Melissa Ferlaak

AM : Melissa, Can you introduce yourself ? how were you recruited, how did you meet wit the band the first time ?

Melissa : Hello and thanks for the interview! I was introduced to VoA through Ashmedi of Melechesh who put my name out there to Napalm. I feel very lucky to have him as a friend and colleague because I feel he saved my sanity when it needed saving. I had basically hit a point with my former band that I needed a change and I wanted to have a more active creative role in the music of which I was singing.
The first time I actually met the band face to face was about four months after joining and sending numerous emails back and forth. We got together for our first tour which was the Romantic Darkness tour. I hadn’t really believed in fate before that point, but after meeting them, it was as if the cosmos lined up. The instant connection we all had was remarkable, as if we had known each other much longer than we had.

AM : The band is split in two parts, one in Europe and another in the USA, how do you manage this, internet helps a lot for sure, but to repeat, it's still a problem, no ?

Melissa : The internet has become our main tool for making this all happen. I think the world becomes a much smaller place thanks to this. I also traveled a lot last year to Europe…seven times in total, so I was actually over in Europe as much as I was here in the US.

AM : Do you have a good feedback froom the States, or is it better in Europe ?

Melissa : It is hard to tell at this point as we haven’t yet solidly released the album in the US. I know now with the personal connection we have to this side of the world as well as with the tour coming up, we will have a better idea this year of the feedback. But so far, everyone who I’ve talked to has been very excited that my boys are coming!

AM : The new album is a logical follower of "Cast away", i think the main improvement is in the songwriting, did you especially focus on this, how ?

Melissa : Our focus was on bringing in the three new influences of the three new members, together with the old sound of VoA. We didn’t want to alienate our existing fan base, because that would be a bad thing to do. But we also wanted the music to be reflective of what represents each of us. Another shift in direction is that all of us actually put creative energy into this album, which was different from past albums (and other bands in this genre) who only have one guy compose and the rest act as puppets.
There's also much diversity in songs, strong uptempo songs to heartbreaking balads...
Because there is such diversity in emotions and experiences in our lives. We wanted to create a truly human album, one that people can relate to on a personal level. And being human means experiencing a full range of life.

AM : Melissa , Tuomas Holopainen calls you and ask you to join Nightwish , what's your reaction and answer ?

Melissa : Sorry, busy. ;) Honestly, I’m just not interested in giving up my creative role and going from musician to singer again. That is why I left my former band…why on earth would I go back to that?

AM : The dual vocals are perfectly balanced and complementary, and also better than on previous cd, how did you work on this ?

Melissa : I think a lot of that had to do with just sheer luck. Mario and I have very different voices, but for some reason, are very complimentary. I think at the same time, Mario and I were both allowed to sing how we felt the most comfortable and sing lines which we actually wrote. It is amazing how a personal connection to something can really help bring something to life.

AM : What are the themes used in the lyrics, what is Visions of Atlantis about ?

Melissa : The water/sea theme was more based on mythology in previous albums, whereas with this album it is more of a metaphorical element. Topics are a broad range lyrically. But are primarly based on personal experiences/emotions, philosophy and profound thought. THAT is where we find our inspiration. There is a lot of symbolism and imagery within the lyrics and I hope that evokes some response from our listeners. And the symbol of Atlantis, which symbolizes Hope, is also a prevalent theme.

AM : Were was this album recorded ?

Melissa : We were so lucky to record with Jan Vacik at Dreamscape Studios in Munich. Again, fate played out here I think because he was exactly, EXACTLY what we needed to truly make this album shine.

AM : What do you plan in the next months ?

Melissa : We will be playing an exclusive appearance at the Masters of Rock Festival in the Czech Republic in July and then the North American tour. After that we are planning on a European Tour.

AM : I let you the last words, thanks a lot for your time !

Melissa : Thank you very much Eric!! And thanks to everyone out there!