NIGHTMARE, from France are in the business since 1979 and since they are back, they play there very own style of Heavy Metal. After listening to their very good album Cosmovision, which was released through Austrian Napalm Records, I decided to review it. Through this review I got in contact with their tour manager and he gave me the chance to do an interview with the band. Thanks to Jeeps, and here it is....

Werner: First of all, congratulations for the fantastic Cosmovision album. In my opinion one of the best pieces of Metal this year. How did you come in contact with Napalm records, I mean they are not well known for signing Heavy Metal Bands.
Yves: Thanx a lot ! In fact it came naturally but at the end it was quite a surprise. I personally met Max, the label boss at the Soundsuite Studio in France and he had the chance to listen to what we did there... From there he listened to our stuff and made us an offer right away... At the beginning I thought it was a joke as he's more than often a joker, but this was pretty serious and we came to an agreement at the end... Then he signed the band for 4 albums... Napalm Records is more an extreme label, that's true, but Max is quite open minded and when you see his catalogue it's quite varied ... I for instance don't think that Abigor is doing the same style than Tristania...

Werner: You guys are rockin' since 1979 and Jo Amore changed his place on the drums to the microphone not until 1999. Does he sung in any other band before and has he ever had a passion for singing in the past years? Do he learned singing in a professional music school?
Yves: For sure he didn't learn singing in a school but yes, he had learned to sing in a band named Temple... in the end of the eighties beginning of the nineties... It was natural for him as he always wanted to sing backing vocals and I was not surprised to see him as a lead vocalist when he left NIGHTMARE in 1987... I think that he improved a lot in the time with Temple and this is good for us today!

Werner: Although the band exists such a long time, you released only three full length albums. Has any member released such things with other bands in the years from 1987 to 1999 when you were been split up?
Yves: Except Jo, who released one album with Temple through a national distribution, no, the others didn't do anything except from demos or independent releases... I knew that Nicolas (Guitar) mad something with a band called Fifth Avenue but nothing serious... and that David, the brother of Jo made something with a band called Shining....

Werner: On Cosmovision you use a lot of choirs. How will you handle this live and is this a sign for possible things, for example female voices or other vocal experiments, which can be found on the next record?
Yves: Of course that was the main problem to face after we've made the album and the only solution was to sample the vocals. But we didn't want to do choirs too complicated either... I mean that the main thing was that we could sing on top on them and on stage if you have the correct balance of sound at the end it's not sounding too fake when you see it afterwards... The female vocals that we have put on the song Cosmovision are only two vocal lines, so this was easy to make sing by Jo on stage... Of course, if we had more, we should have to bring a female vocalist on stage...

Werner: The layout of the new CD is unbelievable great, especially the cover. Who is this guy Jean Pascal Fournier and did he create covers for other bands too? Yves: Yes, it was easy to work with him as we are friends and living in the same area... He has become a very famous over the years, as he is very talented and now he is contacted by several international bands and labels from everywhere... He became quite popular after having made covers like In The Heart Of Winter for Immortal, covers for Edguy and Avantasia... he's the guy who made the latest Avantasia cover which is fantastic !

Werner: One more time about a guy who helps you. This time about the one who is responsible for the orchestral arrangements. How did you get in contact to him, and are you still satisfied with his work?
Yves: The guy who did our orchestral arrangements is simply our producer Terje Refsnes... He was very involved in our album and became like the sixth members as he also made all the keyboards orchestrations... He tried to bring his trademark on a pure heavy metal band which brought Cosmovision at the end...and I think the experience was successful... We could have called a producer more metal like Dennis Ward that was in touch with us also but I think that for a come back, it was important to sound different!

Werner: How did you get in contact with the Nazca history? Is there a deeper meaning or a message behind this story and why have you chosen this special part of history?
Yves: We were all interested by that topics earlier and even in 1987 when we composed half of the third record in the rehearsal room (this album was never finished and never came out !), we had a song called Roads To Nazca ( That's why we used that topic for the intro ! )... This unsolved riddle has always fascinated us since nobody todays has found the true from those mysteries... And it's a strong theme for heavy metal...

Werner: Please give a short comment about the following things:
a. Cosmos: Still a riddle for mankind... We know a few things from it but the hidden part of it is still a mystery!
b. Napoleon: A dictator !
c. Aliens: Maybe in the hidden part of the cosmos!
d. Erich von Dänikken: A great man who gives his own theory about the secrets of the Nazca lines ! Everybody thought he was crazy but he's not ! Beware !

Werner: In the last years the internet is available to more people around the world. Do you use it sometimes and what do you think about the upcoming trend for downloading MP3's instead of buying the records?
Yves: It can be a good thing for the bands as it helps also to get more access to your music to a larger audience but on another band it's killing in a way the record industry... So I don't really know what to think about it ! I don't think either that a MP3 can replace a real record so one day or another things will change... I hope !

Werner: In the Hard Rock / Heavy Metal scene, the "Sex, Drugs and Rock´N Roll" motto is well known. What are your experiences in this case?
Yves: That's good for Mötley Crue, Warrant, Poison or bands like that, what we can call "posers"...

Werner: Please tell my about the French newcomers. Are there many bands who play Heavy Metal in the old vein? It is a shame but I personally do not know even one band from your country except yours..
Yves: Yes the scene is waking up these times and a band like Manigance for instance really deserves an attention ... They are currently also breaking through in Japan and I guess this is a good thing for all the other French metal bands.... The interest that have some of the foreign labels for French bands is a sign... When you see that No Return is signed abroad by Nuclear Blast, Heavenly by Noise and... us with Napalm... it's a good thing !

Werner: Thanks for wasting your time for answering my questions, hehe. Your last words.
Yves: Keep the spirit of true metal alive !! Thanx for the support !!! See you soon !

A MILLION THANX FOR ALL !!!! VERY GOOD QUESTIONS !

YVES CAMPION BASS PLAYER