Questions posées par les fans français lors de la discussion IRC du 4 mai 2006, organisée par After Forever France - Retour à la version traduite en français.
Kenshiro : Will you record the metallica's cover "for whom the bell tolls" on a next single, I liked it so much in Toulouse in february ?
Sander : maybe, there are no plans for it yet, but there are plans to do another cover. "For whom the bell tolls" would be cool, but we would record it live.
After Forever France : Wich one ?
Sander : I cannot tell you now, because it has to be a surprise !
Breizh68 : And what's your new label ?
Sander : Currently, I'm negociating with all the well known metal labels, the future's looking bright, but I haven't made a final decision yet.
After Forever France : Tell us you won't sign with Nuclear Blast (too much commercial) !
Sander : Don't worry, whatever label we will sign, we'll be making the music we like
You all maybe know, I'm not really into female voices music, that's why After Forever will always be more metal than the other bands
Breizh68 : Is there some festival this summer for After Forever ?
Sander : We'll be playing on Graspop and a few other festivals, but mainly we'll be focussing on new songs for the upcoming new album!
Witchywillow : Hey sander, do you have an idea on why metal music is not very popular in France ?
Sander : I think France is a country that has a lot of inhabitants who like hip hop, the same in Holland.
Hard to explain why metal isn't popular, I think metal has too much to offer !
Breizh68 : And when we can hear this new album ?
Sander : We will try to release the album as soon as possible, but a lot of work has to be done in advance, I hope to release it in february/march.
Galathrandir : What do you think of symphonic metal in particular ?
Sander : I like the symphonic metal scene when you're talking about the more progressive symphonic bands, I don't like the sympho gothic scene
Galathrandir : Well when I talk of symphonic metal, it's in the title : not necessarily goth, but symphonic elements with big guitars !
Sander : I like Symphony X/Dream Theater in that scene, but I mainly like bands who play more agressive, more heavy.
After Forever France : but a lot of people are used to see AF like a gothic band.
Sander : Well, After Forever was presented as a gothic band since the first album, but that was the intention of the label, we never wanted this and I think it's clear that the changes in our music made us less and less gothic and more metal/progressive
After Forever France : And you are creating a new scene !
Sander : Thanks, it would be indeed very cool if we are abke to create a more intersting scene and inspire more bands !
Sander : We'd love to play in France, but unfortunately our current label gives no promotion at all, we will come back when we can offer you the show we'd like to with good promotion!
Galathrandir : There is a french lyric metal band, Benighted Soul, who made a cover of one of your song... Did you saw that ? What do you say when bands covers your songs ?
Sander : I saw Leaden Legacy, the cover, in the tourbus, it sounded cool!
Dragan : I have a stupid question : Mark Jansen says he uses chocolate milk to grunt better. What is your method ?
Sander : Dragan, I haven't got a method, just focuss on something that's negative, and SPIT IT OUT!
Galathrandir : I have a strange question Sander, but in my website there are people who doesn't know anything about metal... What could you say to the listeners that are hesitating to listen to your music ?
Sander : Just tell them that metal is a part of the human emotion... Mainly the darker part, but it could also be a different part. Metal reflects feelings you normally don't hear in other music.
Galathrandir : But there are in metal many bands (and many of your albums too) that are not so dark...
Sander : Yep, but it doesn't have to sound really dark... But most of the time the lyrics are more serious than the lyrics in other scenes.
We focuss on different atmospheres, and try to make an album not only dark, but filled with various elements... However, there's always a dark touch.... "The Invisible Circles" album is our most dark one, but in that period I had more negative feelings than I have now.
Dragan : What are your favorites AF songs ?
Sander : Favorite songs : Yield to temptation, Attendance, Glorifying means, Through Square eyes.
After Forever France : Well, I have now a technical question : what model of material do you use (guitar and amp) ?
Sander : equipment: gibson/PRS/Jackson guitars, marschall jmp1 preamp, engl end amp plus marschall 1960 lead cabinet.
Alesya : Will your new album be more progressive than Remagine?
