Melodic Rock Fanzine #83

CONTENTS

04_The Dark Element 05_Operation: Mindcrime 06_Pink Cream 69 07_Babylon A.D. 08_Dante Fox 10_Eisley / Goldy + Wildness 11 _ J e ff S c o t t S o t o 12_Reviews 15_Jono 16_Beast in Black 17_Shakra 1 8 _ Raintimes 19_Pretty Boy Floyd 20_Down ‘n’ Outz 21_Whitin Silence 2 2 _ S w e e t & Ly n c h

Rick Springfield “The Snake King”

Lione / Conti “S/T”

Ammunition “S/T”

Delta Deep “East Cost Live” CD+DVD

Labyrinth “Return To Live” CD+DVD / Blu Ray

Revertigo “S/T”

Coreleoni “The Greatest Hits Part 1”

Unruly Child “Unhinged Live From Milan” CD+DVD / Blue Ray

Shiraz Lane “Carnival Days”

Animal Drive “Bite!”

Dukes Of The Orient “S/T”

Melodic Rock Fanzine The official Frontiers Music s.r.l. magazine Year #13 - Nr. 6 / Issue #83

REISSUE: Delta Deep “S/T”

M. Lepond’s Silent Assassins “Pawn and Prophecy”

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, Fabiana Spinelli, Sven Jorgensen.

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©2017 Frontiers Records s.r.l. - All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Printed in Italy.

Fabiana Spinelli: Hi guys, welcome to MRF! There are tons of thing to ask about ‘The Dark Element’, so let’s start from the beginning, where did this idea come from?

Jani Liimatainen: Thanks for having us! Actually the beginning was a lucky coincidence. I was asked by our label Frontiers to participate as a writer for another project. It was a very busy time for me but told them I’d give it a shot. I managed to write one song and it actually got accepted on the album (the album is “Close to the sun” by Place Vendome). Shortly after I was contacted

by Serafino from Frontiers asking if I’d be interested in writing and producing an album. I had some free time in my hands at the time so I said yes, and they asked me if there’s a singer I would like to work with. I’ve been very lucky to work with a bunch of great male singers like Timo Kotipelto and Tony Kakko, so I told them I’d like to work with a female singer for a change.

They said “ok”, and a week later or so they contacted me asking “Anette Olzon?”. I had always liked her sound so it was a really easy decision to say yes.

FS: In The Dark Element there’s an amazing elegance, due to the voice of Anette and the unique touch of Jani. So, darkness is just an element of your music or is there a deeper message in it? Lyrics are very intense too, I’m thinking about words like “In our hearts it always burns”…

JL: Well, being from Finland I guess darkness is always an element for me. Of course different songs have different meanings, but it would seem that it’s more natural to draw from the darker element (no pun intended) of your conscience. I’ve written some songs that are quite positive lyrically, but it feels more comfortable dealing with the negative or mournful feelings one has, and it can be pretty therapeutic as well to let some of those emotions out a little.

FS: ‘The Dark Element’ and ‘Here’s To You’ videos are all the rage on YouTube, do you

4 | MRF

believe social media are an extra push to create high expectations?

JL: Social media seems to be all the rage nowadays, I’m just either way too timid and shy or then way too lazy to fully embrace it myself. I am present in Instagram and Facebook for instance, but somehow it just feels like I am not interesting enough a person to be posting there regularly, even if I know I should. I guess it’s natural for a Finnish guy to have the reaction of “Why would I post this, no one cares about this stuff”, even if I know there would probably be people all over the world who would find it interesting. Which is why it’s good that now with The Dark Element I have Anette and the promotional team who know what they are doing and can take care most of it.

Anette Olzon: I believe today with social media being the big thing in everyone's daily life, videos and such are a good thing to get more listeners. My own children for instance watch you tube videos every day so I believe it's important to push your music there.

FS: Just a slight curiosity: thanx to Instagram, we can see that Anette seems to be very interested in fashion and clothes, does she minds the look of the band?

JL: If she did I don’t think she would be working with me.

Anette Olzon: Ahaha well I do love clothes and I believe it's fun to combine outfits and that's also why I publish them in my Instagram. I believe a band and an artist need to think about the clothes and what they show to the fans. Jani has a good sense in this so I am very pleased how he looks in the photos and videos, so all ok for me.

FS: The songs are extremely melodic, but with great character, where did they come from? Are they specifically adapted to Anette attitude?

JL: When I started the initial writing process I pretty much knew what kind of album I wanted to make. Something very melodic and catchy, but

still heavy. I already knew Anette would be the one singing the songs so I had done my homework regarding her sound and range, and I knew it was a perfect fit with what I had in mind for this album. Of course when I sent her demos we would still discuss things and figure out what was the best key for the song for her voice, but all in all everything came together fairly easy and naturally.

FS: We all can see good vibes from your personal profiles, it seems that The Dark Element could be a solid band, not just a project. Are you going to tour Europe next year? Do you think play live together is the glue and a big test for the band?

JL: We have had some offers already and we are discussing our options, but at the moment I think it’s still too early to say what will happen. I think it would be fun to go and play these songs live and I’m sure we could give the people a killer performance, but there are still timetables, logistics, finances and all the boring stuff to figure out. But never say never, lets be hopeful.

AO: I believe me and jani felt already in the videos that we had a good stage chemistry and had fun together so I am sure we would have fun also on tour. But what will happen with touring and such is all about the requests we get and if we both feel like playing live and this we have to see in regards to if or if not it will happen.

FS: Would you like to add something about “The Dark Element”? Is there something that you really would like to share with your fans?

JL: I would just like to thank each and everyone who has supported us so far. It’s been an incredible journey so for and the album turned out even better than I dared to hope it would. Your support means the world to us, lets hope that this is just the first chapter of a long, beautiful story.

AO: I wanna thank for the lovely positive support we have gotten so far and I hope they'll love the rest of the album.”

Duncan Jamieson: This is the third and final installment of the Operation Mindcrime trilogy. What were you trying to say in this part of the story?

Geoff Tate: The New Reality is an album that concludes that there are many questions and no easy answers. That there a multitude of actions to a reaction. There is no one truth.

Time is a construct of primitive thinking… in fact most of what we know is what we have learned from those that came before us.

Some of those lessons hold up but most are myths and legends that we have finally grown out of. The 21st century - what a wonderful time to be alive!

DJ: It’s clear you love the storytelling element of song writing.

GT: Yes I do. Storytelling is an ancient form of social communication. It has been fundamental in human development. It has inspired many, many generations and passed along important building blocks of societal intricacies such as language. My method of storytelling is through music and lyrics.

DJ: What challenges are there approaching a trio of albums that are linked rather than recording the normal stand-alone albums?

GT: The biggest challenge is linking the music and lyrical story together in a sequence that the listener can follow. Coming up with a chronological order is important, also choice of key is imperative to keeping a flow to an album.

DJ: Over the three albums what have been the highlights in terms of tracks and collaborating with others?

GT: On The Key, I was quite happy with the sequence of On Queue, An Ambush of

Sadness and Kicking in the Door. I thought that the contributions that Scott Mercado made on dulcimer really made a haunting impact on An Ambush and Scott Moughton’s twisted guitar solo in On Queue was the perfect addition. On Resurrection, there were many highlights for me. When All Falls Away turned out spectacular. Left for Dead is probably one of my all time favorite songs. Which Side You’re On, A Smear Campaign and Into the Hands of the World are some of the most challenging songs to play that I have ever written. Currently my favorite song on the album is Live from My Machine. On a good stereo system, that track takes my breath away.

DJ: I also find a little departure from metal, to land in less structured territories.

Metropolitan sounds, with dark and decadent flavor. For example, 'The New Reality' seems a tribute to David Bowie of 'Blackstar'...

GT: Interesting. When David Bowie passed away, I was hesitant to listen to his last album. I was a fan of his art and I think I was afraid of the feelings that the music would bring me to. So, I waited… and waited… and waited. Then recently, Kelly Gray brought the song “Lazarus” to my attention. Quite disturbing. I haven’t listened to anymore of the record, but… perhaps I will now.

DJ: Is there a chance you’ll be able to perform the whole thing? Perhaps for a live album or DVD? GT: The New Reality, is of course, the 3rd part of a three part story. I would love, at some point, to perform all three albums in sequence. Perhaps that will happen later next

year (2018 or 19) for a limited engagement. It would be extremely challenging to perform.

DJ: After immersing yourself in this trilogy for so long, what do you plan next?

GT: I have plans to begin touring in Europe starting in January 2018. The first show is in Dublin on the 11th.

DJ: Imagine that in this moment you are into a music store. Which album would you buy?

GT: Are there anymore music stores?

I just recently bought an album called “Revival” by Vancouver Sleep Clinic that I like quite a lot. I’ve been playing it loud in my car and driving “VERY” fast through the country.

DJ: You are a musician since many years.

How do you judge the current metal and rock scenes in general? Can they still be an artistic forms that transmits something or is it only merchandise for business?

GT: I have great admiration for anyone that can make a living through selling their art.

These a difficult times for many musicians and artists.

DJ: How do you feel about performing and being a musician in 2017, compared to how it felt when you were starting out in Queensryche?

GT: I love performing and I feel fortunate that people are interested in what I do.

DJ: You’re involved in some charity work.

Do you want to tell us about that?

GT: Sure, I am involved with Save the Music which supports and funds music instruction in schools and also with Mercy Watch which is a group of doctors, mental health professionals, and addiction counselors that help people that are experiencing homelessness.

MRF | 5

Fabiana Spinelli: Hi Dennis and welcome to MRF, happy 30th Anniversary for PC 69! Can we start our interview talking about this great goal and a solid line-up, the same from 2013’s “Ceremonial” album? And how is Alfred doing?

Dennis Ward: Thank you! Yes, it’s been 30 years.

We are very proud to say that although we have not been the most active band over the past 30 years, we’ve always been “alive”. The band clicks very well together and we feel that our new album proves this. Alfred is doing as good as can be expected. His condition is not better but it is also not worse. This disease fortunately only reduces his ability to play but not his ability to write songs and enjoy life, which is much more important.

We’ve got Uwe to take care of any difficult parts when it comes to Live, but Alfred can still hold his own quite well as I hope you will be able to see the next time we tour.

