There's a musical storm that has been conquering the power metal scene since 2010 - Winterstorm. With four albums released and a trajectory full of successes since their third work, "Cathyron," the band has not only gained international recognition but has also been frequently compared to renowned names such as Blind Guardian and Rhapsody.
Winterstorm's meteoric rise has been highlighted by memorable performances, including an unforgettable show at Wacken Open Air in 2012 and participation in the Heidenfest Tour in 2013. The five musicians are considered, by many critics, as the new hope of German power metal, bringing a refreshing approach to the metal scene.
With a clear focus on melody, Winterstorm incorporates distinct elements from various metal styles, offering a unique sonic experience. From Nordic influences of Viking and Folk Metal to powerful Power Metal, all of this finds a new shine in the band's epic and orchestral context.
In this exclusive interview, we delve into the band's history, from its origins in 2008 to the latest releases and achievements. Get to know the musicians behind the musical storm, discover the secrets behind their most recent albums, and find out what the future holds for Winterstorm.
We talked to Jochen Windisch, that is on the band since 2021 and tried to answer our questions as best as he could.
M.I. - You have a new album “Everfrost”. Can you tell me a little bit more about it?
Alex, our singer, is always reading about and talking about how we are destroying our planet and that's his biggest inspiration for writing. Basically, the whole album is about how we are destroying our planet and he made some comparisons to the Ice Age or fate of the Atlanteans. So, I think every song is about it.
M.I. - You released 5 singles from this album. Can you tell me a little bit more about the songs. What are they about? Was it difficult to choose which ones would be released?
We all made a little list with our favourites. And except for one, I think, it was obvious which ones to choose. So that was easy. I think it started with To the End of All Known the first single. That video is just some studio footage. And then that was followed by Future Times as another single. Silence was another single, Future times. And then we had the The Phoenix Died, which was with Elina from Leaves’ Eyes.
M.I. - So how did the fans react to the singles? Were they excited?
Oh yeah, great. We got a lot of private messages actually. Not only good ones, but mostly. But I think they really liked it. I mean it is kind of different from the previous album. I think that made it a little bit easier because, I think, if you listen to the really old stuff, it's a little bit more middle age inspired.
M.I. - How was the process of songwriting for this album? Who wrote the music and lyrics?
I actually joined the band quite late in the process, so “Michi” had already written all the music and Alex the singer wrote all the lyrics. That's kind of like the process since Cube of Infinity also. It’s simple but that's how it is. And, when I joined, I already was helping out when the previous guitar player couldn't do it. So, for me, it was quite easy to join the band full time. But as I said, the album was already written and I just did my lead part.
M.I. - What’s the meaning of the cover of the album? It's an ice crystal, right?
It's something pretty simple, but we all liked it. It doesn't look metal, but we quite enjoyed that. Could be a Christmas album, I guess. But it was the first idea and then we went with it.
M.I. - And who designed the cover for the album?
It was also “Michi”. He's the creative one. He does all the pictures and layouts.
M.I. - Can you tell me a little bit more about the band, how did you meet and what inspired the name of the band?
Oh, that's a tough one for me because I joined the band actually when COVID started. So not the best timing! But I heard the stories and it was really my pre predecessor, before the guy that I replaced, and Michi and they tried to find a great name and then one of the suggestions was Winterstorm.
M.I. - How did the collaboration with Elina Siirala happen in the song The Phoenix Died?
We made a list of people we would like to have and she was one of them. And then also Leaves' Eyes is also at AFM Records, so the same label as we are. And then it was quite an easy process. She was really cool. We just wrote her and she was really into it and sang in the studio. And then we also asked her to be on the video and she agreed. So that was quite easy and cool.
M.I. - What would best describe the sound of Winterstorm, in your opinion.
That new sound, I would say, is good mixture of our metal maybe with some symphonic elements, but I also really like the more rocky stuff on the new album. So, I would say especially feeling right in that direction, because maybe even a little bit more when it comes to the chorus a little bit more stadium rocky. Mostly the obvious changes were that we moved away from the middle-aged inspired stuff and tried to do it a little bit more modern.
M.I. - How do you feel about the online platforms to promote albums? Do you think it's a natural evolution of things?
From the motion perspective, it's cool because you can reach a lot of people in the app with just a mouse click. Financially, not so much. But we all kind of agree. What do you want to do? You can't really do anything against this. We use it personally. Privately. We use Spotify. If you don't have a few million clicks, you basically make nothing but on the other side promotion wise it's cool, but I think that makes it even more necessary to play a lot of live shows.
M.I. - So have you got any plans to do a tour for this album?
Yeah, the plans are already going on, it's nothing I can talk about. And the new booking is working on our own shows, but it will all be this year.
M.I. - What are the expectations for the tour? A lot of people singing your songs?
Hopefully that's always cool. If it comes to something like supporting a bigger band. It's always about firstly, reaching all those people. So, you can play for a bigger audience than you can do yourself right now. Hopefully some will like it and come to our own shows where we play. A longer show. If that happens, what could you ask more?
M.I. - Usually, how are your concerts? Full of energy?
Oh, I hope it's full of energy. We at least are trying to. I think we have a lot of cool show elements. But I think we all are enjoying that. We aren't just standing there and play our stuff and then go home. Especially, for me, it always was about energy and a lot of movement and interaction with the audience and you also play better, I guess if the audience screams at you.
M.I. - And how was it to play live again after the pandemic? Because it was two years confined.
We had some COVID shows in Germany but, often, it was on a regular club, but there were beer banks, so like on and on and on and they are all sitting or standing on their banks. So that was interesting. And there we really realized how important it is to get the energy from the people. We were really thankful to play but they were just sitting and that was quiet. And we played in a festival in the Czech Republic, Rockcastle Festival. And then from Germany, 50 to 100 people sitting down to 2000 standing up and screaming at you was quite a difference.
M.I. - One last question, do you want to leave a message to your fans in Portugal?
Oh, actually, we never played there. If there are fans in Portugal, I think, the coolest thing would be to play for those guys at one point. That would be cool!
Listen Winterstorm, on Spotify
For Portuguese version, click here
Questions by Isabel Martins
