We sat down with Neverland to talk their inspiration to write music, musical heroes and much more! Neverland let us know also about the type of music they listened to growing up as well as advice for musicians as well!
Interview:
What is your inspiration to write your music? Is it your surroundings?
I think writing music is about the moment. I am also aware that you have to make decisions. The musical influences, but also the current state of mind flow into these decisions, and the latter is of course also influenced by the personal environment. Furthermore, songwriting is a way for me to switch off and give free rein to my ideas. For example, I have a guitar riff on which everything starts. I record it and let it sink in for a while. From this, more riffs emerge until the song is finished in one skellet. At a later stage, I chisel out the details like a sculptor until the song appeals to me on all levels.
What type of music did you listen to growing up?
At school, I was 13 years old, we were a group of metalheads. We listened to music together, as it was normal at that time in 1990. When one of us had something new, he wanted to share it with the others. I think it was Iron Maiden, Manowar and King Diamond that excited my ears. I was magically drawn to this music. I then had different phases and styles which fascinated me. There was a time when I only listened to trash or death metal albums. Later it became more melodic and soft again. When I bought an electric guitar and got more and more involved with the guitar, I was fascinated by Joe Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen and all the other Shrapnel Records guitar virtuosos like Tony Macalpine and Paul Gilbert. During my music studies I also became interested in fusion Music.
Is there someone you looked up as a hero?
I have always differentiated it for myself. On the one hand, there were the guitar virtuosos like Joe Satriani, for example, who I liked very much from the musical as well as the technical aspect. Surfing with the Alien was and is a milestone for me when it comes to a solo album by an artist. Likewise Yngwie Malmsteen with his solo albums blew me away. Then of course there were bands like Metallica, Dream Theater, Royal Hunt and Symphony X, which are still inspiring for me today.
If you weren’t a musician, would you be doing today?
Then I probably would have become a policeman like my father was.
What advice do you have for our fans out there that want to create music?
When I was studying music at the ACM in Zurich, I was allowed to take private guitar lessons with Tommy Vetterli. During a break I asked Tommy how much of Coroner’s success had to do with coincidence or decisions on their part. I don’t remember every detail, but during the conversation it became clear to me that you should do what you love to do and do it with conviction! The rest will follow somehow.