FS: ‘Headstrong’ is almost out and it’s pure dynamite! I think there’s your trademark in every song, it’s a classic hard rock sound, but with a shot of life and a wave of modernity.

How did the creative process start and how long it was?

DW: Well, for a start I had a good hard listen to our past 3 albums and took into account what fans have been saying to me, pro or contra, about PC69. It was evident for quite awhile that we needed NOT to really return to our roots but rather return to our foundation upon which the band was built up: Strong guitar riffs and soaring vocal melodies. I had confronted the guys and asked “why are we using keyboards in so many songs (new era) and why do we not have very many “riffs” in the songs when we have 2 guitar players?” It became obvious that we were guided by habit. We had, at some point, gotten used to the philosophy that “a good song is a good song” which I now do not necessarily believe. A good song is a good song if the right artists are delivering it well. I love ACDC, and I think that ABBA has written some of the best songs in the worlds. Do I want to hear ACDC play their version of Mama Mia? No, I do not… This was the moment it

6 | MRF

became clear to me that we had to be more selective about choosing which songs hit the album, which is not an easy task to say the least.

If you bring 12 “babies” into the world and 2 have to be “put to rest” this is and always will be a difficult decision. But we did just that. We wrote around 15-16 songs and recorded 12 (to completion, including mixing and mastering). The missing 2 songs are actually very good! But we know that they would have not fit into our concept of having a real guitar album finally. So, Alfred, David and myself exchange ideas - both musical and vocal. I spent a lot of time considering new parts, re-arranging things and making sure that we had songs that had power in their most basic form. Meaning to say that the song had to have all of its attractiveness with just the drums, bass, basic guitar and vocal melody. If it wasn’t rocking by then we would have to reconsider it. So then Alfred and I started recording in our studios.

Alfred put down his basic guitars to programmed drums and I did the same with Uwe. Then I went to the rehearsal room with Chris and we worked out the drums. Shortly after we had recorded the drums at HOFA studios and then went straight to the vocal recordings. The bass I recorded last. I have this authority, I would constantly update Alfred with rough mixes letting him record new ideas and pieces on top as we went. And I did the same with Uwe as well. Always making sure that we didn’t put too much icing on the cake. Always with the goal in my mind to “keep it real”. Drums, bass, 2 guitars and powerful vocals… No more, no less.

FS: Can you tell us something more about artwork and lyrics? You’re always been focused on society’ problems and conditions, I’m thinking about lyrics.

DW: The artwork was actually a last minute offering from Kai Brockschmidt, in a more basic form.

But upon seeing it, and making a few suggested changes, Dave had quickly came up with the idea of “Headstrong” which totally fit into our concept of the album. When it comes to the lyrics I try my best to write leaving plenty of room for interpretation or multi-interpretation. I have my definite idea

behind the lyric but I don’t want to be too direct. I think it’s fun and important for the listener to have his/her own opinion and to let the lyric develop it’s own meaning to the listener. I do often relate to society’s problems but I try not to point fingers or offer a definite path to follow. I just want to make the listener think…

FS: You’re a renowned producer, on which aspects did you focus the most, working on ‘Headstrong’?

DW: As I had said before, the main focus on this album was to make a guitar album. Meaning to say that I wanted little to no overdubs unless necessary and absolutely no keyboards, unless absolutely necessary. This was quite a challenge since we have ALWAYS had, to some degree, keyboards and layers upon layers of overdubs.

But I’m happy that I was undeviating. I think that it has already paid off.

FS: The new release includes a bonus live album, how important is playing live for PC 69? Do you prefer playing in small venues or big festivals? Which one is the perfect dimension for PC 69?

DW: The perfect dimension for PC69 would be the Tokyo Dome. Just kidding, but we do like big concerts. However we feel completely at home playing smaller venues as well. We are just happy to play. The past few years we haven’t had as many shows as we’d like to have had but life situations always challenge the reality of what we can and cannot do. We are all quite domesticized and have families. Going out on the road for 3 months and coming back broke is not an option for any of us.

FS: Songs like ‘Walls Come Down’ and ‘Man Of Sorrow’ are powerful and full of groove, which songs of ‘Headstrong’ would you like to play live and why?

DW: I’d like to play them all! But I know this is not possible when you have 12 LP albums under your belt. However, we have discussed have at least 5 of them ready to play live and I can assure you that Walls Come Down and Man Of Sorrow are 2 of them. We will also surely be playing We Bow To None and Bloodsucker as well.

Barry McMinn: Revelation Highway’ is the bands fourth studio album, what was it like getting back in the studio and bringing new Babylon A.D. songs to the masses?

Derek Devis: It was a great experience, rehearsing, writing and producing the album.

John Matthews, our origianl guitarist for the band, is back and he really lit a fire into the band. We worked hard and only chose what we thought were the best of the songs that fit this album . We recorded 16 songs and chose ten for the record but the other songs we have for the next album we feel they are just as strong.

BM: It’s been 17 years since ‘American Blitzkrieg’, so why release a new album now?

DD: We released an E.P in 2014 and a live record in 2015 to test the waters. Basically to see if we still had a strong fan base. We played some very good high profile shows and the fans kept telling us they wanted a new full length studio album, so we had to make it happen.

BM: The album has all the elements we’ve come to expect from a Babylon A.D. album, how important was it to stick to band’s roots?

DD: It was extremly important we stayed with the true Babylon A.D. sound. We made a con-

cious effort to remain true to the brand and we wanted to make sure we pleased our fans.

BM: The album has some great tracks from the opener barrage of ‘Crash and Burn’ to the more mellower moments like ‘Tears’, but are there any tracks you’re particularly proud of?

DD: I am the main song writer so every song has an important meaning to me, having written all the lyrics. But I’d have to say my favorite tracks are “One Million Miles”, “Fool On Fire” and “Crash and Burn”. Don’t get me wrong, the rest of the tracks are just as strong but these ones bring the whole album home for me.

BM: You’ve took the decision to produce the new album yourself, did this give you free reign to make the album you wanted?

DD: Absolutly, I’ve been producing my own records and a few other bands for a very long time now and I have a great studio at my house so it’s easy to make a record I wanna hear and what I think the fans wanna hear because there are no time constraints on the racking and mixing…Plus, Tom Wermen told me years ago I should be a producer and I took his advise and it’s a whole lot of fun...

BM: Your last solo album ‘Revolutionary Soul’ was a real revelation; Do you think a

solo album should express the different side of the artist and allow then that freedom of expression?

DD: That is what it’s about for me. I need to be challenged and thats why my last solo album was a soul / funk record and before that, “Moonshine” was released which was a blues rock record. I always need to keep it interesting for myself. Babylon A.D. is just another vehicle to to share another side of myself.

BM: What do you think of today’s music scene, when bands find it hard to make ends meet and pursue their dream? There are really lot of different scenes happening now.

DD: Babylon A.D. happens to fall into the hard rock revival scene. There are so many ways to get music out there now with modern technology. I tell young musicians starting in the business, “Take full advantage of the technology and social media available to you. Keep creating and sharing the music!

BM: Will Babylon A.D. be taking to the road in 2018 and will you be coming across to pond to Europe again?

DD: We are working on dates now and we definately wanna get back to Europe, the fans are so supportive of us and we always have a great time.

MRF | 7

Barry McMinn: What was the idea behind the new album ‘Six String Revolver’?

Tim Manford: We have evolved so much over the last Three albums that we thought it was important to us as artists to give our most popular songs from those First Two albums (Under Suspicion and The Fire Within) the modern Dante Fox production and sound found on Breathless and Lost Man’s Ground albums. It was time to give them the care and attention they deserved.

The First album especially was just a bunch of demo’s . Sue also wanted to keep up the momentum after the success of Breathless and this was a great way of achieving Two clear objectives.

BM: What was the process for picking just ten tracks from the nineteen tracks available on the two albums?

TM: Songs such as Firing My Heart, Under The City Lights, Lost And Lonely Heart had to be included because they are some of our most popular songs and they feature in the current live set because people have always related to them. The rest of the songs had to be the strongest tracks that we felt didn’t come across in their original state. Lonely was always a really strong song that we wanted to rebuild on as well as All That I Need , Still Remember Love and A Matter Of Time. We could have easily recorded more as we rehearsed both Here I Stand and On the Edge but I think the Ten songs choose sound strong and well paced.

BM: When re-recording older material did you listen to the originals first, to find parts you could do differently, or have the songs just evolved live and you wanted to lay those versions down?

8 | MRF

TM: I had to revisit some of the layered guitar parts and work out the inversions and parts that are mixed within each song and then start to visualise where we wanted to take each song. The most important factor was to improve each song but not change the soul. For example we wrote a new section in Lost And Lonely Heart after the last choruses that really adds some dynamics but doesn’t change the feel of the song. I wanted to capture different guitar tones so I ended up using different guitar and amplifiers to suit each song. I really love the song Lonely that has a nice modern Country Rock feel in the intro and verses and a real big commercial hooky chorus with some fantastic vocals from Sue. Also the songs are kind of new to Alan Mills (Bass) and Eric Ragno (Keyboards) and we were excited to see what vision they had for songs too. Eric laid down some great keyboard parts particually on Firing My Heart which reminds me of Sammy Hagar era Van Halen and the String section to A Matter Of Time is breathtaking. Alan Mills too has a very lyrical style that has complemented the new versions.One important point is that all the songs were recorded in their original keys. This was very important to us because as soon as you start to mess around with keys you lose the vibe of the song.Sue has such a strong voice and great range and has kept her voice in great shape so it was never an issue.

BM: The latest ‘Breathless’ album was in my opinion one of the bands finest to date, did you do anything differently on that one which sparked you into revisiting the older albums?

TM: No not really. The process for writing Breathless album was to have a record full of

possible “hit” songs that would gain radio airplay. I think we achieved this because most of the songs on Breathless enjoyed radio airplay throughout UK and Europe. Our song writing objectives for our First album were exactly the same. Linda and Rob Bruce our original Management team used to ask for radio friendly material to the point where they marketed us as an AOR Roxette.

BM: When looking back over the years would you have done anything differently?

TM: I wouldn’t have taken a break after “ The Fire Within” album. We had driven Dante Fox for Four years and Two albums and countless live shows and we were starting see the benefits (we were voted in Top 5 UK bands behind Def Leppard ,Ten and Thunder in Powerplay Magazine) and through a bad decision decided to take a break. We returned Four years later to start writing our Third album “ Under The Seven Skies” that was released by Frontiers Records in 2007 (to critical acclaim).

