Near the southern foot of the Rocky Mountains in the city of Colorado Springs comes a new Epic Heavy Metal band called Chamber Mage. An excellent demo was released in 2022 and from there the band has been on a high trajectory ever since. Composed of Dan Nevin on Drums, Jaden Knowles on guitar, Avery Berg on vocals, Devan Fechner on guitar, and Ted Jedlicki on the bass. Below is a Q&A with some of the members and their journey thus far.
What are the origins of Chamber Mage, when and where did you all form?
Avery: I made a post in a Colorado metal facebook group seeing if anyone was interested in doing a trad/power metal thing and found Ted and Devan that way. And I met Jaden through his brother whom I work with.
Ted: I also play bass for the 80's metal band Thor. In early 2020, we had a gig in Denver, which Dan happened to be at. He and I started talking after the show and decided we should jam sometime. Then the next week Covid happened... After I met Avery through his online posting, I mentioned Dan and a possible drummer and he was an instant fit!
You guys have a unique sound to me, what are some of everyone's influences?
Avery: Collectively we have a diverse background in regards to listening habits but enjoy enough of the same shit to make it all work together. I cut my teeth with classic rock and traditional metal like most of us but quickly gravitated toward melodic death metal and black metal once I hit 7th grade. My later teenage years became all about punk and folk and I undoubtedly get just as much inspiration from there as well as music theater, even if it doesn't come through sonically. Id also say early theatrical power metal in the vein of the first few Kamelot and Avantasia records. But Iron Maiden has remained my favorite band all these years. ALL albums ;)
Devan: I tried bringing in my 80s influences from Manowar to Depeche Mode to Racer X to Savatage. We have a really wide range of influences across the 5 of us but there are some really cool alignments with things we are into - like Dan and I with Atheist and Avery and I with Cauldron!
Ted: My major influences are Sabbath/Ozzy/Dio, Maiden, Priest, and all the metal classics. But I also have some from hair bands like Dokken, neoclassical like Yngwie, and power metal like Helloween/Gamma Ray. I definitely appreciate when the bass is very present and intricate like with Geezer Butler, Steve Harris, Bob Daisley, Geddy Lee, etc.
What's the scene like in Colorado? What cities and towns do all the Heavy Metal Maniacs reside in?
Avery: The scene is great both in Denver and Colorado Springs. We just need Jag Panzer to play a hometown show. A recent addition is the now annual Mile High Power Fest organized by Soren Bay who plays in Celestial Wizard. Last year was a blast and the lineup for this year is getting announced soon if i'm not mistaken.
Shout out Crotalus, Ancient Warrior, Viper Witch, Eagle Wing and Panpsychism from Pueblo.
Tell me about the lyrical inspirations for the band. I personally love Fantasy based lyrics. With Epic Choruses such as
"Blades upon the rampart waiting, raise your hammer to the sky
They will not besiege this fortress, shake the ground on which they dieBreak the chains that bind our freedom, graves await us in the skyWe are evermore victoriousShake the grounds on which they die"
How could one not fist pump to that!? Any literary or film inspirations that you guys draw from when writing lyrics?
Avery: I don't think I could give any direct conscious influences for my lyrics, but I'm sure Tolkein, and Robert Jordan provide some subliminal influence.The song you referenced (thank you for the kind words btw)is about a fortress under siege by great forces. And though they’re outnumbered, their will to defend their stronghold assures their victory. They’ve warned their usurpers against the siege, but the warning was not heeded. For their blades gleam with emerald light, as they are watched over by their recently awakened protectors. I will say though that i've yet to write lyrics for a CM song that don't pertain to the same universe and for a future release i want to write about Mega Bloks Dragons lore and potentially the mask of light or the Cord from Bionicle.
I first witnessed you guys live at Stormbringer Fest in 2023 and it was an excellent gig!. You guys trekked across the country to play that show. How much did that festival help you all pick up momentum in putting Chamber Mage on the map?
Ted: That summer was huge for the band. Not only did we play Stormbringer in Worcester, MA, but we played Legions of Metal Fest in Chicago, and Frozen In Time fest in Fresno. It definitely showed that we are not just a local band. It exposed us to new audiences and people began recognizing our name/logo.
Avery: Yeah I will say I think the momentum from the demo started to wear off shortly after Stormbringer and we had been working on our full length through that time as well but faced some serious delays in the studio resulting in having to record the album from scratch. We had hoped to have it out not long after the demo to keep the momentum going. But we’ll just have to get it back in due time.
Sticking to the subject of festivals, congratulations on being part of Hell's Heroes this year! What bands do you look forward to seeing perform this year and sharing the stage with?
Avery: Well I was bummed to see Crypt Sermon had to drop, I got to see them at Decibel Metal & Beer fest in Denver in December and I was really looking forward to round 2. But I can't wait to see Abbath, Departure Chandelier, and Spectral Wound again. John Christ Set might be one I'm most excited for to be honest. Century at the pre party is gonna rule and i was sad i couldn't see Questmaster on his US tour so i'm definitely attending that set. Solicitor, Savage Master and Haunt ALWAYS rock. Stoked to see the Knight and Gallow boys rock on Friday as well. And obviously I'm excited for Samael, Saxon and Crimson Glory.
Ted: I'm really looking forward to Saxon, Raven, Enforcer, Warlord, and Crimson Glory! Along with other bands we've played with before, like Riot, Solicitor, Savage Master, Castle Rat, and Haunt.
Devan: This year has some of my favorite bands like Crimson Glory, Helstar and Warlord. I'm also stoked to see the homies’ bands, Haunt, Solicitor, Savage Master and Worm!
What are your thoughts on music in the digital age and how the Heavy Metal community fortunately still sticks to preserving the old ways in collecting tapes and records?
Ted: I'm an avid collector of music in traditional physical formats, so I love that heavy metal fans keep it very alive! However, digital also allows us to gain exposure. A lot of people discovered us by streaming our demo. There is a great community that recommends new bands and streaming allows easy access to that.
Avery: digital is good for convenience sake and vetting what i want to buy a physical copy of. I like tapes more than CD’S which are still pretty reasonably priced thankfully. I just buy vinyl of stuff I NEED to have or really like these days.
Devan: Digital is part of the game at this point in time, but physical media is the way!
Now to go off topic for a second. I'm a nature dude so the state of Colorado brings to mind for me a large variety of wildlife including many apex predators. But I personally find the BigHorn Sheep to be one of the mightiest creatures ever. They literally bang their heads together!! What do y'all feel is the most Metal Beast in your great state?
Ted: BigHorn Sheep are great! We also have snakes, which I think are pretty metal. So many bands have cool images of snakes on their album covers!
Avery: Big horns rule. I've lived here since i was 6 years old and just saw rams in the wild for the first time last year actually. But I gotta go with the rainbow trout.
To conclude this interview, what are Chamber Mage's plans for 2025 and are there any plans to tour in the foreseeable future?
Avery: The album will be announced SOON!
Devan: I’m really proud with how this album came out, from the songs to the tones to the art and layout. Lots of cool riffs and guitar nerd sections, and we’ve got a great closer with a killer guest feature.
Ted: We have a possible tour in the works. We hope to see you all out there on the road soon!
Be on the lookout for Chamber Mage folks!!!
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