CONTENTS 04_Revolution Saints 06_Issa 07_Dracula 08_Eclipse 09_Uriah Heep 12_Reviews 14_Blind Guardian 15_U.D.O 16_Ammunition 17_Care of Night 19_Level 10 20_Sweet & Lynch 22_Pat Travers Band Melodic Rock Fanzine The official Frontiers Music s.r.l. magazine Year #11 - Nr. 1 / Issue #66 Editor-in-chief: Elio Bordi Concept, Graphics & Design: Elio Bordi Writers: Bruce E.J. Atkinson, Duncan Jamieson, Barry McMinn, Vitale Nocerino, Rob “Ezy” Bone, Primo Bonali. Headquarters and general contacts: Frontiers Records - Via Gonzaga 18 80125, Napoli - Italy Tel: +39.081.2399340/7753 Fax: +39.081.2399794 E-mail: elio@frontiers.it Website: www.frontiers.it Facebook: facebook.com/frontiersmusicsrl Twitter: twitter.com/FrontiersMusic1 Editor and publisher: Frontiers Records s.r.l. Copyright©2015 Frontiers Records. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Printed in Italy.
Band: Revolution Saints
Interview with: Alessandro Del Vecchio
Interview by: Duncan Jamieson
Question: When and how did this wanted to showcase his natural way my taste, but I like to keep the doors project get off the ground?
of singing which is what we know open. Obviously I've been raised on
A: It all started thanks to Serafino from his live shows with Journey. I t h e m u s i c y o u k n o w f r o m m e . P e r u g i n o . H e a l w a y s d r e a m e d o f asked Deen, Jack and Doug to be Melodic and Classic Rock bands like h a v i n g D e e n C a s t r o n o v o d o i n g a themselves without rules or any kind T o t o , J o u r n e y , D e e p P u r p l e ( a n d solo album. He put me in touch with of "we should sound like that" thing. family), Foreigner and bands like Deen suggesting him to work with So apart form the songwriting, what that are what I have listened for m e a n d I s t a r t e d w r i t i n g d e m o s you hear is the band without any whole my life. which was what opened the doors to brake and on full power. I wanted Q: How did the record take shape? the whole project. The music did the this record to be a musicians record Did you have the songs already talking. When finalizing the whole and to get the best vocal perform- w r i t t e n b e f o r e e v e r y o n e w a s o n thing we thought it might have been ance I could from Deen. I also tried board? cool to put Deen together with some to give the band a sort of harder A: Recordings have been done in our friends and make a band out of this. edge than Journey. Big ballads fea- own studios but we also gathered to That's when Jack Blades and Doug t u r e b o m b a s t i c d r u m s , t h u n d e r i n g work together. I spent a month doing A l d r i c h g o t i n t h e p i c t u r e a n d I bass and big guitars anyway even if recording sessions with the band in g o t t a s a y t h e f e e l i n g a m o n g t h e the formula would say to keep it the US. As I told you before Deen w o r k i n g t e a m h a s b e e n a m a z i n g light. since day one.
knew me through a a song I wrote
Q: How did you come up with the f o r h i m a n d a f t e r h i s b l e s s i n g I
Q: How well did you know each name of the band?
wrote the entire album with some
o t h e r b e f o r e S e r a f i n o s u g g e s t e d A: That was Jack. Serafino suggest- help from other songwriters. When ed some kind of revolution name and Jack and Doug got on board the
this project?
A: Deen and Jack go a long way he came up with it.
whole album was already written.
back. I guess they have been friends Q: Deen’s vocals are great. Do you That didn't limit the possibility of and worked together for 25 years. t h i n k s o m e p e o p l e w i l l b e s u r - changing a lot of stuff getting Jack D e e n m e t D o u g o n a J o u r n e y / prised?
and Doug to be an active part any-
Whitesnake tour in the UK and after A: I guess so. Any Journey fan now way. Jack wrote some of the lyrics that they stayed very close. Actually knows Deen is a stellar singer. The with me indeed. I was the new kid on the block! first time I heard “Mother Father” Q: Is there likely to be a follow Funny that Jack is one of my favorite s u n g b y D e e n I a l m o s t c o u l d n ' t up? What’s the likelihood of you producers and I ended up producing breathe. I was literally speechless. being able to play this material him.
But also a lot of people know him as live?
Q: It’s definitely got more of a a great drummer so for those who A: Well, I guess a lot might depend Journey
vibe
rather
t h a n are not familiar with Journey this on how this album is gonna be wel-
N i g h t r a n g e r o r W h i t e s n a k e . D i d could be a real surprise.
comed by the fans. We're definitively
y o u d i s c u s s a d i r e c t i o n f o r t h e Q : D o y o u l i s t e n t o t h e o t h e r s in for the long haul and we're workalbum beforehand?
music and bands?
ing on putting the band on the road
A : W e l l , y e s . W e w a n t e d D e e t o A: Sure I do. I don't listen to any and think about our future moves. shine vocally first of all. It's a band particular genre. I love the song- One thing I hope is that schedules but it's Deen's first band as a vocal- writing and production craft so any and commitments won't stop us from ist. As you might know, Deen is a good song that's been dressed in a being all together in a room and g r e a t f a n o f S t e v e P e r r y a n d w e good way could attract me. I have write the whole next album as a unit. MRF | 5
Artist: Issa
Question: This is your fourth studio release, what do you think makes this album different from your previous three albums? Answer: I think this album is maybe more instant. There is more in the production as well, especially in the backing vocals and keyboards. All my albums are melodic rock so it’s hard to separate them as I love them all. I think this album has more of a pop edge to it, similar to what Roxette were doing in the 80's. Q: You worked with the Martin brothers for 5 years, so why now release these songs on this album and not your previous albums? A: Well, on all my albums there has been songs written with or by the Martin brothers. During our time together so far there has been lots of songs written. Some have gone to other band or acts and some has been kept as a back catalogue. I remember being part of some songs for the “Find Me” album and those where songs I really wanted to keep; I still play them sometimes, but sometimes you need to think that you can’t keep them all; I’m saying that not all these songs are 5 years old, some are quite recent, I think only “Raintown'”and '”Crossfire” are that old and those songs were held back until now as the right band or act for the songs was not there AND I really wanted to release them myself. Tom and James have a huge catalogue, so as I sang the demos or wrote with them I started to get an idea of which songs I wanted for myself. You can say I’m a little spoiled in this department... 6 | MRF
Interview with: Issa
Q: Did you have more control over this music on this album than the previous three albums? A: Yes. I started recording my album with the Martin Brothers with the view of presenting it to Frontiers, they were a bit worried at first as they normally pick the songs but thankfully they loved what we had recorded and we were really happy with that. I think I just wanted to do my own thing this time, realising now how much work it took to do it all yourself; I don’t know if I would do it again, but it feels pretty amazing when you’ve put so much time into an album. I remember playing at Frontiers Rock Festival last year and this was the first time I played any of the songs from the album to Frontiers, you can say I was pretty nervous about it all but it was nice to be there and see how it got received. Frontiers Records is like my second family and it means the World to me that they trusted me and was behind me all the way with “Crossfire”. Q: The album sees you dueting with Mr Steve Overland, how did Steve get involved on “Raintown”? A: I have always been a big FM fan and especially Steve Overland's voice, he has an amazing voice and very individual. When I recorded the album I wanted to make the song “Fight Fire With Rain” into a duet- I knew I wanted Steve Overland to sing it so I managed to get his contact details from Steve Price at ARFM. Steve Overland received “Fight Fire With Rain” and loved the song so we planed the recording from there.
