19th April 2023

Exclusive Interview: Emetropia talk writing and recording “An Acoustic Endeavor”!

After seven days and seven deadly sins, our second interview with Emetropia keyboard player and backing vocalist extraordinaire Liam Strand finds us once again discussing the bands recently released acoustic EP “An Acoustic Endeavor“, this time from the writing and recording angle. After all, how does one go about taking a collection of Symphonic Metal songs with laced with orchestration and choirs and then strip them back to the bare essentials without losing the essence of them?

How did your previous experiences writing and recording help to smooth the path of the new record? “As most of us in the band are academic, we did a qualitative survey of our experiences with the recording process for Equinox. After discussing the results, we immediately got to implement our ideas of how to improve the process for everyone involved (e.g., naming of files, preparation before entering studio)”

How does the writing process of a new track start? Melody, riff or rhythm first? How does it evolve from there before you consider it the finished article? “It really depends. Usually, I play around on the piano and just “find” a new melody and go from there. Other times, I’m cycling home from the city and a melody comes so I have to record myself singing the melody haha. Then, everything usually happens quite fast, within a week I’ll have a demo of the full song, including drums, guitars, vocal melodies, solos, and orchestra. After that, I send it to the band and we start working together from there”

What was it like having lead guitarist Olle Renius do the mixing? Do you think that having the skills within the band helps create something closer to the original vision? “It was fun! As friends, we’ve followed his audio engineering journey from the start, and it feels great to finally say he now can do mixing on a professional level (he’s for hire if anyone’s interested!). But I wouldn’t say it helps us create something closer to our original vision. A song is never 100% done, neither is a mix. This is simply what these versions sound like in 2023 when Olle mixes them, and we’re proud of the result!”

If you had the opportunity to work with a guest in the studio next time around, who would you like to work with and why? “I have three answers for you:

1) Dream: Tomi Joutsen (Amorphis). His growls and vocals are some of the best in the genre. I think we’d be able to create something special with him alongside us for one song.

2) Realistic: Meek (Visions of Atlantis). He mixed and mastered Equinox, we’ve toured with him, it’s about time we get to work in the studio together!

3) Wildcard: Matt Marinelli (Borealis). Matt’s clean vocals are so dynamic and energetic. I love to hear him sing and would love to hear him doing full symphonic metal for one song”

For us gear nerds out there, can you tell us what you’re using gear wise (pedals, strings, drums etc) to get your sound? “Well, we plan on recording videos for our Instagram (emetropiaband) soon where we show you our gear. But in short:

Liam: Roland Ax-Edge keytar

Olle: Schecter 7-stringed guitar

Jonatan: Classic Fender Stratocaster.

Oscar: Tama drumkit with mostly Sabian cymbals”

What difference would it make to you as a band if you could land an endorsement from a gear manufacturer? “Probably not as much as you think. We already have most of the equipment needed to record and perform our music. Sure, new guitars is also fun and could make it easier to switch tuning during live shows but is not a necessity. However, getting new sample libraries for the orchestra would have the largest impact on how we sound. Other than that, it would probably be indirect benefits, such as having more money to spend on other band related costs”

“An Acoustic Endeavor” by Emetropia is out now and available over at bandcamp.