CONTENTS04 Tr i l l ium06 Beggars & Thieves07 Al fonzett i09 Andromeda1 1 Pr imal Fear Upcoming12 Reviews14 Chr istmas Sale!15 Fate17 Mecca19 The Magni f icent20 Royal Hunt22 TheocracyMelodic Rock Fanzine

The official Frontiers Records magazineYear #7 - Nr. 6 / Issue #47

Editor-in-chief: Elio BordiGraphic & Design: Elio BordiWriters: Bruce E.J. Atkinson, Duncan Jamieson, BarryMcMinn, Vitale Nocerino, Rob “Ezy” Bone, Fabio Mainardi,Tommy Hash, Primo Bonali, Justine Bevan.Headquarters and general contacts:Frontiers Records - Via Gonzaga 1880125, Napoli - ItalyTel: +39.081.2399340/7753Fax: +39.081.2399794E-mail: elio@frontiers.itWebsite: www.frontiers.itMyspace: www.myspace.com/frontiersrecordsEditor and publisher: Frontiers Records s.r.l.Copyright©2011 Frontiers Records. All rightsreserved. Reproduction in whole or in part

without permission is prohibited.Printed in Italy.

Focus on: TRILLIUM - Alloy (Frontiers Records)Amanda Somerville is no stranger to these pages, having graced albums with EPICA andSomerville/Kiske with her wonderful ethereal vocals. Trillium is a new project that bringstogether Sander Gommans (ex AFTER FOREVER) and Sascha Paeth (KAMELOT, AVANTA-SIA, etc.) and Somerville. The album’s title “Alloy” is very apt, as it means a mix of met-als and that’s what exactly what you get here. Heavy down-tuned guitars, modern key-board swirls and beeps create a mood that’s part metal, part symphonic, part Goth andsome of the twisted guitar chords even conjure up the soundtracks of old horror B-movies.On top of this fairly dark music, Somerville’s voice is the sweet counterpoint. She’s like asiren calling the ships with her beautiful voice to their doom against the rocks. Complexmelodies unveil themselves with each listen. The quality remains high throughout withspecial mention to the accusatory “Coward” the compelling “Purge” and the sweeping popmetal of “Dissonance”. Jorn’s gargantuan voice makes a guest appearance on the appro-priately entitled duet “Scream It”, which after gentle orchestration becomes the heaviestsong on the disc. Trillium have balanced their members different influences well in a mixof light and dark to produce something very worthwhile. Duncan Jamieson (92/100)

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BAnd. trilliumalbum. alloy

Interview with. Amanda Somervilleinterviewed by:. duncan jamieson

Question: It’s a powerful newrecord. It sounds like you’re hav-ing fun.Answer: Thank you! Yes, I am defi-nitely having a great time and youcan certainly see that in my videoblogs, the TRILLIUM "Making-of"series on my YouTube channel. Ihave the best job in the world andam SO thrilled with how Alloy turnedout. I can't think of anything morefulfilling!Q: You’ve recently been on anumber of releases and they areprogressively getting darker andheavier. What’s going on in you rlife Amanda!?A: So perceptive! :-) Yes, I guess I'mcaught in this spiral and racing everfaster into the dark side... and I likeit. There's actually a lot going on andalso running parallel to TRILLIUM,but that's nothing new for me. I typ-ically have a lot of fingers in variouspies and, though it can get a bitstressful at times, I'm never bored!Even so, TRILLIUM is my main prior-ity and has taken center stage in mylife, so I'm doing all kinds of thingsplanning for the release. I'm gettinglive shows organized, doing lots ofinterviews, organizing a new websiteoverhaul for amandasomerville.comto incorporate TRILLIUM, putting lotsof video material together for newblogs of behind-the-scenes happen-ings surrounding the Alloy release...and the list goes on & on!Q: Tell me about Trillium cameabout?A: Since I worked with SanderGommans on his project HDK sever-al years ago, I really got a taste forwriting and performing metal musicthat I simply hadn't had before. Afterthat, the songs I was writing weregetting much darker and more heavyand I was planning of my next soloalbum to simply be more in thatdirection. Then I was approached by a recordcompany asking if I would like to doa solo metal project, but I initiallyturned it down. After stewing overthat for a while, however, I thoughtmaybe it wasn't such a bad idea afterall and started warming up to theidea of releasing a line of purelymetal songs and keeping that sepa-rate from my solo music that Irelease under my own name. Ialready had sooooo much materialbuilt up that would fill severalalbums in the genre, yet still havelots of material in other music stylesthat would be a shame to complete-ly leave out. That way, I wouldn't beconfusing my metal fans and yet Ican still be musically all-over-the-place diverse on my own solo albumsand not feel the need to explain orapologize to anyone about it! Afterworking with Frontiers on Kiske-Somerville and being impressed withthe way they treated their artists andreally stood behind the project withheart, soul and promo, plus havingheard good things about the experi-ences of several of my friends who

