The Metal Mag n°23 April / June 2018

The Metal Mag N°23

April - May 2018

Hello maniacs, another issue alive! I can’t thank you enough for the support. A big hug to all the people ordering the mag and getting a pic with it. I hope to get more soon. Really appreciate after so many years the mag is getting few feedback thank you!!!

Matt Drummond had life issues so the interview with Blade killer has been uploaded on the website but since not everyone visits websites those days I decided to include it here too. You can see and read his «reviews» on the website part = review - affiliates. Thanks mate for your work.

Big thanks to Dena Weismann for her support and helping out bands, Teri Stahl for bringing me musicians (people miss your section) , all the people still connecting with me for so long and of course all the bands I have interviewed and the fans who support my work and the mag, it means a lot to me!

In this world where music is just a passion and not a business it’s hard for both bands and supporters to actually earn money. I regret labels don’t really support but just want to sell albums they press... The eighties Metal Union is dead and it only bleeds through few people who are passionate enough to express their love so thank you to Leah Burlington who answered an interview about her job and the musicians who wants to feature in the mag and spread their tunes.

It’s a tough world and people still don’t understand I’m asking to get paid as the magazines you buy in stores, as bands need you to buy their music and go to their shows. Thank you for the bands who understand that good quality pictures are necessary to have a great job done.

We are all suffering from this digital age that is killing slowly the music that we love and woud die for. If your band is not here is because you haven’t asked for and simply because I can’t get everyone so thank you for sending me your tunes and link I always share in anyway. The mag was the first to be online back in 1998, thanks for asking the printed version!!! @Franck Michaud 1# Julie Simorre (Français / English) 2# Blade Killer 3# Raven Tide 4#Attica Rage 5# Silent Knight 6# Apocalytic lovers 7# Manurain (Français / English) 8# Bestial Invasion 9# And the sky Darkened 10# Eternal Flight (Français / English) 11# Leah Burlington 12# Whiskey Blu 13# Alexandra Zerner 14# Nocion 15# Slave to Sirens 16# Raging Rob 17# Vixen 18# Divulgent 19# Prima Donna Rising

© www.themetalmag.com P3

1/Quand as tu commencée la batterie?

J’ai commencé la batterie à l’âge de 14/15 ans, motivée à la base par l’envie de former un girls band avec des amies du collège. J’ai débuté directement en prenant des cours particuliers avec un professeur de mon canton.

1/When did you start the drums?

I started the drums around 14/15 years old , motivated with the first wish to start an all girls band with school friends. I started straight away by taking personal lessons with a teacher from my town.

2/Quel est l’artiste qui t’as donné l’envie d’apprendre cet instrument plutôt qu’un autre?

Je pense que ma motivation première je la dois à Linkin Park dont j’ai été une très grande fan durant mon adolescence.

Ce groupe m’a très vite amené à découvrir l’univers du metal qui s’est avéré être une véritable passion et donc la batterie un moyen super cool pour vivre de cette passion. J’ai toujours dit être passionnée par le metal avant de l’être par la batterie, alors même si je m’éclate derrière mes fûts, ma motivation première reste de vivre à fond ma passion pour cet univers musical !

2/ Which artist gave you the wish to play this instrument rather than another one?

I think my first motivation was Linin Park , I was a big fan of durant my teenage years. This band brought me discovering the Metal world which became a passion to me and so the drums is a super cool way to live from this passion.

I always told I was most passionate by Metak first before becoming a drumming fan, so even if I have fun behind my kit, my main motivation is to live fully from my musical passion!

3/Comment se passent les études Music Academy International? cela doit couter cher et faut pas laisser tomber être toujours à fond…

Le cursus musicien dure une année, mais une année très intensive ! Chaque jour tu as des cours techniques de ton instrument, des ateliers en conditions « live » et puis pleins d’autres cours en complément, des masterclass régulières...

Autrement dit, le rêve pour tout musicien !

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Après effectivement, vu le coût de la formation, mieux vaut ne pas se laisser tenter par la vie étudiante et rester concentré un minimum dans tes études qui d’ailleurs vont t’apporter du support de travail pour encore des années à venir…

3/ How the Music Academy International studies scheduled?

That must cost a lot and you can’t let go to be always on top...

The musician schedul last one year, but it’s an intense one! Each day you have technical courses for your instrument, trainings in the live condition and many more complimentary courses, regularlry masterclasses...

In overall the dream to become a real musician!!

Then due to the cost of the training , better not giving up on the studies and keep concentrated to the maximum which will bring you more work for the years coming ...

4/Pourquoi as tu choisi Tama? As-tu eu d’autres marques par le passé? Peux tu nous dire quel est ton set et pourquoi?

Mon premier kit était une batterie Magnum choisie bien sûr à l’époque pour son faible coût. J’ai joué ensuite pendant plusieurs années sur une Mapex avant de découvrir plus en détails Tama pendant mon cursus M.A.I. J’y ai également fait la connaissance d’Alain Gozzo qui est le directeur marketing de la marque, c’est donc assez naturellement que s’est fait ce partenariat avec Tama.

Concernant mon set, j’ai changé il y a peu mon kit un peu trop imposant sur rack et composé de deux grosses caisses pour une Starclassic Performer B/B à la configuration plus « standard » et donc plus facilement réglable et transportable. Aucun regret pour le moment !

4/Why have you chosen Tama? Did you used other trades in the past? Can you explain your set and why?

My first kit was a magnum drum chosen at that time for the cheapest cost.I then played during few years on one Mapex before discovering in depth Tama during my M.A.I course. I also met at that time Alain Gozzo who is the trade marketing director, so naturallly I did that partnership with Tama.

As for my set, I recently changed my kit rather heavy on a rack with two big toms for a Starclassic Performer B/B with a more «standard» style and easier to transport. No regret for the moment!

5/Comment as tu eu le sponsor « Serial drummer » ? est ce dur d’en avoir un pour relayer ton instrument?

Je connais Franky depuis… longtemps ! Il y a une dizaines d’années (déjà !) je faisais souvent des photos pour la marque en tant que modèle. C’est donc tout naturellement que lorsque mes projets de groupes se sont concrétisés, Franky m’a proposé ce sponsor qui m’a rendue très fière et très heureuse !

Concernant les sponsors je ne dirais pas que cela est facile d’en avoir mais par contre beaucoup d’aspects entrent en compte. En dehors du niveau technique du musicien, on ne peut pas nier qu’à l’heure actuelle la visibilité sur les réseaux sociaux par exemple a de l’importance. Pour ma part je suis également professeur de batterie ce qui permet de représenter aussi les marques auprès d’un public plus large.

5/How did you get the «Serial Drummer» sponsor? Is it hard to get on for your instrument?

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I know Franky for ... a long time!It’s been ten years (already) I often did photos for the trades as model. It’s obvious when my band projects became real ,Franky askes me to get the sponsor and It made me proud!

As for the sponsors it easy to get but many things occur at the same time. Outside of the technical level from the musician side , we can’t deny the visibility on social medias has much importance. For my part I’m also a drummer teacher which helps me spreading the trades to a larger public.

6/Parles nous un peu de ton groupe Mind Imperium , comment ce groupe c’est il formé? Joues tu dans d’autres groupes ?

J’ai rejoins Mind Imperium il y a maintenant pas loin de deux ans tandis que le groupe existait déjà depuis 2013. J’aimerais avoir du temps à consacrer à d’autres projets musicaux mais à l’heure actuelle entre mon boulot, le groupe et ma vie personnelle, cela n’est pas envisageable. Malgré tout cela me comble suffisamment et c’est important de trouver l’équilibre entre tout ça !

6/Tell us a bit about your band Mind Imperium, how did it start? Do you play in other bands?

I joined Mind Imperium about at least two years ago while the bands was already alive since 2013. I’d love to have time to play in other projects but right now between my job and my personal life , it ‘s not possible. Despite of all I’m rather accomplished and it’s important to get stable with all of those!

7/Quel genre de musique vous jouez? comment composez vous vos chansons?

On joue ce que l’on pourrait qualifier de melodic death groove metal, avec des influences comme Machine Head, Slipknot et j’en passe. Jusqu’à il n’y a pas si longtemps les morceaux étaient essentiellement composé par Nogh (chant/ guitare) mais je pense que maintenant que Rob (guitare) a pris ses marques dans le groupe suite à son arrivée plus récente, il s’implique davantage dans les compositions. Après comme la plupart des groupes, chacun amène sa patte sur ses parties ou sur l’aspect général du morceau, ce qui reste notre cas avec Carol (basse).

7/What kind of music do you play? How do you create your compositions?

We are playing what we could call melodic death groove metal, with influences from Machine Head, Slipknot and many more. Until recently most of the compositions were created by Nogh (Singer/ guitar) but I think today Rob (Guitar) a dound his place in the band since he arrived in the band., he commits more into the compositions. Then as most of the bands , each brings his/her touch on parts of the whole song which is the case with Carol (bass).

8/Vous existez depuis six ans mais il n’y a pas grand chose sur votre site, combien d’albums avez vous sorti?

Comme pour de nombreuses formations, les changements de line-up freinent souvent l’avancée d’un groupe, ce qui explique que seul un EP est sorti en 2013. Depuis peu Mind imperium est enfin au complet, fort d’un nouveau nom, d’un nouvel univers et prêt à entrer en studio dans quelques jours. Les choses sérieuses vont pouvoir commencer !

8/You are alive for ten years but there isn’t much on your website, how many albums have you released?

Like many formations, the line up changes has made it slower the band’s progression which explains why only one EP came out since 2013. Since Mind imperium is completed , stronger with a new name, a new universe and ready to enter the studio in few days. The serious things are going to happen!

9/Vous faites un crowfunding pourtant il y a un label sur votre page facebook, comment cela ce fait il?

Le label Dark Faery Records est celui créé par les membres fondateurs Carol et Nogh. Il ne permet pas à l’heure actuelle d’apporter un financement suffisant pour couvrir l’enregistrement et la sortie d’un album. Le crowdfunding et l’argent récolté lors des concerts sont donc indispensables pour y parvenir et nous sommes très reconnaissants envers ceux qui y participent, un énorme merci !

9/You are using a crowfunding but there is a label on your facebook page, how come?

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The Dark Faery Records label has been created by the founder members Carol et Nogh. It doesn’t allow at the moment to bring enough finance to make the album and the recording. The crowfungind is helping getting money and with the gigs , it’s necessary to make it happen and we are thankfull , a huge thank you!

10/Faites vous beaucoup de concerts? comment les trouvez vous? Avez vous des groupes avec qui vous tournez souvent?

Nous avons jusqu’ici beaucoup joué sur Lyon et sa région et espérons désormais élargir ces frontières, ce qui semble plutôt bien parti ! La sortie de l’album en septembre prochain devrait aider à aller dans ce sens là. Les dates nous sont en général proposées directement par des organisateurs ou par d’autres formations. Parfois il nous arrive de postuler à des remplacements également. Aucun groupe ne me vient en tête pour ta dernière question même si nous en rencontrons pleins avec lesquels il serait super sympa de tourner !

10/Do you play lots of shows? How do you find them? Have you bands you play often with?

We have mainly played live in Lyon and around the area and hope to play outside the borders, which seems pretty well going to happen! The album is coming out in September should help to go further. Dates are generally proposed directly from promotors or other formations. Sometimes it happens we just ask to replace few bands. No other band is poping right now in my head for the last question even if we meet a lot with whom it would be great to play with.

11/Est ce que le fait d’être prof n’est pas trop difficile pour mélanger sa passion et les cours? Qu’est ce que cela t’apportes?

Je dirais que le fait d’être professeur de batterie est parfait pour concilier les deux. Peu de boulots te permettent d’adapter ton planning pour partir en concert quand tu as besoin. De plus tu passes tes journées à transmettre à des élèves de tous horizons musicaux ta passion de la musique et de l’instrument. Rares sont les jours où je me lève en me disant «j’ai pas envie d’aller bosser aujourd’hui », c’est une chance que de pouvoir vivre de sa passion !

11/Does the fact to be a teacher isn’t too hard to mix with the passion ? What does it bring you?

I’d say being a teacher is perfect to have both. Rare jobs allow you to schedule your days and going to live shows when you need to.Then you spend your days teaching students from diverse musical background your passion of your own instrument. They aren’t days I get up thinking «I don’t want to work today» , it’s a chance to live your passion!

www.facebook.com/julie.simorre

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Screaming for Vengeance : One on One with Kelsey Wilson Written by: Matt Drummond About a year ago, I came across a band by the name of Blade Killer. Belting out a traditional heavy metal tour de force, I was immediately drawn to their sound. As I listened to their four track EP, I found myself hungry for more, but when?

Well, it appears that time is imminent.

Between finding the right label, cementing in a permanent drummer, and numerous other hindrances, the band has finally figured out the right formula. The members of Blade Killer are family. That's one reason why it was so difficult for Carlos, Jay, Jonathan, and Kelsey to mesh with a new drummer.

Kelsey Wilson : “We were excited to announce Peter Lemieux as our new drummer. Coming from the east coast, playing in bands like Walprygus, and Widow, we knew his background would definitely fit our style. Through a few friends, I was introduced to Peter. I contacted him to see if he was interested in trying out, which he was, and he basically nailed everything we gave to him. He's an amazingly solid drummer, and meshes with us perfectly. It's been difficult finding the right drummer, it's like joining a family. Previously, we had Carlos Cruz from Warbringer filling in. Let's just say it wasn't easy following that kind of talent up, but Peter killed it, and I knew we shouldn't hesitate on the opportunity to have him as a member of Blade Killer.”

With Blade Killer welcoming their newest family member, that didn't mean the road was clear quite yet. Recording, and mastering talents, were also an issue which needed to be addressed. After some consideration, the band has gone with M-Theory Audio, out of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Kelsey Wilson : “We had a few offers, but we were really hesitant to sign because we didn't want the creative control to be out of our hands.on the album. Internally, I believe we hold the importance of SIT, we don't want to lose control of what's ours. M-theory was a perfect fit for us. Marco understood our concerns, and helped ease what hesitations we had. The guys at M-Theory have been great to us so far, and really patient. I'm definitely excited to be putting the album out through them.”

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As the stars have begun to align for Blade Killer, there dedication has shined extraordinarily bright. There is zero quit in this band, and they will never settle for anything less than perfect. Having first hand knowledge of how hard this band has worked, I asked Kelsey how good it felt to finally be on the home stretch.

Kelsey Wilson : “it's a relief, I've learned so much from this process, I think the whole band has. There's still some things we have to do for the album, like finishing up the artwork. However, the tasks ahead of us now are much more manageable than before. This album has definitely taken us longer than we were hoping. We had to re record the album a few times, it just didn't sound right to us initially. I had stressed so much, and for so long about getting the album out, that now I've just allowed the universe to take control of things. Instead of fighting the process, I'm learning to work, and grow with it. Timing is key, and there's a reason why things went the way they did.”

Even though Blade Killer has only released 5 songs to date, they've established a loyal fan base, who are waiting for the new album intently. The new album also allows the band to have more versatility in their setlists. As exciting as it is for fans to hear the new material, I asked Kelsey how excited she was to start playing more songs live.

Kelsey Wilson : “It's exciting to let people hear what we're capable of, beyond the EP. The EP was a great foundation, but in my opinion, the new material is stronger, heavier, and really shows the evolution of the band, without losing the feel, and simplicity of the EP. Seeing that we only started with 4 tracks, and a few covers, it's rewarding to play new material, and especially seeing the fans reaction to it.”

Like I said earlier, I've been aware of how hard Blade Killer has worked for a while now. In my opinion, what this band has endured would drop many bands down to their knees. However, when it comes to Blade Killer, quitting has never been an option, and now it's time for them to start screaming for vengeance.

Kelsey Wilson : “I've been in different bands, but Blade Killer is really the first band that I've been with since the beginning. I just have this loyalty, that can't be broken. I strongly believe in what we play, I love the music. I also love the guys in the band, I couldn't ask for better people to be in a band with, they're my bros for sure. I believe we have something special, something different. Giving up, or quitting will never be an option, or consideration for me, isn't something I'll ever consider.”

The new record will be titled; ‘High Risk’, and the plan is to have it released by the end of June. Blade Killer is officially on the attack once again, and fans should expect raw brutality. They're flush with talent, passionate, and hungry for the road. Expectations will be high for the new record, but I find it hard to believe that they won't hack their way through any doubters, just like they did the numerous obstacles they've already faced.

https://bladekiller.bandcamp.com/releases https://www.m-theoryaudio.com

www.facebook.com/bladekillerheavymetal/

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1/Can you explain how you went from Ever Rain to Raven Tide band name? Did you have a contract or albums….or simply line up issue?

Our first band name Ever Rain was changed in Raven Tide after a simple homonymy issue with another band.

Actually, we didn't receive any formal complaint but we decided to change the name to avoid further problems. So we found in Raven Tide our ultimate moniker.

2/You are an Italian band but you seem to be loved in the states, what is the reason? Haven’t you got a fan base in your country?

Our connection with the USA started in 2015 with our first nomination at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards. At the time, we were in contact with a couple of management agencies in Los Angeles and we were convinced to submit one of our track from Echoes Of Wonder at this exclusive international awards to introduce our new sound to the Hollywood music professional.

It was a great surprise to receive, later, our first nomination in rock category with "Doom Reveil". We started , then, to receive a lot of good feedbacks from new fans and music business insiders so that we realized that we could think of a real tour organization... We guess, that the reason of our little USA success could be, basically, our "special" mix of catchy melodies, dark shades and modern electronic sounds nearly close to the movie soundtracks effects that we created trying to give fresh air to the old synphonic and gothic atmospheres. We wanted to try to offer something different and new, some kind of experimentation that, somehow, it seems to be loved.

Our Italian fan base is pretty good, considering that we offer a kind of music with a limited support potential in "Tv/ Pop" music business country that force in a static underground status all the so-colled "alternatives" genres.

3/Obviously you have released few albums but your website has nothing but your last album « Novarize » , how can people find your previous ones?

We actually use to push up our latest release but you can easily find our first album Echoes of Wonder on our Bigcartel store page together with our merch stuff. You can also request the first Ep EVER RAIN just sending us a request on our mail addres or facebook page.

4/How come you don’t have a label? Do you want to deal with everything ?

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We're now completely indipendent after the expiry of the contract for our debut album Echoes of Wonder. Once we got free from all restrictions, we realized that all the skills and experiences achieved was enough to be able to make our own way. During the years music system have been changed giving to indipendent bands more opportunity to work on their careers keeping the 100% of their autonomy, without the risks of wrong contracts and waste of time. So we now can deal with the most of the aspects of the band work from the pre- production to the final release, promotion and tour organization, but we're still open to every collaboration.

