Sonic Perspectives

Todd La Torre, vocalist for Queensrÿche, will be releasing his debut solo record, “Rejoice in the Suffering”, this Friday February 5th via Rat Pak Records. As global touring came to a sudden and unexpected halt earlier this year, Todd used the pandemic downtime to put the finishing touches on his debut solo record. He and Craig Blackwell wrote all the songs and played all the instruments on this record with Craig on guitar/bass and Todd on vocals/drums.

“Rejoice in the Suffering” combines the best elements of Todd‘s voice with thought-provoking lyrical content and a hunger that delivers an electric assault of metal songs! The duo doubled down on their talents to combine tightly wound riffs, rhythmic fury, naked emotions with pushed-to-the-edge vocals. The songs are fast and aggressive, with standout tracks being “Dogmata,” “Crossroads to Insanity,” and “Rejoice in the Suffering.”

Pre-orders for the album can be found here. 

The songs on “Rejoice in the Suffering” are heavier than what I expected. Is this style in your sweet spot of what you like to create and listen to?

[Laughing] It’s a culmination of everything. The CD has a couple of different styles of metal, which I like, and I tend to write songs that encompass all those aspects.

Being submerged in Crimson Glory’s and now Queensrÿche’s signature sound, was it fun to break out and write more in your own style?

Yeah, absolutely! When I sing Queensrÿche, that my style and voice too. It’s a type of music that calls for a different type of singing. With heavier music, I sing for how the music makes me feel, whether it needs to be clean, gritty, gang vocals, or guttural. Like with any style of music, it lends itself to new things. This is a great opportunity to show people what else I can do.

My favorite song is “Dogmata.” Can you share any insights into its creation?

That’s a song that touches on the extreme side of dogma in theism. It touches on various religions and the dogma that those religions subscribe to, which is not the good side. That’s a topic that I’m always reading about, watching lectures, and listening to debates. I’m a big fan of Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris. It’s just my perspective of what I consider a poisonous aspect of religion and the dogma of what goes along with it. I don’t have an issue with anyone’s faith; it’s just some of the teachings which call for things that are not just in my opinion.

The album ends on an even heavier song, “One by One.” Can you tell us more about that song and why it was positioned last on the record?

I really consider the main CD; tracks 1 through 10. Initially, there was some talk about having bonus songs available for different territories. When it was all said and done, we decided not to hold anything back and make the bonus songs available to everybody. I really wanted to put that song on the CD, but it doesn’t fit among the other ten. It’s a standalone song, more in a melodic black metal style. I enjoy writing and voicing songs like that I like, so I was very insistent that it was going on be on the CD [laughing]. Where this CD leaves off is where my next solo will pick up. I anticipate the next CD I make will be much, much heavier and will have more brutal vocal styles. It won’t be throughout the whole CD, but it will be more in the melodic black metal style. I wanted to end this CD with “One by One” to broaden my listenership to a demographic that might not know who I am or what I do. This is the first dip in the water to show a side of me in what I enjoy and capable of doing.

What’s involved in preparing vocally for that guttural voicing?

I’m a big fan of Testament and started doing it because of them. Songs like “Practice What You Preach” and “Disciples of the Watch” have that guttural voicing by Chuck Billy, which I always thought sounded cool. It’s a technique that I started playing around with then practiced jumping to a clean singing voice. I would start by doing the guttural voicing for about 20 seconds and then trying to go longer from there. That way, it doesn’t hurt, and it’s easy for me to do. If I felt any pain, I would stop. Everybody is different; some guys can scream loud like that with some force and pressure. It provides texture and an attitude that you are just not going to get otherwise. There are a lot of people who call it the “Cookie Monster” voice and think it’s stupid. There are different styles to that type of voicing, but I don’t consider it singing; I consider it vocalizing. There are no notes that are happening; it’s a bunch of sounds coming out which are brutal. Even with Queensrÿche at the very end of the show for “Queen of the Ryche,” I’ll do one of those low growls. I can switch from that to clean signing on a dime.

That type of vocal technique should be left to the professionals [laughing]!