are under the label, I decided to con-tact them to ask if they were inter-ested. Fortunately, Serafino was andeveryone jumped on board and herewe are today! It's a very happy placeI'm in. :-)Q: How important were SaschaPaeth and Miro to to the overallsound and what was it like work-ing with them?A: I've been working with these guysfor so long now and we know eachother so well, both professionallyand personally, that our work flow isalways pretty smooth. Sascha's the"Big Boss" and so we all (everyoneever involved with the Gate Studio)owe everything to him. He'sabsolutely brilliant and one of thehardest working guys I've everknown and I love, appreciate andrespect him dearly. Being the pro-ducer, he was definitely the keyplayer in the album's end result. Miroalso contributed to the soundscapewith his arrangements, orchestra-tions and keys. He can seriouslywork magic and I've never heardanyone else be able to make a songsound as lush and cinematically-epicwithout a huge orchestra and multi-million dollar budget as Miro can.Q: “Alloy” is a really apt name forthe record as it has differentstyles of music from some prettyfull on metal to some beautifulvocals from you. It’s like thesiren calling the ships onto therocks. Was it always your inten-tion with this record to meld dif-ferent styles together?A: Oooo, I like that metaphor! Forme, this is as straight-arrow in onecategory, stylistically-speaking, as itgets! I guess being that I'm sodiverse in my musical tastes and thesongs that I write (sometimes I referto myself as being musically schizo-phrenic ;-), it's inevitable that analbum I come out with will reflectthat, even when I'm trying to staywithin one genre. I like the metaphorthat, "You can take the wolf out ofthe wild, but you can't take the wildout of the wolf." I was born an eclec-tic singer-songwriter and I guessthat element will always be in what-ever I do.Q: You duet on the appropriatelytitled “Scream It” with JornLande. How did he get involved?A: Jorn and I became acquainted andthen very good friends when webegan working together onAvantasia in 2008. Our friendshiphas grown since then and throughoutthe further work we've done togeth-er with Avantasia, touring and such.I admire him as a musician and as aperson and think he's got one of themost fantastic voices in the worldtoday. Fortunately, his involvementwent as easily as me asking if hewould do it and him saying, "Ofcourse, Amanda!" Q: Can you tell us about some ofyour favourite songs from therecord?A: I'm really bad with "favorite"

questions because my songs are likemy children and it just doesn't seemfair to call one out over the others.That being said, it's also difficult forme because each is special in itsunique way and I'm constantlychanging my moods. So one day, I'llbe like, "Man, 'Coward' is seriouslySUCH a GREAT song!! I think thatmight be my favorite yet," becauseit's so decadent and the line, "Justicecomes to dance upon the graves ofcowards" so aptly sums up my beliefin karma. Then the next day, it'll be"Justifiable Casualty" because it's soemotional and makes me cry everytime I hear it, especially the line,"She said there's no one who candeclare a war on warfare." I don'tknow why - it gets me EVERY time!!!Then another day it'll be "Scream It"because Jorn really nailed the metal"Romeo & Juliet" tragic love storyvibe I was going for and it turned outso perfectly. Then the next day, it'llbe "Machine Gun" for its powerfulimagery and empowering anger itencompasses Then the next day...do you see a pattern here? ;-)Anyway, I love and treasure eachsong in a different way for a differentreason. Q: If you were to make a soloalbum now, how would it differfrom this Trillium record?A: It wouldn't be as streamlined inone musical style. Not that it would-n't have any metal on it at all, but itwould be much more eclectic and allover the board in terms of genres.I've got a rather folky pop songcalled "Foreigner" I wrote quite awhile ago when I was homesick thatI'd put on it. And there's anotherdark, bluesy kind of Southern Rocksong called "Sugar Shock" that wasinspired by the book / HBO series"Sookie Stackhouse" / "True Blood."There's also a punk rock song thatwas featured in a movie called "BadGirl" I might put on it. But as I men-tioned before, I had so many metalsongs and this is what I wanted todo, that it's what took precedenceover everything else for the timebeing. It's not that I won't continueto release my solo albums, but TRIL-LIUM has front and center stage rightnow!Q: You’ve worked with a wholehost of great artists recently(e.g. Michael Kiske and MatSinner). Anyone you’d really liketo work with next?A: I'm too busy with everything elsethat's going on to have that kind of awish list! I guess I'm just takingwhatever comes one day at a time.Though I'm going to continue work-ing with other bands and projects,I'm focusing on doing my own thingand that's what's priority for menow.Q: Will Trillium have the chanceto perform live?A: YES! As a matter of fact, I'mworking on finalizing some touringright now and will be announcingdates shortly.