5/Tell us how you write a song, is there a special way or the band is involved and the creation matures with time?

The creative process is never the same. We try to be the more free as possible and we really never know what will inspire the first spark. We usually start from a simple riff or a sample of chords and we go on with a four hand composition. We reached a very good band tuning and we're pretty able to mix all our best, keepin alive our diversity.

6/Have you got a theme for the album?

Talking about Novarize, the principal theme we've tryed to communicate is the meaning of rising after a fall. This concept is recurrent in many of the lyrics as we really needed to express a sense of liberation and redemption. As many other bands, we've been through very hard times dealing with bad days that have leaded us close to the end, so the message we want to pass now is never give up and always find a new way to fight for everything that is art and freedom of expression.

7/What inspires your lyrics?

Our lyrics are often inspired by common life situations and emotions. We talk about all the kind of feelings and especially about how we could be always able to make it even after a great suffering .

We always try to give positivity as we think that that's one of the most important mission that music and all the other arts have to fulfill.

8/You have that blue color that seems to be the band one, what does it represent?

It's true that the color blue is our color. We use to recall the sea and the ocean in many of our songs, as well as in our band name indeed, and we think that this color is part of our style. There's no particular reason why it comes along with us through all our projects, maybe it simply reflets our need to see open spaces before us, like the sea or the sky.

It probably represent the right color to tell our idea of freedom in our music.

9/Have you got your own studio?

As we said, each of us, has gained many different skills during these years and today the band and our music take a great part of our lives. Our guitarist Claudio Shark Biancalani used all his experience opening the Sound Check Studio, a professional recording studio, working on high quality productions and music services in which all the Raven Tide's release take shape and come to life.

10/Have you moved to the states or you have relatives there? must cost a fortune…

We still live in Italy and for the moment we are not planning to move. Cheryl has some relatives in Los Angeles but they are not involved in the band's activities. We organize promotional tour completely by ourselves covering all expenses. Today, a band is exactly like any other company and it needs found investments to promote itself, so we do our best to collect as much as we can to create these opportunities.

10/Have you moved to the states or you have relatives there? must cost a fortune…

During these years, especially thanks to our USA trips, we've had the chance to meet a lot of other bands and artists.

With some of them we've found very special affinity and there will certainly be a collaboration, but we'll tell you more as soon as things will be clearer ;)

12/What are the bands that influenced you?

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Each of us has different music backgrounds. We create a special blend in which you can find 80's sounds, soundtrack effects, hard rock groves and electronic samples. We've been inspired by bands like Pink Floyd, The Cure, Roxette, Evanescence, Within temptations, Linkin Park, Muse, but also movie music masters like Ennio Morricone or Kenji Kawai.

13/With all the compilations and awards you won or participated to what it has brought you? Does it make it easier for the futur of the band?

The awards experiences gave us a lot of opportunities. We got in contact with great professionals and producers and we've had the chance to present our music internationally. From January 2016 we got the Grammy Membership and we've been part of the award process submitting our single tracks and partecipating with Novarize to the last Grammy edition in Best Alternative Album category. The best part of this is the great support and liking we've received from fans on social media and during the live shows. This will surely give us more power to go on and more fuel for the new projects.

14/How did you work that album compared to the previous ones?

Working on Novarize has been extremely easier than creating Echoes of Wonder. The reason is our complete freedom.

We took our time to find the right sounds and we dropped every kind of constraints. We decide not to have limits in genre, style or song mood. The result is a multicolor album. It's exactly the portrait of what Raven Tide is today and you can see this also from the CD cover and booklet graphics.

15/Have you got technical skills or you go directly to a professional for the sound?

As we said, everything you hear and see about Raven Tide comes directly from us. All is conceived and developed in the Sound Check Studio. We only want to mention Roberto Priori and PriStudio in Bologna for the excellent work on the Novarize master. This is a great collaboration that was born during the composing process of the album and that will surely last and increase in the future.

www.raventide.com

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1/Since you started how do you see your pathway to stardom? What has changed for the band?

We are still very much on that long and winding path - we’ll let you know what stardom looks like when we get there, haha! Attica Rage has always been an independent, grass-roots band with a DIY ethos. And - as it is with most bands - it involves a lot of hard work and perseverance. We've been lucky to have some very big breaks along the way and we are constantly finding new fans, which is amazing. We're proud of every album we have released and some of the live shows and events we've played have been really special milestones for us. But every rung of the music industry ladder presents new barriers and challenges so, it's an ongoing journey. More than anything, we enjoy it, first and foremost.

We love the music we write and perform, we enjoy playing live and we have a lot of supportive fans that help feed the energy and motivation behind the Attica machine. Nothing has really changed, except for a few line-up changes but I suppose social media has been the biggest change over the years. We were one of the early bands that used MySpace a lot (and Bebo, remember that?!). But since the unceremonious demise of those sites, there are so many more social media platforms that bands need to be active on. It can be quite hard to keep up with all of them. We stick to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as our main social media channels but there are loads others. We celebrated our 15th anniversary earlier this year and posted out lots of the highlights over the years. It was good fun to look back but we still have so much we want to achieve, so it's back to business and with our new lead guitarist Lawrence, we're at the start of new chapter for Attica Rage.

2/15 years of age is getting rare those days, how did you do it ? is there a secret bands should know about or follow?

Perseverence, belief and passion are probably the 3 most important things for longevity. We still believe in what we do and we still enjoy it! Also, we are stubborn bastards! We have had highs and lows but we keep pushing forward.

It's also about always trying to improve and progress - whether it is songs, musicianship, stage performance, image, profile, artwork, etc etc. Too many bands just fizzle out after an initial spark and don't push themselves enough or try and get better at what they do. But there's also a lot of pressure put on personal lives and commitments - financial too - that being in a band demands from its members. It’s also about finding that perfect combination of musicians you can work with. My brother Richie is the drummer and founding member and we grew up together and have played in bands for a long time together. We have an almost-psychic relationship when it comes to playing in the band - in the studio, on the stage, wherever. We're that close. That also applies to Matthew though too, who has been with us 4 years now. You need to get on with your band mates and really lock in as a unit. We all believe in what we create and put out there; we all want the same thing and, ultimately, we all have a good, fun time along the way!

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3/Have you wanted to change your band’s logo once? What was the main idea behind ? Have you tried many designs before getting happy ?

The Attica Rage skull and double-A style name logo has appeared in different variations since before this band even existed actually. But we have always kept the basic design the same. Richie was the founding member of a thrash metal band many years ago in Scotland who were also called Attica Rage. They disbanded in 1994. When we formed this new band in 2003, we decided to reuse the name and skull logo. So we already had an established design in place and, although it has been tweaked by some of the album artists, it hasn't changed too much. It is tempting to change the design but I'm not sure if fans actually like it when logos of their favourite bands are changed dramatically. I remember when Ozzy & Metallica both replaced their iconic logo designs in the mid 90s and it just looked a bit weird, dull and boring visually. Too unfamiliar and trying too hard to be 'modern'. No surprise to see they both brought back the original logos in more recent years. Lots of bands have done it but I don’t think we're likely to stray too far from our basic logo design.

4/Are you composing as a band or someone is really bringing the ideas?

I write most of the songs and record basic demos at home. Then we work on them in the studio, each band member developing their own parts. Matthew co-wrote the title track on the last album and an instrumental piece and Richie has co-written a couple of tracks in the past. He's also good with arrangements and creating dynamics within the songs. So, I'd say it's a bit of both but I generally come up with the song as whole first, with all of us working on embellishing the individual parts later. Maybe editing or rearranging sections too. We are due to start writing new material this summer and we do want to try and write together as a full group. See what comes out naturally and jam on them from the start. So that's the plan and hopefully we'll get a few ideas written together, but sometimes band member availability and time can be an issue.

5/What is the Scottish scene compared to the UK one?

It's a lot smaller obviously than the rest of the UK but it is very healthy with a lot of really talented bands coming out of Scotland. We also have a couple of festivals dedicated to rock & metal - WildFire & Winter Storm - both fairly new events and bringing in bigger, established bands while supporting the new breed. There are a lot of similar grassroots, independent metal festivals & events across the UK doing great things too and you only have to go to a festival like Hammerfest or the New Blood stage at Bloodstock to see a serious amount of really good quality bands making heavy music in the UK. Scotland definitely has some of the best venues on the UK touring circuit (well, I would say that!) and every major touring band almost always includes a Scottish date. Anthrax chose to film their Glasgow Barrowlands tour date specifically for their latest live release, Kings Among Scotland (we were there of course!). However, there is a UK-wide problem which is the vast amount of smaller venues going out of business or being forced to close down. It seems to be happening every year. Some of these grass-roots venues have had long histories and are iconic in their own right - some of the world's biggest bands started out playing gigs in them - but due to a lack of local fans going to see bands in smaller venues, along with huge headaches from things like noise complaints from new property developments or restrictions from local councils and an overall lack of funding and support from the UK government, it's all having a huge knock-on effect. I guess this could be the same in every country but it is definitely a huge problem within the music scene across the UK at the moment.

6/Do you have used the same designer for the covers or you had to struggle to find one for each album?

Each of our albums has had different artists' impressions of the classic Attica skull mascot. Starting with our debut album Ruin Nation in 2008, when we commissioned the legendary artist Joe Petagno. Joe is most famous for the design of the iconic Motorhead skull and most of their classic album sleeves during the 70s & 80s. So it was a huge privilege to have his artwork & signature on the first Attica album. The last album Warheads Ltd was designed and created by my wife, Suzanne McAleer Parr who is also an artist. She created an organic sculpture interpretation of the skull, along with several other artworks for the CD digipack. The other 2 album covers were designed by digital artists and were arranged by our label. All the artists that we've worked with have connected or related the album cover designs to the specific themes within the songs. It's not always obvious but there are lots of little subtle hints, which is something we always loved about the Iron Maiden, Motorhead & Megadeth album covers that we grew up with.

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7/Do you have old songs unused you’d like to play and record?

Not really, any songs that don't make it onto an album tend to be left at the demo stage. But we have re-recorded a couple of songs for later albums, such as Contradictions and Back to the Old School, which were originally on our first EP in 2005 and were re-recorded for our second album Road Dog. The track Dark City from our first album was re-recorded and released as a bonus track on the digital album version on 88MPH. We also remixed a cover of an Ozzy song as a b-side last year, which had originally been recorded for a tribute album release in America a few years ago.

8/Have you thought it would stay that long when you started? have you had like every bands line up issues that could make you wanna give up?

We have had a few line-up changes over the years - like most bands - but it never gave us any reason to quit. We often joke that, because of our fans with Attica Rage tattoos, it means we can never quit! They've made a life-enduring commitment to the band so we owe it to them to keep going. It’s a shame though as we have seen so many good bands come and go over the last 15 years and many times it is because of a breakdown in unity between the individual members. Attica has been so lucky - all our previous band mates left for their own personal life reasons and we are still good friends with them. It never affected our motivation or reason for continuing though. Onwards and upwards. We still have a lot of music to write and gigs to play. Attica Rage as a band is now a bigger entity than the individual members in the group. And every time we release new music or play live, the Attica fans remind us of that. It is really humbling to hear how much people enjoy what we do and how much it means to them. Yes, we write music for us first and foremost - music that we like to listen to and play ourselves. We never write music just to fit in with a scene or a particular style or to jump on a bandwagon fad. But Attica Rage the band exists as an ongoing entity because the fans still want to hear and see us and the more people that tune into what we're doing, the more it motivates us to keep going. I know lots of bands say that but I can only speak from our own experiences. So to answer your question yeah, I think we probably did expect to still be around so long when we started. Just maybe a few $$$$ richer by now, ha!.....

9/Which bands you’d like to play live with? so far with the bands you shared the stage with which one was the best or the best memory?

We've been very lucky to have supported or share festival stages for a lot of bands we are big fans of - Black Label Society, Steve Harris, Saxon, Testament come to mind. Black Label Society switching our dressing rooms while we were on stage and then Zakk Wylde coming in to the room later on to apologise personally was a funny but cool moment.

Getting drunk with Kirk & Pepper from Down on a beach in Slovenia at 2am after playing the same festival together is another great memory. Actually, there have been loads when I start to think about it. As for bands we would like to play live with? We always wanted to support Motorhead - since day one - but obviously that's sadly no longer an option. We'd love to support Anthrax. We've been close, but it's not happened yet. And Saxon - they were our first big support slot back in 2006 and we have shared festival stages with them many times over the years so it'd be great to open for them on a club show or tour again. I'm a huge Ozzy fan too and we are all big Maiden fans so I think either of them would be the icing on the cake, before they all retire!

10/Who is spreading the band’s legacy over the medias? are you close to the fans?

Absolutely. Many of our fans become friends, it's that simple. They show up to every show or festival we are playing at, we hang out at the bar with them, so you end up getting to know them, beyond them just being a fan of the band.

The core fans are collectively known as 'Clan Attica' - a term our late Dad came up with a few years back. These are the fans that travel around the country coming to different tour dates; or getting tattoos of our artwork; or making custom Attica clothing; or just being supportive over and above the regular fan. Social media helps all of that and it's a great way to connect directly with them. But it's even better in real-life situations in person - and with Attica, it's usually at the bar before or after a show!

11/Which albums do you listen to before getting inspiration?

A huge range of styles to be honest. All the guys in the band like a lot of different stuff too. But we're all from the P15

same school of Metallica, Maiden, Motorhead, Sabbath, Anthrax, Pantera, Alice in Chains etc.... It's funny though, people would expect us to listen to a lot of heavy bands in the tour van when we're on the road, but it tends to be the exact opposite: acoustic stuff, funk, pop, blues, country, film soundtracks..... basically anything that doesn’t have heavy guitars in it. We get plenty of that at the shows, so we chill out a bit on the road. As for songwriting inspiration - so many different albums inspire me: Anthrax's last 2 albums are on constant rotation at the moment, but then so is the new Roger Waters album. Then it'll be Sheer Heart Attack or Blizzard of Ozz or Live After Death or No Sleep til Hammersmith. Or something in a completely different genre like The Divine Comedy, Terry Reid, Prince or Kate Bush. My inspiration comes from all over the shop to be honest.

12/What gear do you use? have you tried new ones over the years or you stick to your loved ones?

Richie has been using his trusty (and rusty!) Premier Resonator drum kit for more years than he would care to admit and it still sounds amazing! He's got the biggest rack toms you've ever seen and his floor toms rattle the roof. He's tried different snares, cymbals and hardware over the years, but the Premier kit has remained the core drum sound of Attica Rage all the way through. For the guitars, we've been using Blackstar Amplification exclusively for the last 5 years and I get exactly the sound I want from them. I'd originally used Marshall for years before but when we got the new Blackstars, my sound just all fell into the right place after years of searching and fiddling with amps & pedals.

With the Blackstars, it’s just plug in and play and I'm there. On the bass end, Matthew uses Ampeg SVT Pro and gets a great sound from it, so I guess we tend to stick with what we like - finding your sound as a musician can be a minefield with so many choices available, so why change gear when you know you can rely on what you have already?!

13/How did you get the record deal with Off Yer Rocka Recordings? Have you tried long before deciding to sign with them?

We were originally signed to Rocksector Records for our 2nd album, but our management at the time set up Off Yer Rocka in 2012 so it made sense to switch over to that label. It was a fairly straight forward transfer and it worked well for us. They've released our last 2 albums.

14/You have a compilation on your soundcloud page, is it just to spread the music or it’s available for purchase?

We have music all over the internet, it’s hard to keep a track of it all! The SoundCloud page was mainly set up for radio, press & industry people to be able to listen to new album tracks and download WAV files for broadcast, but it's there for anyone really. Obviously iTunes and Amazon and all the other major music stores are where most fans purchase the music. We also recommend our BandCamp page which allows fans to pay more if they want (and many do!) and the money comes direct to us, instead of the tiny fraction of a percent that iTunes pay out. A lot of people listen to us on Spotify and Deezer which is all fine but again, the remuneration to artists is extremely small. But at least people are listening to our music, that's important to us.

15/Who writes the lyrics? have you changed your writing with time or growing older?

I write the majority of lyrics, although some of our older songs were co-written. I think lyric writing is the same as most things - the more you write, the better you become, but it doesn't necessarily get easier. Age definitely changes your outlook on life and I've probably become a lot more political and vocal about certain topics in my songs that I'd maybe have had hesitations about in the past. Opinions change too. All I can say with certainty though is that every single lyric I've written is personal and I can back up everything up with an explanation. I try to avoid the cliché heavy metal subjects and just focus on what I feel or think or have experienced. Although, clichés always have a way of sneaking into most songs, but as long as it fits with the music, that's all that matters really.

16/What ’s the futur for the band?

We have a new guitarist, Lawrence O'Brien, making his live debut with Attica Rage at the HRH Road Trip festival in Ibiza in May then we will be writing new material over the summer, recording an album later in the year along with some tour dates to road test the new songs and introduce the new man to the Clan Attica, then hopefully an early 2019 album release. Attica Rage will be around for a long time yet.

Cheers!

I.R.W.T. P16

http://www.atticarage.com

1/Who chose the name of the band ? What’s the meaning of the Silent Knight? Isn’t it contradictory...

I chose the name of the band after much thought, i thought that it had a memorable ring to it but also power metal themed with the knight reference.

2/Who designed the logo? Have you had input in it?

The logo shape was originally designed by Unscene Design from Australia which I had a lot of input into. The current colour/texture has been added by my artist All Things Rotten 3/Since you started have you had many line up changes? If so who is the oldest member?

Myself and Cameron Nicholas are the longest serving members, as we founded the band. We have had 3 bass players but the same one for the last 6 years, we have had 2 vocalists and a few drummers too. The line up has been pretty stable for the last few years though.

4/Since you started what has changed? The way you compose, the friendship in the band...making an album...

Composing has stayed constant, as has our mission goal. The biggest changes have been playing much bigger shows and tours as time passes and our fanbase continues to grow which has been a great thing 5/Are you all playing in other bands? Does it affect the band in anyway or you find it useful?

SK is my sole band but i recently filled in for Black Steel who had a reunion show, learning an hour of another bands material was a lot of work so I will remain a 1 band guy. Dan our drummer is in a few bands which keep h in great shape and Cam & Jesse keep busy with side projects too 6/Have you toured the whole country? How is the scene over there ? They are many bands are you getting on well with them? Are some always playing live shows with you?

We have played across Australia quite a few times and have a great fanbase in each city. We have a lot of friendships with other similar bands and we often join forces at shows around the country P17

7/You have a very strong influence from Helloween, is it the band that made you create Silent Knight?

