By Rosine Alleva- Rock At Night EU Editor
Rainover is an established Spanish gothic and doom metal band formed in Murcia in 2003, known for blending 90s atmospheric sounds with heavy modern production. The band is led by the powerful, operatic female vocalist Tatiana Martinez and occasionally features harsh male vocals. The Murcia-based band, led by composer and keyboardist Arturo Hernández, has begun performing live after releasing their fourth studio album, *Between Dream And Nightmare*. The album, entirely created by Arturo after his split from his former bandmates, was quite a difficult process. But the result of his work, added with two videos “Face to Face” and “Coma” is surprising and amazing. After seeing Rainover on stage in Murcia, we spoke with Arturo, the band’s founder, just a few days before their concert in Madrid.
Interview:
RAN– Good afternoon, Arturo.
Arturo– Good afternoon, how are you?
RAN– It’s a pleasure to have you on the line for this interview.
At your last concert in Murcia, since Tatiana was sick, Elena, a young singer, stepped in. Seeing her on stage with the band was a very successful debut! Congratulations on filling in for Tatiana on such short notice. What do you think of her?
Arturo– Well, the truth is, yes, we were very lucky because, you see, Elena likes the band, she’s a fan and on Wednesday we had a rehearsal with Tatiana, but she couldn’t sing well. Then on Thursday, Tatiana decided not to sing for the concert in Murcia on the next Saturday; as she wasn’t feeling well. So, on Thursday night, I contacted this girl. I suggested her to learn ten songs. On Thursday night, all day Friday, and we rehearsed Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. We knew the songs, the melodies, but she was reading the lyrics off a tablet. And she saved the concert because she was able to sing the setlist, and of course, it would have been a disaster to cancel it because that would have had financial repercussions for us, the band, and the people who had already bought tickets and wanted to see both bands, right? (Embellish, Spanish band from Barcelona, played before Rainover) And honestly, it was a miracle because it’s very hard to find someone who sings this music in English and has a good voice and can hit the notes, all on the same day, it’s almost impossible. Yes, she saved the day!
RAN– That was almost my second question, because I read in another magazine that you said Murcia isn’t exactly a city with a lot of gothic metal musicians. Is that why you’ve had some lineup changes since the release of your latest album, “Between Dreams and Nightmares”?
Arturo– Well there are musicians in Murcia, but when it comes to people who actually like gothic metal, there aren’t many. But anyway, the reason I’ve been changing musicians since I recorded the album is that some of the musicians who recorded it just wanted to record the album and that was it. They didn’t want to go on tour afterward, or there were personal issues with some of them, but that’s just life, right? For personal reasons, since I’m the one running the project and these are my songs, I can just keep going by switching out the musicians. The thing is, I would really like to have a stable lineup once we finish the tour, so we can take new photos, record another album, and find people who are committed to doing it all, and keep the project going you know? So, it is hard to find musicians who play this style, but the songs on our latest album are more commercial, more modern, with electronic elements, and more danceable. I think any musician from Murcia who likes rock in general or electronic music or modern commercial music might enjoy playing these songs, right? It’s easier to find musicians now with the kind of music on the latest album. The style isn’t a very niche form of gothic metal, like the gothic metal of the ’90s.
RAN– Okay, that’s great. Speaking of Tatiana, I hope she gets better. It’s indeed not easy to find a good singer. How did you discover Tatiana, and what were your criteria for selecting a singer, for example?
Arturo– Well, when I was recording a song for the album, I already had a singer who only recorded one song and then, halfway through recording it, she left me hanging. She said, “I have to go because I got a call from somewhere…I don’t know.” So, Tatiana had been a friend of mine for 15 or 20 years, since before college, and I hadn’t spoken to her in three years because she had her life and I had mine. So I called her and asked if she wanted to re-record that song “Face to Face” from our latest album. Well, she said yes, and then, when I told her we were going to record an album, she said she wanted to join the band. So she recorded the album. Right now Tatiana has fully recovered; she’s going to perform in Madrid and she’s going to put on a great show. It’s true that it was difficult. If Tatiana had said no, I don’t know what singer I would have found. There aren’t many singers in Murcia or the surrounding area who perform this kind of music in English and have a lyrical range like the singers in this genre, who have a somewhat operatic style.
RAN– Tatiana’s coming to Madrid, ok. You still have two singers now. What’s going to happen?
Arturo– Well, we have Tatiana and the other one as a backup. Elena filled in at a concert, but right now, the band’s singer is Tatiana.
RAN– Can you introduce us to the rest of the musicians you have now?