BM: The band along with FM and Romeo’s Daughter have been flying the flag for British Melodic Rock, what keeps the band going in this dog eat dog world?

TM: The drive to keep being creative and producing and performing music for our fans . It is a dog eat dog world but there are lots of genuine people out there who love our music and look forward to each release. We do this for them.

BM: With the success of ‘Breathless’ have you started work on the next album yet?

TM: Yes Sue and I have started working on ideas and we have also collaborated with Alan Mills too.

We plan to release our Seventh album late in 2018 through AOR Heaven.

Bruce Atkinson: So, now we have “Blood, Guts, and Games”! Quite the title, and when scanning the titles of the songs—it seems like there is a concept to this album, or am I just reading too much into it?

Craig Goldy: Well, as far as the title being part of the album concept, I can only comment on what I know, Dave came up with the title for the album and I can only speculate as to the meaning there of, but knowing Dave as well as I do, the “Blood and Gut’s” portion of the title summarizes that we poured our hearts, souls, minds and bodies into this album and the “Games” portion of the title, once again I can only speculate that this too is a summarization of the music industry as a whole!

Not Frontiers, Frontiers is one of the best record labels around and from stem to stern has some of the best people on the planet working with and for that label!

BA: I see that Alessandro Del Vecchio mixed the album, did he contribute in any other way as well?

David Glenn Eisley: Ale (Alessandro) I had never worked with, met or had ever spoken too. Goldy knew him well and had worked with him many time in the past I think so he had a handle on that

whole overseas approach which I had no clue what was going on or going to evolve. He was brought into a “whirlwind of confusion” to be honest and somehow got the job done! I did during that point start getting some notes from him, me back to him as Goldy was doing the same as well.

At one point the emailing and texting just became so fucking impersonal I just picked up the phone and called, said “Hi Im Dave how the hell are you?!” Well, he was a sweetheart and a true musician as well as a great singer so talking or conveying a thought or two was very easy in a very uneasy scene we all found ourselves in. For that “A big thanks” to Ale! BA: When I look at both of your careers, you have been involved in groups that have pushed the envelope and expanded borders. I hear the same on this, your new Recorded Work. Did the writing sessions just fall into place, or have you both approached the writing differently?

CG: That is both a wonderful compliment and a great question! Thank you! Dave can be brilliant and he has a great gift for lyrics and melodies as well as musical ideas! He can play drums, guitar, bass and keyboards as well as being one of the best vocalists in the world! We approached the

song writing in many different ways! I definitely think “outside the box” and am more naturally obscure and dark, while Dave is more naturally commercial and thinks more within the lighter side of things, so, we make a great collaborating team once everything is put in it’s proper place! But even after all these years in between now and when we last collaborated on my solo album “Hidden in Plain Sight” I believe it was. We just seemed to pick up where we left off!

BA: Being multi-instrumentalists, and deciding to record as a trio, has that put forth some limitations—especially if you decide to go out on tour? As far as limitations for touring…

CG: I don’t think so! Ronnie Dio and I played all the keyboards on two of his biggest albums and we record the entire album at his home studio before we even stepped through the actual recording studio to record the album for real. Ronnie also plays bass, guitar and keyboards and was/is my favorite singer and one of the world’s best and one of a kind as is Dave, so, when it came time to record those Dio albums, the bass players usually played our parts and touring; the band learned our parts and that didn’t hurt any Dio tours, so I don’t see it being a problem here either!!

Primo Bonali: Hello guys! I have to say that I really LOVE your debut-album. It sounds fresh and modern, melodic and intense. In my opinion it's an impressive work by anyone's standards, but for a young band like yours it's even more amazing. How would YOU describe your sound?

Erik Modin: We’re happy about it! I really feels like we caught the vibe of the 80’s that we all love, but with a fresh and modern sound. Our producer Erik Wigelius has done a wonderful job on the mixing and mastering.

PB: The album has been produced by Erik Wigelius (Wigelius, Care Of Night). Has he influenced someway your sound? Are

you happy with the final result?

EM: We got in contact with him in while planning the recording of the album, and I knew him from Wigelius and Care Of Night anf really liked what he had did before! He has contributed with a lot of modern elements that wasn’t there before to make it sound more fresh and modern.

EM: I have to say that when I first played your album the band that immediately came to my mind has been H.E.A.T., due to some very strong similarities in the melodies and in the arrangements-department. Has this band been a real influence on you? Which other bands have influenced your songwriting?

EM: Thank you for that! H.E.A.T are both

friends of mine and a band that I have loved since the demo days. Other than that I love bands like Treat, Alien, Shy, Journey, FM and stuff like that.

PB: How and when the band was put together?

EM: I knew Pontus from our old band that we used to have before Wildness, and Adam had been a friend of mine for years. We came in contact with Gabriel trough internet while looking for a singer, so there you have in basicly.

PB: How did you get in touch with your label, AOR Heaven?

EM: We got contacted by them after they hade heard some of our stuff online which they liked and was willing to sign us.

10 | MRF

Bruce Atkinson: I would like to begin with congratulations to you Jeff..and your association with Frontiers-as it is approaching fifteen years! Care to reminisce a little in regards to this anniversary?

Jeff Scott Soto: I have a special relationship with Frontiers especially being with them so early on when the label was just starting up.

We’ve done some incredible albums together through the years. I have built a great family oriented plan with them and we have plans to continue into the future.

BA: We consider this new recording as your sixth solo Work… Are you stepping away from the group concept, even if it is just for a little while?

JSS: Of course not, my solo albums are always a chance to do things I don't do with other groups, to fill the void of my musical visions.

Sons Of Apollo are a group, SOTO is a group…this album is more a collaborative effort between Howie Simon and I. BA: So, let’s talk about “Retribution”. You have brought in some Team members—coproducing and arranging. Have you approached this record differently than the others?

JSS: Yes in that it is mostly done with just 2 people where as my past albums included many. I brought Howie back in because I wanted to revisit the album Lost In The Translation that I did back in 2004 with his involvement quite heavily on that one. I also agreed to have him co-produce it with me as he had strong

ideas for this album that he wanted to do with me. I brought in my drummer from SOTO, Edu Cominato, mainly because I knew he would play the songs the way I want them without any guidance from me, I didn't want any of the other SOTO guys on the album as to keep the separation of the band and my solo career. I also brought in Antony Ellis, singer of a band I manage called Bigfoot, to duet with me on Rage Of The Year…he’s a killer singer and I hope this helps people find interest in Bigfoot as well who by the way are ALSO on Frontiers Records.

BA: Dare I say…you have put a harder edge to the overall sound… Correct?

JSS: Yes, aside of the 2 tracks that Howie did not write with me, Reign Again and Song For Joey, the album has an edgier hard rock sound but with my stamped melodic vocal style.

August Zadra (Dennis DeYoung) and Steve Sturm helped me with Reign Again and Song For Joey was written with Paulo Mendonça, everything else was Howie and I handling all of the music duties.

BA: As we know, you sit very comfortably with almost any style of music, but I have often wondered—do you have a favorite style of musical expression?

JSS: My favourite style is the one I am allowed to release every year, I don't have one preference and for this is the reason I feel honoured to express myself fully as an artist.

BA: Who is the “Joey” of the song?

JSS: My older brother who suffered 3 heart

attacks in Jan this year, this led to him having double brain damage and he is still alive now with machines…his body, mind and soul left us though, he is a vegetable and I don't see him fighting to live much longer.

BA: Among all the many and many bands you've had got during the last 33 years Jeff, which is the one that would have more deserved to reach a worldwide success? (and why this band didn't reach that in your opinion?)

JSS: That's an easy one, Talisman! I got to do all the things with Talisman in one band that required me to do with many in order to get my musical experiences completed. We never had a solid record label, many labels throughout our legacy, never had a proper manager as well as anyone truly working for our cause. We had a lot of great music but no one to get it to the world…its truly a pity.

BA: Jeff, are you planning to tour “Retribution”, and if so, where can we hope to see you?

JSS: At the moment no, SOA has filled a lot of 2018 but this is not a negative for Retribution as I didn't want to go out and tour again on a smaller scale just to support the album. I have done these kind of tours the past 15 years and now I want to either raise the bar or not tour until I can properly. SOA will raise my awareness I am sure which means I can revisit a JSS tour at any time in the future but for now, I had not planned to do another club tour with JSS until I see the interest has boosted.

MRF | 11

eviews

R

The Dark Element “The Dark Element” (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) As the old saying goes, unity is strenght. But we can also say that teamwork make dream work.

So here you are a real dream team, The Dark Element fronted by the

former Nightwish vocalist Anette Olzon together with Finnish guitarist and songwriter Jani Liimatainen. Two extraordinary talents for an unique, elegant and overwhelming album: this is the core of “The Dark Element”, with its pure

melodic metal soul.

Liimatainen’s a great songwriter and you can here all his brilliance in songs like “My Sweet Mystery” and the supercatchy “Here’s To You”.

All songs fit perfectly with Anette vocal range and her sweet attitude, but

melody and elegance are always reinforced with pure heavy metal. A powerful rhythm section and heated guitar solos shall ensure this result and the album seems to be solid and well-structured, all laced with Anette’s true grint. You can find a wide

spectrum of emotions in this roller coaster-album, from ““Heaven of Your Heart” with all its piano finesse, to “Dead to Me” and its aggression through growls by Niilo Sevänen, for an unforgettable experience! Fabiana Spinelli (97 / 100)

Sweet & Lynch “Unified” (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) Michael Sweet and George Lynch combine forces once gain to deliver a solid set of songs as you would expect from these seasoned pros. The songs are based on Lynch’s distinctive riffs, the man has a gift

for finding a groove. What goes over the top isn’t just Stryper; Sweet interprets the music well and takes the songs to unexpected places . ‘The Promised Land’ could be Dio, ‘Walk’ has unexpected Queen harmonies and the bluesy ballad ‘Tried And True’ is

topped off with a classy mainstream chorus.

‘Afterlife’ and ‘Make Your Mark’ are closer to modern Lynch Mob output with their snaky swagger. In recent projects, Lynch has tended to prefer a mid tempo groove and this means the second half of the album

isn’t quite as dynamic as the first, although the chorus on ‘Heart Of Fire’ and Sweet’s conviction on ‘Better Man’ help hold the interest. Sweet brings a classic rock feel to the proceedings rather than the more contemporary edge of Lynch’s KXM project.

