Virtuosity One Interview index


PANGEA [July 2010]
	"Well, it's not much unlike producing a new album. After the songs are written it's mostly just work and craftsmanship. I could paint you a beautiful picture and talk about inspiration and creativity and how you set the mood in an inspiring environment and all that but the truth is that when everything is written and arranged, it's more or less just a matter of getting it down on the hard disk. Not that that can't be a lot of fun but that has much more to do with chemistry in the band. That's also the reason why we all know amazing albums in history that was made by bands that was on the brink of breakup. Those two things don't really have anything to do with each other. Of course if you have to improvise solos or something on the spot in the studio you do have to be inspired of course and there are those moments always but mostly it's just executing what you've trained so many years to be able to do. For this re-recording it wasn't very different from the first time because what I improvised on the guitar the first time took a fresh look at and improvised over it again, so..." [READ THE INTERVIEW]
THE MILESTONES [June 2010]
	"It seems that youngsters are checking out their parents record collections and having a blast doing it. They're discovering all the great band who have influenced all these new bands. When we were supporting old legends like Whitesnake and Deep Purple I was totally surprised about the number of young people in the audience. Front row was just people from 15 to 25 years old. It really was something that I didn't expect. We went down like a storm and got a great response. Those same people come to our shows as well so it's heart warming to see that. There's no age racism in classic rock genre at all. It doesn't matter if the band is old it still gets audience from babies to grannies. It's all about the music not the image." [READ THE INTERVIEW]
DREYELANDS [May 2010]
	"It can seem false modesty but I’m not interested in ultra fast guitar shredding and flaming fingerboards or things like this. I like to see and hear the whole music we play. So I wanted to make an album with a massive guitar sound and a few solos with feelings. Of course we have some shred-like solos, but it’s always depends on what the music claim. I know it sound like an artistic bullshit but for me there is the importance." [READ THE INTERVIEW]
Y&T [May 2010]
	"That's interesting that you say ''what the budget allowed for" - you know it cost absolutely nothing to crank up your reverbs, digital delays, compressors etc. So, no, it wasn't a budget thing. For almost every album we ever made we would listen to the rough mixes and think" holy shit, this sounds great-just think how much better it's gonna sound when it gets mixed." Well, guess what, more often than not the power of the band was lost in an over processed mix, sure something's got that nice sheen to them a nice rounded polished sound--so we are very aware of all these techniques--and we do use them--but we start backing off when they start taking over the power of the band." [READ THE INTERVIEW]
HARD [April 2010]
	"Yeah, even though the hype and blah blah only take you that far… it's important that we create awareness of the band and reach the people out there who'd like our stuff. In Hungary, since the band's already is well known there, I suppose my involvement is somewhat as exotic to them, as it is for me and the press and media we're talking to here in Sweden. This mix don't happen everyday..". [READ THE INTERVIEW]
MATTSSON [March 2010]
	"I want to explore new areas but I believe in not making too drastic changes too fast, but the truth is that once I start writing for a new album the songs will kind of write themselves and all I can do is watch and see where they are taking me. Sounds silly but this is the truth. I don’t have a set formula or any rules regarding what is okay and what is not ok to include. Not having sold a million albums I feel totally free to go where the wind takes me rather than having to limit myself to a pre defined set of rules. If AC/DC or Iron Maiden would do that they would commit commercial suicide". [READ THE INTERVIEW]
MASTERMIND [March 2010]
	"I thought it was a pretty original idea at the time, but since then it seems dozens of other acts have gone the same route. I suppose the real essence of it was twofold... the first being, after quite a bit of touring in the 90's I just got tired of being the only vocalist. It wore me out. I never set out in life to be a singer and took some flack for it... tho' some people still prefer my vocal to the female thing. Personally, I just wanted to concentrate on playing guitar which is my true love, musically speaking. So we made an instrumental album - Excelsior! - our first with Jens, and because we had another player to work with, we leaned more towards an interactive fusion sound which I love. But then we got a lot of flack from the labels for doing that.. "you can't sell an instrumental album" and so on, so I thought if we need a vocalist I want a good one and Lisa (Bouchelle) was the best one I knew personally. The idea of a female voice appealed to me because it was unique and, I love female vocal in a classical setting. Lisa was into it so we gave it shot.. only to hear back from the labels that "female vocals don't sell" which I don't agree with, but we were being marketed as a metal band so I suppose there is some truth to that since metal is so macho. Anyway, after a while it became clear Lisa was more interested in pursuing her solo career so we needed another female voice to be able to carry on playing the "Angels" material. When I met Tracy she seemed like the perfect solution, so here we are." [READ THE INTERVIEW]
JON OLIVA'S PAIN [February 2010]
	“I love this record and I feel it is a very big statement from all of us that proves we have come together relaxed and un-afraid to take chances this time. Plus, I feel Jon’s comfort zone with the band and us, with his song writing, allows us to explore and push ourselves musically as far as we can. Songs are like recipes; it takes the right chef and his cooks to put all of those elements together. It takes time, and is not always easy. Look at any great band in history and you will always find a growth period before the stars align and everyone is firing on all cylinders. This is “Festival” [READ THE INTERVIEW]
