GLORYFUL INTERVIEW 2013

Genre: Heavy metal

Answers: Jens “Shredmaster JB” Basten (guitar)

1. Hello GLORYFUL! How are you? How do you feel now that you see your first official work released? Are you anxious to see how the metal fans will accept it?

It feels fantastic to see the Code arrived in the shops and is selling online as well! We are all just happy reading the most of the part very positive reviews. We were a little nervous before the release how the reactions of the press will turn out, but as it seems they all like it!

2. Let me ask you a few things about the creation of “The Warrior’s Code”. How long did it take you to compose the songs and which were the difficulties that you had to confront?

As on this record we put all the songs we´ve ever written for the band so far, the process of writing started with the founding of the band which was in the summer 2010. We recorded nearly all the instruments in different studios, so it took some months to complete the whole recordings. There was no deadline as we produced the album before signing the record contract, so we took the time we needed. The only difficulty was to take some time to record between our regular necessary jobs and the live-shows.

3. From all the compositions that you have included in your new album which was the easiest to compose and which one took you more time and why?

To answer that question I have to tell you something about the way most of our songs come up. Usually Johnny comes over with the basic structure by means of the strophe and chorus riff. The same day we record the guitars in Cubase and add some midi drums in here and in most of the part we finish the track then directly in case we find the perfect fitting lead-guitar hookline, bridge and solo-part. In a next session Johnny is trying some vocal arrangements on the track and sometimes the whole lyrics are written spontaneously then.  And as we are not trying to get out of the classic rock song-structures, it´s just our job to find the best possible riffs and melodies. If it´s a good day so we are in a good mood and the beer is cold – that´s easy going sometimes. Regarding your initial question – I remember “Fist of Steel” was the most easy-going song to compose for the album.

4. I have noticed that 3 of the songs that you have included in your debut album were also included in your demo. So my question is: did you include the songs as they were in your demo or have you changed them a bit and in which way?

We recorded them again because we never did that with a complete band before. Our demo “Sedna´s Revenge” was recorded as a two-piece band; it was only Johnny and me. We knew that a lot of people liked these early songs and as the debut album would reach a lot more new fans, we wanted to put these songs on the album as well. In the track “Sedna´s Revenge” we made the last guitar-solo part a little shorter, the rest of the songs stayed nearly the same. But as we recorded everything again, the character of the vocals and gang shouts is a little different now and as well some lead-guitar stuff has developed a little bit of course.

5. All the members of the band are well experienced musicians and have participated in well known bands. Also most of the bands you have played in the past were into the extreme and modern metal sound. So, why did you decide to create GLORYFUL and play traditional heavy metal?

We listen more and more to the classic stuff that we have bought already as metal-kids and the same time it´s getting harder and harder to find new stuff that we really like. I always wanted to end up in a classic heavy metal band, but I never found the right singer to start that band. As I met Johnny la Bomba, the time had come. And by the way if you played all kind of technical and extreme metal styles for nearly 20 years, it´s just time to start with the real shit, haha. There is nothing more important than the good old, real heavy metal. It´s never too late for a musician to pay tribute.

6. Since you have named your album “The Warriors Code”, I would like to know who in your opinion the modern warriors are and which must be their code.

Most of the heavy metal people out there over the whole world started with the big important bands like IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, MANOWAR, HELLOWEEN or DIO. The older you get, the more you probably realize how important these bands really were for your personal development and the way your life went so far. You found your best friends in metal and these are people you can always count on. No matter where on this heavy metal planet you go, these crazy people are your brothers and sisters. If you agree, you know the code. That´s it.

7. I am also interested in the lyrics and I see that yours have to do with fantasy. So, who writes the lyrics and from where do you draw inspiration?

It´s Johnny who writes all the lyrics. We involved some Inuit-mythology stuff here, for example the saga of sedan and also used these great typical heavy metal themes. In a way, Johnny´s lyrics got a different meaning and are just combined with some cliché-phrases. The most important is the big picture and this is always the song itself.

8. I want to stand a bit on the songs with the title “Sedna’s Revenge” and “Death of the First Earth”. Can you tell me which the lyrical story of these 2 songs is?

