Interview
by SashaS
25-6-2005
   
   
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  www.roadrunnerrecords.co.uk
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  www.trustkill.com/bleedingthrough
   
   
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Marta and the rest of Bleeding Through
A female life in a rock key
Bleeding Through’s Marta: mini-portrait of a keyboardess


Bleeding Through’s album ‘This is Love, This is Murderous’ [out in the States since September 2003] recently had a Euro re-release with extras - three live tracks and two video-clips. Of the bonus material, ‘Rise’ may present the band best because it is fast, furious, intricate, loud, complex, huge, overwhelming… Not that the rest of the tracks are less punchy and deliver sonic KO’s time after time.

The Orange County outfit’s twin guitars attack, courtesy of Brian Leppke and Scott Danough, propelled by lightening drum-work of Derek Youngsma and spine-tingling bass of Ryan Wombacher, enriched with atmo-keyboarding by Marta and topped by the deeply doomsdayish intonation of singer Brandan Schieppati, is a musical offering practically capable of depilation.

The band will also have a track on the soundtrack to ‘The Cave’, alongside Killswitch Engage, Open Hand, Lacuna Coil and It Dies Today. [The film is due to open mid-August in the USA.]

The dark, willow figure of Marta is full of joie-de-vivre and she talks openly, eagerly but thoughtfully. We start with a confession and, as it turns out, we end up with another one.

“I didn’t write the last album although a lot of people may not know this… I didn’t do any writing, or recording, but I’m on the picture. What happened is that I didn’t join the band… The keyboardess before me had been talking about leaving for a long time but was persuaded to stay until the album was finished.”

“That was her final part in the band and I came along just after finishing recordings. I’m in the pictures but I’m playing somebody else’s pieces. Live, I’ve added some parts, filled in few gaps, there is a bit more of me in it although I didn’t change anything basically.”

Pre-devinyl state

Settle-born Marta would be in college, if she hadn’t join the band, studying ballet and psychology; great groundwork for the Metal world she swapped her one-plus years of studies for. Having tried her luck with a few bands but of jazz and Dixieland orientation [her CV is getting heavier and heavier - Ed Chief], she finds herself a professional musician at the age of 20. Entertaining the world…

“I conducted a choir whilst I was at school, played organ in a church, taught piano lessons, I did everything but being in a band. It’s not like I didn’t want to be in a band and have always listened to a lot of music, but I was doing a lot of other things just to kill time.”

“I was a big fan of Bleeding Through before I joined and what attracted me to them was the way they used to add keyboards to the much heavier stuff. But, the band that changed me, inspired me and really opened my eyes is AFI. They push into new direction every day and I’d like us to do that as a band. I love that band and they are our friends.”

It must be ego-boosting to be a rock-chic; does it get unbearable at times?

“It’s not that bad and I’ve always been around boys but I think it was a bit strange at the beginning when I was pretty much the only girl on the tour. There would occasionally be a girl-roadie but I’ve never tried to make an issue about it. I think it really matters, maybe to the fans but it is not admiration I’m after, based on my gender.”

How often do boys - or girls for that matter, we don’t like to discriminate - try to chat you up?

“Not that often because I think most are intimidated by me being in a band but there are passes… From the boys, mainly, and I wouldn’t mind if there were more! But then, I was in a relationship for a long time, as well.”

The mass lust

Bleeding Through’s imagery is loaded with tales of betrayal, resistance, rejection, absolution, deception, redemption and sensuality. There are many elements on their menu, be it straight or hardcore Metal, punk or Goth, thrash or fusionism… ‘This Is Love’ has consolidated the band’s sound that was hinted on the ‘Portrait Of The Goddess’, in 2002. [The band’s debut ‘Dust To Ashes’ appeared in 2001.]

Six individuals, three sharing a house, one goal; still, a night can be a forlorn place.

Fame may be even a lonelier business for a woman because men appear not very good at waiting in the wings?

“Yeah, I think you are right about men being bad at waiting and there are a lot of men on tour who have girlfriends at home and there is no problem. There is also that idea of people lusting after a woman, a few or a hundred, that brings instability to a relationship. I just broke up with a boy, last week, after few years together.”

How much does such heartbreak influence playing?

“Such events affect playing greatly and this time I’m playing with more sadness; it can turn into angry playing and I’d be more aggressive… I hope it will peter out and not inform my writing and playing on the new album. I share house with my singer and bassist, so we can work on our music whenever we want to. But, due to touring we’ve not been able to do much. We’ve done some writing, we’ve got five new songs that are ready for the new album.”

When can we expect it to be released?

“As soon as we are back from Europe, we’ll have a month of songwriting and then go into the studio and have the new album ready for September, the same time we issued the current album.”

Bleeding Through’s live work suggest they have potential to move the parameters of heavy music in yet another invigorating/interesting/intriguing annexe to the Metal Parthenon.

(Originally published 25 March 2005)
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Tour dates (Zao supporting):

26 June - Underworld, London
27 June - Rock City, Nottingham
28 June - King Tuts, Glasgow
29 June - Jilly's Rockworld, Manchester
30 June - TJs, Newport
01 July – Underworld, London


SashaS
25-6-2005
Bleeding Through album ‘This Is Love, This Is Murderous’ is available now on Roadrunner