There’s a warm feel to the production, particularly Lynch’s guitar sound. More eclectic than the début, less generic than many other super-group projects, it’s another worthwhile collaboration between the two men. Duncan Jamieson (90 / 100)

Down ‘n’ Outz “The Further Live Adventures Of” (Frontiers Music s.r.l.)

- An exquisite new release from Frontiers Music, Joe Elliott and members of the Quireboys the “Down N’ Outz”! This live double CD and Blu-ray release brings all of this great music into its

most favoured form live from the stage and heart! On the CDs one can hear the love and respect these musicians have for the music, while on the Blu-ray; one is able to witness it firsthand! Opening up with “Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding” sets the tone and introduces

us to one magical night!

The “Down N’ Outz” are all in fine form. Flawless in their playing and collectively their performances are spellbinding! As they journey through their set, they visit musical creations originated by “Mott The Hoople”, The British Lions”, “Mott”, and of course

Ian Hunter. Giving each, new life and vigor. They play like they own these songs and in a way they do. Not only are they fans, but they cut their musical teeth on these very same songs as they polished their own immense talents through the years.

Watching this concert per-

formance, the group’s energy is not only high, but passionate as well. You can tell that they are at their very roots playing the music of their souls! “The Further Live Adventures Of…” will undoubtedly move your soul as well! Bruce Atkinson (90 / 100)

Operation: Mindcrime “The New Reality” (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) This is the final part of Geoff Tate’s Operation Mindcrime trilogy. All three albums haven’t been in a rush to get going with beeps and atmospheric music to cre-

Pink Cream 69 “Headstrong” (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) - After thirty years of honourable career, Pink Cream 69 come back with all their energy and genuine hard rock attitude!

“Headstrong”, the band’s 12th studio album pro-

ate the mood. This album could have used more up-tempo rock tracks like ‘Under Control’ .

Considering this is the final instalment, I thought it go out with more of a bang , instead it goes out with a sax solo and some jazzy keys on ‘The Same

duced by bassist Dennis Ward, seems to be one of the best chapters of PC69’ history, a powerful work with strong guitar riffs and soaring vocal melodies.

We can find here, better than ever, a beating heart of wild heavy metal played by a a solid line-up and

Old Story’. As on part II , Tate channels his inner Bowie on the rocking ‘Wake Me Up’ (more Tin Machine than Ziggy Stardust) and the funky bass driven title track which is like Bowie around the time of China Girl, and it’s “You can’t

masterfully interpreted by David Readman, a singer in the best shape of his life. Just listen to him singing “Man Of Sorrow”, a deep, intense semi-ballad directly from the Eighties, or the mighty ‘Walls Come Down’ with its unforgettable chorus, to

control my mind” line sticks as does the hook on the decent ‘My Eyes’.

Despite reservations about the songs, the production and playing are always top notch The record rails against the troubles of the 21st century from technology to

believe it! From catchy “We Bow To None” to rock-solid “Path Of Destiny”, everything here’s cracked and boomed, a real shot of life! You will love guitars sound and you absolutely won’t miss any keygraziboards, just listen to “Headstrong” and

the changing political landscape. If you’ve been unconvinced by the other records in this trilogy, this won’t change your mind but if you’re already invested in Tate’s world then this might work for you. Duncan Jamieson (85 / 100)

let the music carry your mind. As a special treat, “Headstong” includes an amazing bonus live album, recorded in Ludwigsburg in 2013. Welcome back Pink Cream 69 and thank you for your dynamite!

Fabiana Spinelli (98 / 100)

Eisley / Goldy “Blood, Guts, and Games” (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) “Blood, Guts And Games” is an album of ten newly created masterpieces that both the vocalist and guitarist have put their hearts into.

This first run is a rich bodied set of performances that, yes

is reminiscent of their Work with “Giuffria”-but with the distinct mark of moving forward and elevating their collective craftsmanship! Fresh, vibrant, “Blood, Guts And Blood” will certainly turn heads. Craig Goldy doesn’t just take up his trusted guitar, he adds his talents as a

bassist and keyboardist too!

Each musical creation is full of emotive rivers of sound that are just as thunderous as they are emotional…and that thunder is thanks to the extraordinary Ron Wikso. An album that can be viewed as conceptual, but really more of an insight into what has

transpired and inspired the musical minds of these two grand talents. With such musical journeys as “The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter”, “No More Prayers In The Night”, and “Love Of The Game”, we are invited in to their musical universe-and what a universe it is! The tex-

tures, tones, and melodic muscle just ripples throughout. Easley / Goldy have made a loud, clear and magnificent musical statement in this, “Blood, Guts And Games” and hopefully there will be more from these reunited mates!!

Barry McMinn (88 / 100)

Jeff Scott Soto “Retribution” (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) - This, JSS sixth solo outing, an effort that displays his growth as a song writer and his maturity as a singer. Each creation is performed with excellence. The sound is almost effortless-yet one knows the amount of

energy Jeff puts in to each and every composition. He has assembled a first rate group of musicians to help deliver these gems. Howie Simon, Edu Cominato, Carlos Costa, and Paul Mendonca are just a few that appear here alongside Mr. Soto. Do they deliver, oh! yeah! And

how! “Retribution” is full of JSS’s trademarks, the vocal delivery, the song structures, and the high energy performances that somehow keep his love for funk and soul running through the hardened Rock the we hear. It is all here, proud-high-and mighty! Meaty slices of Rock, with a funked

out back rhythm, and the soulful voice of Jeff’s just stays on top-mesmerizing at times as well. Jeff Scott Soto is such a giving person and that is quite evident on this release. “Retribution” just doesn’t quit! However, the man does slow down a tiny bit in places giving us some

emotional and heartful performances such as “Feels Like Forever”, delivered in a rich textured voice that should resonate for a very long time!

And that my friend is just one of the beautiful surprises you will on Jeff Scott Soto’s “Retribution”!Bruce Atkinson (94 / 100)

Babylon A.D. “Revelation Highway” (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) ‘Revelation Highway’ is the long awaited fourth album from Hard Rockers Babylon A.D., led by the vocal might that is Derek Davies. A

Pretty Boy Floyd “Public Enemies” (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) - Pretty Boy Floyd return with a the long awaits new studio album ‘Public Enemies’. Summers and the Boyz return with a true old school Sunset Strip fuelled album that is pure PBF for sure. This is good time rock

band that were one of the many victims of the Grunge era, as their career was starting to snowball then along came the plaid invasion and melted it. This year is the 30th Anniversary of the band and what

n’ roll, in a world that seems to been filled with doom and gloom on every newsreel, it’s great to hear an album that takes us back to good old days of high octane sleaze driven rock, where all your worries were washed away after the first sleazy chord. The intro ‘S.A.T.A.’

better way to celebrate than with an album of great rock n’ roll. Anyone who caught Davies’ solo album knows the man still has one of the greatest vocals in rock.

Whether it be soul or rock, this guy brings it

leads into album opener ‘Feel the Heat’, this is where we are taken back to stylings of the Leather Boyz debut album. That album hit the mark then and this album does the same now.

Where many from that genre now fail to hit the high notes, Summers still reaches them

all, as this album shows in spades. From the allout rockers like opener ‘Crash and Burn’, ‘She Likes To Give It’, the storming ‘Saturday Night’, to the mellower moments like ‘Tears’ and the mid-tempo rockers

with ease. The album continues with its quest to show than Glam never died, it just waited in the wings for when the time in right to return and that time is now, with the likes of ‘High School Queen’, the single ‘Girls All Over the World’ and ’Run For Your Live’, all pure glam

‘Fool on Fire’ and ‘Rags to Riches’, this album has it all. So get ready to fall in love with Babylon A.D. once more as we take a 10 track ride along the ‘Revelation Highway’.

Barry McMInn (96 / 100)

anthems. And for the ballad lovers out there, check out ‘We Can’t Bring Back Yesterday’. This is a selection of fourteen great rock n’ roll songs, so dig out your leather and lipstick, as Glam is back and back with a bang! Barry McMinn (90 / 100)

Jono “Life” (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) - Jono will be one of the surprises of this exciting 2018. It’s incredible how the swedish band could accomplish the taste of everybody who can be a fan of progressive rock with tons of symphonic influences.

This album called ‘Life' could

be one of the best example of how the music could be interesting and exciting finding new musical solutions.

This swedish band started as a solo project of singer Johan Norrby (hence the moniker ”JoNo”) but he has never been well known outside his fatherland. But now

thanks to Frontiers and the really good songwriting of this ten songs Jono could be the right band at the right time. Songs like ‘No Return’, ‘Downside' and ‘The Magician’ to name a few are one of the best songs of the entire album, bombastic symphonic arrangements

blended together with strong melodies. The songs are dynamic, there’s a tension that blend the songs together for a fantastic journey. If we have to describe their sound it could be The Dear Hunter meets Leprous with Savatage-esque orchestral arrangements. Stunning and

interesting, maybe sometimes the rythm could be heavier, they risk to be too much introspective but the overall sound is stunning. So don’t miss to ‘unbox' one of the bands which could be the future of the genre, you will not be disappointed! Sven Jorgensen (90 / 100)

Down ‘n’ Outz “My ReGeneration” + “The Further Adverntures Of” (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) - The group’s first full length album, “My Re-Generation” was a tribute to the family of groups that were spawned by “Mott The Hoople”, including the originals as well. Each musical

creation was performed with such passion, respect and soul-that whomever was able to hear it was left breathless!

It is no different on this reissue package. When listening one can’t help but to realise that we are hearing priceless Rock performed by legendary musicians that

craft their talents to the highest form. The “Down N’ Outz” were and are Joe Elliott, and Quireboys Guy Griffin, Paul Guerin, Keith Weir and Phil Martin…plus “Raw Glory’s Ronnie Garrity. With growing support from Rock fans everywhere, the “Down N’ Outz” found themselves in

the studio, furthering their salute…with their second effort “The Further Adventures Of…”! This second salute cemented the realisation that the music created by “Mott The Hoople”, Ian Hunter, “Mott”, and the “British Lions” was not only timeless, but formed the

backbone of British Rock!