Interview by: Barry McmInn
Now a few days later I got the mix of “Raintown” back and it just hit me then. THIS is the song, it just wasn’t enough with just me on it and I started immediately to work on changes so this could be turned into the duet I heard in my head. So after all this I had get back to Steve and showed him “Raintown”. He loved the song and shortly after we recorded the song as you hear it today. Steve is not just an amazing singer but an amazing person to work with. I’m so happy with the result and very proud of it too. Q: Male artists dominate the world of Melodic Rock so how has the scene reacted to you and your music over the years? A: Yes there is defiantly a majority of male acts and bands in this scene and to be a woman in all this can be a very different experience. I think it’s good and bad sides to it, but mainly it’s all good. I met so many amazing people and fans over the time and thats when you realize what a lucky person you really are. As a female you stand out more in this scene, but as a female people also expect more from you then with other bands and acts. When I say expect I also mean in relation to what clothes you wear and how you look and strange enough some seem to think that you are less capable to sing or perform for that reason. Saying all this thoughs so many amazing and respectful people out there and they overshadow all of those things, and in the end I’m just very thankful for the support I get and that I can do what I do because of that. So thank you!
Band: Dracula
Question: So how long have you been working on this project as there were some extracts on MySpace first back in 2009? Answer: Yes, it was already a plan to do something back then, and so a couple of song ideas were demoed. But it wasn't till 2012/13 we started recording what would end up on the actual album, it's been a process working "on and off" inbetween live shows and Jorn albums, that's why it took a few years to complete it. Also, it's much more time consuming when you have more complex arrangents than a normal rock/metal album, plus to avoid doing a typical rock/metal opera concept, it took some time to find out which direction to go with this. We eventually felt that the most original approach was to create songs that come more "straight to the point" without too many long instrumental sections of music. And instead of telling the story about where Dracula goes and what he does like in the Bram Stoker book, we decided to reflect more on Draculas inner battle and what goes on in his mind rather then following every chapter of the book. The result is a dr Jekyll mr hyde type of Dracula character, who somewhere in the middle of all his evil and darkness, is longing to be able to love again. After centuries of walking the earth in thirst for blood, he can still remember very well how it was like when he was a human, about to get married to the love of his life Mina. Tired and bored of watching generation after generation dying out he's experiencing some kind of loneliness and developes an obssession
Interview with: Jorn Lande
in finding the right bride to share eternal life with. In other words the album can be described as a dark demonic love story reflecting the inner shadows of the man and myth. Q: The album isn’t you normal Rock Opera, why did you decide to go down a more Hard Rock avenue for the album? A: The Dracula story itself has many elements/moods and it would have been a shame to limit the whole thing by just making a straight forward metal album. Also, after all these years in the business it's a bit more interesting for both myself and Trond to take a step out of the ordinary Box, and try something new and challenging. We have brought some new modern elements into this album, as well as the roots of the 70's,80's musical influence that we grew up with. Also, after all the rock and metal opera albums beeing released over the last 15-20 years, we were both tired of the storyteller, long intro's and instrumental sections, and so it was natural for us to think a bit different for this album concept. Q: The whole Vampire thing has been taken apart by Hollywood over recent years, so how important was it to go back to the original Bram Stoker novel for the album? A: Well, the TV and movie industry has invented tons of new vampire concepts over the past decades, plus that many bands/artists have tried to incorperate the vampire element in their lyrics,videos and artwork, especially in metal. I feel that the more recent vampire
Interview by: Barry McMinn
trend has overshadowed the classic Bram Stoker story a bit. So, even though the old story itself is nothing really new, going back to basic, felt like a more original thing to do these days. "Traditional"can sometimes be a good thing. Q: The album features Norwegian songstress Lena Floitmoen Borresen, how did Lena get involved on the album? A: She sang on the first demoes and we thought what she did was great. For a while we had an idea to make an album of duets With several female singers, and she was one of them. We even approached Doro Pesch, Liv Kristine(leaves eyes), and also considered Anette Olzon(ex Nightwish), but in the end we decide that Dracula himself should be the main character to front the album and dropped the idea. We rewrote some of the songs Lena sang for the demos, to feature Dracula more through out the album. Eventually, I think we ended up with the right blend vocally, between myself and Lena. Q: Will you both be working on other projects together in 2015? A: We might rearrange some cover songs that we consider to record later this year. There are some older pop songs that I would have loved to hear with a more heavy rock arrangement, but we will see. If we do it, most of them will not be obvious song choices, but something we can make our own and put a Jorn stamp on. I'm also writing for a brand new original Jorn album, to be recorded later this year. MRF | 7
Band: Eclipse
Question: The new album picks up where ‘Bleed And Scream’ left off and is destined to be one of the year’s best melodic rock releases. How did the writing and recording differ on this album from ‘Bleed And Scream’? Answer: This big difference is that this album was written and recorded very fast. From start to end it was just over two and a half month. That is with the whole writing and recording process. During the process my father sadly passed away and that put even more pressure on me and the whole sessions. So it was a very special and emotional process to go through. Q: Your voice just gets stronger and stronger. Was there a lot of attention given to getting the vocals right? A: Not really, I'm very fast at recording vocals and I'll just do my thing. Sometimes it's hard to get the right feel for one song. When you record a new song for the first time there are no guide lines on how to sing it. It's not like doing a cover version when there is a original track to follow. But usually I have a pretty good idea on what to do or I'll just make up lyrics and melodies as I go along. If it doesn't sound or feel right I re-write directly. I was changing stuff even at the mixing stage. I always go for 8 | MRF
Interview with: Erik Martensson
a shoot from the hip approach when I write and do music and I don't want to think too much. Q: What tracks are you particularly proud of on this record? A: Sounds cliche but I like all tracks. If I didn't like a song it wouldn't be on the album. But “The Storm” is a special one for me but there are several tracks that I really like. It was not an easy job to choose the first single. Q: We lost Jimi Jamison recently who Erik wrote and produced his final album. What do you remember about Jimi? A: First of all he was a fantastic singer and a great human being. I'm so proud of that album and I'm honored to have had the chance to work with him. Q: Revolution Saints are doing a cover of the Eclipse track “How To Mend A Broken Heart” on their new album. How did that come about? A: This was Serafino or Mario's idea to let them do a cover version of the Eclipse song. It's also very cool as the guys in Revolution Saints are our own musical heroes. And I have read that both Jack Blades and Doug Aldrich think it's their favorite song of the album! Q: Has it been difficult to manage your outside song writing and production for other
Interview by: Duncan Jamieson
artists as well working on Eclipse material? A: Not really. When I write and have inspiration I'm pretty quick and has a lot of energy. I do music full time and I can't spend 365 days a year just writing Eclipse songs! It's very inspirational and a great learning experience to work with others. Being a musician/writer/producer is just like any other craft. you learn new stuff and find new ways of doing it every day and you never stop learning. I love it. Q: So Magnus Ulfstedt, your old drummer, is back in the band but as the bass player. How did that come about? A: We have had several great bass player in the live band but this time we wanted a full time and dedicated bass player that could be an Eclipse brother to trust and work with in the studio and on tour. We were starting to think of different possibilities and just as a crazy idea his name came up. I asked him if he could do as I know he was really good at playing guitar. He was all fired up when I asked him so he borrowed one of my basses and spent a week at learning and playing bass and then he called me up and said "I think I can do it". We did one rehearsal and it sounded absolutely fantastic. So it's very funny that our old drummer is back in the band on bass guitar.
