All three songs are part of their Debut E.P “One Last Time,” which was recorded at Dark Horse Studio in Franklin, Tennessee and relesed on February, Friday the 13th 2009.
Web-page: TheRavenCult.com
Label Page: Purple Rose Records
Where your CD can be purchased: The Raven's Official Store
Vocals, Guitar: Davey Strehler
Guitar: Dayn Reese
Bass: Jaimie Limpinksi
Could you please introduce yourself and what you do in the band?
Hey I am Davey Strehler and I am the vocalist, songwriter and rhythm guitarist of The Raven. I am also the one in charge of keeping the band on time by playing my magical cowbell.
Could you give a brief summary of your bands origins?
Well I started the band after I moved from Zurich,Switzerland to Ft.Lauderdale,Fl about two years ago. The band started as a goth/punk band and it slowly involved into what we call Euro-American Metal or Dance Metal. We basically just went from using a regular set up to adding sythns, strings, sitars and even finger symbols. I love using instruments that are not very common in your average metal band, I am also a fanatic of creating strange sounds that end up having a very eastern sounding influence. Since we aren’t the biggest fans of using back tracks I am looking to add several more members in the near future.
What inspired your band name “The Raven”?
I was reading the poem “The Raven,” by Edgar Allen Poe and immediately fell in love with it, so I decided that it would be an awesome name to represent the band.
How would you describe your sound to someone who’s never heard of you?
Throw the scorpions, nine inch nails, pink Floyd, David Bowie, Metallica and a tribal band from Egypt, blend them together and you kind of get The Raven.
In your own words, what defines a band as Euro-American Metal?
Well our manager came up with the concept because every time somebody asked us where we were from. I would answer “Europe and the band would say America.” Our sound is also not really American nor European it's a bit of both. I guess the only way to get Euro-American metal is having heavy influences from both sides.
Who are your band’s influences?
I have many influences but my three biggest would have to be Queen,Metallica and Pink Floyd.
Are there any differences when performing in America than in Europe?
Some, but mostly when I am on stage I am so connected with the music and the crowd that I forget where I am. Of course playing in a city that your better known in makes things easier
What current projects are you guys currently working on?
We just released our debut E.P titled “One Last Time,” and we are currently working on new material for our full length CD, we should hit the studio again in a couple of months. Also we are in the middle of reforming the band, we are currently auditioning new players that will be joining us on tour.
Any upcoming tours?
If everything goes according to plan we should be on the road this summer. We are also looking into playing some festivals this year in Europe.
I noticed you guys have a lot of fan support on social sites like Myspace and Social vibe, and seem to have street teams scattered all throughout Europe and in the U.S. How closely do you guys work with your fans?
We try to communicate with our fans as much as possible and try to get them involved into what we are doing. We have fans that have been following us since the very beginning, which is amazing. Our fans are like a big extended family for us. They make us feel at home wherever we are.
What is your song writing process like?
It usually starts off by inclosing myself in my room. I'll then start thinking of a concept of what I want to write. After I have a concept I'll start messing around with different riffs until I find something that I really like. From that riff I will start expanding and writing a verse and a chorus. When I have the basic structure down I'll get together with my pianist and show him the idea and it will start growing from there. After that I will go and write the lyrics for the song. Once the lyrics and the music are there I will start looking for a melody as well as writing parts for the rest of the instruments. (I'll usually record the whole process on Logic from beginning to end). The last process is laying down all the separate parts for the song, I do this to see what changes I want to do before we actually hit the studio. A lot of times I will go back and lay down a lead part for the guitar or modify the lyrics.
Can give me a brief description about the above song tracks:
• Fireflies- This was the first song we wrote that really defined our style. The first time we recorded this song we weren’t really happy with it, so we recorded it again and the second edition made it on our debut E.P.
Its about trying to hide a problem without getting rid of it and in the end realizing you cant really escape it.
• Self Denial- This song has a very eastern feel to it. We also used a sitar and finger symbols in this song. Even though this song is about being on the verge of giving up, the rhythm of it makes you want to dance. It gets the message across without depressing everyone.
• One Last Time- We recorded this song with a five piece orchestra, this song is strongly piano driven and basically our ballad. The song is about not giving up and fighting for what we have destroyed… It's about a new tomorrow.
All three songs are part of our Debut E.P “One Last Time,” which was recorded at Dark Horse Studio in Franklin, Tennessee and relesed on February, Friday the 13th 2009.
Anything that you would like to say in closing?
Expect us rocking in a city near you soon! We hope you like what we are creating and we will see you soon!