The cosmic metal pirates from outter space known as Aquilla have been rather busy as of late! As well as touring, the band released “Mankind’s Odyssey” last year and have also welcomed new lead vocalist Captain Paradox to the band! Kris Invader and Captain Paradox took a break from searching the galaxies to give us this extensive interview!

THE NWOTHM: Hey there, first can you introduce yourselves and where you are from?

Kris Invader: Hi Rob! We are Aquilla from Warsaw, Poland. We play heavy metal with thrash and speed metal influences. A plot and a universe that we create with our music is about a sci-fi story in which mankind leaves Earth and searches for a new planet to settle.

THE NWOTHM: How did you guys form and were you involved in any projects before?

Kris Invader: History of Aquilla is quite tangled. If you want to get to know it, we have to look back to 2013 when the band “Legacy” was formed. In the very beginning, “Legacy” wanted to play thrash metal, but after some time they decided to change the course and started to play heavy metal. (A funny plot twist is I was at the first concert of Legacy in my higher secondary school. I was 13 and I was listening to metal music, but I couldn’t play the guitar back then. During their performance I told myself that I want to be a musician and play in this band, this was my little dream). Legacy did total rebranding. In 2015 they changed their name to Aquilla.

In the meantime, the first vocalist (Maciej) left the band and Pav Wernik joined the squad. Aquilla with a new member on board started writing new material and recorded the first demo of a song “Breaking the Night”. After its release Pav Wernik parted ways with the band and Blash Raven joined the band as a new vocalist. In 2017 Aquilla recorded their first EP called “The
Day We Left Earth”.

After the EP was released, other rotations in a membership had been done. Chris Scanner came to the band as a rhythm guitarist. After a year in 2018 lead guitarist Stan Glacier and bassist Michael Hex (two original members) decided to leave the band. That was the time when me and Hippie Banzai joined Aquilla. For four years me, Hippie Banzai, Pete Slammer (last original member), Blash Raven and Chris Scanner were a stable squad. As a result of our work in 2022 the first LP “Mankind’s Odyssey” was released. In 2023 Blash Raven decided to part ways with Aquilla and Captain Paradox joined the band.

THE NWOTHM: What is the inspiration behind your band’s name, and how does it reflect your music’s identity?

Kris Invader: The band’s name came from the star constellation ‘Aquila’. Apart from that, ‘Aquila’ in latin language means ‘eagle’. The main topic of our band is space, so the reason why previous members decided to name the band ‘Aquilla’ is pretty obvious, it fits perfectly.

THE NWOTHM: How do you feel heavy metal has evolved over the years, and what unique elements do you bring to the genre?

Kris Invader: I think that second part of this question is easier to answer. From the very beginning of the band every member had different sources of musical inspiration. Different metal types and other music genres like for example synth-wave, classical or ambient music (and many others) have a bigger or smaller influence on our compositions. In my personal opinion, a composition is a result of the music we listen to, our creativity and our mood.

THE NWOTHM: You guys have a very unique image, so where did you get inspiration from for this?

Kris Invader: Our image is connected to characters both in the universe that we create and on stage. Image of each member is a combination of what we like in heavy metal and what we like beyond it. For example, the image and style of Hippie Banzai relates to pirates, the space ones. Style of Pete Slammer refers to cowboys, but again in a space style. My image for example is, simply saying, in traditional heavy metal convention, just leather trousers, jacket and chains. When it comes to bands that inspired us a lot when it comes to style or stage movement are Enforcer and Evil Invaders, but also such classics as Iron Maiden or Judas Priest.

THE NWOTHM: How do you channel your emotions into your music, and what role does catharsis play in your creative process?

Kris Invader: That is a very interesting question. Each of us is a different person and it means that we feel the world and emotions differently. It is a very, very intimate part of being a musician. The more sensitive you are, the more musical ideas come to your head, because you feel and see more. Emotions are sometimes inconsistent with what you create. Sometimes when you are sad you do not want to write a sad ballad, you want to write something that will cheer you up. The word ‘catharsis’ is a good one when it comes to composing new music. Good riffs and solos are your catharsis, it is a gateway to inner freedom which lets you in many cases stop suffering.

THE NWOTHM: Can you tell us a little bit about your previous EP and single releases and do you have any favourite songs from your discography?