[Laughing] You know something; I’m not professionally trained! I’m self-taught. The best thing you can do is to experiment with your voice. There are some teachers and coaches who can teach you on those techniques. I do what works for me. There are a lot of other areas of singing and vocalizing where I can improve. I have always loved mimicking sounds and find those nuances that make singers sound the way they do. I mimicking cartoon characters and accents from around the world. You find things that you are good at and strong at. I try to highlight my strengths.

Who is a favorite cartoon character to imitate, and can you give me a sample?

There is a character called Herbert the Pervert from Family Guy who is really funny. He is this disgusting old pervert. I’m surprised it’s allowed on TV, but it’s pretty funny. We were on tour with Fates Warning, and during soundcheck, I would sing a Queensrÿche song like Herbert to crack up one of their tech guys named Ian. He would then chime in with all these funny lines from the show as well. My Dad would do Droopy Dog imitations all the time. I love Mel Blanc (proceeds to do a fantastic imitation of Yosemite Sam). It’s just finding those sounds. Eddie Jackson does an amazing imitation of Porky Pig! [Laughing]

That is awesome; my wife and I are always trading off lines from 70s cartoons, not necessarily in the accurate voice [laughing].

My wife and I would be doing something in the house, and she would say, “You can’t do that!” I would say, “Yes, you can!” Eventually, it turns into this debate like Marisa Tomei and Joe Pesci in My Cousin Vinny (proceeds to do a spot-on imitation of Joe) “I guess the f**king thing is broken then!”

(To hear Todd‘s hilarious imitations, click here for the audio interview)

When writing lyrics, what type of situations do you typically like to write about?

I have always had an interest in social things, geopolitical, political, and different ideologies. I’m atheist and always pushing back on ideas where religion is trying to force its way into legislation; poking its head into our business. These are things I see that are troublesome to me. I travel around the world and inspired by things I see or experience. This CD has subject matter about dogma, songs that touch on my Dad’s suicide, and a song called “Critical Cynic,” which is about science deniers crying about wearing a mask and thinking the pandemic is like the flu. They also feel that higher learning is not a coveted or revered thing. They claim to have done their research, but they confuse doing a Google search to actual medical research done in a laboratory with data and analysis. They are not achieving professional results if they only look for information that supports their views.

When recording or listening back to these songs, are you more critical of your singing or drumming?

I don’t think I’m more critical of one over the other. I’m equally critical of both. With my vocals, I microscope everything, whether it’s on my pitch or if I didn’t carry a note as long as I wanted to. I’m pretty nuts when it comes to making things exactly how I want them. At the same time, you have to know when to put the paintbrush down. You have to know when enough is enough; you’ve done the take ten times, and you are never going to do it any better. There have been times I got to that point and have to leave it until the next day or work other stuff. Some people say, “I won’t put anything on the CD that I can’t do live.”  I don’t do that because Mike Tyson can’t fight like he did 30 years ago, Michael Phelps can’t swim like he did in his prime. If I can do an awesome take when I am recording, it’s forever. I want what is going to be the best for the CD, and then I’ll figure out how to perform it. I’ll take a big bite of food and then figure out how to chew and swallow it! There were a few spots on this CD where I thought a note was slightly flat. Sometimes your ears can play tricks on you with stuff like that. I left it in, as it’s real, and I’m not going to fix it; so whatever.

Looking back on the last three Queensrÿche records, can you share how you and the band have grown and evolved?

The songs are different from the 2013 CD to “The Verdict” CD in 2019 with different batches of songs. I understand the band’s writing approach better now. I’m now able to say; I don’t gel with this, can we try something else that touches on my strengths to enhance the song. It’s a communication growth. I have become better at writing melodies. Even though there are some thrashy songs on my solo CD, there are good hooks and melodies. I’ve not always been the best hook writer, but I have been strong at writing intros, verses, and bridges. Eddie Jackson helps me out with the choruses as we work together on them. In turn, it gives them other ideas like a different guitar part from a melody that I sing, which could now be a major guitar part. If we picked all the strong songs off the last three CDs, there is a sizable body of work. If you look at the song “Redemption,” I painted myself into a corner because there is no breathing room. I wanted to do what was best at the time, not realizing that I would be doing it live. I’m singing throughout it, and it’s hard. I won’t let that happen next time. I learned from things like that. With Queensrÿche, we have all grown closer as friends, and connecting as people is a huge part of the creative process?

