Ex Sonic Syndicate singer Roland Johansson talks about his new baby, The Unguided

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"If you take the wilderness out of us RAUBTIER wouldn’t exist."

It’s right after the gig at Debaser Medis where RAUBTIER really ripped. The guys are happy about the gig, it is a special gig since friends of the band attended the show. Men who fight for their living. Earlier the same day the Nordic Battle Group soldiers have been decorated for their bravery in Afghanistan. It turns out that a few of them previously have served with Per Hulkoff and RAUBTIER has become somewhat of a soundtrack to experiences of the soldiers on their Afghanistanian tour. The band reveal that they are writing for a new album and that there will be a slight change to the sound.

Just read on and you will be enlightened in the realms of the predator known as RAUBTIER.

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It's in the evening of November 25 and heavyhell.com are about to have a talk with IGNEOUS HUMAN, a new acquaintance for us. A while ago an album from a brand new band landed on our doorstep and we were positively surprised by the complexity and great songwriting on "Pyroclastic Storms".

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If you want to know why Roland Johansson left Sonic Syndicate you better read on. Roland Johansson is currently recording new material with Jesper Strömblad of In Flames and if everything works out according to the plan they will release an album early next year! Roland is also back playing with his old band DODGE again!

Sonic Syndicate is one of the fastest rising stars on the hard rock scene. Back in 2006 they were offered a deal with Nuclear Blast records after winning their world wide scouting contest for the next big thing.

Since then they constantly have been touring (with bands like Deathstars, Nightwish, Amon Amarth, Soilwork, In Flames and many others) and producing high quality material. The music is intense and hard but still with an extremely catchy quality.

The band has had an extreme quality in their two singers, one clean/growling and one growling. Anyone who has heard early material by Sonic Syndicate knows just how much Roland Johansson added to the band.

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HeavyHell.com is proud to present you this interview with Karl Sanders of Nile.

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A slightly disoriented Axel Widén calls in early in the evening September 9, 2009, only to find out that he has mixed up the dates. The interview is supposed to happen tomorrow. After a few jokes everything is settled and Heavy Hell has the honor to present this interview with Axel Widén, singer in the upcoming Swedish band MARIONETTE.

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SCAR SYMMETRY is about to release their highly anticipated new album "Dark Matter Dimesions" that not only will premier a new vocalist but two. When Heavy Hell got the opportunity to talk to Jonas Kjellgren, we just have to discuss important issues like; did he break the Bass of Karin Axelsson, KISS, WASP and WHITESNAKE as influences and if he would prefer sponsoring from Activision rather than Dean Guitars.

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Interview with a Helsinki Vampire

It is in the evening of July 8, 2009 and we are on the phone with Jyrki 69 of the 69 Eyes. This band has been around for ages, up until now they have only been know for an exclusive very limited number of devotees. But with the new album "Back in Blood" the 69 Eyes are about to tread into the conscience of the everyday man.

Jyrkki 69: It is very exciting. The 69 Eyes have been playing 20 years this September and I think what we have succeeded in maintaining is that every time we have a new album out, there's this little sensation that this band is a new and exciting band, with this special sound that they represent so still after playing 20 years instead of like putting out some lukewarm compilation out we come up with this record.

I don't think that anyone really considers that this is something to do with how long we have played, I think you know with this record we just like sort of like reborn again and with an producer, American producer, Matt Hyde he really gives us a new identity.

Heavy Hell: Yeah

Jyrkki 69: With this new album because you know, obviously you have heard the record, I suppose?

Heavy Hell: Yes, I have

Jyrkki 69: So you know, Matt Hyde really squeezed us, every juice and all the passion and attitude you know like every drop out of our hearts to the playing. I think you can really hear that on that record and that is something you know that is something I am particularly proud of when I am talking about how long the band has existed because, you know.

It took us ten years to develop the 69 Eyes sound that the world knows these days. You know how to make Glam rock and Gothic rock match in our sound and that took like ten years and those last ten years we have been like of course developing with every record but still we have maintained the particular sound and the aspect for Rock 'n Roll from our point of view.

We still do the same but I think like because Matt Hyde could see everything from a distance when he got the previous records and the "Goth 'n Roll" box witch represents the turning point when we really got like the new identity for the band with the producer Johnny Lee Michaels when we released the "Blessed Be" album.

He listened to all this stuff and with the last record which is like I think really cool he also thinks the same but he said it is really polished and also what happened to the band because all the danger is gone. He said that we seemed to play really safe.

So he wanted to bring the danger back and also he wanted the attitude there and knowing that the fact that we of course started -89 you know of course "Appetite for Destruction" had just come out two years earlier and as a big inspiration for us to start the band all together.

So knowing this fact and knowing all the background he wanted also to bring back the danger but bring back the attitude and also passion to be heard in the sound and one of the things that he said was like according to Matt Hyde the most important thing in classic rock records is the drums and the vocals and if you have seen any video of the 69 Eyes or if you have ever seen us play that our drummer is very like .....very

Heavy Hell: Agile?, he is moving a lot!

Jyrkki 69: Yeah, he is a very physical drummer but you can not hear that from many of our records, you can not tell if there is a Charlie Watts or what kind of drummer there is. But with this record you can, you can really hear. You know like as we focus on drums you can really hear what kind of drummer there is and the drums are very powerful. Also my vocals you know I have developed this singing style of mine that by sining very low and it is fun, I can sing endlessly as low as I want but you know like lower, lower, lower.....

(Here Jyrki start to do some interesting vocal maneuvers)

I can go very deep down low.

But it is fun and it is cool and it works in many of the songs but it would be boring and besides if you have seen us live it is not based on that I sing very low all the time and you know, it is more about Rock 'n Roll.

Heavy Hell: yes you are a Kick ass Rock n Roll band live!

