Metal Planet Media Talks To…Manual Barbara

Can you tell us about the origin of the band name, a history of the band and a little bit about the various members?

This project came together when I decided to take a bunch of music I had written for a couple of failed bands and release them under my own name. I treat it as a vehicle for me to be able to make pretty much whatever I want.

Are you all from the same area? How did you get together as a band?

I’ve known myself since birth! Many of my guest performers and collaborators are old friends and colleagues from college.

Who are your favourite artists/bands and how have they influenced your own sound?

I got into music via classic rock and metal, particularly Pink Floyd and Iron Maiden. Nowadays, I take a lot of ideas from bands like Periphery, Tesseract, Monuments, Meshuggah… but my love for the more modern styles of “classical” music (as well as Bach and his counterpoint) informs a lot of my decisions when it comes to harmony and shape.

Did you always have the ambition to be a musician and in a band or did you originally have other plans?

No, I didn’t really care much about music until high school. I was sure I would end up as an engineer or something.

What songs or albums are on your current playlist?

I’ve been listening to a lot of synthwave lately – particularly The Midnight’s Days of Thunder and GUNSHIP’s Unicorn. On the metal side, Monuments’ In Stasis and Allagaeon’s Damnum have been putting in a lot of work for me.

Do you sing in the shower?

Occasionally, usually when I’m making a token effort to practice my solfege or trying to work out an idea.

If you could play at any venue in the world where would you choose?

Do you have a favourite album? If so, what is it?

Man, that’s a difficult question. If you force me to name one, it’ll change every day. Today, it’s probably War of Being by Tesseract.

Do you have any guilty pleasure songs/albums?

I don’t feel guilty about any of the music I like. Although there are some bands like Dragonforce and Sabaton that do one specific kinda silly thing and are the only place where I can get that thing.

If you were putting together the greatest show on earth, who would be playing?

I’ve always thought a bill with Leprous, Gojira, and Meshuggah would be awesome.

Can you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What was it and do you still have it?

As your fans will be reading this, is there any message you would like to send out to them?

Finally, let us know all your social media sites so your fans, old and new, can find and follow/like you!

We, at Metal Planet Media, would like to thank you for your time. Is there is anything further that you would like to add?

I hope everyone has as much fun listening to Whisper as I had making it. Also, go check out Necronomicon Ex Mortis, my death metal band, and The Airborn Sealife Podcast, where I and two other metal nerds talk about music for 45 minutes every week.

This interview is the property of Metal Planet Media