STATE OF ROCK [February 2010]
	Aah, this was Georg’s idea. He considered that a combination of Frontline and Shy would be a great ‘State Of Rock’ for the AOR market and so it was born. It’s expanded a bit now on the original formula I’ve seen in the promo stuff – 75% Frontline + 25% Shy = State Of Rock, because we now have Joe Basketts, who is part of Shy, as part of the band, bringing in keyboards for live work, and Wolfgang Schimmer from Evidence One on second guitar, but that’s where the origins of it lie! [READ THE INTERVIEW]
THE MURDER OF MY SWEET [February 2010]
	Our producer and drummer Daniel Flores had the initial idea for a new band, and I was asked to join early on. Considering I was a fan of Daniels previous work and that we had worked together on several projects prior to TMOMS, it was an easy decision to make. Johan Niemann is and old friend of both of us and Daniels brother in arms from Minds Eye, so he was our first pick for a bass player. Andreas Lindhal is also an old friend to both of us and a phenomenal keyboard player so he was also our first choice. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
CHARLY SAHONA [February 2010]
	Oh, you have no idea the pressure I put on me. I think it was one of the biggest artistic challenge I've ever done so far. When I was a child, I wanted to be a singer before I wanted to be a guitar player but I didn't like my voice at all, that's one of the reasons why I 'd been practicing the guitar so much I think. Later, before we recorded the Venturia "New Kingdom" album, I worked my voice again, as our first singer decided to quit the band. I took some lessons but it was the same thing, I still felt uncomfortable and I was thinking "shut up and play the guitar". But a year and a half ago, I finally decided that I'll do this album with me on the lead vocals. I said about this project during a French interview for the "Hybrid" release, this way I had no other choice to do it. I was already used to sing sometimes in my cover bands and gained more self-confidence so it helped me to realize this project. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
BORISLAV MITIC [January 2010]
	It is getting more and more difficult every day. I think it depends on the corporate controlled media and their agenda. This is not a very commercial style of music and if sidelined further it will die off slowly. Even the great classical composers like Bach, Mozart or Chopin could do their thing only because they were supported and sponsored by the elite and nobility of the era. Today it seems that electric virtuoso guitar is obsolete as far as corporate labels are concerned… But which great rock musician’s music of yesterday is rock music of today mainly founded on? If we had to choose just one, I think it would have to be Jimi Hendrix’! Even the amps, pedals and guitars are still more or less based on the same technology that what was used in 60s by Hendrix. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
IRON MASK (January 2010)
	I don’t like to do hundreds of demos of a song. I record it basically just to remind me of it later when we all need to learn the new stuff at our place. The final test is always at the rehearsals, sometime I change a part in a song, but in general the song structure doesn’t change anymore -it happened only once this time for the new album ,I added the Gregorian Latin choirs part in the ’Forever in the dark’ verses in the studio when we recorded the drums and told Erik to add some more drumming. Its’ sometimes difficult for a drummer or a bass player coz we always play new stuff without the singer (he’s lives near Frankfurt and we are in Brussels). So as they don’t know the vocal melodies; it’s harder for them to get the structure of a song, but I sing the melody then they understand very quickly the basis of a song. I like new technology and recording with a computer; programming fake drums is now very easy for every musicians but I ‘m kind of an old school guy ,you know. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
VENDETTA (December 2009):
	I think you just have to be honest and get together with likeminded people. All the bands who have spoken out are in the same boat. I’m very realistic about downloading but I just wish people would buy the real thing if they genuinely like our material. If we could just quadruple our album sales (this sounds like a lot but it isn’t!) then it would make life so much easier. Our recording would recoup and it could go into the next album and then monies from gigs etc go could go towards other things. It’s getting to the stage where a lot of artists aren’t going to bother making albums anymore. We’ve educated a whole generation to steal so we need to rectify this!. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
TWINSPIRITS (November 2009)
	You know, the inner view can be very different than the outer view. When you live all the events and the evolution of the band from the inside it can be more difficult to spot the various elements that have developed during the years, since you live it day by day as a very slow but constant process. If you hear from outside the new album after some years and you compare to the previous one the development and evolution of the band sound and skills can be more visible for a listener from outside the band I’d say. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
STATUS MINOR (November 2009):
	Melodies are what guide the songs. They create a mood and a feel that in turn give us ideas about the lyrical content. Markku gets those things almost automatically. I’m doing my best to strengthen the mood with my work and I’m doing a lot of co-operation with Sami on it as he’s the mastermind behind the musical frame of our material and has probably the clearest vision of what the song should be like when it’s ready. Everything influences everything, but the music is always there in some form before we even start thinking about the lyrics. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
THE PSYCHICS (October 2009):