My initial influence was Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Iced Earth and if course Helloween amongst a few others from Germany.

8/You had the chance to play with great bands, does that open doors? What it has brought to the band so far?

We have been fortunate to play with a lot of great bands from around the world and it definitely helps by exposing us to a bigger audience which has grown our fanbase and brought further concert opportunities 9/Who designed your amazing cover albums? Are they related to your lyrics ? Do you have a theme for each?

All Things Rotten from Croatia handles all of our artwork. The art is generally reflected by the lyrics of the album and there is recurring themes and characters of the stories so far 10/Why don’t you have a label? You are releasing all by yourself? Do you have skills that helps for keeping the band that high?

We have been offered quite a few label deals which unfortunately were not suitable to us. We are open to labels for our next and previous albums but it needs to benefit both parties. We have a very good fan base, social media and email list which help us to reach fans directly when releasing new material which has helped create revenue for albums and touring.

11/Who is dealing with the website and social medias? You made a q&a on facebook, do you think it helps to stay in touch with the fans? What else could you do for the fans?

I handle all that kind of stuff and am always looking to engage with our fans and listen to them for feedback on what they want from the band. I personally answer comments online as well as emails and facebook messages. Id love to visit more of our fans home towns, thats for sure!

12/Are you living from music? You seem to be busy in promoting etc...

No, unfortunately not. We all work full time jobs and do the band stuff in our free time & take vacations for tours 13/Do you get inspiration from the new bands or the actual scene is nothing compared to what you do? Do you follow those new bands?

No, there are no other Power Metal style bands in our local city so we are flying the flag solo and will continue to follow our vision 14/ Do you have your own studio?

Yes these days a lot of an album can be created at home. Cameron Nicholas is also very handy at the production side of things too so it saves us a good amount of money that we can direct elsewhere 15/How did you learn your instrument? Have you created songs from the early age or it came later after covering your favorite bands? Any advice...

Ive never had a lesson on guitar, I purchased some Metallica tab books when I was 15 and taught myself. I only started writing after about 10 years of playing These days the internet has countless resources so id find songs id really want to learn and use that as motivation. No one wants to start by learning Mary had a little lamb or something like that!

16/ On your website you have a cd with two albums, why doing so? Are they linked? Does the first one didn’t sell well?

Can you explain...

P18

They are together as we needed to press both when we toured Germany last year. We had them pressed and collected in Germany at the start of the tour. It was purely a practical solution as we had limited space in the van so fitting 500 double CDs was smarter than 1,000 single CDs. Both albums sell great on their own too! We made it cheaper for the fans too as it was leas to produce the CDs this way. The stock on our website is left over from that tour, they can be purchased individually on digital platforms 17/ you are selling an album ‘lord of symphony ‘ , is it a project or a friend’s album? Your last album ‘angel reborn’ is not on sale on the website as the previous ones...

That band is managed by our friend in Indonesia and i took some CDs from him to sell if our fans are interested. I think I only have 2 of those left if anyone would like to hear Indonesian Power Metal!

Our 2 EPs The Angel Reborn & Power Metal Supreme were both limited to 100 hand numbered copies and both sold out prior to the release date. They are hand numbered and quite rare to find online. They are both available on digital platforms though if interested Stu McGill

www.stormridertouring.com.au www.adbandtage.com

www.powermetalsupreme.com

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1/Let’s get back to why you actually called the band that way and what it means to you? Why not coming back with another name after so many years? What’s the relation with Love and War?

A: I picked the name in the early 90s based on two things. My family had a book on a bookshelf for years called Love And War and later Lillian Axe had an album by that name and we are all big fans, so it just was meant to be. Our manager did not secure the name and we were served papers by another band in the southern US and a TV show out of Hollywood. When we returned we did not want any of that drama and we wanted to start fresh, so we changed it.

The name Apocalyptic Lovers to us has some meaning. Apocalyptic is pretty much what we think of the music biz and Lovers would be the four of us because we love what we do so much as fd up as the music business is. If people want to know ALL the details about us we had a bio written in story form placed on our webpage. The bio goes all the way back to when I was in High school and goes from there and what a journey it has been! Read here: https:// apocalypticlovers.wordpress.com/2017/08/22/the-full-story-of-the-apocalyptic-lovers-and-their-twenty-plusyear-journey-now-available/

2/ Does the line up has all original members? explain how you managed to get back those musicians? Have you been in touch all over the years?

A2: We split in the late 90s and over time yes we stayed in touch. We now all live in separate states, but social media and email have helped with that.

3/We haven’t heard much about you in Europe, have you played abroad? Did you have fans in Europe?

A3: We would LOVE the opportunity to play over seas and think it would be a great opportunity. When we were Love And War, between the states and Japan we sold about 5k CDs and the funny thing is it was an album we were not very happy with either. The web has been kind to us and many of the web radio stations over seas have been spinning out our album Redemption Vol I for a couple years now.

4/What’s the difficulty to come out after so many years?

A4: The only thing that has made it tough is living so far apart, but technology has also helped with that as well.

5/You are printing CDs as Lps , is it because you are still in the old fashion way? Are you collecting LPs? What you thought about the digital age?

5A: There is not enough space for me to go off about digital and especially streaming services and how they rape bands of funds. I did an entire article on pod cast website where people can get my full opinion on this. Fans can check it out here: http://www.decibelgeek.com/wordpress/david-hope-rock-view-2016/ P20

My bassist Mike and I are also big fans of vinyl. We love the big art work, it sounds better and makes great art to hang up as well.

6/How many albums have you done so far? Are you still on a label or you doing it all by yourself today? If so what do you think of the way music business is going today.

6A: The music biz part of the answer I would refer to the above link to the article I wrote on Decibel Geek podcast website. We independently put out a 7 song EP and a full length album as Love And War back in the 90’s. We recently put out an 8 song album mixed by Michael Wagener and we produced it ourselves. The album is called Redemption Vol I and is over 40 minutes of kick ass 80s style rock and roll. We are currently working on a covers EP that the working title is We Salute You and its gonna be a nod to the 80s bands that influenced us so much. The cool thing about it, we did not just pick the hits to remake. We are also working on a second full length album that we hope to have out in Feb of 2019.

7/You made a great video , who directed it, edited it..how it was made?

7A: We had no budget for much of anything so, when we were all in Ohio recording our parts over one weekend a friend of mine from High School had his daughter come in and shot some video of us playing and shoot some stills.

We took that video and added it to some other video my wife and I put together and worked very long and hard on.

Change of Frequency was written from a person who passed away point of view. So, we just ran with that and ended up with a killer video. The Killing for a Living video was some of the same live video, but the rest was inspired by the early Iron Maiden videos like Run to the Hills. The final video called the Groove was shot live right through the sound board at our record release party and is what it is and came out cool. Robs vocal on it is just killer.

8/You state you were a great fan of Dokken, was it your way to get the band going?

8A: For me, since I started the band with Mike my bassist I will say this. I started our band for the love of the early, gritty 80s metal scene. When our genre headed into the 90’s, everything was so poppy and lost all its edge compared to the early Ratt, Dokken, Scorpions and all that kick ass early 80’s bands. We set out to make our own sound, but to really pay tribute to that early vibe we grew up on.

9/You have written some lyrics, how the band composed the songs? Did you all participated in the creations or you and another member were more into the whole music?

9A: Back in the 90’s Sean our guitarist wrote the bulk of the music and songs. Since we came back, I have taken up writing a ton of lyrics and so has Rob. Rob has even taken up guitar his first love really and has been writing songs for the new record as well. Right now, we have a lot of new music for the new record and it is very exciting.

10/You are releasing a Volume one album, so there will be a volume 2 I suppose. Are they all songs remastered and replayed or it’s just new tunes you couldn’t release back then and you wanted to get them out ? explain the process and all about it..

10A: See answer to 9, but there will be about 10 or twelve songs on it. Four songs will be re-worked tunes and all the remaining songs will be new, but one will be a special cover song.

11/Obviously you are behind it all , are they members who wanted but were kinda sceptical? Music has changed so do you..What made it happen?

11A: Long story short read this story on our band. https://apocalypticlovers.wordpress.com/2017/08/22/the-full-story-of-the-apocalyptic-lovers-and-their-twenty-plus-year-journey-now-available/

12/ Do you have your own studio?

12A: We all have ways to record at home and demo with one another, but no full blown studios as of yet. Rob might be the first to get there though he is such a gear head.

P21

13/Is one of you have the skills to make a record?

Maybe? LOL 14/You have done this album back in 2015 right? What happened to make it released only now in 2018 (3 years later)?

14A: Recorded and wrote it in 2015, it then was released worldwide in April of 2016. Right now we were about to move on to marketing the two new projects, but what we are doing now is trying to get it released on VINYL before we close the books on it and move forward. We are all big vinyl geeks, so we are hoping people help us reach 100 orders and get it printed. Details/Ordering: http://bit.ly/2pvCu0q

15/Let’s talk about the in-depth of the band, what are the lyrics about? Are they linked together, are the stories still up to date…Is/was there a theme…?’’’

15A: You can only write so many songs about sex, drugs and rock & roll before they start to sound forced. Some of the best songs that have stood the test of time have been songs about life in general. The good, the bad and the ugly of everyday life seems to hit home every time and hold up well.

16/Who has designed the logo and cover?

16A: The new band logo design was a combo of my wife and I. I kinda drew an idea I had on paper what I was thinking and she made it come to life on the computer. Rob took that logo and then came up with the album art for the CD. Now that we are trying to get the vinyl made, my wife and I taking what Rob did and expanding on it for the vinyl.

17/Are you still in touch with musicians you met when you played live gigs?

17A: Yes, facebook and twitter have been fantastic for this.

18/Are they new bands you are following? what’s your view on the Metal scene?

18A: It is very hard to keep up with a lot of new music because one becomes so busy writing, recording, promoting and still working the day job and taking care of family. What I can say as far as melodic rock goes is there are a bunch of “newer” labels out there keeping our genre alive and I can not thank them enough for that. There are too many to list, but I would look up the labels and the bands on the rosters of High Vol Music, Kivel Records, Rock Syndicate Records and the Vanity Music Group. If one wants new stuff from the classic bands Frontiers Music and Loud & Proud Records are good ones to check out as well.

www.apocalyticlovers.com

P22

1/ Quand as tu démarré le groupe?

En tant que groupe a plusieurs musiciens c ‘etait il y a un an et demi.. le projet et l enregistrement date d’environ deux ans!!

Quel était ta motivation après avoir joué dans plusieurs groupes et fait des tournées ?

Et bien ma motivation est de faire ma propre musique ..a ma façon sans avoir de compte a rendre..a qui que ce soit!!

1/When did you start the band?

As far as a band it was a year and a half ago...

The project and the recording were is about two years old !

What was the motivation after you played in many bands and toured a lot?

Well the motivation is to play my own music.. my own way without the need to argue with anyone!!!

2/ Que veut dire le nom?

MANURAIN c ‘est ma façon d 'écrire MANURHIN qui est un abregé de manufacture du rhin qui sont des fabriquants d 'armes .Un MANURHIN c ‘est une arme .C ‘est un mot d ‘argo de la region parisienne !! peut être d ‘ailleur car ils en ont vendu surement partout. Ils equipaient la police entre autre !!

As tu fais le logo ?

Oui

Est t’il précis où tu t’amuses avec vu sur plusieurs de tes posts et videos..

Pour le moment il reste comme ça !! je pense qu il evoluera.

2/What means the band’s name?

MANURAIN is a way to write MANURHIN which is a short mixture of Rhin entreprise who are weapons crafters.

A MANURHIN is a weapon. It’s a Parisian slang word!!! Maybe because they sold many everywhere. They where used by the Police by the way!!

Did you design the logo?

Yes Is it precise or you are playing with it seeing your videos...

For the moment it stay that way!! But I think it will evolve.

3/ As tu ton propre studio?

Non 3/ Do You have your own studio?

P24

NO

4/comment as tu trouvé les musiciens pour jouer tes creations?

Certains je les connaissaient depuis longtemps et les autres plus recent

4/How did you find the musicians to play your creations?

Few of them I new for a long time and the others a recent

5/ Il y a t’il des tournées de prévues?

Non pas de tournée c’ est pas le moment , des concerts à droite et à gauche que j ‘annonce au fur et à mesure

5/Is there a tour booked?

No tour yet it’s not the time, I talk about gigs here and there when they come 6/As tu tout composé toi même ou les autres membres ont participés aux compos?

J’ai tout composé.

6/Did you compose everything or the others also have composed?

I composed everything.

7/Sur ta bio il y a une cible avec le nom hmm qu’est ce que cela veut dire?

Ce n est pas une cible c ‘est une visée et le hmm c ‘est le titre de l ‘album hybride megalo melomane

Une inspiration maiden...

Non non en aucun cas 7/On your bio there is a target with the name hmm what does that mean?

This is not a target it’s a design and hmm is the album title Hybride Megalo Melomane A maiden inspiration..

No no not at all 8/Vu le nombre de musiciens et groupes avec lesquels tu as joué cela doit être facile de faire des concerts et tout ce qu’il y a autour , promo, enregistrement... ?

Rien n ‘est facile j ‘ai juste une audience un peu plus large que la moyenne des gens qui débutent cela me donne une assice et un certain repect de la part de certains. Sinon question enregistrement j'ai de bon contacts ( le walnut Groove studio à Amiens) j ‘y suis très bien !!

8/Due to all the musicians and the bands in which you played , that must be easy to play live shows with promotion, recording...?

Nothing is easy, I just have a wider audience than the average people who start and it gives me respect and a certain place for few .As for recording I have contacts (Walnut Groove studio in Amiens ) I feel good over there!!!

9/Vis tu des ventes de cds vendus par tes anciens groupes?

Non . Un peu de sacem régulièrement 9/Do you live from the sells of your cds sold by your old bands?

NO, just a bit of Sacem (france artist royalties pay) P25

10/Donnes tu des cours de guitares?

Non j ‘ai pas la patience hélas :-) 10/Do you give guitar lessons?

No I haven’t got the patience :-) 11/Est ce facile pour toi de chanter et jouer de la guitare toi qui a plutôt été guitariste?

Non ça va vu que c ‘est moi qui écris c ‘est adapté a ma voix et mon jeu de guitare (tous ceux qui composent et jouent n ‘y échappe pas :-) Seul c’est difficile c ‘est de s ‘entendre et assumer ces dire c’est chaud au début mais même si j ‘aime pas trop m ‘entendre j ‘arrive à faire la part des choses.

11/Is it easy for you to sing while playing the guitar, when you most have played the guitar?

No it’s ok as I write de music and the lyrics it’s done so my voice is following the guitare (everyone who compose and play don’t get away with this :-) Listening to yourself is hard and assuming your own. It’s hard at the beginning but even if I don’t like to hear myself I manage to deal with it.

12/ Tu as inventé un nouveau style musical, n’as tu pas peur d’avoir des journalistes te cataloguer dans une boite..?

Ce sera une boite MANURAIN donc pas de souci!!

12/You have invented a musical style, aren’t you afraid of journalists to put you into a box?

This will be the MANURAIN box no trouble!!!

13/Quelles sont tes influences?

Elles sont très diverses!! j ‘aime la musique en général, j’ aime le son les arrangement l ‘energie et les sensation que cela procure... je surf sur la musique française étrangère pop varieté classique danse éléctro..; beaucoup de métal quand même ... en gros quand ça me plais je me fous du genre... ca me plais point!!

Comment en es tu arriver à créer ces riffs complètement différents de tes anciennes experiences?

Je crois qu ‘avant j ‘essayais de passer dans un gabary pour être autre chose donc finalement c était avant que je me forçais à faire ce que l ‘on me demandait et je pense qu ‘avec l ‘experience que c’ est en partie cela qui a fait que je me retrouve à bosser sur mon propre projet..c’ est beaucoup plus évolutif que de rester enchainé et prisonnier d un genre.. j ‘essais de faire de la musique pas du genre !! :-); actuelement je laisse ma tête mes tripes et mes mains faire et cela vient tout seul..; P26

13/What are your influences?

They are diverse!! I love music in general, I love the sound and the energie arranged , the feeling it brings you... I surf on the french music ,foreign , pop , classic, danse , electro... a lot of Metal of course.. anyway as long as I loke it I don’t care in with genre it is.. I love it and that all!!!

How did you manage to create those riffs completely out of your oldest experiences?

I think before I was trying to blend into to be different and so finally I realised it was before I forced myself to do what people where expecting me to do , and with the experience it led to the fact I’ve been working on my own project...It’s rather into the evolution than staying enchained to one musical genre.. I try to play music not a style!! :-) Actually I let my head and my gutts and my hand to let them do what they want to.

Merci / Thanks , Bernard-yves

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1/ you have few bands with many line up changes, the new album of bestial invasion is once again different from the earliest one, why not creating another band?

1. We are in the group is all right, there is no sense to change the name. Each new participant on the contrary makes the group better and more unique. From the first album I stayed and the vocalist and it's enough that the band was myself 2/ What makes you have so many line up issues? Are you hard on people or it’s just hard to play metal in your country? People are not motivated enough...

2. We had some problems, as the guitarist left the recording time and we had to find a new one, and they did it. At this time we have a stable composition with which we are preparing the third album 3/Are you behind the main creations of the compositions or you really have a whole band working together?

3. On the first two albums I was the main composer, but on the new album we already work together with the guitarist Denis.

4/When i met you , you were a big fan of Raven but you are mostly playing thrash metal. Why are you more into this style and what is left from Raven in your own playing?

I’m a big Raven fan, I do not want to be plagiarized and be like them musically, I have to find my way 5/ Is it easy for you to play live shows?

5. We have not spoken for almost 3 years and we are not going to meet in the near future. We are now a studio group and we are comfortable 7/ The album is complete on utube, do you think it’s necessary to give it for free? Have you got fans buying your cds and merch?

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7. The album is downloaded everywhere and now you can download it for free and with this you can not do anything.

Gus buy enough disks from Europe and the US and it's good that there are interested in us 8/Do u consider yourself as a studio musician ?

8. At the moment, it's so convenient for me. I have a lot of free time to work with my material 9/ Have you got your own bass solo album?

9. No, I do not have and will not. I prefer working in a team rather than being alone. And all I want to play I'm already playing in the main group 10/do you give bass lessons?

10.No, I'm not a good musician to give good lessons. Although I have been repeatedly asked, I can only give advice not more than 11/Can you tell us what is the meaning behind the album titled contra omnes? Who did the cover?Who wrote the lyrics?

