In case you weren’t aware we have quite the New Music Friday coming up. Well, we may as well add Seventh Station to my ever-growing listen list for the week. Led by Slovenian guitarist Dimitri Alperovich, the multinational progressive metal project are set to release their new EP, On Shoulders Of Giants, through Dutch label Layered Reality Productions in a few short days. This collective spans the globe (Turkish keyboardist Eren Başbuğ, Israeli vocalist Davidavi Dolev, Ukrainian-Israeli bass player Alexy Polyanski, Slovenian drummer Grega Plumbeger) and they’ve all come together to explore and push their creative limits together. The result is something absolutely worth devoting time to. To help us understand a little more about this unique project, Alexy took a few minutes to answer our Profile questions. Give his responses a read below and hit that play button to get a sense of what’s to come at the end of the week. We’ll catch ya on the other side!

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How and when did you first get into playing music, or metal more specifically, and how did your band get its start? Any pushback from family/those close to you?

I (Alexy) was born into a family of musicians, so there was no choice for me but to become a musician in some way or another. My parents raised me as a classical pianist, and only at age 13 was I introduced to the distortion sound, and instantly fell in love with it.

Later, while studying at the Academy of Music and Dance in Jerusalem, I was lucky to meet Dmitri (guitarist). It turns out we had the same taste in music, which helped us become friends, and in 2008 Dmitri came to me with the idea of starting a progressive metal band. He wanted me to be a keyboard player, but I chose to play bass.

How would you describe your band and what you play to someone who is completely in the dark?

“UNSPOKEN THOUGHTS.” Listening to this song, you will immediately understand what kind of band we are. We lean towards combining an infinite number of entities into a new whole, and when it comes to composition, there’s no room for boundaries or limitations. It’s always a big “let’s do this” or “let’s play that,” or “let’s go here and there.” We want to convey an endless amount of emotions in our music, and our goal is to take the listener through worlds that never intersect.

Is there anything about your latest/upcoming album or about your band that no one will find in any interview or review that you care to divulge?

Dmitri and I started this band back in 2008, but after recording our first album, ”BETWEEN LIFE AND DREAMS”, I decided to leave the band and start a family. It was not easy to make this decision, nor was it easy to decide to join the band again after 10 years. I feel like this record had a lot to do with my return to Seventh Station.

Any funny stories from playing shows/tours/festivals, etc.?

I think, like in every band or group of people that spends a lot of time together on tour, there are many funny—and sometimes not-so-funny—stories. Since we are an international band, we travel to our shows from three different countries, each time we have to deal with issues related to arrivals, visas, and the delivery of our instruments. Two years ago, our keyboard player (Eren) couldn’t get a visa to fly from Ankara to our Slovenian show, so we had to perform without keyboards on stage. Can’t say that it was not funny.

What do you see as some of the great things happening in and around the metal scene (yours or just in general) and what are some of the worst things happening right now?

Well, I am pleased that metal, in any of its branches, has long ceased to be something evil and forbidden. It’s nice to see more and more people using metal in one form or another in their music, whether it’s for dance, films, or games.

The worst thing? I would say that the era in which art cannot feed the author, due to free platforms, is the worst. I hope the music industry will eventually return to regulation and offer more reliable protection for creators from copying.

Most folks have passions for a cause or causes that are close to them. What, if any, are some of the most important issues (social/political/humorous/etc.) for you/your band and how do you insert those issues into your music?

All members of our band live in different countries, in countries with completely different histories, cultures, and politics. It has a huge impact on how we write music, how we arrange it, and what we talk about in our songs. We often use techniques such as different languages in one song. We increasingly believe in unity rather than discord. As my composition teacher said: “Different connects, similar separates.”

Do you guys have day jobs or hobbies you want to share?

Yes. We all have main jobs that allow us to do what we love. We are extremely lucky because all of us work in the music industry in one way or another.

I make music for dance classes and performances. Eren produces and writes electronic music. Vidi (vocalist) teaches vocals for different genres of music and has a lot of projects and shows. Dmitri teaches classical and electric guitar.

What advice do you have for music critics and outlets out there? How can we all better serve the genre in the eyes of a hard-working musician?

To show listeners that this genre is an art with deep meaning and a high level of performance, and that it also requires significant financial investments.

Any specific long-term goals in mind?

After our UK tour this April, where we support the band “IMPERIAL AGE”, we will start working on a new album that will expand the boundaries of sound, composition, and performance. We also have some surprises in store for next year. More updates will come about it.

When you’re not obsessing over your own material, what are some of your favorite albums to listen to currently?

As already mentioned, we are classical musicians who love metal, so the range of our favorite artists is huge. My personal top 3 albums are:

ALFRED SCHNITTKE – “Concerto Grosso No. 2”
MESHUGGAH – “Catch 33”
PINK FLOYD – “Meddle”

What is the near-future outlook for you or your band? Any specific events on the horizon that the masses should be aware of?

Our EP album “On Shoulders of Giants” drops on February 21st. We have a show in Germany at the ART ROCK FESTIVAL, then our UK tour starts. Later on this year we have some plans for the Balkan and the Middle East tour, and in November, we will be performing in London at HRH Prog Festival UK.

I invite you to visit our Instagram for more updates.

Summarize your band in one word.

Polystylism.

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Many thanks to Alexy and Seventh Station for the time!

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On Shoulders Of Giants will be available on February 21st through Layered Reality Productions. For more information on Seventh Station, give them a follow on Instagram or Facebook.