Arturo– Ramón, the bassist, is with us; he’s committed to playing the remaining shows and plans to stay with the band. But he’s from Castellón, which is far away, so he comes for rehearsals and shows, and it’s a bit difficult. As for the guitarists, well, since the guitarist left due to personal issues, I’ve been bringing in different guitarists, a different one has shown up for every show. On Saturday Mario came, the one before him was named Tom, and this coming Saturday a guy named David is coming. As for the guitarist, someone is training to be a permanent guitarist, but we haven’t played everything with him yet. The drummer, Jamie, joined us recently, and for now he’s accompanying us to the concerts. And then, it’s the same thing, there are musicians who, until they see that the band is working, might not decide to stay or continue. It depends a lot on the project’s plans, doesn’t it? And you already know Tatiana the singer; I’m Arturo, the keyboardist. Well, there’s also Doyo, who recorded the growls on the album, the male vocals. Doyo is a friend who does collaborate on concerts around here as he’s from Murcia, and he’s going to come and sing to the two festivals we have this summer, in Portugal and the Czech Republic,
RAN– Okay, so you’re the keyboardist and the songwriter. How do you work, and how did you compose the songs on the latest album?
Arturo– Well, I have a keyboard, a piano, and a keyboard that can record drums, guitars, and guitar sounds created on the keyboard, and it can record the melody and everything, it can even record your voice. I recorded all the songs for the album myself first and I sang them myself. First, I work on the music and the melody by singing and recording on my phone melodies that come to me, compositions and then, once the songs are finished, I write the lyrics, fit the lyrics in, then I record them with my voice. Then I pass those songs on to the rest of the band; we choose the key, because my key isn’t the same as Tatiana’s, Tatiana sings higher, lower. Once the key is set, she sings and learns them, So I have a lot of songs saved on my keyboard; in fact, there are songs on the album that were already written back in 2009 or 2008, or 2010. I mean, some of them are really old and others are new, but I have many! I like to write music, and out of maybe 70 songs, there are about 20 that are good.
RAN– The latest album has 10 different stories. How did you write them? What inspired you?
Arturo– Oh, yeah, yeah, the album has a central theme, it’s kind of like a collection of short stories. They’re mystery stories, like those gothic novels, a compilation of 10 stories. In each one, the protagonist always starts out as if they’re in a dream, something pleasant, and then suddenly the situation gets complicated and it turns into a nightmare. Because the main character has to learn something so he can get back on track. It’s just like life itself, isn’t it? We all go through tough times, but those tough times are always there to teach us something valuable, right? To help us get back to what we really needed to figure out. So every song on the album is about that, it’s a story. For example, “Coma”, if you’ve seen the music video, it’s about a similar story. It’s like the girl who’s in a coma is comfortable, let’s say it takes place in the future. On the other side of life, they’re in the future, they’re at war, so she doesn’t want to wake up. Well, if I tell you, I’ll be spoiling it, so I’d rather not. Yes, it’s kind of a tribute to those novels… those with several stories in it, like Edgar Allan Poe or Robert Louis Stevenson.
RAN– As for music, what are your influences? For example, when I listen to “Face to Face”, as you mentioned, it’s a pretty catchy song with a melody that’s easy to sing along to. It’s the one that stuck in my head for two days after Saturday’s concert.
Arturo- Well, I used to listen to ABBA, for example, for their catchy melodies. I listened to a lot of punk rock, especially in the beginning. Punk rock tunes that are also catchy. Soundtracks, especially the music, the orchestrations in all those movie soundtracks, the pianos playing, the violins. And mostly melodic and commercial bands. In the end, all those melodies just come to you, the kind of melodies that really stick with you. I also started listening to dance music, 90s dance music, which also had very catchy melodies, along with electronic music and electronic beats. I don’t know if you remember that era of ’90s dance music with its electronic sound that became really popular, we called it “bakalao” here. Back then, I had a mix of many different styles in my head. Then I got into metal. But I’ve never really liked the typical metal, like Foo Fighters, Iron Maiden, all that stuffI I’ve always liked bands with female vocals, you know? Like Nightwish, Back in the late ’90s, I started buying Nightwish albums. I taught myself how to play the synthesizer and how keyboard layers worked, I was completely self-taught, you know. For example, there’s a band called “Today For” from Finland who also incorporates electronic elements. Their sound is kind of sad and melancholic, a bit like gothic metal, but with an electronic twist. Well, that’s why I started listening to different kinds of metal, but especially stuff with orchestral arrangements, classical elements, and female vocals, whether operatic or more modern. I think above all, that commercial music with female vocals. Do you remember Roxette, I’ve always liked that, and I didn’t care if it was heavy metal, or rock, or whatever. I’m really passionate about the raw vocals of those boom rock bands with female singers. I wouldn’t say there’s one specific style that influenced me, but rather many musical experiences, many different styles.
RAN– I read in another interview that you were also influenced by artists like Jean-Michel Jarre.
Arturo: Yeah, yeah, the soundtrack “Magnetic Fields, Part 2” for the “Tour de France” cycling race. I used to listen to those songs with piano and electronic music back in the ’80s or ’90s when I was just a kid, you know.
RAN– How would you describe the music on your latest studio album “Between Dream And Nightmare”? It’s a pretty diverse mix of electronic music, symphonic metal, and gothic rock. How would you describe your music in general?