Band: Uriah Heep Interview with: Bernie Shaw Interview by: Bruce Atkinson
Question: Watching this new DVD package certainly shows us why “Uriah Heep” are still such an influence on the modern rock scene! Did you ever imagine that you and the boys would still be rocking as hard as you are in the 21st century? A: The thing is with being in a rock band is that you never ever dwell on age or time... it’s a bit like being in the Peter Pan business really. Growing up and growing old is what “other
people” do in the outside world. Touring musicians who tend to live out of suitcases, never slow down enough to think of time in that sense, so I guess the answer is YES, of course I just assumed I’d still be singing with Heep and the band still playing in excess of 100 shows a year as we always have done ... and will continue to do so... As long as we are selling tickets, we’ll be around. Q: This combination of your older material
with the newer music works so well and on many levels…and it works so naturally, can you take us through some of the creative process—and has it changed throughout the years? A: We are very lucky that Heep had such a distinctive sound and style back in the 70’s. A trademark sound that set them apart from all the rest of the Big Five (Zeppelin, Purple, Sabbath, Tull and Heep). That song writing chemistry still runs true with Mick and Phil today and they still seem to capture the magic in the melody and harmony that played such important part of early Heep’s sound. Add the fact that we still prefer to record all together in one room at one time and you can’t help but get the sound of the 70’s, amps on 10! Giving it yer all!! That’s rock and roll at its basic level. Include 5 guys that are all on the same page musically, you can’t help but end up with a great sounding album. True Heep, end to end. Q: You last album “Outsider” is a most powerful statement of the future of “Uriah Heep, are you actually currently recording the follow-up? A: A follow up!!! It’s just been out for months! We have an 18-month world tour booked to promote Outsider, give it a chance mate!
eviews
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REVOLUTION SAINTS “S/T” (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) This is a mouth-watering proposition as Deen Castronova, Jack Blades and Doug Aldrich of Journey, Nightranger and Whitesnake, respectively, team up on a very Journey sounding album. Initially, I was a little disappointed it wasn’t more an amalgam of all their bands. Although to be fair on ‘Way To The Sun’ they do sound a lot like Blades’ Damn Yankees. However, I’ve since succumbed to this record’s charms. The bulk of the songs are written and produced by keyboard whizz Alessandro Del Vecchio. Jack Blades plays bass and adds vocals to ‘Turn Back Time’ and ‘Way To The Sun’ although I feel he’s a little underused on this disc. Doug Aldrich jettisons his hard bluesy rock riffs of Burning Rain and Whitesnake for a more AOR sound while the standout contribution comes from Journey drummer Deen who handles lead vocals. Sounding uncannily like Steve Augeri, his voice is great. On tracks like ‘Dream On’ and ‘Back on My Trail’ he captures the uplifting joy of Journey and indeed this disc could have more mainstream rock appeal than Journey’s last guitar drenched ‘Eclipse’ record did (ironically, Neal Schon and Arnel Pineda both guest). A real melodic rock crowd pleaser. (DJ 95/100)
ISSA “Crossfire” (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) “Crossfire” is the fourth album from Norwegian songstress Issa and this time around she has taken a stronger role on the songwriting front, co-writing songs with the Marin brothers especially picked for this release. The album is without a doubt her best album to date. The songs are more personal, not that the previous albums weren’t, but this album just feels stronger. Those familiar with the previous three albums know what a stunning vocal talent Issa is and this album goes further to cement that fact, with great slices of melody rich rock like the opener and title track “Crossfire” and the excellent “Ghost Inside My Heart”, across to the more modern rock of “Long Time Coming”. But if you want to hear Melodic Rock at its best then you’ll have to check out “Raintown”, on which Issa duets with Mr Melodic Rock himself Steve Overland. The album has been described as “a melodic rock fans wet dream” and I can’t argue with that. If you’re looking for an album to kick 2015 off in fine style then you can’t get any better than this. (BM 94/100)
URIAH HEEP “Live at Koko” (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) One listen, or for that matter-one viewing of this new live CD/DVD production from Uriah Heep will tell you why this iconic group are still making an impact! “Live at Koko” is a living testament of the high level of craftsmanship and musicianship this group has. From some of their earliest compositions to their very latest creations: Uriah Heep’s performances here are flawless! Join their journey through four decades-and then some-of stately progressive renderings delivered with the same energy that we witnessed back in the ‘70’s! A fabulous performance from an equally fabulous band of musical gypsies, one can be totally immersed in the sonic brilliance that is now and always was the essence of Uriah Heep! A dazzling performance from a long standing innovative British super group, nothing more needs to be said other than… Uriah Heep “Live At Koko” is a “must-have” release for all respecting Rockers!! (BA 90/100)
ECLIPSE “Armageddonize” (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) Erik Martensson is a star on the rise; his songwriting chops have made him much in demand in melodic rock circles. The good news is he hasn’t given all his best songs away as Eclipse’s fifth album is chock full of hi-energy melodic rock songs. Their last record ‘Bleed And Scream’ was one of the best albums of 2012 and this is on a par and time may even suggest it’s better. The triple assault of ‘I Don’t Want To Say I’m Sorry’, ‘Stand On Your Feet’ and ‘The Storm’ that kick off the album leave you breathless. There are the classic rock melodies inspired by the best of the 80s (‘Breakdown’ even sounds like Tattoo Rodeo!), the thunderous drum sound that brings a modern edge and then Martensson’s voice which adds emotional weight to the tunes. While some of our favourite classic rock singers’ voices are waning, Martensson’s voice is getting better and better. The best of the rock sound from the past with modern energy and urgency, Eclipse capture what modern melodic rock is all about. (DJ 96/100)
(Nuclear Blast)
U.D.O “Decadent” (AFM Records)
CARE OF NIGHT “Connected” (AOR Heaven)
BATTLE BEAST “Unholy Savior ” (Nuclear Blast)
LASTAUTUMN’SDREAM “Level Eleven” (AOR Heaven)
Some four years in the making “Beyond the Red Mirror” is the much-anticipated 10th studio release from Germans kings of storytelling metal Blind Guardian. This is the follow up to the bands “At the Edge of Time” opus unites the band not with one, but with three different classical choirs. One from Prague, one from Budapest and finally Boston, plus two grand orchestras, each with 90 musicians! The result of which is the band’s most grandiose release of their career. This albums story began back in 1995 with bands “Imaginations from the Other Side” and now the “Red Mirror” is the only gate left between the worlds. The album itself lives up the Blind Guardian mantle of towering symphonic metal as it opens up with the epic “Ninth Gate”, which sets the bar for the rest of the album to follow. With the likes of heads down metal of the “Twilight of the Gods” interwoven with the wondrous orchestral filled “At The Edge of Time” and the epic “The Throne”, this is one Symphonic Metal magic carpet ride you won’t want to get off. BM (91/100)
Not so surprising that this musical veteran has put together an album such as “Decadent”. Not to be taken lightly nor for the faint of heart-Udo Dirkschneider pulls no punches on this release! Take the title track and really listen to what it is, he’s singing about, not a nice world!! Yet it is the world we live in. Udo should be praised for what he has done here, he has raised his voice and rallied against what has become normal behavior throughout our society. His skills in songwriting and musicianship also play dominantly in this set of musical warnings. Through the course of this record, Udo strips naked the imbalances of our society, lays bare for all to see… The decaying morals and decadent behavior of those that seem to live a life of privilege and care not a lick for the rest of us. He does this set to some of his hardest driving music! Actually, it is a beautiful thing to see and hear, that after so many years of crafting music, travelling the world and meeting with success, that Udo isn’t blinded by the folds of luxury, that he still has a keen sense of what is right and proper and that he is not afraid of speaking up and singing about the injustices of the world! “Decadent” is a purposeful musical statement, one that should resonant with us all and perhaps this statement will tear asunder the veil that cloaks all of this decadence we cannot easily see! BA (90/100)
