The band was created in Moscow in 2013. Doctor (drums) and Dietrich (guitar) organized a group with ironic name – POKERFACE. The band got over some changes of musicians, but it has never stopped to work intensively in studio and on stage and finally had crystallized its unique style. POKERFACE shared the stage with such famous European bands as Sodom, Onkel Tom, Sister Sin Knorkator. In 2014, the band released their first EP “Terror is the law” on the label “Irond / Molot” with female vocalist Delirium Tremens.
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Hello ! How are you? How are things over there ?
Hi ! We’re fine ! Thank you ! Things are going well, working on new release.
Let us go to the beginning of the band. How and when did you decide to form or to join the band ?
Doctor ( Drummer ): Unfortunately I am the last person who was at the beginning of band. Several years ago we (me and friend of mine Dietrich) fonded band Pokerface. We planned to start real music project, you know, with global target to be a famous russian thrash band. So, with Dietrich or not, Pokerface is still going to our dream and we have great progress now.
LadyOwl ( Vocals ): Well, i sing in few bands. I joined Pokerface last winter. Just for few concerts in Russia, but then, after Delirium left the band, they asked me to join them.
Xen Ritter ( Guitarist ): In june 2016, just after our guitarist in my former thrash band has left, I decided to make a vacation in music. But (still don’t know how) Doctor and Dmirty discovered that, and offered me to join Pokerface. The fact is that we are all i one big metal community, we all a little bit know each other, we go to the same gigs and play on the same stages. So I knew what Pokerface is about long before I joined the band, I heard these songs and it was not difficult to integrate into band’s workflow. My vacation was over.
DedMoroz ( Bassist ): Doctor asked me to join the band in autumn 2014. After Dietrich left Pokerface, I
became that person who manage all problems in the band. It was difficult with lack of experience, time and money. But after all of this we raised in a strong band.
became that person who manage all problems in the band. It was difficult with lack of experience, time and money. But after all of this we raised in a strong band.
What does the name Pokerface stand for. What made you call the band “Pokerface ” ?
Doctor : Nothing except irony, sense of humour and flashback of Motorhead’s “Ace Of Spades”. Lemmy is our idol, of course.
How was the band formed ? What made you form the band ?
Doctor : Nowadays it’s not a problem to play music – any genre, style. You can use any gears stuff, club. It’s simple enough. But it’s really hard to be a famous band. So we’ve founded band as the biggest challenge of life. Band for us isn’t like a hobby project or pussy bait, or something like that. It’s really job, really business.
Can you briefly introduce your band ?
Doctor : Unfortunately we don’t have a stable team, ‘cos it’s really difficullt to find persons who are thinking like you and keeping focus on target like you. But now. I’m glad to introduce several “old” teammates.
Dmitry Morozov: Bass guitar, tour-, contact manager, finance manager of project.
Alexandra “Lady Owl” Orlova: Front woman, face of the band. Sexy and powerful person. Fans love her and we are really appreciate for that.
Oksana “Xen Ritter”: main guitar, co-manager of band. Can play virtuously and brutal. It’s unusual for girls, of course.
What was the ambitions of the band when you started ?
Doctor : We had the biggest target – to be a famous thrash band. And nothing changed – we’re playing, we’re fighting and we keep going. Now we are a bit famous in Europe and Balkans, in Russia, but we must go further and further.
How would you describe your band sound and which elements in your mu
sic do you thing make you stand out ?
sic do you thing make you stand out ?
Xen Ritter : Band sound is all about simple and honest thrash, with roaring vocals. No needless stuff, just pure anger expressed through music. The band’s specifics is mainly in brutal female vocals, it is always impressive to hear some kind of screaming monster inside young pretty lady. Also it’s in various music due to different guitarists that were in the band through years. Pokerface set-list now has all gradations of thrash metal, I think it’s pretty cool.
Who writes your songs ? Who writes the music who writes lyrics ?
