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/