Kris Invader: In my humble opinion previous releases had to happen in order to create the next new material. It is a process. On the one hand, the first EP “The day we left Earth” was a good release, because of the age of all the members. It was their first recorded material and they had no experience both in composing music and recording. They were just very young and wild…and we still are. On the other hand, I do not like the production of this album. I
would say that all of the songs on the first EP are good pieces of music. I can tell you that from the perspective of a person who was not in a band from the very beginning. I remember the emotions that I felt during Aquilla concerts.

My favourite song from this EP is Event Horizon. This is the most climatic song and every time when we played it live I saw space and black holes that absorbs me. When it comes to the second release “Saviours of the Universe”, the title song and Coven (later re-recorded as Intersection) are my favourite.
“Mankind’s Odyssey” is our first LP and professionally produced material. My
favourite songs from this album are “Arrival” and “Pathfinder”.

These songs are my favourite, because of the memories that I recall during the composition process. Every time when I play these songs live I feel the same energy that I felt almost 5 years ago. I think that these two songs are the most catchy ones from the album (maybe apart from the Saviours of the Universe).

THE NWOTHM: Imagine that the band had a signature drink! What would it be called and what would be in it?

Kris Invader: Hah, I think it would be Tequila, it rhymes with Aquilla. I think that a bottle of tequila in the shape of an eagle or the head of an alien could look very nice.

THE NOWTHM: Last year you released your debut album “Mankind’s Odyssey”. What can you tell us about the record? How did you go about writing and recording your debut?

Kris Invader: Well this whole process was long. We were writing four songs for almost a year. After that we decided to re-record Zero, Rapt in Darkness (Skeletal) and Intersection (Crystal Coven), which were a good addition to the LP and were consistent with the plot. These songs deserved to be produced in a better quality. We recorded our debut in “Demontażownia” Studio in Piaseczno, near Warsaw. Damian ‘Fons’ Biernacki was our sound engineer and supervised and worked on the quality of production.

Apart from recording instruments under his tutelage , he mixed and mastered our LP. In general, our cooperation during recording sessions was very good. Recording instruments for seven songs in a professional studio is a hard task, because when you do this for the first time in your life you are not aware of many aspects of playing. We recorded in sterile conditions so we were able to hear every little noise from strings or picks. This is a priceless experience which made us better musicians.

THE NWOTHM: Captain Paradox! First and foremost welcome to the band! How does it feel to a part of the Aquilla family?

CAPTAIN PARADOX: Thanks, it feels absolutely awesome! The energy within the band and on stage is amazing, I’m very happy with it.

THE NWOTHM: And how did you end up joining the band? Did they find you or did your paths meet unexpectedly?

CAPTAIN PARADOX: Years ago I was involved in another called Boltcrown and I think that’s how the guys became aware of me. But I did knew Hippie Banzai personally for a couple of years before joining in. Every now and then we used to discuss ideas of organizing either a gig or possibly a side project together someday, so when my predecessor decided to leave, Hippie got in touch with me. To be honest I was kinda expecting this to happen, it just felt so right like it was meant to be.

THE NWOTHM: Was there any secret initiation test?

CAPTAIN PARADOX: (laughs) There was no secret really, apart from the fact that we kept quiet about it for some time and revealed it only after a few weeks of doing rehearsals together. But it all just “clicked” together automatically, you know? All of a sudden I felt like I’ve always been here.
Can you tell us more about your musical background?

THE NWOTHM: How did you get into singing and where did you learn?

CAPTAIN PARADOX: I’m pretty much self-trained. I went on one singing lesson in my entire life and that was it. But I began to sing at a very young age, roughly around the same time when I started listening to music “for real”. When I was 7, my elder sister introduced me to Queen and I became obsessed with them and it didn’t took more than a year, I think, when I started to sing along to their tunes. That’s how it started. But I guess the signs were already
there even before that – my earliest musical memory was singing along to Iron Maiden’s “The Number Of The Beast” in my elder brother’s room at age of 3!

THE NWOTHM: Are there any vocalists that you greatly admire and have been a big influence on your singing style?