When Seven Tears disband in 2009 members Kristofer von Wachenfeldt (keys), Jonathan Carlemar (guitars) and Fredrik Lager (bass) weren’t about to hang up their instruments, so out of the ashes came new band Care Of Night. Joining this trio in the beginning were Linus Svensson (drums) and Carl-Johan Schönberg (vocals), who rehearsed with the band way back in 2010, with Linus eventually becoming the band’s drummer and Jens Andersson later joining the band as vocalist. This first reincarnation of the band saw some changes in 2013 when Fredrik and Jens both left the band. Jonas Rosengren became the new bass player and Schönberg decided to join the band on a permanent basis and a EP was released in 2013. Now in 2015 the band return with a full length album and their labours have born fruits with a great slab of Melodic Rock. Connected is a great melody rich album and fits in with recent plethora of talent coming out of Sweden at the moment thing with the likes of Work Of Art, Eclipse and Houston. With great songs like opener “Cassandra”, the guitar rich “Those Words” and the excellent “Contact”, this band are sure send ripples amongst the fans of the genre. BM (85/100)
Album number three for the Finnish metallers finds them in confident, bombastic form. It’s the second album now with singer Noora Louhimoo who handles the melodies and screams impressively. They are happy to mix things up a little. Sharing an ability to mix pop hooks with muscle like fellow Finnish rock acts such as Lordi, Reckless Love or Devil I Know. The result might leave some power metal fans unconvinced but for the more open minded this is a great listen. Rocking, anthemic battle cries like ‘Lionheart’ and the Powerwolf sounding ‘Madness’ are composed terrifically well. ‘Speed And Danger’ is a terrific song that makes you want to drive at speed off a cliff with its breakneck guitar riff and ultra-catchy keyboard solo (the keyboards throughout add bucket loads of melody). ‘I Want The World… And Everything In It’ could be UDO. ‘Touch in The Night’ has a synthesised backing sound that makes it sound like an 80s dancefloor filler which may be a step too far from power metal for some. The music has a certain kitsch appeal (which has never done the likes of Kiss or Alice Cooper any harm) and it’s a hugely enjoyable metal romp. DJ (90/100)
Like clockwork, each year starts with a new L.A.D record. Eleven albums in nearly as many years makes L.A.D not only one of the most prolific but one of the most reliable melodic rock bands out there. Mikael Erlandsson’s distinctive voice leads from the front on typical L.A.D Scandi-rockers like ‘Kiss Me’, ‘Follow Your Heart’ and ‘Losing You’. It’s classic melodic rock, with cleverly arranged songs. Erlandsson’s a fine songwriter. There’s lovely melodious soloing from Peter Söderström who joins as the new guitarist and fits in perfectly. As usual they throw in a couple of numbers that experiment with their formula such as the 70s sounding ‘Fight The World’ which is orchestrated and has a slight Queen grandeur and ‘I’ll B There 4 U’ which has backing vocals that recall Supertramp. With their records usually released at the beginning of the year, I sometimes feel that by the year’s end people miss them off their ‘Best of’ lists which is a pity as this is a consistently strong release that pretty much any melodic rock fan should enjoy. DJ (94/100)
BLIND GUARDIAN
AMMUNITION “Shanghaied” (AOR Heaven)
“Beyond the Red Mirror”
Wow! What am I listening to here!? Is it Wigwam or something heavier? Give Age Sten Nilsen enough ammunition and he will create a monster of an album!! And “Shanghaied” is exactly what the doctor ordered! Opening with the anthemic “Silverback”, this debut of Age’s new group sets the tempo and tone of what is to come… From this former Wigwam vocalist! “Shanghaied” is full of hard driving-smart melodic hard rock. Combining Age’s creative song smithing and equally strong vocals with a stellar cast of musicians, this debut is both loud and proud! So, get ready to be Rocked to the hilt! Pounding out the bass is none other than Hal Patino, and backing him up on drums is Robban Back. Jon Pettersen is on guitar, along with guest guitarist Eric Martensson. Former Wigwam keyboardist Lasse Finbrathen is also here, ensuring an expansive and soaring expression to this hard-hitting effort! It is fantastic to hear Age once again and his song writing skills have progressed a notch or two upwards! Not that they weren’t fantastic to begin with! On this record, Age displays a more mature and intense approach to each number. We hear a greater depth in the music, as well as the lyrical content. The whole album is ballsier! “Shanghaied” is one kick-ass record! Just a great way to start a new year! BA (90/100)
LEVEL 10 “Chapter 1” (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) Put together by two authentic Heavy Metal-icons like US monster-singer Russell Allen (Symphony X, Adrenaline Mob) and German bassist / producer/ songwriter Mat Sinner , Level 10 was created with the purpose to melt the more contemporary and aggressive sound of Adrenaline Mob with the more traditional European Power Metal assault from Primal Fear. With such big names leading the machine – and a bunch of great musicians (Primal Fear's Randy Black on drums and Alex Beyrodt on guitar, plus ex Helloween Roland Grapow on lead guitar and Alessandro Del Vecchio on keyboards) asked to join them on this project – it shouldn't come as a surprise that the debut-album, “Chapter 1”, results as a true delight for all the Power and Heavy Metal fans. As songs like “Blasphemy”, “Scream And Shout” and “Voice Of The Wilderness” are here to prove. On the other side, tracks like “Cry No More” (oh, what a Whitesnake “1987”-era guitar riff!), the epic “Soul Of A Warrior” and the anthemic “No Turning Back” and “One Way Street” could also appeal to Classic and Melodic Hard-Rock fans, those who have bands like Scorpions, RJ Dio and Whitesnake in their hearts. (PB 90/100)
DRACULA “Swing of Death” (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) “Dracula - Swing Of Death” is the new Rock Opera from two of Norway’s biggest names in rock, Jorn Lande and Trond Holter (Teeny of Wig Wam), but this isn’t your usual Rock Opera fodder, there isn’t a narrative running through it nor are their subtle links between the songs. This is more the song’s telling the story and letting the listener paint visions in their own mind. Taking it inspiration from the original Bram Stoker novel rather than the Hollywood vision of Vampires, this tell the story of Count Vlad the III, Prince of Wallachia and venture to explore the inner struggle of the man behind the legend. With Lande at the mike you know the rock is going to be massive. This album features a few duets where the Norseman is joined by Lena Floitmoen Borresen, who plays the part of Vlad’s love interest Mina/Lucy from the Bram Stoker book. So musically what is this album about? Well with the concept behind the album you’d be expecting some Gothic elements but as I said this is not your traditional Rock Opera, this a Hard Rock Opera featuring big melodies and big guitars. The album flows beautifully, but you can take any song from the album and play it on its own and enjoy it just as much, such is the splendour of the rock behind this concept. (BM 92/100)
PAT TRAVERS “Live at the Iridium” (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) The Canadian’s no nonsense, meat and potato hard rock always sounds better live. Recorded last year in New York, Travers delivers his characteristic blues rock with plenty of elbow grease and sweat. Stylistically little has changed since the 70s. That’s not a criticism; it’s proof of a man who’s stuck to his guns when others have jumped on whatever bandwagon comes along. He fires out his signature tunes “Rock ‘N’ Roll Susie”, “Crash And Burn” and a terrific “Ask Me Baby” like a man whose natural habitat is the stage. His husky voice has an undemanding, blue-collar, everyman appeal about it while his guitar interplay with Kirk McKim demonstrates real subtlety as well as ripe power chords. Four covers in succession, “Red House”, “If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day”, “Spoonful” and “Black Betty” that ends the performance show he’s happiest when playing the blues. There’s nothing here from his last, rather good, “Can Do” record which seems a missed opportunity but this is a typical sturdy hard rockin’ set, with few surprises or left turns, but will appease all Travers’ fans (hammer heads) out there. (DJ 90/100)