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Focus on: BEGGARS & THIEVES - We Are The Brokenhearted (Front iers Records)Back in 1989 out of mean streets of New York City came Beggars & Thieves, who deliv-ered a real East Coast melodic rock sound that was enough for the band to get signed afterjust half a dozen shows. But like so many bands of the genre, they fell prey to the influxof Seattle’s Grunge scene, although this didn’t stop the band releasing three albums fromin 90, 97 and 99, and in more recent years the EP ‘Stone Cold’ in 2010. Now in 2011 theband return with the barnstorming new album ‘Wiser Time’. The album sees the bandreturn with their familiar New York grooved sound that is as rich and as varied as themetropolis itself, with Louie Merlino delivering that trademark smooth velvet vocal, whilestalwart guitarist Ronnie Mancuso delivers some of the warmest guitars sounds you’ll herethis side of Christmas. This is the band back to their very best. With tracks like ‘BeautifulLoser’, ‘Never Gonna See You Again’ and for the rockier moments, we have the opener ‘WeCome Undone’, ‘Stranded’ and ‘Midnight Blue’, all worth a mention. This is a great returnfrom the band that New York City on the Melodic Rock map. Barry McMinn (90/100)

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Question: The new album stillhas that unmistakable B&T vibeto it, even though you’ve movedto Las Vegas, how importantwas it for the album to stick tothe bands New York roots andvibe?Answer: Well we did use the quin-tessential New York drummer,Thommy Price. There is just agroove, a raw aggression and punkyenergy that defines NY rock drum-mers and bands in general. No mat-ter what, we will always be a NYband. We we just don't have thatlaid-back west coast thing in us. TheEast Village is in our blood. Theurgency, the energy that just does-n't go away. It's all that mixed withthe arty intellectual NY style that'sjust a huge part of who we are. Insome ways Vegas is like NY in thatIt’s fast paced and full of hustlersand those waiting to be hustled. Wecertainly could never be accused ofbeing a Jersey band. No Johnny orGina, No Glory in Suicide Machines.In fact we hate cars, were subwayand train boys. Even in Vegas weare probably the only 2 guys whotake the monorail. We park at the

end and wonder about the strip.Q: How long have you beenworking on the album?A: Well it took a couple of years butthat was because of a myriad of cir-cumstances. When we started,Kevin Churko was working in LA onwhat would become the OzzyOsborne “Scream” album. Kevinwasn’t using his studio so he lent usall his good mics and preamps. Heset us up and got this great drumsound, so we could record, drums,guitar, bass, and a scratch vocal liveat the same time. We spent about14 days cutting about 16 basictracks. Then Louie and I did theoverdubs at our own pace under nopressure whatsoever, which wasgreat because it gave a chance toreally flesh out the songs and try allsorts of things that we wouldn’thave been able to do if we wereunder any sort of time restraint.Then we had to wait for Kevin to geta good chunk of free time availableto properly mix the album. In themeantime he kept getting morepopular, finished the Ozzy album,did “In This Moment”, “Hinder” andsome of the new Five Finger Death

