MAYAN // Clash Of The Titans

Classically trained vocalist, Marcela Bovio, has made a successful transition from being a featured guest with Dutch symphonic metal monsters MaYaN to being a mainstay on the upcoming album, Dhyana.

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“It’s funny, I recorded some choir parts and a couple of solo parts for the last album Antagonise (2014) and I’ve been playing with the band ever since.

“At some point Frank [guitarist, Frank Schiphorst] told me, ‘Why don’t you join the band permanently?’ It sounded like fun and I thought not much would change but it did – I’ve been involved way more in the decision making and especially the song writing process which is something that was really cool. They were nice enough to give me a chance to have some input and that was really cool.”

Dhyana, with its conceptual themes and soaring sound, marks an evolution for MaYaN as a collective and Bovio has observed MaYaN, since the release of Quarterpast in 2011 grow as musicians individually, the amiable work ethic amongst them meaning the band have gained evermore popularity. “And I think the guys have been rediscovering the sound and what the band should be like,” she agrees. “Now with this new formation of the extra band members and all of us having the opportunity to chip in, the whole sound has evolved into something way richer and way more complex than the beginning.”

Complexity and growing sound is right. For Dhyana, MaYaN recorded with The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, bumping up the wow factor and solidifying the band’s outstanding collaborative talents. “We’re so excited about that,” says Bovio enthusiastically. “It’s really a dream come true to have the chance like this. We’re all huge fans of film scores and symphonic music.

“For the recordings of the orchestra, Jack [Driessen] the keyboard player was there, sending us little movies of how everything was going and from that moment on, we were super excited.”

So much of the music from the death metal genre in which MaYaN sits comfortably will use a lot of synthesised orchestral music. A live orchestra better shaped the album and gave an edge to MaYaN’s vision. “When it came to the song writing, there were a lot of arrangements that were already shifting toward that side, a lot of symphonic arrangements, because the goal was there,” says Bovio. “When you have to arrange the parts to be played by real instruments it’s an endeavour really because everything with computers has to be scripted into sheet music so the orchestra can play. So the sound very much determines what the record is going to be like.

In the course of my career I’ve had the chance of performing with a lot of really fantastic musicians and with MaYaN it’s exactly the case. Everyone is really good at what they do, they’re right on the top of what the scene has to offer but they’re also super nice people, it’s such a pleasure.
[MARCELA]

“The orchestral parts in the songs become way more prominent, it takes up more of your attention, of course, because it’s real instruments and it’s very intense.”

The sensational realism of a live orchestra Bovio feels compliments the operatic vocals that she and fellow vocalist Laura Macrì provide, the latter’s abilities of which Bovio cannot speak more highly of. “There’s this song, Satori, in which she’s just like shining with her beautiful, long operatic lines on top of this orchestral arrangement – whenever I think about it I get goose bumps, it’s just so fantastic.”

A cohesive and elaborate sound indeed with the nine members performing together, but for Bovio and Macrì, the current discussion surrounding women in heavy metal, or therein lack of, are somewhat redundant when you look at the extent to which they’ve been involved in producing an album with such a prominent group as MaYaN. “I’m very lucky, I’m blessed,” Bovio says sincerely. “In the course of my career I’ve had the chance of performing with a lot of really fantastic musicians and with MaYaN it’s exactly the case. Everyone is really good at what they do, they’re right on the top of what the scene has to offer but they’re also super nice people, it’s such a pleasure.”

MaYaN, it has been said, operate as a multifunctional metal dream team, an attribute Bovio likes and agrees with. “I think it’s important to have a core and MaYaN has its core in Mark [Jansen], vocals], Frank and Jack, that do most of the songwriting but they involved everyone – they’re the core and it’s important to have, but they’re considerate of what the rest of us want to do and want to chip in.

“In that sense I have a lot of freedom but it’s also very straightforward and very easy to go with the flow. So yeah, I would definitely want to do this again!”