Aguilar: After playing in other bands that didn’t had any success I thought to work music in a different way than the usual “band”. It all started in the late part of 2002 were I conceived the idea to work as a project. For this I composed the music and lyrics in order to unite all the material in a musical concept. Also I include some other tracks from the old bands. And as it was a project, the musicians involved were members of other bands who helped not only in the recording but also in the arrangements. Shena (Johnny Aviles nickname) and Olaso were former musicians from the old bands that I was in. It was not surprising that they were they first to join since we always had a lot of chemistry. Shena is a more aggressive drummer and loves more thrash metal. In the other hand Olaso (bass) has a more prog rock line and helped a lot as a producer. Pablo joined us were he was a more progressive keyboard player, but he also has other influences. The last of the list was the vocalist Suandher but behold, he was also an old mate of the old bands. He loves more heavy metal and alternative music. The project at last was joined in the month of May 2003 and one month later the recording of the demo started.

Aguilar: For this project I wanted a specific concept to be developed. Basically, I wanted that the final product (music, lyrics and art) could leave the listeners an emotion more than a specific story like most of the concept albums. In that order I selected the old songs that had a darker atmosphere, like Evening Star, and in that base I started to compose the rest of the songs. I can tell that this project is a progress and development of the darker sound of the old bands. Some songs were composed first like vocal melodies and other started like guitar riffs, it’s hard to have a guideline to compose, it’s just a sporadic situation. Where was recorded has a funny story. The obvious thing was to record the demo in a musical studio but these ones were too expensive in order of the final product. They didn’t have much experience, knowledge and equipment. For that reason we decided the hard task to record by our means. So at the end it was recorded in the home studio of Evening Star down at Olaso’s place baptized “Aqua Bass Home Studio”. We are still learning how to record, it’s a long way but at least we already started.

Aguilar: I think that the identity of sound could be achieved after many years of composition. Also, the study of music, especially jazz could help a lot to song writers in order to have more control and tools. In old works I directed the themes in a more concept direction, like story telling. But as years passed I felt the need to write more personal themes in a simple way. Just writing in a very sincere manner and touching human situations like internal debates, melancholy, anger, hope, etc. Every song has its own story and a purpose product of the good and the bad times of life. At this time I can affirm that the simple trivial emotions are the ones who catch more my attention.

Aguilar: The album, it’s heading as planned. It will contain 8 songs including all the songs of the demo. This ones have been re-recorded most of the lines except the voice and keys. But the mixing and mastering will be totaling different. The new songs will have more diversity, some ideas as slow passed atmospheric times, other more fast scales traditional moments, and most of all a more punch-edge aggressive times.

Olaso: First of all the music industry in Costa Rica is very small, there are like 5 million people in Costa Rica, and that’s a pretty small population and market. Been such a little market there aren’t big Record Labels and hence not much money in this industry. No one is making money by making music in Costa Rica, and I mean real money like some pop artists in other countries (USA, Mexico, Chile Argentina, etc.) and if not even the “pop” artists are making money you just can imaging what is happening to our metal music industry. The main problem is the lack of money and investment in the metal music industry. Because of this lack of “funds” there is a crisis in the underground movement in Costa Rica. Don’t misunderstood me there are a lot of bands, but almost no one is getting a real record deal, for their music to be produced and distributed in a professional way. As a consequence the bands have to finance everything by themselves. I think that that’s the main problem, the fact that there aren’t a lot of professionals that can actually help to improve the material, from a technical and artistic point of view. Knowing this there are a lot of obstacles that a band has to face to “make it” or even getting people to notice your music, especially when you try to “export” your band.

Olaso: There are a lot of bands here, and I mean a lot of bands playing a lot of metal genres. And the metal scene here is big and growing bigger every day. I do believe that there are a lot of good bands working hard to get their music out there, and to name a few right out of my head: Alastor S.E., Lighthouse, Slavon, Antigona, Grecco, Mantra, Arsenal, Decembers Cold Winter, Auriga, Vortice. All this bands and a lot more, that I can’t remember right now, are working hard to make it either in our local scene or in a more international scene. Most of them are working with their own money and they are taking care of most of the expenses, just for the love of music. This is regular people with day jobs and a great love for music and I respect that a lot. In the other hand Evening Star has taken a different approach in what making music is like. We know our objectives and we a re working to achieve them. The primal objective of our band is to record a demo or a full length album to get a record deal. We are focusing on that first so we don’t think about other issues that in our point of view are not helping to achieve our goals. In the other hand must of us play in other bands and have day time jobs or are studying in College, so we don’t have much time to invest in playing live and all that other stuff.

