The Midwest USA is not the first place you think of when you hear Melodic Power/Speed Metal, but Omaha's Cellador whose members' ages range from a mere 17 to 23 years old have been snapped up by the major label, Metal Blade on the strength of a single demo. Their debut, Enter Deception was released in July and gained amazing reviews in magazines and on the web. With all the hype surrounding the band, we caught up with guitarists Chris Petersen and Bill Hudson who are surely still on Cloud 9.

Metal Mayhem: Thanks for answering a few questions. How are things going at the moment?
Chris Petersen: Hey guys! Tons of new things on the horizon, new album out, touring, promoting, schmoozing around, making new friends! Currently we are on the road for a late summer USA tour in support of our recently released debut ENTER DECEPTION and the turnouts have been amazing so far, beyond any of our expectations. We're still not used to getting this kind of attention, so we're certainly eating it all up!

MM: Could you please introduce yourself and the rest of Cellador. When and how did you guy’s form?

CP: Well my name is Chris Petersen and I play guitar in CELLADOR. I started the band in 2003 with just myself and some ideas for a melodic power metal styled band. I spent all my high school years obsessed with the European metal scene, from melodic death to brutal to power metal etc and I had been playing guitar in a number of local bands during the time but nobody ever wanted to play Euro-style metal or the influences I had as most

were more into NU-metal and hardcore at the time. I figured the only way to be truly happy in a band was to start one myself, and so that's how CELLADOR originally started. The first year from '03 to '04 was plagued with lineup changes and general lack of interest from other local musicians, but things finally began to solidify for the band in mid 2004 when I found our drummer David Dahir and bassist Valentin Rakhmanov. We spent the 2nd half of 2004 writing and rehearsing, and by late 2004 we began recording the tracks for our demo EP "Leaving All Behind" despite not having a singer yet. Lucky for us about a month after starting our demo we found our singer Michael Gremio, who immediately started tracking vocals for our demo just days after joining the band. We released the demo in Spring 2005 and began playing live, and within just a few months of playing live we were contacted by Metal Blade Records for a record contract, which we signed later on in the Summer. After signing to Metal Blade we held auditions for a new 2nd lead guitarist, which led us to our Brazillian guitarist Bill Hudson, who's also responding this interview and joined the band in October 2005. We entered MANA studios in Florida in the winter of 2005/2006 to record our debut with producer Erik Rutan, which has now just recently been released!

MM: Has Cellador always been a Power/Melodic Speed Metal band, or has there been any progression in your style?
CP: In the very early days of the band perhaps we had more of a thrashy gritty style, but from the beginning when I was trying to put this band together I always had the intentions of it being a melodic speed metal band. I had a couple original songs that the band doesn't play anymore that were more thrash oriented but they had melodic styled vocals. These older songs weren't as melodic or vocally driven. Beyond this small period of time in the very beginning CELLADOR has essentially been the style it is now. Some of the songs on our debut ENTER DECEPTION were written several years ago when I was still trying to put the band together, for example the CELLADOR songs Seen Through Time and No Chances Lost were both written in 2003 just with slight variations and different lyrics.

