The backstage area on the grounds of Wertheim Castle captivates with a very special flair. The band has settled on the second floor of a narrow tower in two small rooms when eclipsed meets them for an interview. A visibly well-placed Steve Hogarth is already sitting at the table, raising bassist Pete Trewavas, who doesn't know exactly if he's assigned for the interview. But in fact we are waiting for guitarist Steve Rothery, who will answer questions together with the singer.
eclipsed: Before we talk about the new album, I would like to know how you rate the predecessor "Sounds That Can't Be Made" today.
Steve Hogarth: We are still very satisfied with it, in large parts at least. "Gaza" and the title track are great songs of which I am very proud. Well, I'm critical of Lucky Man today. And I wouldn't record "The Sky Above The Rain" again in this form.
Steve Rothery: Why not? That's a beautiful guitar song! What else is there? "Pour My Love" is actually very well done, isn't it? And "Power" is an integral part of our live set. A good album, no question. But still no reason to repeat ourselves and continue on this path. You've probably heard the new album for now, haven't you?
eclipsed: I have been able to deal with it intensively and must say that it is a courageous, unusual record. The form alone: three 15-minute tracks, flanked by two six-minute tracks and a short epilogue...
Hogarth: That's how it turned out. We don't give ourselves any guidelines at work as to what the songs should look like at the end, and we also don't agree that, for example, only long tracks should be played. Word has got around that our songs are made out of jams.
Rothery: This time our co-producer Mike Hunter had even more work with us. We were convinced that we had quite a lot of good material on tape and we gave it all to him to sort out: 'Here Mike, come on, we have a couple of hours of material again! Do you think you can make good songs out of it?' However, he mastered this task brilliantly, and somehow these long pieces were created. And I'm already hearing the accusations: These are fragments of songs pieced together and not composed pieces! You can see it that way, but we find that they unfold their effect just that way, also because the interplay of text and music was only created through our special way of working.
eclipsed: How do you think your fans will react?
Rothery: 70 percent will say that they think the songs are great, 20 percent will take time, and 10 percent will think it's, yes, fragmented songs. (laughs)