Jyrkki 69: The vocals is something he also focused on so he convinced me to use my Rock voice as well so my Gothic voice is of course there but also my rock voice and that is something he really encouraged me to use.

You know those are the main sound wise differences on what you can hear on the "Back in Blood" album, more aggressive vocals, and drumming is very powerful and of course in because of these elements the record really rocks more.

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It is a few hours before the SOILWORK gig at Sweden Rock festival 2009. We are sitting in the SOILWORK dressing room backstage with Björn "Speed" Strid that has been nice enough to invite us over to do this interview. The rest of the members are hanging with a few fans signing T-Shirts and small talking.

Heavy Hell: First off how does it feel that In Flames headlined yesterday on the main Festival Stage and today you play here, on the Zeppelin Stage, one of the smaller stages?

Björn Strid: Because of what? That they are playing there and we are playing here?

Heavy Hell: Yes

Björn Strid: It makes absolutely no difference.

I tend not to compare things in that way.

We are not connected in any way.

It's quite obvious that this is a topic that Bjorn not is too keen on discusing.

Heavy Hell: Tell us some about your musical background, are you a product of the Swedish public musical school or?

Björn Strid: Well personally, I was a guitarist from the beginning and became a singer by coincidence.

Because I met Peter Wicher in the high school, he is by the way back in the band now you know, he asked me if I would be interested to sing in a band he was putting together.

And that is how it turned out.

But I'm still playing guitar you know.

Heavy Hell: And you are sponsored by Washburne?

Björn Strid: Yes

Heavy Hell: And it seems like you are sponsored by SHURE and the Swedish microphone manufacturer MILAB.

Björn Strid: No I'm not sponsored by anyone, I had a deal with SHURE but their wireless microphones are not working well live so I might, I just might trade to something else.

Heavy Hell: That's interesting since your website mention both manufacturers.

Björn Strid: It does? Well so many things are happening and sometimes the information is outdated.

You know people change sponsors like they change were underwear.

HeavyHell: Are you interested in reading, art or music?

Björn Strid: Well I don't read that many books. I want to read but I can't ...

Well I can read but (Björn start to laugh).

The only books that I read are Historical books.

Heavy Hell: Like Anything in particular, like Swedish history or is it war history?

Björn Strid: Yes a little bit of this and that actually.

War history is interesting,  there are so much to read on that topic.

But I read other things as well.

Heavy Hell: What music are you into?

Björn Strid: Well that is so diverse. There is a core of Hard Rock music, but besides that I'm now into a ponytail period where I listen a lot to Steely Dan. They have a fantastic song treasure.

I personally think that there isn't so much new Metal released these days.

I like the new Opeth album and the new Mastotdoon.

Heavy Hell: Earlier you did a stadium tour with Lamb of God?

Björn Strid: Yes, with Killswitch Engage and Lamb of God.

Heavy Hell: This time around you hit smaller venues.

Björn Strid: Yes, SOILWORK did 43 gigs in the states, it's the first time we have done something like this.

We toured for eight weeks and had two days off...

Heavy Hell: That must really build your local fan base?

Björn Strid: I think that SOILWORK don't expand our fan base as much when we are doing a headlining tour. But but it's definitely an opportunity to get out there and do something for the old loyal SOILWORK  fans that have seen us on earlier tours.

Heavy Hell: You had Swallow the Sun and a few other with you this time around, did you pick the bands you like or how come you ended with this combo?

Björn Strid: Well you know it's a management thing. The booking agency like to see a package.

Heavy Hell: So it wasn't SOILWORK that picked the bands you like?

Björn Strid: No, they are good bands but they weren't hand picked by us.

Heavy Hell: Which of the gigs was the hottest gig?

Björn Strid: The hottest gig was strangely enough in Canada, Calgary.

It was thirty degrees below outside but but it was extremely hot and sweaty, surreal.

Heavy Hell: So that was the coolest gig as well?

Björn Strid: Yes it was! (laughs)

Heavy Hell: Was the Calgary gig the best one as well?

Björn Strid: No we did a fantastic gig, it was a Sunday in Hollywood, at Kings Club, that gig was good.

And the Edmonton gig was fantastic.

Heavy Hell: This is the list of songs that were voted most popular by the fans. Since you have written all the lyrics would it be OK to share the background for the lyrics?

Björn Strid: Nerve. No wait a second...

Stabbing the drama was a really tough time in my life that I had to get out on paper. It felt good to be able to ventilate a lot of things.

I had just got off an anti depressive medication just before recording. It is about ending a chapter in your life, you know "Stabbing the Drama".

The entire album is quite remarkable.

Heavy Hell: We think Stabbing the Drama is fucking fantastic!

We just can't stay away from the fact that people very often tend to compare SOILWORK with In Flames so we are back at it.

Heavy Hell: On the Internet there is a lot of comparison going on between Soilwork, In Flames and Dark Tranquility. Would you like to comment on it?

Björn Strid: It is just a tiresome question.

Heavy Hell: But you all have been inspired by each other. It's a fact that SOILWORK and In Flames did cameos in each others videos.

Björn Strid: Yeah, we were joking on the fact but that was something that SOILWORK never should have done in the first place.

Because things just turned out worse.

We have absolutely nothing against any of the bands you mentioned.

We all are in the same genre but we have a different expression.

Heavy Hell: SOILWORK comes across as more melodic than for example In Flames.

Björn Strid: Yeah, but we are also more progressive.

Heavy Hell: You aren't newcomers anymore. SOILWORK is a well established seasoned band now. How does that affect you when you are out playing?

Björn Strid: Well... (laughing)

You start to realize how the business works.

It isn't as cool to be out on tour anymore.

But there is a reason why we do this, the kicks and we like the way of expression you know. This is what we like and are comfortable with.

Heavy Hell: And you make your living on it.