Punch album. We finally corralledhim to where he was able to com-pletely devote the couple of weeks ittakes to mix and master a greatalbum.Q: The album itself is just a joyto listen to, it’s easy going rockat its best, but are there anytracks in particular your reallyproud of and why?A: What we are the most proud of isthe fact that it really works as analbum (an art form that may beover) we purposely left off some ofwhat could have been the strongestsongs in favor of having an albumyou could listen to all the way thruand not want to advance to the nextsong. As far as individual songs weare proud of all of them. All killer nofiller! I’m extra fond of the produc-tion and Pink Floyd vibe of Oil &Water, the chorus lyrics of “We arethe Brokenhearted” Also, SevenSeconds and Midnight Blue for thefact that they are nasty and soundcurrent without any clichés likedetuned guitars or guttural vocals.We both think that as a whole, thisis by far the best album we haveever made.

BAnd. beggars and thievesalbum. we are the brokenheartedInterview with. ronnie mancusointerviewed by:. barry mcminn

Focus on: ALFONZETTI - Here Comes The Night (AOR Heaven)Having cut his teeth with the Melodic Rock crowd fronting Jagged Edge, MattiAlfonzetti became synonymous as a great vocalist and front man. But it washis debut solo album ‘Ready’ that saw him unite with the cream of SwedishRock with the likes of Goran Elmqvist, Stefan Bergstrom, Jamie Borger andBjorn Nale Pahlsson, as well Mats Leven on backing vocals. It’s been a longtime coming but the second Alfonzetti album is finally here and once againwe welcome Matti into the Melodic Rock fold with open arms. This new opustakes off where ‘Ready’ left off, with some great melodic hard rocking tunesand some great slices of pure Melodic Rock, with gems like ‘I Wait For You’and the rockin ’Losing You’. ‘Don’t Listen To Your Heart’ and my personalfave ‘Rock n’ Roll Heart’, all ranking high on the list of the many highlightson this superb return for Alfonzetti. Barry McMinn (95/100)

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Quesition: How long have you beenworking on the follow up the criti-cally acclaimed ‘Ready’?Answer: As I´ve been working as asongwriter for the last decade I putaside the songs that I figured wouldend up on my solo album and I guesssome of them I wrote nearly ten yearsago.Q: How are you finding workingthe new solo album in tandem withyour work with ‘Red, White AndBlues’?A: I see them as very separate thingsand RWB is a project that I believestrongly in.Musically they are differentas well because RWB is all about thebluesier, rootsier style of hard rock andnot so much epic melodic rock.WithRWB it´s about the band and playinglive. Alfonzetti is strictly an album proj-ect where I get to indulge in my faib-lesse for the 80´style of rock!Q: It has been quite a career so far,did you ever see yourself workingwith so many great bands whenyou first took up the mic?A: Not really... I´ve been extremely

lucky to have met and played with somany great people over the years. Forinstance, back in the late 80´s, whenScott Gorham called me up in my flatin Stockolm and asked me to join hisband it was quite a shock!!!Q: You’ve never been one to stickto one style of music, is it impor-tant to you, to reinvent yourselfevery now and then?A: Totally. I am firstly a fan of musicand I do love so many diffent types ofmusic that it would be impossible forme to only do one style of rock. It iswhat drives me, basically.Q: How would you describe thenew album and how does it fit inwith Matti Alfonzetti musical jour-ney that has become your life?A: It is a continuation of the albumReady and I hope I´ve succeeded indelivering that to those who love thatalbum. Over the years I´ve had somany requests for another album likethat and now I think I can say I´vedone it...Q: Now over to ‘Here Comes TheNight’, what was it like working

with Daniel Flores? Is he a hardtask master and would you workwith him again?A: Daniel? Not at all... He´a very hum-ble and cool guy. It was really effortlesswork for us. I just sent files with myguitars,bass and vocals and he wouldrecord drums and keyboards and sendit back to me within the same day. Hisstudio is actually just across the streetfrom mine,so that was really easy...We co-wrote one song on the album aswell and that just happened when wewere recording something else. I ampritty sure I will do some work with himsometime again.Q: Finally where does MattiAlfonzetti go from here, are thereany things you’re involved withthat we should keep an eye out forin 2012?A: Right now it´s mixing and complet-ing the Red, White & Blues album andtouring with that. I ´ve been told thatUniversal are interested in releasing acompilation of the two Skintradealbums so fans of Skintrade shouldlook out for that!

