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Interview by Robert Huber

RH: Hi Winter’s Verge, first of all I’d like to congratulate you to your new album. Could you tell us something more about the writing process, from the first notes to the mastering? How did you experience it and what have you learned, what will you definitely do different next time?

Miguel: Hello there, Miguel (bass) here and thanks very much for the nice words! Generally, one of us will have an idea and write a roughly structured song, which then gets passed onto the rest of the guys who add and take away what they think would make it better. George (vocals) usually has a bunch of lyrics lying around and he then sees how to make the music fit them or vice versa. After that we work hard in the practice studio to see what we can do to make the song better, by which point it little resembles the original idea! One thing we definitely learned was that it’s always better to get everyone in the band to contribute to the music than have one person write everything... I guess that works for some bands but it probably doesn’t for us. Also, Chris (drums) joined the band a bit too late to add much to the songwriting for this album, but we’ll certainly get him to write things for the next one, he’s very creative.

RH: What is in your opinion the biggest difference between 'Another Life'-Another End' your debut and your new album 'Tales of Tragedy'?

Miguel: The quality of sound production, certainly. We recorded Another Life in a studio in Cyprus, and while we had some good people working on it, one can tell that there’s a marked difference between the level of production we got in the studio in Germany. The songwriting was also affected... we realised that it’s not necessary to swamp our songs with fifteen keyboard tracks!

RH: Who of you shows most responsibility for the song writing?

Miguel: In terms of music it’s quite evenly divided between us. However George writes all the lyrics and vocal melodies.

RH: You are from Cyprus how is the metal scene down there can you give us a short information about the fans and the most favorite style?

Miguel: Cyprus is a very small country and consequentially it has a small metal scene. However, a lot of bands exist and are making good music. The fans are very dedicated and will turn up to most events. There are many different styles of music happening, from black and death metal to things like progressive and power metal.

RH: What can we await of live performances in the future from you will be a tour in your calendar?

Miguel: We have just finished a tour with Stratovarius and Tracedawn which was fantastic! Our next shows will probably be sometime in the summer.

RH: Are there any bands with which you would like to tour under any circumstances reasons?

Miguel: Stratovarius was one of our dreams actually! It was a fantastic experience and we learned a lot from it. But we’d love to tour with other bands like Rhapsody of Fire, Gamma Ray and others.

RH: Are you visiting concerts as a fan as well and if so what was your last, as well as most wonderful concert?

Miguel: I try to go to as many concerts as I can! The last one I went to was Paradise Lost and Samael. But for me personally the most moving and intense concert I have ever attended was the last ever UK concert by Emperor, which are a very special band for me.

RH: How important are the Internet and webzines for you?

Miguel: The internet is what makes everything work in the world today. Without the internet, we would not have ever played outside of Cyprus or ever gotten a record deal with LMP and then Massacre. I think this applies for every other band which is trying to break out into the scene now.

RH: What do you think yourself of MySpace, Facebook and so on and how they use their platforms for yourself?

Miguel: We all use both Myspace and Facebook and they are excellent platforms for promoting and developing the band’s fanbase, as well as allowing a way for fans from all over the world to contact us.

RH: What about the future plans / dreams of Winter’s Verge what will be next?

Miguel: We are trying to arrange some big summer festivals, so let’s see how it goes!

RH: What do you think is Winter’s Verge best and weakest aspect?

Miguel: We are all very dedicated to the band, and we are all hungry for more. The weakest aspect of the band is probably a lack of opportunities within Cyprus itself.

RH: What was the most embarrassing moment for you. Private and with the band.

Miguel: I’m not sharing that, my mum might read this!

RH: What 3 words would occur you spontaneously about Winter’s Verge?

Atmosphere, melody, beer.

RH: Your 3 Favorite discs of all time?

Miguel: Iron Maiden – Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, Stratovarius – Episode, Emperor – In the Nightside Eclipse

RH: Thank you for your time and the last words belong to you!

Miguel: We want to say a big hello to everyone who has listened to and enjoyed our music, we want to say a big thank you to everyone who has ever talked to us about how much they have enjoyed it, it’s a very special and moving thing to know that your music has touched someone and for that we are grateful. Keep rocking and hopefully see you on tour!

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