A few weeks ago, Metalrage got in contact with GoDiVA, by reviewing their latest record ‘Call me under 666’. Because this album was quite interesting, and because it was way better than the album before, Metalrage got in contact with Limb Records for a little interview by mail. Here is a report of that conversation.

The first cd GoDivA got a lot of comments. With this record Call me under 666, the press is way more positive than before. Does this have any kind of effect on you?

Peter: When you write songs, you can’t plan if this is a hit or the kind of music everybody likes. And when we get positive reactions and reviews from fans and zines it’s a honour and shows that we are on the right way. Also when the comments were not so positive, GoDivA doesn’t change their style. We are a Heavy Metal Band for today and forever…!!!  

What’s the title about? My first reaction on the title was a little bit negative. Could you imagine that being a cliché?

Peter: That’s a matter of opinion. Everyone has a different view and that’s ok!  Who declares what’s a cliché and what’s not? Everything you do in your life has always two sides. Some people think “Wow, great!” and some people think “What a bullshit!” One thing I can affirm, we are human and no demons from hell…;O)

The title is about that people often show their dark side. Take a look around what do you see? War, distrust, grudge…so the title is more in the figurative sense. It’s about a guy who is lost and broken, and when you’re down and frustrated, the dark side and anger in you becomes stronger every day…

The new record seems to be an improvement of what you did before. The melodies are worked out more secure and better than the first time. Do you recognize this and if so, what would you describe as important causes?

Peter: Yeah, you’re right. GoDivA was released in 2003 and Call me under 666 in 2005. In this two years everybody in the band made a process and learned a lot about music, songwriting and arrangements. And we have also two new musicians in the band. So I think the new cd is the next step on our way and I hope there are a lot of steps to come for us…

In what way do you think that the new singer Fernando Garcia contributes to the higher level of GoDivA? And what about the addition of an extra guitar player?

Peter: Fernando is for a long time in this business and he has a lot of experience. So everybody could profit from his know-how, so I’m sure we can go a step forward with this line up. We have a lot of double guitar parts in our songs so we always had a second guitar player when we played gigs. Moses was in the early days of GoDivA a candidate for this job but he joined the band only 3 years later.

In the review I mentioned the repetitive structures of GoDivA, meaning that the choruses are repeated, in my opinion, too often. As a result of this, I think the songs get a little boring, unnecessary. Do you agree with that or can you explain why you have chosen for these structures?

Peter: It’s very simple it’s your opinion and it’s our style to write songs. So everybody has a different view and that’s ok. So we can talk for hours if it’s boring or not and in the end we find no solution…because it’s just a matter of opinion.

A check on the tour list shows that the venues you’ve played are almost always located in Germany or Switzerland. Can we expect to see GoDivA in Holland one of these days?

Peter: I hope so…There are more shows to come in the future, but I don’t know exactly all the dates and venues yet. But back to your question, it will be great to play once in Holland. So we will see…;o) We also try to get a support slot for a well known act. You can find all tour dates on www.godiva.ch 

GoDivA started in 2001. Four years later after that, the band headlined at the Swiss Metal Attack, played with a lot of great bands like Testament and Stratovarius, and released two records. With the current changes in the line up, the band seems motivated to keep busy. What can we expect in the future?

Peter: You’re right we are very motivated and after all the positive reviews and the gigs we played last week together with Y&T we are definitely ready to let the GoDivA tank roll. So we will play a lot of gigs in the near future and in 2006 we will record the next cd.

So I want to say thank you for your interest and support!!!