Sander : Yes, it will be more progressive and it might even contain a song of more than ten minutes.
There are a lot of new ideas and inspiration, after the Transmission contract period I'll tell you more
Galathrandir : Do you write lyrics before music, or music before lyrics, and how do you mix them ?
Sander : I always write the music together with Joost first.
After Forever France : And what instrument do you record at first ?
Sander : The drums, than the bass, guitars, keyboards, vocals, choir/strings.
Galathrandir : There are a lot of bands that makes it this way... Is it more convenient ?
Sander : Yep, many bands record like this, it's good for the soundbuilding
Galathrandir : But it's always the drummer who have the most difficult part isn't it ?
Sander : Yep, because he has to start, that's the base... Thank goodness we have a very tight drummer!
After Forever France : For the next album : will you work another time with the same people who makes the choirs on Remagine, or other ones ?
Sander : That's not certain yet, we'll try to make it as big as possible, especially the orchestra. There will be a few very orchestral parts, but also a lot of metal stuff !
I think you'll hear stuff of every album, and of course again a lot of new elements, we don't like to do the same stuff again and again...
Galathrandir : And is it normal for you to mix metal music and orchestral one, with this big constrast between the two ?
Sander : It's a normal mix for me, I wrote EX CATEDRA (intro Decipher) even before we recorded Prison of Desire, I've always listend to metal and classical stuff, it's the same in many ways, it can be very agressive but also very melodic.
Witchywillow : Do you have particular classical stuff to recommend ?
Sander : Personally, I like Orff a lot, but you should listen to Chopin if you really want to hear sad piano music with interesting chords... This guy should have made metal music !
Breizh68 : Manowar said that Wagner made metal are you agree ?
Sander : Yep, Wagner could be metal, but he also wrote a lot of happy stuff !
After Forever France : I have an other question, are you not tired of often answering questions from fans and reporters ?
Sander : No, I don't get tired of that, because it's great that people are interested, a band should respect that !
Sander : There will be a project in the future, where I will show my extreme side, this will be an extreme metal album, I will finish it after the new After Forever album.
After Forever France : It's your side project ?
Sander : Yep, extreme, but also a lot of melodie !
F-O-Reflections : What kind of new elements could we find in AF's next album ?
Sander : New elements would be even more new keyboardsounds, a even more varied voice of Floor, more riff orientated stuff and a new way of using an orchestra... The rest will follow as soon as I can tell you! I'll let you know more about the project as soon as I can !
Witchywillow : Stupid question : if you weren't into metal music, would there be an other occupation (job) that you would have liked ?
Sander : Actually, right now I'm a full time teacher in arts and language at highschool, I did this for 6 years, next year I will focuss totally on After Forever and quit my job.
F-O-Reflections : How do you combine your your job with AF ???
Sander : It's hard to combine that job... Sometimes I feel it's an impossible task, especially since I always put most of my time in After Forever... But I'll give everything for the band !
Since the beginning of After Forever, I wrote a lot of songs for the band an I always combined it with my job, I think I will have even more time next year to focuss on that, so expect a lot of music!!!
After Forever France : when you are angry at school, do you grunt on your pupils ?
Sander : Of course, I grunt on my puplis, and than I eat them:-)
After Forever France : A new question : now you're a quite popular band, was it difficult to start music as a profesional band, and to be recognized in metal world scene ?
Sander : No , it wasn't difficult at all, but it IS difficult to keep it that way !
Kenshiro : Sander, how do you see AF in 10 years ?
Sander : AF in 10 years.....If the band would still exist, I hope we at last found a good label to vist the countries where the fans are. I see AF as a real life band that would make their music more mature and maybe invent a new style... And i hope it will be with the bandmembers we have now!
Galathrandir : Because you really think that you have not invented a new style yet ?
Sander : well, I think we are working on a totally new style, but we're not there yet !
Sander : Bon soir, à bientôt et merci beaucoup pour votre support !
Galathrandir : From my whole french Symphonic metal fans website : MERCI BEAUCOUP SANDER ! Sander : Pas de problème !