What is the status of the next Queensrÿche album?

We are writing music now, and it’s going really well. Hopefully, we can get into the studio later this year with all the distancing and safety protocols. I’m hearing that there are lengthy delays in CDs and vinyl production, affecting release dates.  I would think we would have a new CD out at the beginning of next year.

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Not many can say they had a stellar 50 year career in any line of work, let alone one in a competitive market such as the music business. Michael Schenker is a survivor, who went through every trend, fad and style through the years, and remained a respectable force in the guitar realm. From his record debut with the Scorpions‘ “Lonesome Crow” to his upcoming 2021’s “Immortal”, he has consistently displayed a unique approach to his six-stringed Flying V, and has influenced artists as diverse as Randy Rhoads, Kirk Hammet and DimebagDarrell.

After two phenomenal records under the guise of Michael Schenker Fest, the true guitar hero is returning to his roots. By forming Michael Schenker Group (MSG) back in 1979, Michael Schenker laid the foundations for one of hard rock’s most glorious solo careers of all times. Right in time for his 40th anniversary as a solo artist and his 50th birthday as a musician, he resurrects the immortal Michael Schenker Group with his new album “Immortal”, which also continues the tradition of his recent albums, and features a plethora of guest musicians. In this case we are rewarded with performances from Derek Sherinian, Brian Tichy, Simon Phillips, Ralf Scheepers and Ronnie Romero, amongst others. The final track is a re-recording of his signature song with the Scorpions, “In Search of the Peace of Mine”, with singers like Joe Lynn Turner, Doogie White and others taking turns singing the iconic lyrics.

In a spirited and very detailed conversation with Sonic Perspectives interviewer Rodrigo Altaf, Michael Schenker explains at length the involvement of all musicians in the inception of “Immortal”, the challenges posed by writing and recording an album during the Covid-19 pandemic times, and reflects on 50 years of ups and downs making music, obviously talking about his beginning with Scorpions. Check out their chat in any of the links below and remember that for more interviews and other daily content, Sonic Perspectives is on Facebook, Flipboard, Twitter and YouTube, where you can be notified about new content we publish on a daily basis.

The post MICHAEL SCHENKER Talks Upcoming MSG Album and Career: “I Declined OZZY OSBOURNE, DEEP PURPLE and Many Other Bands for The Only Reason To Be Myself” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Joel Hoekstra does know how to keep himself busy. Aside from being one of David Coverdale’s gunslingers in Whitesnake, he has done tours with Cher and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. In 2015 he created a solo project entitled Joel Hoekstra’s 13, and released the debut album “Dying to Live”.

February 12th sees the release of the band’s sophomore effort “Running Games”. Hoekstra once again handles the bulk of the creative process, overseeing production, songwriting and arranging (music and lyrics), and crafting his vision for this powerful hard rock record. The result is pure ‘70s/’80s classic hard rock with 2020’s muscle and attitude. As with the debut, “Running Games” features an all-star cast of musicians including none other than Russell Allen (vocals), Tony Franklin (bass), Vinny Appice (drums), and Derek Sherinian (keyboards). The amazing Jeff Scott Soto also lends a helping hand with background vocals.

Sonic Perspectives restless interviewer Rodrigo Altaf caught up with Joel Hoekstra to discuss the creative process of “Running Games”, his stint with Night Ranger, the series of big breaks that led him to join Whitesnake, and much more. Listen to their conversation in any of the links below  and remember that for more interviews and other daily content, Sonic Perspectives is on Facebook, Flipboard, Twitter and YouTube, where you can be notified about new content we publish on a daily basis.

The post JOEL HOEKSTRA Reflects on Upcoming JOEL HOEKSTRA’S 13 Album: “It’s a More Focused Album This Time Around” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Accept are back with another killer record, the aptly titled “Too Mean to Die”. Since their reformation in 2010, now with Mark Tornillo on vocals, they have experienced quite a resurgence, with a string of very successful albums, beginning with 2010’s “Blood of the Nations”. “Too Mean to Die” follows the same tradition of their previous efforts, with a little bit more of diversity in the track-list and is a worthy addition to the band’s pantheon. We recently published our own take on the album and you can check it out at this location.