These two songs are strongly inspired by the Inuit-mythology. I will tell you some more details of the story of the sedan-goddess. I copied the whole content that follows from Wikipedia (you can of course shorten that a bit):

Sedna is the goddess of the sea and marine animals in Inuit mythology, also known as the Mother of the Sea or Mistress of the Sea. The story of Sedna, which is a creation myth, describes how she came to rule over Adlivun, the Inuit underworld. Sedna is also known as Arnakuagsak or Arnaqquassaaq (Greenland) and Sassuma Arnaa ("Mother of the Deep", West Greenland) and Nerrivik ("Table", northern Greenland) or Nuliajuk (District of Keewatin, Northwest Territories, Canada). She is sometimes known by other names by different Inuit groups such as Arnapkapfaaluk ("Big Bad Woman") of the Copper Inuit from the Coronation Gulf area and Takánakapsâluk or Takannaaluk (Igloolik).

More than one version of the Sedna legend exists. In one legend Sedna is a giant, the daughter of the creator-god Anguta, with a great hunger that causes her to attack her parents. Angered, Anguta takes her out to sea and throws her over the side of his kayak. As she clings to the sides, he chops off her fingers and she sinks to the underworld, becoming the ruler of the monsters of the deep. Her huge fingers become the seals, walruses, and whales hunted by the Inuit.

In another version of the legend, she is dissatisfied with men found for her by her father and so marries a dog. Her father is so angry at this that he throws her into the sea and, when she tries to climb back into the boat, he cuts off her fingers. Her fingers become the first seals and she becomes a mighty sea goddess. When she is angered, the shaman travels to wash and comb her hair for her, after which she is placated and releases the animals to the hunters.

In the Netsilik region, the story states that Nuliayuk was a mistreated orphan. One day the people tried to get rid of her by attempting to drown her by chopping off her finger tips. But the fingertips would transform to seals and walruses. Eventually Nuliayuk marries a sculpin and lives in the sea controlling all sea mammals.

Other versions of the legend depict Sedna as a beautiful maiden who rejects marriage proposals from the hunters of her village. When an unknown hunter appears, Sedna's father agrees to give her to him as wife in return for fish. Sedna's father gives Sedna a sleeping potion and gives her to the hunter who takes her to a large nest on a cliff, revealing his true form: a great raven. She wakes surrounded by birds. Her father attempts to rescue her, but her husband the bird creature becomes angry, causing a great storm. In desperation, Sedna's father throws her into the raging sea. Attempting to cling to the kayak, her hands freeze and her fingers fall off becoming the creatures of the sea. She falls to the bottom of the sea and grows a fish tail.

Sedna is kidnapped by a different bird creature in yet another version. Her father then leaves in his kayak to rescue her from the floating ice-island where she is imprisoned while the bird creature is away. The creature, enraged by her disappearance, calls to a spirit of the sea to help him. The sea spirit locates the kayak with the two humans aboard and creates huge waves to kill them. Her father throws Sedna overboard in the hope that this will appease the angry god. Sedna clings to the kayak but her father grabs a little axe and chops three of her fingers off before striking her on the head. The three fingers each become a different species of seal. The stroke to her head sends Sedna to the ocean floor where she resides, commanding the animals of the sea.

The varying legends each give different rationales for Sedna's death. Yet, in each version, her father takes her to sea in his kayak, chopping off her fingers. In each version she sinks to the bottom of the sea, worshiped by hunters who depend on her goodwill to supply food. Generally considered a vengeful goddess, hunters must placate and pray to Sedna to release the sea animals from the oceans depths for their hunt.

9. I think that you have already done a video – clip. Can you tell us which song you chose to visualize and why? How was the shooting experience? Will you do another one?

We did the first official music video for the title track “The Warrior´s Code”. It was filmed, edited and finished by Mirko Witzki (www.miwi-graphics.de) and we are very satisfied with the result. We recorded at a heavy metal underground club called “Helvete” in the city of Oberhausen. You can see the five of us and a female Kung Fu Warrior. We got some hits and kicks by her after the guitar solo, I still got to smile when I watch that scenes. The whole shooting was a special day and pure fun. It´s not that typical metal video and it´s a very long song, it´s over a playing time of 7:23 min.

