Drama! Action! Romance! No, this isn’t the tagline of the latest cinematic blockbuster to hit your local movie palace, but rather descriptors for Bergfried’s heavy AOR opera, Romantik III. In the two weeks since its release, I haven’t been able to stop spinning this album, as I’ve been completely enamored by its grandiose delivery, retro stylings, and captivating storyline. The way I’ve described it to my friends is “if Jim Steinman wrote and produced an album for Doro”, but as you’ll soon read, Romantik III is far much more than just that. We sat down with multi-instrumentalist Erech III. von Lothringen and vocalist Anna de Savoy to discuss the Romantik narrative, the musicians who helped bring it to life, and yes, Demi Lovato (Editor’s note: “Heart Attack” is a banger and this elder gen Z’er ain’t apologizing).
I’d like to start with the origins of Bergfried. When did this project first come together and how soon did work start coming together on music?
Erech III. von Lothringen: In late Summer, 2021, I wrote down ‘Bergfried – Romantik I‘ as a name for a new project. Early 2022, “Hungry Hearts” was written and the other 3 tracks of the debut EP followed really quickly. I was looking for a singer after I’ve tried it myself and it sounded horrible. Luckily, I found Anna almost immediately and she recorded the songs. Then, Sarah (Vincent) from Smoulder posted something about Romantik I after the release and a lot more people got hooked, which gave us the motivation to continue.
The band’s three releases thus far chronicle an epic romance mythos entitled Romantik. What are the origins of this story, and could you explain the overall concept for those unaware?
EvL: It starts with a man and a woman leading opposing armies on a battlefield. As they face each other on top of a tower they fall desperately in love. They decide to sacrifice themselves to save the soldiers of their armies in the hope of reuniting in the next dimension. However, this doesn’t work out and they find themselves separated in different realms. On Romantik II we find the woman (Anna) wandering through time as she encounters the devil, who promises to reunite her with her lover in exchange for building an army to fight against God. Despite her intention to betray the devil, she informs God about her plan. God, angered by her actions, condemns her to hell.
Expanding upon the last question, where does Romantik III pick up from Romantik II conceptually?
EvL: Now trapped in hell after making a deal with the devil, she begins a journey through eerie landscapes, battling twisted creatures. Along the way, she encounters an emissary of divine intervention, who reveals that while her intentions were misguided, her love and remorse are true and there is hope. The emissary tasks her with rallying lost souls in hell and leading a rebellion against the devil’s oppressive reign as the first step toward redemption.
Whereas Romantik I was rooted in epic folk metal, and Romantik II incorporated melodic leanings, Romantik III sees Bergfried going full AOR mode. The production and musical tropes channel the genre’s ‘80s glory days. What sparked your interest in AOR and did you feel ahead of time the genre would best fit the mold of this release?
EvL: Not really, it happened rather naturally and I think Romantik II already gave an idea that Romantik III could be more AOR. I’ve been listening to the likes of Harem Scarem, Danger Danger or Pat Benatar as long as I can remember. I remember I bought a vinyl lot with Twisted Sister, Dokken & Victory among others, got a few Scorpions LPs from my uncle and found stuff on the flea markets when I was a teen and I was (still am) mostly intrigued by the album covers and the logos. It was not a deliberate choice, but a natural development.
We’ve heard the story time and time again: A young metalhead blindly picks up Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell off the cover alone, only to be disappointed by an album of glorified rock n’ roll show tunes. Erech, it sounds like this album had the opposite effect on you, and greatly inspired the direction of Romantik III. Could you talk about the impact Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman had on you as a songwriter and musician?
EvL: Bat Out of Hell is probably my favorite album of all time. But also ‘Dead Ringer’ and Steinman’s songs for Bonnie Tyler, or the Streets of Fire movie plus the Pandora’s Box album (Original Sin) are really great. I can only dream of reaching that scale, composition and production-wise. It is just peak songwriting, performance & drama! It’s perfection, and the impact can be extended from my songwriting towards my whole existence.
Anna, your vocals channel truly the ‘80s greats, whether it be Pat Benatar, Doro, Grace Slick, or so forth. Who were your biggest inspirations growing up, and in what way, if any, did you tailor your vocals to accommodate the material on Romantik III?
Anna de Savoy: Well, it is sad but I was too little to experience the ’80s in its peak, although I do enjoy listening to hits from that era to this day. People that inspired me, funnily, were mostly music theatre related – but I’m thinking more Disney animated movies, like Mulan, or I remember singing Jessie’s song (“When She Loved Me”) from Toy Story 2 all the time as a kid. Also, I think because I grew up listening to and playing classical music, which is fragile and delicate, anyone with a powerful belt amazed and impressed me, so alongside the musicals, Hayley Williams and Demi Lovato also had a huge impact on my singing. I was classically trained, so I found it challenging to learn belting techniques – and I love a challenge. I still have so much to learn and a long way to go on that path.
Listening to the album in full now, is there any one song that speaks the most to you personally? If so, which one and why?
EvL: One would be “Star-Crossed Love”. Parts of it were written with my old flat-mate and friend Clara (who also appears as Circe on two Ancient Mastery releases). The part where Anna sings “Now the sun breaks through the clouds…” gives me goosebumps every time. Another one is “Back for More”. Both songs speak from the bottom of my heart and are somehow universal in their meaning.
This album boasts guest appearances from members of acts like Smoulder, Elevnking, and Red Eye Temple, to name a few. How important was it to enlist this “supporting cast”, so to speak, to bring the album’s vision to life?
EvL: It is crucial for the album! Me & the guys from Red Eye Temple (Sam, Mat, Maria) hang out a lot and they are incredible musicians, so it was natural to ask them to help me out. I am an okay rhythm guitarist and quite alright songwriter, but all the rest should be in the hands of people who are more capable. Of course, Sarah had to return. She helped us a lot in the beginning and she’s just great. I am a huge Elvenking fan, so having Davide (Moras) on the album as the emissary is crazy. I’ve worked with Fabio (Alessandrini) before and he adds a few unexpected twists with his drumming. Without all those people the album would sound horrible.
Is there potential for Bergfried become a live vehicle in the future? If so, could we expect a stage show as dramatic as the music itself?
EvL: This would be a bit of a challenge, first and foremost, because Anna lives in Australia and I live in Austria, so just to get together to practice would be really expensive. I also have to admit that I do not enjoy being on stage nearly as much as producing music. The process of creation is what drives me. Anna, on the other hand, is a musical singer and she is on stage right now starring in the School of Rock production in Melbourne. But we have been thinking about a way to put it on stage somehow. But let’s see.
Now that the Romantik storyline is apparently concluded, can we expect more conceptual metallized AOR adventures from Bergfried in the future?
EvL: The next Bergfried release will most likely not be conceptual. Although having a storyline makes everything more epic, it also narrows the songwriting a bit. The first songs have been written and sound a bit darker already, but choruses gonna be catchy, for sure!
The new Bergfried album, Romantik III, is available now on High Roller Records. For more information on Bergfried, click here.