Recording an album with a new lineup can be a risky proposition, but main-man Wolf Hoffmann, the only musician to be featured on all albums of their extensive career is always up for a challenge. With the help of producer Andy Sneap, they concocted yet another incredible collection of songs, which will certainly please long-time fans.

Sonic Perspectives collaborator Rodrigo Altaf discussed the new album with Wolf, and they also addressed his love for Flying V guitars, releasing an album during the pandemic, and what it’s like to have his wife collaborating with the band. Find out their spirited chat on the links below  and remember that for more interviews and other daily content, Sonic Perspectives is on Facebook, Flipboard, Twitter and YouTube, where you can be notified about new content we publish on a daily basis.

The post ACCEPT’s WOLF HOFFMANN Reflects on The Importance Of Releasing New Material: “We Never Want To Be A Nostalgia Band And Live Off Of Our Past” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Throughout its almost forty years of existence, change has been the only constant in VOIVOD’s trajectory. From their punk beginnings, evolving into thrash, incorporating prog influences, odd time signatures and melodic sensibilities, they seem to be always on the move. The release of 2018’s “The Wake” finally brought them much deserved recognition, with the band receiving the prestigious Juno Awards for best album that year.

With the band not being able to tour in 2020, VOIVOD decided to keep their fanbase engaged and entertained by releasing the live album “Lost Machine – Live”, which we recently reviewed here. Released on November 23rd, it captures the band’s performance in Quebec City, in front of friends and family. Their unique blend of sci-fi elements, a raw energy and engaging stage presence are in full display on this release, as can be seen on the video of the track that named the album (video below).

Sonic Perspectives collaborator Rodrigo Altaf has been an avid VOIVOD fan since he saw the video for their song “Tribal Convictions” on MTV when he was all but fifteen years old. Rodrigo recently sat down to catch up with the band’s lead singer Denis “Snake” Bélanger, and they discussed the new live release, how he’s dealing with isolation due to Covid-19, what happened when VOIVOD toured opening for RUSH, the writing of a potential new album and much more. Listen below and remember that for more interviews and other daily content, Sonic Perspectives is on Facebook, Flipboard, Twitter and YouTube, where you can be notified about new content we publish on a daily basis.

The post VOIVOD’s Singer SNAKE Talks Recent Live Album and Memories of Opening for RUSH: “We Returned Backstage to Find a Bottle of Champagne and a Sweet Note Signed by NEIL, ALEX and GEDDY” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Much has been written about the impact 2020 will have in both the near and distant future, and live music fans have certainly felt its sting since March at least.

We’ll leave more cerebral analysis to the experts and instead cap off a grueling year with an hour of thoughts and observations from Sonic Perspectives contributors John Kokel, Rodrigo Altaf, Samantha Buckman, Brian Masso, Scott Medina, Joshua Batten, and Gonzalo Pozo.

The audio montage below has the crew reflecting on the year’s many hardships (the losses of Neil Peart and Eddie Van Halen, for instance), the rise of streamed concerts, and the surprising number of high-caliber music, among several other topics, and has left the panelists feeling a bit more optimistic about 2021 than most of them would have expected.

Listen to this podcast below, and remember that for more interviews and other daily content, make sure to follow Sonic Perspectives on Facebook, Flipboard and Twitter and  subscribe to our YouTube channel to be notified about new interviews and contents we publish on a daily basis.

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The casual observer could be forgiven for thinking that multi-instrumentalist virtuoso Vikram Shankar‘s recent rise to prominence in the prog-metal scene happened overnight. He did, after all, recently appear on Redemption‘s long-awaited live album, which documents his live debut with the band. And very soon after that, he’s also released the debut from the absolutely entrancing Silent Skies, with none other than Evergrey honcho Tom S. Enlgund (who’d also made his live debut with Redemption that evening) at the mic. How the hell did an unknown like Shankar land such high-profile roles in such rapid succession?

