THE AXEWOMAN : ELVIRA of BLACKTHORN

1.Tell us your name and the band you play for
My name is Elvira Alchemida. I play for the band Blackthorn (Symphonic Extreme
Metal) and also I'm into online project ANFEL (Gothic Doom/Symphonic/Instrumental).
Besides the guitar, I'm also interested in vocals (growl and clean), composing,
arrangements and sound production.

2.Who made you want to pick up the guitar

I suppose, that was Scorpions. I was inspired by their ballads and started playing it
on guitar. Later I moved to more heavy riffs and so on...

3.Are you self taught or did you take lessons?

Sometimes I took lessons from several guitar teachers. But I studied guitar by myself
mostly. I also think, we are students all our life. .
4. Can you read music, Can you read tab?

I have graduated from musical school as pianist, so I can read music notation.
Reading tabs is very easy after notation, so that's not a big deal) And piano-roll in
Cubase is my best friend, of course)
5.Do you feel like you have your own sound / tone ?

Im not sure, but there are some opinions, there is something special in my guitar
playing manner. Im not a shredder at all, just a rhythm guitar player and composer
who likes melodies and symphonies. My riffs are supposed to be a combination of
typical metal riffs, black metal tremolo and parts from classical school. Just like I
sometimes play cello, not the guitar. I usually consider guitar as some kind of hard
filler material for the song and not the leader instrument.

6.Tell us about your guitar ( brand ,model . year , color )

 

My favorite guitar shape is Jackson RR or KV (axes). A few years ago I moved to 7
string guitars and it was reaaaally difficult to find 7 string RR or KV. But dreams come
true, I have Jackson KV7 (Triviums guitarist signature), black Jackson RR7 and also
mated black ESP LTD HEX-7 (Nergal signature). Well, the choice of colors is not
unique for metal musicians, you know... So for now I dont know what to desire next...

7.What about pickups? Passive or active ? 
Tell us about them
My favorite pickups are active Seymour Blackouts for 7 string guitars.

Its so fantastic, so there is no point to look for another pickups.

8.Lets get into amplification, Same drill brand , model , speakers etc

 

ENGL is my favorite amplification. It has great playability and great powerful metal
tone. I have ENGL Fireball 60 and Engl 430 preamp for gigs. And 2x12 Cabinet with

Celesion V30 speaker is enough to scare neighbours... but to protect them I use
isolated room specially built for loud sound purposes and recording.

9.Do you have a pedal board? Tell us about that badboy

Actually, I dont like pedalboards, because its too heavy to carry in and I hate difficult
commutation...Im happy, when there is ENGL amp on the stage, so I dont need
everything else) if not, I just use ENGL preamp in return section. Well, of course I use
tuner, but it doesnt count) I like Boss delay, but use it very rarely, just because Im not
a shredder

10..Now tell us your Dream Rig in detail…..

My Dream Rig is when you dont need to put any cables and everything is
commutated by themselves) and when all your equipment always works and always
up-to-date, and you dont need to fix it...

11.What guitarist can you not stand?

 

Never thought about this, actually... but may be I dont stand those who is too selfish
and believe there are no instruments except the guitar)

I12. Is tone more important or is technique?

I think tone mostly depends on technique. If your technique is weak, even hi-end
equipment and expensive guitars dont help you)

13. Name your top 5 guitarist

Victor Smolsky (Almanac, ex-Rage) - amazing guitarist with classical background and
who loves symphonic orchestra.
John Petrucci (Dream Theather) - virtuoso guitarplayer and good composer with
touchy melodies and progressive riffs.
Tuomas Saukkonen (Black Sun Aeon/Wolfheart) - exceptional musician in his
productivity and great metal composer/arranger.
Galder (Dimmu Borgir, Old Man&s Child) - good guitar player for symphonic extreme
metal and with some progressive ideas.
Jon Nodveidt (Dissection) - charismatic and strong person created great black/death
albums with unique atmosphere. RIP

 

14.Who is the most overrated guitarist
Im not supposed to be an expert in guitar playing and dont have any original opinion,
but let it be Kirk. Just because)

15.Who would you like a one hour private sit down lessons with anyone dead or alive?

I would have take a lesson from Victor Smolsky, because I suppose he is really great
person and his technique is really brilliant in both solos and riffs.