	As the main song writer I tend to dictate the direction the music is going in, with Lionsheart I wrote songs that would suit the singer’s voice, he had a specific range within which his voice worked well. I find working with my brother however I can be a bit more varied because I feel Steve copes with singing blues based ideas better, so that’s an element in the music now that we didn’t have before. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
INFINITY OVERTURE (October 2009)
	I have developed a filter, I call it, where I go through my compositions, asking myself "is this the best you can do?" and if the answer is no, then I redo it. It is something I came up with since I did the instrumental home made cd, which was utter crap in my opinion. So my compositions are developing all the time. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
RONNY MUNROE(October 2009)
	I wanted more harmonies and bigger guitars, as well as a tight rhythm section... Now, that's not to say that you can’t find that on the Metal Church releases because you can. It's just a different feeling when you're laying down your own tracks, something that’s really yours. "The Fire Within" didn't need to compete, but it had to have those ingredients. I would say sonically, it’s a great first effort but I’m already plotting my next adventure, so we’ll see what happens on the next one! [READ THE INTERVIEW]
FAIR WARNING (September 2009)
	When you start playing the guitar most of us have certain heroes. So had I. Unfortunately I never could decide what to be like when I'm grown up. So it's a mixture of all my influences. On the other hand, whenever I wanted to sound like somebody else, copying a solo or a riff, it never sounded quite right, it always somehow sounded like me. Took me years to accept that as a blessing rather than a curse. Still I enjoy to hide some “quotes” every now and then in my playing on every record I ever did and see if people find out. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
SIMONE FIORLETTA(September 2009)
	To be honest with you, I don’t intend to create an album which is exclusively shred to the wall. Personally I prefer melodic tracks, which tend towards the expression accompanied, when possible, by virtuosity and so on. My intention is to make people understand the reason of my choice of title, by simply listening to the track. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
ASHENT (August 2009)
	We wanted to mix the impact of a modern thrash or melodic death production with the refinement of a prog-rock album. Prog-metal albums, generally have excellent crunch, clean and solo sounds and magnificent keyboards but often there is a lack of aggressiveness: rhythmic guitars and drums have sometimes terrible crappy fake sounds and the bass has that “eighties-early nineties” sound that cannot fit in a modern production. So we tried to have more impact than usual, exploring in the best way we could the metal side of our music: we used a lot of seven strings guitars, we rehearsed different snares, bass amp microphones. And, last but not least, we mixed and mastered everything spending all the necessary time. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
SEAN BAKER ORCHESTRA (August 2009)
	Mostly, I didn't want to sound like every other instrumental guitarist. I think the thing that helped me out the most on my first cd, was that the songs were written for vocals. Meaning, the songs already had hooks, and were put together for the songs sake, and not just backing chords to shred over. Well, when I was writing "Baker's Dozen" I did the same kind of writing. I wrote as though I was writing for a vocal band, and THEN put the goofy guitar stuff on it! [READ THE INTERVIEW]
ROB ROCK (August 2009)
	I am always aware of what I am trying to present as an album to my fans. I sit down with my producer/co-songwriter Roy Z and we discuss what we are shooting for when we begin a new Rob Rock album. Roy and I focus on the songs and overall vibe to each record, and then my band comes in and records the songs from the demos Roy and I prepare beforehand. The musicians have a tremendous burden to pull off the songs in an even stronger way than when they are demoed, as we leave a lot of room for interpretation from the band. This way we have an honest and true performance from the whole band and this adds to the power of the album. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
MILAN POLAK (July 2009)
	TV is full of crap like reality shows and casting shows. They keep making people believe that anybody can become a singer, star or actor. It’s ridiculous. It’s just totally disrespectful to all the real musicians and actors out there - the ones with real talent, the ones that study hard and work off their asses. We live in a time where some idiot with mental issues is regarded as being cool and becomes an icon. Everyone is a model or rock star these days. It’s hilarious. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
TONY HERNANDO (July 2009)
	When I presented the songs to Mike (Terrana) he reacted very well, telling me these were some of my best songs ever and he was having a blast. He came to the studio with great ideas and we experimented a little bit. We had a great time, trying to make an instrumental album that was strong as the ones released in the late 80´s, where not only the guitar playing was outstanding, but the drumming too. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
ASTRA (June 2009)
	The Italian metal scene is good regarding the bands but regarding the exposure just the “big” names get the column space, or its influences by who’s got more friends here and there, if you know what I mean. I think that Astra can hopefully break through because we have nothing less then the “big” Italian names in terms of appeal. We just have less exposure. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
LOU GRAMM (June 2009)
	It’s certainly different…in the US, there are classic rock stations, soft rock stations, adult contemporary stations, but there are very few radio stations that will play new music from rock artists who gained their popularity in the 70s or 80s. It’s difficult to reach your audience. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
BALTIMOORE (May 2009)