Björn Strid: Yeah

Heavy Hell: Are you more relaxed nowadays or is the pressure just building up?

Björn Strid: Both yes and no.

It is relaxing in the sense that we have more routine but at the same time you got to kick yourself in the ass to get going.

But we aren't oldies are we? (laughter)

We are just in our thirties"

Heavy Hell: But you are older than a good portion of your audience.

Björn Strid: Yeah as I said, you got to kick yourself in the ass.

Heavy Hell: And as you get older is it easy that the music goes in a mainstream direction rather than explore extreme?

Björn Strid: No well I think that the next album probably will be harder than “Sworn To A Great Divide”.

It evolves in cycles how you want to express yourself.

Heavy Hell: Do you have some advice for the small band feeling that they never get anywhere in this business?

Björn Strid: Well, SOILWORK have been doing that you know.
Times are tough and the deal that you are offered by the labels are ridiculous, they want to cut in on just about everything.

My advice is that they should try to find a booking agency that believe in them.

I say booking agent before management.

Heavy Hell: Where does SOILWORK have their craziest fans?

Björn Strid: We are established in Europe as well in the United States.

Australia and Japan. Not as much in Japan right now but Australia is something special.

Finland is special, we are always welcomed with open arms there. We always get to play good slots there, biggest stage eight o clock in the evening.

Heavy Hell: Where was the best gig you ever made?

Björn Strid: Well that is a question impossible to answer.

But out of all the gigs we done, I can feel that Long Beach Arena was really special.

Heavy Hell: And teh worst gig ever?

Björn Strid: Yeah we made a few of those !(laughter)

Heavy Hell: Maybe not something that you want to talk about?

Björn Strid: I don't even want to remember ever being there! (laughter)

You just try to forget them.

Heavy Hell: “Summer of the swine” print you have on the T-shirts, what does it mean?

Björn Strid: You know the swine flu, it's also the year of the swine according the Chinese calender.

Heavy Hell: We did not get that...

There actually are many that don't make the connection.

Heavy Hell: You also do tutoring as a vocal coach?

Björn Strid: I do that on the side of SOILWORK since I feel that I have a lot to contribute.

I have a huge amount of experience despite that I don't have any formal education behind me. But I believe that it is important to give some inspiration and good feedback, confirm that you are capable.

Heavy Hell: Was that something you did just once as a fun thing or something you do on a regular basis?

Björn Strid: No that is something I do whenever I am home

Heavy Hell: You have shifted members a few times now, is this the final setting?

Björn Strid: Yes, that is how we feel.

Now when Peter Wichers is back. He won't play today since he became father just a week ago.

Now it feels like this is for real.

Heavy Hell: A new album is on the way, when will you enter the studio?

Björn Strid: We intend to enter the studio in February and have a new album out by May.

Heavy Hell: And it will be a harder album?

Björn Strid: Yeah it feels like that.

We surely will get a kick out of having Peter Wichers back in the band.

He will affect the song writing as well as the tune.
Strong expressions.

SOILWORK did a great convincing gig at the Zeppelin stage and the crowd stretched all the way up to the entrance of the festival area. The next time SOILWORK will enter the stage at Sweden Rock Festival it be on a different stage at a later time. Anything else would surprise us greatly.

Check out some high resolution gig images here

This is a transcript of the press conference that LITA FORD held at Sweden Rock Festival 2009.

It's obvious that she really is back as soon as she sits down in front of the gathered press. She looks immensely comfortable, she even look happy where she sit, right in the center of attention once again.

Q. Do you have any plans for a DVD?

LITA FORD: We should have a new album out in the middle of September. It is called Wicked Wonderland and it is released on our own independent label in the US. When it is released in Sweden I don't know.

Q: Could you please tell us how you found your band members that you are recording with and how you got together with your band members.

LITA FORD: This guy over here, Danny Stanton actually helped us put together rehearsal and auditioned a bunch of band members and we ended up with Stet Howland on drums, Michael T. Ross plays keyboards and a guy named J.C. Jimmy Carter.

Just a bunch of guys form Florida, you probably didn't know them. But they are awesome, Stet Howland used to play in W.A.S.P. and, and I play guitar.

Thats about it.

Q: You have been away from the stages for quite some time tell us what you been up to.

LITA FORD: I've been living in the Caribbean, We had to boys. I got married to Jim Gillette from NYTRO, I don't know if you remember NYTRO. He was the lead vocalist. We have been married for fifteen years raising our kids. We wanted a good place to raise them out of the way from a bunch of lunatics.

We taught them swimming, snorkeling, fishing. We home school our kids.

So that's were we have been, on a deserted island in th Caribbean, raising our kids.

And I got bored.

Q: You say you got bored. What exactly made you decide to come back?

LITA FORD: Well I had quite a few people sort of pushing me to come back get back and play. Dee Schneider from TWISTED SISTER, Robin Zander from CHEAP TRICK, just a bunch of friends ALICE COOPER, everybody saying LITA what are you doing.

Then all of a sudden my kids start "Mom you are LITA FORD for Gods sake what the hell are you doing?".

This is my kid!

I was thinking, when your kids start telling you, then it's time to get off your ass and start playing. So, fifteen years later, I didn't want to go on tour with small babies but now I got my kids with me.

Q: Being on that island exactly when did the kids realize that you were "the" LITA FORD?

LITA FORD: Well part of the home school is A-Z and A is for AC/DC, B stand for BLACK SABBATH and so on. They are home schooled the right way with all the rock classics.

Q: You were in one of the first all female bands ever. Now several of those bands are coming here to Sweden. Do you know of any of them and do you like some of them?

LITA FORD: I don't. I'm really...

There are so many people I don't know because we have lived on this island for so long I really don't know. But I wish my success for women in the music in general in Rock 'n Roll and...