SWEET & LYNCH “Only to Rise” (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) One must hand it to Serafino Perugino for his musical vision! The collaboration of Michael Sweet and George Lynch is a stroke of musical genius! Hopefully “Only To Rise” is just the beginning of this masterful musical partnership. Micheal’s voice has opened up in these performances, there is more depth, a wider gamut that lays upon the music that is being produced by the guitar of the extraordinary George Lynch! We hear a soulful cry coming from Mr. Lynch’s fret board! What with the addition of Brian Tichy thundering along on drums and James Lomemzo nailing that bottom end, each piece is full of meat and just oozes that rocked out sound! These four absolutely shine on each and every song and they seem to absorb each ones positive vibe! A collection of twelve truly remarkable songs, slices of Rock that are rhythmic, inspiring and passionate! “Only To Rise” can only do that. I have it on good authority that these four are planning to take this on the road! Right now, it is amazing to hear such songs as “Rescue Me”, “The Wish”, “Dying Rose”, it will be simply incredible to be able to see and hear these come alive on that stage! “Only To Rise” will be on the streets in January, and don’t be surprised if this gem of a record hits the top of the charts at the same time!! (BA 95/100)
ORDEN OGAN “Ravenhead” (AFM Records)
SERIOUS BLACK “As Daylight Breaks” (AFM Records)
ENFORCER “From Beyond” (Nuclear Blast)
DIABLO BLVD “Follow the Deadlights” (Nuclear Blast)
BLACK STAR RIDERS “The Killer Instinct” (Nuclear Blast)
THE STORYTELLER “Sacred Fire” (Black Lodge Records)
I have to admit that I became a fan of the band since the moment I listened to their wonderful 2010-“Easton Hope” album and I've been happy to recognize that the follow-up “To The End” (2012) has been up to all my expectations and – most important – secured the band's international breakthrough. Two more years and the Germans are back, with another powerful, solid and dramatically epic example of Classic Power Metal. Slightly more focused on the choruses and on the majestic vocals, “Ravenhead” blends the traditional sound of Heavy/Power Metal with an upto-date, crystal clear and heavy production. Think Blind Guardian, with an heavier guitar-sound, some Running Wildlike epic choirs, a few cinematic passages, and a lot of guitarsdueling and double bass drums parts. There are also a couple of guests here: Grave Digger’s Chris Boltendahl on “Here At The End of the World” and Hammerfall’s Joacim Cans on the very melodic “Sorrow Is Your Tale”, which represent the “plus” (if ever needed) to this great album. Well done, guys, and glory to the brave! PB (88/100)
With the dawning of the New Year as a journalist you’re left wondering if 2015 will continue where 2014 left off and so far from what I’ve heard of the year’s early releases 2015, it sure does look to be another corker. Kicking off the new year with an almighty bang are Serious Black. The band is the brainchild of Mario Lochert when a conversation with Roland Grapow started the ball rolling. Dominik Sebastian, Thomen Stauch and Jan Vacik soon joined the pair, with the vocals spot being filled by Urban breed, so the band was complete. I’ve underlined band because this is what Serious Black are, this is no studio project, the band have already linedup live shows with Hammerfall in early 2015. So does the sum of the parts match the expectations? You better believe it does, this band brings some of the finest Melodic Metal you’ll hear this side of Christmas, with highlights like the epic “Temple of the Sun”, the bombastic opener “I Seek No Other Life” and the superb “Trail Of Murder”. This album is sure to send shivers down the spine of any fan of the genre .BM (90/100)
Being an avid “old school” Metal fan, I loved Enforcer since the first minute of the first track I listened to. That's why I was pretty anxious to listen to their new album, “From Beyond”, scheduled for a release in March. In vocalist / guitar player Olof Wikstrand's own words “From Beyond is faster, heavier, louder, darker and more vicious all at the same time without losing a tiny bit of what ENFORCER stand for. After a couple of listen to the whole album, I can tell you anyway that if you liked their previous albums and Enforcer's style, you'll like this new one as well. The songwriting has been – as always – totally inspired by the great '80s Metal bands (Iron Maiden, Tokyo Blade and Metallica "Kill'em All"-era, in primis), with fiery guitars-duels, fast drums parts and screaming vocals everywhere, and the spirit of the “golden Era” up in the air (do you remember the time when we were buying a vinyl in a record-store and we were playing it in our stereo??? ha, the good ol' times!!!). They've added here and there only some slightly darker atmospheres, which gives to some tunes (“Mask Of Red Death”, “Undying Evil”) a sinister and melancholic vibe. Yet, the overall sound is still the usual amazing mix between Classic NWOBHM and early US Speed Metal. A very good effort and another to-have album! PB (90/100)
A unique five piece out of Belgium, Diablo Blvd produce a groove centric form of Heavy Metal that touches upon postmodern Rock. “Follow The Deadlights” is the group’s third effort, and having Nuclear Blast supporting them, an international presence seems to be just months away! The music on this record is worthy of such lofty ambitions. What with their unique musical signatures ensuring them widespread attention. Made up of a twin guitar attack in Dave Hubrechts and Andries Beckers, plus Tim Bekaert on bass and Kris Martens on drums; the four create a solid bed of music for vocalist Alex Agnew to explore. His styling’s rising from the depths to a husky mid-range timbre that sets the grooves and rhythms a-fire! Each selection on this release reveals different musical flavours, yet all contained in the musical signature of Metal. Yet they push those very boundaries and create a very tasteful musical bed. Remember the “Diablo Blvd” name, as it won’t be long that their music will reach the corners of the globe. BA (88/100)
The debut-album, “All Hell Breaks Loose” (2013), resulted as an incredible success for the band, which has been busy playing across the globe for one year. And now it's already time for the new one, “The Killer Instinct”, that – in band's frontman Ricky Warwick's words - “is the album that really defines BLACK STAR RIDERS. We’ve gone to the next level with this record!". Under the expert guidance of producer Nick Raskulinecz (Rush, Foo Fighters, Alice In Chains, Mastodon) at his own "Rock Falcon Studios" in Nashville, TN, BLACK STAR RIDERS came out with a powerful, genuine and truly authentic piece of Rock. Thin Lizzy is in the DNA of the band and it will always be there, so if you love that historical band you can't go wrong here. The first chords of “Soldierstown” clearly reveals the band's Irish roots, and tracks like the title-track and “Through The Motions” sound so close to the classic Lizzy songwriting with this twin-lead guitar sound and the unique vocals-lines, while a song like “Finest Hour” has a slightly more modern and melodic approach, still remaining strongly Classic Rock-rooted. With hundreds of live-shows and two albums under their belts now, BLACK STAR RIDERS is a Classic Rock band in its own right, still retaining the spirit and the soul of THIN LIZZY. 'nuff said. PB (90/100)
I still remember the time when I first listened to The Storyteller music, back in 2000; that was the debut-album, and I was totally blew away from their sound, totally devoted to the mighty old Maiden, but played with a typical swedish flavor, which meant a lot of double-bass drums parts and some epic passages. The band released three more albums (“Crossroad” in 2002, “Tales of a Holy Quest” in 2003 and “Underworld” in 2005) before deciding to stop any activity (live and studio) and to put The Storyteller on hold. Finally, after 7 years, the band reunited and released their fifth album, “Dark Legacy”, that did really prove that their fans were still there. And now it's time for the new studio opus, “Sacred Fire”, 12 tracks of Traditional Heavy / Melodic Power Metal, played with passion and fire, full of majestic harmonies, epic choirs, killer guitar riffs and catchy vocal parts. The band has – during the years – toured with the likes of Helloween, Hammerfall, Blind Guardian, Gamma Ray, Sonata Arctica and Stratovarius, so I guess you have the picture. A very good effort, in the name of our beloved Heavy Metal music. Horns up! PB (85/100)
Band: Blind Guardian
Question: The new album follows the usual four year gap between albums, so why the gap between albums? Answer: This four year gap is nothing that we intend to have between albums, we just can't work faster. You have to see that we spend half of this time on the road, and while we are touring we don't write any new material. Writing while touring would lead to old ideas sneaking into new songs, because you have the old songs in your head all the time, and this is something we definitely don't want to happen. Only when we are done with touring we get our heads free for new ideas and start working on new songs. It usually takes us about 18 months to finish the songwriting for a new album, after this it takes another 6 months to record everything and there you have your four years between albums. Of course we could speed things up, we could write while touring, we could set ourselves a timelimit of 6 months for writing, but the quality of the songwriting would just not be the same, and this is something we take very serious, we don't compromise. We want to come up with the best songs we can possibly write and we take all the time we need to 14 | MRF