	Hopefully, people will enjoy them on their karaoke nights or use them to record their own lovely voices… put it on YouTube and just have a laugh with it… or make new vocal melodies and lyrics… or just enjoy the absence of me… I’d love to hear someone else belting it on these tracks in any shape or form! [READ THE INTERVIEW]
IMPELLITTERI (April 2009)
	Honestly it’s a return to our very first album ( The Black Impellitteri EP) …But, with a big production. We were always an aggressive metal band, but I often experimented with melodic structures and different styles of music depending on the target audience. “Wicked Maiden” is an original Impellitteri record, I’d say. It’s pure and honest. We are not copying anyone, and we are not chasing any trends. We are simply playing music we love. So, I guess we are a much heavier band than some people think? [READ THE INTERVIEW]
HERMAN FRANK (March 2009)
	Actually, I started about two years ago. Whenever I found time in between producing or working for other bands (which gladly, I do a lot of these days…), I would sit down and work on my own songs. I wrote more than 20 Songs so that I could have a huge catalogue to sort out the best ones from…. Those tracks are now “Loyal To None”. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
VENTURIA (Jan 2009)
	Until a few years ago, The French metal scene had a very bad reputation, and I must admit that there were not amazing metal bands here. But things have really changed : the French metal scene is getting stronger and stronger. Some bands like Eths, Gojira, Dagobah, One Way Mirror are doing some great music and are pretty successful. If you don't know them yet, I invite you to check them out. They are all playing aggressive metal, but it's really well done. About Adagio and Venturia, I must say that there are not a lot of bands who can play technical music like we do. We're proud to represent this side of the new French metal scene worldwide. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
VOODOO CIRCLE (Dec 08)
	Well, the biggest difference and what plays a decisive role is the fact that this band is able to jam and to create one of a kind moments on stage. The interaction between the musicians is a very important factor. A real musician listens to the other musicians while playing, instead of listening only to himself. This is the big difference…..you have to listen what the other guys do and to react on this….then you can let the music fly. This time, I have the best combination of players of Europe with me. Every guy around me is a star on his own – you can leave all of them alone for 20 minutes on a stage everywhere in the world and they would come up with something exciting and entertain the audience without whining or screaming for their mother! [READ THE INTERVIEW]
EMIR HOT (May 08)
	I have heard many metal bands using some “eastern” scales and melodies but that’s usually just a little flavour on top of their “every day” metal style. I tried to mix some of its pure originality with no “make-up” at all, just like it’s played in Bosnia and that part of Balkan countries. That’s was a risky move because I don’t think I’ve ever heard a metal band throws accordion parts out of nowhere and shock all metal fans with something totally different. I tried to use that exact “shock” formula and it helped to get signed to “Lion Music” which is definitely a big accomplishment. Not everyone will like this musical mixture but this was my first and quite a successful attempt to be part of the metal industry. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
EVERON (May 08)
	I’ve been a producer for more than a decade now so I suppose I’d be un-produceable for another producer anyway. It’s the same when a doctor gets ill and needs to see a doctor, you don’t want to have that actually. I’d sometimes wish to have a producer though who takes my role, but I am realistic enough to be aware that it probably wouldn’t work out. Already in the stage of writing I think like a producer anyway, so my imagination contains musical details as well as details of how to record or produce it, so I suppose it would be difficult for me to take anybody else’s advice on those issues. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
PALACE TERRACE (November 07)
	I started writing the story during a very emotional point in my life and within the story I had somehow wrote myself into the album. The lyrics are based off of a story I have been writing named FATHER. The story is of three close friends growing up but, they seem to have different paths and through perseverance one finds the way to help everyone in the end but, only after death takes its role. It is a story that I hope to have available to everyone soon. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
ANGEL OF EDEN (November 07)
	I was inspired by this as I am very much into medieval history. I love sightseeing old castles, museums etc. This song is about a battle which took place close to where I live and I often go to this site to see the old paintings in the Battle Chapel. However, I wanted it to sound somewhat like a Movie soundtrack and I guess we got pretty close. I'm into Metallicas 'Ride the Lightning' record, especially because of the guitar sound and the riffing and I had this vicious riff and again I put it together piece by piece, it just had to bring over the character of a medieval battle from the start to the end. Mistheria did a terrific job on the intro and the whole orchestration of that tune. He, and this was the case on all the tracks he played on, always understood a 100% what my vision of each of the tracks was. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
TWINSPIRITS (July 07)
	I wrote the lyrics and vocal melodies. When I write lyrics I try to create a good interaction between music and vocals. It’s very important that the lyrics fit the music, and that it’s not just notes applied to the harmony. I think that the experience over the years help to write good lyrics and vocal lines, it’s something that comes out naturally and sometimes when I write a song, the lyrics seem to me that are already there, they only have to be discovered and written down…it’s a great feeling! [READ THE INTERVIEW]
AWAKE (June 07)