Both releases pay homage in the grandest way! I would like to note that a nod and salute should be given to Frontiers Music for putting together such a beautiful package and making these masterful salutes available again!

Bruce Atkinson

Almanac “Kingslayer” (Nuclear Blast) - Victor Smolski (e RAGE) on guitars / keyboards; Andy B. Franck (BRAINSTORM), David Readman (PINK CREAM 69) and Jeannette Marchewka on vocals; Athanasios “Zacky”

Tsoukas on drums; Tim Rashidon bass. Here is the line-up for the second ALMANAC album, called "Kingslayer", a sort of concept-album, a murderous journey to the dark times of the regicides. Not dealing with fantasy-fairy tales,

"Kingslayer" tells stories of murdered kings, of despots and tyrants.

Sound-wise, the new chapter follows the sound of the successful debut, which means great Power Metal-anthems performed by the three above men-

tioned amazing lead singers, epic atmospheres and a lot of killer guitarparts courtesy of axemanvirtuoso Smolski. Heavy, dramatic and dark in some songs ("Guilty As Charged", "Losing My Mind", "Regicide"), sym-

phonic and majestic on other tunes ("Hail To The King", "Children Of The Sacred Path"), "Kingslayer" is an album that Power and traditional Heavy Metal fans will definitely love. Primo Bonali (88 / 100)

Primal Fear “Best of Fear” (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) - This is the German power metal second ‘best of’ album. The first covered their first decade and this covers the second decade on Frontiers. You can’t argue with thirtyseven songs over two

Raintimes “Raintimes” (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) Raintimes is a new melodic rock project band featuring two young and talented Italian musicans, Pierpaolo “Zorro” Monti and Davide Barbieri together with the awesome singer Michael Shotton (Von Groove). One curious thing for

discs; that’s a lot of riffs!

For those who already have the band’s albums, the first disc is the draw as it has four new songs (although the first is really just an intro), the pick of those being the flat out, sweaty ‘Predator’ and ‘Thrill Of Speed’.

all melodic rock lovers is that the duo of Monti and Barbieri together with Dave Zublena actually penned the awesome song “Love Gets Through” from the FIRST SIGNAL album, “One Step Over the Line”. And still on Frontiers Records this debut album will be released on next 1st

Interestingly, there’s a a toughened up version of Heart’s ‘If Looks Could Kill’. The rest of the first disc is chock-full of those flame throwing metal tracks like ‘In Metal We Trust’, ‘Rulebreaker’ and ‘Bad Guys Wear Black’ which marry the German

December 2017: stunning vocal hooks by Michael Shotton, here in a very great shape, one of his best performance ever and the talent of musicians like Monti and Barbieri filling the songs with tons of melodies and feelings.

The level of the songwriting of the duo is excellent, every

power of Accept and Running wild with Ralf Scheepers' helium Rob Halford on steroids voice.

Alex Beyrodt and Magnuss Karlsson’s guitar work shows just why they’re so much in demand for other projects. The second disc contains songs of a more

note has been composed thinking about the global feeling of the song and not how to simply show their musical skills. So, no musical notes out of place here, eleven songs which reminds the listeners a lot of a past (and glorious) band like The Storm, they were so successful to

brooding, epic nature and guest appearances from Simone Simons and Liv Kristine on ‘Everytime It Rains’ and ‘Born With A Broken Heart’ respectively.

For the uninitiated this is a great introduction to the German legends. Duncan Jamieson (92 / 100)

compose songs without being a copy of that milestone band, you have to listen to songs like the ballad ‘Swan’ or the heavier ‘Don’t Ever Give Up’ or ‘Forever Gone’ to name a few. Don’t hesitate, catch them up for a beautiful melodic rock journey! Sven Jorgensen (90 / 100)

Blues Pills “Lady in gold - Live in Paris” (Nuclear Blast) - I’ve been reviewing albums for some time now and no matter how many times you listen to an album, you always want to experience those songs live, whether it’s

an intimate pub show or a full on arena experience, there is no substitute. The live experience is always something you remember.

And when a band puts its heart and soul into the live set, this feeds down into the audience

and one band whose live shows excel the studio albums is Sweden’s Blues Pills, led by the power vocals and huge stage presence of Elin Larsson.

With the success of their second album ‘Lady In Gold’, the band

set out on the road and captured the full Blues Pills live experience on 30th October 2016 at Le Trianon in Paris, France. This CD/DVD captures the band at their live best.

Sometimes a studio album can come across

a bit too polished and don’t capture the true essence of a band, but this new album is the opposite, this is the band enjoying what they do, with the crowd enjoying it even more.

Barry McMinn (85 / 100)

Wildness “Wildness” (AOR Heaven) - The new album from H.E.A.T. is out now, but it has been released under a different name: WILDNESS! LOL. Jokes aside, this debut is such a great piece of Melodic

Rock Art, so great that you could only wonder on how amazingly good these swedish are!

Created as a studio-project in 2013 by drummer and songwriter Erik Modin, WILDNESS became a real band one

year later when the vocal talent Gabriel Lindmark jumped aboard. The usual time spent in studio doing songwriting and recording demos, and now here we are with another great new band com-

ing from Sweden. If you like bands like the above-mentioned H.E.A.T. as well as Art Nation, Care Of Night, Wigelius and Diamond Dawn, songs like "Stranger", "Shadowland", "Alibi"

and ”Collide” will drive you totally crazy. Expect some catchy choruses, winning melodies, nice guitar-parts and a polished sound. Could you ask for more from a young band like this?

Primo Bonali (90/ 100)

Elvenking “Secrets of The Magick Grimoire” (AFM Records) - Italian bands do this kind of overblown metal better than anyone else. Mixing power metal, symphonic metal and folk metal, Elvenking weave those different strands together into

Diva “Takin' A Chance" (Steelheart Records) The story of DIVA starts in 1989 when the band was formed out of the ashes of several local Sheffield bands. One 7" single, two demos, various live gigs and many broken promises (with major-label Chrysalis

a triumphant, thundering rally cry that make a lot of their contemporaries look like rank amateurs.

Opener ‘Invoking The Woodland Spirit’ has more ideas in it than most bands manage over an album.

‘The One We Shall Follow’ is a medieval sing a long ,

looking interested to the band) later, the band split up, when - common story to many other bands - the Rock-world completely changed as Nirvana hit the scene. The 10 tracks contained on this Cd, taken off their two unreleased demomasters (dated 1989 and

‘The Horned Ghost And Sorcerer’ will have you doing a jig and moshing t the same time. ‘A Grain Of Truth’ is heavy as hell and growly. ‘3 Ways To Magic’ , ‘At The Court Of The Wild Hunt’ and ‘The Voynich Manuscript’ have a Symphonic edge due to

1992), tells the musical path of this UK band and showcase their influences, ranging from the Pomp and splendor of Magnum and Dare, to the AOR bombast of Survivor and Skagarack and the more melodic-era of Black Sabbath (which you can hear in songs like

the use of choirs. ‘The Wolves Will Be Calling Your Name’ runs the gauntlet from folk to speed metal before ending with classical strings. In Damna they have a strong versatile singer who remains melodic no matter how heavy it becomes all

“Let Me Go” and their single, “Rescue Me”), with the second demo being a bit more guitar-oriented. The CD adds to the lot a brand new recording of an old song, “The Other Side Of The Mirror”, which sees the band reunite and rockin' harder than twenty

around him. Grandiose, ebullient and frenetic, even after nine albums Elvenking’s tankard froths over with invention. Follow Elvenking and they’ll lead you to a mythical land of magic, metal, antlers, violins and flutes.Duncan Jamieson (90 / 100)

five years ago! With the usual limited pressing of 500 copies, and all the previous volumes of the Series being sold-out since time now, the advice is to hurry up and get this ('till now hidden) melodic treasure... Rob "Ezy" Bone (88 / 100)

Beast in Black “Berserker” (Nuclear Blast) - This is ex-Battle Beast guitarist and songwriter Anton Kabanen’s new baby and if you’re a fan of his previous band you’ll love this. Berserker is apt as this is a mad mix of

power metal and high energy pop that wouldn’t sound out of place in Eurovision. Singer Yannis Papadopoulos has an immense range. If you think you might miss the female vocals of Battle Beast, then don’t fret as Yannis can do

that too; just listen to him on the verses of ‘Blind And Frozen’ and tell me that’s not a female voice. The title cut, ‘The Fifth Angel’ and ‘End Of The World’offer rollicking good metal and symphonic rock. The parping keyboard sound on

‘Eternal Fire’ is a blood relations to Europe’s ‘The Final Countdown’. ‘Zod The Immortal’ is as heavy as a bus load of weight watchers going off a cliff but ‘Crazy, Mad, Insane’ with it disco drum fills and Euro pop feel will be Marmite for many. If

you’re looking for earthy organic metal, look elsewhere but if you want bombastic , state of the art metal, inspired by video games, colliding with a disco glitter ball then this is packed full of fun. Duncan Jamieson (90 / 100)

Dante Fox “Six String Revolver” (AOR Heaven) After the success of last year’s ‘Breathless’ album, Shropshire’s Melodic Rockers Dante Fox return with a new album ‘Six String Revolver’, as the band go back their 90’s albums ‘Under Suspicion’

and ‘The Fire Within’, and rerecord some of the tracks from the albums that launched them into the melodic consciousness of us all. Things get underway with ‘Firing My Heart’ taken from ‘The Fire Within’ album. It’s hard to believe these songs

are nearly 20 years old, maybe it’s today’s modern recording studios, or just the bands evolution over those years, that makes these rerecordings sound even better than the originals. If you doubt me then check out ‘Lonely’ from the debut ‘Under

Suspicion’. Sue Willets vocals have never sounded better. The band have even beefed up their version of Stevie Lange’s ‘Remember’ and given it a whole new lease of life. The band have selected ten strong tracks to re-record, which is just a

small collection of great Melodic Rock songs for the bands back catalogue and shows how a band can evolve over years and continue to do so successfully as they did with ‘Breathless’, which was a corker. Barry McMinn (80 / 100)

Shakra “Snakes and Ladders” (AFM Records) - This Swiss rock band strikes back with a new album and they really know what they want! “Snakes and Ladders”: do you know the game? The goal is to

Iron Savior “Reforged Riding On Fire” (AFM Records) - What do you do when your early albums are not available regularly anymore, but a re-issue is not possible due to legal reasons? Well you simply re-record them

HammerFall “Glory To The Brave - 20 Year Anniversary Edition” (Nuclear Blast) This is one of the best metal album of all time, period. If you are a metalhead and you have never listened to this album, you have to do it now.

