Hell on Fire: Hello Ipek and welcome to H.O.F, how are you?
Ipek: Hailz, I’m fantastic. thanks.
Hell on Fire: Can you talk a little about how everything started with Wykked Wytch?
Ipek: It’s a long story, but I’ll try to stay brief. Wykked Wytch started back in 1996 in Philadelphia as a 4 piece Death/Thrash old school metal band. We took it to the next level from local band to national after playing bunch of regional shows opening up for bands like Testament, Overkill, Savatage, as well as the infamous Milwaukee Metalfest. After Milwaukee Metalfest we were signed to Demolition Records in the UK. The label re-released our first self-financed album “Something Wykked This way Comes”. From there I revamped WW with new musicians and moved into a heavier direction incorporating more black metal and European influences combined with the already established death/thrash style.
Hell on Fire: I had the chance to hear some of your songs and i must say that you have a demonic and amazing voice, do you have any kind of preparation with your voice like singing classes? What does your lyrics talks about?
Ipek: Thanks for the compliments. Yes, when I was a kid I had attended several years in Conservatory in Europe I was classically trained in Opera. My lyrics differ from each album but some common themes are personal dramas ,depressions betrayal and corruptions and daily destructions affecting me and everyone else.
Hell on Fire: Really, trained in Opera that’s really good! In previous tours i see that Wykked Wytch shared the stage with bands like Kreator, Carpathian Forest, Six Feet Under and Deicide, it was a good experience for you and the rest of the band to share the stage with this bands?
Ipek: Yes, our first real tour was with Kreator, Sodom, Destruction, and was unforgettable. On that tour we played with them for all 30 days of sold out shows in the biggest venues throughout Europe. The rest of the tours were wild and crazy as well with different personalities in bands made tour very interesting and worth while. We gained many fans from many different countries we could not reach if it was not for these tours. Always a great experience.
Hell on Fire: Do you remember with which bands or kind of musical style you grow up listening to? Do you have any kind of favourite band or bands?
Ipek: I was really into more melodic metal bands in my earlier years like Metal Church, Mercyful Fate, Judas Priest, etc. As time went on I have discovered many different metal bands from speed to death anything metal. DEATH is my favorite band.
Hell on Fire: Yes indeed Death, hails to the king Chuck Schuldiner! For you, what is your favourite singer of all time?
Ipek: King Diamond, Rob Halford, Geoff Tate(Queensryche)
Hell on Fire: What is the meaning of Wykked Wytch and who had the idea for this name?
Ipek: Wykked Wytch is a wytch with deadly intentions. People used to call me Wykked because I was weird and wild on stage so I decided to go with it.
Hell on Fire: What do you like to do in your free times?
Ipek: Many things and nothing. It always feel like I have no time at all working all the time, but when I do have some free time I like to work in my garden or watch movies.
Hell on Fire: What can you say about supports in Miami, U.S.A? It is easy in there for a band to survive? Which is the best advice that you can you give for those bands that are in the begining?
Ipek: Florida used to be the capital of Death metal music but lately it’s all saturated shit load of garbage. Not enough metal clubs for bands to play so everyone goes out of town to find venues. Metal is not good here unless major bands comes down for a concert. My best advice to young people is to put your music out on internet. Promote like crazy and then play as many places you can.
Hell on Fire: Until now Wykked Wytch have 4 albums, “Something Wykked This Way Comes”, “Angelic Vengeance”, “Nefret” and the last one “Memories Of A Dying Whore” that in my opinion is simply brutal, really well composed and you simply explode with your demonic and brutal screams giving to all of this diversified tracks lots of power and energy, for you which was the most difficult album to compose and why? Which is the song that you like the most in this fourth album “Memories Of A Dying Whore”!
Ipek: I think Nefret was the most bitch of an album to produce. We were trying to experiment with too many styles and yet want to stay real. Guitar player and I both had different visions but we could not agree on one, so we kind of mixed all our ideas and developed the music. On a few of the songs we wished we did not release because it really did not represent us and gave the media a wrong impression on the group. But it is a great album has many emotional attachments that I cannot deny. The new album “Memories Of A Dying Whore” is the album that was the most organized and really represents what Wykked Wytch is about and fit the bands image. I like all the songs. Shrouded In Ash is the most heart wrenching song I ever sang. I like the ups and downs and the mood ..
Hell on Fire: What do you think about the actual formation of Wykked Wytch do you like to play with them? There’s any curious or funny story that you want to share with us about any band members or something that happened during a tour? (bad language is allowed) (laughs)
Ipek: Right now with the current lineup of Wykked Wytch it is one of the most enjoyable experiences performing and rehearsing with the group. We have several new guys and can’t wait to tour with them. In the past on tours we always have crazy and funny experiences. One of the funniest was when we performed in Spain and an opening band we were touring with was thrown off of the tour for fighting with the tour manager. After the group was told to leave their singer was wasted asking if there was anymore beer. Another one was when we had to turn around our van to pickup another band’s member that was left at a gas station in Slovenia. We had to drive over an hour in the cold to pickup this guy and brought him back to his band.
Hell on Fire: I almost can imagine scenarios (lol)! You’ve made a cover of the song Sweet Dreams that in my opinion is really well achieved, who had the idea of making this cover?
Ipek: The song started off as a joke in rehearsal. The guitarist was playing the main riff from the Marilyn Manson version like Black Metal and it started growing on us we all decided to cover it.
Hell on Fire: What do you think about the actual panorama in the metal scene? For you what is the main diferences between the metal from U.S.A and metal from Europe? Did you ever come to any country in Europe?
Ipek: The difference in Europe and US for metal is loyalty. In Europe it seems that the people are more supportive of the music and in the US a lot of the time you have a trendier type of fan that will grow out of music and move onto the next trend. We have toured across Europe several times and have never been in Portugal. This is gonna be awesome and we are looking forward to it.
Hell on Fire: At August 28 we will have the pleasure to have Wykked Wytch performing in Portugal in the huge Ermal festival, are you anxious about that? What can the portuguese crowd expect from Wykked Wytch on stage?Ipek: yes! We are very stoked about that not anxious but excited. You can expect 6 people play very passionate heavy music and a show full of energy.
Hell on Fire: For the last question, do you already have any ideas for the next album or is to soon to talk about it and what do you wanna say to those who always support Wykked Wytch during all this years!
Ipek: Yes, as we speak we are writing new material for upcoming album in 2010,stay tuned . We are grateful for those whom stayed with us all those years.
Hell on Fire: Thank you so much for your time, i hope that Wykked Wytch continue always with the great music you make and lots of luck with your concerts and tours, see you at Ermal Festival!
Ipek: Thanks for having us In Portugal,spread the word and support the real thing. See you soon in the pit!
By: Nightshade
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