Great Interview with Hellfire. As it is in German, we decided to translate it - check it out:
HF : Your new album has just been released. The reactions have been somewhat mixed. How are you dealing with that? Do you read the reviews at all?
VC : First of all, one must differentiate between a review and an opinion. We read a lot, but probably not everything. We've always been the same. Publications such as Metal Hammer and Co have always looked at us with a critical eye. We've never tried to please everyone and we do what we want, and we just don't really pay too much attention to the negativity.
It's better than getting churned up about something you can't change, anyway. People should have their own taste and they can like or dislike whomever they want. As long as it doesn't get personal, as in someone wishing for death because the song is daft, haha.
The new thing with this album is that a lot of the dissent comes from our fans, some of whom seem to have a problem with our new sounds. It feels weird, from our point of view, that someone who would support a metal band with no instruments, cannot tolerate a change of line-up and singer (even though we never threw Sly out of the band and just wanted to continue making music). But, the metal fan is, at heart, a loyal and habitual creature, and they certainly are very adverse to change, after becoming used to something
To make it clear, we respect all opinions, but we would never be able to cater to everyone's input, without just creating an unoriginal cacophony, which is prevalent enough in German Pop already.
Apart from that, Trust In Rust is only one of seven albums of ours still on the market and they won't disappear soon. You can listen to the whole album on many platforms for free nowadays, before deciding to buy. We presented 3 videos and a full track-by-track preview, free of charge, and we have no problem if someone simply decides not to buy the album, because they don't like it.
But WE love the album. It's not a "mistake" or a "whoopsie" for us. We had a vision and we pursued it until we were satisfied with the result. We are musical people and not digital machines, where the deviation tolerances can be calculated. Just weird that one has to explain that in the metal world, haha.
And to keep it all in perspective, we also received many more positive reactions than we did negative. Many come from people in the 'real' world we actually know. Some of them were internet opinions, too. The recent shows with Hagen were amazing and the reactions of the fans was 99% positive. So, the truth is on the stage and we are so psyched for the upcoming tour.
HF : To change a lead singer after 10 years is probably not a simple task. How did you solve the inherent problems, and how quick was Hagen able to intergrate into your band?
VC : Ok, if we just wanted to "solve problems", we could have just left it. We wanted a singer who would fit the chemistry and feeling of the band and who could ultimately bring in a few new elements. We would never want to record the same album twice and all of our records have a different quality to them, a different producer and mixing engineer, various photographers and cover designers. The reason is not because we have issues with people we work with. We just want to try out different approaches and methods.
"Dawn Of The Brave" holds a more classic Van Canto sound, whereas with "Voices Of Fire" we wished to break this mold with a concept album, narrator and 5 different choirs.
And now Hagen is the opportunity to introduce and try out some new sounds and styles.
HF : The songwriting on "Trust In Rust" seems to be written partially with Sly in mind. Is this impression incorrect? What changed in the songwriting due to the line-up change?
VC : All the songs were written after we had decided to work with Hagen and carry on.
So, there are no "Sly" songs present Our songs were never written specifically with any of our lead singers in mind to begin with, but for 6 voices. Now 7. There are songs, where we noticed only after the recording if the male or female lead should be more or less prominent, and then fit the sound to the melody. Tribe Of Force, Higher Flight or even Badaboom are perfect examples. There are, of course, exceptions such as Water, Fire, Heaven, Earth (Inga)or Steelbreaker (Sly), where we had the lead voices set from the start.
The new songs were solely written for Van Canto as a whole. "Hell's Bells" needs a singer who has the voice to sing an AC\DC song. And the decision to do this with Hagen was an easy one. Desert Snake was also written for a voice which could not only sing melodically, but also with growls and screams of the magnitude it deserves. And Hagen does a grand job.
HF : How has the line-up change affected the band dynamic? Was it difficult for the "noobs" to intergrate and were there any difficulties?
VC : Now it's the "noobs", haha. Hagen is a top bloke, and we met a few time to practise together before the first gig. Which was, by the way, the point where we were convinced he's the one for the job and it felt as if we'd been together for ever. Ike only left for the duration of one album, and he sang about 80% of that one, anyway. So, it's like he was never really gone.
HF : You are always evolving further. Which song would you say reflects what Van Canto stands for?
VC : All songs are Van Canto songs. We play songs at concerts from all albums, because the entire development is contained right there. Van Canto stands for how diverse we can be with 6 singers and a drummer. That's why we write such songs from Heading Home to Hearted, and do covers from Deep Purple, Nightwish and Metallica. If I could choose only one song to explain Van Canto to them, I would choose Melody from the new album. But then I would want to play 5 further songs from the other albums
But I'll be damned, if I have to choose one song to define what we are. We are not product managers out to retain an annual 3,7% market growth. We're a band. Strategic decisions can be made in an office, but you can't write a good song there.
I have no idea how I will feel next year, so I also have no idea how the songs will sound. When we have ideas, we write a song and record it, if we like it. And those who like the song might buy the album. And those who don't... well, they'll keep listening to the old songs. These will always be there and we love them just as much.
HF: Thank you for your time.
https://www.hellfire-magazin.de/van-canto-wir-sind-musizierende-menschen-und-keine-produktionsmaschinen/
Van Canto
Dec 01, 2018 
