Get ready to dive into the world of Illumishade! Fronted by Fabienne Erni, this Swiss modern metal sensation dropped their sophomore album, “Another Side of You”, via Napalm Records on February 16, 2024. In our exclusive interview with Jonas Wolf and Fabienne Erni, they reveal the creative sparks behind their latest work, exploring a captivating mix of dark and light themes alongside orchestration by film composer Mirjam Skal and collaborations with the Budapest Art Orchestra.

-With “Another Side of You” being your Napalm Records debut, how does it feel to reach this milestone in your career?

Jonas Wolf: -Really great of course. We worked very hard on this over the last years. Napalm has proven to be a great partner for us.

Fabienne Erni: -Feels like all our hard work over the last few years is finally starting to pay off and we’re getting to play our new tracks live at last!

-There’s a balance between dark and light in the album’s themes. Can you elaborate on how this dichotomy influenced your songwriting process?

Jonas Wolf: -Well these songs are a reflection on life as we live and experience it really with all its light and dark sides. In that regard it’s a very personal record.

-How did the collaboration with Mirjam Skal, the film composer, come about, and how did her orchestration and synths contribute to the overall sound of the album?

Jonas Wolf: –She studied at the same art school (ZHdK) as the rest of the band. Here orchestrations quickly became an integral part of our sound. Usually she adds her part at the end of the writing process. There’s other situations though as in Cyclone where she came up with the core idea of the song.

Fabienne Erni: -Thanks to her connections we could also work together with the Budapest Art Orchestra on a few tracks on the album.

-In your new material there’s a more modern approach in both lyrics and music at times. What inspired this shift, and how did it impact your creative process?

Jonas Wolf: -I’d say this happened very naturally and without an agenda behind it. It is really who we are now as a band. It gave us even more creative freedom in a way.

Fabienne Erni: -Yannick, our bassist, has been a huge influence on our lyrics on this album. He’s such a talented lyricist and working together with him has given our lyrics a more modern and fresh touch.

-“ELEGY” is described as darkening the sonic sky with heavy riffs and ominous soundscapes. Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind this track?

Jonas Wolf: -It’s definitely a staple track. It includes all our trademarks: The heavy, proggy riffs, the melodic chorus, the emotional guitar solo and the cinematic scope. The tempo shift happening towards the second part of the song was inspired by the movie TENET. Another one of Mirjam’s ideas.

-The album features a variety of musical influences, from progressive to power metal. How did you approach blending these different genres while maintaining a cohesive sound?

Jonas Wolf: –We really just went for it. To be honest, I miss that sense of adventure in a lot of modern Metal bands. We are influenced by bands like Queen so this genre bending mix came naturally. It’s again just who we are and what we try to express with our music.

-“Fairytale” is highlighted as a ballad loaded with emotions. Can you share the inspiration behind this song and how it came together during the songwriting process?

Fabienne Erni: –I actually wrote this demo in 2017 – and just forgot about it. I like that the song shifts keys and has this “modulating” chord-progression in the chorus. Then in our songwriting camp in the mountains I rediscovered it, wrote the bridge to it, which didn’t exist yet, and shared it with the guys – we all instantly agreed it deserved a spot on the album.

Then we had this idea to bring in a pianist on the track. Coen Janssen was of course our first choice and we are so glad it worked out! He truly added some magic on the song with his playing.

-“Verliebt” is sung in Swiss German and features lyrics penned by bass player Yannick Urbanczik. What motivated the decision to incorporate Swiss German into the album, and what themes does this song explore?

Fabienne Erni: -I had this idea in my head for a while to include either Swiss German or Swedish in one of our tracks and this one just felt perfect for it. The song tells about the theme of innocence, capturing that rush you get when you’re falling in love, but also the uncertainties that come with it. It’s like a reflection of what the whole album is about – the highs and lows we experience, the complexities of human nature.

-How has Illumishade evolved as a band since the release of your debut album, and how did this evolution manifest in “Another Side of You”?

Jonas Wolf: We really grew as band and ASOY features more input by all band members than Eclyptic for that reason. We became more curious to find what makes us unique and are still on that path for whatever the future holds.

-The press release mentions your infectious will to experiment with sonic flavors while staying true to your unique sound. Can you share some examples of experimentation on this album and how it reflects your artistic vision?

Jonas Wolf: –Almost every song represents this element imo: ELEGY with the daunting tempo shift and the use of a Theremin like Jimmy Page was doing with Zep, Cloudreader with its extremely poppy and warmhearted vibe while still being intricate and proggy at times, TWILY with the guitar synth sounds and the hip vocal/drum chorus happening, Hummingbird being almost a folky/lamentation piece turning into a Modern Metal juggernaut, Cyclone combining microtonal bends you would find in Indian traditional music and progressive parts influenced by Meshuggah but also Pink Floyd, Verliebt being sung in Swiss German… I think it becomes pretty obvious when you listen to the whole album.