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Patrick Hemer talks with us about his new solo album!
When a band vanish to dust what remains is mainly the individual talent and at a certain point this talent pop-up like a rising sun in a darkened land. More Than Meets the Eye is Patrick Hemer’s first solo album after Horizon band unofficial split and that’s enough for us to start an epic interview!
Patrick Hemer - exclusive interview
Patrick Hemer acclaimed guitarist turned the page on his Horizon experience and pushed ahead working very hard on his first solo album named More Than Meets the Eye. Patrick is a long-respected studio musician such as guitar instructor with worldwide recognition and thousands of followers. Patrick proves that a talented guitarist is still the heavy core of a metal band, self named or not. After More Than Meets the Eye album review we are now offering you an exclusive interview with Patrick.
You will get a full understaing of More Than Meets the Eye cover artwork, song writing and guitar hardware such as main effects used to compose his first solo album.
More Than Meets the Eye – Artwork:
Which was the creative process that driven you to the blue cloudy-spiraling cover? Did you create it yourself or which artist has been involved in the creative cover process? If you selected the artist was him a well known designer in the metal area? When did you met him?
In fact, when the time came to think about the cover, I simply contacted Mattias Norén (owner at ProgArt Media) whom I knew from the Horizon days. Mattias had created the “Worlds Apart” cover back in 2004, he had been a breeze to work with and I personally really like his style, so I thought he would be the right man once again.
Patrick Hemer - More Than Meets the Eye front cover (click to enlarge)
We started browsing through some of his unused covers to look for ideas, and even though nothing actually worked as is, he had an unfinished cover with some very cool elements that we used as a starting point. Then, we discussed the overall concept of the image as well as a lot of details, and Mattias put all his great talent to work to create it.
Do you care about the cover meaning as it is the first customer impact about your musical creation and do you think it reflects the aspects of your music or not? What about More Than Meets the Eye front cover meaning?
Of course I definitely care about album covers. If not, I would certainly not have worked with someone like Mattias Norén and I would simply have used a picture of me with a guitar in my hands…
Concerning the possible power of a cover to describe the music itself, I think that there are enough clichés in all genres of Rock music as well as in the music industry in general to let the cover give an idea about the musical style. But it can’t go further than that. I mean, there’s never been any kind of relationship between the quality of the cover and the quality of the music or that of the production. There are hundreds of examples to prove that.
And as far as the meaning of the “More Than Meets The Eye” cover goes, it’s related to the lyrical content of the songs, and therefore, to the album title, but it would certainly be too long – and probably a bit boring too… – to explain each and every detail. I’d rather have the people discover things by themselves. It’s much more interesting as well as much more true to what art is all about.
More Than Meets the Eye – Writing process
Patrick Hemer and Album cover (click to enlarge)
When you first realized that was the time for you to start a self career as guitar player and vocalist with a self named band?
When Horizon hopelessly broke up a few years ago, I first had to take a break from Metal music for a while, because working with this band had, little by little, ended up locking me up in a narrow-minded, fossilized Metal world that I really needed to escape to be able to take a healthy breath of fresh air and rejuvenate my passion for music.
So I headed back to the world of recording studios, where I was fortunate enough to work on various projects, with some great musicians, and this turned out to be exactly what the doctor ordered because I soon started to feel the need to write new songs and put together a new band.
It’s when I began looking for bandmates that I realized that, this time, it would be a solo project.
I already had a very precise idea of how I wanted things to be and, when I write music, I write each and every instrumental and vocal part so it just has to be played or sung note for note. So all I needed was session musicians. Moreover, I didn’t want to live again the situation I had experienced with Horizon, having to compromise all the time on everything just because of a contract.
Of course, I could also have used a “fake” band name because some say that it sells better than a solo project, but I preferred to make things clear and simply use my own name.
When you started More Than Meets the Eye creative process? Tell us about the songwriting process of More Than Meets the Eye: did you mainly started from the lyrics or from the musical writing? Which are the creative aspects you like to care about the most?
It would be impossible to say when the writing actually started because only about one half of the material was written at the time I decided to put together this project, the other half being made of songs written earlier on or for Horizon. As far as songwriting goes, there’s no set formula. It can start from anything : a guitar riff, a melody line, a drum pattern, a few words… Then I try to develop ideas, find an efficient structure, make a demo with all the arrangements, and the song is considered finished once I can listen to it several times in a row and everything is flowing smoothly.