BAnd. alfonZettialbum. here comes the night

Interview with. matt alfonsettiinterviewed by:. barry mcminn

Question: Beginning with a littlehistory of the group…’Andromeda’ began at the turn ofthe century…at the time did youhave a specific vision as to thegroup and the music you create?A: Not really. When we startedrecording “Extension of the Wish” wedidn’t even have a vocalist. I thinkthe vision formed after that, when wewere writing the material that was tobecome “II=I”. But with each albumwe’ve wanted to do something new,so I guess the “vision” changes all thetime. Johan Reinholdz (guitar) andmyself (Martin Hedin, keyboards) domost of the writing, individually ortogether. Both Johan and I listen to avery broad variety of music, but he isdefinitely more “metal” than me. Mymain influences are artists like:Marillion, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Queen,Peter Gabriel, Magnum, Tori Amos,Björk… I’ve also listened a lot to clas-sical music growing up. So the resultwhen working with Johan is often sur-

prising and always interesting.Q: Did the group start as a record-ing project and grow into a fullfledged distinct band or have youalways been a full-on group?A: First album was definately arecording project. After that we’vebeen working much more as a group.We recently got a new bass-player –Linus Abrahamson. With our newline-up and our new label we feelstronger than ever!Q: You have enjoyed world-widerelease of your Work… obviouslyopening up more opportunitiesfor the group… let’s talk aboutsome of those…A: Well, we’ve been playing live invery different corners of the world,but it’s mostly been occasional, oneoff gigs. We’ve always wanted to tourmore. Next year we plan on doingjust that!Q: Will we see Andromedaexpanding their touring sched-ule? Are you planning to brave

new roads?A: There are not many dates set yet,but the plan is doing as many showsas possible next year. All I know rightnow is that we’ll be at PPM Fest –Belgium in April, and Fused Festival –UK in May. We love playing live andmeeting our fans, so expect that listto grow!Q: We have come through a verychaotic year, how do you feel2012 will shape up to be?A:Well, I’m not a very optimistic guy.I’d like to be, but facts tell me differ-ent. I think the world economy will bevery unstable, we’ll see more crimesagainst humanity like the ”operation”in Libya, Obama will probably be re-elected – because, let’s face it, he’sone of the best at what he does(telling lies with a straight face)…There is some hope though, peoplehave started to wake up and protestWall Street, a very good place to startwhen trying to change the world forthe better!

This is the fifth release from this Swedish metal giant. The quintet continuesto explore a form of gothic-power metal in “Manifest Tyranny”… which somemay feel is their darkest album… however I would respectfully disagree. Yes,the album has a ominous ‘air’ about it... but the songs here are more ‘tough’/ ‘hard’ than ‘dark’. With strength; each expression is delivered with forceand intelligent writing. Arrangements that are rich with atmosphere,‘Manifest Tyranny’ does not ‘bog’ down. It’s melodic as well as heavy... giv-ing us glimpses of light throughout the intense story. An album full of musi-cal rivers that will flow nicely from the stage. Andromeda has created a fineand unique album in ‘Manifest Tyranny’ — an album worthy of your ears!

Bruce Atkinson (92/100)

Focus on: ANDROMEDA - Mani fest Tyranny (Ulter ium Records)

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BAnd. andromedaalbum. Manifest Tyranny

