Interview: Once Upon a Dream

In April the Greek/German metallers of Once Upon a Dream released their debut EP, titled Cruciamentum. DutchMetalManiac’s Tim van Velthuysen recently interviewed them about it.

Hey, congratulations with your debut EP, Cruciamentum. It’s really nice.

Thank you, we hope our listeners will like it as well!

How does it feel to have your debut EP released?

We are very happy about it. It was our dream come true! We tried really hard and sometimes we can’t believe that it actually happened.

Cruciamentum was released in April when the Corona pandemic was already going on. Have you thought about releasing it later? And if so, what made you decide not to doing so?

Actually we wanted to release the album before the Corona pandemic, but unfortunately, the producing of the album took longer than expected, and when it reached the point of releasing, it was pretty late. The pandemic took us back; thus our album release was also delayed and ended in April. It’s just bad luck!

Cruciamentum pounds heavily but it also has its more melodic and atmospheric layers. How do you find the right balance between these things while being in the creation process?

Our band influences played a major role in that as well as the fact that we wanted to create beautiful songs for our listeners. We started as a metalcore band, but we wanted to evolve our sound. That’s why we kept the basic elements of metalcore along with the brutal vocals and added clean vocals with melodic elements such as the piano. Basically, we wanted to add more djent elements; we are big fans of the genre!

I also like the artwork, which is made by Giannis Nakos. What made him the right person for this job?

We saw his artwork online and we were amazed. We found that one of his artworks was the right one for us. He is a very inspirational artist and that made him the right person for us.

Is there a story behind the artwork, and if so, can you tell us a little bit more about it?

I can only tell you our interpretation of the artwork and why it suits so well to the theme of our album. The real story behind the artwork will be known only by the artist, sorry!

Let’s start with the title of our album. Cruciamentum means soul torment in Latin. Our whole album is based on the stages of grief of losing someone you loved. Even our songs are put in a specific order for our listeners. They start with denial, depression, and end with “my last words”. It may not sound very hopeful, but in the end, the realization comes, and this is the hope that things will get better.

The artwork shows a lady grieving, drowned in darkness. Her soul is tormented because she was betrayed, left alone by the one she loved. The flamingos though in the artwork, show that there is hope for her. Flamingos are birds that symbolize protection; they are loyal and protect their loved ones. That’s why they are shown to rise next to her, coming out of her darkness.

In the end, there is hope.

You released Cruciamentum via Alcyone Records. What makes them the best record label for Once Upon a Dream at this moment?

It was a great start for us in Alcyone Records because they believe in our music and support us.

They are the right record label for us because they want what’s best for our band and always try to help us in any way they can.

In April, you announced that Once Upon a Dream had parted ways with some members. What was the reason for that?

There were several reasons. Some didn’t want to be musicians anymore, and some left due to family reasons.

How is it going with the search for new members?

We are lucky to have found new members that are full of ideas for new songs!

You’re not posting very actively on social media. Is there a reason for that and, if so, what’s the reason for that?

The latest months have been a bit hard for us due to the pandemic, but we have focused on making new songs for our first full-length album. We also work in some new videoclips for our Cruciamentum ep; thus, unfortunately, we ended up being very inactive in our social media.

You stated #fulllengthontheway on your Instagram. What can we expect from this full-length?

Quite a different sound! Our new material has a progressive djent sound, and we hope you will like it!

And do you already have any idea of when we can expect it?

That will be a surprise! It will be different but very beautiful. I assure you!

Can we expect some Once Upon a Dream shows as soon as the Coronavirus measures are less tight? Maybe coming to The Netherlands?

The future doesn’t look good for live concerts at the moment but hopefully yes. At least that’s what we want the most. We would love to come to The Netherlands, that’s for sure!

Since this time is a difficult time for many people, is there anyone you want to give a shout-out?

Not anyone specifically, but we would like to tell everyone to be patient, stay healthy, always wear a mask, and protect themselves in situations like this. Things will get better, don’t lose hope.

Thanks for your answers! Is there anything you want to say to our readers?

Thank you for the interview! Stay strong, keep calm, and always listen to music! Music is the best company in situations like this; it helps you from going crazy. Don’t stop loving what you do!

Once Upon a Dream Facebook
Once Upon a Dream Instagram