Arturo– Well, I think the album is like a spontaneous compilation of all the best songs I’ve had lately, because before, this band, I founded it in 2003 with someone else, it was always a band that was heavily influenced by everyone else, and in the end, I had a vision of what I wanted, a pretty different direction, not like I was going down a completely different path, because there are other people out there. For example, on the previous album, “Nox”, there were 11 songs and maybe one or two were fast, the rest were kind of doom, very slow ’90s gothic metal. I wanted to do something more upbeat, something faster, more energetic, something that would be a lively concert, not a boring one, more commercial and more for everyone so people could have a good time at the show. I think that’s the direction I wanted to go in, that’s what I’ve managed to achieve with this album.
RAN– How did you deal with the challenges of stabilizing the band after the former members left?
Arturo– Well, I founded the group in 2003, and together with others, I gradually brought in more musicians. The thing is, the last lineup was a disaster. Everything was democratic, we all chipped in money, we never played live, we put out an album and didn’t perform it, and I had a fight with one of them, a dialectic conflict. It took a while because I just couldn’t take it anymore. I mean, it was something I’d created; I’d written most of the songs. My mistake was sharing the copyrights with them. And now the songs are theirs too, so I said “I’m going to keep going with the project, with the Rainover brand; bring in new musicians and I’ll pay them myself; in other words, I’ll pay for the album, the tour, and everything; I’m taking care of it because that’s how I do things my way; it works better. It’s true that I spent many years with them, and yes, all of a sudden, I’ve changed musicians. But there comes a point when I don’t care, what I want is to keep making my music, playing, putting out albums. The best thing is to have a goal and not let anyone hold you back. Now I hope to stabilize the band by October, because it’s true that it’s getting tiring having to teach the songs to different musicians. Anyway, the band has a long history, and besides, right now I’m using my brand, which I’ve registered and the old members keep using it! They say they’re going to release an album, and it’s just crazy, because they don’t release anything, they don’t do anything!! The only thing they’re doing is confusing people. I own the brand, they should just change their name!
RAN– Actually what first came to my mind with the title of your album “Between Dream and Nightmare” was that it referred to your relationship with the band’s name, the problem you were going through…
Arturo– “Between Dream and Nightmare” is what every song is about, it doesn’t have anything to do with the other band. It’s true that right now the band is like caught between a dream and a nightmare, because we started out recording an album, it was a total dream and now, for me, it’s a nightmare. I’ve already experienced sharing royalties, sharing music…And it didn’t go well for me, so I think it’s about finding the right formula, but of course, when the band starts making money, I think people stick around because they see the money, right? I want to try to find musicians who don’t care about that, people who want to enjoy the music, play around. A lot of people work in the morning, and in the afternoon focus on music. There are people who make a living from this, but I don’t think this band is in a position to do that right now.
RAN– Have you ever thought about starting over with a different name?
Arturo– Well, no! I did think about it, but I founded it in 2003 when this band used to be called the Remembrances , and I’ve written a lot of music…Out of pride, I think out of pride, just to be a pain, we, all the members of that band, said “since we have to change the name, let’s call it Rainover” We said that the first album belonged to Rainover’s discography, and I practically made that first album all by myself. So, that was the first building block. When the old members say the band started in 2011, when it changed its name, that’s a lie; I started the project in 2003! They’re the ones who need to change their name! Anyway, they’ll get tired of it all eventually.
And besides, I think that whoever puts up the most money here, whoever invests in advertising, puts on concerts, releases albums, and gets media coverage, that’s the band people are going to recognize. Yeah, for sure.
RAN– Let’s talk about the future. You’re heading to Madrid, then to Portugal for a big festival, and after that to Czechoslovakia. One question: what about the Scandinavian countries? Because Finland is where your latest album was mixed. Wouldn’t it be great to play at a festival in the Scandinavian countries?
Arturo– When we were recording the album, I did reach out to Finland and looked into the festivals there. And I’ve sent in my application to play at festivals. In Finland there’s one called Dark River. But anyway, for now we’re going to these two big festivals, but I’d love to play over there, and in Norway, or Sweden, at any festival. I’m up for it. Seriously, though, if you’re bringing musicians, you have to cover the accommodation, travel expenses, and all that costs money. Right now it’s going to be hard, it’s complicated.
RAN– Well, best of luck in Madrid and for the festivals in Portugal and Czech Republic. Looking forward to seeing you again soon on stage and talking about those festivals!
Arturo– Okay. Thank you very much.
Order album Between Dream and Nightmare here
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From Belgian and Italian parents, I grew up with music, dance and big fun! I love singing since I'm a little girl, I still am, haha. When I was 14, I saw my first concert: T-Rex. Later it was FrankZappa, Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Fela, Canned Heat, Little Feat, Bonnie Raitt, Earth, Wind and Fire ....
I dreamed to have a chat with each of them 😀 Before interviewing bands, I used to sing (and still do) and met lots of great musicians. I had the chance to be the support band to Joe Cocker in 2007. I love to communicate and meet people (Italian blood).
Working for magazine, a few years ago, l met José Oliveira! We were working at the same festival in Colmar. 2 people from the South with the same passion just recognized each other...and we stayed in contact since then. Here I am! Enjoying concerts, covering interviews and articles with José for Rock at Night!!