CAPTAIN PARADOX: That’s both the best and the worst question you can ask me, ’cause you know… I love talking about that but then again there are so many of them from so many different genres that it would take a couple of days if not weeks to cover them all. Also it’s a bit tricky ’cause I don’t want to name all the obvious ones, as there are many less appreciated ones which also had a huge impact on me. At the same time there some classic figures which
I just have to mention! The grand master and sorcerer, my No. 1 influence will always be Ronnie James Dio. But right after him, almost at the same spot I would have to name Bruce Dickinson.

Freddie Mercury was a big influence in my youth (and still is), that’s really how I got into singing in the first place. But let’s face it – if you are a heavy metal vocalist, people like Dio, Dickinson, Rob Halford or Eric Adams for sure had an impact on you, there’s just no way to escape that. Then you got the underdogs like Steve Marriott of Humble Pie, from whom Robert Plant pretty much stole his whole singing style. Or Messiah Marcolin from Candlemass, the most powerfull vibratto on the planet. Jon Oliva from Savatage, Midnight from Crimson Glory, Klaus Meine from Scorpions… the list goes on. And there are also people from completely different endavours like Peter Gabriel or Gregg Allman. All of them had some influence on me and still that’s just the tip of the iceberg. As I said – it would take days if not weeks to give a full answer.

THE NWOTHM: What do you hope to bring to the next chapter of Aquilla?

CAPTAIN PARADOX: We’ve been working on the new material for a couple of months now and it’s been great, we’re all very excited. Without revealing too much I’d say that the next release will be a bit more varied and a bit more barbaric. All of course applied in the right way to Aquilla’s style. I honestly can’t wait until we record and release it. We’ve already performed some of the new material live and the response from the audience was great.

THE NWOTHM: What themes or issues do you explore in your lyrics, and how do they resonate with your audience?

CAPTAIN PARADOX: We have this established lore to our lyrics and themes in general. The first album as well as the next one will tell stories from the planet Evadera, where the last of the human race have settled. So all of the lyrics are really playing a part in this one big, epic story. I don’t want to spoil too much but I can tell you already that the next album will focus more on how mankind, now living on Evadera, has divided. Something a little less serious!

THE NWOTHM: If your music was a superhero, what would its powers be?

CAPTAIN PARADOX: Aquilla ain’t no superhero, it is a spaceship! The fastest one in this part of the galaxy!

THENWOTHM: Can you highlight the significance of artwork and visual aesthetics in portraying the essence of your music?

CAPTAIN PARADOX: It’s crucial in establishing our lore. Given the fact that our lyrics are basically telling one epic tale, there’s a lot of room for creativity in the visual side of things. The artwork can really transcend the themes of our songs into another level, almost like a movie. Hell, we might even experiment a bit more in the future with the visual media and animation, to present our lore in an even more expressive way. The technology is evolving so
rapidly these days that it’s getting easier for everyone to get access to animation programmes etc. and I think we might use that someday.

THE NWOTHM: In a world of digital streaming, how important is the physical release of albums, such as vinyl, to your band and fans?

CAPTAIN PARADOX: I think that, despite how common streaming and virtual media in general has become, the real fans will always want to get hold a physical copy of something they like. Whether it’s a record, a movie or a book, it just makes you appreciate it more when you have a physical copy of it. I personally use Spotify pretty much every day but that still doesn’t prevent me from having a collection of over 300 vinyls on my shelf. Vinyl in particular has made a surprise comeback, as far as I’m aware it’s now the most popular record type that people choose. And I think that especially metal fans are always eager to collect their records physically, regardless of streaming services and that’s why it is important to us not to disappoint them in that area.

THE NWOTHM: What touring plans do you have for the rest of 2023?

Kris Invader: We are going to tour from 23.08 to 02.09. We will play five shows in Poland (Wrocław, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Szczecin, Gdańsk and Bytów), two in Denmark (Grenaa, Copenhagen) and one in Sweden. We are still waiting for one show to be announced. This is gonna be a cool adventure!

THE NWOTHM: What is next for the band?

Kris Invader: We are in the composition process of a new material for a new album. Even at this moment I am able to say that I like this material much more than on “Mankind’s Odyssey”. It will be much wilder and faster than the previous release.

THE NOWTHM: Where can fans buy your music and merch and check you out?

Kris Invader: Our merch is available through bandcamp and you can listen to our music through every streaming platform. But in general, it is better to listen to music live so I want to invite all of you guys who are reading this to our shows!

Bandcamp: https://aquilla.bandcamp.com/music

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AquillaOfficial