Interview with: Marcus Siepen
achieve this. Q: Do you approach each album differently or do you still write the albums the way as when you first started out? A: Compared to the early days writing is completely different today, but our music is very different as well. Back then we wrote a lot during rehearsals, with the four of us exchanging ideas and jamming on them, but as our music became much more complex over the years our way of writing changed. Today we work on our ideas in our own studios at home, when we feel we have accomplished some cool ideas we give our demos to Hansi and he tries to find his vocal lines. If it works we continue from there, if not we either have to find a way to make those ideas work, or we start from scratch. This method of writing works perfectly fine for us, jamming would just not be an option anymore, we could not experiment with all those guitar layers or the orchestration while jamming in the rehearsal room. Q: Does each band member input on the songwriting process or do you have set songwriters? A: Andre and Hansi definitely are the main songwriters in Blind Guardian, but everybody can write as much as he wants
Interview by: Barry McMinn
to, there is no rule saying that only those two guys are allowed to write. Whenever one of us has an interesting idea for a song we work on it and see if we can make it happen, independent of who had the idea. And even if a song was only written by one person, everybody else still has his influence, after all we talk about the songs, exchange opinions and make suggestions, and also when it comes to recording everybody has an influence with his personal performance. Q: What is the story behind the album? A: The story is based on two songs from our “Imaginations from the other side” album, “Bright Eyes” and “And the story ends” to be precise. Those songs told the story of a little boy, living in an isolated world, that has the chance to step through a portal in order to get from his world into another one. But since he is only a boy, he is too afraid to take this step, which has desastrous consequences for both worlds. Now, 20 years later, the boy has become a man and tries to recover his memory, he goes on a kind of quest for the holy grail and to find a passage into the other world in orde to make things right again.
Band: U.D.O
Question: In the past you mainly chose album titles that sounded very „metal“, like „RevRaptor“, „Steelhammer“ and so on. Now you chose „Decadent“ which sounds more like glamrock... Amswer: The whole idea about the name “Decadent” was... I'm a guy, I watch every morning like on TV the news. And then many times I saw an advertising on "Save the children". It was like dying kids in Africa, they don't have something to eat. You know, and then on the other hand you saw rich people, stuff like that. And that was the whole idea - that we are living in a decadent world. It's like, a lot of people have a lot of money, they're living really decadent, they have yachts, they have villas, they have -I don't know - so many things going on. Then on the other hand people, they don't have nothing to eat. Q: But hasn't that always been the case? Most people think of the eighties when you think about decadence... A: Yeah, I mean, also music-wise. I mean, of course, all the rockstars, it was really decedent in a way. But, I mean, I was not thinking about this, you know, the old days. That was for me really... I don't know, it was - I have to do something! The whole album "Decadent" is like, you know, against political things and what would have happened if ... One song "Rebels of the night" is about
Interview with: Udo Dirkschneider
when we were touring on the last tour in Ukraine when there were all those things happening in Kiev. So the whole story of "Rebels of the night" is (about) what happened in Ukraine, you know. But we have so many things going on that I'm really a little bit scared of what's going on with all these bomb attacks and people dying and, you know, a lot of political things. That they are really lying to us. It's like one other song on this album "House of fake". The "House of fake" is not only one house, the "House of fake" is like, you know, all the parliaments and stuff like that. They are talking a lot of bullshit and they do nothing. So that's in a way the whole thing. That's why we called the album "Decadent", you know. Q: So it is a strong social commentary? A: Definitely! And there are a lot of other things. For example another song is called "Pain", how much pain we can take. It was like, when you watch the news on TV now, it hurts, you know. There is not really something nice going on anymore, you know. Always like bombs and attacks and this and this and this. And that's the meaning of it: how much pain we can take. Q: You've been in the music business for 46 years now. How do you keep the passion and the fire alive? Are you still "restless and wild"? A: Yeah! I mean, in a way you can say that I'm restless and wild. You know, I mean, for me it was
Interview by: B. Atkinson
very important, you know, I don't want to end up in drugs and alcohol. You know, I saw a lot of musicians in this business and I always say: I don't want to look (like) this or want to end up like this. And, you know, in music, for me I like to be creative, you know. I mean, It was also like a dream come true when I did this this year together with the Bundeswehr Orchestra, you know, and doing a lot of things. I like to make music. You know, I'm always composing stuff. And already the new album is old for me, I'm already thinking for the next album, you know. And then also definitely now with the two young guys, you know, there is fresh blood in the band. And they really want to do it, you know. They take you with you through the whole thing, you know. Let's say, the most important thing is: I will do this as long as I have fun! Very important! This is very important!! Q: Do you still enjoy playing the old Acceptsongs or is it just a favour to the fans? A: That would be a lie to say: "Pah, I don't care!" I mean, I was in... I'm still in the songs. You know, it still has something to do with me, it's my history. And I don't have any problems, I enjoy this to do it. And it's still fun. The most interesting thing is now, I mean, we have a lot of young people coming to the concerts. And also they're singing along with the old Accept-stuff, you know, and this is very interesting. MRF | 15
Band: Ammunition
Question: I would like to begin with the formation of Ammunition, it seems that you have surpassed your past efforts with Wig Wam… would that be a fair statement? Answer: Wig Wam was Wig Wam you know, and I see Ammunition as a quite different animal. I guess this is what I really wanted to achieve with my former band. The songwriting, the sound, the friendship, the dedication and the heart and the soul put into this album and band formation is everything I ever dreamed of. This is an album written and recorded on the music’s premises. Without any limitation in expression or time. So yeah, I’ve never been happier or more proud. Q: Being that “Shanghaied” is the first effort, were you going in with with high expectations? A: The songs and the formation of the band was all art by accident, you know. But the expectations grew as we started to realize the magic going on between Erik and I when we started to write the album. And when we realized how extremely well everyone got along musically and private too. To be honest, my only expectations when Erik and I got together, was to cut some great demo’s for Wig Wam’s fifth album, that hopefully would make it on the album. Forming a band or even making an album with Erik wasn’t part of the plan at all. It just happened. And it wouldn’t have happened if my former band mates had been honest 16 | MRF
Interview with: Age Sten Nilsen
with me. Then I would most likely have been waiting for them while they did their own stuff. These days I’m thankful for the way it all turned out. It sure was an eye opener and a great turn for me. Maybe it was a sign. Q: Tell us about the others in the group… It seems you have surrounded yourself with some of the finest!! A: I must start with the one and only Erik Martensson. The album and the band wouldn’t have happened without him. After all he is the one that suggested forming this band. Erik is by far the best producer I have ever worked with. And he is a multi instrumentalist and a great singer too. And just when you thought you’d seen the icing on the cake, he proves to be the nicest person in rock as well. And we just get along so amazingly well. I guess we’re the “chopstick twins” of rock ha ha. Robban was suggested by Erik, as they both play in Eclipse and W.E.T too. When Eclipse opened for my side-project Nordic Beast in Oslo, he really blew me away. Hal and I had already got together as brothers in the new band formation Nordic Beast, with John Norum and Mic Michaelli from Europe and Mikkey Dee from Motorhead.