	When it comes to the keyboards, we never wanted to go down the prog keyboard solo path - for one thing Craig hates keyboard solos! - so we use them more as an addition to the sound, which gives the album that great big sound that it has. On tracks like Illumination however, we used them in an more electronic way rather than trying to make them sound like strings or orchestra parts. That is the great thing about keys, you can do pretty much anything with them, and we like to see how else we can use them. It’s something we’ll push further in the future I think. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
JOHN MACALUSO (June 07)
	I next started my, what I call National Geographic Adventure. I had to get the people I really wanted to record no matter what, so I would do anything to achieve this. I travelled all over the world to record the musicians on the record. To Italy to record Marco Sfogli, France to do keys, Pennsylvania to record piano with Vitalij Kuprij, Germany, California to do guitars with Alex Masi and many more places. I had to do it this way because I had to write the material and collaborate with these guys, not just send tracks around to places and hope that they were going to record something I loved. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
EVIDENCE ONE (June 07)
	Well, our debut “Criticize The Truth” basically was a harder version of what Robby did with FRONTLINE, let’s say, we were a Hard Rock band back then. With our second output “Tattooed Heart” we wanted to capture our live heaviness as a Melodic Metal band, to which we’d somehow evolved because of the live shows and festivals we did. “The Sky Is The Limit” for us should be the album to, like I said before, establish our own sound. This is, what E1 is all about, this is, how we sound, for people to probably to say, this or that band sounds like EVIDENCE ONE, instead of EVIDENCE ONE sounds like this or that band. This doesn’t mean, we won’t stay true to our roots, hell no, but it’s time to stand for ourselves.. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
MILAN POLAK (April 07)
	I think it’s sad that we live in a time where media feeds people with fast food. TV is flooded with reality and casting shows, making the viewers believe that everybody can sing and be a star today. You don’t need to learn an instrument, love & understand music – if you don’t want to work a 9 – 5 day job just become part of a TV show and get your 15 minutes of fame. It has become so annoying that I actually wrote a song about it called “Superstar Mania”. People do not appreciate real music anymore and the whole music business is going down. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
ENGINE OF PAIN (Feb 07)
	The band is breathing thrash metal. I think it sucks that this music is not around anymore at bands. If you are a metal head and like the bands I’ve mentioned before you MUST check us out. You must have the CD with artwork, check out our Myspace area or website to fully understand and taste the spirit of Engine of Pain. Once you’re in, you won’t get out! We are not trying to re-invent thrash metal; we are just improving it! [READ THE INTERVIEW]
DAVE MARTONE (Feb 07)
	There are so many great players out there, and a lot of it is starting to sound the same. How fast can we go? Is that the point of music? Possibly, but there is more to it than that. People need to get a unique voice instead of just imitating all the time. That drives me nuts! So much time is spent on technique, and I spent my fair share of it, but I think the next evolvement is in sound. I love engineering also, and thanks for the compliment on the production. I find you can be very artistic with sound. I am trying to basically paint a picture with sounds and a cross pollination of styles to create new, fresh sounding music. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
SPHERE OF SOULS (Nov 06):
	I like the ‘rawness’ of the sound. Many metal/rock bands have this over-compressed, heavily chorused guitar tone. In my opinion this reduces the impact of music. I think that rock/metal should be delivered ‘raw’, with a punch and without compromise. It was a conscious decision. This sound also provided us with a means to let the listener in on what kind of chords we use. An overly compressed sound can bury some of the tones in such chords, which defeats the object of using them. This meant that we needed something different. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
BALTIMOORE (Oct 06)
	I constantly get “good advice” on how important it is for a rock band to maintain a certain style in order for fans not to get confused and disappointed etc. I understand the rhyme and reason in this to a certain degree, but I’m too much of a punk rocker to fall in line. When I read about bands who see them selves as being a trademark..?.. and feel a responsibility towards the fans - I don’t get it! [READ THE INTERVIEW]
DANIEL PALMQVIST (Sept 06)
	I’m a big fan of good guitar playing, and I can get very impressed by someone who has a great technique, but if the song and the melodies aren’t equally good I loose interest pretty fast. I really tried to listen to some shred type albums when I was younger cause all my guitarist friends did, but I couldn’t force myself to like it, haha. To me good playing in the context of good music is so much more interesting. To me, there isn’t that much difference between instrumental music and music with vocals. It’s about having strong melodies and interesting arrangements. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
BALTIMOORE (June 06)
	First of all, on the previous albums, there was never a situation where people were band members and then got fired or was replaced for one reason or the other, except for Nikolo Kotzev - he got "relieved". Baltimoore has been full of great players coming and going for when there's been a project going. This line-up is fucking great! We're all good friends and we've found a way of making it work, which means everybody does what I tell them to do.., no seriously, we're a great unit and we've made plans for 2 more albums, 4 all together. After that I don't know. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
MIND'S EYE (June 06)
