Dragonfly: Domine of Metal

Metalfan: When did you start singing/playing and what musicians did inspire you to do it?
Pablo: I started singing at 1998, when I began to play with my first band called Outer Heaven. My main influences are the classic metal voices like Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), Michael Kiske (Helloween) or Adrian Barilari (Rata Blanca), and later I heard a lot of Power and Epic Metal bands like Rhapsody, Metalium or Edguy.

Metalfan: Pablo, your vocal performance on Domine is quite impressive, so I’m curious: were you involved in other musical projects before joining Dragonfly?
Pablo: I had take part as singer in some musical projects like my first own band Outer Heaven, and others like Opera Magna, Quelonio or Vahladian. All of them good friends, good musicians, and good people.

Metalfan: What can you tell us about the beginnings of Dragonfly? How did you guys get together?
Juanba: Dragonfly started in Argentina with the “Vikingo” and Ariel. The bad situation of the country makes that both decide to travel to Spain to search for musicians and start with the Dragonfly’s project.
In that year I was playing as a bass guitar and singing the second voices in a band called Outer Heaven, with Pablo and Isauro. Then was when, in a show of Outer Heaven, the “Vikingo” and Ariel talked to me about his project and I started with the band as a singer. Isauro, joined a few weeks later. We started to search for a bass player, but it was “mission impossible”, so I decided to play bass guitar and to call Pablo (singer of Outer Heaven), to be the singer of Dragonfly too.

Metalfan: What was it that convinced you to join Dragonfly?
Pablo: As Juanba said, two of my band partners (Juanba and Isauro) joined Dragonfly before me, and I heard the songs. They sounds different to the music I used to play in Outer Heaven, so I like the idea of change a little bit the style. When we started with the live shows and viewing the feedback of people who came on, I decided to make career only with Dragonfly.
Juanba: It was something new for me, since always I have been a bass player , Ariel and the “Vikingo” offered me to begin as singer when they came to listen to me singing the choirs in Outer Heaven. I decided to try something new because I like to sing a lot… then on not having found bass players is when I offered Pablo to sing and I would do the second voices.

El Vikingo

Metalfan: Could you please describe each of your band mates in a few words?
Pablo:
Common: all guys are really good people. All we are very good friends and I think that it’s the first step to make a solid band.
Ariel: He had been born to be a rock star. Guitar is his life.
Juanba: Perseverance and dedication.
Isauro: Knowledge and talent.
Vikingo: Fighting spirit and sacrifice.
Juanba:
Common: We have a very good friendship and there’s a good feeling between us, first we are a group of friends, and after we’re a music band.
Pablo: Serious and professional, he will be one of the bests singers in Spain. The reviews about him are very good!!! Besides, he’s a very good friend since many years ago.
Isauro: Optimist and very talented musician… I think he’s from other planet by the way he plays… jajaja, and by the way he are…
Vikingo: As Pablo said… he has a big fighting spirit and sacrifice… and he is very talented as composer. 
Ariel: He’s a rock star and very happy guy. He his very dedicated to his instrument…

Ariel Mittica

Metalfan: What do you guys do for a living, you have regular jobs or you make a living out of music?
Pablo: All we have jobs. It’s hard to live of music in Spain. Buy some day…
Juanba: I studied for a T.C.P. in a flying academy, but I’m working in other kind of job because I need time for the music. I hope someday we’ll can be able to live from only playing…

Metalfan: Half of the band members come form Argentina, are they living in Spain now? If not, is it difficult to plan the rehearsals and recording sessions?
Pablo: The Argentine musicians (Ariel and “Vikingo”) are living in Spain since 2001.

Metalfan: How did you guys pick the name for the band?
Juanba: The band’s name come from its beginning in Argentina. I think “Vikingo” chose it from a Malmsteen´s song.

Metalfan: On the cover of Domine there’s a she-dragonfly, what is her story and who is responsible for the artwork?
Juanba:  The person in charge of the work was Federico Felici, a friend of ours. The woman/dragonfly represents the creation, and the angels and demons around it represent that neither good nor evil can change your will if you are really determined to obtain your purposes. It is a message of optimism.

Isauro Aljaro

Metalfan: What does the title Domine refer to? What do the lyrics talk about? Is there a concept that ties the songs together?
Pablo: The title Domine is a Latin word that means "lord", power … something that we transmit with our music. The disc is not a conceptual disc, every topic speaks about something different, but all of them touch the topics: feelings attitudes opposite in life … love, heart breaks, perfidies … we try to give a positive and optimistic message, like for example in "Dragonfly" or "Solo depende de ti"(It only Depends on You), in whom it says that you have to continue always forward, it doesn’t matter how bad things seem, you are the only master of your destiny.

Metalfan: Spanish is a beautiful language, but unfortunately it is not as common as English is. I guess that singing in Spanish adds an exotic flavour to the band’s music. But, at the same time, there are fewer people who can really understand your music. Are you targeting only the Spanish speaking audience?
Pablo: We are now thinking in make the English edition of Domine for the next year.

Metalfan: How would you describe your music, what are the high spots of Dragonfly? What do you think it makes you stand out from other metal bands?
Juanba: Every band has something that makes them special. of course Dragonfly also has it, in our case I would remark  lyrics that get to you, with a lot of feeling  , we are also a band which really shows the best of us at  live acts, it’s worth it to come and see us we offer a great show.

