Reviews from "Solaris"
Intreview by Raul Cardona
Distant Past is a Heavy Metal band founded in Switzerland in 2002 by Adriano (bass) as a studio project, former Emerald vocalist Jvo joined in 2014, making them a live band. Old-fashioned Heavy Metal without traces of modern sounds or synthesizers. Authentic guitar sounds, fast drums, machine-gun bass and high-pitched vocals, just like the glory days. The lyrics include quotes from famous poets and are deeply rooted in the classic Heavy Metal imagery: Aliens, Ancient Civilizations, Ghosts, War, Utopian Societies, Apocalyptic Predictions, Religion, Fantasy and Sci-Fi Classics, providing a Nodding Feeling with a direct and blunt approach. On November 8, the band released their new album “Solaris” under the prestigious record label Art Gates Records. Excellent opportunity for Made in Metal to talk with the band.
MiM: Tell me about the beginnings of the band? How did the idea of forming the band come about? What is the concept behind the band name?
DP: Well, it all started as a little studio project, just for me. I wanted to realize some songs that would not fit in the band I was at the time and I started to work in my little Home Studio and I had some friends to help me record. The name “Distant Past” comes from 2 things: I wanted to focus the lyrical and artistic themes about ancient civilizations and the mysteries of the Pyramids, etc. Just like in the books by Erich von Däniken (Memories of the Future: Unsolved Mysteries of the Past) and Zechariah Sitchin (the Wars of Gods and Men). I evolved from that, but the science-fiction part remained.
The other reason is an occurrence that happened in the year 2000, when I overheard a few teenagers talking about a song from 1998 being an old song. I had my disc man with me and stared at the Disc. It was “Rising” by Rainbow from 1975, so this must be the Distant Past then…..
MiM: What was the recording and production process for the album like? What recording studio did it take place in?
DP: Since the beginning, I recorded everything in my home studio, that has expanded over the years, but I did it out of necessity, seldom I record other groups. It was so that I could work on it on my time. The Mixing and Mastering was always done by V.O. Pulver at his Studio, he is Switzerland’s number one Metal Producer and knows exactly what I want and what to do. For the last two albums, we also recorded the drums in a “real” Recording Studio, there are too many things that can be optimized. The Drums I recorded were always faulty.
MiM: On this album, Jvo projects incredible energy, which, together with the guitars and the base created by the bass and drums, makes the band have an incredible sound. I would like to know if from the beginning you were already clear about what the sound the band would have?
DP: Yes, it was always clear. And the direction with the more accessible songs was agreed upon. When writing songs, the voice of Jvo is in my head. We know what we want it to sound like – classical heavy metal with no frills. Modern production but old-school sound. We could road test lots of the songs, and the line-up knows each other very well at this point.
MiM: "Solaris" (Art Gates Records, 2024) is a pure classic Heavy Metal album. Spectacular guitar solos with catchy melodies with an ex base and an impressive voice. What can you tell me about this album? Why the idea of keeping the sound pure, away from all contamination with other electronic instruments and more modern arrangements?
DP: Now, I modelled the new album along the last one, “the final Stage”. I wanted it to flow to have similar songs and structures, with some more variations, but still without any experiments and modern touches. It’s in our blood, and it’s the way we work.
MiM: Is “Solaris” a concept album? The album is presumed to be based on the work of Polish science fiction writer Stanislaw Lem. Is that so? What can you tell me about it?
DP: In the time of Spotify and AI-generated music, it’s hard to explain. But if you take a look at the booklet and the artwork on the CD, you will notice that, yes, it’s the concept for the artwork and theme of the albums. But lyrically, only one song, “Fugitive of Tomorrow” is about said work. The song could have been called “Solaris” and the Album “Fugitive of Tomorrow”, but be decided to base the art around “Solaris”.
MiM: When composing new material for the band, what are your main influences?
DP: Musically, it’s the likes of old bands I listen to: Tokyo Blade, Lucifer’s Friend, Iron Maiden and band like that. I would rather not copy them but being influenced by the way they put the songs together. Lyrically it’s science-fiction films and that sort of stuff, I often have a guitar in my hands when watching movies, so if there is something that inspires me, I write about it.
MiM: Excellent album cover design. Who was responsible for the design? What is the concept behind the cover design?
DP: With our polish designer Tomaz Moranski got involved, it was clear that the whole artwork will be based around the famous novel. He told me that as a kid, they had to read “Solaris” in school. So it was nice to have such a connection. Again, it's one song and the album artwork that is about Solaris. He had a fantastic idea, that works on the digipack CD: the outside it the planet Solaris and the image of the wife. Inside the digipack you are in the spaceship and you were so out of the windows. In the booklet it’s the band in hibernation, we had to take pictures with our eyes closed and without clothes… I’m delighted as it is a real work of art. Again, sad that the streaming generation will never see the effort we put in it.
MiM: What plans do you have to promote this album? Concerts or tours scheduled for this new year?
DP: Apart from promoting this album around the world with interviews and reviews. We sadly face some line up changes and had to reach out to some friends to play a few shows in 2025. We hope to find permanent members to work on the follow-up to “Solaris”. I will never stop it's in my blood…..
MiM: Finally, I wanted you to feel free to share a few words with your fans and our readers?
DP: Please do check out the new songs and get a CD for the whole experience. Support the underground! We have a store online, and we ship around the world. Write to us on, if you have any trouble or to say hi : info@distant-past.ch We are so old-school, we don’t know it the shop works the way it should…..and we have a very limited LP variant of the Album, currently I have only a few left! Collectors be aware!