Hi Dmitry and Viktoria, how are you doing these days?
D: Good day to You too... well... I am a little bit stressed about life itself, but I think I can handle all this and one day will be able to move forward.
V: Hi Ed, I am perfect, like usually!!! =) Right now, I am waiting for my vacation. I wasn’t at home almost 4 months, so… I try to get energy to make music in Estonia!
Lets go back in history a bit, in 2007 you released the debut album “Love beyond Reach” how do you look back at it, did it bring you what you hoped for?
D: Lets be fair... I think it was a good beginning... nothing more and nothing less. I was really young those days and would I be able to travel in time, be sure I would go back and change everything... No, I am not telling that I've done something wrong, but I just can't say that I'm really happy with what and especially how I did it...
After the album you did quite some shows at several festivals, we saw the show at summer darkness and one later on. It showed Suicidal Romance grew a lot in the live shows, how do you look back on the live shows you did? Was it a big learning experience for you as well?
D: Yes, before Suicidal Romance I used to be on stage but only as a guitar player in a black metal band... It’s a little bit different experience, I would say. So with every SR live we tried to do or at least were trying to do something different. Sometimes we had great live shows... sometimes I was too nervous about everything, You know about what I'm talking... I'm always trying to get max experience from everything that life is throwing at me... and again. Yes, would I have a chance to go back... I would. But I think that I would look like a rat in the wheel… running round and round... always wanting to change something after some time...
V: When we released “Love beyond reach" album it was a very active musical period with concerts and creating the next album. Since that time we did a lot of work with the band and we are waiting for more concerts right now.
D: To get a response from Erasure itself? Hm... that would be great, but no. “A Kiss To Resist” was something I needed to do... I wasn't ready for a new album yet and I wanted to do something different... but after all it sounds almost the same as “LBR”... maybe with some tweaking there and there, but still nothing special... with covering Erasure I wanted to show some changes in SR's music... and I think that this is the only track that helped to show some difference...
After 2008 it was quite around Suicidal Romance. You are pretty open and honest on it. You had health problems because of alcohol and drug abuse, how do you look back on that period yourself? Did this happen because Suicidal Romance was suddenly a big thing?
D: Suicidal Romance never was a big thing. Maybe that's why I wanted to go wild and to be in my own world where everything would be different. Where I could be on one to one with my problems. I remember that those times I really wanted to do something new and that I had lots of ideas in my head but I could not realize them... it was like my hands stopped listening to me. I think that with all those drugs I just wanted to brake a block in my head that was responsible for keeping me from writing something that I've really wanted. So one day I've just lost myself... like I came back to a zero... a total restart for every feeling that I had. So I needed to start building new “me” right from the start. I've got lots of pills from my doctor and after some time started to write... That was a real shock for me as I had so much ideas I could not sleep... And as there was a new “me” now... I've found a way to start a new Suicidal Romance.
Viktoria, what did you do in 2008?
V: In 2008 we made an EP with Suicidal Romance, and I recorded vocals for other musical projects from Germany and Estonia, so… it wasn’t really a quiet time… I always have something to do in music.
D: As I have just told You... I was inspired to write music before all this happened, but I wasn't able to write what I wanted. Only after a restart, reboot... call it as You want it I was able to destroy all blocks and to became a more opened version of “me”.
Now the new CD “ shattered heart reflections” is released, is it some kind of autobiographical, at least the title? Why this title?
D: No... it’s not an autobiographical album. But yes, name somehow reflects what have happened. As I was a newborn I've started to live a new life and somehow lost all what was important to me last five years. I really don't know how all this have happened... it was just too fast. Of course it was after we called our album “Shattered Heart Reflections”, but I think already at this time me and Maarja K. knew that this is going to be an ending of our relationships.
The album shows a different style, away from the gothic sounds and more poppy. Before the recording of this album, did you have a clear idea of how you wanted it to be?
D: Yes, I had this idea for a longtime. I wanted to do something different. Something that I would have never done and something that would be unique for me. I've always wanted but I could not until now... I am a different person now... why should I stick to something that was somehow interesting for me years ago? I wanted a new beginning... a true reborn and a true new start for Suicidal Romance.
V: I hope we will get more fans and of course have more live show, which will be very different from old ones.
A really big role on this album is for Viktoria who is more in the front, singing most of vocals, how did this happen? Did you discuss this before?
D: Actually everyone did a really huge job on this album. Normally I was writing everything alone, but now I wanted it to be as different as it could be. So everyone was working on “SHR” and had their own part... and Viktoria, yes, I've always wanted her to be a lead singer... so that's why all songs are build around her...
V: I feel that I am playing a bigger role in Suicidal Romance. The change of style, adding more vocals… I am happy about that. I like the new style being more pop and less gothic. It worked out really well
D: Yes, this is the sound I have wanted to have from the beginning but never could realise it... and no, I would not stop on it now... right now I have even more ideas to make our sound more interesting and more unique... Let’s all just wait a little bit.
You also started a new band, Freakangel, which shows a harder side of you. Is that the reason why you started it, to express that side as well? How do you combine both bands in the future?
D: Yes, Freakangel. Well... we are all living in the strange time and in the strange world... and very often if not 24/7 I am getting sick of everything that is going on here. I wanted to have my own protest... and now I have it. There are no problems with combining two bands as they are really different... especially live.
V: It is very nice, what Dmitry started with Freakangel, I am really a fan of his new project and… I did some backings vocal for Freakangel as well.
What will be next for Suicidal Romance?
D: Guitars? :)
Any last words for the readers
D: “Shattered Heart Reflections” was released on 7.05.10... be sure to check it out.
V: Enjoy our new album and hope to see you at our concerts in Europe and other continents!!!
www.suicidal-romance.com
