KARELIA

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Band

Former members

Discography

Demos

Albums

en.wikipedia

Karelia is a French electro goth band created in 2000 by Lionel Vest and Matthieu Kleiber.

Karelia first released a self-titled demo in 2000.

Their first full-length album Usual Tragedy was released in 2004 on the German label Drakkar Records. It includes many orchestral arrangements which are the reason why the band's music is often called symphonic heavy metal or simply symphonic metal. Lyricwise, Usual Tragedy is a concept album about a man who crossed both World Wars, lost his father during the first one, lost his beloved one during the second one, witnessed the violence and the madness of men, eventually lost his own sanity and died alone and anonymous in an hospital.

Their second studio album, Raise, released in 2005 on Drakkar Records as well, is not as orchestral as Usual Tragedy but has dark, melancholic atmospheres that could already be heard on the first album as well and that seem to be the band's trademark; that's why Karelia's music is also sometimes called gothic metal. The lyrics deal with various themes such as blinding and misleading of people by a charismatic leader ("Raise"), religion wars ("Cross and Crescent"), childhood ("Child Has Gone", "Unbreakable Cordon"), depression ("Breakdown").

In January 2007, keyboardist Bertrand Maillot left the band, and Jack Ruesch joined the band as second guitarist.

In June 2007, the band finished the recording of its third album Restless. It was first expected to be released in September/October 2007 (as stated in January 2007 on their still-working then website), but Karelia later announced on its MySpace that it would be released through the French label Season Of Mist; the label's website displays April 21st 2008 as the release date. The cover artwork hasn't been revealed yet. Restless will show new musical orientations, featuring industrial elements, as can be heard in the samples available on the band's MySpace.

In fall November 2007, Karelia opened for the well-known German hard rock band Scorpions for three of their shows in France.

Influences

According to Karelia's frontman Matthieu Kleiber, the band members have various influences, citing, among others, classical music as well as hard rock bands like Guns N' Roses and Aerosmith for himself and ex-keyboardist Bertrand Maillot, hard rock such as Whitesnake for bassist Gilles Thiebaut, symphonic heavy metal bands for guitarist Erwan Morice and drummer Loïc Jenn.

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1. The birth of KARELIA

1999 has born KARELIA with a deep wish to bring something new to a saturated Heavy Metal scene: in this aim Lionel Vest (guitars/ keyboards) and Matthieu Kleiber (guitars/ vocals) tried to implement a Metal band including classic musicals… but quickly realized that the concrete working of such a structure was much complicated.

Then, in order to keep a symphonic side in their music, they had no choice but to use some classical samples complemented with electronic drums and bass. Bertrand Maillot (Keyboards) joined the band, bringing many good points as a composer. Sebastien Fellmann, took in charge the lead guitar. This line-up released a demo (recorded and mastered in the Lionel Vest’s home studio). The band was pleased to notice that, in spite of these poor means… and certain blunders… some people found in that a kind of new trend, as KARELIA music could not be strictly assimilated to another Metal band. 400 copies of that maxi single were sold… and some people are still trying to buy it as the band do not want to produce more copies!

2. Radical changes in line-up and growing interest from labels

Live concerts (with KAMELOT, AT VANCE, VANDEN PLAS, DYSLESIA... notably) and contacts with production companies put forward the need to play with a "real” rhythmic section. Then, a casting began among Eastern-France musicians and KARELIA finally enlisted in summer 2001 two gifted and practised musicals coming from a Heavy Metal band called JERICAN: Loпc Jenn (drums), and Erwan Morice (guitars). Sebastien Fellmann left the band. Lionel Vest, launched in some classical projects, only kept the technical part of his job in KARELIA (that's to say the orchestral arrangements direction).

3. Real symphonic Metal needs huge means...

After such changes in the line-up, Matthieu Kleiber and Bertrand Maillot, the music composers of KARELIA, are warily keeping all the same the original spirit of that melodies... but realize that, a great financial support was necessary in order to get a chance on the international scene. Thanks to the relative and local success of the former line-up and the interest from some labels, KARELIA got the opportunity to sign up an edition contract with Studios Blue Bird in the beginning of year 2002. The band took benefit that way from huge production means (symphonic arrangements, the assistance of some chorists from the well-known "Opйra du Rhin”, a mix by Renaud Hebinger, ex-colleague of Colin Richardson on productions like FEAR FACTORY, MACHINE HEAD).

With such means, KARELIA had the incredible opportunity to record a debut album full of symphonic influences which found immediately proposals from numerous labels. The band decided to work with Drakkar/BMG and now hopes that "Usual Tragedy" will surprise all the Metal fans… So, keep a watch on that new KARELIA first album...

Current Line-Up:
Matt Kleiber – Vocals
Bertrand Maillot – Keys
Erwan Morice – Guitars
Loпc Jenn – Drums
Gilles Thiebaut – Bass

Previous members:
Lionel Vest – Guitars (on "Karelia”)
Seb Felmann – Guitars (on "Karelia”)