11. It's from Latin - Against all! Our protest against everyone and everything. We are a separate group from all that does not follow trends 12/are you still involved in your over bands or you concentrate on this one? Why, u made few great albums...

12. I concentrate on one group of Bestial Invasion, I do not need anything else. I get great pleasure from this group 13/Do you play on others albums as guest?

13. 4 years ago I recorded a bass intro for one group. And so no longer had. Although he received proposals, but they were not interesting to me, so I refused 14/Is the scene good in your country or everyone is on his own?

14. We are more on their own, although we have friends from other groups and unfortunately we hardly follow our scene 15/ Are you following the new bands? How do you get inspiration?

15. We get inspiration only from old groups, so that as young people rarely play something interesting and it's sad 16/Your new album has a mix of Toxik, Mekong Delta, Overkill and Angelcorpse...are those bands your favorites?

What do you want to achieve as a musician?

16. There is their influence, because I'm a big fan of them and draw inspiration from them. Honestly, I do not want to do anything more, I've already received a lot and I will be enough 17/Do you think actual Metal bands are not good enough and bass is not enough present?

17. You are right, there are such disadvantages, but this is the choice of each group what they should have a bass.

Thanks for the interview!

https://www.facebook.com/bestialinvasionua/ P29

1/How did you end up calling the band like this? is it related to a song you wrote? Naming a band is always difficult. The names always run the risk of being either cheesy or too "metal" to point where it becomes a parody. I think it was something random Ollie (Guitar) suggested and I guess it just stuck!

2/How long have you been together? Did you play in older formations together? I started teaching Ollie guitar when we were teenagers as our parents were friends. He was looking for lessons and my mum mentioned that I played and suggested I try teaching. We ended up playing in a band together for about a year when we finished school so I must have done OK! Ollie and I started jamming again in late 2014 and decided to put this project together. Ollie and Matt (Drums) jammed together in school too and Jason (Bass) and Matt played in band for a while afterwards. After our original rhythm section left Ollie got in touch with Matt and in turn Matt recommended Jason. The current line-up have now been together for just over a year.

3/What was the musical direction you wanted to create?

I guess we were trying to emulate the music that we enjoyed listening to in the first place. Something powerful and ambitious but that also has dynamics and textures.

4How do you compose the songs? Is there one composer?

I generally write most of the riffs and put together a basic arrangement before presenting a demo to the rest of the guys. Ollie generally helps with reigning me in if the arrangement starts to drag though. I need to shorten my intros!

5/You have an amazing cover artwork , who designed it? have you got input?

Thanks! We have had lots of good feedback regarding that. We basically advertised a design brief on a website called designcrowd.com. You basically get designers bidding to do the artwork and you get a several revisions of the design P30

based on your feedback and requirements. There were one or two "interesting" designs before we it finally came together but we couldn't fault the process on the whole.

6/Are you inspired by a band specially or you just try to get many influences mixed up?

For me personally there are a few obvious classic influences like Metallica and Iron Maiden especially when considering the heavier and epic nature of some of our tracks. For me, the more textural and unusual parts come from bands like Alice In Chains and Tool.

7/How is the scene like , I know more and more places are closing down? is it easy to find live dates?

I think the scene is healthy in and around South Wales. There are plenty of venues around Cardiff, Swansea and the valleys looking for heavy bands. Crowley's Rock Bar in Swansea in particular has been particularly good to us and have been instrumental in getting us some momentum.

8/What is the theme of the songs? are you all participating in the lyrics?

I generally write the lyrics once we have the song arrangement finalised. The songs from the EP have the loose concept of a tormented man who is being corrupted by an evil entity. He is basically a world weary type looking for redemption and a reprieve from world but doesn't know how to get it. We feel the songs stand up well enough individually beyond the whole concept though.

9/Your album « The Fracture » was released last year, how did it go so far? You have it on soundcloud, do you sell CDs or digital? Is it easier to sell at gigs than the net? What’s your view on this download thing..

We invested in a few CD copies just to have something physical to hand out at gigs and generate some interest. The whole EP is available in digital format on all the usual platforms. We don't worry to much about making money at this point. We hope that comes later!

10/Are you doing it all yourself? Have you sent to labels?

So far we've done it all ourselves without a manager and we aren't affiliated with promoters as such. We've done it the hard way for sure so far but we hope that will change.

11/Do you have your own studio? Have you got skills to release an album?

No studios as such but Ollie and I know our way around a few DAWS. Looking ahead, we have plenty of new material to be getting on with and we would probably look to record everything ourselves again wherever possible but have it mixed and mastered by a 3rd party. Our technical skills are sadly lacking beyond basic production!

12/Are you self taught? Do you give musical lessons?

I started playing when I was 11 and had lessons for about 2 years through our secondary school.

13/Let ’s talk about your gears, what do you use? Are you trying new things or keeping the same instruments?

Ollie and I generally use PRS guitars. The sound and build quality is great and the SE range is awesome for the money.

Ollie also used a few other guitars for the recording of the EP including a Gibson acoustic and an Epiphone Dot for some of the layering and ambient sections. Regarding amps, we recorded the EP with various plug-ins and modellers but have both recently started using the Line 6 Helix. They sound completely authentic even when running directly into the PA and we've had loads of compliments regarding our live tone. The bass was recorded with an Ibanez (again wIth plug-ins) and the drums were played on a Roland electric kit.Tama, Zildjian, Aquarium skins and Vic firth is what Matt uses.

14/is it easy to get heard and supported by festivals like bloodstock?

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It was surprisingly easy to be fair. The add went up online for Metal to The Masses and we applied. We got accepted straight away so someone must have liked us! We are also playing Meddwlfest in Swansea this August so things are looking good!

Drum talk

1/When did you start playing drums?

When I was in Cowbridge Comprehensive my teacher Mrs Julie Williams, organised ‘A rock the school' day, where a drummer came in and did these wonderful things and led to me to now. I was approx. 11 years old and was the first student in Cowbridge Comprehensive to have drum lessons, I hit my 20 year anniversary of drumming 3rd September 2017. I thank Julie for starting me off and her ongoing support over the years.

2/Do you play other instrument?

I previously performed live in concerts with the Friary in Cardiff with various percussion instruments plus again because of Julie Williams, I went on work experience in school with the Princes Division Lucknow Orchestra Band.

Recently I have taken up Bass Guitar and Piano to assist my writing of song skills.

3/How do you train? do you practice others songs?

I have a wide knowledge of music in many genres and A lot of easier music I can listen to a few times and know what I need to play with a little twist with my own little touch to change and excite the song with my style of playing, the more intense or difficult tracks I sit and practice for hours until perfect, then the band are really good in practice sessions until we agree were happy with the songs to perform in a live situation. Stretching before playing is a good way to prepare but also building stamina either out for a jog or gym time helps a lot.

4/Are you teaching?

I would teach anyone if they were unsure of how to play something on the drums, if they need my help and I can help I will but I don’t officially teach.

5/Explain your gear, what made you choose it, do you have endorsement?

I have many drum kits and alot of equipment Growing up my idols within drumming seem to use Tama until the day I was able to play on one and still to this day has the sound I love.

My master kit is a TAMA SUPERSTAR CUSTOM TITANIUM FADE which consists of (see drum layout) .So I am covered with endorsements with TAMA, ZILDJIAN, AQUARIUM SKINS, IBANEZ, LANEY AMPS, HH ELECTRONICS , SCHLAGWERK PERCUSSION, TRUETONE PEDALS and DIMARZIO PICKUPS. P32

6/Today’s drummers are like guitarists trying to be the most powerful and original, what’s your point on this and how do you see your instrument?

I feel that the drummer may keep the songs or band going when performing and having a strong drummer is key, however your only as good as all your fellow band mates. It’s a team game, a brotherhood or family and that’s a huge part of a band as if the friendship has issues then it shows within the performance live or studio recording time.

Everyone has a big part to play so if you treat it as all members are equal and not think your the centre of attention because your a good musician then the whole band works a lot better.

7/Is there a drummer that really give you the chill and fan of?

Many different fantastic drummers in the world in many different genres, growing up I was introduced to many great bands with great musicians. Ranging from Black Sabbath Bill Ward, Led ZEPPLIN John Bonham, The Police Stuart Copeland, Ringo Starr The Beatles, Mike Portnoy Dreamtheater, Mario Duplantier of Gojira, Nicko McBrain Iron Maiden, Ian Paice Deep Purple, for power and simplicity Chris Slade AC/DC and John Coglan/Jeff Rich and Matt Letley Status Quo’s past drummers, but there are many many more great drummers. I am a fan of many genres and artists and have had the great pleasure in meeting or working with many e.g 2017 I was in the music video on drums for Deep Purple track Johnny’s band which has hit 350,000 views that’s one of many times of being a part of incredible experiences. Very honoured and lucky indeed.

For any contact or information for AND THE SKY DARKENED please find us on Facebook : www.facebook.com/andtheskydarkened Instagram : Andtheskydarkenedofficial Email : andtheskydarkened@hotmail.com

1/As tu créé le groupe? Avais tu composé des chansons que les autres ont du apprendre?

Oui en 2001, après que j'ai arrêté Dream Child, j'ai donné le nom Eternal Flight à mon nouveau groupe c'était aussi un titre figurant sur le 1er DC. Une sorte de suite logique tout en ouvrant de nouvelles portes. Pour le 1er album, j'avais des titres et des ébauches de titres que nous avons arrangé en groupe. Certains étaient déjà bien avancés, d'autres ont nécessité plus de travail et une contribution à la composition de tout le groupe.

1/Have you started the band? Have you composed songs before the others had to learn them?

Yeah in 2001, after I stopped working with Dream Child, I gave the name Eternal Flight to my new band that was also a title track on the 1st DC. A kind of following while opening new doors. For the 1st album, I had bits of tracks and demos we arranged as a band. Some where almost done, others needed more work and the composition as a band was necessary.

2/Tu joues de la guitare et de la basse d’après une de tes photos.. es tu le compositeur principal ?

J'en joue essentiellement dans des groupes de reprises et tribute. On peut dire que je suis le garant du style EF. Je bosse sur de nouvelles idées presque tous les jours, essentiellement à la guitare. Pour les 2 premiers, j'ai écris ou co- écris chacun des titres mais du à des changements de line-up, le 3ème et le dernier "Retrofuture" ont été entièrement écrit par mes soins...

2/You are playing guitar and bass from your photos..are you the main composer?

I mainly play them into cover bands. We can say I ‘m the creator of the EF style. I work almost everyday on new compositions, mostly on the guitar. For the first albums, I wrote and co-wrote each of the tracks but due to line up changes the third one and the last ‘Retrofuture» have been writen by myself...

3/Votre nouvel album a une couverture digitale, qui en est l’auteur et quel est le message? As tu participé à sa conception?

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J'en suis le concepteur mais Mirowshka, une artiste graphiste de talent m'a grandement aidé à la réaliser et à l'améliorer. EF a depuis ces débuts une mascotte le Morphoenix et le voici ré apparaître en humanoÏde qui fait bien sûr référence au titre "Retrofuture" qui a un double sens quand à la pochette. D'un côté cela décrit assez bien la musique du groupe qui n'hésite pas à s'inspirer du Metal et Hard Rock traditionnel mais qui pioche aussi dans ce qui se fait actuellement . D'un autre côté cela décrit une société futuriste qui a force de manipulation génétique a réussi à devenir éternelle et immortelle mais a perdu son âme et est devenue stérile.

3/Your new album has a digital cover, who designed it and what is the message? Have you participated to it?

I have but Mirowshka, a talented graphist artist helped me to make it better . EF since the beginning has a mascot ‘Morphoeni» and he’s back into a humanoïd which refers to the title «Retrofutur» with a double meaning. In one way it describes well the music of the band that gets inspired by Metal and traditional Hard Rock music but also dig into the actual sound. It describes a futurist society which after so many genetic manipulation became immortal and eternal but has lost its soul and became sterile.

4/Comment avez vous eu le contrat avec Massacre Records? Avez vous eu d’autres propositions?

Tout simplement en leur envoyant l'album. Nous avions d'autres propositions oui, mais en juillet 2017 nous avons finalement été approché par eux et avons décidé de nous associer à eux après quelques discussions.

4/How did you get the contract with Massacre Records? Did you have other proposals?

Simply by sending them our album. We had other proposals yes, but in july 2017 we have been approached by them and decided to get closer and finally got signed after talking.

5/As tu des thèmes pour tes chansons? qu’est ce qui t’inspire?

Oui et pour ce nouvel album c'était assez varié. "Poison" parle de l'influence néfaste d'une personne sur un ancien ami, "The journey" sur la reprise en main de sa vie, "Retrofuture" (voir plus haut), "Nightmare King II" d'une entité démoniaque prenant le contrôle de la Terre dont les plans sont contrecarrés par le Morphoenix, "Machine god" un dieu digital fou et parano qui mets fin à son propre reigne et à celui des machines, "Routine of darkness" inspiré d'Edgar Allan Poe, "Sinner" et "Succubus" parlent de sexe, "Danger calling" sur la nécessité de prendre des risques pour se sentir vivant, "Labyrinth" sur la dépression, "Pandora's box" sur le fait que l'humanité a ouvert la boite de Pandore ce qui pourrait la mener à sa perte, "Angels of violence" parle des enfants confrontés à la guerre, la violence et qui sont susceptibles dans le futur de ne voir que par ça.

5/Have you got themes for your songs? what inspires you?

Yes and for this new album is pretty varied. ‘Poison’ talks about the bad feeling from an ancient friend, «The Journey» is about taking care of his life; «Retrofutur» (see above) , «Nightmare King II» a demoniac antity taking possession of the earth and planned with the Morphoenix, «Machine God» a digital god crazy a paranoiac who ends his reign and the ones from the machines, «Routine of Darkness» inspired by Allan Poe, «Sinner» and «Succubus» speak about sex ,»Danger Calling» about the necessity to take risks to feel alive, «Labyrinth» about depression, «Pandora’s box» about the humanity that opened a door to Panodora which could lead to its end,»Angels of Violence» talks about kids who get into the war zone; the violences and the fact they can only see this in the futur.

6/Le départ du groupe a été plutôt rapide, est ce le fais que tu es été dans un autre groupe avant? Les deux derniers albums sont plus espacés cela veut il dire que c’est plus facile maintenant de prendre son temps?

Mmmh pas si rapide que ça puisque nous avons fait une démo avant le 1er album en 2002 et celui-ci n'est paru qu'en 2004. Non le fait que les albums soient si espacés est du au fait qu'après 2009, le line-up a été très instable hélas.

6/The beginning of the band has been fast, is it the fact you have been in other bands before? the last two album have more space in between does that mean it is easier now to take time?

Mmmmh not that fast as we made a demo before the first album in 2002 and came out only in 2004.No if the space between albums are so far away is due to after 2009 the line up has been reallly unstable unfortunetly.

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7/Comment vois tu la scène française? avez vous des groupes avec lesquels vous jouez souvent ? Est ce facile de trouver des concerts? Avez vous joué à l’étranger?

Je trouve que la scène française se porte bien et ce qui fait plaisir c'est que la scène Heavy Metal, Power, Prog se développe et perdure. Je dirais que Nightmare est le groupe avec lequel nous avons le plus joué vu qu'en mai Juin 2013 nous avons effectué 3 semaines de tournée ensemble en Europe en ouvrant aussi pour les américains de Circle II Circle! Nous avons joué en Suisse, Allemagne, Hongrie , Tchéquie, Espagne, Belgique et Hollande! Comme notre nouvel album vient après 4 ans d'inactivité c'est difficile, les places sont chères mais on se bat pour faire bouger les choses!

7/How do you see the French scene? Are they bands you often play live? Is it easy to find gigs? Have you played abroad?

I think the French scene is pretty good and it makes me happy to see the Heavy Metal, Power, Prog scene developping and stay. I would say that Nightmare is a band we have played live the most , as in May/June 2013 we did a three weeks tour together in Europe and also we played with Circle II Circle! We have played in Switzerland, Germany, Hungary,Czech, Spain, Belgium and Holland! Since our album comes after four years with no activity it’s difficult, places are expensive but we are fighting to get things done!

8/Y’a t ‘il eu des changements de line up qui ont modifiés la tournure de l’album?

Oui j'ai du repartir de zéro avec un nouveau line-up et chaque membre du groupe que sont Jérome Fischer et Thibaud Ducrot aux guitares, Cédric Nguyen à la basse et Thibaud Pontet apporte sa personnalité au son du groupe essentiellement. Nous avons eu la chance et la fierté d'avoir John Macaluso (Ex Ark, Malmsteen, Labyrinth etc) à la batterie sur 3 titres et son jeu très personnel apporte une belle couleur à ceux-ci! Pour le prochain album tout le monde participera à l'écriture et aux arrangements des titres.

8/Have you had line up changes that have modified the album way?

Yes I had to restart from scratch with the new line up with Jérome Fischer and Thibaud Ducrot on guitars, Cédric Nguyen on the bass and Thibaud Pontet who brings his touches and personality to the sound. We had the chance and satisfaction to have John Macaluso (Ex Ark, Malmsteen, Labyrinth etc) on the drums for three songs and his sound brings a special color to those ones! For the next album everyone will be involved in the creation of the compositions.

9/Comment avez vous composé ce dernier opus? Quel vision as tu depuis le depuis, as tu changé ou évolué…

Comme dit précédemment, j'ai du remonter un line-up mais j'avais composé les titres déjà et tout existait ou presque sous forme de démos depuis un bout de temps, même si je les ai ré arrangés avant d'enregistrer. J'aime mêler le Heavy Metal et Power Mélodique à quelques élans Prog Metal, des touches Hard Rock voir Rock mélodique et j'aime faire cohabiter ou mélanger ces styles dans un même album depuis le début. Je compose essentiellement à la guitare, parfois aussi en partant d'une ligne de chant ou de clavier et sur cet album, j'ai aussi composé 2 morceaux directement sur ordi ce qui a permis de passer outre la barrière de la technique purement instrumentale mais les membres du groupes m'ont un peu maudits quand ils ont du reproduire sur leurs instruments certaines de ces parties lors de l'enregistrement, ah ah! J'essaye d'intégrer de nouveaux éléments dans chaque album tout en restant dans une certaine continuité.

9/How did you composed that last album? What vision have you had, did it changed or evolved...

As I said, I had to reform the line up but I already composed the songs as demo ones from along time ago, even if I re-aranged them before recording.I like to mix Heavy Metal and Melodic Power with some Prog , touches of Hard Rock even melodic Rock. I like to get those tunes mixed together, having different musical style on the albums since the beginning. I mainly compose on the guitar, sometimes just from a singing melody or a keyboard sound for this album. I also composed directly two songs on the computer which helped getting an instrumental but the guys from the band hated me for those they had to reproduced with their instruments for the recording Ah ah.I try to include new elements in each albums as keeping them on the following.