For who is not familiar with

climb to the top and that’s it: Shakra simply want to climb to the top with a convincing and superpower album! Great melodies, killer riffs, superb performances

by Mark Fox and a tight as hell rhytm section: the

and that’s what Hamburg’s power-metallers Iron Savior have done with the simply entitled ‘Reforged Riding the Fire’. This is a collection of 19 powermetal anthems given a new revamp and a new lease of life, giving them a

this band, HammerFall music is influenced by German metal acts like ACCEPT, HELLOWEEN and STORMWITCH but also by other underdogs like WARLORD or PICTURE. This reissue celebrates 20 years of Glory to the Brave and

five-piece band use these ingredients to cook their delicious recipe.

“Cassandra’s Curse” is a heavy opener, with atmospheric verse and irresistible groove, when Shakra’s trademark is loud and strong. The title-

supersonic boost of epic proportions. The risk of rerecording any fan favourites is not to totally rework the tracks, but to enhance the originals and Iron Savior have done just that. It’s like taking a classic car and giving it a

includes the completely remastered version of the original album, a radio edit of the legendary title track as well as the great cover version of the STORMWITCH classic 'Ravenlord'. The bonus CD will include six live versions of 'The Metal Age', 'Steel Meets

track seems to be one of the highest points of the album, with a catchy refrain and striking guitar riffs. But heavy attitude is soon diluted with irresistible sweetness in “Something You Don’t Understand”, an amazing

turbo charger. Take the massive ‘Brave New World’ which just explodes out of the blocks. ‘Watcher in the Sky’ and ‘I’ve Been to Hell’ are just superb, the guitar licks are just so in your face you can almost smell the fret-

Steel', 'Stone Cold', 'Glory To The Brave', 'Hammerfall' and 'The Dragon Lies Bleeding' as well as a medley from numerous tracks off of their firstclass debut album, which was recorded live this year at a show in Berlin. Plus a bonus DVD containing the first chap-

powerballad with Eighties flavour. “Snakes and Ladders” is full of raw hard rock, but you can also find catchy singalongs and moody blues in it, for an exlposive result!

Fabiana Spinelli (85 / 100)

board. This is must buy for fans of the band and anyone who enjoys great full throttle power-metal. Now anyone can get a hold of these classic songs without having to pay through the nose for the originals.

Barry McMinn (82 / 100)

ters of their “The First Crusade” documentary, which was originally published on VHS, as well as four new, historically edited interview chapters plus a live recording of their Dynamo Open Air show at Eindhoven in 1998. Vitale Nocerino

Sven Jorgensen: Well, to be honest it’s the first time I approach to Jono’s music and I find it astonishing, really. I couldn’t believe before, it reminds me a perfect mix of such bands like The Dear Hunter and Leprous. Can you pls explain a little bit more about this band?

Band: Thank you very much! We are a bunch of Swedish guys, more specific from the island of Gotland. All of us have been playing music pretty much all our lives. Jono as a band has existed for quite a while now. More or less we’ve been playing together for some 10-15 years. We believe that one of the ”secrets” with Jono is that we all come from different directions, musically speaking. Jono is our common ground. We actually think that the musical diversity is a strength of ours, since we get influences from many different artists and from a variety of music styles and genres. We never had the idea to sound like any of the bands or artists we might like, but to develop and create something fresh. We get very glad and proud whenever people compare our music to the works of successful artists, and of course we get even happier every time someone tells us we just sound like “Jono”.

SJ: Let’s talk about the new album simply called ‘Life’. One of the best selling point are the arrangements, always balanced between symphonic parts and others more progressive one like on songs like ‘Down Side’. How was difficult to work on such a sound? Was it something which came out naturally or is it something planned since the very first steps of the working sessions?

Band: In a way it comes very naturally. We just let the song become what feels right. Johan (Norrby) writes the song material, which all of us later are involved in completing and arranging, by adding ideas and creating our different instrumental parts and so forth. We all take part in getting the “Jono

sound” cooking. A lot of times during rehearsals someone will play something or come up with an idea. We’ll test it and find out whether it’s a no or a go. We don’t have the intention to do calculated, hard-to-grasp-music, but rather melodic and dynamic music. Anyway, in general the songs and the arrangements are settled and clear as we enter the recording sessions. The way we sound is the result of our common vision and the sum of everyone’s efforts.

SJ: The album has been produced by you and Stefan Helleblad, I am amused about the results. But, was it difficult be always objective and creative? I mean, you are a very important part of the band, so sometimes working with other ‘outside sources’ like a producer can be can help to be always objective on the material you are working on…

Band: Yes, the album was produced by Stefan, who had the main role/responsibility as producer, sound engineer, mixer etc, together with the rest of band, who all helped with input and ideas (mainly Johan N and Johan C) to create the right kind of soundscape. There are always moments in any production where you drift and question certain things but it´s part of the process. The only thing you can go by really is what you feel.

Stefan: I always aim for something that feels the way I want it to, and that goes for us all. In the end that´s the ONLY important thing, that the songs feels great. If they don’t - change them, remove something, add something, do something and repeat until you’re where you want to be. As for an outside producer - that would maybe be something we would consider in the future, but it needs to be someone that meet certain criteria. We’ll see.

SJ: The album has been mixed by Steve Fallone at Sterling Sound in NY, one studio which remind me a very talented studio engineer like George Marino. Many many bands in

the ‘80’s and ‘90’s mixed their albums right there, how was important this choice for getting a good album like ‘Life’ is? Did you simply send them the recorded parts leaving him the role of mixing or did Steve Fallone followed your suggestions?

Band: The Album was mixed by Stefan Helleblad, and mastered at Sterling Sound by Steve Fallone.

Those are two different things and the very final step is where you Master the final mix. But yes, we like to use them because they are one of the best mastering companies around and always delivers top notch results. You don´t want someone ruining your final mix…

SJ: Johan, your voice is very talented, powerful and at the same time your singing is very theatrical...have you never had experience on Musicals for example?

Johan Norrby: I think one of the reasons that I have a theatrical expression is because I’ve always been influenced by lots of “theatrical” singers, in example Freddie Mercury, Ronnie James Dio, Steve Walsh and Michael Sadler. And also because I love the kind of music and way of singing that really moves the audience – a vocal style with many colours and dynamics to it.

Actually I once did a small role in local musical (back in 2001).

SJ: Johan, your first album was released in 1994, it was called ‘Waiting Of A Sign’....do you expect nowadays with the deal with Frontiers to be more ‘mediatic’ getting more responses from fans and media? You really deserve more success, is the deal with Frontiers and ‘Life’ the right choice in the right time?

JN: I have great hopes for the future and I think our signing with Frontiers is the right step for Jono.

Now we have the chance to reach a larger audience, and hopefully we’ll be able to come and play for you guys as well.

MRF | 15

Duncan Jamieson: As the main songwriter in Battle Beast, do you approach the songwriting and direction of Beast In Black?

Anton Kabanen: Well yeah, I have my own and quite solitary way of working when it comes to writing and making music. When there's a song I wanna play to the guys, I play it and they tell me their feedback about it. For the making of album we try to select songs which would make a strong, versatile and interesting wholeness.

DJ: Yannis does a brilliant job, what a range! How did you choose him for the band?

AK: I found some of Yannis' vocal cover videos on YouTube and I was really impressed. Afterwards I contacted him on Facebook, we started chatting and kept in touch. We met face to face for the first time in 2015 and shortly after that I asked if he would be interested in joining this new project that I was getting started with.

DJ: What about the rest of the band?

AK: Kasperi was a familiar face to me since 2010 when his band Merging Flare and BB were touring together supporting Blazy Bayley. But it wasn't until a few years later

16 | MRF

that we really started talking and eventually became buddies. So when the time came to start a new band he was the first guitar player I asked to join and he agreed. I got to know Sami when his old band Brymir and BB were practicing in the same rehearsal room and he was also helping us out as the band's technician on the first tours we did back then. And in 2015 we met one day, talked, and after that he was part of the band. Mate and I toured together in 2013 when his band Wisdom and BB were supporting Powerwolf in Europe. We got along well and then in 2015 he was looking for a new guitar player for his band and I needed a bass player so we kind of decided to help each other out. I joined his band and he joined my band.

DJ: I believe a number of the songs are inspired by the computer game ‘Beserker ’. Can you tell me more?

AK: I must correct you. They are inspired by the Japanese manga called Berserk. A close friend of mine introduced it to me in 2006 and I was hooked on it ever since. I was able to relate to the themes, and moreover, to the characters in the story that made such a strong impact on me. Also the atmos-

phere in Berserk is mostly serious and dark with layers of melancholy, wistfulness and nostalgia, which to some extent goes along with my personality, I would say.

DJ: A song like ‘Crazy, Mad, Insane’ might raise a few eyebrows. Hiw do those more overt pop elements go down with your fans?

AK: Surprisingly great! We didn't expect that so many people would actually say that it's one of their favorite songs on the album.

DJ: How would you say being in Beast In Black differs from your experience in Battle Beast?

AK: There's a genuine feel of camaraderie in BIB. I believe it's because we accept each others as who we are and we have more things in common between us, for example the sense of humour being one of those things.

DJ: How do you feel about Battle Beast carrying on without you?

AK: Wish them all good!

DJ: What gigs have you got lined up?

AK: A tour in December as a support act for Beyond The Black. Then the next year is going to be VERY busy for us. So keep an eye on our homepage ww.beastinblack.com !

Fabiana Spinelli: Hi Mark and welcome to MRF! Your comeback with ‘High Noon’ has been much hoped for by Shakra’ fans, how are you today, with ‘Snakes & Ladders’ out?

What’s the main difference between these two albums?

Mark Fox: Hi Fabiana, thanks for having me! I’m very fine being back with SHAKRA. We had a very successful time since „High Noon“, a lot of concerts, met a lot of nice people, all in all a good time since I rejoined the band. I don’t think we talk about a difference between those two albums, it’s more that „Snakes & Ladders“ tie’s up to „High Noon“, let’s say the consequence of this album. We always try to make things better with each album what isn’t always easy. But I think we did a good job and I’m really happy with the result.

