On the final night of their UK tour I
spoke to Jill Janus, lead singer of Huntress, about her classical
music training, dogs and the theme of Huntress' new album!
How has the tour been going so far?
It has been fantastic! What a great bill, and we are just so excited to be on the road with Amon Amarth. Savage Messiah kicks ass too!
What is it like being on the road with them?
Well, you know, it feels like family. We have known Amon Amarth since we toured together on Mayhem Festival in the States back in 2013, so everyone just feels like family and we are very supportive.
How has the tour been going so far?
It has been fantastic! What a great bill, and we are just so excited to be on the road with Amon Amarth. Savage Messiah kicks ass too!
What is it like being on the road with them?
Well, you know, it feels like family. We have known Amon Amarth since we toured together on Mayhem Festival in the States back in 2013, so everyone just feels like family and we are very supportive.
Awesome! How does it feel to be
playing in Southampton tonight?
You know, I hear it is a real rager! I heard you guys know how to party so you had better freaking bring it!
How do crowds in England compare to crowds in America and other countries around the world?
You know, I hear it is a real rager! I heard you guys know how to party so you had better freaking bring it!
How do crowds in England compare to crowds in America and other countries around the world?
It really depends
on what the cities are like, y'know. They vary from city to city, but
metalheads, true metalheads, all over the world are very much the
same. They all have the same type of passion and you can see
throughout the world, as long as they love heavy metal you know they
are going to love true heavy metal.
How would you describe your music to
someone who has not heard it before?
We
are melodic heavy metal. I'm not easy listening heavy metal, you
won't see me in a god damn corset or singing faux-opera, y'know. My
background and my training is classical, which is the foundation for
my screams. We are melodic, through and through. True, old school
heavy metal, we have some of that in there. A little element of doom
and thrash and even black metal and some death vocals. But y'know it
is also tinged with theatre. Y'know I grew up on theatre, so you are
going to see elements of theatrical in there and that is kind of a
little bit of a hat-tip to Alice Cooper and King Diamond, and even
Rob Halford and Judas Priest.
If you were trained in opera then
what made you want to be in a metal band?
I
have always wanted to be in metal or rock! I mean from the time I was
thirteen years old I was obsessed with Suicidal Tendencies and Danzig
and The Misfits and King Diamond. So my mother was the one who really
encouraged me to stay true to opera and musical theatre because that
is what was just occurring then in the small town I lived in. That is
what I was doing and I won a scholarship to go to a school to study
opera and performing arts. It has just been a really interesting
journey for me. I have always wanted to sing, but now that I created
this world for myself and following my purpose. I could not be
happier!
What do you think that people should expect from a live show from you?
What do you think that people should expect from a live show from you?
To
be entertained! We are entertainment through and through.
What inspires you to continue writing and keep performing?
What inspires you to continue writing and keep performing?
Music
owns me! Ever since I was a very small child. Like I said, there has
never been anything else but music. So that is my purpose and there
is nothing else. And especially when Huntress started to gain
momentum and we started ascending within the ranks of metal it became
very clear that other ambitions would have to be abolished, so I am a
slave!
Have you had to deal with much sexism in the music industry or do you believe that the metal community is more accepting?
Have you had to deal with much sexism in the music industry or do you believe that the metal community is more accepting?
I don't really
pay attention! Again, part of living for your purpose is that you
don't really participate in outside opinions. I don't read reviews, I
don't ever allow myself to go on the internet to see what the trolls
are up to. So I am very, very careful about what other people think.
So I really do keep a very strict distance from all of that noise,
positive or negative so that it won't affect my path.
What are your favourite and least favourite things about touring?
What are your favourite and least favourite things about touring?
My
least favourite is leaving my dogs at home! If we are touring in
America then I can bring them with me, I can bring my little Annie
with my Anubis. She is a rescue, well all of my animals are rescues
and I am very involved in animal welfare and adoption and I just love
critters! And then the best thing is just feeling like you really are
achieving your goals in life. It is very rewarding to be here and
sometimes you can get wrapped up in this strange loneliness. Every
day kind of blends together and you just have to kind of step back
and see the big picture and realise that we are really fortunate to
be on the road with all the bands that choose us. So it is quite a
blessing!
What advice would you give to anyone
aspiring to become a musician?
Lessons!
Train yourself! Just don't go in blind, especially with vocals if you
want to be a metal vocalist. I am asked over and over again how do I
do it every night, night after night without losing my voice with the
rapid screaming, back into a clean voice, back and forth. It really
begins with training so get yourself in some serious vocal lessons
and even if you want to be a musician, get guitar lessons! It is just
about discipline. You have to be disciplined. You are not going to
achieve anything if you are not really focussed. I mean, that is
really the main rule for Huntress, it is vital to our existence, is
discipline.
What else do you have planned for 2015?
What else do you have planned for 2015?
Releasing that next
album! Our new record will be out this summer and we are touring,
touring, touring! We are writing and we are just having fun. Staying
sane! It is really important that I don't go crazy!
Have you finished writing the
album?
Yeah, we are
recording it. Actually, we are heading back after Amon Amarth just to
finish up a few things on it and then it will be handed over to
Napalm Records and to the masses.
Does it have a specific theme?
Does it have a specific theme?
Well, the
first three albums for Huntress, if anyone is a Huntress fan, they
would know that I talk about this a lot. It is dedicated to the
triple goddess. So the first three albums are a bit of a spiritual
journey for myself and a trilogy I would say. The first album 'Spell
Eater' is in the Maiden phase and the second album 'Starbound Beast'
is the Mother phase. So we are moving into the Crone phase and I
always say that she is evil and old and horny. So you are going to
get that viciousness on this third album with elements of doom and it
is the death phase. It is the dying phase, so you will feel that. It
is going to be heavy!
Listen to the interview here: https://soundcloud.com/juliaconopo/interview-with-jill-janus-from-huntress
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