MM: You recruited your present guitarist Bill Hudson from Brazil. How did this move come about?
CP: Our original rhythm guitarist had left the band a month before we signed to Metal Blade, and so when Metal Blade made up the media press release for the signing of our band, we had them put in the press release that we were seeking a new 2nd guitarist. We had tons of responses from interested players, some were amazing and some were not so good, but Bill was one of the guys who auditioned for the band. It was funny because he was one of, if not the very last person to contact us about trying out, and by that point we were thinking we had found the guy we wanted already. I didn't reply to his original email actually because of this but he was persistent and kept emailing us for a reply, so I figured to myself "Well he really wants to try out, I'll see how he plays just for the hell out it" even though I figured nothing would come out of it. I was like "Alright, learn all the songs on our demo and send them back to me and we'll see how you play". Amazingly, Bill learned AND recorded rough versions of all our demo songs with the leads and everything on them in a matter of just 2 days, learning every part just by ear. This really caught our interest because no other player we auditioned learned as fast or seemed as serious as he was. In addition he sent us a bunch of his original material which displayed his style of lead playing, and after a week or 2 of communication I was convinced that he was the best candidate for the band. When he told me he was actually from Sao Paulo, Brazil I was pretty surprised and started thinking maybe he wouldn't work out, but he said if we gave him the go ahead he would buy a plane ticket and move to the USA. I told him to do what he had to do, and within a week he had a plane ticket purchased to the USA and he has been living here ever since. Of course he still has some immigration issues to deal with, but his addition to CELLADOR has done wonders for our band on a number of levels from the personal to professional level.
Bill Hudson: I was very surprised when I found Cellador, because I've lived in the USA before and spent all that time looking for musicians to start a power metal band. It was amazing how NOBODY even knew what it was. That was only 6 months before I joined the band! I had to go back to Brazil when my visa expired, and that was when I found Cellador. I got kinda mad at first, because I was trying so hard to find a band here for such a long time (laughs). Even though I had spent almost a year away from home and was there for only a couple of months, I thought to myself "I have to join these guys". I still remember my parents' reaction when I said I was going back to the USA, but this time, instead of Tampa or Los Angeles, I was going to NEBRASKA. They were like "Maybe you should settle down a little bit...there was too much money spent on your last attempt", haha. I didn't care though...I spent my last money to make it happen, and it was well worth it!

MM: Not long after releasing your demo, there was interest from Metal Blade. Were you surprised how quick things went? I can’t recall the label releasing anything Power Metal related in the last few years? CP: Yea we were the most surprised of all to hear that a label like Metal Blade was interested in our band. Before this we always figured we would probably only have a chance with a small European label that specializes in melodic bands. We thought with the penetration of metalcore and hardcore influenced bands on the

American scene that a melodic Euro-influenced band like ours would have no chance of being considered. Fortunately for us Metal Blade was actually looking for a young American melodic metal band for a number of years and is still looking for more from what I've been told. We were very lucky to have gained the attention of labels so quickly after our demo was released, in fact we had never even submitted any demo's to labels by the point when we were contacted by labels. I think a lot of it came from the buzz we were able to generate over the internet, thanks to social networking sites like myspace as well as metal zines and review sites. We were able to spread our name out on an international scale, which gave opened up a number of opportunities for us to be noticed and recognized.

MM: It has to be said that for such a young band, the musicianship on your debut "Enter Deception" is amazing. Can you tell those that are yet to hear Cellador what they can expect?
BH: Melodic/Speed Power Metal with anthemic choruses, over the top solos and dual leads, insanely fast drums, blast beats and great vocals that will get really high pitched. I think that's the best way to describe our music for those who aren't familiar with it. Our main goal is to write catchy songs that will stick to your head on the first time you listen to them. In addition to that, we try to make things more unique, adding elements of heavier styles to our power metal. So basically, even if you're not into power metal, you should give "Enter Deception" a try...you might be surprised!

MM: Are you satisfied with the finished product? Is there anything you’d maybe like to have added or changed?
BH: I don't think anybody is ever 100% satisfied with the final product, but we can definitely say we are VERY, VERY happy, beyond all of our expectations. Of course there are things we'd like to have changed/added here and there, especially me personally. But you know what? It's our first album, and I'm sure we'll have the opportunity to improve throughout the course of our career. What would be the point in making albums if we had the absolute masterpiece right from the beginning? However, like I said before, this turned out way better than any of us expected. We're truly happy!

MM: What has the reaction been like to "Enter Deception" so far? Have you had much feedback from the press and fans?
BH: We're really amazed at how things are turning out. Most of the reviews we've been reading are great, and the fans seem to be enjoying the album as well. We receive tons of e-mails from fans every day...people who want to start fan clubs in their countries, etc. Our MySpace page is another way of measuring it, judging by the comments and plays we get everyday. I believe our fanbase is growing bigger day after day, and this tour is helping it a lot. It was totally crazy to see some fans from Mexico in our show in Hollywood, and then Mexico again! Sometimes I still pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming (laughs).