FS: The goal is to climb to the top. But what was the first step of your ladder? How did this album came up?

MF: The first step is always to write good songs. Well, you never know when creativity takes hold but Thomas, our main songwriter asked me in the end of summer 2016, if we can start with a new album and I asked him, if there are some ideas already. He said, he has the music ready for the album and I was really surprised that he came up so early with such good material. So we began to work on the melodies and I started to make Lyrics. Everything was great so we decided to not wait longer, why should we, and to record the album in Thom’s

Studio. And now we’re ready to take off!

FS: The songs lyrically are about the current world affairs, what do you thing is going wrong today? And do you think that music and art must send a message to awake consciences?

MF: Not every song on the album is about social criticism but there are some like „Cassandra’s Curse“, “The Seeds“ and others.

In principle I think that the problem is, that rich people always get richer and the gap between poverty and prosperity is getting bigger and bigger. This is the consequence of capitalism.

There are so many people gaining power that can’t deal with it. They’re getting more and more greedy the more they earn and they think they deserved it. So many people around the world have to carry the consequences of a few that think they were sent by god, working in their own pocket and squeeze out those who have almost nothing. It’s like in the medieval, but masked as democracy. But of course there are songs on „Snakes & Ladders“ that are about other themes like “Medicine Man“. It’s about music is medicine in every kind of living situation. I think we’re not obligated to send a message but if it’s a good message, why not tell it.

FS: ‘Snakes & Ladders’ is full of pure rock and roll! Do you think your fans are all very much looking forward to see you again on stage? Tour will starts in Switzerland and Germany, are there any particular countries

that you like to visit with Shakra?

MF: I hope that the fans are looking forward to see us live! I hope the can’t await it the way we are looking forward to it. It’s always an unbelievable feeling to come up with a new album and present it to the fans. We want to anywhere the people want to hear us of course. These dates are just a few of many that will come up soon!

FS: Are there any songs of ‘Snakes & Ladders’ that you can’t wait to play and why? And are there any songs from Shakra’s album without you, that you would like to sing?

MF: I can’t wait to play „Cassandra’s Curse“ and „Medicine Man“. But there are a lot of songs I really like to play live. In our setlist, we already had songs from albums without me. We always try to make at least one song of each album.

FS: If you can describe ‘Snakes & Ladders’ with just one word, which one will you choose and why?

MF: Milestone. Because it is a Milestone for us.

For me it’s the best album we’ve ever made.

FS: Would you like to say something more to our readers? A message, an invitation, a desire, you choose!

MF: Dear fans, we hope you like „Snakes & Ladders“ as much as we do and that you tell other people about Shakra. We’d really like to come to Italy and have a big rock n’ roll party with you guys!

MRF | 17

Sven Jorgensen: How the bands has been formed? What were your primitive goals when you thought to release such an album?

Pierpaolo Monti: Raintimes is the album that I really wanted to use as a sort of tribute to my love and admiration for “The Storm", the amazing band feauting Kevin Chalfant on vocals, who released two astonishing albums during the 90s. I have played to death their two albums (especially “Eye of the Storm”). Their tempos, steeped in pure melodic class, are the perfect crossroad between AOR and Melodic Rock. With Raintimes me and my mate Davide "Dave Rox" Barbieri wanted to try re-creating that sound, just in a more "european" and personal way. I can say we are really happy of the final result.

SJ: Was it difficult to recruit all the right musicians for this record? What was your criteria?

PM: I would say no. When I start working on a new album and/or project, I always have exactly in mind the type of musicians I need for it. That is very important in order to reach the right result for the album, because in my personal opinion you need to recruit someone who really "breathes" that kind of music if you want to reach the goal you have in mind. Having a great musician playing for you it doesn't automatically means having the right one for a specific sound and style: this is something missed by some producers and artists in today's music biz. The two key factors in Raintimes were vocals and guitars: we mixed the style of two great melodic rock axemen to get the sound we have in mind, and picked up a singer with a very personal vocal style to give a strong personality to the album and make the music more personal and original... also thanks to the big backing vocals provided in addition by my mate Dave.

SJ: How do you think that Raintimes could ‘win the prize’ reaching the attention of the fans of the genre?

PM: During the years many tried to re-create the classic "The Storm" sound but with unconvincing results, and in my personal opinion this was caused by the lacking of a key factor: their classic "lead-guitars" arrangements were missing, and without them the whole approach were going to be quite wrong. In my humble opinion this element is what differentiates Raintimes by many bands out there today. Regarding instead Work Of Art, I personally don't find many elements in common with our proposal, considering them a more "Toto-ish" influenced kind of soud (BTW I'm a big fan of them!).

SJ: How did you worked in the studio? Was it a team work, everybody in the same room or as many times happen everybody worked in their homestudio and sending tracks here and there?

PM: We worked an entire year in studio, it's been a long journey but we wanted that everything was perfect for the release of the album. Me, Andrea Gipponi and Davide Barbieri worked together in Dave's studio for writing, arranging and recording our parts of the songs, mixing everything in Roberto Priori's studio in Bologna with our direct supervision. Our "international" brothers Michael Shotton, Iván González and Sven Larsson did their parts in their home studios, but once again with our uninterruped support and collaboration in each song, in order to reach the result of a real studio band work.

SJ: Can you please let us know what helped / guided you when you should write the lyrics?

PM: Being the music of Raintimes a sort of "tribute" to the amazing The Storm, we opted to follow the same themes not only in the kind of music proposed, but also in the lyrics that I developed together with Michael. They are for this reason built on personal experiences and human relationships.

SJ: Do you think that this band could fit more on stages for special occasions or could it be ready for a complete supporting tour of someone else?

PM: I would say that for Raintimes would be quite impossible to handle a full tour, music is not the main occupation for some of us (me firstly) so a full tour would be incompatible with our daily job commitments. Things would be different for a specific live date, with the needed time behind to organize everything for that special occasion.

18 | MRF

Barry McMinn: So why so long between studio albums?

Kristy Majors: We actually started recording this album in 2012 slowly piecing it together.

Then Steve and I had a major blow out. We were then contacted by Frontiers Records who was interested in releasing it. That lit the fire under our ass to finish the cd. Things have drastically changed in the music world.

Now you release a record to support touring as appose to the other way around.

BM: This album is 14 tracks of pure good time escapism rock n’ roll, but how long have you been working on the album?

KM: We started working on this about 6-7 years ago and yes the goal was to make an 80's good time rock and roll record. That is what Pretty Boy Floyd is all about. Crank up the album and have a good time listening to it. The same way I felt when I was kid listening to Kiss albums. Turn down all nonsense going on in the world and turn up some feel good music.

BM: Fourteen short songs, straight and without compromises: is this the perfect picture for entertainment ad party attitude?

KM: No filler. Sure we could make the songs more complex if we wanted to but that’s not what PBF is about. I like to think we are the glam rock Ramones. 3 minute songs. Have a good time and forgot about the nonsense in the world for a bit.

BM: Many say this album takes up where Leather Boyz left off, but for me the band continued making great albums after that, what’s you view is this?

KM: Thank you. I think it's the first full length record that truly captures the Leather Boyz essence and vibe. We worked really hard to capture this sound again and I think we accomplished it. I know it's not cool or trendy and we will have haters and trolls talking smack but i always said when people stop talking about you is when you need to worry.

BM: There has been a real resurgence in the Glam scene in Europe, is it making the same waves once again in the US? KM: Maybe not as much in the USA but hopefully that will change soon with bands like LA Guns, Faster Pussycat, Vain and Pretty Boy Floyd staying true to their roots. I know the scene in Europe is transcending to younger generations. It's amazing when a 16 year

tells you that they just bought your first CD last month and they just discovered your music. Love playing in Europe.

BM: What do you think of the younger fans who missed the 80’s at its height getting into the Glam scene right now?

KM: It's great . It's like when I first discovered The Sweet, Nick Gilder, Starz, Alice Cooper, Kiss and so on. Music is the sound track of our lives. Maybe then can carry the torch for future generations.

BM: It’s been 30 years since the bands formation, will you be doing anything special to celebrate this rock n’ roll milestone?

KM: We are doing a record release party December 1st at the Whisky a go go on the sunset strip and we have some tricks up our sleeve. We will continue waving the flag and representing the glam scene proudly.

BM: Will the band taking to the road to promote the new album in 2018?

KM: We are hoping to play more shows in 2018. We have some things we are working on that hopefully will come to light. We would love to play South America, Australia, Europe, Japan and Mexico again. Along with select dates in US.

MRF | 19

Vitale Nocerino: Do you remember the first time you got to hear Mott The Hoople? Did you “fall in love” there and then or did it take some time?

Joe Elliott: It was pretty instant, two occasions sealed the deal as it were. 1) listening to Radio Luxembourg when I was maybe 11 or 12 years old, under the bedsheets when I was supposed to be asleep! They used to have a “record of the week” section & they would play said record once an hour, every hour! It was great if you liked the song !!! luckily I did, it was their cover of a Danny Gatton song called “Downtown”. 2) A compilation album released by Island Records called El Pea, it was £1.99 for a double album, bargain! One track each by everyone deemed important enough from the Island Records roster, the MTH song featured was “The Original Mixed Up Kid”, a quiet introspective ballad, it’s one of my favourite Ian Hunter songs ever , hence it featured on the “Further Adventures Of” album.

VN: Did you have the chance to see them (or any of the related projects like Mott, British Lions, Ian Hunter solo) live? Will you share some memories about the shows?

JE: Yes! all of them, eventually, I saw Hunter Ronson in March of 1975 at the Sheffield City Hall, it was my first gig since seeing T.Rex there in 1971 as an 11 year old! The H/R show was stunning & pretty much set me up to go & see as many gigs as possible after that. I saw Mott at the Sheffield Top Rank in 1976 & again, I loved it, I was a big fan of that band, it was very different to Hoople, but equally as enjoyable. I saw British Lions somewhere, but I forget where to be honest, probably the Top Rank again, that would have been 1977 & Finally, I saw EVERY Mott The Hoople gig when they Reformed back in 2009, which is when the idea of the Down ’n’ Outz came together, I also saw every show of their final ever run in 2013.

VN: When did you meet Ian Hunter in person for the first time? Tell me about it.