I'm back to help!

Q: During all this time I guess you played guitar. How has your guitar playing developed during the years?

LITA FORD: I didn't play for quite a while. I hung up the guitar for a couple of years.

Didn't really play that much until we started putting this band back together. But everything has evolved, not just the guitar playing.

The record has a much more mature sounding album than before.

Rather than; lets just go get fucked up, party, get drunk and get laid.

It seems that it's more to this album than just that and the musicianship on this album seems to be much evolved.

Q: I was in Rocklahoma, was it actually the first gig in twenty years?

LITA FORD: It was.

Q: How did it feel to go on stage?

LITA FORD: Well it was weird because tornadoes hit the stage before we did. Wiped out two of three stages, they were completely leveled. They were gone by the time we got to do the show.

We were very excited to play. The anticipation was amazing, From the audience and from the band, by the time we got there these God damn tornadoes were ripping the place apart.

So we played pretty much for just a a bunch of umbrellas. In the heavy downpour,  people were going to the hospital.

Danny Stanton called screaming on the phone"Get of the road!", "Get of the road now!", "You don't understand, get off the road, there is a storm coming!"

So I spent three hours in this coffee shop waiting for the storm to clear. In the mean time I dyed everybodys hair blue. I had nothing else to do.

The storm cleared and we ended up going on stage. The main stage was still intact. But a lot of people had gone home, I don't blame them I would have gone home too.

So Rocklahoma was weird

Q: Are you friends with all the old members of the RUNAWAYS?

LITA FORD: I'm friends with VICKY BLUE, the bass player and thats about it.

That is a long story...

Q: Is the new album going to be heavy, is going to have one ballad or?

LITA FORD: The new album is really heavy. By far the heaviest album so far. Really up tempo, very nasty, has a lot of energy, extremely sexual, nothing new right!

Q: You are going to be in Greece in a few weeks, should people expecting stuff from you new record on your set list. Or is it a surprise that we will have to wait to next year for a new LITA FORD tour to hear the new songs?

LITA FORD: I'm not sure

Q: will there be any new songs played today?

LITA FORD: We haven't arranged any new songs yet. We're actually still mixing the album. It should be finished anytime now in the next couple weeks. So I think we're going to hold off and wait to just before the album is released and then put a couple new songs in the set.

So today we will play pretty much old material, we will play one cover song and that's it. The rest will be old LITA.

Q: From your huge experience how do you sum up the pros and cons of being a lady of rock n roll, a Metal Queen? (put by an Italian journalist)

LITA FORD: Pros and cons... We are going to Italy to by the way, thats were my mother comes from, borned and raised in Italy.

I don't know, you have to be careful.

I think being a woman in rock n roll, and I think being woman in general, it really is a mans world.

You really have to take care of yourself so people not are doing things behind your back.

So I have a great big husband that looks out for me.

Q: Are you aware that you are in Sweden and not in the Caribbean (referring to her clothing)?

LITA FORD: I have been in the Caribbean for so long so this is great!

Q: This tour you do festivals, do you consider doing small intimate club tour?

LITA FORD: We did do some club dates and we are going to do some more club dates. When we leave Sweden we actually go to California to play some club shows. We played a small club show just recently maybe a week or two ago.

I really like the small club shows. They are much harder than the Sweden Rock Festival type gig.

The people seem to be more right in your face so if you fuck up and make a mistake they realy see it.

Q: I have a poster of you, and there is a custom guitar (the journalist hold up a poster)

LITA FORD: I'm going to play that guitar today!

Q: Could you tell us the story behind the guitar? It's a custom guitar.

LITA FORD: OK. It''s a BC Rich and I used to love Russian Vodka.

I know the guitar well.

This is my favorite drink, Stolichnaya.

I had the guitar made with this Stolichnaya brand of vodka on it

It kicks ass.

It sounds great so we will play it tonight.

Q: Many bands do anniversary gigs like TWISTED SISTER did the Stay Hungry yesterday. Could we expect a LITA tour with all the songs from the album "LITA"?

LITA FORD: thats a good idea.

Probably not...

We have a whole mixture of old LITA songs that we will perform today. We might do a remake of "Kiss me deadly" or a remake of "Close my eyes".

This haven't crossed my mind but it's a good idea.

Q: Who will be singing with you on "Close my Eyes"?

LITA FORD: The audience.

I don't think anyone of you can sing the OZZY OSBOURNE part.

Q: In the eighties there were a lot of images of you and DORO PESCH. You were the best ladies in rock. Do you keep in touch?

LITA FORD: No, but she's wonderful, I love DORO PESCH, she's a real sweetheart. I only met her once, we did this photo session together, were any of you there?

Sometimes people give me a photograph and say, -sign this, and I say that ain't me that is DORO PESCH!

They mix us up since we both are blond but we are very different.

Q: Have you seen the RUNAWAYS movie that was released a couple years ago?

LITA FORD: Yeah, I did..

Thought it was kinda weird.

They didn't seem speak much about the music, just talked a lot of bullshit really and not the music, I thought it was a little strange.

Showing SANDY WEST with a gun.

What does that have to do with anything?

I just thought that was odd.

And I know that RUNAWAYS are doing a film now. JOAN (and Floria Sigismondi) are doing a movie right now. I don't know when it is due to be out but I really didn't want to be in it.

So when you see it and you see someone portraying me, you all know that I didn't want to be in it.

I told them: Please don't put me in it!

But I think they still did anyway.

Q: You have been away from the rock n roll scene for many years. I suppose that you have a lot of memories that come back now when you are on tour.

So I would like to know, is there a special moment from your touring back in the past that you think:

Yes this makes it all worth it although you have a family and close friends back home.

Could you share an experience with us?

LITA FORD: Well I have lot of those...

Working with SHARON and OZZY OSBOURNE was a great experience.

