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LUKE APPLETON

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Deze jonge man behoeft al lang geen introductie meer, we komen hem normaal gezien meerdere keren per jaar tegen, maar door de gekende situatie is dat nu al weer veel te lang geleden, waardoor we beslisten hem eens qua interview aan de tand te voelen. Over Iced Earth wou hij niks kwijt en dat is wat hem betreft een afgesloten hoofdstuk, maar sowieso had hij nog genoeg nieuws om mee te delen!

Written by Nico

LUKE APPLETON

So Luke, that's been a while we normally see each other a few times a year, this feels weird! How are you man?

I am doing ok man, its good to speak with you once again! The last 12 months+ have been a rollercoaster, but overall things are looking good and the future is looking bright! (fingers crossed)


Must feel weird not to tour and play for an audience? How do you spend your days?

It is a very strange feeling not being able to play my guitar/bass in front of a live audience, its something I miss terribly! The day we get back on the road will be a very happy time! During my days since March 2020 I've been working on a lot of things in my personal life, moving into a new home, doing all of those jobs you always want to do but never 'have any time' for. Lockdown gave me that time, whether it was fixing up my home, the garden, working out etc. Not the most rock n roll answer I know haha! In terms of music, the saving grace has been my online live stream performances. This is the closest thing to a live performance I've been able to do since the pandemic hit and it really has kept my mind occupied and my fans entertained. I have had some wonderful experiences and the fans have been really enjoying them. I plan on streaming online again at the end of April 2021 featuring some very special guests! 


Absolva released a new album and a live album in 2021, and I have a feeling  the sixth studio album will follow soon aswell? ??

You are not wrong! Absolva's 6th studio album is definitely on the way and we have dropped the odd teaser in interviews here and there and we believe this album is going to be released some time in 2021. Luckily, something the pandemic has failed to take away is our ability to write and create music, in fact, it has given us even more time to work on new material! We believe we are working on some of the best music we have created so far and are very excited to get the first single out there (whenever that will be). 


How do you look back on your first solo album and did it do? Happy with ho wit turned out and the reactions?

My solo album "Snake Eyes" is arguable the release I am most proud of! I love playing in bands and having a democracy about the songs, tours and the general way the band is going to do things, however, with my acoustic project and Snake Eyes it was a really nice feeling not having to answer to anyone but myself! "Snake Eyes" is 100% Luke Appleton. In a way, I made the perfect album for me haha! I am very pleased that so many people enjoyed the record too. I am the first to realise that it may not be everyone's cup of tea, as if you compare it to any of the bands I have worked with in the past, it is quite different! No matter how much I call it 'acoustic metal' it's still an acoustic album and I can understand why some people are not as into it as a heavy or thrash metal album. Nevertheless, in terms of musical structure and lyrical content, I couldn't be prouder! 


Any plans for a second one? Will it be acoustic again?

There will definitely be a 2nd Luke Appleton acoustic album! My process with "Snake Eyes" was far too enjoyable to not do a 2nd record. I have already begun writing songs, I have a concept in mind, however it is not set in stone just yet. The wonderful thing is, I am in no rush to finish it. Seeing as I am so busy with Absolva's 6th studio album, touring with Blaze Bayley and my other collaborations online with various artists, there isn't a huge amount of time for me to dedicate to a new acoustic album...yet! In my mind, I really want to make an album as good as/if not better than  "Snake Eyes". I intend on experimenting with different sounds, effects and include more bass and drums on the next one. I'd also like to involve more special guest singers & guitarists. It's going to be a very fun and interesting experience!


For I see you have been keeping busy, some fun project with your good friend Rishi, anything serious coming from it, or do you rather keep it fun?

Rishi is one of my best friends! I've known him for well over 10 years now and our friendship just grows and grows every time we speak to each other. I believe I first started collaborating with Rishi in 2019. I had a couple of acoustic shows in Belgium booked and I brought Rishi as special guest guitarist. I was amazed by the sounds we could make together and have tried to involve him with my acoustic project as much as possible ever since! We are also collaborating in a project called 'The Bearded Axe Slingers' which is an online collaboration with our good friend Will Reece. Both Rishi & Will were guitar players in UK metal band 'Babylon Fire'. The Bearded Axe Slingers is purely for fun and to express our love for music and pay respect to our favourite bands and artists by covering some of their classic tunes online. We recently made a cover video of the song 'Orion' by Metallica to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the "Master of Puppets" album. 

https://www.facebook.com/TheBeardedAxeSlingers/

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3jXsTWVssE&ab_channel=LukeAppleton

 

 You recently moved from Bristol to Birmingham, to be closer to the family?

Yes I moved to Birmingham with my partner Becky in late 2020. I was born and raised in Manchester, UK so yes, moving to Birmingham from Bristol brings me about 2 hours closer to my hometown. It's cool living in Birmingham. It's well known for being the 'home of heavy metal' and I am glad to be a part of it. I have always enjoyed moving to different cities. There is a feel of independence about it and experiencing something different that I like very much.


I see you guys are making touring plans for Absolva & even Blaze... Guess way to early for fort he European mainland right now as everything is still crappy here!

Yes we recently announced a UK tour for the back end of 2021 which was an incredible feeling to announce! I am definitely ready to play a show again!!! Unfortunately, due to the pandemic and Brexit we are waiting for the right time to return to Europe. We always love touring Europe, however there is so much uncertainty at the moment we would rather just wait a little bit longer until we know exactly what we can & cannot do. 


Have you noticed any negative effects from the Brexit, heard more and more people quit ordering due to the insane taxes...

I am yet to hear anything positive about Brexit. I try not to get involved with politics too much, as I believe its rather soul draining, however, Brexit is something that is affecting so many people, especially those who intend to work overseas. There are a lot of unanswered questions and the sooner they get answered the better! All I can say to our fans across the globe is that we always encourage you to buy directly from the band from our website www.absolva.com as this will support us the most and help progress the band further. However, you should research and be aware of these tax charges as they seem to differ from country to country and then you can make your final decision from there. 


Anything left to ask mate?

I would like to tell you about this wonderful collaboration I am involved with called 'UK Metal Merger'. This is a group of musicians from various bands such as Cradle of Filth, My Dying Bride, Absolva, Xentrix, Pythia, Kill II This, Divine Chaos and more. We are collaborating together to help the technicians and crew members of the UK return to the music industry when the time comes. We have a 12 minute epic song entitled 'In Solitude' scheduled to be released on 4th May. You can check out the teaser on sound cloud NOW! (see link below):

https://soundcloud.com/user-822918627

To donate to this amazing cause you can visit the link below: 

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ukmetalmerger?fbclid=IwAR3zOLfS97k-_k0zakhR8ckVZIYtUYNQ6nor_OBTldhEu1toUtqCZXzOl_8

Finally, I would like to thank the fans out there for their continuous support with the various projects I am involved with...it will never be forgotten! 

Thank you,

Luke

 

 

 

 

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