Patrick Hemer - Firelight (intro) tabs from More Than Meets the Eye (click to enlarge)
There’s no part of the job that I care about more than the rest. The fact of playing almost everything but the drums allows me to have an overall perception of the music – a producer’s perception in fact – that’s supposed to make sure that everything is the best we can get for the song.
Listening to More Than Meets the Eye we found some licks you wrote back in 2004 when you played in Horizon band and especially from the Blackmark track, Always a Stranger and some other heavy riffs from Burning Hunger, are those some of the tracks that have a special meaning for your personal guitar shred&riffing and writing process?
Well, it’s true that “Firelight” is a sort of remake of “The Black Mark”. In fact, it’s more or less a new version of “The Black Mark” played, arranged and produced the way I expected it to be back then.
On the other hand, there’s no riff from the two other songs you mentioned on “More Than Meets The Eye”. Or, at least, I don’t think so… Then, you may recognize some guitar licks here and there. That’s just because the guitar player is the same as on the Horizon albums 
When did you get in touch with Nightmare Records to publish More Than Meets the Eye? Looking at the early selling results in which market your first album is selling the most?
In fact, Nightmare Records was one of the very first labels I contacted when I was finishing the production of “More Than Meets The Eye”. For some reason, it took some time to finalize a deal, but I’m happy to work with Lance King.
It’s still too early to try to analyze any sales figure. Market-wise, Nightmare is strong in the U.S. while Horizon was stronger in Northern Europe and in Japan. Now we need to see what this combination will bring.
More Than Meets the Eye – Guitars and hardware
Patrick Hemer - Guitars and Hardware (Click to enlarge)
Which guitar you used the most in this album?
I used quite a few guitars on this album. Mostly Jacksons and a couple of Charvels.
The guitar I used the most for the rhythm tracks was probably an old Jackson 7-string Kelly with a TuneOMatic bridge and strings through body that I bought used many years back. The TuneOMatic is more stable tuning-wise than a Floyd Rose for studio takes.
For the solos, I think the guitar I used the most was my Tobacco Sunburst KE2.
Can you describe guitars plus effects you used in Thorn in My Flesh, Firelight and Death on Two Legs?
Thorn In My Flesh
Guitar (rhythm and lead) : Jackson TransRed KE2 w/ DiMarzio The Tone Zone and Air Norton pickups
FX: Boss SD-1 for the solos
Firelight
Guitar (rhythm and lead) : Jackson TobaccoSunburst KE2 w/ DiMarzio The Tone Zone and Air Norton pickups
FX : Boss SD-1 for the solos, Boss PH-3 phaser on the main theme, Dunlop Original Cry Baby on the second and outro solos
Death On Two Legs
Rhythm guitar : Jackson KE7 with TOM bridge and DiMarzio The Tone Zone 7 and Air Norton 7 pickups
Lead guitar : Jackson Sunburst KE7 with Floyd Rose Original 7 tremolo and DiMarzio The Tone Zone 7 and Air Norton 7 pickups
FX : Boss SD-1 for the solos
Which is the track you experimented on the most? Which has been the track that required more work to create a cool sound? Which is the track you are most satisfied about?
It’s difficult to say where I experimented the most because, in fact, I use the same amp settings all the time and very little FX. But maybe it’s “Guilty” with the harmonized and flanged “lead riffs” on the intro and outro, the backwards outro solo and the interlude after the main solo that’s overdubbed with an octaver as well as with an acoustic guitar.
As far as the quantity of work goes, nothing’s really been complicated to achieve, anyway I had to use a special stringing for the intro to “Edge Of Insanity” because it’s played on the 7-string guitar and I wanted the sound of a 12-string guitar which, in this case, would have required a 14-string guitar that doesn’t exist to my knowledge. So I had to overdub the intro with a 7-string guitar strung with what would be the “high half” of a 14-string guitar strings set.
“Edge of Insanity” is also one the songs I’m the most satisfied with.
Do you own a 7-string signature guitar that was specially designed arround your tone taste and that contributed to More Than Meets the Eye sound?
Actually, even though it’s true that I now own a Jackson Custom Shop 7-string Kelly that was designed and built exactly to my specs, I received it once the recording of “More Than Meets The Eye” was over.
Anyway, one of the other 7-string Kellies I used on the album is pretty close to the custom one : same pickups, same Floyd Rose 7 trem and same maple neck, and it would be extremely difficult to tell one from the other only by ear.
For more info: Patrick Hemer official website – Patrick Hemer MySpace
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