I bought a new house, SHARON and OZZY OSBOURNE came by the studio that day and they gave me a life size copy of a gorilla for my house.

This is as big as a real gorilla and I had to drive home with this gorilla in the passenger seat in the car. I had been up drinking all night and wasn't really in real good shape to drive.

I was hoping that the police wouldn't pull me over. It had a cap stuck on it, it was a copy of Coco the gorilla San Diego Zoo.

So that was a nice memory.

Every time I look at Coco I think of Ozzy!

LITA FORD does a brief photo session before she guided out of the press area.

Check out some photographs from the gig here.

When TWISTED SISTER are introduced at the press conference at SWEDEN ROCK FESTIVAL 2009 it is almost like this is a small gig. The journalists start yelling and applauding like crazy.

Dee Schneider starts by apologizing on the behalf of the bass player, says that he is in the country but that he is watching ZZ-TOP.

Q: Since it is it the last time you will wear makeup on stage will you cry?

TWISTED SISTER: Well I guess it's official, I heard it just a few minutes ago.

This year, not tonight.

You thought that tonight was the last night?

You can go home now...

The shows we are doing is the 25:th anniversary of "Stay Hungry" the second biggest selling hard rock album in history in Sweden.
So it's full on tonight, hair, make-up, costumes and everything.

Q: Strangeland, is there a sequel?

TWISTED SISTER: Yes, Strangeland the sequel is going into production this fall finally so you all are going to see me wearing a loin cloth again!

The crowd burst into applause

Q: Recently you recorded this CD with Christmas songs, is it a special time for you and how do you celebrate Christmas?

TWISTED SISTER: We celebrate like everyone else except that we celebrate a twisted Christmas. This year we did a really big stage show in New York and hopefully we will be on that stage again and we videotaped that show.
Yes, we sell everything we record

I just want to say as a Jew we celebrate Christmas. Jews love Christmas, and that is why we made a successful Christmas album. Next year we are making an easter album. So next year it's a bunny with metal all over it... No

How many of you own the Christmas album?

Scattered hands are raised among the journalists

But of course you all are here to discuss the 25:th anniversary of "Stay Hungry" the second biggest selling hard rock album in history in Sweden being released on June 30:th? Right!

The crowd burst into applause

So, Jay Jay why don't you tell us about the on June 30:th release of "Stay Hungry 25" this famous "Stay Hungry" album?

It is the original album, remastered though , then we have ten tracks of songs that were for the album but never ended up on the album. Is that true Dee?

Yeah, I believe it is ten. When I wrote the songs for the "Stay Hungry" album I wrote about 25 songs and we dug out the original demos and put them on the new release.

Which finally lays to waste the whole thing about why don't you record them like you used to.

Well these songs were recorded when we used to.

1984, ten songs never heard before will be on that. Six early demo songs and one brand new track recorded just for Sweden. It's called "Thirty". And we will record a video for that track that probably will end up on Youtube.
The song is called "Thirty" and we are going to spend thirty dollars making the video.

The crowd burst into applause

Q: So if you have ten new songs are we going to hear any of them tonight?

TWISTED SISTER: Absolutely not!

They are not finished songs, they are like demos of songs so we would never completely developed the songs but we thought that the fans would like to hear what we thought should make the record.

Then we will have a contest and let the fans vote which ones are the best.

Then we will record them and sell the songs again to the fans! It's just up to you to contact the band at twistedsister.com and say how much you love us!

The crowd starts cheering and applauding

Q: TWISTED SISTER played here a couple of years ago, in 2003 I think. How are you going to top that today?

TWISTED SISTER: We are going to set A.J. on fire. Unfortunately we can only do that one time so it better work out. God created drum machines so we could sacrifice A.J. Say goodbye to A.J.

Q: When we were kids we thought that your sharpened front teeth was the coolest thing ever. What was the story with those teeth.

TWISTED SISTER: Well, I sharpened them and my wife gave me the choice between sharpened teeth or oral sex. So I capped them.

Q: Were they prosthetics or?

TWISTED SISTER: No,no they were the real thing but these aren't.

Dee picks with his finger on his two front teeth

They irritated her nipples.

Here a Greek radio guy starts to promote the idea about TWISTED SISTER recording songs in Greek and the guys in the band jokingly respond that it might be called TWISTED SOUVLAKI or something.

Q: I only have one important question, WHAT YOU WANNA DO WITH YOUR LIFE?

Here Dee springs to his feet and shout:

I WANNA ROCK!

The crowd burst into applause, yelling and whistling.

Specially on June 30:th when the 25:th anniversary "Stay Hungry" the second biggest selling hard rock album in history in Sweden is being released.

Repeat after me, June 30:th, the 25:th anniversary "Stay Hungry 25" is being released.

If you order it within the first twenty seconds we will throw in a nice heavy slicer.

Q: It got to be a lot of hits tonight, considering that there are a lot of hard core heavy metal crowd here tonight. Are we going to have any favorites from the early albums that you usually don't play?

TWISTED SISTER: You see, here is the deal. Everybody are thinking that we are taking our make-up off but nobody know that we are playing the entire "Stay Hungry" album from start to end tonight. We are going to do the entire album from start to end. The focus today is the 25:th anniversary of "Stay Hungry" and when will that be released Jay?

It will be released June 30:th with ten never before released songs!

It well be a song called "thrirty" on it as well!

Q: You have had commercial success with "We're not gonna take it! and "I wanna rock"Will but you perform your best song ever tonight "Burn in hell"?

TWISTED SISTER: Absolutely, yes of course! You know commercial success doesn't suck, but "Burn in Hell" is becoming a bigger and bigger song over the years. Bands like DIMMUR BORGIR and others bands have covered "Burn in Hell" so when we play that song now it is almost like the reactions is as big as when we play "I wanna Rock" and "Were not gonna take it". So we will be killing that one tonight!

