1/You made two great videos,who directed them? Have you had your say for the story etc…do you intend of releasing others soon? Peter :The director was Milan Balkins from Czech republic, we make the story always together, yes we will work on some others really soon. Nikki : Sure we have an album coming out. The video will be for the lead track. 2/You secured a mini live tour, how did you get the dates? Peter : We just simply wrote to several club owners and when they responsed, we set up the details. Stevie : Well it’s not exactly a mini tour. The dates we have advertised are just the beginning. They will go through December at least.Our manager gets the dates either through a booking agent or she books them herself. 3/Can you talk about the album coming? How did you compose it? What has changed from your past compositions? Nikki : The album will be out pretty soon, it is much heavier, darker, more melodic and rawer than past compositions. Peter : Stevie always brings some music, I do the lyrics and then we compose it together. 4/Are you really working in a garage or this is only for the video? Peter : It´s just for the story of the song. Rikki : It Rocked to have them to be able to Play with. Sort of like Christmas! 5/You seem to have loads of endorsements, how did it all happen? Peter : Thats question for other guys, cause they have it before I get to the band. P2
1/There is a band called Scarlett fever in the uk, why have you chosen this band’s name? Does that give you troubles with the other band? When I chose that name there were no other Scarlett Fevers, I’m guessing they knew a good thing when they saw it ;) 2/Have you sung in other bands before? In choirs like Sheryl Crow for example.. No but not for any reason, I had the opportunity & have loved to have sung BV’s or in a choir. 3/Your lyrics sound so personal, are you finding it easier to create lyrics with your own history? Do you write them all? Have you got a book full of texts? Yep, my lyrics are my babies. Nearly all of my songs come from a very deep & personal place. When I write on my own I spend weeks working a song’s lyrics which is why it’s nice to co-write (it stops me over obsessing about every single word) but of course when you co-write with people just like any other relationship you have to learn when & how to compromise. I used to have notebooks full of ideas, these days I tend to use my phone to jot down words or sentences that catch my attention. 4/Have you got a full band ? If so who are those musicians? How did you start the band first and is everyone involved in the composition? I’m the only constant in the world of Scarlette Fever. These days I only tend to play with trusted friends, all fantastic professional musicians who I’ve known for years. My electric guitarist is Nial Tompkins, my keys/bass player is Tom Gearing - we also write & produce together & my drummer of choice is the world renowned Ralph Salmins. 5/Have you taken singing lessons? How do you know where to lay down your melodies? Yes, I’ve taken singing lessons & studied ‘the voice’. A few years ago whilst touring I lost my voice due to reflux laryngitis (too much rock n roll on the road). It was so scary, after that I had to sort my lifestyle out & decided that I P3
1/What made you become a PR? I get bored doing the same thing and after 4 years of doing the Metal Moose / Soundchecked podcast and even years before doing a podcast called Dirt Talk I wanted to move on to something new. Before doing the Podcast I wrote reviews for The Metal Observer for a couple of years as well as on and off for PIT magazine and Heavens Metal as well. So in grand fashion I thought how could I disrupt the scene like I had done with writing reviews and doing podcast that bucked the trend and ended up making a name for myself as well as making quite a few enemies.Bands have been getting bent over and raped by PR companies for years. I wanted to do things the right way. 2/Have you got a band yourself? Oh no man I have not played in a band in quite some time but I played in several bands played hundreds of shows been in the studio etc. That is part of why I am good at what I do because I have been in and around the scene from all angles. I dont have the time to really play anymore but I strum around on my guitars every now and then. 3/What is the secret to be a good PR? Great question! I have no idea. I just try to be fair about the money end of it and I also include all of my bands and press that work with Metal Coffee into a group together so there are no secrets we can all hold each other accountable we all work hard for each other its not just about me or just about them it about US. I also am just a guy and I am humble I am lucky these bands have faith in me. I think thats a big deal so many people in this business want to say ÂŤlook at how important I amÂť hell man I am just trying to make it to tomorrow ya know? 4/Why have you made that female logo? Why calling it Coffee? This will be a way to see if anyone actually reads this ha ha ha , The name Metal Coffee comes from a watch I own that is coffee color and its a nice metal watch. Hence the name Metal Coffee. I assume you are talking about the Pink! PR logo which is pink and it is a branch of Metal Coffee that focuses on females in heavy music. 5/How do you find the bands you sign? I search endlessly looking for bands I want to pay attention to because I will be honest most bands I dont want to pay attention to.Since the premise of my podcast was playing unsigned and indie bands I get hundreds of emails a week of bands wanting to be played on the podcast, which is still on but I do not talk on the podcast any longer it is 100% music. And after a full year of PR bands are seeking me out for my services which helps a lot.