10.  I want to stand a bit on the cover which I like because it has an 80’s touch. Actually it reminded me a bit of HEAVY LOAD’s “Death or Glory” album. Who is the artist and how is it connected with your lyrics?

I just googled that HEAVY LOAD album Cover: haha yeah you are right! It´s a similar idea with that arctic scenery and the fighting set-up of two characters. We got our inspiration somewhere else. The black creature is Sedna, the goddess of the sea, something like our eddy that will follow GLORYFUL throughout the next albums I guess. The female warrior riding the domesticated ice-bear is inspired by a logo of an old and strong German herbal schnaps. As we got this idea in mind, we couldn´t resist to do it, haha. We asked the famous Belgian Artist Kris Verwimp and he liked the idea. Verwimp did a lot of the classic black metal cover paintings for Osmose Records back in the early 90ies like ABSU or MARDUK. He did every single SUIDAKRA artwork and as well some nice older works for the Goodlife HC-Label. And besides that he is doing brilliant Viking/pagan-style comics and illustration of fantasy books.

11. By the way is there a chance to print your album on vinyl too?

We are in talks with a cool German vinyl label to release a limited edition of 300 copies, 140g black vinyls with poster an signature-photo card, hand numbered of course.

12. I would like to know which bands you think that have inspired you in order to create the GLORYFUL sound. Also which are the elements according to you that make your sound recognizable?

It´s all about the big 80ies classic stuff from IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, MANOWAR, RUNNING WILD, WASP, DIO or HELLOWEEN but as I can speak for myself as well a lot of THIN LIZZY and RAINBOW when it comes to the guitar-stuff.

We are recognizable and original most of the part because of Johnny la Bomba´s unique sounding voice. For sure we got our very own style writing those cheesy lead guitar hooklines, haha. We call it the “Cambozola-Style”, haha.

13. There are so many interviews that you do and I think you pretty much have to answer the same boring questions. So which was the weirdest or the most interesting question that you’ve been asked so far?

It´s exactly this question you ask me right know, haha. Because I got to concentrate a lot to answer, but there´s nothing coming to my mind that´s fitting here as extraordinary weird or worthy enough to mention. Maybe it´s the everlasting question regarding Johnny´s non-metal headgear, haha. There are many people who can´t take it, that we can look like this while playing and promoting true metal.

14. I will ask you to change a bit your role and become the interviewer. So what would you like to ask yourself about GLORYFUL?

Now I am very curious about to know what your next bigger future steps are. When will you start to write new songs for the next album?

Well we already started and nearly finished with 70% of the composing. We now concentrate on the last few tracks, solos, and lyrics. We already asked Kris Verwimp for the next cover artwork and we got some ideas for the whole artwork and lyrical concept. Dan Swanö will be responsible for the album mix again. We hope to get the recording-sessions started in August to get the album released in early 2014.

15. Thanks for your time answering my questions. I wish you all the best! Please close this interview in any way you like…

Thank you Nick for your long time support and this nice interview! We hope to get the possibility to tour beautiful Greece next year. We all love to go there. People who could help out with serious booking-contacts lease get in touch at contact@gloryful.net. Everyone interested in new album merchandise please ask at facebook or contact@gloryful.net.

You all stay metal   

Jens

Nick  “Verkaim”  Parastatidis

https://de-de.facebook.com/gloryful

HATRIOT Interview 2013

Genre: Thrash metal

1. Hello! How are you? “Heroes of Origin” is your debut album and will soon be released. Do you feel anxious about it? Which are your expectations from it?

I’m doing really well.  Thanks for the interview.  We have been really busy promoting the new album and I don’t think anxious is the word, but very excited might be the better way to say it.  This is my first real band since EXODUS and the press and the fans have been very supportive, to say the least.  With the modern music industry I try to not really have expectations, other than for the record company to do its job and for the fans to hopefully go get the album.  I promise it is the best record I have done in my whole career, and that is saying a lot!  Honestly I am just happy to be back in the scene making albums and playing for the fans.