“Tom saw me on YouTube once,” Shankar flatly states. “And it was actually he who reached out to me about making an album together. In fact, he got me the gig in Redemption.”

Let that percolate for a second. Imagine one of your childhood heroes reaching out to you about making music together, not as a session musician, but as creative  colleagues.  Shankar is very emphatic about this: “From the very beginning it was a partnership, and I immediately felt like I was working with a musical equal. Tom does not want this to be an ego-serving project. He wants to make great art with a friend.”

Our Texas bureau chief Gonzalo Pozo sat down with Shankar to discuss the creative process behind Silent Skies‘ debut album “Satellites” which we recently reviewed at length at this location. Listen to their revealing conversation below, and remember that for more interviews and other daily content, make sure to follow Sonic Perspectives on Facebook, Flipboard and Twitter and  subscribe to our YouTube channel to be notified about new interviews and contents we publish on a daily basis.

The post SILENT SKIES / REDEMPTION Keyboardist VIKRAM SHANKAR Talks Recent Album: “The Best Thing A Songwriter Can Do Is Honor The Song’s Soul” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

IRON MAIDEN… Arguably the most seminal heavy metal band in the annals of music history. The solely mention of its name strikes joy in the hearts of millions of metal fans, and immediately your mind takes you back to one of their gigs, with of giants columns of pyro, Spitfire planes flying overhead the frenzy audience, special effects and ever-evolving stage sets, endless incarnations of mascot Eddie… and you can’t help but to start humming one of their most beloved songs, whichever came to mind at the moment from their revered career and extensive catalog… Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

What I’m 100% sure you will never think of is FISHING… 

“Monsters of River and Rock: My Life as Iron Maiden’s Compulsive Angler” was released in November, and consists of the memoirs of Adrian Smith, arguably the most melodic guitar player in the band. The focus is primarily on fishing, the hobby he chose to pursue even while touring, but as admitted by Adrian, the end result is “70% fishing and 30% music”. With valuable information about his formative years, joining Iron Maiden, touring the world and recording some of the most memorable solos in the history of metal, the book will equally keep metal fans and fishing enthusiasts entertained.

Sonic Perspectives collaborator Rodrigo Altaf has been a fan of Iron Maiden since he saw the first Rock in Rio on TV in early 1985. Since he started writing about music and interviewing artists, speaking with someone from Maiden became some sort of a life goal. Here he is now, talking to Adrian Smith about writing his book, working with Martin Birch, fan encounters and much more. Find out everything they talked about in the link / video below – or read the full interview transcript  – and remember that for more interviews and other daily content, Sonic Perspectives is on Facebook, Flipboard, Twitter and YouTube, where you can be notified about new content we publish on a daily basis.

Hi Adrian, it’s great to have you here with us.

Ah, thank you, thanks for having me!

We’re here to promote your recent book, “Monsters of River and Rock”. Was it always a goal of yours to write this book?

Well, not really. It just sort of came about in the last couple of years. The book is actually already released, I think it came out in North America on the 3rd of September – no, sorry, 3rd of November. And it was just something I was encouraged to do, and once I started doing it, I found it just kind of flowed out. But no, I never had a goal to write a fishing book before [laughs]

And how long did it take you to read the whole thing from a first draft up to the final result?

Well, um, it was probably over a period of a couple of years, you know, there were months where I couldn’t do it, but I kind of saved my writing for when I was on the road with the band. We get a lot of downtimes in hotels and on planes and waiting around. So I did actually did a lot of it on the road.

And instead of the typical biography you chose to talk about fishing with sprinkles of information about your life in the music business. Was it a concern of yours to try and balance these subjects or not?

Well, it started out as purely a fishing book and then I just thought it would make it a bit more interesting [to mix up these two subjects]. I’ve done a lot of fishing all over the world – I’ve been an angler since I can remember, you know, since I was a little child. But I thought I’d do a sort of timeline from when I was very young. I was into fishing and football and stuff like that – soccer. And then I discovered music when I was about 15 and I gave up everything else and just concentrated on the music. And I’ve got back into fishing when I went to join Iron Maiden funny enough [laughs]. I didn’t fish for about ten years, I just concentrated on trying to make it as a musician. And when I joined Iron Maiden, it turned out that Clive Burr, our drummer at the time was the same as me. He was a very keen angler as well, but he hadn’t gone for a while. So we started to go fishing and that’s how we rediscovered our love of it really, and I didn’t look back!