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6/Are you alone or you have hands to help u out? Over the years I have been lucky to have had the assistance of many people some who are still helping in one way or another Bekka for example has run the Metal Moose website for years and a ton of names I couldnt even start to list are social media warriors for me so it would be a lie for me to say I do this alone because so many people drive this
1/Please tell us who is Nenna? I am a musician, piano player and singer and a huge music lover. 2/What have you done musically prior to this release and what are you currently doing musically? I play piano since I was 7. Since my very early ages, it was clear that music is my big passion. I graduated at Music Academy in Belgrade, Serbia, with Master degree in classical piano. After I graduated, I started to work as a piano teacher in music school. I find myself to be very open minded musician, so I tried a lot of things. I performed with different chamber ensembles, instrumentalists and vocalists. I extended my interest in performing both classical, jazz, rock... I shared the stage with a lot of great musicians in many clubs and festivals, spent many months in Austria in different hotels, playing evergreen and jazz music. I also have experience working as a musician on cruise lines. So, as a musician I traveled a lot around many different places. I was also working as a composer, arranger and a musician for a couple of Theatre peaces in Belgrade. Now I am starting something that I always wanted, but never did before working on my own brand and music that I will be standing for, behind the name of NENNA. 3/Please describe your single: I think this song can make you feel better. This is how it works for me. It makes me happier and it makes my imagination colorful It makes me feel like the good days are yet to come. It has some summer atmosphere and I love summer. It is full of melody and energy, decorated with the good singing, playing and production. It was composed spontaneous, without the aim to make some commercial success. The video also has many spontaneous moments, captures the atmosphere of Greek seaside and some Sitonia summer vibe. 4/Why not choosing a band name like most bands do? It can also be the band name. Like “Bon Jovi”, for example. 5/Who is the guitarist in the video? Have you got a full band or you composed everything and ask the guitarist to share the melodies with you? The guitarist’s name is Srdjan Brankovic, but out of Serbia you can call him Sergio. He is the guitar player of band “Alogia”. Actually, Srdjan composed the song and he involved some of his musicians to record the song, and they may be the real band in the future if we get the chance to play live. 6/Have you filmed the video on your own? have you got skills and equipment to do so? Tell us how you did that video? P5
1/Your last album is ten years old, why have you released this new album now? My last record isn’t 10 years old at all, not even close Tower of Babel Lake of Fire came out in 2017 and my last solo record The Dark Lord Rises came out in 2015 and Revenge of The Shredlord came out in 2012 so just about every 2 years or so i’m always releasing something whether it’s a solo bit or a record with a vocalist . 2/Why calling it « Symphonic.. » , do you put yourself in that category of « Neo Classical symphonic » guitarist? Anybody familiar with my work is well aware that the European Neo-classical style is what I play and also the style I compose in. I’m heavily influenced by the hard rock/metal European guitar masters : Ritchie Blackmore, Yngwie Malmsteen, Uli Jon Roth and Michael Schenker as well as my favorite classical composers- Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, Tchaikovsky and Paganini. 3/How do you give names to the songs when they are all instrumentals? Is there a story behind each song? Tell us how it works for you? Sometimes there’s a story behind the track and other times I just come up with a bad ass sounding title that evokes the sound of the music. 4/Is Tower of Babel on hold? Why this isn’t appearing into your albums in your website? My facebook page is the best source for anything current, I’m in the process of getting my .com site revamped and while Joe Stump’s Tower of Babel is certainly going to do another record I’m currently quite busy these days touring in support of my new solo record as well as a bunch of Alcatrazz live dates and various tours in the pipes as well as recording a new Alcatrazz record . 5/How did you come to play in Alcatrazz? I got an email from Graham’s manager telling me they were going to relaunch Alcatrazz with both him and original keyboard player Jimmy Waldo and he said they were looking for a guitar player and would I be interested . So needless P6
1. Please describe the new album musically and conceptually. «Vital Elements» is a contemporary jazz-rock fusion album with several elements of Shred Guitar. 2. If you had to choose one artist who would that be? I have several musical influences. I listen and study classical music, jazz , rock, metal ,etc. But if I had to choose one artist, I think on Greg Howe. He is amazing american guitarist who was the most important influence for the fusion rock style on 90’s and he´s the «father» of new recognized guitar players like Guthrie Govan , Rick Graham, etc. 3. How does this one differ from your previous recordings? I have ten studio albums and my previously three albums had a direction on Shred Guitar style 100% (Master Of The Universe, Equilibrium & Mastermind - Also available via Lion Music Records). This new album has the essential elements of Shred Guitar but I wanted to add others musical resources, scales, new digitation patterns, etc. I think this album is more «mature» on a musical concepts. 4. What was the goal with making this album? Enter to new musical dimension. 5. Any specific influences towards the music ? Jazz from 40´s (Be-bop- Charlie Parker); Blues & Swing elements and of course all tools about Shred Guitar (Speed Picking, Sweep Picking, Legato, Hibryd Picking,etc). 6. How long did it take to make this album? One year. 7. What has the different musicians contributed to the result? DEREK SHERINIAN (Ex-Dream Theater, Planet X) He is a recognized keyboard player who played the keyboard solo on my new song «The Game». Really, I ´m very happy with this guest - He is one of most importat keyboardist around the world and his participation on this album was amazing!... 8. Who is the guest on the album? The guest musician is Derek Sherinian (Ex-Dream Theater, Planet X) on the song «The Game».