Interview by: Bruce Atkinson
His bass playing really belongs to the seventies. Lots of improvisation and steady as a rock. Jon and I have worked together for almost 8 years with my Queen show “The Show Must Go On”. I first met him back in the late eighties, when we needed a new guitar player for my band. And we had heard a lot about this great guitar player Jon Pettersen from Krakerøy. Jon joined us, and we played in this band together for about 3-4 years. He’s one of the finest guitar players I’ve ever heard, and blends great with Erik. Jon is more of a blues and classic rock guitarist than Erik. Influenced by Clapton and Page, and I can’t wait to unleash him on stage around the globe. Lasse comes from the progressive world, but joined me on my “GLAMunition” gigs in Norway and Japan in 2009. He later joined Wigwam as touring member of the band since the “Non Stop Rock’n Roll” Tour. He’s such a musical genius, I tell you. The band’s nerd too I may add ha ha, since he’s extremely into gaming, computers and all the other stuff I don’t know a shit about. But it’s fascinating. And he’s become a very close friend of mine. Love him to bits !
Band: Care of Night
Question: The band rose from the ashes of Seven Tears in 2009, so why go down the Melodic/AOR sound for the new band? A: I think that everyone in the band thought that AOR was a better choice of genre for us as a band. Q: How long did it take to record the new album? A: It took about 1 year from start to finish. Q: Who had the idea to name the band after a poetry by Swedish poet Bruno K. Oijer? Can you actually tell what the poetry is about? A: Guitarist Jonathan came up with the idea, as he is a big fan of poetry. c / o NIGHT is a dark collection of poetries, released in the mid-seventies. I haven’t read it myself actually, but I do fancy Oijer, anyone collaborating with swedish band Fleshquartet cannot be that far out. All in all, we think of it as a great name that fits our music well. Q: The album see you turn to Erik and Anders Wigelius to produce the album, were they the obvious choice after they worked on the 2013 EP? A: The Wigelius brothers were definitely our first and only choice. As soon as we got the record deal with
Interview with: Calle Schonberg
Aor Heaven, we immediately contacted the Wigelius brothers. Q: One of my favourite tracks is the balladesque “Dividing Lines” that features some very nice saxophone playing. Can you tell us a little more about this song, please!? A: Thank you. My song and a personal favourite of mine as well. A pretty moody song about breaking up a long-term relationship – and all the feelings that comes with that. The lyrics describes the main character feeling sorry for himself but at the same time wishes his former lover all the best; ”your eyes, they smiled and that’s all I need to know”. Talking about dynamics, I truly love the delicate verses with only piano and vocals, then the bang with the chorus. Lots of emotions behind this song, and Johan Axelsson plays superb saxophone, I got goosebumps the first time he wailed in the studio – amazing musician. Q: When did you first realise the band was going to work? A: I have never had any doubts in relation to whether the band would work or not. However, it was when I heard the song Cassandra in the studio the first time that I actually realized how good the band and our
Interview by: Barry McMinn
material was and that we had created something that could attract a broader audience. Q: What's the most important thing to the band right now? A: To get rich and powerful !!! No! But we want to get the record out to as many people as possible, and hopefully play some live shows in the future. If this record is well received and successful it will give us the possibility to further develop as a band and invest in future records and materials. Q: Do you have any plans to tour in the 2015? A: We don't have anything booked right now. We have had full focus on the completion of the record. However, discussions have been initiated and negotiations are taking place in relation to a potential tour as we speak. Q: What are your hopes for the band? This is your debut but where do you hope to go from here? A: To play some live shows and to start planning the next album. Q: Give us one good reason why the readers should go out and buy your new album. A: Because it is a kick as album with great songs! It is the perfect album to start the year 2015 with. MRF | 17
Band: Level 10
Question: Hello guys! How are you doing? So let's start from the beginning: when have you started thinking putting together this album and how did this project develop during these years? Answer: Two years ago, I’ve got a call from Serafino, the boss of Frontiers Records asking me if I was interested in writing and producing an album together with Russell Allen. I love his voice and his albums. For me he’s one of the best singers today. Well, this was a cool challenge and worth to put all my energy into this album. I’ve met Russell on some festivals during the years and the chemistry was always great and now it was time to record an album together. I’ve asked some guys I could imagine they would be cool to join the band and everybody was htrilled about the idea. We’ve started the songwriting and some months later we’ve started the recordings and tracked the drums. Q: Honestly speaking, I've been amazed, since the first listen, by the great songwriting and the heavy yet very melodic sound of the album. I read on the biography that – on the songwriting-side – how did you manage this process? A: The target was to write an album which is basically heavy-rock and different to Russell’s bands and show him in a diversified way and
Interview with: Mat Sinner
show his ability in singing traditional heavy rock songs. Russell has a phenomenal voice and the entire songwriting was based on this idea! Most songs were written together with Alex Beyrodt and Alessandro Del Vecchio, plus fantastic contributions on the songs I wrote together with Magnus Karlsson or Carsten Schulz and a killer song by Amanda Somerville & Sander Gommans (Blasphemy). Everybody involved was very motivated and I’m really proud of these guys and their attitude. Q: Apart you (Mat Sinner and Russell Allen), LEVEL 10 features Randy Black (on drums), Alex Beyrodt and Roland Grapow (on guitars) and Alessandro Del Vecchio (on keyboards), all very known musicians and busy with their own bands and projects; how did you deal the recording-sessions with them? A: If you are a busy musician there’s always a little space left for something very special like this project and I’ve spoken to the guys and they were thrilled about the idea to play on this album. Every tone was played with passion and every note was sung with power and total ambition - that’s why the result is not just another project - this is a demanding album, with 100% dedication. I’ve talked for a long time with Roland for example in doing some-
Interview by: Primo Bonali
thing together - now was the right time and the right moment and I’m very happy to have him on the album, like the other guys. Everybody put a lot of passion in this album. Q: LEVEL 10 sound has been described as a mix between “the more contemporary and aggressive sound of Adrenaline Mob with the more traditional European Power Metal assault from Primal Fear”. I think that this album could appeal also to Melodic HardRock fans, as in your music I can hear influences from Classic Rock bands like Whitesnake, Scorpions and UFO. Do you agree with me? A: For me it’s a traditional heavy rock album with modern elements, a lot of great melodies, hooks and classic rock influences. It doesn’t make sense to compete for example with Symphony X - they are are a killer band and it makes no sense. We should let Russell’s voice shine upon something different and he delivered a phemnomenal performance on the album. Q: Do you think you'll be able to play some live shows as LEVEL 10 in the future? A: That’s always a question of the fans - do they love & buy the album, what’s the feedback - it it makes sense, this band will go on tour and record a second album! MRF | 19
