Recently, ELEINE was announced as a support act to the mighty KAMELOT, along with MYRATH and LEAGUE OF DISTORTION. The band hasn’t exactly been sitting still during 2022, having signed a record deal and releasing an acoustic EP. We talked with Madeleine and Rikard about how 2022 has been as part of ELEINE. Read the complete interview below…
In 2022, you got signed to Atomic Fire Records and released an acoustic EP. What sort of other goals did you have musically and do you overall feel 2022 was a productive year for you?
Madeleine: During the entire year, alongside recording the actual acoustic EP, making 3 music videos for the singles and everything else included in releasing music – we have written our next full-length album set to be released in 2023. It has been a very productive year, with more to come in 2023.
Rikard: Yes, the signing to Atomic Fire Records is a huge milestone for us. We really feel at home with them and are excited to continue our work there.
Due to the pandemic break, many bands started to pick up touring again in 2022. ELEINE also had a tour. What was it like to be on tour again post-pandemic times and how did you prepare yourselves for it?
Rikard: This is what we live and breathe, it felt like being suffocated when there was no possibility to tour and there was no end in sight for the pandemic. So yeah, it felt amazing being back and doing what we do best. We never stopped preparing, during the entire pandemic we continued our rehearsals as usual. Both to be ready and to keep the fire burning.
What was the biggest lesson you drew from transforming your music into acoustic arrangements?
Rikard: I don’t really know if there was a lesson for us as such. We did this acoustic spin-off EP as a one-time thing all because we were invited as a special guest to SONATA ARCTICA’s Acoustic Adventures tour. It was a challenge for sure, a challenge we gladly took head-on. I know one thing though, you can absolutely head bang to acoustic metal.
Besides the record deal and the tour, did you have any other highlights in 2022 that you would like to share?
Madeleine: We have started to work with new people on our team. Everything from new booking agencies for different territories, but we also hired a fantastic girl to help us out with our own merchandise store. Feels great to start building our own web store even more and it is all possible thanks to our dedicated fans.
Rikard: There is so much going on behind the scenes at camp ELEINE, it’s hard to grasp! Our patrons at Patreon get to know loads of all that stuff, but some things we can’t even share with those closest to us.
Have you personally (re-)discovered any (new) music during 2022?
Madeleine: I stream every Tuesday on Twitch – even on tour actually even if [they are] shorter sessions – and I have a segment in my streams which is based on my viewers sending suggestions of old- or new music videos they want me to look at and react to. Personally, I am slow to discover new music, but that’s why I have this thing on my Twitch also. Because I want to discover more, and so I truly have.
I have discovered GAEREA, DEFACING GOD, MEPHORASH, and STRIGOI to mention a few. I’ve been digging deeper into LORD OF THE LOST, LORNA SHORE, and again been impressed by RAMMSTEIN.
Rikard: And I stream every Friday on Twitch, but it really is on Madeleine’s channel [that] I also discover new music [laughs].
What can we expect from Eleine in 2023?
Madeleine: Our next full-length album and everything included in it. We are going on tour supporting KAMELOT alongside MYRATH and LEAGUE OF DISTORTION, and we are looking forward to this a lot. It is a great tour package and we are convinced it will be an experience for our fans.
Article by Laureline Tilkin