2. How long did it take you to compose and produce the whole album? Did you have any main difficulties during the whole process? If yes, how did you overcome them?

There were no difficulties at all, and in fact, this is probably the most hassle free record I have ever done. My guitarist, Kosta Varvatakis, does the majority of the writing and arranging, and then I write lyrics to what he creates.  It makes a very easy work environment and we get a lot of stuff done with HATRIOT in a short amount of time.  We have been working on the material for this record for the better part of a year now.

3. From all the songs included in “Heroes of Origin” which one was the quickest to compose and which one made your life difficult and why?

Again, it was a fairly simple process and I can’t think of one in particular that gave me any trouble.  Kosta is such a gifted writer.  I am hoping that the world will recognize what a great talent this kid is.  I wouldn’t have even attempted a new band without him.  We have a great writing chemistry and it is hard to find a songwriting partner that you just click with on every level.  Kosta is the guy.  He will be this generation’s thrash metal guitar hero.

4. Have you left any song out from your new album and if yes, why? Also have you thought of leaving out any of the songs that you have included in your debut album and what made you change mind?

Well we have a 4 song demo EP that we did last year just to show the world what we were doing at the time, and 3 of the 4 songs have been re-recorded for this album.  The only one that didn’t make the cut was “The Fear Within,” and it’s not because it is a bad song.  It’s a great song!  The fact is it has a mellow section and we didn’t want to let up the intensity on this record one bit.  So it may be on the second album.  It depends on what else we come up with.  We are always writing new material and working on stuff.  We have another three songs written now for the second album.

5. Who had the idea of forming HATRIOT? How easy was it to find the other band members?

Nothing is easy in the music business, but this time things fell into place rather quickly for me.  It started when I found Kosta and then started writing material.  We went through a few minor line-up changes until we arrived at this group of guys.  It wasn’t hard at all really.  Our second guitarist, Miguel Esparza, was referred to us, and the rhythm section consists of my sons – Cody Souza on bass and Nick Souza on drums.  Both of them tried out for the band and proved to be the most qualified for the position.

6. Steve Souza is a very known musician, so I would like to know if the other members of the band have participated in other groups before HATRIOT and if they have released anything with them….

They have all played in local bands around the Bay Area, but nothing that went to the next level.  “Heroes of Origin” is their first record, but you would never know it from listening.  We really worked hard to make sure we had everything down before we hit the studio, so these guys sound like seasoned veterans themselves.  Aside from doing demos with their other bands they had never been in a studio before.  They all went straight into the major leagues.

7. I want to stand a bit on the band’s name. Is HATRIOT a combination of words between hate and patriot or between hate and riot? How did you come up with the idea of this specific band name?

It is a combination of hate and patriot, and I took the name from the line in the EXODUS song “Scar Spangled Banner”’ where I say “I’m no patriot, just a hatriot.”  The word sounds pissed off and angry, so I felt it would be perfect for a thrash metal band name.  It also ties this chapter of my career to my days in EXODUS, so it worked well.

8. Also I want to stand a bit on the cover of your album which shows you holding the U.S. flag upside down and also shields of Captain America with a pentagram on it. I like it and I believe that there is a strong symbolism on it. What exactly do you want to express with it?

Mark DeVito did the artwork.  He has done several known bands, MOTORHEAD being one of them.  I didn’t really have a concept, other than I wanted the band on the cover somewhere. Bands just don’t do that anymore.  I wanted the band on the cover and for Mark to use his own visions to create the rest.  I wanted chaos and violence, and Mark fucking nailed it.  I think the artwork is great.  I see all the little poser kids trashing the cover on the Internet, but it is amazing art in my opinion.  It is one of those records that you see in the store and it grabs your attention, like back in the day when you would buy an album just because the art looked cool.  The art on “Heroes of Origin” is very recognizable and I think it stands out amongst the other bands.  If you saw it on the store shelf you would be like “oh shit there’s the HATRIOT record,” and that’s the whole idea behind it.

9. How important are lyrics for you? What kinds of things inspire you to write about? What kind of message do you want to pass through them to your audience?