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1/Who started the band , what was the idea? I started Lana Blac. I am an independent artist, singer/songwriter, vampire. 2/Why did you choose this nick/band name? What is the story behind? Darling, I used my name. I am Lana Blac. I am The Vampire Queen. 3/Who did the logo design? I paid an artist to come up with my logo. I like it. I like my music, loud and rough. But I sing. I don’t growl, I don’t scream, I sing. You aren’t playing black metal , what was your wish? I don’t play Black Metal - I like the music but I simply can not make my voice roar like that. I have tried - I just sing. 4/How did you find the musicians for the band? Was it a hard task? I searched them out as I walked through a graveyard. It’s all about the vibe. 5/Tell us how do you compose your songs, are you only singing? A lot of times I write and music is already in my head while writing. It’s quite fascinating. My songs just come to me. I could be driving car, or flying through the graveyard. The lyrics and beats just come to me. 6/What inspires your lyrics? Thoughts, feelings, passion, anger, frustration, love and hate. All of my lyrics in my album come from experience. 7/Who has directed your video? Have you had input? Why choosing the last song of the album? My film was directed by Raging Nation Films. 8/You are exposing your sexy body with blood , is it a way to get more fans ? Can you explain that approach? I enjoy what I do. There is nothing wrong with a woman expressing herself being however she wishes to be. ;-) P8
1/Who started the band and what was the idea? We all started it up together. We’ve all always listened to a lot of old school heavy metal and felt that we were missing it on the stage as it was back then. We just figured that we’d do it ourselves instead of waiting for a new band to hit the right notes. 2/Who designed the logo? Did you have an idea of what it would be? Why choosing this name? The name is also something that we came up with together. We wanted it to be short, sharp and also to represent our sound. The logo however was sketched up by Adam, our own Picasso! 3/How did you get the deal with High Roller Records? Are you LP collectors? The contact with High Roller was via the help of our friends in Screamer who were signed there at the moment. All of us listen a lot to LPs and own a bunch, but we’re no hardcore super collectors with billions of records though. Music sounds best on LP. 4/What is different from the first album? Have you tried to get something changing or just keep the same feel? Is is getting easier? We like the songs from the first two albums very much, and we’re staying on the same course. Why fix something if it isn’t broken, right? We’ve put a lot more time in to this one than Desecrator though. 5/Have you had input on the cover artwork of you just chose one? We usually have some kind of blurry thought of how we want the covers to look. These beer infused “blurry thoughts” are made into reality by Mr. Alexander von Wieding, who’s made a tremendous job with the two existing covers! 6/Are you in other bands? Sweden has so many.. P9
1/How did you come to name your band that way? In 2017, I wanted to jump in front of a train. I sayed to me in my mind: „Being „alive“ is soo damn beautiful“ Right after that, I was thinking, that this might be a great bandname. So I stopped my plan and recorded the SCHUTT UND ASCHE mini Album, in order to scream my frustration out. I was never ever thinking, that people would like what they´ve heared. 2/In your country you have lots of extreme metal bands, how come you didn’t find one to join? Because I think they didn´t wanted me onboard, or they had been already a full member band. I also was very young in that time after I started out. Most of the bands had people in their band at the age of 25. I was 16, when I started to look around for joining a band. 3/You have an enormous collection of guitars and started to play as a kid, yet you play bass on your album. Can you explain this? Because guitars are for pussies!!! - LOL no! :D Just joking! I started out on guitar and I still love playing guitar, but for the Being „alive“ is beautiful sound I wanted a very raw sound without any fiddeling. I will put it like this: A guitar is for me like a Ferrari. I can drive and drift around at a very high speed. A bass is like a truck to me. I roll everything over with it I like that. 4/What made you have so many guitars? Have you learnt shredding or simple riffs from rock / blues songs? Well. I started out to play guitar when I was 10. Now I am 29. I am a trained painter and airbrusher, so I was buying alot of broken guitars that I repaired over the years. Well. And with my addiction of creating music in many genres, I started out with different tunings. So every guitar is tuned different, I have studio and live guitars, and I have guitars, that doesn´t leave the house. I´ve never had a teacher on guitar. I watched youtube videos a lot of my favourite guitar players like Zakk Wylde, Dimebag, Michael Angelo Batio, Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Bonamassa. 5/Your album was made in 2017, you obviously made all instruments on it. How did you learn the drums? Did you learn how to record and mix album? I learned the drums, because I wasn´t able to get into a band in the early years and so, I was thinking to myself, that I wanna do everything on my own, in order to create my own music. I learned to record and mix albums from my first band/project FINSTERORT. I started it in 2008 and with every album I got better in sound quality, mixing and recording. 6/On your video you have a drummer, does that mean you found musicians to complete your project? He is a buddy of mine and he started out to play the drums some years ago. Being „alive“ is beautiful was never meant to be a real band, but people seem to like it and we think: „HEY! Lets do something! And if the ppl like it, why not play that shit live?“ We are only a duo as a band. I like that constellation. 7/You have created another band Finsterort, what is different from « Being alive… » ? Have you wanted to make other music style? P10
