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Evereal are a symphonic metal band out of Vancouver, British Columbia. Band members Steve Roberts (guitars/keys/orchestration), Alicja Moniatowicz (vocals/acoustic guitar), and the man behind the drum kit – Nelson Bennett, give us the lowdown on all things Evereal-related, as well as offering up their own personal musical memories.
DGM: What are the origins of Evereal? How long have you been playing together?
Steve: The dawn of Evereal goes back to 2010. I started the band and tried to work with multiple singers for a year or so, males at first, but nothing was really working. I became sidetracked with other projects and Evereal sat for a couple of years until I met Dave and Stephanie. When I sent them some music they came onboard and we started writing. Bassist Gord then joined and later drummer Rob. We released the first album in 2017. About a year later Gord and I were looking for new members and Nelson came along who knew Alicja.
DGM: How did you feel performing your first gig, and how was it?
Steve: Seeing that the first album lineup never performed live shows, it was quite a good feeling to get the new lineup out and playing live. The bonus is we had previously performed together in a cover band, so we were all familiar with each other and everything just fell into place.
Nelson: Unfortunately, no sooner had we played our first live gig the pandemic shut everything down.
Alicja: We played our first gig at a Halloween party, all four members playing cover tunes as Foreverescence, which was so awesome. That is when I knew we really had chemistry on stage and had something special. As Evereal we performed live last year at the Blarney Stone for Battle of the Bands, and that was a great experience as well.
DGM: What should people expect when they check the band out? How would you describe yourselves?
Steve: This band rocks! But seriously – we have a mix of metal, classic metal, hard rock, strings, piano, and world-class clean female vocals. What’s not to like? Every time you listen to the songs you can find something new within the layers of sound.
Nelson: Because we have a lot of orchestral type layers we have to use backtracks (can’t drag an orchestra with us) and click track. So when we play live, the songs are played exactly as they are on the album.
Alicja: I think we sound like we do on record so that is always something of a positive thing. I hate it when the band you like sounds like garbage live in concert.
DGM: What are you working on at the moment that people can check out?
Steve: Go to our Youtube and social media sites to see what we are doing. We recently released a few live rehearsal recordings to give people an idea of what we sound like in the raw… live off the floor, mistakes and all. You seldom see artists release these types of videos.
We are also recording new tracks and some covers too. Send us a message to join our Evereal VIP Facebook page for insider peeks at what we are doing.
DGM: The new music scene is bursting at the seams with fresh talent. In what ways do you feel a band has to stand out from the others trying to build a name?
Steve: It’s very difficult to stand out in such a huge sea of music. We have comments about how people connect with the music and how it appeals to multi-generations of listeners. To stand out we need to keep evolving and changing with the times. We also don’t buy into writing music to purposely appeal to a particular audience. We write what we feel and what we want, allowing us to express ourselves without borders.
Nelson: You can always go for the gimmick I guess. Like Kiss with the makeup or Slipknot with the masks. At the end of the day though you have to be proficient. The guys in Slipknot are wickedly good players so, all gimmicks aside, the band would never have endured if they weren’t really good musicians.
Alicja: Yes I know what you mean Stephen, sometimes a song will be playing and I’m listening to the lyrics and thinking, “what even is this?”. I think it’s great for bands and artists to have a look or style and be polished. You start to lose me when it is too gimmicky. And if you can’t sound like you do on the album (quality-wise) then that’s a NOPE for me.
DGM: What band out there at the moment do you feel that you would be best suited to open for?
Steve: Within Temptation/ Evanescence/Evereal sounds real good, but really any of the big players in our style would be great.
Alicja: Also In This Moment or Breaking Benjamin would be SWEEEET!
DGM: Who do you feel will be the next band to break out?
Steve: I’m not a good judge of that, I have become fond of some newer bands only to see them fizzle out after one release or to split and reform, etc. It is becoming increasingly rare to see bands stick together and build an entire career.
Alicja: Besides Evereal? Hmm, let’s see… there is this kick-ass band I love and found on Spotify called Fifth Dawn. I love them so much.
DGM: What are your first musical memories? And what was the light bulb moment that made you go “I want to do that!”
Steve: I knew when I was seven that I wanted to play guitar. My brother had a guitar and I would plunk away on it and pester my parents for lessons. One day at age eight my Mom came to my school to tell me I had a lesson after school… that was the start for me. I discovered Rush when I was ten and that was a lightbulb moment that made me pursue something greater.
Nelson: I’m old enough to remember seeing Buddy Rich on the Johnny Carson show and thinking “holy fuck!” I’m sure that was one of those crystallizing moments. And then when I was 15 my brother took me to my first concert. It was Rush. I had already been playing drums for a few years. That was another “holy fuck!” moment.
Alicja: I sang acapella in front of someone and their reaction and how I felt was just magic. Seeing people playing instruments and singing live on stage made me super jealous and made me want to get up there. So I did!
DGM: What was the last gig that you attended as a fan?
Steve: Within Temptation in Vancouver. It was spectacular and an inspiration as to what a band can sound like live.
Nelson: As a fan – Rush, their last tour. But the most recent concert I attended was a freebie from work. It was Lady Gaga. I have to admit, she is a monster talent.
Alicja: I believe it was Shinedown, but I was really there to see Papa Roach and they were AWESOME!
DGM: What is the album that you have in your collection or Spotify playlist that would surprise most people?
Steve: Lately I’ve been on a Saga binge. That’s one band that managed to cross into mainstream/radio play while having a progressive sound. They are very unique both musically and vocally. I just love their live recordings as they are such a great live band. Underrated for sure. Some really unique guitar work.
Alicja: My whole playlist LOL. I keep saying it is having an identity crisis over here! Keeping in mind I use this playlist for when I go running… a lot of Britney Spears… a lot!
DGM: Although 2020 was a year to forget, there was some great music released; what would be your album of 2020?
Steve: Resist – I heard a lot of people complain that it was different from their previous stuff, but I liked it for that reason. It stepped out of the symphonic realm and hit a more electronic/apocalyptic feel. It makes me conjure up visions of Mad Max.
Nelson: Nightwish, Human. :||: Nature.
DGM: How active are you on social media and where can people connect with you?
Steve: Social Media is where we go and where we post. We encourage everyone to connect with us through messages, posts, comments and make yourselves heard! We love to hear from everyone and know that you are in tune with what we are doing. Subscribe on YouTube, follow us on Facebook, Instagram,Twitter etc.
Alicja: We TRY, lol! We are getting better at it for sure! Like Stephen said please come and say hello! Like, share, and subscribe!
Nelson: We are actually pretty active on social media. You have to be!
https://www.evereal.org/
https://www.facebook.com/everealband
https://www.instagram.com/everealofficial/?hl=en
https://www.youtube.com/c/EverealBand