	The story starts of in a class room. A teacher is trying to get the class to shut up. Then she goes off to a world of lies, deception and corruption starting off with the Darwin theory. The first song starts of with the moon landings, a laughable topic in my book. Taking you next to the tragedy of 9/11, later changing topic to sense which we have lost trough out our generation, namely Intuition or how other would call it telepathy. Changing topic again to the mysteries of the Pyramids of Giza and how an archaeologist falls in love with them, in the end thinking he is a great Pharaoh. From mental illness we go off to physical illness about drugs and how easy it is to get hooked on drugs. Drugs make us forget about reality but the reality is that our world is dying and that’s what next song is about, how are we going to save it? no wonder the earth reacts with stuff like the Tsunami. Then we end the first half of the album with some rules, sacred rules. We have forgotten about honesty and honour. The old ways are disappearing in front of our eyes and the new law is “everybody is you enemy”. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
TIME REQUIEM (April 06)
	First I must say that Göran is one of the finest musicians I’ve ever worked with. I came in contact with him after my fellow Jonas Reingold told me about having Göran on next record. I simply just called him up and asked him if he wanted the job. Göran never does this kind of music nowadays. He knew about me and my music and he also liked what he heard so he said yes. He is an extremely talented and professional musician. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
HUBI MEISEL (March 06)
	I gave my best to realize a mighty sound and this time I fortunately could invest about 2 ½ months in the mixdown of the album. I was using a lot of expensive analogue gear to achieve a warm and punchy sound. I was also working a lot with effects, audio samples and different reverb rooms in order to create special soundscapes matching the storyline. In the song “Potala Palace”, for example, in which the storyteller walks through the countless mighty halls of Potala, I used about 20 different reverb types in order to sonically express this special atmosphere. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
MARCEL COENEN (Feb 06)
	I turn on my computer, start up Cubase, make a drum machine active and start programming drum rhythms, so I get rhythmic ideas. That is the way songs like Patron Saint and Skill Factor were written. Songs like La Bella Mira come from a sweet thought on someone and that gives melodies in my head (in this case my girlfriend). In other therms I think theoretically (New Race) and in others I am playing with atmospheric sounds on my synthesizer (Still Bleeding) or am I just jamming some riffs (Waiting). I get inspired by a lot of things, I can get inspired by things happening around me, or by hearing nature sounds, so many different things actually, kinda hard to explain. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
DOMAIN (Feb 06)
	I'm getting older! :-) To me personally it feels like my voice changes all the time. I know how to warm up and sing my parts, no problem, but to me, it's like it changes its sound somehow. For sure, the voice gets deeper and darker with age, so it's getting harder, hitting the high notes, but on the other hand, I love this rough and edgy sound, simply because I have to sing more like with power. Strength...? Well, ask those, who are forced to work with me! :-) [READ THE INTERVIEW]
LARS ERIC MATTSSON (Dec 05)
	The main problem is that the market is a bit too small, not enough people are buying these kinds of albums – the result of this will in the long run mean that fewer albums will be released. The only way to do this is to work all the time, expect very little money and do it for the love of the music. There are many big problems with the music business of today, it’s very hard to get support from the magazines and as there are record stores closing down all the time the only way to find music is from on line stores. Since many record stores are closing this gives problems for the distributors which is bad news for the labels… There seem to be far too many artists and releases put out compared to the purchasing power of the buyers. A lot of people download the music for free from the internet. If the artists don’t get enough support from the buyers they wont be able to put out more records and we will risk ending up in a situation where most cd’s put out will be compilation albums and re-releases. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
DOGPOUND (Dec 05)
	Just writing new songs and hopefully start to record a new album early next year. I thing Micke has got like 15 new song. I will be seeing him next week and we will try to sort them out and see with ones that a Dogpound good. The ones that are to lousy maybe we will give them to Nickelback so that their new album will be their best ever. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
NIACIN (Dec 05)
	Even though the organ samples are getting better and better, the live performance parameters that a B3 has - the leslie speakers sound, the logarithmic volume pedal, the keyboard feel, the ergonomics of the dual keyboard, the actual sound of the sine wave generator and more - I don’t believe will ever be duplicated as if they were, you’d basically would evolve completely back to the B3 which other than it’s awkward size and weight is the perfect machine. To me, it’s out points are few compared to its plus points. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
MILAN POLAK (Nov 05)
	Well, writing songs with lyrics I always compare to eating and digesting. Lol Like I said before, I constantly absorb and feed my mind and all these things shine through and come out in my songs. It’s a constant process of experiencing and being moved by these experiences. With instrumentals it is more like painting pictures to me. All the instruments and sounds are like colours and by choosing which sounds (or instruments) you mix together, you create sonic colours. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
BALTIMOORE (Sept 05)
	It started in January 2004. I had gotten some riffs together and really couldn't stop playing them... I wanted to start a new project but knew I didn't have a drummer since Ian Haughland has joined Europe again. I called Hempo, who's always ready and willing to have a good time, and he said he knew a guitar-player, Mankan Sedenberg, who might be a good side-kick for me and my riffs. So, I flew down south and we hook up and started wanking. When the songs were done, in July, Stefan Bergström joined for lead guitar and Weine Johansson on bass. First we recorded drums in 4 days, the rest got recorded in a period of 5 months. The album was ready in February 2005. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