On a side note, it was great of you to include a glossary at the end, for those of us who are not a hundred percent familiar with the fishing terms, but I’d say it’s an entertaining book for anglers, even if one completely ignores our history with Maiden, wouldn’t you agree?

Well, I was surprised because there’s quite a lot of non-fishing content, I’d say it’s about 70/30. It was supposed to be a fishing book, but I just thought it’d be fun [to include the music stories], because a lot of my fishing experiences were on the road with Iron Maiden, or when we were recording in The Bahamas. We did quite a few albums at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas, and I started fishing there while we were recording the albums. So it’s a lot of things that are intertwined, and I managed to sort of connect two of my great passions, music and fishing. So there’s a lot of music stories, you know, there’s a chapter about New York, for example, when I go back to the first time I went there on the first ever American tour we did, with the band supporting Judas Priest. We were only in our early twenties, and I’d never been to America before. So I described all that, what it was like. And then we went down to Rio to do the first Rock in Rio Festival and came back to New York. We all got sick – we were supposed to do five nights at the Palladium, but we all got the flu! [laughs]. And then finally I come to how it is today – I never think about fishing in Manhattan when we play there, because it’s so oppressive and there’s so many people, but I thought I’ll try and go fishing in Central Park, so there’s a bit about that – about going bass fishing there, and just the crazy things that happened in the Park. So that’s a sort of a general flavor of the book: mixing up the music and fishing.

One of the most interesting chapters for me is the one you just alluded to when you talk about the very first Rock in Rio, because that was my introduction to Maiden. I was ten years old at the time, you know, I’m Brazilian! So I watched it on the TV. Can you reflect a little bit on that festival and then coming back many years later to play the same festival?  And did you manage to fish in South America at all?

No, it’s very difficult to do anything in Rio because the fans are very passionate and like, even back in the first Rock in Rio they were outside of the hotel, and we couldn’t go out. I talk about it in the book, of how crazy it was [laughs]. Even when we sat out in the balcony having breakfast, there’d be people in the buildings and they were taking photos and looking at you through binoculars, you couldn’t do anything, let alone go fishing! There’s a thing on the documentary we did about Rio in 2000 where I go out to Copacabana Beach, but no, I didn’t go fishing. And Rock in Rio was very memorable at the time – it wasn’t so well organized as it is now, back then it was a bit chaotic. And I describe that in the book. Whitesnake and Queen were on the bill that day, and I came back from the stage after we finished our set and as we were passing Queen’s dressing room, I heard them rehearsing “Bohemian Rhapsody,” just the vocals and that was amazing!

Yeah! And the story I love the most is how you met Dave Murray and about the first songs you played together with you singing, do you guys often talk about that and reflect about how far you’ve come?

Well, it’s quite incredible that Dave Murray and I hooked up when we were around fifteen years old, maybe sixteen. We were probably the only two kids in our neighborhood who liked hard rock. We discovered Deep Purple, Jimi Hendrix and all that. We used to ruin parties by putting on Deep Purple records, when all the kids wanted to listen to pop music. That’s how we found our common love of rock music and I describe in the book how we met, the first time we played together, Dave teaching me guitar and me singing. I think the first song we ever played together was “Silver Machine” by Hawkwind. My whole, yeah, I think it was another [inaudible]. I was an absolute thrill just hearing for the first time Dave playing electric guitar and he still has the same sound. It’s funny, but your sound doesn’t change no matter what guitar people use. The sound is in your hands and in your technique.

Absolutely. And who would you say is more obsessed with their own gear: anglers or guitar players?

Oh, that’s a very good question [laughs]. Guys in general, we love our toys, don’t we? [laughs]. I love music shops and I love fishing shops. I am a bit of a gear junkie, so I have a room where you cannot move, where I keep almost 50-60 rods…I love gear. As far as music equipment, I used to always be searching for the Holy Grail as far as an instrument and amplifier. But then I realized that it’s really in your head and in your hands, you know, it doesn’t matter really to a point what gear you use. It’s how you express yourself physically it’s not about technology. Having said that, I probably have about forty or fifty guitars [laughs].