10/Avez vous un studio? Faites vous l’enregistrement?

Oui on enregistre dans mon studio Morphoenix ce qui permet de peaufiner la prise de son, l'interprétation et le mix.

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10/Do you have a studio? Are you recording ?

Yes we record in my studio Morphoenix which helps for taking the sound, the mix...

11/Vous avez des invités plutôt remarquables, comment cela s’est il passé? N’est ce pas difficile d’avoir ces compositeurs et de reproduire avec les musiciens du groupe ces parties très personnelles?

Sur l'album précédent D.r.e.a.m.s, il y avait Ricardo Confessori à la batterie et des solos de guitares de Love Magnusson (Dinasty), Mark McGee (Ex Vicous Rumors, Luv Planet) et Chris Caffery (Savatage, Trans Siberian Orchestra). Je les ai contactés via le net et leur ai envoyé les titres par ce biais et ils ont tous enregistrés leurs parties dans des studios ou leur home studio dans leur pays d'origine. J'ai ensuite mixé le tout dans mon studio. Sur cet album John Macaluso a joué sur 3 titres mais est venue enregistrer dans mon studio et cela reste des supers souvenirs et on a bien rigolé! Ce n'est pas si difficile de les avoir non, ils se sont tous montrés enthousiastes! Les musiciens d'EF reproduisent les parties enregistrées avec respect mais en mettant leur patte! Ils ont assez de talent pour ça, ce sont tous de très bons musiciens!

11/You have remarquable guests , how did it happen? Isn’t be difficult to have those composer and reproduce their parts for your band members?

On the last album D.r.e.a.m.s, there was Ricardo Confessori on the drums and the guitar solos from Love Magnusson (Dinasty), Mark McGee (Ex Vicous Rumors, Luv Planet) and Chris Caffery (Savatage, Trans Siberian Orchestra).I contacted them through the net and sent them some tracks and they all recorded they own parts in their home studios in their own countries. I then mixed it all in my own studio. On this album John Macaluso played on three tracks but he came to record in my studio and I keep awesome memories and we laughed a lot!No it’s not difficult to have them , they were all excited ! The EF musicians play those parts with respect and had their own touch! They are talented enough , great musicians!

12/Jouez vous tous dans d’autres groupes?

Oui nous sommes pour la plupart intermittents ou à notre compte en tant que musiciens pros et nous jouons essentiellement dans des groupes de reprises mais pas que et parfois dans des styles variés d'ailleurs Thibaud Ducrot joue dans un groupe de Rock Metal rural Les Gwapps et beugle aussi dans un groupe de Death, Darkrise, c'est y pas fou ça?

12/Do you all play in other bands?

Yes we are for most of us, some are professional musicians but we mostly play in cover bands and in different music style. Thibaud Ducrot plays in a Rock Metal grass roots band «les Gwapps» and growl in a Death Metal one «Darkrise» isn’t this crazy?

https://eternalflight.wixsite.com/eternalflight

1. When did you start the photos? What made you want to be a professional Rock Photographer?

Leah: I have always had some kind of camera in my hand since I was a kid. I went to my first concert when I was 13 years old and that was Queen. I was one person from the stage and Freddie was so close. I had snuck a little 110 camera in the arena and got a couple decent photos and I was not only hooked on live music after that but also taking photos. Being you had to be sneaky back then, as any cameras were not allowed, it was an adrenaline rush I never forgot. I went to many more shows in the middle 80’s after that and I always snuck in some kind of camera because I wanted photos for my own photo albums and because it was just so much fun. That is where it started.

2. Have you taken lessons or did it come with practice?

Leah: I never took a photography class in my life. I was all self taught and just shot everything I could for fun. Then it became more of a passion for the live shooting that got me to finally invest in a Canon 30D DSLR in 2007, at the suggestion of one of my photography mentors. I then had to take some time to learn about my camera, start shooting in manual (Which is tricky for someone that didn’t have a clue on their own) and after about a month I was shooting at Wacken Open Air festival in Germany for a small magazine out of Vegas, Metal Storm Monthly. That was an experience that I will never forget.

3. How did you choose your gear? Did you ask your friends or tried many?

Leah: I just started shooting Canon and I have never looked back. I love Canon and won’t ever change that. No one really told me what to buy, I was really on my own since day one. I had a bit of help from other photogs here and there, but it was all me from the beginning.

4. So what made you become a live photographer? Is it hard to get passes? Do you work with labels?

Leah: I have always been a live photographer. I never got into anything else because live shows is where the passion for rock photography came from. It was the love of music and then the love for the concerts. There was never anything else I wanted to do after getting my first DSLR. Shooting concerts came from my passion for live music. Music is my number one love…

It’s not hard to get credentials if you work for some kind of magazine and do reviews along with shooting. I do both.

The bigger shows it’s really hard to get passes. You have to be with a huge print mag to get into something like the Rolling Stones or something similar. I get into mostly smaller venue’s to middle size ones. The arenas are more difficult. I sometimes work with band publicists to get passes but it’s usually up to the venues.

5. You seem to be the Las Vegas photographer for Metal shows, do you live there? How did you manage to get so close to the Rock stars?

Leah: Yes I live here and have for thirty years. I am one of many rock photographers in Vegas, but I am one of the first P38

females to do so back in the day here. There were two of us. Now there are a million. Everyone is a photographer now.

Lol! I am blessed I live in the entertainment capital of the world, Las Vegas!! We usually have 2-3 shows to pick from per night on the weekends. I have been shooting 2-3 shows a week for about 8 years at our famous rock club Count’s Vamp’d. The owners know me and allow me to shoot what I want, as I support the club and do reviews and photos for most the local/national/international bands that come through there. There are a lot of photos on their website gallery that are from me. We are also lucky that bands that play there usually come out and party with us and hang out, not too many paid meet and greets there. The place is chill and down to earth so the musicians feel at home and don’t feel threatened in any way. So the fans have the ability to interact with them and it’s really awesome!!! I also have been at NAMM a few times and get to do some really cool stuff here that allows me to meet a lot of amazing musicians. I have to say I am blessed and have met just about every musician I have ever admired. I am lucky.

6. What other skills do you have? Drawing or painting?

Leah: I used to draw Rock Stars to get passes to meet them when I was a teenager. I did portraits of them. They loved them and would sign them. I am also a licensed massage therapist now for 13 years here in Vegas.

7. How did you get into MBM? Have you been on your business before? What made you choose this option? Is it hard to get paid?

Leah: I was asked to be their first staff photographer on their new website and for their blog, so I took them up on it.

I really like Alison and what she has to offer. People can book me for shoots on her website now and this is the link: https://www.mbmmusicllc.com/the-mbm-vendor-network/leah-burlington-photography I have actually been a pro photographer for eleven years now. I have been getting paid on some of my work in magazines and CD covers. My shot of Dee Snider is on the cover of the “Metal Meltdown” DVD that went to number one on the charts. These days it is very hard to get paid much of anything. With digital camera’s being so good it’s hard to compete because the tech gets easier and easier to use. We get, “Why should I pay you when I get others to give me work for free” Mentality now… It’s really rough, but I am not giving up!

8. You seem to be loved by musicians, what is your secret?

Leah: They know above all I am a fan. I am authentic and they can feel my enthusiasm. They know I am there because I love the music. If I get paid, it’s a bonus!! Plus they know I will make them look good, I don’t believe in letting any unflattering photos get posted anywhere. Other than that, you would have to ask them, because I don’t know all the reasons…

9. Let’s talk about the fact photographers are lots at live shows, how do you get your place into this mess? Have you got friends in the same field or it’s all competitors?

Leah: At the bigger shows at the larger venue’s you have to get credentials from the label, venue or the band. I get in a lot of shows because I know a lot of publicists now and am in the venues a lot and it helps to know the bands even.

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Most places you can’t just walk in with a camera and expect to shoot. That isn’t professional and the venues know that.

There is a lot of competition, but that doesn’t matter if you have integrity, are really good, a professional and you have a good outlet to show your work. I am now making friends with more of the photographers in the pit, as I become less competitive. There’s really no reason to be, it’s not like we are making big bucks here these days.

10. Do you have a team for helping out or you do it all by yourself?

Leah: I do most of it myself these days. I shoot for our local online mag, “Sin City Presents” Magazine now for the last almost 4 years. But I get most of the shows myself. I pick and choose what I want to do.

11. Have you had ever broken gear at festivals? Tell us a story that you’ll never forget…

Leah: No thankfully I have not broken any gear. I have had alcohol spilled on my camera more than once and it’s expensive to get them cleaned when that happens. Both times alcohol was spilled on the early one I had was when I was hanging out with Dimmu Borgir. Two separate times! Must have been something about that band… Lol!!

12. Are there bands who never wanted you to take pictures of them or attend their shows?

Leah: No. I wouldn’t go where I am not wanted and only shoot bands that I love. I am weird like that. The love I have for certain bands shows in my work. That is what people have told me.

13. Have you travelled with bands on tour? Been abroad?

Leah: I got to go on a short one week tour with my favorite prog-power band Pagan’s Mind from Norway. They played the Prog-Power USA fest in Atlanta, Georgia in 2009 and we drove up the east coast form there and they did five shows along the way. They played outside DC so we took a tour of the city on foot and I took photos of the band in front of the White House and all over. We then went to NYC and they opened for Stratovarius in Times Square. We had a total blast there. Then we went up to Niagra Falls and toured that as I took photos of them. I never laughed so hard in my life being on that bus with those guys. I was their merch girl and their photographer. They paid for my trip home and I got some nice merch. I had the best time. I would love to do something like that again for sure!

Like I said before I got to shoot the Wacken Open Air Fest in Germany in 2007. I also shot Rock the Bayou in Houston Texas and BARfest in San Francisco. I attended Prog-Power USA in ATL six times as well. I travelled to Germany again to see the mighty JORN there and the next day in Sweden. All on my own dime. So I have travelled some and would love to do more. My dream is to be able to go to Europe and travel all over shooting their amazing festivals over there!!

http://www.photographyofleahburlington.com/

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 30TH MAY 2018 Rik Fox to join fellow rock stars in recording on New York rocker Jim Crean’s upcoming album...

Sony/Shrapnel/Sansei recording artis and former STEELER, WASP, SIN and SURGICAL STEEL bassist Rik Fox was formally invited to record bass tracks on song for the upcoming new Jim Crean album.

Crean is a New York rocker who ‘s the lead vocalist for the project APPICE, and has a literal ‘Who’s Who’ laundry list of rock stars that have all recorded on his past album ‘Insatiable’ including the drumming brothers Carmine and Vinny Appice, Robby Lochner (Jack Russel’s GREAT WHITE), Franck Dimino (ANGEL), Tony Franklin (BLUE MURDER), Phil Naro (DRUCKFARBEN/TALAS), Mike Tramp (WHITE LION), Phil Lewis (L.A GUNS) , Jimmy Bain (DIO), Rowan Robertson (DIO/BANGO TANGO) among others.

Crean feels that , with his credentials, fellow veteran NY rock Rik Fox deserves to be featured among the next who’s who roster of rockers that will be recorting on the upcoming album and has reached ou to invite Fox to record on the upcoming album, with Fox slated to record his bass tracks at Lochnier’s recording studio along with drummer Vinny Appice’s drum tracks.

This marks an excellent follow-up to Fox’s bass tracks on the 2014 Sansei records SPIDERS and SNAKES album, year of the Sanke on the Young Rascals/Angel song «I ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore».

Fox has been extremely busy lately rehearsing BADD MOTOR SCOOTER , his new World Class Montrose Tribute project, getting signed to TMM guitars and Pro Palyer Art, giving interviews and shopping for a new bass strings company. www.ttmguitarsusa.com Be sure to check out Rik’s facebook page at : www.facebook.com/RikFoxMusician and his website : http://rikfoxbass.wix.com/rikfox for additional news and updates. Interested string companies can contact Rik Fox at : rikfox10@yahoo.com Here’s the links to the duo with Jim Crean and Mike Tramp with Carmine Appice on drums and Tony Francklin on bass for the single off INSATIABLE ‘Can’t Find My Way’ : www.youtube.com/watch?v=Enj7zFaiC5Y You can find out more through Jim Crean ‘s website at : www.jimcrean.net On the 18th of MayRik has picked up a new endorsement with chicago Pro Player Art creators and patented personilised , customized artwor system of drum heads and amplifier cabinet screens.

To get your very own custom cab covers or drum heads call Angela Gambino at 312-320-2370 or email at proplayerart@live.com or on their website : www.drumheadgraphics.com Rik recorded with WASP, STEELER, SIN, SURGICAL STEEL, SPIDERS and SNAKES also performed live with tehe likes of Sam Kinison, Mark St John, Jean Beauvoir, Randy Castillo, Max Weingerg and Ronnie James DIO. He’s respected and established verteran rock artist of both, the 1970’s NYC Max ‘s Kansas ciy and CBGB’s rock scene and pivotal rock bands in the Heavy Metal genre, that being STEELER with Ron Keel, Yngwie Malmsteenas wwell as one of the origianl founding member of the band WASP which he named. He continues to this day into his new and always popular recording and performance projects.

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1/How this band was formed and who got the idea ? Did you had lots of members before the complete line up we saw live?

1). Myself (Barb, drummer) and lead singer Wendy formed the band in 1990 because we were both fans of The Runaways and there were no all-female bands around at the time. We quickly got our guitarist Nancy, on a referral from Ron Keel himself. We had already auditioned and fell in love with Chris our bass player. This original lineup never had any other members until we replaced Marie in late 2007 because she lived out of state. The last show we played as Whiskey Blu was in 2011.

2/Were you inspired or friends with bands like Phantom Blue? That time when female bands were on top like Vixen…

2). We were playing out a lot and gaining a following when Phantom Blue was already popular and well known, so we did know of each other. Our managers tried to get a show booked with both us and Phantom Blue, but it didn't work out (neither one of us wanted to open for the other!), although I do know Linda McDonald, the former PB drummer and now with the Iron Maidens. Vixen as a band were winding down in popularity, as had so many of the popular hair metal bands faded out of the 80s metal scene by the time we came out and started playing in 1991, although years later I did get to know their drummer Roxi Petrucci. Back in those days, there was not a comradery or bonding of female bands or musicians. Because there were so few female rock bands, there was quite a bit of competition between bands and interestingly, women musicians, at least in our experience, did not really support each other very much! It is quite different today. This grew out of the fact that in the 90s still, females and especially female rock or metal bands, were still looked upon as a joke or not to be taken too seriously, females were not supported much by male bands, musicians, or industry people, and we were often subjected to rude behavior at our shows, sometimes bands that we had opened up for (and done very well) would not like the fact that 5 girls had just outplayed them or drawn a bigger crowd and so they would mock us or put us down. Women therefore developed an "us against them" mentality and so any competition from other female bands was not very welcomed!

3/You seem to have had a strong following, gaining awards, playing tons of shows.. How come you never had an album out?

3). We we're gaining a huge fan following and had several record companies interested in us. Unfortunately, our manager at the time and our A&R guys we signed chose to sign us to a record company in Beverly Hills, who ended up really screwing us over right at the time we had agreed to go to L.A. for a month to record our debut album, Fantasy.

It was summer of 1992 and we also had negotiations to perform on popular late-night TV shows such as the Johny Carson Show and MTV. We we're writing and rehearsing new material for the album. When the record company in L.A. screwed us over, we had no choice but to come back to Phoenix and get ourselves legally out of the contract. Our recording studio time booked by our record company had to be dismissed. Because of this, tensions in the band were high and we fired our manager. This caused a division between the girls and we ended up breaking up in late 1992, not reuniting again until the huge reunion show in June of 2008.

4/How did you create your songs? where you a full time playing rehearshal band or only one member was more on the creation process? tell us how you girls made that band beeing so strong…

4). We all created the songs together. Wendy, our singer, would write lyrics first and then tell our guitarists what she P43

envisioned for the song. One or both guitarists would come up with an outline of a song with riffs and temp, then during band practice our bass player and myself (drummer would listen to what they had and would just jump in and start jamming. We all had input equally as to what and how the songs were written. They didn't take too long to write and get the instrument structures down, except for the lengthy and very technically challenging song "Fantasy.".

Wendy at the time was very influenced by Stevie Nicks in writing her lyrics. For Color Me Blu, I actually came up with the drum beat and since I knew nothing about guitars, played it for the girls one day in practice and told them what I wanted them to play. They came up with their guitar parts almost instantly and then refined them once Wendy came up with some lyrics to fit the style of the song. This is what made this band so strong and so unique.....we all got along, we all had a say in songs and practices etc and we we're still young and naive enough to not really worry about the music industry, we just played what we liked and didn't worry about coming up with a fake image that some record company or manager wanted us to conform to, especially being women in a still very make dominated industry. We wanted to be taken seriously, not because we we're nice looking girls, but because we really rocked and we wanted to prove to the guys that we could do it just as loud and just as good as they could. That was one of our main goal in the band.

5/What first made you choose this band’s name? Today searching the net brings tons of links to the alcohol rather than the band..

5). Wendy and I came up with the name in a typical "rock star story" crazy way....in our very first band together (and first band for either one of us) myself and singer Wendy met actually when we answered a magazine ad from 2 guys looking specifically for a female singer and female drummer. None of us knew what to do, so our practices ended up being just the 4 of us talking, goofing off, drinking or smoking all night. I always had a bottle of whiskey on my floor tom, even though I didn't drink whiskey!!!! I saw myself as the bad girl female version of Tommy Lee from Motley Crue!!!! Our singer Wendy saw herself as a more heavy metal version of her idol, Stevie Nicks. She painted her mike stand blue, which was also one of my nicknames, "Blu." When we started thinking about getting together an all-female rock band, she and I sat down late one night and came up with the name long before we had a band. It was easy....Whiskey Blu. Our very first logo we had drawn by a guitarist friend of ours, who did a broken whiskey bottle in blues with red roses intertwined with a skull. This can be seen I believe if you look at our photo album on the Whiskey Blu Facebook page, where I scanned alot of paper items such as fanclub newsletters, show flyers, etc. You must Google it with the correct spelling of Whiskey Blu and sometimes it takes pages before you find out that our songs are being played and downloaded, along with pictures etc, all over the world. I have even seen our songs on a Middle Eastern Internet radio station, as well as Russia and many others.

6/Were you too young to deal with everything and just enjoy playing?