ARK STORM (Sept 05)
	No, it was not something we intended to do. But we built the whole production with mainly melodies in mind. The melody line was the key for the song writing. So I am not surprised that people feel the sense of commercialism to some degree. We just did what we wanted to do as Ark Storm on our own way. And the result just happened this way naturally. It may fit into the current trend or whatever but it wasn't aimed anyway intentionally. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
IRON MASK (Sept 05)
	We wanted a really wild recording, we didn’t rehearse much. Anton Arkhipov our drummer sometimes didn’t know the songs, I just told him “ok lets rock let s record”. He just warmed up 3 or 4 times with one of the songs and then when the song structure was in his head for a couple of minutes he recorded and improvised some very good breaks and licks. With the stress and energy you are boosted and your performance is just great. A live gig feeling, that’s just what we wanted. There are so many robotic, programmed productions, I just hate it. I had to do it for the drums on the first Iron Mask album and this was the first and last time I will do that. A drummer needs to play live, all the rest is bullshit. Some bands need that kind of production or if they don t get enough money to get a drummer. Iron Mask is not Rammstein and will never be, we need life in our sound. but don’t get me wrong it doesn’t mean you have to play out of tune or not in the tempo there’s enough rap metal shit for that [READ THE INTERVIEW]
SILENT FORCE (March 05)
	25 fucking long years….and I still love it like the first day. I still get excited whenever I pick up my guitar. It is a gift from god, destiny and it changed my live completely. When I picked up the guitar the first time I was hooked from the first moment and wanted to become a professional musician. Today, I have seen almost the whole world, I have been to Japan many times, USA, South America, Indonesia, China, Malaysia, and in every European Country. Not to forget all this GREAT moments on stage!!!! This is the best! [READ THE INTERVIEW]
SPACE ODYSSEY (March 05)
	The biggest difference is mainly the production. On the first CD we had a lot of effects whereas on the new one I wanted a pretty dry, more acoustic sound because the playing stands up on its own big time. From the beginning when I mixed the album with Jonas Reingold I wanted no effects at all, but then the sound got too small. So we turned the sound just a little fatter and that came out great. I can imagine some fans reacting because the sound doesn't explode in that 80´s production way, but this is the way I like it. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
JOE LYNN TURNER (March 05)
	It was a surreal time for me because I had grown up playing Deep Purple covers in bands when I was in high school and now here I was fronting this legendary band that has always been one of my primary influences. It was an awesome experience and working on "Slaves and Masters" was one of the highlights of my career. In fact, Ritchie Blackmore has often stated that that album is his favourite since the band reunited in the early 1980s. We toured the world during the Gulf War when many bands were afraid to go out on the road and the fans were very appreciative. I completely respect all of the members of Deep Purple and will always admire them for their incredible contribution to rock and roll history and glad I could be part of it as well. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
GORAN EDMAN (Nov 04)
	Yngwie gave me free hands with some tracks. Making Love, Bedroom Eyes, Faultline and Judas. Judas though had a chorus melody but I had to come up with the verses and the bridge. Faultline was his title but I had to make up something around it. Mostly I was sitting in my apartment or at the beach, preparing the lyrics. There was plenty of time before we started recording the vocal parts and I took opportunity of the nice climate to get myself a nice sun tan. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
JOE STUMP (Sept 04)
	I'm pretty pleased with the new record, its certainly my finest hour. Every aspect of the new record is as close to my final vision as anything that I've ever recorded. The tunes are well crafted, the production is real nice, the guitar tone is killer, glassy and crystal clear and of course you get a lethal dose of insane extreme shredding and neo-classical mayhem. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
MADMEN & SINNERS (Sept 04):
	I'm always open to ideas, and expect a vocalist to bring their own to an album. Compositionally, James (LaBrie) pretty much stuck to what I had written. But he extended notes here and there in order to give the vocal part a stronger delivery. That in itself is not part of the thematic songwriting- that's delivery, and I certainly wanted James to feel free to deliver the vocal the best way he could. Needless to say, he sang great. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
TIME REQUIEM (June 04)
	There are a small group of people who can cope with me and understand exactly what I am looking for when it comes to music. One of these 5-7 people is Jonas Reingold. Actually there were only a very small group that made the new record reality for me. These people are in the inner circle of my reality. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
MAGNITUDE 9 (March 04)
	Its not as PROG sounding as our last cd , but still there are those elements of prog , neoclassical & metal all together. On this cd we tried to focus more on SONGS. There is still shredding solos , but the songs are more mature & we think more to the point as far as hooks, etc. We want to reach a wider audience than ONLY prog or shred fans , Of course we want to reach those people, but we wanted to display a complete package on this cd. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
KEVIN CHOWN (March 04)