Lyrics are very important to me.  I know most people think of the riff as being the key factor in metal music, and in many cases it is, but the lyrics in HATRIOT are a huge part of the equation.  My lyrics are always dark and sinister.  You will never hear Zetro do a love song!  I write about anything that intrigues me, and on this album that happens to be suicide, school shootings, and monster movies.  There is no shortage of brutal topics out there.

10. How has the press accepted your new album? Which was the most interesting and which the most bizarre comment that you have received about the album?

The press has been praising this album, giving us near perfect scores.  I have done a lot of interviews around the globe and I have not yet had one guy in the press tell me the record was okay or could be better.  They are all floored by it and that is a huge accomplishment for me.  The most bizarre comment would be when one journalist said the album is the best EXODUS record Gary Holt never wrote.  That’s a pretty big statement!

11. I will ask you to change a bit your role and become the interviewer. So what would you like to ask yourself about HATRIOT?

I would ask myself what in the hell are you doing starting a new band this late in life?  The answer is I am taking over the fucking world!

12. Thanks for your time answering my questions. The album is very good and I wish you all the best! Please put the epilogue you like to this interview…

Thanks a lot for the interview and for spreading the word of HATRIOT to your readers.  The album is out right now and I need all the old school thrashers to go out and get a copy today!  We need your support to get this thing to the next level.  I plan on touring this year so come out to a show and let’s thrash!

ZETRO

Nick  “Verkaim”  Parastatidis

http://www.hatriotmetal.com/ 

GUN BARREL INTERVIEW 2013

Genre: Heavy Metal

1. Hello and welcome back! You have a new album ready titled “Brace for Impact” and it will be released very soon. How do you feel about it? Are you anxious to see how the metal fans will accept it?

Hey, this is Tomcat the bass player.
We feel great with the album. There is no need to be anxious. “Brace for Impact” is another piece of classic GUN BARREL stuff. The first people who listened to the tracks love it. And I’m sure our fans will love it as much as we do.

2. Four years have passed since your last studio album. Why did it take you so long? Did you have any thoughts to disband?

Disband? GUN BARREL? Are you kidding? It seems this band cannot be stopped. But you’re right. It was a long time. When Xaver left the band we had to recruit a new singer. We found Silver and celebrated our anniversary with the release of the DVD documentary and the “Live at the Kubana” limited digipack. Then we started songwriting and production. Unfortunately the schedule became a total mess. Yenz had obligations working with SAXON and STORMWARRIOR and all we could do was sit and wait. We really wanted to work with Yenz, so we had to wait for him and in the end we are very happy with the result. Sometimes patience is the key.

3. How long did it take you to compose and produce your new album? Which were the difficulties that you had to confront during the creation of “Brace for Impact”?

This took about nearly 18 months. The big challenge was the schedule. And the moments we had no chance to make any progress. Pre-production, arranging and recording was really cool and stress-free. We know Yenz many years and he knows what kind of guys we are. So this is a very familial kind of working.

4. From all the songs included in your new album which one was the easiest to compose and which one gave you the hardest time and why?

The easy one was “With Might and Main”. It was the first one of the whole bunch. Rolf came up with it and it was done in the wink of an eye. Some kind of dissertation was the work on “Big Taboo”. A different kind of song for this band. A lot of discussion… Not everyone was convinced from the start. Now everyone feels really good with it. To be honest… It’s one of my favourites.

5. So, what should a fan of GUN BARREL expect from the new album? Did you bring any new elements to the sound of the band?

This is GUN BARREL at its best. Strong melodies, hard riffs, fast-paced powerrockers, subtile irony and cool hooks. What’s new? The dark rocker “Big Taboo” (again… I love it) and a production that goes one step further than what we did before. Yenz did a great job and there are some big animals under the water table.

6. In 2010 you released a live album entitled “Live at the Kubana”. Why and how did you decide to do that? Why did you decide to release it on your own? How can someone purchase it?

During the production of “Gunniversary” (the DVD documentary) we recognized that there was no chance to place the whole Kubana show on the DVD. So we decided to fill an audio CD up to the limit and we put 17 songs on the album, which are five more than on the DVD. We wanted to celebrate our anniversary with two products. Every unit of this limited Digi (1000 copies) was hand numbered and signed by us. We wanted to give our fans something very special. Every copy is a collector’s item. And we wanted it to give it directly to the fans. Face-to-face. You can order this on our website gunbarrel.de or buy it on our shows.