In the, in the book you talk about being recognized in New Zealand and people talking about the Maiden lyrics. Have you gotten used to fan encounters over time? I mean, how do you react to it nowadays?

It depends. When you’re on the road you’re tired, you’ve done a lot of traveling, and I try to think that the hotel is my home away from home. I try and relax and I get some privacy – it’s very hard to find privacy. If one or two people come up to me and ask me in a civilized way, it’s no problem. But sometimes people come up to you and they grab hold of you and they get too excited, and there might be a lot of them. That’s difficult to handle, especially if you’re on your own. I don’t mind if one or two people come up to me and ask for an autograph, but it’s just hard to find a balance on the road. Obviously you want to be nice to your fans because they’re the ones who buy your records and go to concerts, but on the other end, you need your privacy as well. Otherwise you go out of your mind, you know?

Yeah, absolutely. Um, and you briefly mentioned in the book what it was like to work with Martin Birch. Can you tell us a little bit about how he helped shape the Maiden sound in the mid eighties?

It’s interesting you say that about shaping the sound. Martin wasn’t the sort of producer who would make you sound like “one” if you know what I mean? Some producers will have their own sound. Martin let us sound like we sounded. He just captured what we were, that was his strong point. His productions, weren’t bombastic and overproduced, they were very natural. To be quite honest, sometimes I had a problem with that. I thought we should sound a bit more bombastic, but that’s the way Martin did it, and that was his strength. Some of my favorite albums I’ve heard were produced by Martin. I think my favorite all-time album is probably [Deep Purple’s] “Machine Head”, and that’s what got me into music. I talk about that in the book as well. It has a very dry… it sounds like the band! And another of Martin’s strengths was sort of man management, which is very important for a producer. You got five personalities in the band, and you have to balance it and keep everybody happy and do the best for the overall outcome. So he was really good at that, you know, getting a good performance out of you.

That’s a good skill to have for a producer, for sure.

He was a bit crazy as well. He worked very hard and he used to play very hard as well. And there’s a few stories in the book about it.

Right! And you speak humbly in the book about Steve Harris embracing some of your song ideas like “Wasted Years”, “The Final Frontier”, “Isle of Avalon”… it seems to me sometimes you’re surprised at how much people enjoy your songs. Am I right in saying that?

Well, it’s still incredible to me that I’m in this position. It’s amazing that people want to listen to my songs, and I don’t get complacent. And then every time I sit down and write a song, I want to write the best songs I’ve ever written and I want people to like it. When you’re in a band – and I’ve always been a writer in every band I was in –  you have to kind of open yourself up. When you sit down and play a song to another three or four guys, and they’re sitting there looking at you asking “come on man, what have you got?”. There’s a little pressure in it, you know? Especially in the old days before you did demos, you just had to sit down and play your song on an acoustic guitar and sing. So you really put yourself out there, but it’s the sort of thing you do if you want to make it as a musician. I’m pretty laid back by nature, but when it comes to music, I know I gotta put myself forward.

One thing you briefly addressed in the book is your musical adventures outside of Maiden, like ASAP, Psycho Motel and Primal Rock Rebellion. Do you think we can see that material being brought back to life, maybe touring in any capacity?

Yeah, the Psycho Motel stuff got remastered and re-released a while ago. There’s a lot of unreleased stuff I did when I wasn’t in Maiden. I’m still doing projects outside of the band, and I’ve got something coming out now, and the first track will be premiered on the 8th of December [Note: that is actually coming out on December 10th] – I’m doing a song with another guy, but it’s a secret at the moment. But yeah, I’m always doing stuff outside of the band. We have a lot of time off these days and I like to be busy and I like to be productive.

This year is the 40th anniversary of you joining Iron Maiden. Did you do anything to celebrate the occasion, or did that escape your mind completely?

Oh my God! I didn’t even think about it to be honest. [laughs]

That’s all right!