	Beware of that phrase “trained musician”. Its not that “muzo’s” are bad, but “schooled” musicians sometimes take themselves too seriously and only worry about themselves and their own part instead of thinking of the bigger picture musically. They don’t listen to each other. I’ll take a street player most any day…..To answer your question and how school related to me however, was good because it forced me to play with better musicians at a higher level, and to play types of music that I had never played before. It broadened my horizons. But I never forgot my roots in rock. Play what you feel. Passion over brains any day. You can’t look at music school like it’s a vocational experience; you don’t walk out the door with “the skill” when you are done, and the degree means nothing if you cant (or don’t want to) play. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
RUSTY COOLEY (March 04)
	It was a very natural thing. The idea of having more creative outlet and range on the instrument makes sense. Also you don't have to do all kinds of different tunings to make your guitar heavier. With a 7 string you have all of the low end without even leaving A 440. Although I do tune my guitars down a half step just out of habit. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
DOKKEN (Jan 04):
	Well, if your expecting some heavy metal style album, I guess you will hate it! its a very personal album, all the songs mean a lot to me musically and lyrically, its more about simple catchy songs than "hey look how fast I can play" I am very proud of it! it has a bit of all my influences, but its mainly pop rock, you don't need to be a guitar player to like it. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
ANAND MAHANGOE (Nov 03)
	Without melody , a song is not a good song (to me) ! I don't have to tell you that instrumental music is hard to sell ....almost impossible without melody. Most of the guitar players do have technique , one faster than the other, so I do not find it necessary to show them every minute. And next to this, I would also like non guitar players / `normal` people (laughs) to buy my music, therefore, melody is a must! [READ THE INTERVIEW]
WINTERLONG (Oct 03)
	Yep, it was very intentional. I already had the sound in my head as I started to work out the songs. I wanted to make it very "in-your-face"-kind of sounding, and to really maintain the raw guitar sounds that comes out from the amplifier, not so polished and glossy-sounding like most power metal. And even though we have synths and stuff it still never feels too "fine", at least in my opinion..., but it's difficult to explain, once you hear it you'll know what I'm talking about. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
DUSHAN PETROSSI (Sept 03)
	Wow that’s a hard question. If you mean the current state of melodic metal, it’s still hard for bands like IM ,there’s no real support on TV or national radios, we really survive thanks to the melodic metal fans and the underground metal world. If you mean label stuff, be careful only sign something with a minimum money in advance, I’ve been crooked by my former label, they released the album in a lot of countries without informing me of this and they made problems with our new German label without having any legal option for a second album. Now I m really happy with my 2 labels (LION music and LMP) they are both really professional and honest. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
SUN CAGED (Aug 03):
	Sun Caged I formed in the year that my previous band Lemur Voice disbanded. Sun Caged started out as a project, only Rob Van Der Loo (bass and chapman stick), Dennis Leeflang (drums) and me, just writing some songs and recording a demo with guest musicians (Scar Winter, 2001). When Lemur Voice disbanded we decided to make Sun Caged a full time band. Sun Caged's music is also very diverse, the main style is progressive metal, people compare it to bands like Queensryche, Fates Warning, Ayreon, Dream Theater and Cynic, but also Meshuggah and Haji's Kitchen are influences. It has a lot of different vibes, we all play different in the band and have different influences as musicians and that makes the music we create. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
JAMES BYRD (Aug 03)
	It’s really difficult to gauge the “success” of a particular album in all the areas such a concept can cover. There’s always sales, but that depends on many factors. According to my label, sales of Anthem were less than its predecessor “flying beyond the 9”. Was it because it wasn’t as good? I doubt it really. But I have no way of knowing that because so many things changed after September 11th, the promotion levels by the label of that album being among them. Reviews were good. I think it’s a good sounding album in terms of production, and I think I played well. It was a reactionary album in terms of the content, and that is always a risk. But you know, I can’t really think about any of this stuff when I’m making an album. I have to just go with what I feel at the time and be sincere, and I think it’s a passionate sincere album, and in a lot of ways is better than flying beyond the 9. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
REIGN OF TERROR (July 03):
	I love to play guitar and I feel completely blessed that I make a nice living with a guitar in my hands playing and teaching the style of guitar that I truely enjoy. And in addition to all of the very cool things that come with my modest level of success the reason I`m driven and motivated is my total and complete dedication to my craft. And to me each album is a new challenge to push myself and take all the areas of my playing and composing to a higher level. [READ THE INTERVIEW]
TAKARA (July 03):
	Well many people have had other agendas when it comes to Takara, and it has left me in the position in one way or another of having to find new people. This is a hard biz. I am not a big fan of lineup changes but it just seems that this is the way it works out. Be when it is all done we are much better off now than we were before. Takara currently features Bjorn Engellen on Bass, Derrick Pontier drums, Eric Ragno keys and of course Michael Flatters on vocals. his is a powerhouse lineup , best yet for us you'll see! [READ THE INTERVIEW]