In an exclusive interview with Suite 101, Nate Breidenbaugh (aka Cinnead Loreweaver) of the burgeoning American folk/power metal band Lunarium discusses the band’s origins and influences, and their passion for recreating the atmosphere of the Middle Ages.
The Origins of Lunarium
Suite 101: Can you fill me in a little bit on the events that spawned the formation of Lunarium?
Loreweaver: “Justyn had a band with Rygon and Jarlock. I recruited them because I had been wanting to do a folk metal band for a while. I passed some folk metal CDs and DVDs around to everyone, Blind Guardian’s Imaginations Through the Looking Glass DVD in particular. We wrote Liberation and Death Rides within two weeks of our first practice. They’re still two of our favorites to play.”
Suite 101: How did you decide upon material for your lyrics?
Loreweaver: “Initially we were sticking with a historical, kind of battle metal theme, but then we started to incorporate fantasy/mythological subjects. A lot of our stuff is metaphorical, in particular Trollslayer. It’s about standing up for yourself, despite having some goofy fantasy trappings.”
Lunarium's Album or Live Shows: Which Have Created More Buzz?
Suite 101: How do you feel about the reaction to your live shows?
Loreweaver: “Most of the buzz has come from the album, but we've developed a reputation as one of the more energetic bands of the area. We always wanted to be energetic and have everyone enjoy what we’re doing. We’re trying to create an atmosphere, so we always dress in character.
“We made the decision a while back to get garb that befitted our stage names. We developed a back story for each of our stage names and developed garb for each of our characters. Sort of a larger than life sort of thing. My stage name is a late 4th/5th century Irish bard.”
Influences Are Rooted in Folk & Power Metal
Suite 101: What are some of Lunarium’s influences?
Loreweaver: “Falconer, Skyclad and Sabbat are all big influences. Martin Walkyier’s lyrics are a big influence on me. I would love to be able to write on that caliber. Other influences are Blind Guardian, Elvenking and Manilla Road.
Suite 101: I see from the liner notes that you are a classically trained vocalist and are described as a 'Master of Celtic melodies.' What is your musical background?
Loreweaver: “I’ve sang in choirs, and did some Broadway stuff in high school. ‘Master of Celtic melodies’ a bit of a hyperbole. I know a fair bit about the music and sound relating to Celtic music. I’ve played in several bands on a casual basis. The most successful previously was a death metal band.”
Suite 101: Do you plan on employing more Celtic/Irish themes in the future? How about traditional Celtic (or other folk) instrumentation?
Loreweaver: “A friend of the band is currently learning violin. It may be on an album if he gets good enough, and it may or may not be used in the live shows. Plans are to stick with what we’ve got for now. We’ve contemplated having someone in the band learn the bagpipes. Lately I’ve been studying how to incorporate fiddle runs into my guitar playing.”
Suite 101: Any future plans for the band?
Loreweaver: “Hopefully our future plans will include another album. Possibly this winter. We plan on having it out late Spring. I don’t have any details yet. Our songwriting has definitely progressed, but we won’t be doing anything radically different.”
Click here for a review of Lunarium's debut album Journeys, Fables & Lore.
Lunarium is:
- Cinnead Loreweaver: Lead Vocals, Guitar, Spear
- Rygon Riffaxe: Guitar, Vocals, Battleaxe
- Jarloc Darkstar: Bass, Vocals, Claymore
- Justyn "Blade" van Stokken: Drums in the deep, Vocals, Battle Staves
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