Forty years! I suppose it was around September time. I do remember joining the band very clearly. That’s another thing I talk about in the book. I was just walking down the street and bumped into Steve and Dave Murray. And they said “what are you doing, we might need someone in a little while”, and I said “yeah, give me a call”. Because they called me up a few months earlier and I was busy, I couldn’t do it. Of course after that they had like a number one album in England, they had toured with Kiss, and my band was breaking up. So I was lucky I bumped into them, and they asked me again to join, you know? So that four years ago…wow!

Yeah, a long time ago!

I was only 23 years old, you know, I was a little more than a kid, really.

Oh yeah! And is there anything else you would like to have included in the book, but was left out for any particular reason or not?

I didn’t want to overdo the music stuff because at some point there might be just a music autobiography. I’ve still got loads more stories and loads more stuff to write about. Like I said, I think the book was probably 30% non-fishing and 70% fishing. I think I’ve tried to write about fishing in a training way and get people who don’t fish an insight into why people go fishing and what the benefits are, what are the mental health benefits and that sort of thing. And then the physical benefits, fresh air…it’s such a crazy world, you know? We’ve become so engrossed in the digital world and it’s nice to get out into nature – is really important, and I try to emphasize that.

Final question for me: did revisit things and certain moments in your life teach you any lesson about where you are now while you were writing the book?

It’s almost therapeutic going back into your life, you know, all the things you’ve done and it’s, it’s quite something to write about, let alone putting it out there in front of people.  I suppose when I was in the band in the first period, I probably didn’t appreciate it as much as I do now. I feel lucky to have had a second bite at the cherry. So I’m grateful for that. And I’m grateful my dad took me fishing when I was a kid, because it’s given me a lot of great memories over the years, and hopefully a few more to come.

Thank you for sharing that! Adrian, thank you so much for the interview. Enjoy the rest of the year, Merry Christmas, and I hope to see you on stage again, as soon as possible!

Thank you, take care! Bye!

The post IRON MAIDEN’s Guitarist ADRIAN SMITH Discusses Recent Book and Life Lessons: “I Don’t Think I Was Grateful for My First Tenure In The Band, And I’m Glad I Got a Chance For a Second Wind” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Whenever a metal band chooses to go off the beaten path, it always causes polarizing views: old school fans refuse to embrace it, while a younger generation is quicker to give it a chance. From a combination of the powers of Frédéric Leclercq (Kreator, Sinsaenum, ex-Dragonforce) and Saki (Mary’s Blood) comes Amahiru, a band that promises to fill that gap and please both sides of this equation.

Having gotten to know each other in 2015 when Mary’s Blood opened for Dragonforce in Hong Kong, Frédéric and Saki quickly developed a personal and musical kinship. After exchanging many ideas over the years, Frédéric finally travelled to Japan in March 2019 to finalize what soon became their debut album. The end result is a traditional metal offering, with oriental-infused elements, released on November 27 on earMUSIC.

Besides Frédéric and Saki on guitars and bass, further prominent musicians from the metal scene gathered to turn this project into a musical powerhouse. Coen Janssen of Epica was the first to join. Then came Mike Heller, extraordinary drummer of Fear Factory and Raven. And last, but not least, Archie Wilson joining on vocals, adding an essential part to Amahiru‘s music with his powerful voice, his great sense of rhythm, and his versatility. Additionally, the Shakuhachi (traditional Japanese woodwind instrument), which was recorded by the Japanese virtuoso Kifu Mitsuhashi, gives the world of Amahiru a great, exotic touch.

Sonic Perspectives senior interviewer Rodrigo Altaf caught up with Frédéric Leclercq, and in a spirited conversation, they discussed the formation of Amahiru, the status of Kreator’s new album, the plans for Sinsaenum and much more. Find out everything they talked about in the link / video below, and remember that for more interviews and other daily content, Sonic Perspectives is on Facebook, Flipboard, Twitter and YouTube, where you can be notified about new content we publish on a daily basis.

Connect with Frédéric Leclercq and Amahiru online at: Facebook | Amahiru Facebook

The post KREATOR’s Bassist FRÉDÉRIC LECLERCQ Talks His New Project AMAHIRU: “I Like to Work with People I Connect with On A Human Level” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.