7. Why did you decide to leave Limb Productions and which were the reasons that led you to sign with Massacre Records?

This was a business decision. We fulfilled our contract with Limb and had the chance to take a look around. There was a good chemistry from the start with Massacre Records, and of course a good offer. But besides these business things, it’s important for us to have cool people on the other side of the table. It makes work easy. This is a fact at Massacre Records as it was at Limb Productions and also at SAOL where we released the DVD.

8. Recently many new bands pop up and try to reproduce the 80’s metal sound without bringing something new or add their own touch to this sound. How do you comment on that?

Do what you want and live with the consequence. I think people always want to listen to your own touch, a part of your soul or heart or whatever you want to call it. Without soul, music is just music. It won’t touch your heart.

9. Why did you name the album “Brace for Impact”? Do you believe that it works as a hint for the listener?

I hope it works as a hint. This album crashes into your CD player and out of your speakers straight into your ears. That’s why we named it that way.

-Can you tell us in a few words which the lyrical theme of each song that you have included in your new album is?

“Brace for Impact” – That’s all about GUN BARREL. Fast, furious, describes very much our attitude.
“Dancing on Torpedoes” – An r ‘n’ r song about a chick that gives it all. She’s dancing on torpedoes hahaha.
“Books of Life” – A critical look at things that are going on with social media and life with web 2.0.
“Start a Riot” – When you lost your way and fell asleep on your journey of life you need to start a riot again. It’s about the time when the monster, you buried during your ordinary life, wakes up again. I like that topic. Get back on track!
“Stand your Ground” – That’s what you have to do every day. That’s one of the hard things to do for people. Not to lose yourself and stand straight when the storm is blowing right into your face. That’s what you have to aim for in my book.
“Diamond Bullets” – Rock ‘n’ roll song, Rock ‘n’ roll attitude. We hit you with our diamond bullets; on this CD or from the stage.
“With Might and Main” – We run this band with might and main. There are a lot of people who think they know us and what this band and these guys are all about. This song is dedicated to all this smartasses. Enjoy it!
“The Wild Hunt” - This is all about the moment when you’re losing all control.
“Turbölence & Decadence” – A dark day in the life of an addict. Welcome to hell.
“Big Taboo” – The really dark one. It’s about dealing with your own big taboo, your dark side hidden deep inside of you. Take a look and you might be frightened.

10. Are there any plans to do a video clip for your new album? If yes which song  will it be and how do you imagine it?

Right at the moment there are no plans for a video clip. But in my head there are a lot of pictures going along with “Brace for Impact” and “Big Taboo”.

11. I think that you do live shows in order to support your new release. I want to ask you if someone has ever made you an offer to play live here in Greece and if you would like to play here…

Make an offer and we will be there. Bags are packed for Greece. We haven’t been there up to now. I hope this will change in the near future.

12. By the way do you have any contact with Greek metal fans?

We have contact with some Greek metal fans via Facebook and MySpace. Find us on Facebook, metal heads. Behind that screen you find the real GUN BARREL musicians. No agency or crap like that. Get in contact!

13. What kind of reviews have you received so far? Which was the best and which the worst comment that you have read?

We are right at the beginning. We had a great review from BEHIND THE VEIL. You were the first. Please ask me again in four weeks.

14. Do you pay attention to the reviews? Do you think that they can help you improve as musicians?

We read the reviews and of course we are happy when people like what we do. We are pretty much in touch with our fans. They give us a lot of feedback, what we appreciate very much. As a musician you can only improve by using your instrument.

15. Thanks for your time answering my questions. “Brace for Impact” is a great album and I wish you the best of luck… Please leave a message to our readers…

Get ready for GUN BARREL. Watch out for us because we like to be on the road. Take the chance to meet us live and BRACE FOR IMPACT. Cheers and stay metal!

Nick  “Verkaim”  Parastatidis

http://www.gunbarrel.de/