BATHORY´ZINE: STEALTH interview by Didac "Metallian" López

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

STEALTH interview by Didac "Metallian" López

01 - The band was formed in 1997 under the name of Metal Militia doing covers of Metallica.
      In December 1998, Metal Militia released their first self-produced EP 'Mind Is Blind' featuring 6 original songs and later in March 2000, the band released their second self produced EP 'Existence' consisting of 5 songs. After this you changed the name to Stealth, is that right?
Ivan:
Yes that's how it is. I remember well those years we spent in the rehearsal room composing music for our first two EPs. Then we decided to change our name because we were doing something different from covers. We realized that our original music had to be communicated to the public in a different way.

02 - With the name change to STEALTH, you haven't stopped releasing albums, Ep's, 1 DVD by the 20th anniversary of the band and you appear in several compilations, what will be next?
Ivan:
We are working on mixing two new tracks that should be ready this spring. There will be some novelties in the sound, even if the style of the music will remain more or less the same compared to our last original album 'Fight For Your Faith', which was out seven years ago.

03 - Why is it that you sing in Spanish, English and German?
Ivan:
On our second album 'Check This Out' we decided to write lyrics in languages other than English. I am a lover of foreign languages and that is why it is most likely an experiment that we will repeat in the future.

04 - What do you talk about in your lyrics?
Ivan:
Our latest studio album 'Fight For Your Faith' is a concept about the state of war. Situations such as the wars in the Middle East, the continuous revolt in Tibet or the fierce social protests that take place more and more frequently in the West, inspired the composition of our lyrics on that album.

05 - You have played a lot outside your country, as in countries like Latvia, Ukraine, Switzerland, Belgium .....When in Spain?
Ivan:
We hope to play there soon too. Spain is a country very devoted to metal and it would be an honor for us to play there.

06 - Has anything changed in your music from your first album until now?
Ivan:
Of course yes. Now we are a more mature group musically and we try to avoid some errors in the composition and structure of the songs that characterized our first studio works. Also from the live point of view we have grown a lot and our latest album 'Live for your Faith' testifies to this.

07 - What bands from your country would you recommend us?
Ivan:
Here in Italy there are many bands that I would recommend. But I tell you some names of groups in our area such as Crepuscolo, Duality and Ibridoma. I lived in London for many years I would also like to mention some bands like Die Kur, 8Snake, Maxdmyz and Machine Rox that are doing the music scene there.

08 - What inspired the name of the band?
Ivan:
It was Lorenzo, the guitarist, who chose the name of the group. For sure the Stealth fighter plane has been an important inspiration to arrive at the choice of this name.

09 - Do you hope to play live soon?
Ivan:
Yes, we all hope so. And we can't wait to get on stage again.

11 - Do you know anything about the Spanish Heavy Metal scene?
Ivan:
Yes of course, I know many Spanish bands. Apart from the famous Mago de OZ, I really like the Aracner and the Mallorcan Taifa, two bands present in the Rock Estatal compilation in 2017 of which Stealth was also part.

12 - How is your last album working with the critics and the fans?
Ivan:
Very good. We have gained the attention of many fans especially on YouTube and Spotify.
There have been several interviews and positive reviews and this confirms the quality of the work and interest in the group

13 - I have seen that on your Facebook channel you have more than 11,000 followers.
       Do social networks help when it comes to publicizing a band?
Ivan:
Yes of course. It is the most incisive communication for a band even if neither the written press nor the radio should be neglected.

14 - Surely you will be wanting to go out and play again, but with the Covid19
       it seems to be going for a long time.
Ivan:
We'll see. The safety and health of all comes first. Here in Italy there is talk of restarting with concerts after the summer but it all depends on the virus.

15 - Here in Spain and in many other countries the bands have given concerts in Streaming-
       Have you done it? What you think about this? I personally do not call the
       attention, I know it is also a way to help the bands not disappear.
       But the feeling of seeing it live to watching it in Streaming is not the same.
Ivan:
I don't like it very much too. The charm and beauty of concerts lies in seeing them live. We have not had any streaming concerts so far, although we will be present at the Renaissance Alternative Music Festival in London that this year will be held online, but with our live video from some time ago

16 - In our country due to restrictions, many concert halls have had to close
       forever not being able to bear the situation. Is the same thing happening in your country?
Ivan:
Unfortunately there is the same problem here. There are many concert halls that are thinking of closing forever. Government aid is not enough and I think that after this pandemic we will find many fewer places to play music.

17 - Finally, thank you for answering our questions, you can say what you want for
       the people who follow us in Bathory´zine.
Ivan:
I would like to thank all Bathory 'zine readers and all our fans for their support. We promise that we will play concerts again, and why not there in Spain, as soon as possible. Stay Heavy!