Band: Sweet & Lynch
Interview with: M.Sweet / G. Lynch
Interview by: Bruce Atkinson
Question: First, a couple of must ask questions: Knowing that this collaboration was inspired from Serafino, the President of Frontiers Records. I’m curious as to your first reaction to this concept? Michael Sweet: I was of course willing and ready to do it! I suggested producing it and then bring George, Brian and James into the mix. Serafino agreed. George Lynch: Some of the songs I sent the guys were finished arrangements while others had all the elements of the songs; intro, verse, pre chorus, chorus, bridge, outro, etc... But I would leave the arrangement open so micheal and the guys could move the pieces around they way they saw fit… I think in the case of this particular band the writing process worked very well… Sometimes when you get to many people in a room you can lose focus and direction... Q: Upon listening to some of the tracks, I must say that it sounds like you two have been together forever! Did you and George just gel? Was it an instant connection? MS: It really was. George sent me guitar riff / ideas and I ran with those and completed the songs. everything just came together so smoothly and effortless. GL: I think the record embodies some of the exciting qualities i remember from records i was involved with in the 80.s… Big giant hooks, micheals clear melodic voice with a huge range, sterling production. Q: Now, this isn’t just two fantastic musicians getting together for a “one-off”, but a band of four fantastic musicans — Brian Tichy on drums, and James Lomenzo on bass — so, was the involvement of Brian and James your idea, or was the whole combination of the four from Serafino?
MS: The concept was Serafino’s idea and I put everything else together. Serafino let me produce and write as well. I think he trusts my judgement and I trust his as well. Q: Now, Michael—back to the album, again, upon listening to some of the music — it sounds quite inspiring and that you had an intense time of creating… Almost unbelievable that you weren’t actually in the same Studio!! Take us through the recording process… MS: George sent basic ideas, I then went into the studio and arranged and mapped all songs out and then flew Brian and James out and recorded all the basics. I then went to my home studio and recorded vocals and then we sent everything to George and he recorded his tracks. Then he sent everything back and we mixed. It was quite simple. Q: In the future are the four of you going to be able to get together and put something together for some live performances? MS: We’re working on that and definitely hope to do so. I think it would be a crime not to! Q: “Only To Rise” is a fantastic beginning, and I’m aware of how busy both you and George are with other projects — however can we expect more collaborations? MS: I think so. If this is a success then I believe we would all agree that it would make sense to do more. I look forward to it! Q: Do you feel that there have been significant shifts in popular music and the music business in the last years that served as a more supportive environment for the art you're making? GL: Well, as a 60 year old legacy musician known for work in the 80's hair era its always a challenge to break away from that stigma and to have my music be acknowledged and understood by younger generations… And I don't think that can happen via
an artists conscience attempt to make his or her self relevant. As far as the current state of affairs in the biz I miss the fact that i could've one band working with one record company and have the consistent relationship that would last years, not decades… Nowadays I have had to diversify; I have had many musical and other projects and vie had to teach myself to become much more nimble and adaptable… But I think ultimately that’s a healthy thing that makes me a better musician… And maybe even a better person. Q: I know musicians tend to stave off picking favorite songs or albums for a variety of reasons but is there any particular song or album in all of your projects/band (Dokken, Lynch Mob, etc) that you have fond memories of creating? GL: I have great memories of the process of recording the KXM record... Dug, Ray and I moved into a house/studio up in the California mountains for 10 days… We ate, slept and breathed the music and wrote and recorded the entire album in that short but magnificent 10 day period… And we had a blast doing it. Q: During your career, you’ve been involved in quite a broad range of collaborations… Sweet & Lynch is just one of those. Do you think it's important to the development of your musicianship to be involved in so many things? GL: I just feel compelled to explore music that I enjoy... Whether its hard rock, blues, progressive, industrial, ambient, whatever I love jamming and when you jam with different musicians you get all these different chemistries… And you never know what the outcome is going to be... Q: What aspect of making music excites you the most right now? GL: The mystery of not knowing what new body of work or sonic landscape I get have a hand in helping create. MRF | 21
Band: Pat Travers Band Interview with: Pat Travers Interview by: D. Jamieson
Question: First of all, congratulationf or the Live album, it is really an amazinf pieace of work and it reflects perfectly your real vibe and mood on the stage... Answer: Thanks! It means a lot to me. I think the live stage it my real dimension and the goal is to express on the recording my emotions. Q: In your musical life you have written tons fo amazing tunes and should be always played on the radios and tvs, but nowdays it is really hard to have it... A: Yeah, it’s too bad. There was a time when FM radio ruled the way, and even better than that, there were different areas. It wasn’t just one song across the entire nation. They would play a different song in one area, so it was interesting. But we have to do things differently today, you know, find different ways. It’s still possible to have that. I assume as soon as we get a cool video or something up on YouTube or do a TV show or something, we’ll achieve the same thing. Q: Today it is so easy to spread the music and release albums... what it the difference with the past? A: Absolutely, but I think it’s better. Because in the quote, unquote “old days,” you had to have that major record deal and that was akin to winning the lottery. Because it wasn’t fairly distributed; it didn’t matter how good you were — and it’s still like that. But, with social media and being able to promote yourself, not just regionally but worldwide, it’s possible to build up a fan base, which is so much better to have than just appearing out of nowhere. Then you can have a career because once you’ve got a solid fan base, then when you’re up you’re out, but when you’re down you’re still up, you know what I mean? You’re not out. So I think it’s better. Then, of course, as you start doing some big numbers on your social media, like you have a YouTube video that’s getting a couple hundred thousand hits, someone’s gonna come snooping around anyway, you know, to see how they can exploit you. Q: Are you still in contact with Pat Thrall? A: Yeah, Pat’s more than around. He was into digital recording with pro tools way, way back in New York. And now he’s in Las Vegas at the Palms Hotel recording studio. He’s been there several years. He’s worked on some big albums as a producer and an engineer too.