Q: This a question for Dee. You have had a lot of solo projects and I wanted to point out how good WIDOWMAKER was. Are you going to do such things when TWISTED SISTER is on hold, relaxation time or?

TWISTED SISTER: No I don't think so, TWISTED SISTER is my musical focus for the last six years now. I do other things at home radio, television, movies and some things like that. So if it is music it is TWISTED SISTER but thanks for that comment:

Q: This question is for Mr Schneider himself. I was watching TV a couple days ago and how come you helped Gordon Ramsey with his restaurants?

TWISTED SISTER: Ohh, you have that show over here, Kitchen Nightmares...

Cause he asked...

No, actually I got involved in that show because I ride motorcycles for charity back in America and they promised me that they would do something to help the  charity if I did the TV show, but they fucked the charity so fuck them!

But on the 30:th there will be the release of the "Stay Hungry 25" special double CD!

Q: How do you think about the movie character "Howdy" that you portrayed on the movie screen, the sadistic. What do you think of him?

TWISTED SISTER: First of all the Captain Howdy character came from the songs "Captain Howdy" and "Street Justice" which we are playing tonight since it is our 25:th anniversary of "Stay Hungry" coming out June 30.

There you go...

Actually my wife asked me the exact same thing when she was reading the script for the first time. She said "What the fuck is this!"
Captain Howdy is built form my fears, not my dreams so don't worry.

As the moderator say "Now it is time for the final question" a person start to sing "It's the final question" as if it were "The final countdown" by EUROPE and quickly the guys in  TWISTED SISTER catches on in their own nightmarish version to much amusement for the audience.

Q: Are you going to see any bands here at Sweden Rock Festival?

TWISTED SISTER: Well our bass player obviously has! He is watching ZZ-TOP right now!

Here Jay Jay strats going

Do you know how long it takes to get prepared for the show. Could you imagine how many hours the liposuction takes?

Here Dee breaks in and steers things up slightly.

A.J. are you going to see any band?

Actually I was going to watch ZZ-TOP but that is not going to happen.

Eddy are you going to see any band?

Sure if I get the chance.

I wanted to see ZZ-TOP and I did see CANDLEMASS they were great, sounded great.

I (Dee) am going to see LITA FORD, MOTORHEAD and have hear EUROPE might do "The final Countdown", I'm not sure but.

Will that be the countdown to the release of the "Stay Hungry" 25:th anniversary?

This will be the last YEAR we will be wearing make-up NOT the last show, just so we are clear on this.

We also would like to thank The Sweden Rock organization for being the first festival to bring us back after we reunited.

Thank you

TWISTED SISTER leaves the press area under applause. A few hours later TWISTED SISTER headline the day and they do a great gig. They sound better than ever and Lemmy does a guest appearance.

Check out some gig images here

VOLBEAT did this press conference an hour after their gig on the Rock Stage, June 4 at SWEDEN ROCK FESTIVAL 2009, Blekinge, Sweden. Heavy Hell were there!

You find a gallery with high resolution shots from the gig here and you find a transcription of the press conference below.

Q: As far as I know you recently did a tour in America with NIGHTWISH. I would like to know how was the tour and why you picked NIGHTWISH as a supporting band?

VOLBEAT: We didn't choose NIGHTWISH, NIGHTWISH picked us. During the last couple of years we have had offers from very different bands, it might sound strange but NIGHTWISH were style wise the band that fits us best. And that really say something about the offers we get.

NIGHTWISH were really kind to us, they made sure that we got our sound checks and everything so we have only good thing to say about them.

But you know, we had our own crowd and we convinced a lot of NIGHTWISH people that VOLBEAT is here to stay.

And is seems like the US definitely are ready for VOLBEAT. There is no doubt that we can go over there and do our own headlining tour.

Q: You liked NIGHTWISH in person but do you like their music?

VOLBEAT: You know, NIGHWISH's style is very interesting. It's not the same style that we have in VOLBEAT you can clearly hear that they are very good musicians and they got something good going, they have really good songs.

We have big respect for what they are doing. They are doing a very, very good job.

Q: You play a very special kind of music and many try to explain it as a mix between ELVIS and METALLICA or DANZIG plus METALLICA and I would like to know if you like and were inspired by the MISFITS?

VOLBEAT: Of course! Look (the group all point at the print on the drummers T-shirt). Jon probably is the biggest MISFITS fan in VOLBEAT. Actually Jon is the reason why I listen to MISFITS because when they got Michale Graves on vocals, the production was good, his singing was excellent and I can't deny that I was inspired by those to albums that Michale Graves did with them. They are called "American Psycho", "Famous Monsters" and "Cuts from the Crypt". Those were amazing albums!

I say to Jon that I didn't get the older stuff. He just said "It comes later!".

And it came later because I heard the album "Static Age" and I actually think that is the best MISFITS album even if DANZIG is singing and early on I was not understanding what he was doing but what he did on "Static Age" is so beautiful. It actually rock n roll songs were you can hear that he has been inspired by the fifties.

So concerning the material VOLBEAT has done so far, we have been inspired by the new MISFITS songs.

Q: Michael, in the song "I only wanna be with you" I heard a little bit of the growl singing. Is that a jeanre that you miss?

VOLBEAT: I don't miss it, it's just like.. It is something I can do because of my past. I did the DOMINUS that had death metal elements in the beginning and I still listen to death metal (here Michael is interrupted by strong coughing from his fellow bandmates).

But I still listen to old death metal bands. I can not sit here and say that we don't wanna do it in VOLBEAT because maybe someday the right songs will fit for something like that. But the whole reason to do this in VOLBEAT was to get away from what I did in my past.

Q: And when are you going to do the SOCIAL DISTORSION cover?