MM: I’m sure you’ve been asked this a few times now, but Dragonforce has been mentioned one or two times from the reviews we've seen, and personally, I think this is a massive compliment to the band. What is your opinion when you read such comparisons? Do they bother you at all?
BH: These comparisons can get annoying at times, but they don't bother us too much, as Dragonforce is a great band. In my opinion, there are a couple of reasons why people compare us to them. The first one is the fact that we play faster than other power metal bands, and so does Dragonforce. Another one is the fact that every new band is always compared to an older one that's been around for longer. See, when Stratovarius started getting popular, people were comparing them to Helloween, which was compared to Iron Maiden, which was compared to...you get the idea!
However, I hate to disagree. Yes, we do play power metal and we are indeed faster than other bands, but we have no keyboards, we use a lot of galloping rhythms and our singers sound absolutely nothing alike.

MM: What would you say are your main influences as a band?
CP: We take a lot of influences from melodic metal bands like Helloween, Iron Maiden, Angra, Edguy, Lost Horizon, Gamma Ray, and at the same time we are heavily influenced by old thrash bands too like Megadeth, Slayer, Testament, Metallica, and also some darker stuff like In Flames, Carcass, Dissection, etc. Originally as a guitarist I learned a lot from playing to old thrash bands and I think a lot of my riffing style is still rooted in it. We want to have catchy melodic and uplifting songs as a first priority but also we add other elements from our other influences into the blend as well. I think it comes as a natural thing for us with our influences.

MM: Erik Rutan (of Morbid Angel/Hate Eternal fame) did a fantastic job producing the album. How did all this come about? CP: Shortly after our signing to Metal Blade we began discussing with them studio prospects and people to work with for our debut album. The band had a goal that we wanted to take a non-traditional approach to the production of our debut album.

Basically we wanted an intense and natural sounding record that was heavy and tight sounding. We had no experience working with recording studios outside of our immediate area so we asked Metal Blade if they had any suggestions for studios that would suit our band and our goals. So they mailed as a bunch of different albums by different bands from various studios, and the one we liked the best and felt suited what we were looking for was recorded and produced by Erik Rutan at MANA Recording studios in Tampa, Florida. We were intrigued by the idea of using a person accustomed to extreme music because although our music is really melodic it does have some extreme elements to it and we really wanted to bring out the intensity of the songs. So we went with Erik Rutan and recorded our album in late December/early January. It was a fantastic experience being able to work with Erik on our record. He was very engaged with our band and music and really helped develop our band on the professional level. He brought out the best our performances and really steered away from using Studio Magic or editing tools, which makes us feel good because we know everything you hear on the record was us and didn't need the help of any enhancement tools.

MM: Even though you haven’t been around for that long, you’ve played with some very big bands. Can you tell us a bit about what bands you’ve performed with and what were your favourite shows in particular.
BH: We've played with bands like Gamma Ray, Sonata Arctica, The Black Dahlia Murder, Lacuna Coil, Arch Enemy, Dragonforce among many others. In fact, we played New England Metal Fest earlier this year, which means we'd have to name many bands (laughs). In my opinion, the best shows were with Sonata Arctica and Gamma Ray, both in Minneapolis, MN. It was great to play with power metal bands, to a power metal audience. We hardly ever get that opportunity, since in the USA we always end up playing with bands from other styles. I've seen both those bands before in Brazil, but playing with them was definitely a great experience!

MM: "Enter Deception" is the sort of album that is going to be appreciated in Europe. Are there any plans yet to do a full tour in support of the new album?
BH: There are plans for both an European AND a Japanese tour, and we heard talks about it, but as of right now nothing has been confirmed. We'd love to play in Europe, since it's where Power Metal was born! I hope we can get there pretty soon!

MM: Bearing in mind the success you’ve had so far during 2006, is their anything else you’d like to achieve before the year is over?
BH: We just wanna go out there and play. Tour, tour, tour...bring our music to as many people as we can. I personally would love to play in South America, especially Brazil, since it's my home country AND power metal is huge there. We're also working on the next album and hopefully we'll start its pre production before 2006 is over. We already have demos for a couple of songs.

MM: Thanks again and we wish you all the best for the future. Any last Words?
BH: We'd like to thank Metal Mayhem and all of our fans in the UK for the support! If you're reading this interview and are not familiar with our music, please check "ENTER DECEPTION" out...you won't be disappointed! Hopefully we'll be in the UK soon for some shows. ROCK ON!

http://www.cellador.com
http://www.myspace.com/cellador