1/Who started the band and what was the idea? The band began in a basement in the summer of 2013 with drummer David and vocalist Jack. David aka Sideshow found Jack on the internet and liked his Axl Rose impression. Jack was a singer/bassist in rock and punk bands and wanted to do just vocals in a punk or hardcore band but found thrash instead. Soon thereafter the bass position needed to be filled and the band found out Jack played bass, the next thing you know Jack was doing both bass and vocals. Sideshow Dave and Jack had a revolving line up to that point until meeting Mike and Ed at a DIY warehouse show. Mike and Ed played in a band called DeathSentence and after watching them play Jack and David agreed that “if we got them in our band we’ll have a killer line up and can do some damage”. A few months later Ed joined followed by Mike and thus completed the sound that is reign. (Fun fact Ed can actually be seen in the crowd of Reign’s first teaser demo music video for “NWO” back when they first started) 2/You have composed three albums in about six years, does that mean the band was older than what it is actually mentioned? The band has been around since 2013, we just like music haha 3/Have you had line up issue? How the music evolved? Initially there were a few line up issues and personality clashes with members that came and went. Before the final line up Reign sounded a lot more like sepultura and early slayer. Fast straight forward punk based thrash. As we matured and added Ed and Mike the technical aspects began to come out , considering how talented they both where at guitar. After that and everyone felt more secure expressing their influences. David for example has a hip hop feel/swing to his drumming and Jack adds a lot of funk influences to the bass. 4/Have you learnt music at school or you have extensive practice? Mike and Ed are mostly self-taught. David is as well. Jack played upright bass in orchestras in highschool and blues bands thereafter. It really is hours and hours and hours of practicing that got us to where we are now….and we continue to practice and learn always. 5/Are you playing in other bands? Did you play before in other formations together? Mike and Ed originally played in a band called Death Sentence before Reign. Today Ed is a drummer in slam death band: Cannibal Abortion (P.S Ed plays drums like a monster as well) P11
Interview led with Ken-Johnson 1/How did you think about the conception of this new album after so many years? I had already written music ideas ahead of the signing , then we signed to the Mighty Music label , and then started working on those and other new ideas that were brought forward 2/What made you getting signed by Mighty Records? Why so many changes? It began with us contacting Michael the CEO of Mighty Music , asking if he would be interested in signing Blitzkrieg , because we really liked what Mighty Music was doing for the Tygers of Pan Tang , Michael came over to Newcastle where we met up and then in the January we signed for the label 3/Although you have a long history , the line up keeps changing even last year with your bass player, what makes those happening? Is it easy to find replacement in the UK? Changes in line up for any band , could be a number of things whether its musical difference , life away from the band and how being in a band can sometimes put pressure on this , we came home from tour in December and unfortunately Huw felt it wasn’t for him , luckily for us Liam who is pretty close to the band members at that point , became the choice so it saved a lot of auditions 4/Who is responsible for the cover artwork? Have you had input? The Artist for the `Judge Not` album was Lee Murphy , who has also contributed to work on older Blitzkrieg albums as well , Brian normally has the input on that as the bands mascot `the bird of armageddon` that’s featured on all releases, must be envisioned to certain guidelines , a bit like the way Eddie is brought to life over the years as Maidens mascot 5/What is the theme of the album? No real theme as such , just a collection of British metal tracks 6/How did you write the lyrics? Are you inspired by books? Brian Ross normally handles all lyric writing , and can either be inspired from both fictional and non fiction events and books 7/Is there a main composer in the band? At this moment in time and from around 2012 , musically probably myself (Ken Johnson) and Brian Ross on lyrics P12
Christina Avila Promotion section
Roy Coston How old were you when you picked up your first guitar? My name is Roy Coston. I started playing guitar when I was 11 ½. That would have been 1975. I play in a band called LoveBone since 2002 with lead vocalist Chuck Heath. STONE DEAD FOREVER THE ULTIMATE MOTORHEAD TRIBUTE BAND! Also a guitarist for hire. {Granny 4 Barrel; The Bomb; Jim Crean}. I also perform with my son Gunnar Coston from WICKED in a band called ‘COSTON’ plus trying to finish up my Roy Coston solo CD! ‘IF IT AINT LOUD; IT AINT RIGHT!’ Who influenced you to play guitar? Well you have to remember the time period, The 70’s.. So I would have to go with David Cassidy from the Partridge Family and The Monkees.. Then my musical journey grew from there. However, later on John Gallagher from Raven and David DeFeis from Virgin Steele are my musical Mentors. Guitar players – Pat Travers, Ted Nugent, David ‘ROCK’ Feinstein {The Rods}, Tommy Bolin {Solo & Deep Purple}, Ace Frehley, Mic Box {Uriah Heep}, Mark Farner {Grand Funk} Punky Medows {Angel} Jimmy Page . Would you ever play over seas or in another country? Definitely, The European Festivals look cool to play if we had a chance for an overseas gig! Who would be the ideal band for you to jam with? Being a musician, of course there are way too many people I would like to jam with. I cant ever begin to mention.. LOL!