VOLBEAT: You know we are very careful about doing song from our big heroes. But on our last album "Guitar Gansters and Cadilac Blood" we did this "Making Believe" the first time I heard this song was with SOCIAL DISTORSION. Even though it is a very old Country song, done by so many country singers. So for my inspiration it was a SOCIAL De-Cover song. I have so much respect for Mike Ness and all my idols and you really have to be careful if you cover them.

Q: You are coming to Metal Town this summer, will you arrive a day early to watch your idols?

VOLBEAT: No we will see them in Roskilde. We are playing a show in Sweden that is called Peace & Love as well, on that same day so unfortunately we can not see them. I think we are sharing festival with SOCIAL DISTORSION like five times but we can only watch them on Roskilde in Denmark. But maybe we will drop by their show in Oslo, we got a day off traveling from Finland to a festival in Norway.

The most irritating thing about being on tour is that you can not see our heroes. Because they are always playing on different days. We are actually thinking about skipping the band to be able to see all our heroes.

We really had a serious discussion about quitting the band to see other concerts!
Jon really wanna see TWISTED SISTER today.
Jon looks great in a dress.
Jon actually used to go in school with some of the guys from TWISTED SISTER.
He went to Kindergarten with Dee Schneider.
Yeah together with ALICE COOPER and GENE SIMMONS!"

Laughter

Q: Are you into sports?

VOLBEAT: Yeah, I'm actually into real sports. Boxing, that is a gladiator sport. Fighting for something, not trying to get sponsors, like how does my hair look. Gladiators fighting for champion belts that's what I like. My old father was a fighter, he was a boxer.

But I still like to do my hair...

Laughter

Q: Have you seen the film The Wrestler with Mikey Rourke, and if so did you like it?

VOLBEAT: Mikey Rourke is a very interesting actor. I like a lot of his movies because he's an outsider and I can totally relate to that because I am an outsider. I don't have any education, or anything I will still be an outsider. Right now I'm doing good with VOLBEAT but when the day comes that people not are interested in VOLBEAT.

I will be an outsider again and I will have to find out what to do.

I like Mikey Rourke hes has had a great comeback in Sin City, the Wrestler and some other great movies. I like Like Mikey Rourke.

Q: How have GASOLIN influenced VOLBEAT?

VOLBEAT: I don't think that they have influenced us that much. VOLBEAT has a great respect and we really would like to do a song with this guy.

Q: What about D.A.D.?

VOLBEAT: What about them?

You know they are legends in Denmark and for many, many years they were no competition and they were on the top of the hill and suddenly VOLBEAT came up and it's not being competitive. These guys are still great, maybe VOLBEAT is more hot right now but these guys have been around for twenty years. And they are still here and that is beattiful. We are actually planning to do something with them. They are a good band.

Q: VOLBEAT has a tradition of playing new songs on tour, is this a conscious chaise for you or is it just something that happens?

VOLBEAT: Why not, why not play some new songs. We are working on it. We have just spent some days in the rehearsal room so why not try it out.

It's not like a big secret what's going to happen, and it's also fun for us and it's also great to see how people react to the new material.

Q: When can we expect a new album?

VOLBEAT: Early next year, maybe a year from now.

Q: Do you have any plans for the upcoming album?

VOLBEAT: Of course, we have the album title, we have then idea for cover artwork. Lots of ideas are tried out in rehearsal right now.

So far we have material enough for two albums but it is definitely sure that half of it will suck .

So we will have to write new material like we always do, we work pretty hard like we always do.

Early next year we will go into the Jacob Hansen studio again to record and a couple of months after it's going to be released.

Q: Will you stick to the winning concept?

VOLBEAT: Of course there will always be a few new items, but we are what we are. It's not like we are going to release a Black Metal album. We know what we can and what we can't do. And we know what this thing is and we will stick to that and hopefully people will like it.

Q: what would you be doing if there were no VOLBEAT

VOLBEAT: I was a support teacher at a school for a handicapped kid. I learned him to be around normal kids. After that I actually took over and had kids in Math, English, Danish and History. I don't think I am the the right one tell what's the right thing, but maybe I'll go back to support handicapped kids.

Michael excuses himself that this might sound sound pretentious but that is what he really would like to do. The band is hurried away to the signing session scheduled right after the press conference.

Interview with the Predators from Haparanda RAUBTIER

In the end of April Radio Bandit organized the seventh Metal cruise aboard the Silja Galaxy. The cruise goes under the name "Se7en Deadly Sins" and feature bands like DEATHSTARS, HIDE THE KNIFES, SPARZANZA and the Arctic miracle RAUBTIER.

RAUBTIER has laid a nation at their feet in only a few months time. Before even having a record out these guys have gained a huge popularity among hard rockers as well as the general public. A few hours before the show the boys from RAUBTIER took some time off to do an interview with HeavyHell.com.

When preparing for this interview I found this on the Internet:

"And Raubtier are referring to themselves as brutal fight-dogs which isn't far from the truth. A bunch of real hard guys with hearts of gold."

is there any truth to it?

Well we aren't labeling ourself as anything, but the person that wrote this is a person close to the band and we guess that this is his opinion.

Present yourself:
Thorbjörn Englund: Well what is there to say I play the bass and that's just about it.

Buffeln (The Buffalo) who are you? I am just Buffeln. Well it's tricky to present yourself .

Hulkoff breaks in and starts to introduce his fellow RAUBTIER members

Thorbjörn for example he has a very long through musical background, He started out as a bass player but hes also an incredibly skilled guitarist not far from Yngwie Malmsteen and has made five albums and Buffeln, he is a really hard hitting drummer.

Read more...

February 28, 2009, a few hours before the show at Nalen in Stockholm Heavy Hell met up with Fredrik Weileby of SPARZANZA for an interview.

