Interview with Skiltron

7 October 2016

Palatset, Linköping

Martin McManus and Ignacio Lopez.

Skiltron

Hi and welcome to Sweden.

Thank you.

How do you feel for the concert tonight?

Martin: I think it feels really good tonight actually. This is a wonderful place, the soundguy is really good, excellent sound. We looking forward to this one.

Ignacio: We arrived yesterday to Stockholm, we`re having a good time here in Sweden, and our concert is our first here in Sweden.

How did you all meet?

Ignacio: We were together in a band for ten years. I joined the band four years ago. we recorded Into the Battleground together. After that we we begun to do some touring in New York and Europe. We met Martin, he`s so beautiful, we just love him. Then we found Pierre, who is the bagpiper. It´s like three guys from Argentina, two are from Uk and one from France. It works perfect, we´ve been doing this in three years now. We met by facebook and internet.

You have realeased the album Legacy of Blood. What can we expect to hear from it?

Martin: You can expect to hear some power metal with bagpipes. Some very energetic music for you. I think you really should buy the cd.

Ignacio: This year we have been working with some powerwork. Follow the band and you will find some really good music there. It´s a great album.

Your debutalbum, The Clans Have United, was the first folkmetalalbum ever to be realesed in Argentina. What does that mean to you as a band?

Ignacio: Yeah, we weren´t there, but but people told us that it was the first folkmetalalbum in Argentina. It´s really nice that someone told us that we was first in Argentina. Something to be proud of. Every year we work to get bigger, to the highest level.

Martin: Everybody puts in a lot of work, don´t we.

2015, you played at Wacken Open Air. How was it and do want to do that again?

Martin: Of course, it´s Wacken! It´s a pinnacle. With regards of playing there again, absolutely, no problem. Yeah, it was an amazing experience, the crowd was absolutely fantastic. I wish the weather could have been better last year.

Was it raining?

Martin: It was horrendous, the van got stuck in the mud, and all sorts. But yeah, what an fantastic experience that was. 

It was quite a lot of people I imagine?

Martin: Yes, huge, huge. I mean I can´t count that high.

I ,always wanted to go there, but haven´t been there yet.

Martin: You should go.

Ignacio: A really good experience.

Now you are on a world tour, what have been the best so far?

Ignacio: We have really good times and really good nights, but sometimes it´s hard to realize what day in the week it is. So imagine how it´s like. I remember a really good experience in Paris, Spain and Zagreb, Croatia. Germany and Berlin was amazing, so I think thoose two conutries was the highest points of the tour. But every country is good in every way. I remember thoose three shows, Paris, Berlin and Zagreb, really, really good.

You are from different countries, was it hard to find time to be in the studio, when you were working on the album?

Martin: No, cause we arrange properly. We always arrange to meet in the same studio in Hamburg, so it´s easy you know, just jump on a plain, but for these guys it´s obviously a bit longer. For me, being from the Uk, it´s only a few hours. We meet up and reahearse like every other band. Maybe, a week before the shows, there isn´t always a lot of time to rehearse, but we always make it work.

Martin, you are from Scotland if I´m right?

Martin: No, England yeah.

England, sorry.

Martin: That´s ok, very close, up north.

You have bagpipes in the band, what influences made you mix bagpipes with metal?

Martin,: It was a ready made band for me. I´ve been in the band for two and a half, three years. So it was already there. At first the concept was very different, once you start to learn the tracks, and you get used to the tracks, it really, really works. Aspecially being from the north of England, wich is very close to Scotland, we have the same traditions, yeah it really works. Back home I´m well known as the guy that are in a bagpipe band.

This concert tonight, if I´m not mistaken, is the only one you do in Sweden. What made you decide to come here and play?

Ignacio: We are on a really big tour, you have to jump to the next city on the map, and that is Sweden. Playing here for the first time. We were in Finland, so close so we just have to come here.We have spoken to the guys, We are looking forward to the show tonight. The venue is good, I thought the city was really small, but it´s nice. Really good people.

How well do you know each other?

Ignacio: Emilio, Matias and me are from Argentina, so we known each other for four years now. Martin and Pierre, have we known in three years, so it´s almost the same. I spend more time with them cause we are from Argentina. But when we are on tour we are like a big family together, We know everything about each other.

Martin: We are looking after each other. We live in the same hotelrooms, basically living in the bus. You got to look after each other, cause if you don´t, you gonna have problems. If someone forgotten something, do you wanna use mine, vice versa. We feed each other, normally bananas and mandarines. So it´s good.

What plans do you have for the future?

Martin: Just crawl up the ladder and be as big and proffessional band as possible. Just keep going and don´t give up. It´s hard work but every year it seems to get better and more organized. Last few years I have been driving in my to the shows, and that was really hard. This year we have a driver, so things are getting better, and the hotelrooms are gettting better every year.

Ignacio: We are looking forward to every year, more people know the band. In three weeks we finish the tour, after Sweden we go to Germany for some shows and then UK and Scotland to do some shows. After that we take like a vacation, and then we will see what will be the next step for the band.

Descive the band in three words.

Martin: Excellent Heavy Metal.