www.RoyCoston.com
Jimmy Burkhard
www.facebook.com/LoveBone2002/
Who influenced you to play guitar? Who influenced me? Ace Frehley, Ted Nugent, Tony Iommi, Joe Perry, Randy Rhoads, Eddie Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, Ritchie Blackmore, Stevie Ray Vaughan. Those would be the early influences that got me going and I still love them. The list goes on from there to blues players, BB, Albert and Freddie King and on and on. How old were when you picked up your first guitar? I can’t remember, I know I had a little Roy Rogers Guitar very early on but my first lessons were when I was 10. Who would be the ideal band for you to jam with? I’d love to jam with Aerosmith. Play over seas/other countries? Yes, for sure. Hopefully I’ll be on the road later this year with West Bound. Would you ever play over seas or in another country? I’ve played in Canada and Uruguay in the past. Endorsements? Tungsten Amplification , Intex Cables , BMF Effects , ChromaCast
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www.facebook.com/jim.burkard.9
Dale Torborg, who wrestled professionally in World Championship Wrestling as the The Demon, (a wrestling character modeled after the image and persona of Gene Simmons of KISS), gave an exclusive interview to Ryan Witting for his Rockin’ You All Night show, which was video recorded by renowned KISS collector George Navarro from George’s KISS Collection during a Spooky Empire convention in Orlando, Florida. In that interview, Torborg, who is a 2-time World Series Champion as strength and conditioning coordinator, currently with MLB’s Chicago White Sox, spoke of his career, his relationship with the band / brand KISS, as well as the use of the likeness of The Demon character for appearances and licensing. On where the 2005 Chicago White Sox should be ranked among the greatest baseball teams of all time: Torborg: ‘Well, if you look at it, The White Sox went from the first game of the season in first place by winning, all the way through the season, never coming out of first place, and then going 11 and 1 through the playoffs and the World Series, I’d say that’s pretty darn good. So, they’ve got to rank as one of the best teams.» On working with Sting, Vampiro, and The Great Muta in World Championship Wrestling: Torborg: «I’ll tell you what, Vampiro was an awesome opponent, an awesome dude. We got along and had some great matches, very stiff. We worked very stiff together. We enjoyed it that way. I’ve got nothing but props for that guy.» When Witting told Torborg that he believed that there was so much more that could have been done with his program of wrestling matches with Vampiro, Sting, and The Great Muta than what World Championship Wrestling allowed, Torborg stated, «I agree with you. I think that there were a lot of missed opportunities in WCW with this character (The Demon). A lot of times, they didn’t know what to do with it. There was a lot of political stuff going on behind the scenes. Torborg continued, «It could have been so much better. You’ve seen the reaction here (referring to fans at the Spooky Empire convention). People still love the character. People tell me how much they loved WCW. They wish it was still around. They wish there was more they were able to do with the KISS character, and I wish that too. On being chosen to be «The Demon» and officially represent the band KISS in the world of professional wrestling: Torborg: «I had a blast doing it. Being able to be one of the very few people licensed to wear this (makeup and costume in the style of the band KISS), licensed to have a figure (referring to his Legends of Professional Wrestling action figure as The Demon, made by Figures Toy Co. ), I mean, that’s something really special. You go to a concert, and you see the band (KISS) on stage in their iconic makeup, knowing that I’m one of the few ever to be licensed to wear this...I didn’t take that lightly. It was an extreme honor for me to be able to wear this.» On professional wrestling icon Sting: Torborg: «That dude is second to none. Man, for me to be wrestling an icon like that, on many occasions, it doesn’t come around that often, it was great. I had a main event match with him, I think in Evansville, Indiana, and it was killer. He just is, in the truest sense, the icon.» On which professional wrestlers in WCW would be some of the last men standing in a real fight: Torborg: «I’ll tell you, behind the scenes, nobody, nobody, messed with Meng. Meng, I will tell you, would be the last P14
SIGN OF THE JACKAL (Ita) - Fight For Rock ! (Interview with Laura COLLER) Written by Fabien Pinneteau on April 15, 2019 Well.. Straight to the point.. That band, SIGN OF THE JACKAL, simply released one of the best albums of 2018 with «Breaking The Spell» - simple as that ! Being already a huge fan of their music before they released «Breaking The Spell», that news opus litterally blew me away and made me feel good to see the band was still active after a long period of silence After their shows in France, i decided to go for an interview - Singer Laura kindly answered to the questions ! - Hey Laura ! Thanks alot for your time and accepting to answer this interview.. how do you feel today ? Hey Fabien ! Nice to meet you again. I’m fine, we’re fine, hopefully I wouldn’t change anything as it is today. No news, good news ! - Well.. When did you discover Metal ? What gave you the idea to start playing Heavy Metal ? Name some of the bands that you consider as essential in your life ? Your biggest artist influences & some all-time favorite albums ? I discovered Metal back in the high school. To be honest, my