6). Although we were young and inexperienced ( all but Nancy, our lead guitarist, had any recording or live stage experience), we knew we had something really special almost immediately and as soon as things started to become hectic and everyone wanted a piece of us, we stuck to what our plans were, we had our own trusted friends be on our road crew, and my friend and former manager, Bob Donovan, became our manager the first time he heard us practice. He was very professional and handled alot of the details so we didn't have to worry about that stuff...he handled show requests, recording studios, money, record company calls, etc but always shared the information with us in weekly band meetings, so we all had input into what we wanted to do or what we did not want to do.

7/The album « bootleg 92 » has been made by whom? is this what the first album should be?What made it to come out in 2017?

7). Right before we broke up in 1992, we we're set to record our album in L.A., which was to be titled Fantasy. We had the album cover artwork commissioned and done. Because we had only recorded songs quickly and many times for free (because a local recording studio would offer us a half hour or if we were lucky, an hour of free recording time in exchange for us mentioning them during our shows or in our fanclub newsletters), we would go in and we would be set up, all 5 of us, in one room in the recording studio. We were recorded live, in 1 take, and no time to go back and record anything else, no chance to double tracks or re-record anything, no overdubbing. It was live, in one take.

Nothing was ever mixed properly and certainly all the recordings, done in 1991 and 1992, we're unfinished and very raw. Our rnanager would then quickly have about 200 cassettes of 2 or 3 songs made up so we could give them away at shows or to fanclub members as part of their fanclub kit. It was what we had to do back in those days to get some P44

people to take us seriously, as still at that time there was a stigma about all-female rock bands! After we broke up, all of the original studio recordings, which were on DAT tapes or cassettes, we're stolen by one of our management guys who we had fired after the disaster with our record company. It wasnt until years and years later that I was able to gather the songs together and take advantage of the new digital technology to 'finish" the songs as much as possible, as there was still very much a demand from fans to hear our songs. I did this on my own accord and at my expense with a longtime friend and fellow drummer who also ran his own audio engineering and home recording studio with the appropriate music software. It was a very difficult and tedious job, as all I had were 25 year old cassettes to work with. The title, Bootlegged 1992, was actually from the girl who managed to get Whiskey Blu back together reunited in 2008 to play a huge rock show here in Arizona. It was our first time together since 1992. So, 1992 is a year that has much meaning to this band. She had givene years earlier a CD she had made herself of MP3s she had made of her own Whiskey Blu fanclub cassettes and she called it Bootlegged 1992. It seemed to fit what the remastered CD was... it wasn't an official recording or album done at a high end recording studios. It was 25 year old cassettes of songs that we're basically recorded live for promotional items and never finished. I did not ask permission from the 4 other girls in the band to do this.....I had trademarked the next and all the songs but I trademarked them all as Whiskey Blu so everything still was done as a whole band. I knew they would be proud of it and not angry that I had taken on this project by myself.

8/What inspired your lyrics and music?

8) Lyrics, again, were mainly written by Wendy. She was inspired by the mystical style of lyrics from Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks. She wrote very much from the heart and was inspired by relationships in her life, and also by the problems that we as female rock musicians were encountering as we tried to get people to respect us not as sex objects, but serious musicians and song writers. We deliberately tried to vary our songs, from mystical and lengthy numbers such as Fantasy, to danceable pop songs like Baby Song (by far our most popular song we ever recorded) and Color Me Blu, to heavy rockers such as Take You Down (about a back-alley fight between 2 girls) and Don't Look Back. The only song lyrics ever written by anyone other than one of the Whiskey Blu girls was "Desert Storm," whose lyrics were written by our manager after he had watched the horrific news stories coming out about the start of the Gulf War. This was one of the only songs that ever was given any sound effects after we recorded it.....we had no say in them, but the engineer who had recorded the song felt like it deserved some production and added in post-recording sound effects. The song eventually did get local airplay and became immensely popular due to the ongoing Gulf War. The lyrics were written in tribute to our men and women in the Military.

9/While the digital age is on top, why not get a CD for sell with complete photos and story for the fans and memory?

With so many bands on the net it’s not always easy to find old bands…

9)The reason as I said above that this wasn't an official CD release is that the girls, although we are all still friends, are not playing together right now. We did not all get together and agree to remaster anything we had recorded over 20 years ago. The songs we had recorded were lost and forgotten a long time ago, and I took it upon myself to get them together and remastered professionally as much as they could be. It was my idea to do this and it was my money that I had to spend just to get the songs digitally fixed and mixed as much as the software could fix it. Even then, I was not guaranteed that the songs would be good enough to be accepted by the digital music sites for sale. It cost me alot of money. In the end the songs were good enough to be accepted by ITunes, Amazon, etc for downloading but in order to have a team CDs would have cost me a large amount of money and at the time I did not have the time or upfront money needed to run a minimum order batch of CDs and vinyl albums were extremely expensive to press.

10/You obviously had it all to become a big band, logo, instruments, videos, fans… what made you disbanding and stop this amazing career? Would you say the business is not what you expected as a band? It requires a lot of effort?

10). As stated above, we disbanded after we had gone to California in the summer of 1992 to play our record company showcase show at the world famous Gazzari's rock club in L.A. We had an unsettling run-in with our new record company's representative right after our big show, and as a result we fired our manager and soon after, the tensions and stress of what had happened caused 3 of the girls to quit. We could not recover, even after we we're contacted personally by one of the BIGGEST record companies in the world who offered us a major contract if we would reunite. It didn't happen, until our reunion show in June of 2008. We continued to play after that show to sold out crowds until 2011, when we stopped playing live shows. We are all still friends and still support each other's vaP45

rious solo and new band projects. I am still contacted by radio stations, magazines, bands and record companies who are interested in us, but for the time being we are all in other projects and not working together. People in Arizona still ask us all the time to reunite. However, there is always still a possibility, of course, that we could reunite, but it would have to be for a very special reason and big enough for us to get together and perform. Never say never, but again it would have to be something that all 5 of us would want to get involved with for us to commit to a show. We never ever just go on stage unprepared or uninterested. We prided ourselves on always putting on a high energy show and as professional as possible, we have very high standards we abide by for us to step on stage. We would never do a show if it wasnt going to be 100% agreement. There is still a high demand for Whiskey Blu and our style of rock, and that is very flattering to all of us, that so many people still love what we did and still listen to our songs on 2018!!

Barb "Thee Animal", drummer for Whiskey Blu - May 10, 2018 1/What was your first reaction when the band broke? Did you think about starting or joining another band?

Absolutely, thought that we could start a new band! It soon started sinking in that those girls were special and it wouldn’t be so easy to just pick up and start over.

2/Have you taken singing lessons? How did you practice your voice?

Singing lessons for about 6 months and I really don’t warm up. I kinda heat up like a tube amp as I go along, lol.

3/What are you up to now, are you singing only cover songs? Have you got lots of old written songs you will sing one day? Is there a possibility to hear Whiskey Blu again…

I don’t think whiskey blu will ever get back together. Too many people pulled in very different directions and that ok.

It was great while it lasted!

I’m planning on writing again, I’ve got a lot of material! I’ve been in a original project called Sistrum, five fold kiss and then Mason.

Wendy

www.facebook.com/whiskeybluband/

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1/You are releasing a new album on your own, using pledge music. Is it for your the only way to get your music out and heard? Does that mean it’s hard to get a label to support shredders?

I use PledgeMusic for this album because it's my most ambitious project so far and since there are many guest musicians, also the cost of manufacturing is quite big, such campaign is a must for an independant artist doing such an album. Sadly, labels don't really care about musicians like me - I've sent hundreds of emails in the last 2-3 years to all those labels that take care of the well known modern day guitar players and I've got less than 5 responses, mostly in the style of "We'll contact you". Of course, they never did. Only one norwegian label had the dignity to give me a honest answer - "Currently we're not looking for new artists." I don't know if it's because I don't live in the US or there is another reason but it's a fact that so far all of my efforts to find a label hit a dead end.

2/You have a special 8 strings guitar with 30 frets and they are all bending , which is completely out of the ordinary.

Has this been made specially for you? what is the difference from the usual guitars? is your way of playing out of the ordinary players?

8-string guitars aren't such an exotic gear nowadays, they're even quite popular in the modern technical types of metal. Multi-scales aka "fanned frets" become popular lately too, so my guitar is not that extraordinary. My personal story with getting an 8-string guitar starts with Charlie Hunter, who plays a bass line, chords, and solos at the same time, using a multi-scale 8-string guitar. I was really impressed when I saw him doing that and later when I saw Meshuggah moving from 7 to 8-string guitars, building the foundations of the "djent" sound, I started thinking how both approaches could be combined. I was still playing a 7-string back then and later, when Tosin Abasi with Animals As Leaders came up on the music stage, this was all I needed to get involved with the 8-strings. My guitar has 29 frets actually - it's a custom built by the Bulgarian brand Univox Guitars. I had a serious dilemma between having 27 frets (inspired by Mattias Eklundh) and 29, but I thought that just once I will need an additional fret and I will get mad, so I went for 29. The neck is multi-scale - 25.5' on the top to 27' on the bottom - it helps the strings to have optimal tension and scale for their lengths so it's a really a big plus to have such thing. The fretboard is also scalloped like on Yngwie Malmsteen's guitars - it's very beneficial for having a good control of the string and achieving what I call "3D vibrato".

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3/This is your third album, how do you see the composition knowing you already have released two and this one is 100 minutes long? Are they old compositions you have already in the draw and didn’t want to loose?

Besides being a guitarist, I am also working as a freelance composer so this inevitably influenced my solo works. I've always been a big fan of conceptual albums and this is what drew me to go further in exploring this field. I work on this album for more than 2 years and almost everything is a brand new material, written especially for it. There are just two old ideas that I rearranged to fit the overall concept of the album. The full length of the album is actually around 120 min. since it's a double CD album and each CD is one hour long.

4/You have made a video explaining the story with drawings , have you released them all? how did you come to create such a story as a guitarist? Have you written the lyrics or a little book?

I made all the drawings, yes. Drawing is one of my hobbies so I decided to use this skill for a more creative approach to the pitch video. I came up with this story due to my passion for reading books, especially when it comes to fiction.

One of my dreams is to write soundtracks for films, but since this field is quite hard to get in, it hit me that I could do a soundtrack for a book, which is something that I've never seen so far, hence it's some kind of a revolutionary idea. I developed the story and the characters and gave it to a professional writer to make a real book from my scribbles, and this book will be a part of the album. The lyrics are written by me and are connected to the plot in the book. They will be put in an additional booklet in the full album package.

5/Is there a known guitarist you feel closer to ? so which one would it be and why?

It's a well known fact across my fans that I have a deep respect to Jason Becker and I am very influenced by him. I feel connection to him because he, in a beautiful way, sums up the styles of other favourite guitarists of mine like Marty Friedman, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Steve Vai, which is something that I was trying to do, and listening to Jason is like listening to all of them at the same time plus something more, something exceptional. He is a musician without boundaries and he never stops exploring new areas of music composition, which is clearly audible in the snippets he's posting about his upcoming album. Plus, Jason is a person who manages to keep that great spirit and attitude for 29 years, and this is something that's extremely motivating, especially to someone prone to falling into darkness, like myself.

6/Have you designed your logos? Another skill‌ Designing logos is just an expansion of my graphic arts passion - I like calligraphy and symbolism, hence logos are a natural product to emerge from such activities.

7/You seem to play every instruments, have you been to music school? What was the first thing you thought to become a self artist? need lots of equipment etc‌ Are you still a sound engineer?

I am a multi-instrumentalist and I love to explore the music in different ways and playing many instruments helps a lot in this endeavour. It's like learning new languages, which is another passion of mine. In my childhood and teenage years I was taking private lessons in guitar, piano, and some drums. I've never been to a music school, except the one year that I spent in the National Academy of Music in Sofia, Bulgaria, but I left because I was very disappointed by the education. It's a fun fact that actually there are no musicians in my family history, except my great-great-grandfather Jan Zerner, who's been a bandmaster in Brno, Czech Republic and later in Bulgaria, and one of my grandfathers, who played few instruments as a hobby. The sound engineering was something that I gradually learnt to do in my early 20's and I worked as a sound engineer for near a decade. It gave me an important base when it comes to doing my own albums. Ocassionally I do some freelance sound engineering but at the moment I can't really say that I work as a sound engineer.

8/Are you listening to a lot of music to get inspired or you concentrate on the guitar? What bands are you really into?

I listen to many different kinds of music to get an inspiration and I am absolutely certain that the diversity is the key for one to develop as a musician and a composer. I see many people getting stuck into a single genre or even just one band and they behave like some fundamentalist fanatics and they deny everything that's out of their box, which is a very destructive mindset. I, for example, might listen today to a renaissance music, tomorrow I may listen to death metal, the day after - Corsican folk, then Icelandic post rock, etc. The only limits I put to myself is not to listen to P48

retarded pop songs, which, unfortunately are overwhelming us lately. Of course, I've got some bands and artists that I listen to more than everything else, like Jason Becker, Marty Friedman, Yngwie Malmsteen, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Tony MacAlpine, Jeff Loomis, Dream Theater, Pink Floyd, Yes, Rush, Marillion... it's really hard for me to make top lists, because putting something on the top means devaluating the rest and it's just not right. I can only say that these bands and artists just resonate with me the most. That's it.

9/You made your way through the tough place that is music by gaining awards and recognition from NIli Brosh as Jason Becker, is it a dream for you? Was it something you’d expect? Would you say it’s a hard and long process? Did it boost your career?

Nili Brosh was one of the first female guitarists that appeared into my sight at all, after Jennifer Batten of course, and I am still very impressed by everything she does. Jason Becker is my guitar hero, so being aknowledged by them is really a dream come true. I haven't expected anything, honestly. In the beginning of my solo career I participated in many guitar contests and they gave me some initial boost and popularity but soon after I got tired of pointless shred and I stopped. Nili's contest was something different - the key there was the melody, not the shred, and this is what drew me in. Yes, it gained popularity but also gained a wave of hatred which could be devastating for an emerging artist - this is something that everyone in the music world should learn to deal with at a very early stage, if they want to remain sane. Besides that, everything is mostly hard work. Such boosts always help but you can't expect that they will do wonders for your career. Very often I have to work more than 80 hours per week in order to keep my career going and the results aren't coming fast, so yes - it's a long and hard process indeed.

10/How is it to participate to other bands projects or albums? Do you create new solos or adapt your own? a lot of work with all the albums you are composing?

Participating in projects is a good way to get out of your comfort zone and can be really refreshing for your own musicianship. Way too often we get stuck and need a new perspective so playing something different always helps. I create entirely new parts for every song I am invited to be a part of - I believe this is the way to do it right. Adapting old solos seems rather like a business, not an art. I would use a phrase from an old and unreleased solo only if it really fits into the project. Of course, the work is a lot right now when my new album is on the final stage so I avoid getting additional work because I don't want to be the person who can't keep their promises and deadlines.

11/When we read your bio it feels like you have walked the steps of success very quickly, any advice to guitarists?

People who know me well, are aware that the curves of my success in every field look quite steep but there's a reason for that. I never start anything unprepared and I remain true to myself, listening to my intuition. My career might seem elevating quickly but there were 25 years of playing behind that. I just remained quiet and under the radar until I felt ready to jump into the game.

This gave me stability and confidence which are super important in the music business. Of course, there's the other side of the medal - one may stay in preparation phase forever and never really go out. The key is balance. Like everything in life.

12/It seems you are not the only one to be a female shredder from Bulgaria, would you say they are a lot of talented musicians in your country? Is it hard to get a place and practice your instrument? Have you got your own studio?

Do you know many musicians in your country? How’s the scene.

There are many talented musicians in Bulgaria but most of them either care only to get famous locally, or they prefer to keep it as a hobby and play only at home. It's very hard to be an artist in Bulgaria in general due to the communistic past and all the consequences of this regime. There are still too many flaws in the mindset of the society because of that and it causes a lot of damage to the whole cultural sphere and the education system. The entire value system here is based on kleptocracy, bribery, dodging the law, and shady deals, therefore the music business, which leads to very poor rock and metal scene. To afford a quality gear, one should work really hard, which

usually results in no time to play seriously. I have my small home studio which I built step by step for many years - I invested there every coin I could save and I still pay back bank loans for some of the equipment.

13/Can you tell who and how did you find your guests to lift this new album? Have you had few people in mind and couldn’t get them cos busy? Was it a hard search…

I had a pretty good idea about whom I would like to invite to play in this album and why. The roles of the guest musicians and the instruments they play is conceptually connected with the plot of the album but it's a too complex topic to elaborate and would take pages. The musicians that participate in the album are: Angel Wolf-Black - vocals, Mistheria (Vivaldi Metal Project, Bruce Dickinson, and many more) - piano, Nora Kalcheva (The Strings) - cello, Bobby Koelble (Death DTA) - guitars, Ivan Ivanov (Velian) - vocals, Iavor Pachovski (Yuvigi, Balkandji) - keyboards and theremin, Gretchen Menn (Zepparella) - guitars, and Franck Hermanny (Adagio) - bass. I invited Jeff Loomis too but he's busy with the Arch Enemy tours and his solo album too so he couldn't join. I really hope we can do something together in the future.

14/You have played few live shows, are you confortable with it or you prefer the studio side?

As a solo artist I played few live shows indeed - it's very hard to fill a hall with such genre in Bulgaria, so you can't really do many concerts. I had some changes in my band and this, along with the work on the album, lead to a hiatus in the concert activity at the moment. I've always been more of a studio musician but playing live also has its charm so I wouldn't give up on that.

15/Why calling the album « opus 1880 » ? and who designed the cover album?

The name of the album comes from the story - it's happening in the year 1880 and I wanted to put an emphasise on that in particular, respectively, I had to come up with a title that's descriptive enough and works both for a name of a book and a progressive rock album. I already mentioned that Yngwie Malmsteen is one of my favourite guitarists and one day I was playing an excerpt from "Amberdawn" from his album "Magnum Opus" and then it suddenly hit me Opus 1880! The cover is designed by Sofia Zasheva who is a super talented graphic artist and retouch artist - she did the artworks of my albums "9 Stories" and "Aspects" too.

http://alexandrazerner.com

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1/Who started the band?

The band was originally formed by vocalist Marilyn Jimenez, guitarist Cesar Romero and drummer Alfredo Hernandez back in 2001. Bassist Dave Martinez joined in 2015.

2/Why choosing this name? What’s the meaning?