Heavy Hell: Where does the name SPARZANZA come from?

Fredrik Weileby: I joined the band in 2000 just around the time we got our record deal. Before that, when the band started in 1996, the original singer had found this pimp character named Speranza in an old B-movie, but he misspelled the name as SPARZANZA. So the name it really doesn't mean anything.

Heavy Hell: You are often wrongly categorized as a stoner band, how come?

Fredrik Weileby: Our first record was stoner music and before that we were a KYUS clone. It seems like we never will get rid of the stoner mark. They call us stoner metal and they can call us whatever they want. I don't think that we are a stoner band anyway.

Heavy Hell: What are your influences?

Fredrik Weileby: Well, I like hard music, PANTHERA, SEPULTURA, SLIPKNOT, FAITH NO MORE, CHRIS CORENELL, DISTURBED are all good. The new album from SHINEDOWN is also good.

Heavy Hell: You have been around for a long time but it's only lately that you have got some airplay and the buzz is going. Why?

Fredrik Weileby: Well, we were in a French label before and things were not all well taken care of. So when it was time to go into the studio to record "Banisher of the light" we though that we didn't want to do the same thing a third time. We decided to do it by ourselves, better by ourselves and started our own label, Black Cult Records. We also got Sound Pollution as our distributor. At the same time we were lucky enough to get airplay by Radio Bandit and that did meant a hell of a lot for us. In the tail water of that attention we were booked at the Sweden Rock Festival. We also generally got good reviews by the music press and it sure has helped that we played and toured with MUSTASCH as well.

"This is also how we will do it for the next SPARZANZA album. We are already in the process of making new songs"

Fredrik Weileby: That's actually all of us.

Heavy Hell: When I have listed to your music I get the impression that you find a good riff and develop the song around that. I assume that you jam together during the writing process?

Fredrik Weileby: Well, we did that on the "Banisher of the light" album, but for the "In Voodoo Veritas" album we have worked in pairs and then shifted who we have been writing with. All of us are contributing to the process. When we find a good riff we just record it on the phone. We have access to three project studios and we have tried to do one song per session. This is basically how we have written the songs and when we then hit the the recording studio only polishing had to be done. That's how we work.

This is also how we will do it for the next SPARZANZA album. We are already in the process of making new songs.

Heavy Hell: Do you try to be commercial when you write material?

Fredrik Weileby: Well, No... We actually write only for ourselves. We write the songs that we like and that we think will be fun to play.

Heavy Hell: On the "Banisher of the Light" many of the songs have a Christian connection. On this album you have a Voodoo connection. Whats up next? Scientology

Fredrik Weileby: You never know... It just becomes ... We haven't planned it to be like this. It's more about cool words or themes, like God and Satan.

Heavy Hell: How does it feel now when you release "In Voodoo Veritas"?

Fredrik Weileby: It feels really good and we are very proud of the result.

Heavy Hell: What's the biggest difference between "Banisher of the Light" and "In Voodo Veritas"?

Fredrik Weileby: This album is harder and has a higher hit potential as well. There are good songs on "Banisher of the Light" as well but as a whole the new album is better.

Heavy Hell: I took time to compare the albums and one thing that I realized is that you seem to use more synth and string sounds on the new album.

Fredrik Weileby: We have no desire to become NIGHTWISH but on "My World of Sin" we thought that it would lift that particular song. We would never want to come over as CREED or some shit.

Heavy Hell: Rickard Lövgren has produced some of your albums. How important is for SPARZANZA to work with him.

Fredrik Weileby: He is really important, he actually has become more and more important for each album that SPARZANZA have made. We have actually brought him in as a member where he has contributed with his song writing as well. His say is just as important as any member of the band. It's good to have someone from the outside that can help you sort things out when you are completely snowed under after hours and hours of rehearsing .

Heavy Hell: In the press release it's mentioned that you have undergone a transition from "chaos to clarity" what does that mean?

Fredrik Weileby: Well, as you might know that when we started to record "In Voodo Veritas" we lost one of our guitarists. But after he had left we continued the recording of the album with a newfound determination.

Heavy Hell: Where you aware of that David would leave the band?

Fredrik Weileby: When he was asked to tour with MUSTACH we all knew that he would get the question. But we didn't expect him to say yes... I was actually quite shocked when he told us, but now it's OK.

Heavy Hell: One brother is still in the band, any hard feelings between them?

Fredrik Weileby: No, they are good friends, no hard feelings at all.

Heavy Hell: Are you still friends with Ralf in MUSTASCH or is he the Voodo doll on the cover?

Fredrik Weileby: (laughs) No, no, it has absolutely nothing to do with them at all, we just felt that Voodoo is a topic not used that much in any media, film, music or whatever. We don't care about trends that much. The next album might be about Vampires, who knows... It's a word game. There is this old Latin saying "In Vino Veritas" and we though it would be fun to call the album "In Voodo Veritas".

Heavy Hell: Are you looking forward to come out on tour?

Fredrik Weileby: Yes we are looking forward to get out and play the new songs for the fans. We also look forward to do as much media appearance as possible. The most important thing for us though is to get out there and meet the fans.

Heavy Hell: You are one of Sweden's' best kept secrets. You are a really, really good band but you are not that famous. Why?

Fredrik Weileby: (laughs) You are not the first one to say this.

Heavy Hell: How did you get the idea for the SPARZANZA hot line?

Fredrik Weileby: We try to find new ways to reach the fans. We are on Facebook, MySpace, Flicker and what would be the next step. We get a phone so people can dial us direct when we are on tour. It's genius!

A few hours later SPARZANZA went on stage and did one solid gig. If you have not had the chance to see this great band yet, you  definitely should check them out.

You find pictures from the gig here on Heavy Hell under PHOTO

SPARZANZA My Space

SPARZANZA website

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