JE: Haha !! backstage at the Doncaster Gaumont in June of 1977 when Ian’s Overnight Angels played there I was a 17 year old kid just out of school, me & my mates snuck backstage, knocked on the dressing room door & lo & behold, Earl Slick answered & let us in! I have photos some-

20 | MRF

where of us all posing with ES & IH, many years later I would become friends with both men! I met Ian again for the first time as a working musician when I was invited backstage after a gig at The Ritz in New York City in 1980, we went out for dinner after the show.

VN: In the liner notes of Def Leppard’s ‘Yeah’ you wrote that ‘The Golden Age Of Rock’n’Roll’ was the one song you had doubts about singing. With Down’N’Outz you took this thing a good couple of steps further, as you’re doing many more of Ian’s songs. Was it a big challenge stepping in the shoes of such a hero of yours?

JE: Yes, I was a bit worried about not doing TGAORAR justice & I’m not sure that I did to be honest, but the band play it brilliantly, it almost sounds like the Sex Pistols! The first Down ’n’ Outz album was a mixture of IH, Mott & BL songs because it was originally supposed to be just one show opening for MTH, then it became an album due to, how shall we put it, pressure for MTH fans in the bar at the Hammersmith Odeon! I cherry picked the songs I thought suited me & the guys best, but MTH songs were off the agenda as we were opening for them, it wasn’t until the second album that we went into the MTH catalogue and by then I was confident that we could pull anything off as the band are so good & we have an amazing engineer & co producer in Ronan McHugh.

VN: How did you approach to the making of your records with Down’N’Outz? I think the best part is that you were able to put your own mark on the songs, yet keeping them respectfully close to the originals. Was this balance hard to reach?

JE: We didn’t mess with the arrangements because we had to record quickly and in different parts of the world as we don’t live next door to each other. The common thread was the love of the songs and as the saying goes, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it! Guy Griffin said it best when he said we just gave the songs a 21st century botox injection! My take was that we had been given the opportunity to shine a new light on some criminally ignored songs & introduce them to a whole new generation & hopefully put a smile on the face of older fans who possibly never thought they’d hear

these songs again.

VN: You’re coming out with a live CD/DVD, so I’d also like to ask: did you feel more comfortable singing those songs in a live or studio setting? What were the differences, if any?

JE: Well the whole idea of the Down ’n’ Outz was to be a once only live performance so performing them live was the only thing we were originally supposed to do, so from that point of view, when I got on stage to play what we all thought at the time was a one off gig, I just went out there, guitar in hand determined to enjoy it & have a great memory of it, but then we ended up in the studio where you can really spend some time getting all the little details right which was equally as satisfying.

VN: I think a couple of years ago I read an interview where you mentioned writing a full original album with Down’N’Outz. Is this something you’re still looking forward to? What should we expect?

JE: It’s hard to tell at the moment, we have some songs written that I’m working on right now! Does it sound like MTH/M/BL/IH !? In parts, yes but in reality it sounds like the Down & Outz! it’s a throwback to the classic 70s sound, artists like MTH, Humble Pie, Elton John and Queen, a bit of everything really, Rock ’n’ Roll but with piano, a looser approach than Def Leppard, but not too different to The Quireboys except maybe for harmonies here & there, but it’s a varied, exciting collection of songs so far, we just need a couple more & we’re there.

VN: Actually, you closed your two records with two short original songs. I liked them, but they felt more like outros. How did those come up?

JE: MTH had a sometime habit of closing their albums with a complete freak out that was just a section of a previous song & titled ridiculously !

“Wrath And Roll”, “The Wheel Of The Quivering Meat Conception” so for a laugh & a nod to the older MTH fans, we decided to do the same, “The Flip Side Of The Shameless Whelk” was a section from the song “Overnight Angels” & The Revenge Of The Shipwrecked Hedgehog” was a section of “Stiff Upper Lip” .. both titled by Ronan McHugh, who, as you can imagine, has a warped sense of humour.

Bruce Atkinson: I would like to begin by offering congratulations on your new album, “Return From The Shadows”…it certainly sounds like you all have been spending the last two years very productively…

Richard Germanus: Thank you for congratulations. Right, last 2 years were very productive as we were preparing & recording the new album and played many live shows in Europe.

BA; Being that we are discussing your second effort… tell us, have you changed your recording process at all?

RG: We changed the process as we cooperated with different people in comparison to the first album when everything was recorded, mixed and mastered by one person, Jan Cvercko. We gained lot of experience during the recording of “Gallery Of Life” which helped us to improve preparation phase for next recording and think about what to do better. We were satisfied with the production however there is always space for improvement therefore we decided to use the opportunity and move forward. The second album was recorded in our home city Kosice by Miroslav Felber and Jan Terpak. It was very comfortable as we didn´t need to travel to another city during recording process (except of our vocalist Martin who lives in another city). The cooperation was very smooth and thankfully to these guys we were able to put on the album maximum. All songs were completely prepared before recording however some details were changed during the recording process as we tried more

variants to get the best results. For mixing and mastering we´ve chosen well known guitarist from Masterplan and ex Helloween, Roland Grapow. He is very kind person and skilled sound engineer. We´ve spent some time together during “mixing sessions” which were very effective and we are very happy with the result! Big thanks goes to these 3 guys for their effort!

BA: It seems like you are showing more confidence in your song-writing, and arrangements. A bit more adventuresome…

RG: You are right Bruce and I’m happy this fact is just result of natural progress of the band as we never calculate and don’t try to compose songs with any intention to make it more progressive, commercial, etc. I believe you know how I mean... Simply said, the songs are coming from our hearts and we believe that’s the right way of song-writing as fans can recognize it.

BA: With “Return From The Shadows”, did you produce this yourselves…and who did you pick to assist in the recording and mixing?

RG: We produced the album ourselves. I’ve already described recording and mixing part above J For keyboard recording we contacted our friend Maros Zakutansky and orchestration in song “In The Darkness” was recorded by David Zaprihac.

BA: Since your debut in 2015, you have performed live many times…has the live experience helped in any way on your consequent recordings?

RG: The big number of shows in Europe since 2015 and positive feedback from fans helped us to gain more self-

confidence. This is very important for band and it definitely helped us also in way of recordings.

BA: Let’s talk a little about your label. Ulterium Records seem to give you freedom, and of course lots of support…

RG: Exactly, lots of support, great cooperation based on confidence and friendship! Big thanks goes to our executive producer Emil Westerdahl and all the members of “Ulterium Family” who support us! It would be almost impossible to be at the stage where we are actually without support and all hard work of our label.

BA: With the new album being released in October, are you planning any live dates throughout the Autumn and Winter?

RG: We’ll play at Brainstorm Festival which take place in Netherlands in November this year and then in March 2018 in Germany. Actually, we are preparing more shows for next year but also some for this Autumn. Let’s keep your eyes open...

BA: In closing I would like to convey, “Return From the Shadows” marks a progression, and as I said at the beginning, a growing confidence from the group as a whole. May you have many years of exploring and sharing your music with us…

RG: I’m glad to read/hear these words as it’s one of the things which give us energy to move forward and work hard. Thank you very much and I wish you and your readers all the best in the name of all band mates from Within Silence. We hope to see you at our live show someday!

Duncan Jamieson: Does 'Unified' as a title refer to the strong relationship between you?

Michael Sweet: It's referring to how divided we are and in order to be better we must be unified. A message that is very much needed in today's society. We need to do all that we can to come together as people in our society. We'll always have different opinions but we can still love one another and not hate each other.

DJ: Was it clear from the very beginning that the things would have worked so well?

MS: It was. How can it go wrong with George, Brian and James? They are the best of the best and as good as it gets. I'm very pleased with how it turned out. Because they are so good at their craft it makes it much easier to put together a great album. Also we all work very well together.

DJ: What are in your opinion the key strength of each other, specifically related to this project?

MS: Everyone has their own distinct style.

They bring that to the table. It makes for a very original sound and style. I wanted each guy to really have the opportunity to "cut loose" and be creative. To add their own style and energy to the album. They did exactly that.

DJ: Looking at it now, how happy are you of your debut album?

MS: Very happy. It was the perfect "First" album and I also believe that Unified is the

22 | MRF

perfect follow up. Although we went into not really knowing what to expect, I think we we're all pleasantly surprised with the outcome. We're excited about more to come.

DJ: Did the comments received for 'Only To Rise' somehow influence the work on 'Unified?

MS: Yes. I always try to involve the fans and get their opinion. It's important. They are the ones buying and supporting the band. We listened to the fans and gave them what they wanted, a hard rock throw back album. We also did what we wanted to do creatively. We didn't I promise at all on both sides. We're very pleased.

DJ: Is it all brand new material? How did you work on the new songs?

MS: Yes. George wrote the music and I wrote the melodies and lyrics. I produced the albums as well. We work very well together.

George writes with a melody in mind and it makes it very easy create a melody. It's very melodic and it helps to have that combination.

We're a great combination.

DJ: How do you generally split your work?

MS: Everything was cowritten but typically I wrote most everything for Stryper and everything for my solo albums. It's nice to cowrite with someone who thinks similar to the style that I write.

DJ: Can we generally say taht S&L allows you more freedom than your orginal bands?

MS: It does. I'm able to stretch out a bit more and experiment. Even more so with solo

albums but still, more with S&L than Stryper for sure. Also working with George brings something new to the table and therefore ideas seem to be a little more experimental and a bit different from the other projects I'm involved with.

DJ: What about lyrics? Do you have a common background? How do you approach lyrics in S&L compared to Stryper?

MS: I wrote from the heart about personal situations and experiences. I also try to inspire the listener and encourage everyone. It's very important to me to inspire people and help them through tough times. Music is a powerful tool and a perfect outlet to to do just that. I love to help people.

DJ: Are James and Brian also involved in songwriting?

MS: No but they are good writers. James submitted some material and it was great but not fitting for the albums. Maybe on the next album something will work out. He's a great writer as well. Brian writes too but I'm really not familiar with what he does to be honest.

DJ: Can you figure out bringing these tracks on stage? Is a live premiere somehow possible?

MS: We are working on a tour for 2018. It will happen for sure and once it does, people will get to experience these songs live, finally! It's very difficult since GL is so busy and I'm so busy and obviously Brian and James have other projects that they're a part of. It's difficult to arrange but we are definitely working on it.