Nocion, which means Notion in English, encompasses a little bit of every genre and sub-genre within the hard rock/ heavy metal realm in its music. This is our concept of how hard rock/heavy metal music should sound like. Our new EP “Into the Darkness” clearly tries to show this mixture of styles. The name fits perfectly with those ideas 3/Who designed the logo?

Our drummer Alfredo Hernandez designed the logo 4/Have you been playing together for a long time?

The band’s been around for about 17 years. Its latest incarnation a little over 3 years, although we all grew up together and played in many different bands in the past.

5/You have only one guitarist, have you tried a second one ?

We’ve considered and are seriously considering adding a 2nd guitar eventually. Our goal is to have a few solos here and there on most songs and for live settings.

6/How do you compose your songs? Have you got enough for a complete album?

There were so many musical ideas floating around that it was only a matter of time before all 4 of us found each other and started talking and sharing those ideas amongst one another, plus there was a lot of old music that didn’t make it P51

unto our first CD “Existencia.” So we blended them all together, used some of those old ideas, combined them with new and voila! You have our new EP “Into the Darkness.” We’re currently working on new songs so we can record a full length album soon.

7/Do you play in other bands?

The only band member who plays in another band is our bassist David. He also plays with Rock ‘n’ Roll/Blues band Los Hijos de la Cana (www.loshijosdelacana.com). They only sing in Spanish.

Los Hijos de la Caña www.loshijosdelacana.com LOS HIJOS DE LA CAÑA. Haciendo Patria. Los Hijos de la Caña es una banda que toca temas originales. Sus influencias giran alrededor del Rock ‘n’ Roll y el Blues.

8/How did you come to have a melodic singer with those heavy riffs?

Nocion has always been about the vocal melodies mixed together with pure heaviness and thrashing insanity. The blend works extremely well.

9/What’s the scene like other there?

We’re usually invited by venues and other bands which are part of the Puerto Rican music scene and all shows are ALWAYS a mix of different heavy metal and hard rock musical styles. Live we have heard we’re bombastic and inyour-face. People seem to enjoy our music a lot. There are tons of bands in Puerto Rico, mostly unheard and unknown of with excellent albums.

10/How do you get gigs? are you often play with good friends? Do you play with different music styles live and how people react?

There isn’t a set formula for arranging the music, it just comes out naturally. You just know when it all “clicks” together.

You cannot only hear it, but mostly, you can feel it as well. It is very hard to describe. We look up to our influences, old school and new, then try to incorporate them all within our music, taking also into consideration personal life events and worldly matters.

11/You have many influences, how did you get those great songs ? have you worked on the melodies , tell us how did you compose?

Cesar uses Ibanez guitars and Marshall amplification. David uses Dean, Yamaha and Fender guitars with Peavey and Hartke amplification. Alfredo uses Premium and DW drums, Evans skins, Zildjian Cymbals and Vic Firth drumsticks. Marilyn uses Line 6 microphones. It is very easy to find great musical gear here on the island, there are many top-notch music stores available. We also order a lot of our stuff online as well.

12/What gear do you use? is it easy to find instruments over there?

For our «Into the Darkness» EP we used Alexis Perez’s Highway Studios in the town of Arecibo, Puerto Rico. We’re thinking of going back there again to record our full length when the time comes. It took us almost a year to record the EP, because we wanted to make sure everything came out perfect, instead of rushing things.

13/How did you all start your instrument? was it cos of an artist or someone in your familly?

We all started playing at a very young age, when hard Rock and Heavy Metal music ruled the airwaves and most of the World. Most of our parents were musicians when they were young and so we all grew up surrounded by musicians, musical instruments and more than anything, good, heavy music 24/7. David even played in a 12-piece Salsa Orchestra at some point and time in his life.

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14/What means the MCPD for the last song? it’s more into the speed hardcore stuff much different from your other songs can you explain..

MCPD stands for the first letter of each band member’s name: (M)arilyn, (C)esar, (P)laga (Alfredo) and (D)avid. We all grew up listening to mostly thrash/speed/hardcore/death metal, which we tried to show on our last song «Entertainment.» If you read our bio, you’ll be able to see just a few artists we grew up listening to: bands such as Hallows Eve, Sepultura, Doro, Terrorizer, Sick of it All, Machine Head, DRI, Tool, Deftones, Morbid Angel, A Perfect Circle & Slayer just to name a few. “Into the Darkness” sounds like something (musically speaking) that could’ve easily come out back in the ’80s when metal enjoyed its popularity.

15/Does the social medias help to spread your tunes and getting heard as having fans? who deals with those ?

We think digital helps spread the music more easily and internationally than physical copies, although we prefer having physical copies ourselves. There’s some kind of magic having an album in your hands than not being able to touch it naturally when downloading it digitally. We believe downloading a single is the way to want to own the whole album itself, which is why we support it 100%. Not only are we, as a band, trying to sell our music, but also, we’re trying to sell an image that goes with that music. Remember back in the old days when buying a record from an unknown band, you took the cover art and band pics into consideration before making your decision to purchase it or not? Image had a lot to do with it back then, same now.

You can order our new EP «Into the Darkness» through Malevolence Records USA/Europe. malevolencerecords.bandcamp.com David

1/How did you learn to sing?

I started singing at a very young age. My father was a musician (drummer) and composer my mom has an amazing voice but she just sang for fun. I never took vocal lessons so I can’t really say when I learned because it was something that I just did ( good or bad) haha. As I grew older I started to have fun with my voice and try to imitate voices that I liked.

2/WHo made you want to be a singer?

I grew up listening to Metal , jazz and rock. I knew at a young age I wanted to be a singer since I love music so much but what made me want to make a band was Doro Pesch her unique voice and raw energy made me want to start a band. Ann Wilson was another of my female favorites. As time passed loved more and more the harder kind of metal P53

that is what we play now. Now one of my favorites that I admire would be Maria Brink. I have more female fronted bands that really like but she is my favorite.

3/Do you play any instrument?

My father wanted me to play the drums but I didn’t work out haha! I can play some guitar but I prefer the singing over anything.

4/Your voice is changing with many intonations, how do you know when and where to line up your vocals?

This is a tough one because I never plan out how I am going to sing a song I just play with the voice until I like what I am doing with it. We have a peculiar way of making music because Cesar plays a riff and after I have the melody I write the song I have to have a feeling of something in order to compose.

5/Have you sung in other bands?

Nocion is my only original band we’ve been playing g since 2001. But I did do a Tribute to W.A.S.P. Called Electric Circus for three years then I left it to give full energy to Nocion.

6/what inspired your lyrics?

My lyrics are inspired by things that happen in the world, some are personal like Simple Madness which was for my father who passed. I just compose at the moment of situations that some people can relate and it is also a mind relief for all the situations I also go through.

Thank you so much!

Marilyn

www.facebook.com/nocionocion/

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•

Who started the band? What was the idea?

Lilas: After playing with a few bands locally which never made it, the idea of trying something different and new was always on my mind. So, my search for interested female musicians began in 2014 and it was futile until I met Shery in late summer 2015, and this memorable meeting was during a riot outbreak and a protest against the Lebanese government regarding the garbage crisis. I met Alma (bass) through Facebook and Paula Wehbe (vocals) joined us for a short period of time but had to part ways due to her many commitments. Maya Khairallah (vocals-Ex Zix band) joined later and everything else just fell in the right place. We started covering songs and writing our originals at the same time.

We managed to release our first EP called “Terminal Leeches” on March 11.

Shery: When Lilas and I met, each of us knew what the other wanted; to form a band. Much to our convenience, we didn`t know each other well but we met up through a friend. From there on we discovered our common interests and we started meeting up more often. After a short while we contacted Tatyana and I knew her because we were both in a previous band together.

•

How did you end up as a female band, have you had male musicians?

Lilas: We started off with a male bassist and drummer, but they were only temporary because as I mentioned before, I wanted something new and was looking for female musicians in order to have an all female band.

• What made you want to play Thrash/Death music? Which band influenced you? How did you come to the Metal world?

Maya: Playing thrash/death metal wasn’t something we had to think about a lot, it just came natural to all of us since it was the genre that we all mostly enjoyed, so deciding on a certain style didn’t take much time for us to figure out. Of course with our different influences, and each member adding their own touch to our music means its always developing and that is something we love because it makes it more dynamic. We all started listening to metal at an early age, and we’re mostly influenced by bands like Slayer, Death, At the Gates, Necrophobic, Immortal, Sylosis, Lamb of God, to name a few, and of course female ones such as Nervosa, Ice Age, and Holy Moses.

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•

What is the scene like in Lebanon?

Maya: Well, we have a oppressed Metal Scene in Lebanon, by the authorities and the mentalities of the people. They believe that Metal is evil and dangerous, so in our part of the world metal is still underground. We had very few gigs for some time, but now they are coming back to life, and we now have our own Beirut Metal Fest which has been going strong for 2 years, so in that sense you can say it’s still better than our neighboring Arab countries. We hope that it will only get better with time, and that the metalheads here always fight for their rights and freedoms of expression.

•

You played with Onslaught, how did it happen? Did you stay in touch?

Shery: Onslaught were invited to play in Lebanon by Blaakyum, who toured with them. We had the pleasure to meet and sit with them in person and they are interesting people to meet.

•

Who chose the band’s name? What’s the story behind?

Lilas: Choosing a name for the band was a real brain teaser and we always used to discover that every single name we came up with was already taken by other bands. Shery’s boyfriend suggested Power Slave first but we didn’t want to sound as the next Iron Maiden tribute band so he came up with Slave to Sirens. We felt like it was a bit alien when we first heard it, but it wasn’t until we all dwelled in its true meaning that we eventually embraced it. Hence Sirens were beautiful but dangerous creatures that lured the sailors with their beautiful voices and music to their doom, causing the ships to crash on the reefs near their island, capturing some as slaves. Having that said, of course this name means something special to us because we’ll lure you in! (haha)

•

Who designed the logo?

Lilas: a friend of mine on Facebook named Eruka Slim Efa from Nigeria was kind enough to design our logo and Maya edited parts of it.

•

Which one of you has written the lyrics? Is there a theme?

Lilas: I wrote most of the lyrics for our EP Terminal Leeches, some were written before, and Maya also contributed to certain parts. The lyrical themes mainly discuss the cruel society we are surrounded by and the endless evil of human beings. It also talks about ancient Greek mythology of Sirens with rhetorical references to modern day slavery.

•

You have four great songs, how long did it take to compose? Have you got more on the works?

Lilas: Well I can’t really tell how long exactly it took us to have this EP out but I do remember that the writing process started ever since the inception of Slave to Sirens and that with the band having various commitments like a work or studies, we managed to release Terminal Leeches on March 11 2018. The thing is, we never stopped the writing/ composing process and so now we are actually working on a full length album and got couple of songs already done.

•

Who designed the cover artwork? How did you get the artist?

Maya: Our art work was designed by Ghasan Al Kashef who was the winner of a drawing competition that we attended. I saw a specific drawing for him which caught my eye immediately and decided to speak to him regarding our EP.

•

Who composed the songs? is it a band creation?

Lilas: Shery and I come up with riffs and our ideas always seemed to complement each other.

Shery: And so we create the songs with Tatyana`s input and that`s where alma`s bass lines become clearer and of course Maya`s vocals come after, during and sometimes before the composition.

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•

Have you played in other bands before?

Maya: Yes, we’ve had previous bands before, but things didn’t work out either due to members being lazy, or not fully enjoying the style that the band played and so forth.

•

There is a Wacken battle, how did this happen and are the bands all from Lebanon?

Shery: All the bands are from Lebanon. The metal battle competition began in 2015, and they were generous enough to give Lebanon another round this year.

• Do you have a place to play and rehearse? How did you record the album? Is Dream Catcher the Metal studio in your country? Did you know what it would sound like?

Lilas: We don’t have our own place to rehearse or jam so we book a room usually in local music schools like Bach Music Institute or Njam Music School, but sometimes there are no rooms available so we always have to run around and look for other places where they are not well equipped for Metal Music. Dream Catchers Studio is a small studio in Lebanon owned by our friend Youssef Challah who was generous enough to offer us his studio, and our close friend Mood Yassin recorded the EP “Terminal Leeches”. We had a vision of the sound we wanted and so Manuel from Dyne Engine studios in Italy did a great job delivering what we had in mind.

•

Do you use social Medias to spread your music or you sent cds to radios and magazines?

Lilas: Yes today social media is an important tool to expose any band and in our case digital media is easier for us since we do not have a distributing agency abroad.

•

Have you played abroad? Is there a tour programmed? When you play live do you play covers?

Lilas: We never played abroad yet but we are planning to do so hopefully whenever the chance comes. We rarely play cover songs but when we do we always select songs that our audience likes.

www.facebook.com/Slavetosirens

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1/What made you start another band?

RR: From 1983 to 2014 I was in Assassin who were based in Germany but in these years I lived 20 years in Asia. During my stay in China I founded a second band 'Raging Mob' in Beijing in order to stay fully rehearsed for Assassin shows. With Raging Mob I released 2008 an album, 2009 won the best vocalist in the China Metal battle and 2010 best band in China in the China Metal battle for Wacken. 2012 I moved back to Germany and after I left in 2014 Assassin I was determined to start my own band and called it Raging Rob as that was my nickname of the times in China.

2/ The logo with the spikes reminding Assassin, are you disappointed the band is no more? The title which reminds who you are‌ RR: Well in 2014 I was disappointed how Assassin was functioning and left them for good. You are right when you say Assassin is no more cause apart from the name there is nothing left of the old Assassin spirit left. Raging Rob has more Assassin original members of the 80s then Assassin now and hell yes spikes in our logo plus the title of our new album shows clearly what the old Assassin spirit is all about.

3/How did you recruit your musicians? Was it hard , how long did it take?

RR: In the beginning of 2014 it did only take a couple of months to get the current line up together. Frank our old Assassin drummer plus old time friends and musicians from the 80s Dirk Preylowski, Rudi GĂśrg and Maik Jansen completed the line up. All were called up and agreed right away to be part of the band.

4/How did you get all the paintings for your album booklet? what does it represent for you? Why not having a special cover artwork?

RR: Most paintings were made by my Hungarian best bro Peter Lazar. He makes great paitings and I am real happy that they are part of the album. The front cover is an old picture of the in China and since the start I was always wanting to use it as the main cover.

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5/You have three bonuses and a cover, is it intended to be on a special edition CD? RR: 'Always the true Assassin' contains of 12 songs. 7 were written by Dirk Preylowski, 1 was written by Maik Jansen, there is one Raging Mob Cover, two old Assassin covers and one tribute cover song from AC/DC. So far we released the album only online on bandcamp and there are no plans for a printed CD yet.

6/What would you say has changed in the music business?

RR: That is a big question. I can only compare the music business in the 80s and nowdays... I guess development of technology in the first place: Internet. Nowadays it's much harder to sell music as compared to the 80s. Bands make most money on shows and merchandise and not on their records. You can dicuss a whole day about this topic.

7/Are you still in touch with the Thrash Metal bands in Germany?

RR: I am still in touch with various bands including Kreator, Destruction and Darkness. But most of the time via facebook and internet.

8/You are very present on social medias, do you think it’s necessary to take all this time to get your band supported although everyone knows you..?

RR: Lol... Raging Rob has a facebook page in which I post news of the band, but overall we are not so present as many other bands are. We have no twitter or instagram account. Since we only have the facebook page it is useful to make updates and it is also a chance for people to contact our band.

9/You put a lot of hard work on this album yet it’s totally free on youtube to listen to, what’s your view on this and have you lost faith in earning money with your music?

RR: I haven't lost any faith as I am aware of that; I just go with the current times. As I said earlier now days bands don't earn much money through their music rather earn from shows and merchandise. That is just the times we live in. But we any put in hard work into our album cause otherwise we would not release it in case we go half hearted into recordings.

10/In the overall what has changed since you started? apart from digital … musicianship, music creation..tell us what you feel…

RR: Well as I already answered about the music business I will answer general. When I started to make music I was a teenager and now I am 50 so we got older. Things like making songs though remained the same, we go in the rehearsal room and fix the songs together unlike the 'new' Assassin who don't rehearse anymore and do everything digitally.

Here I remained old school and that's why Raging Rob remains an old school band. But I am not the type who says 'in the old days everything was better'. Now it's just a different time and I am happy to be 50 and still play old school Thrash.

11/Ae you singing in other bands ? Do you play any instrument?

RR: Here in Düsseldorf Germany I play with old friends in another band called 'Monster Hunter'. It's also old school power thrash metal and it's fun to play. So far we don't have many songs and we just had one show. I don't play any instrument.

12/What inspired your lyrics for your songs , are they all linked? Is there a message?

RR: Each song has it's own story, but they are linked through my personal feelings, views and experiences. Some are serious like for example 'Enough' where I criticize people following masses or in 'Rise against failure' I speak about people should embrace the good sides of life. 'Freakshow' is just funny where I use bad English phrases of German Thrash bands in the 80s and make a crazy song. In 'Cancer' I describe the real circumstances our guitarist Dirk Preylowski went through as he had cancer couple years ago and is still under observation.

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13/Did you ask for the painting to match your lyrics?

RR: No though it does really look like, doesn't it ? The artist Peter Lazar is a kinda soul brother and we have very common views of live and interests. I did not have to think twice to take his art with pleasure for the album.

14/Was it important for you to include the covers artworks from your first assassin’s album as your Raging Mob one? Is Raging Rob a kind of ‘compilation ‘ of your music biography/history?

RR: Of course it's important that the old Assassin cover arts are included to the album as we are the one who represent the old spirit of Assassin. That's who we are and will always be. 'Always the true Assassin' includes new and old songs and is part of my biography & history. Yes. 15/Do you have a studio and music skills to get your own album made?

RR: We have a rehearsal room like all bands have. For recording we went to the Recording Hell Studios in our home town Düsseldorf which is professionel and is run by Markus Frehn who produced the album very well. He valued our 'old school' music and treated us accordingly. I am very thankful of him handling the album.

16/What do you do when you’re not singing ? Have you got a tour planned and with which band you will play?

RR: When I don't make music I take care of a small business and my family and go to football matches as my second hobby. Now as our CD is released we hope to get good responses and hope to stage future shows. So far nothing is set but we look forward to get something soon.

Thrash til Death and keep the metal spirit !!!

www.facebook.com/robert.gonnella.5

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1/It’s been a long time since we are waiting for an album, what made you get a live one? Does that mean a real one with new song is on its way?

We've always heard fans comment that we sounded so powerful and exciting 'live' and had always wanted to do a live record! There will also be a studio album, too!

2/Can you say Britt is a new Vixen member ? She’s a great soloist, is she creating new thing for the band?

