this one and Kahns voice is pretty much the best there is in Metal these days. By the way , if you ever get to meet these guys, do it. They are the nicest band we have ever had the pleasure to hang with. Worst: Hmm … That’s hard because I wouldn’t usually buy something if it sucked. I guess I could say Sonata Arctica: Silence. I had Ecliptica and Winterheart’s Guild, and I love those albums, but I am having a lot of trouble really getting into this one. They are still one of my favorite bands, but I just don’t like this album.

MER:
Is there any band that Winterfell would like to tour with? And is there a Metal band that you wouldn’t tour with for all the money in the world?

Robb Graves:
We’d tour with any band that could bring us more exposure to the people who would want to hear us. We have opened for Kamelot and Symphony X before, and both of those shows were amazing. If we ever had the chance to do a full tour with those guys, I’d do it in a heart beat. Other than that, anyone bigger than us, Blind Guardian, Megadeth, Metallica (haha), Maiden! (ok, I am just dreaming now). I doubt we’d turn down a big tour regardless of who was in it. We’d tour with fucking Slipknot, we don’t care, we’ll steal all of their fans and show them what real Metal is supposed to sound like.

MER:
Feel free to add anything else you want …

Robb Graves:
Just want to say thanks for the interest in our band, our opinions, and keep an eye out for us in the future. The next album isn’t too far away. From what I have heard so far, it’s got me very excited. Good things on the way!

MER:
Send a message to the Metal Express Radio readers.

Robb Graves:
Check out our Web site, www.winterfell.org, to learn more about us and hear what we sound like. Other than that, thanks for reading this far and still staying awake!

MER:
Thanks for your time, Merry Christmas and have a Metal New Year!

Robb Graves:
You too brother! Stay Heavy!