first encounter with it was back in the early ‘90s when my cousin was taking a shower while listening to ONE by Metallica. And, in some ways to me was different that everything I previously heard, and it somehow made my bell tingle. Then, time passed by and I was always looking for something cruel than pop, something harsher than rock. Then, it came that glorious day when I managed to save some Italian Lire and I could afford to buy two cds. I went to the local music shop and looked at the catalogue, all sort of metal was on sale. I picked up «Master of Puppets» and «Reign in Blood». And then, there was no time left for everything else. A couple of guys in my school managed to copy for me a kind of compilation of Black Sabbath. It was my epiphany, It was so seventies, and in the same time was so much harsher than Led Zeppelin, and so-something new to me. Some friends of mine were looking for a singer in their thrash metal cover band, and couldn’t find nobody and then I fit in. We were playing songs by Metallica and Overkill, and we really sucked. But one of the guitar players was (and still is) fond of Judas Priest , so it opened to me a wide page I am still reading. Then, my parents gave me permission to attend (I still was a minor aged) one of the biggest Metal Festival back in the days, Gods Of Metal… I couldn’t live the first raw: Slayer were on Stage, Manowar headlined the second night of the Festival, Rob Halford was touring without Priest, and there she was, Doro Pesch covered by leather and spikes. I felt in love and decided that if she can do it, I could do it too. So Heavy Metal came into my life. My biggest artist influences are therefore Judas Priest, War P15
Interview led by Kelly Tee with Stefan Bohm 1. Horsemen were formed in 2008, how did Horseman come together? What is your story? First of all, thank you very much for the wonderful Interview in your Magazine. Horseman was formed in 2008 by Malte, Michael and me. We were searching for musicians to do a driving, heavy and technical heavy metal band. All of us were formerly active in previous bands but we wanted to start something new for ourselves. So the guys had some songs in the pipe and when I came in, we started to play the song. It was so cool that everyone in the room realized that this was something really special. The first song „Pay my blood» of the „Centaurus» Album was born in the first rehearsal. Then after the years, we had some changes in the line-up with Gregor and Christoph. We´re really happy to make music together. 2. In the beginning, were you always smashing out Heavy Metal, or did Horseman progress into the heavier end of the genre as time went on, and why? Horseman is and always has been emotionally and energy driven metal music with strong technical elements. That´s also a great passion to push our boundaries to the limit. The first record we made was like an emotional and inspirational overload with brutal high-speed:-D When you hear “Centaurus» it´s like going back in time an hear those songs in the practice room played live by the band. As time passed by we started to create groovy parts with heaviness and give the songs a little bit more flowing character. So and on «Of Hope, Freedom and Future» Gregor brought in a strong melodic character that we really like. 3. What music form or artists have been the biggest influencers for Horseman and why? All Horseman members are big metal fans. Our music does not play any role in which subgenre or not our music belongs to. We get Inspiration for our creativity out of all kinds of music. We like it to find our style, within music, which comes out of us at the moment in time. Of course, we get inspired by the metal bands we love too. 4. As a quintet, were you always aligned on the music direction and vision for the band? What is the key to your overall success to artistic collaboration and harmony? P16
1/Tell us if anything happened in the band’s line up? Well, we are still 4, no changes this year haha – Still me, Delyian , Pavlin and Rally. 2/This new album has brand new songs and old ones released previously, are they songs you wanted to rework for some reason? No, there all new songs we were working on during the last year and a half. We have released 4 singles before the album promo but they are all new material. There is one song though that was an old idea reborn for the new album release. The song is called Fade Away and there’ve been 15 years since I wrote it and I am really happy it can live in this album. 3/The call is an old song that had a great video, why rewriting it in a new version? Well, It is not a new version. It was released as a first single from the upcoming album and now it’s part of the CD as well. 4/What was your wish for the music line of this new album? Sounding pretty wide open to music styles… Well the sound is harder for sure and we wanted to put more piano and strings parts. I think the album is more mature and profound as a message and music as well. Also, we always put one very different track in every album. In the first one that was “Into you”., than “Not a crime” in the second album and here in “Follow Me” is the 11th track – “Sweet Escape”. I love this track I and I believe it’s a pleasant surprise at the end. 5/Tell us how did you choose the guests on this album? Have you toured with Evanescence? Why having Jen playing a solo? And Thomas on vocals? are they old friends ? Why not having several songs with those musicians? Well, we know Jen from the festival Hills of Rock where we played together 2 years ago. We keep in touch since and I asked her to join the album for a song. She loved “To hell and back” and made an amazing solo. Recently we also shot a video for the song so stay tuned for that, too. As for Thomas, when me and Alexandra finished “The art of war” demo I felt it would sound better as a duet. Something was missing. I don’t know why but I was hearing Thomas’s voice in my head. I wrote him with an invitation to join me in the song and he agreed. I am very happy I had the chance to work with him and we both love the result. 