Yes, Britt is a member of Vixen now. She's a fantastic guitarist and is already contributing a TON of ideas!

3/How did you get the deal with RatPak Records? Was it the only one to get that awesome package you are delivering the fan to?

We talked to a few labels and we liked RatPak in a lot of ways! :-) 4/You’re all pretty busy in your own band , and you Share is into many businesses. How do you get together? Is it easy to schedule a date? Are you practicing over the net? Are you all playing in your house or you have a personal studio?

We get together right before gigs sometimes and a lot of times, we walk on stage. We've played these songs for decades so it's like riding a bike!

We don't practice over the internet but that would be fun!

5/The amazing Michael Wagener has mixed the whole thing, did you meet him ? Is it the label ‘ s choice?

We chose Michael for a lot of reasons. He's amaaaazing at what he does and we had wanted to work with him for a long time. He was our choice and the label thought it was a good one!

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6/This has been recorded in Chicago, have you recorded all your performances or this one was chosen ? Tell us about the pressure to have your live recorded to be featured on an album…

That gig was chosen to be recorded. It's a cool theater and we knew it would be a good venue to record. There was a lot of pressure thinking that this one gig is all you have for your live album! The day of the gig the truck with ALL the equipment for the gig was very late and thankfully, Slaughter let us use their soundcheck time and helped us in every possible to get a great sound that night.

7/Can you explain your say about the new song « You Ought to Know By Now » , how it is connected to Jan? What’s the theme…

It's a song we used to play live with Jan. We always thought it would be on a record back then, too! Happy to have that connection with her memory with this song.

8/Have you got live dates scheduled to play with Janet, Madam X, Twin Flames, … on the same stage?

Oh gosh! No. I think it would be too much! However, Madam X is playing Sweden Rock the same weekend but not same day as Vixen.

9/Are you the best friends or you just keep rocking for the fans and for the memory of Jan?Does time has bounded you in some way…

Me, Roxy and Janet are definitely best friends. Sisters in rock who have been through a lot together. We love hanging out and now, Britt is part of our rock n roll sisterhood and fits in great! If we were only doing this for the fans... I think we would have quit already!!!!! There are days where we spend 18 hours in airports and airplanes to get to play 30 minutes on stage together! We love what we do and we love making that Vixen sound together!!!

10/Do you have special gears for Vixen compared to your other bands?

I don't know what you mean???

11/Do you still play guitar for your formation? Is bubble the past…

I play all instruments except drums. I play guitar, piano, and sing for Twin Flames Radio. Bubble is not over but on a hiatus for sure.

12/It seems you are on a crazy tour, do you know the bands you are sharing the stage with? will you play all other the world in every countries?

We currently do 'fly dates'. We fly to the location, play the gig and fly home. So it's not a traditional tour style. We know most of the bands as we play with them a lot. Great White, Slaughter, Skid Row, Kix, Faster Pussycat.... we play with these guys a lot!

We would love to play as many countries as possible!

13/There is a guitar on the tour link, is it made for you ? will you make it to win for a fan?

That guitar looks awesome right? The record label did that and it's just one of the cool things about RatPak! 14/Since you have a new song have you composed some riffs on it? What are the acoustic songs like compared to the old ones?

The new song was written by somebody else as it's an old song we did with Jan and that was why we chose it. The acoustic song is a new version of a hit. It's very different!

15/Who chose the cover artwork? is the band Back to explode again the billboard?

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We chose the artwork ourselves and worked hand in hand with the designer who listened to our comments and feedback every step of the way. I think it was Roxy who came up with the "Live Fire" idea and we all loved it.

16/You must have signed a lot of photos, is it for you to prove you respect your fans? no hand ache ahah ,Are you collecting LPs , Tapes…

We ALWAYS have respect for the fans! I know what it's like as I am a fan of many bands and so we bring that same feeling when we are asked to sign something!

Yes, I collect vinyl and cassettes too!

17/You don’t seem to play together except for VIxen, have you ever had a project?

Janet sang on Madam X's new album and she is on my Twin Flames Radio album too! When Janet's solo band played in Detroit, Roxy sat in with them. We always talk about finding other ways to work together. It's just tough because we live so far away from each other! Maybe we will dream up a new project someday!

18/You once made a song « how much love » , when you see all the love you have after so many years , don’t you think it’s incredible? What do you want to tell the fans?

It's very incredible indeed! We love our fans and are so appreciative and thankful they still support us after all these years! We hope to come and play everywhere in 2018!!!! Rev it up!

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www.vixenofficial.com

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1- Who started the band and what was the idea?

The band started when I contacted Ziad, Peter, Hassan and a bassist back in late 2016 and asked them to work on something together then we had to split ways with the bassist and waited a while until Ziad suggested Danton who seemed a perfect fit to the band. At first there wasn’t a specific idea until we met a few times and decided to do something versatile that gives every single musician to be himself while writing and playing the songs. From then our ideas started evolving until we reached a mutual understanding about what this band should do and be.

2- Why calling the band that way and have you participated in the logo design?

Divulgent means (the one to reveal a secret or make something known), and that’s the concept we decided to work on with our music where you can understand the song’s theme from the music alone and then when you listen to the lyrics you see that they’re giving more details about the theme and it is all connected to why this song sounds in this specific way. For the Logo, for sure I took part in planning the design and come up with possible fonts and ideas before contacting the designer. I wanted to keep it simple after a mutual decision with the other members since we play a versatile style. So whatever direction we go to musically would not make the logo seem odd to the listener so everything can always be connected for the audience, then we added the emblem we wanted it to represent in a simple way the twisted structure of the life we live in where as we described it “the pyramids of evolution have been reformed to divide us, to show us that we are lost and inferior. Ruled to follow a lighthouse so they can own the sun”. That’s the reason we decided to add the lighthouse-like-shape, the sun and the inverted triangle in it.

3- You have a special stage outfit, what does it mean?

Having such a caliber of musicians in the band and a lot of messages to deliver we agreed to make it all about the theme of the band and not the musicians themselves. So the outfit represents us as a unit which its members are all equal.

4- You seem to be pretty busy, coach at Be Your Own Idol, Singer of your band, working at dream catcher studio, Mozart Chahine… are you the main Metal Head of Lebanon? How do you manage to deal with all those things? Have you done musical studies?

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I am just one of many diehard metal fans in Lebanon and do not represent anyone but myself and my band. Actually, I stopped working at both Dream Catcher studio (PR and band services) and Mozart Chahine musical instruments where I was a showroom manager for 2 years. But being the curious person I am I always have projects going on.

Currently I still coach vocalists and bands with as much time as I can give and is now available for online sessions.

I am the vocalist of Divulgent, I’m finalizing some videos for my YouTube channel “Loud and Heavy” that will be launched soon that will contain A LOT of versatile and entertaining metal music related content, working slowly on a solo project playing all the instruments on the album and partnering up with a friend in an accessories and gadgets shop. So yeah I always love to keep myself busy and do everything I love to do while I’m still breathing. And I do not have any kind of musical studies but planning on doing so very soon especially with music theory and some guitar lessons I guess.

5- What inspire your lyrics? Do you change them due to the music created?

For vocal lines it’s a bit easy for me since with Divulgent I’m always a part of the music composing and usually we have sessions to talk about themes, then I research about the topics and start by writing a pattern of how I see the song going musically in relation to the theme so the band can understand where I’m coming from with the idea. Then they develop the very basic pattern into a way better musical piece. So, for the lyrics I can easily keep working on the structures of the song with the band and when it’s done I write the vocal line and lyrics so the lyrics always come last so it doesn’t change unless we see something doesn’t sound right on the track so we only change a couple of words but never the theme of the lyrics since the theme is always agreed upon before even initiating the writing phase.

6- Which bands influenced you?

I have been a proud metalhead for 15 years now, so I passed through a lot of phases where each phase still holds a special meaning for me whatever the style was. But the first actual metal band I ever heard was Slipknot the album IOWA. For me it’s still the best album I ever heard since it is a complete one and something I still never heard anything like it. So Slipknot is easily my first influence and is still a huge one, and with time I became influenced by anything I listen to but mostly bands like Pantera, Mudvayne, All Shall Perish, Tesseract, Lamb Of God, Meshuggah, After the Burial and some more. Mainly anything groovy no matter how different their approach is to music.

7- Do you play instrument to imagine your songs? Or you just get onto what the band have composed?

Actually I’m not a good guitarist at all. I keep learning but thankfully I know how to use GuitarPro so I can write all the ideas I have. And whenever the band is there to write I can always sing the riff or melody and we try it along the song and help with the structuring and transitions usually so we always have ways to explain the music we have in mind whether the band by playing it or myself by writing it on a software or singing it for them to play.

8- How did you learn how to sing? You are coaching people that means you listen and sing different music styles? Is it your job how do you train people’s voice?

I never learned how to sing. It was always try and fail until I reach what I wanted so it was very hard for me at the beginning but knew how to do my own techniques with time and have my own identity with my voice which I am very happy about so I don’t sound like any other vocalist even if we’re singing the same style of music. Maybe if I learned how to sing before I would’ve sounded very different today or maybe lost some passion for it since I won’t be putting the same effort as learning by myself. Beside some Melissa Cross videos that are always playing on my computer, it’s only until now that I would consider learning theory to improve the way I see a vocal lines and scales. I guess because of that I am able to look at teaching from a very different perspective than other singing teachers because I don’t teach “how to sing the correct scales”! I teach how to take your own voice no matter how it is and train it to become better and better without losing its very own identity and beside that I teach performance and management for bands and solo artists, and yes I deal with people of different styles.

9- How do you find gigs? Are you playing often with the same bands?

Currently since we’re a new band I am taking care of the booking and management aspects. So, I’m always busy communicating with people and promoters and always looking around for gigs happening and trying to see which gigs suit the band more and contacting people abroad so we can start setting small tours right after the EP release and try P65

to play as much gigs as possible after the release. We already played 2 events, the first was at “Wacken Metal Battle 2018 – Lebanon” and another one was “Metal United World Wide – Beirut, Lebanon” and both were with different bands. The next gig will be announced later on with other bands aswell. Hopefully with time we get the chance to share the stage with all our fellow bands in Lebanon and around the world, beside the bands we dream to share the stage with because of their influence on us.

10- Do you sing in other formations than this band?

I had many other projects going before Divulgent but each on its own. I prefer not to be with 2 bands at a time unless the other one is only for small gigs or just jamming and having fun. Even as a session vocalist for 1 event is an option too. As a front-man I always prefer to be representing only 1 band and have my whole potential thrown there. Maybe one day I might play with another band as a side project with a very different style but Divulgent will always be my priority and the place I put my whole passion and energy in.

11- Do you have released albums so far? Is it difficult to get one done?

Our first Ep is in the making and very soon to be recorded and released. It will be like an experiment for what we can do together as a band and as soon as it is released, a full length album will start being worked on. We already have many ideas for the album but we need to release the EP first. And about getting an album done, it’s not that hard if you have good musicians in the band and a big understanding of how each of the members think. As for how difficult it is, one thing is that in Lebanon we do not really have sound engineers who are experienced in recording or producing metal albums. They can do what you ask them to do but that’s it, you can only have something a bit better than a demo.

And then comes the financial issues where it will cost a band A LOT to travel and record their album abroad, which is the reason many bands even fail to release anything… And it’s not always their fault. Luckily we got the opportunity to track a very good quality in Lebanon and send the tracks abroad to mix and master.

www.facebook/Divulgent/

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1/Let’ s get back to why you have chosen to call the band ‘Prima Donna Rising’ ?

We were called Prima Donna from the time we were formed through the 80s until we disbanded. When we decided to reform in 2017, we decided to add Rising since we were returning to the music world, sort of like the Phoenix that rises from the ashes. Symbolically it seemed to fit.

2/What happened for you to have ‘split up’ and not getting more albums?

We had just released our first album, “loud, Louder, LOUDEST” and were scheduled to tour Japan. And sadly there were some personal issues among members of the band that caused us to split up and go our separate ways. Each of us taking a new path. I decided to become an attorney.

3/What became the album ‘Loud Louder, Loudest’?… is it on shelves…

It is very hard to find! Fortunately, we were able to get our Master recording tapes back recently and we have decided to re-release the original album! Soon it will be much easier to find and will be available on most digital outlets and on our website primadonnarising.com.

4/Why have you decided to reform the band? was it hard to get in touch with old members?

A very interesting series of events all fell into place at just the right time! In February 2017, a friend of mine from the 70s, Frank DiMino, lead singer for the 70s band Angel, played a show in the town where I live. Frank put on a great show and sounded better than ever. We had a nice conversation before and after the show which really inspired me to get back in the music business. Shortly thereafter, Ken Masden, a guitar player/songwriter that I had played in a band with prior to forming Prima Donna, contacted me about writing a new album together. I flew to Hawaii in November 2017, and we began working on several new songs, one of which became “Leading Me On!” In December 2017, Shelly Walker, who plays guitar in a great band from the UK, JOANovARC, asked me if we would be interested in touring with them in the UK and then in the USA. I said “of course!” Shelly contacted their booking agent, and we were off to the races!

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It was very difficult reaching all of the original members! Fortunately, I was able to contact Tommy Rojo, bass guitar, who was ready to go from my first phone call, and Steve Sunnarborg, lead guitar, who was on-board once he readjusted his schedule. We then added newcomer David Kaylan Danielson.

5/The new album « A second Bite of the apple » , can you explain the title?

We had an abrupt ending to our career in 1985, and at this time in our lives, we never thought we would get this second chance, this Second Bite of the Apple!

6/Do you have rewrote old songs or did it from scratch?

All of the songs on “A Second Bite” are new songs! We are discussing if we should include one or two of our biggest songs from the first album or not. You’ll just have to wait and see!

7/You have made a great video , who directed it and where you involved in the creation?

Thank you so much! I am so glad you like it! It was directed by our photographer/videographer Casey Cabuco, and yes, I was involved in its creation, as were all the members of the band.

8/Music has changed as you, how do you see this new YOU? Music has changed dramatically, both in it’s creation and distribution! We believe there is a hunger for 80s style arena rock because it was big, it was loud, it was exciting, and it was fun, both in sound and visually! We are trying to bring that 80s arena rock feel and style to the music of the 21st Century! We have changed too, our sound is heavier, and I believe better, and our look is not as glam as it was when we were 20 years old.

9/Do you follow new bands or you still listening your oldies?

Both! I never left music entirely, so while my heart lays in the 70s and 80s, there are bands that I like from the 90s, 2000s, and current bands as well. I am very excited to see young bands like Greta Van Fleet and The Struts that look and sound like they could have stepped out of the 70s and 80s, and are bringing it with their music! Plus, I am very happy to see bands like us that had their hay day in the 80s, making new albums, touring again, and bringing their music to a whole new generation of music lovers. It’s great to see how receptive and welcoming the fans are!

10/How did you find the label to support you , releases the album and send you on tour?

That was set up through a contact from our early days.

11/With whom you will perform live? Any preferences?

Right now our agent is working on a tour with us, JOANovARC, and a head-liner to be announced once the deal is finalized, with a projected UK tour in April and May of 2019!

There are several bands that are out there that we would like to perform with! There are also several big festivals in the UK, Europe, and the USA, that we would really like to play!

12/What inspired your lyrics?

I love that question because this is one of my favorite stories! The message of course is to follow your heart, listen to that voice inside, always pursue your dreams, and don’t ever give up! If someone has their own interpretation of the song, how it relates to them personally, I don’t want to take that away from them, so this is a spoiler alert! We originally wrote the song about a girl. However, while in Hawaii I had shared some of my life experiences with Ken Masden, and after I left, he changed the verses to be about my life story.

So, the song lyrics are, “Standing in the shadows, I could hear the Angels sing As their voices filled the night, something stirred inside of me P68

With ten thousand watts of power, sounding out the Angels’ song I could see the stars before me, as the light began to call.”

I was on a tour with Styx and Angel as a drum and bass tech for Angel, and we were at Madison Square Gardens.

While Angel was playing, I was on stage by the drum riser, just a foot out of the spotlight, and I thought, “I am so close, but so far away from where I really want to be, singing on this stage with my own band.” The “light” that called was the spotlight, calling me to my dream of being a rock star!

For me, the “light” represents being a rock star and the dream I followed throughout my entire lifetime.

The second verse is: “Overcome by the darkness, down the mountain I was thrown I awoke on a new path, headed down another road Until one day there came an Angel, who said he remembered me You’re the young man in the shadows, who saw the light and dared to dream.”

This verse explains how I was driving the instrument truck and fell asleep at the wheel. That was the “darkness” I was overcome by, and I drove right over the edge of a cliff! I was almost killed! I had many, many months of physical therapy to regain the use of my arms. I was able to play music again, and did with my band, but ultimately, I became a lawyer, and that was the “new path” and the “other road,” even though I never fully let go of my dream to play music.

Then in February 2017, “there came an Angel,” that was Frank DiMino, as I mentioned earlier, and the reference to being in “the young man in the shadows” was me so many years earlier when I was on stage by the drum riser just a foot away from the spotlight!

So I fully “followed my heart, and followed my dream” and here I am back playing music again after so many years!

13/The video « Leading Me on » sounds like a hit single from the eighties, was is made for?

Thank you so much! That is such a nice compliment! We wrote “Leading Me On” during this year but we wanted it to have that big, 80s arena rock sound and feel, but with a modern flavor.

14/What have you done during all these years? Working in the business or in other bands…

As I mentioned, I became an attorney, and did represent other musicians. I was also partners in a music management company, “Wild Weasel Management,” with Drew Forsyth, the original drummer in Quite Riot. We represented several artists and bands during the 90s. But through the years I never cut my hair and I never stopped playing and writing music! The dream always remained alive in my heart!

15/You seem to be pretty at easy with the image, the composition etc.. like you ‘ve been making tons of albums such as Saxon or Def Leppard, what is your secret?

Thank you so much! That is such a huge compliment to be compared with such greats as Saxon and Def Leppard, two bands that I admire, respect, and like very much! Wow, I wish I could tell you “the secret” but I don’t know what it is!

I suppose it’s just in my DNA, in my blood! I feel that I was born to be a rock singer, and I when I play, I just let the music take over!

16/Who has done the website, do you get in touch with people on social medias?

That’s a big secret, I made the website, with the help of bandzoogle! Haha!!

Yes, we have a lot of great friends on social media that we communicate with often and on a regular basis. Social media has been one of the biggest contributors to us being where we are now! Without social media we would not have become friends with JOANovARC, who have been instrumental in our return, and, in fact, we wouldn’t be doing this interview with you if not for social media!

Kimble Ouerbacker PD

https://primadonnarising.com

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