I actually had quite a bit of fun with this interview as it was done over Skype, the first time I hadn't mailed off a list of questions and awaited the replies.
Magali Luyten is the Belgian lead vocalist of Virus IV, a metal band consisting of :
Samuel Arkhan - Guitar
Renault Van Oeyen - Guitar
Christopher Babin - Bass
François Brisk - Drums
In addition Magali vocal skills have been recognised enough for her to have been sought after for a number of other musical projects inclusive of the Ayreon project 01011001 and Bas Maas's (formerly guitarist of After Forever) new band of RockJustice.
MySpace : http://www.myspace.com/magali_luyten
(Q)During the process of forming Virus IV how long did it take to find Renault (Van Oeyen), Christopher (Babin) and François (Brisk) and what ideally were you looking for when auditioning band members?
(A)Initially it began with just Samuel (Arkan) and myself and it took about a year to find these other members. In terms of what we were looking for we considered our priorities to be finding good musicians with similar musical tastes and the ability to comprehensively play together while recording and on the stage.
(Q)What first attracted you to Virus IV and their specific style of music?
(A)Essentially we wanted to move away from the Progressive Rock/Metal Genre because of our previous band, Over Us Eden, which I felt was a lot more complicated whereas Virus IV gives more possibilities for melodies and is more suitably geared to performing live.
(Q)How would you describe 'Dark Sun' for those people who haven't yet heard this album?
(A)I would say that 'Dark Sun' is an album with songs about situations in life and the lyrics can have related meaning if you wish to read them. I also think that the album's title of 'Dark Sun' is reflective of the dark feel to the metal sound.
(Q)Who would you consider as your influences, and to what extent do you think their style reflects in Virus IV?
(A)There's really too many to list but I like singers like Russel Allen, Jorn Lande, Freddy Mercury, Bruce Dickinson, Annie Lennox or Skin (Skunk Anansie). I never felt this good since I don't compare myself to anyone. Though, I've found out that to copy singers you like while practicing, you can find things out about yourself and what your voice might be capable of, which of course can easily translate into your chosen musical style.
(Q)I read a description of your vocal talent which said "Voice of an Angel and the Vocal Power of a Metal God", what are your thoughts on this?
(A)That was written by a friend of mine called Jaime Vendera and I think it is an incredible compliment.
I try to keep my feet on the ground but I'm proud of my ability to contrast my singing voice, for example being able to 'shout'
and also being able to make use of melodies when I sing. That's what I like most in singers, when they use contrasts.
(Q)You recently colloborated on 2 songs on the Ayreon album 01011001 with Floor (Jansen), Robert (Soeberbroek), Peter (Vink) etc.
What do you have to say about this and your stage appearance at the album launch party?
(A)I think that it was a wonderful experience as Arjen Lucassen is a wonderful musician and a wonderful human being. When performing on stage with Floor I thought that our voices combined well into a nice mixture, in addition I found the Ayreon fans to be nothing short of sincere and honest.
(Q)As you think that your voice combined well with Floor Jansen's, in theory would you welcome the opportunity to work with her again in the future?
(A)Of course I would in the future but not right now as we both are busy working on our own projects at this time.
(Q)So, moving onto RockJustice, how did that come about?
(A)Bas Maas had this project in mind for years but, because of his committment to After Forever it had to be put on hold. When After Forever took a break, and later went their separate ways, the RockJustice project developed and required a vocalist. It was Floor who told Bas about me, the musical world often being a small one, and it was at the Ayreon album launch party when we initially met and discussed it and agreed to keep in touch. My own interest came from the fact I like RockJustice style of heavy metal.
(Q)You do seem to have a lot of projects running side-by-side : Virus IV, RockJustice etc, how do you manage to find the time?
(A)Admittedly it is sometimes pretty difficult but it is generally okay. I usually break it down by scheduling things as a matter of priority and take one thing at a time with sometimes short breaks in between.
For instance I
consider the projects I'm working on important but for me Virus IV is the priority as after all they are my band.
(Q)So you just mentioned Frameshift, and there is mention of this on your Myspace, what can you tell us about this?
Well this is a series of concept albums by Henning Pauly which has featured such vocalists as James Labrie (Dream Theater) and Sebastian Bach (Skid Row). My own contribution will be on a future Frameshift album called "The God Delusion" which will also feature Dan Swano (Nightingale). In terms of musical style I think it is best described as progressive rock/metal.
(Q)Moving onto to another project of yours I've read that you've also turned your hand to writing, what can you tell us about Raise Your Voice : 2nd Edition?
(A)This is a writing project by Jaime Vendera, I've already mentioned - a vocal coach who possesses the ability to shatter glass by the power of his voice. He asked a number of singers to contribute and my own contribution was about the power and passion of the voice when on stage.
When you practice it's very important to stay focused on technique so you can build up proper habits, but once on stage, you should forget about technique and just let yourself go ! For anyone interested this book can be purchased from :
http://www.raiseyourvoicebook.com/ryvbhome.html
(Q)So, about your voice coaching, what can you tell us about that and how much of your experience of performing on stage and recording plays a part in this?
(A)I could talk for hours about this, I love voice coaching and have been doing it for years.
Being an actual performer plays a part but teaching students is not a one-way street as you can also learn from students as every one of
them is different. For example if you try to imitate a 'bad sound' then you can identify what might be a whole new problem. Also at the moment I'm considering teaching students by webcam who don't live locally, outside of Belgium. A possible drawback of this might be I won't be able to teach students by physically pointing at or touching the parts of their body I think a problem might be coming from.
(Q)Thanks for taking the time for this interview. One last thing - do you have anything to say to fans which hasn't been covered?
(A)Try and find the time to listen to Virus IV online and if you like our music, think about buying the album instead of uploading it for free, the artists need you to continue making their music If you have the chance come to one of our gigs. Virus IV are an energetic live band and we promise
you'll enjoy yourselves ! Thanks for your time.
Rock on !!
Tue Apr 28, 2009 6:28 am