6/Who designed the cover? your voice is the strength of Sevi, yet you have musicians with you.. What did you want to express through this design? Why choosing the first song as the title? The cover was made by Yana Spartak Chervenyashka – very talented artist. It reveals the mystery of the expression “Follow me” by putting you in a doubt what would be there behind that doors and where or who to follow.. Yet, the main concept of Follow me album is to remind us that the answer is always deep inside of us and that all we have to do is follow the inner voice. That is why we chose the song Follow me as a title song – it somehow covers the whole line and message of the album. 7/Where did you record that album? Do you have the skills or friends to do this? We recorded it in our Sevi sound studio. The mixning and mastering were made by Marco Barusso( Italy) who worked with us also on the album “The Battle Never Ends” P17
Interview led by Wes Jacques from Metal Coffee Pr 1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members. Hail all metalheads! The band started in late 2004 as a gothic-oriented and female-fronted metal project. As we grew up, also some sympho and doom-death melodics were applied. 2005-2009 was the most acrive period going forward, performing on festivals and in local clubs of Ukraine, recording first demos and than studio albums. In 2010 band got split for some time, but today it is living and playing again, even better than before. Regarding European famous bands, we performed on one stage with Lake Of Tears, Cemetary Of Scream. Also with various bands well-known mostly in Ukraine - Komu Vnyz, Inferno, PaganLand. What about each of us personally - Marianna, our female vocalist, is a soloist of Lviv Philharmonic and Organ Music House, drummer’s job is sound engineering on radio station, keyboardist also plays in various pop and rock bands, so they are like connected to music for entire life. Guitarist is a sculptor and painter, and bassist/vocalist is working in software company. Most of us are nearly 30 years old, just keyboardist is 24 ). 2. What’s the origin of the band’s name? It means “Wormwood Field” in Ukrainian. We have a famous proverb, which says – “To live a life is not to come across the field”. Some kind of philosophy. Once long ago I wrote a poem named like this, later it was used as lyrics for the very first song of a newly created metal band, and than even became the band’s name. Wormwood grass is associated with pain and gloom, also it is used to make an absinth, so we decided it’s a good name for a gothic-oriented band. 3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend? Polynove Pole is located in Lviv, the most western city of Ukraine. What about other Ukrainian bands I could recommend, they are «Paganland», «Jinger», «Nocturnal Mortum», «Ignea», «Khors», «1914». Actually we have a huge number of talanted bands here in Ukraine, but I cannot describe each of them right now. What about heavy and extreme music scene - in general it is much better than it was when we just started. It depends of music styles - big festivals are P18
1/Can you tell us briefly, what happened so you split your last band in half to create a new one? KRAEVIN: I wouldn’t call it a split. Stan, Astrum and I have always been involved in various musical endeavors at the same time, so it just seemed a natural evolution in our musical journey to create this new band together. 2/How did you find the new members? KRAEVIN: craigslist, facebook musicians groups. 3/You changed your hair color, and have restarted from scratch, isn’t it frustrating after years of getting your band and songs working? KRAEVIN: I have been a musician and songwriter for many years with many different projects. One chapter closes and a new one begins. Throughout the process, I never stopped writing. The only frustration is that I have to stop and do adult things like cook dinner, buy groceries... all things that interfere with the time I get to spend on music. But when everything comes together and we play the song at practice or at a show, it is always worth it. In three months, we’ve come up with something entirely new, all-original music and stage show. It’s magical. 4/Are you changing the way you sing ? Have you got tons of lyrics for a new album? Any theme in particular? KRAEVIN: I wouldn’t necessarily say I am “changing” the way I sing. Whatever music I sing does influence how I sing it. You don’t sing opera the same way you do pop, R&B, or rock. I will leave it to you to decide whether my voice sounds different ;) I do have tons of lyrics for the new album. As I said before, I am constantly writing, and my recent projects have mostly all been strictly performance based. I have had very little to do with the writing aspects. So this project is more challenging and fun and nerve-wracking as I am much more involved in the writing. I also get to dust off some of the lyrics and music I’ve had stashed away, and see what magic Gus, Astrum, and Stan can make of them. As for a theme, right now at this moment, I am still writing some of the lyrics so have no idea how the album will turn out yet. P19