Metalfan: What song you think captures the band at its best? Why do you think that is?
Pablo: We had given the best of us in each song, but I think in the "Dragonfly" track you can appreciate more of the influences, the different kinds of music we each have listened to all had put together.

Metalfan: What song you think captures your best personal performance?
Pablo: It’s hard to select only one song, because all songs have so different registers and vocal tones, but I have especially pleased with “Nuevo Judas”. But it’s only my personal opinion.
Juanba: As a bass player, I think I’d choose “Dragonfly” or “Entre el Odio y la Pasión”. As a second vocal I’d choose “Dragonfly” or “Regresa a mi”.

Metalfan: Domine was recorded in Spain but the mixing and mastering was done in Argentina, why was this trip so necessary? Are you fully satisfied with the sound of the cd?
Pablo: We are really satisfied with the final results. We went to Argentina because in  "La Nave de Oseberg" studios (Martin Toledo´s (Rata Blanca´s technician) and Adrián Barilari´s (Rata Blanca´s lead singer) property), we knew that we were going to find the sound that we were looking for, we had the chance to be there and control all the movements.

Metalfan: How are the reactions so far? How was Domine received by the media and by the metalfans?
Juanba: People´s response has been great..The criticts we have recived can´t be better and we feel very thankfull with the response it´s been having in Spain and abroad.

Metalfan: Are you under contract with a label or you manage and promote the band yourselves? Pablo: We made the Domine edition with the Spanish label Avispa, which now is the most solid rock label in our country. We are going to working with Avispa people for years. We are really happy with his work.

Pablo Solano

Metalfan: How does the song writing usually go for Dragonfly, do you all get together and work on the songs, or you have a main composer in a band?
Juanba: The principal composer of Domine has been the “Vikingo”, though he brought the base, our cd is the result of the work of every one of us, we arranged the tracks between the whole band. Also there are some of Ariel's tracks. For our second disc there will also be some lyrics and tracks made by myself, Isauro and Pablo so we all take our part.

Metalfan: How was your live activity so far? Any plans of touring in the near future?
Pablo:  We are now with the promotion of the cd and planning the presentation tour.

Metalfan: How is the metal scene in Spain? Are there many metal bands over there? Are there many clubs for them to play live? Or labels to release their albums? Is it hard to break through as a metal band in Spain?
Juanba:. The scene has been little parade a few years, but it seems that it’s looking up. There are good record companies and good bands with a lot of quality. Maybe we miss to have more showrooms where to be able to play in.

Juanba Nadal

Metalfan: And what kind of metal do the Spanish metalfans like the most, brutal or melodic?
Juanba: I believe that there is enough diversity as for what the people listens to, but I do think that here what works better is rock and melodic metal

Metalfan: I see you have a very nice website at http://www.webdragonfly.com/. How much do you think the Internet affects the music and the relationship with the fans?
Pablo: Internet has its good part and its bad part … it helps you to be known by more people, to be in places out of our reach, and have a greater reach will mean more assistance to our concerts we hope… but also it affects the number of copies of the disc that are sold with so many downloads. Even though we think that if someone really likes our music he or she will end up buying it in the end.

Metalfan: What is the next step for Dragonfly? What is your next goal?
Pablo: For now our main goal is to make a good Domine Tour in Spain, and later make the English and Southamerica edition. Later, record our next album.

Metalfan: Hasta la vista y muchas gracias por esta entrevista, amigos. A few words for the Romanian Metalfans?
Pablo: Visit www.webdragonfly.com, we hope to make someday and European Tour, and so we don’t forget to visit Romania. We also hope to have the English edition of Domine soon; so all Romania metal lovers can hear us. Stand up and Fight for Metal!.
Juanba:  Thank you for listening to our music, we wish to see you soon.

Quick quiz:

Pablo / Juanba
Sangria or tequila: Sangria / Beer !!!! and cazalla (typical drink from Valencia)
Bruce Dickinson or Rob Halford: Bruce Dickinson / Pablo Solano (lol)
Soccer or corrida: Soccer / I love motorbikes… motorbikes races!
Barcelona or Madrid: Valencia (best FIFA Team of the World on 2004) / I don’t like soccer
Julio Iglesias or Enrique Iglesias: no one aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ! / Camilo Sesto!!!
Books or Movies: Movies / Both
Deep Purple or Black Sabbath: Deep Purple / Deep Purple
Dali or Picasso: Picasso / I prefer the sculpture (Michelangelo Buonarroti)
Plugged or unplugged: Plugged / Plugged
Heroes del Silencio or Tierra Santa: Heroes del Silencio / Camilo Sesto!!! (lol)
Chorizo or Paella: Paella / Paella
Penelope Cruz or Salma Hayek: Salma Hayek / Salma
What cd is in your cdplayer right now? Rocket Ride (Edguy) / The Grand Illusion (Nocturnal Rites)
First metal album you’ve listened to? The Number Of The Beast (Iron Maiden) / Battle Hymns (Manowar)
First song you’ve ever sung/played with Dragonfly? Delirio Eterno / Sólo depende de ti.
Your nickname in high school? Pablich / Juanba
Last book you’ve read? Silmarillion (Tolkien) / The Da Vinci code
Last movie you’ve watched? El Jardinero Fiel (The constant gardener) / The Cave
Last concert you’ve been to (to watch not to perform)? Last August ’05 - The Metal Fox Festival (Sphinx+Wurdalak+Rock Goodfathers) / BARILARI, unplugged in Buenos Aires.