Xen Ritter : We all take part in music-writing proccess. Best songs are coming out when two guitarists bring their own-style ideas and then Dmitry or all together make a whole composition from them. That brings drive into songs, makes them interesting.
LadyOwl : Lyrics was written by my friend Nana “Traum Mond”, exept one song. She did it very well, and I made vocal lines and melodies.
Can you describe me the Russian Metal Scene ?
Xen Ritter : We have 10-15 metal bands known in Russia and Europe very well, the others are just trying to survive. In Russia metal fans do not like our local bands just because they are russian bands. They don’t believe that local band can be unique, that it can make something except copying some american or european famous band. It’s some kind of endless circle I think. But still we have a great amount of really cool musicians and bands over here, ready to work hard, to use their enormous enthusiasm.
Are you preparing a new album ?
DedMoroz : Yes, it will be released on french label M&O Music with support of M&O Office. The name of the album is “Game On” and it will consist of ten tracks.
Can you tell me more about the new Album ?
LadyOwl: It called “Game on”. It’s not an ordinary album for Pokerface, it has a special concept. All songs have kind of certain line and their conception was inspired by different games of chance, casino theme, inner monsters and fears of people who seek for simple ways to solve difficult self problems. Music has more melodic lines and we used clean vocals (I think that Xen called “crazy vocals”) for the first time. I think Game On is great album.
Xen Ritter : If you like thrash, you will enjoy while listening this album. It has speed dynamic riffs, brutal and crazy vocals, machine-gun drums. Sounds great. And it differs from previous albums: it is more complex, has melodic arrangements, sometimes fat groove riffs and some very unusual experiments.
Would like us to talk a bit about your releases , Which were the difficulties that you had to confront during the songwriting and production process ? Are you fully satisfied with this All ?
Doctor : We have three releases now – EP Terror Is The Law, Divide And Rule and Game On. EP was raw and simple and songwriting and producing wasn’t so hard. Easy play – easy produce. The second one, “Divide”, was harder – it was a serious product, we had several problems with art, with material and schedule (we had many shows, performances and gigs in 2015). And the third one, Game On, was unbelieveble nervous, hard and tidy. Band had some troubles with scedule, record studio, label. But the team was strong and motivated, we’ve made our job the best and now we have a great release.
What bands and or musicians at younger ages influenced your style of play ?
Doctor : When I was young, I liked Metallca, Sodom, Kreator, Annihilator, early Sepultura. Old school thrash metal is the most honest genre of metal music, you know. Energy, powerful, aggression – not for posers and pussy. And now I prefer to listen to old school, true metal.
LadyOwl : When I was a school girl i loved Evanescence, Lacrimosa, Nightwish, Kamelot, Epica, Rammstein, Arch Enemy, The Pretty Reckless etc. I can say I still love these bands. But I am a vocalist and I loved and listened to other singers from different genres and styles. But I’m not speaking about it with true metal fans haha they don’t understand what is the reason why i like Beyonce or whatever 🙂 But this is the reason why I’m quite good singer
Xen Ritter : My bandmates in former ban
ds opened Kreator and Sodom for me. Also we were big fans of Slayer, Motorhead, Testament, Death, Sepultura, Cannibal Corpse. Later I got into Opeth, Devin Townsend, Immolation, Nile.
ds opened Kreator and Sodom for me. Also we were big fans of Slayer, Motorhead, Testament, Death, Sepultura, Cannibal Corpse. Later I got into Opeth, Devin Townsend, Immolation, Nile.
DedMoroz : Arch Enemy and Children of Bodom.
Tell me about the bands future ?
DedMoroz : More tours, more promotion and a lot of new music of course.
Are you touring soon ?
DedMoroz : Yes, we have big tour schedule this year. First tour will be in Europe from 23 March till 22 April. Then we will play 2 shows in Russia with Holy Moses. In summer we will take part in some open-air festivals and at the end of August we will go on tour with Nervosa.
Interviewer Med Manef Slama
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