1/You have an album coming out on pure steel records, what does it make you think of? (Shock waves) To be honest it was another lifetime.... although I am extremely grateful for all the interest and feedback I continue to receive from “Shockwaves “I have moved into another galaxy...lol. Come with me!! 2/Why keeping that german label? Why not having it on Levathian records? You would have to ask Chastain....he takes care of all the past creations... It has been re released on many labels and we have extensive label relationships....so ... And I believe “Leather II” has sparked some new interest in my herstory.... 3/How it’s like to sing and play live shows without David? Playing shows with LLB (Leather Leone Band) fills me up with massive satisfaction. Change is inevitable...I have learned to roll with it....Chastain made it very clear when we recorded “Surrender to no one” that he was done playing live . So that idea is but a memory...my only priority is my boys from Brasil.... 4/Have you had many line up changes with your band? Just one. Vinnie Tex handles most guitars...and at this time we are hiring another for the road... 5/You are still strong after those years, is it hard to keep up in the music business? After a long haitus I have returned to what I do. I have always been on the outside of the Music Business! Ask any of them..... Lol. But yes, I am still here fighting....blessed to able to continue to create for all of my Metal friends! 6/Is the chastain era is in the past for you? Ask Chastain........he and I decide to creat every 100 yrs.....it depends on how long we live..... 7/How do you train your voice to keep up in your raw rockin tunes? Your voice is an incredible muscle with an amazing amount of memory, at least for me. I have always been able to run, P20
1/You have conquered the world with your music , yet not having a complete band. Have you composed all the tunes or you have shared with other musicians? How did it all happen? Ziad (bass): I met at wacken open air the guitarist and we started working remotely using a shared protools session and had the first EP done in no time, back then it was just Me, Juan and Maya the first vocalist. We recruited Rhino (Ex.Manowar) to play the drums. 2/You released an awesome album with a great singer that was like a bomb bringing melodies and nice tunes reminding the great bands who made Heavy Metal music. When have you discovered this music and wanted to play it? JUAN (guitars): For me it all started the first time I listened to Hermética, an amazing Argentinian heavy metal band. My very first band “Abigail” -I was a singing at that time- we made covers of that band and original songs in that vibe. Social lyrics, double bass 90% of the song, straight to the bone metal. Years after that a friend made two compilation cassettes with Iron Maiden music and everything changed. Fun fact, the first time I listened to Iron Maiden I didn’t´t like em because there weren’t any double bass hahaha damn I was young. Stratovarius followed, then Halloween and then the arrival of the internet to my town open everything else -in 96kbps and dial up connection Ziad: I had an older brother who used to make me listen to Iron Maiden and Rainbow when i was around 8 years old, I was hooked ever since, He then bought me a bass and wanted me to play with him as he was a guitarist. Unfortunately when i became good at bass he stopped listening to Metal and started playing Jazz music! So i knew i had to form my own band! 3/You obviously had lots of line up changes, what are the reasons for? Is it easy to find musicians in your country? Juan: As we said above, the core of ZiX are Juan and Ziad B. We are constantly searching for the best musicians to suit both the musical direction and the commitment required by a project this ambitious. That has been the number one reason of the line up changes. We both believe that music is greater than people so we don´t get too attach. We are just grateful to have amazing musicians around for the time that that works and when it doesn´t any more we move on, fortunately always with good relationship and understanding with the departing pieces. Ziad: It takes a lot of time to find perfect members who share your vision, look at Iron Maiden they had over 10 lineup changes before they finally found what they really want! 4/You have had lots of great people supporting you , how did you make the connections? Any advice for young bands…? Juan: Ziad is the mastermind behind that. Watching him work in that aspect I would suggest going for it, big names -in metal at least- are quite nice people willing to help you if they can. ZiaD: I asked nicely and everyone was willing to support because they knew we come from places that are not very metal friendly! 5/Have you studied music in a special school? Juan: No, my musical education has being mostly self thought with intervention of great musician that I reached out. Maybe the more significant are Pino Marrone who completely changed the way I play and relate to music and Gary Burton -via Berkley Online- with whom I formalize much of the improvisation concepts that I apply to my style. My academic education comes from another direction, I have degrees in film making and another one in sound post production. Also looked several workshops being the one most significative the two days in a recording studio with Alan Parsons Ziad: My brother helped me in the beginning then it was all guitar pro and magazines as well as tabs from the internet. Later on i started experimenting with mixing scales of oriental music with classical music and this is what you hear ZIX today! P21