Shena: It’s pure energy like a thunder storm, earthquake in a mass destruction! When you’re inside you’ll never want to get out! The energy of the members penetrates the soul of the listeners creating a whole show of adrenaline! I hope the “Evening Star Effect” can reach many people in the future.

Shena: We’ll like to sign a fair contract that will allow us to grow and sustain in the international metal scene. Also, this could help us in the investment of professional productions, recordings and finally excellent live shows. At the end, will allow us to work in world tours that after all are what we love most to do.

Shena: In Costa Rica there is no such thing as heavy metal label’s, only distributors. That is the main reason for the purpose of our work, to be sign by labels in other countries.

Aguilar: Of course it’s difficult, in the actual times the competence is huge, every day you can hear new bands with new and brilliant proposals. And as coming from Central America it gives us and extra challenge.

Aguilar: It goes slow but it goes on, that is the important thing. Reviews, interviews on radios and web pages are the main media to making the name of Evening Star known. Also the distribution of the demo has been an important tool. It’s hard to be known when you’re still a “self financed” band.

Olaso: It would be interesting to try to analyze it: “Labyrinth of fears” is one of those classic power metal songs, you can tell how much Frank (Aguilar) loves this genre and how he achieves to get that power metal sound. There are a lot of keyboards arrangements that I love in this one. The vocal melody it’s catchy and I love the way that Suandher managed to add some of his own sound on it. I think that it’s a strong song with a lot of good moments. Those grunts almost killed me (I was sick), but I think that they turned up pretty good. After that we have “The Calling”, this songs represents the sound that we are looking for as a band, that kind of dark atmosphere and mystery combined with a power metal sound. This one was the first one that we recorded and it was our recording laboratory (especially for me), with that song we learned how to record and mix the songs. It has most of my favorites “Evening Star” moments, I love the keyboard arrangements on this one too. Turn of the tide is one of my favorite songs ever written by Frank, this one is actually a collaboration between Frank and Pablo. The vocals are great, Suandher’s voice sounds great on this one, and Pablo’s piano arrangements are totally melancholic in a Beethoven kind of way. The last song is the oldest and it reminds me of a lot of things, it’s a song that I wrote the lyrics to and even composed a vocal melody. After a lot of discussion we decided that it sounded better without words and that it would be nice to have an instrumental. I love to play it more than anything, is a song that in my opinion has a lot of power live.

Olaso: I think that in order for a metal band to survive it needs to reinvent itself a lot, I mean a metal band needs to always find a new sound to push the boundaries that defines it as a “certain genre of metal band”. This is a very difficult task but it’s a pretty competitive world out there, and though it’s an art form you still have to keep the people interested in your music, so you can afford another album. I think that the metal musician needs to be more open in what music genres comes to.

Aguilar: I don’t like metal classifications but if I can give a direction of the sound it could be a dark power metal. The main elements could be the heavy punch sound combined with fast melodic lines. But most of all, the melancholy and feeling in the melody. I can say that it has a strong base in the traditional power metal but also has other ideas as more of classical music, thrash, heavy, gothic and even a little of prog metal in it. At the end, the product makes the listeners walk into a dark and mysterious atmosphere with a sorrowful spirit.

There are more available, people interested can write us at eveningstar_project@hotmail.com

Shena: Something tells me that there is a place for us in the worldwide metal scene. I don’t know if is in the U.S., Europe or Japan or wherever people loves our music. But I must say, some how we will win this race called record deals or whatever you want to call it, and you will listen about Evening Star in a very near future.
Pablo: Hi! Metal brothers around the world, I would like to take advantage of this given opportunity and encourage you to always, no matter what, stay fucking heavy, remember to keep your ideals, not only by making or listening to this wonderful music, but also in your everyday life. Like Manowar said: "...´cause is not only music is chosen way of life...is more than our religion is the only way to live and the enemies of metal we can’t forgive..." I think the bottom line of this brief but straight message is clear and I hope that someday our music will fill some heavy metal heart’s STAY HEAVY!
Olaso: It’s a pretty difficult world out there, prepare yourself well so you can achieve everything that you want, specially if it has something to do with music, practice, practice and study a lot.
Aguilar: I know sometimes life can get hard and in many cases all the problems can break you down but I tell you there lies strength inside all of us, so fight for you ideals and never give up because there is always one more try. Just remember: By this time I can see new dreams will become new visions in the sky now I see.