Interview with. Martin Hedin interviewed by:. bruce atkinson

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YES - In The Present. Live From Lyon (Frontiers Records)In The Present-Live From Lyon is sure to be the topper on the list to Santa for YES fans everywhere.The 2CD set is a live effort from their Lyon, France show on December 1’st 2009. The set alsoincludes a DVD that has various materials on it such as interviews and behind the scenes footage,along with live footage from shows. The package seems like an informal celebration of their fourdecades in music because it touches on all the music that is quintessential YES. Jon Anderson’sreplacement Benoit David does a decent enough job of keeping that YES classic sound they are soknown for; that “progressive rock” thing, but sentimental YES fans might be inclined to not feel quitethe same regarding the line-up. The music itself is straight on good stuff. They manage to sneak inall that they are known for, “Roundabout” “Owner of A Lonely Heart” and “I’ve Seen All Good People”.Honestly, if one didn’t know that Jon took his departure, the listener might be fooled into thinkingthat it is YES as it always was. Howe, the other Wakeman, (Oliver), Rick’s son, along with ChrisSquire and Alan White are at their musical best for this performance. A nice gift for under the tree,menorah, or whatever you like. In The Present-Live From Lyon; buy it. Justine Bevan (90/100)ROYAL HUNT - Future's Coming From The Past (Frontiers Records)Royal Hunt, to celebrate the come back of DC Cooper in the band, is releasing this special doubleDVD package. The first disc is “Live In Japan 1996”, the complete concert taken from the MovingTarget tour; this concert was realeased in VHS in Japan only and now it is availbe in DVD worl-wide. An amazing performace of the band during of of the best tour they have ever done. Songslike “Makin' a Mess”, “Last Goodbye”, “Far Away” and “Time” are the best moment of the concertand it is always a emotional to watch it, it was 15 years ago!!The second disc is “Paradox - Closing the Chapter - Live in Japan 1998”, the complete live per-formance of the successfull concept album “Paradox” with DC Cooper on vocals. This video liveperformace was never released, only the audio version in 1998. Disc 2 is another amazing jour-ney that complete this fantastic package that, combined with the new fantastic album “Show MeHow To Live”, is the perfect Christmas present for all of you! Vitale Nocerino (90/100)LANCE KING - A Monent In Chiros (Ulterium Records)Lance King may be known to many for PYRAMAZE, Balance Of Power, but recently dipped a toe into the ‘soloartist’ arena resulting in A Moment In Chiros. Although the album is Lance, he has many artists performingwith him on this effort to make it as grand as it is. Artists like Jacob Hanson and Kim Oleson, (Kim also pro-duces here), from Anubis Gate, Morten Gade Sorenson, (Pyramaze) and Bruce Dickinson are all featured onA Moment In Chiros. This is not really a concept album per say… Well yes it is, or appears that way initiallybecause it is based on time as the album cover indicates. “A Sense Of Urgency” and speaks of an individual,the course of his life, and the “numerical prompts” that are influential in it. Lance is vocal magic immediate-ly here. “Awakening”, the second track, is lyrically clever and the music here is tops. The drums so precise;instinctually there when they need to be, sounds easy; most definitely not. The album continues on withmore of the same goodness. “A Given Choice”, a high point along with “A Moment In Chiros” which openswith dialog. The album closes with “Transformation” and Lance’s voice really transforms here as well. AMoment In Chiros is quite the melodic, progressive, metal effort with a plethora of talents. What more coulda music fan want? If you’re a metal fan buy A Moment In Chiros or you’re a fool. Justine Bevan (88/100)JOJO - Jojo (Yesterrock)I remember buying this German release on vinyl when it came out in 1986. It’s been a while sinceI’ve played it but this CD re-release reaffirms my impression of the record when it first came out;it’s a great, very polished mix of Toto-esque West Coast pop/AOR with a very (then) state of theart Rick Springfield production sound and strong vocals. “Extacy”, “Woman’s Touch” and “Diana”are ultra-catchy upbeat tunes, indicative of their time before people de-tuned their guitars, gazedat their shoes and whinged. The bouncy keyboard and its faux horn section sounds quite datednow and the cheeriness of upfront keyboard on a couple songs skates perilously close to Stock,Aitken and Waterman who were a constant feature at the top of the charts at that time. Overallthough, there’s enough class to overcome the production and with half a dozen extra tracks thatshow the band experimenting with styles (rockier tracks, a sophisticated duet and even a stab (ill-judged though it is) at rap, this is a good value package and for fans of 80s hi-tech West CoastAOR this cult classic is definitely worth investing in. Duncan Jamieson (88/100)SONATA ARCTICA - Live in Finland (Nuclear Blast)I don’t have many infos on this product (no product-sheets or something like that, deliv-ered by the label), so I can only guess that this new album of the world-famous finnishPower Metal band will be released as double Cd. Recorded in their home-country, the albumcontains 21 songs (+ intro) spanning thrugh the band’s career, the recording sounds veryclear and without any audible faults or instrumental errors, a thing which - in albums likethese – can sound a bit “suspicious” to someone’s ears, even if Sonata Arctica is a greatlive-band. The songs featured here are, obviously, among the best in the genre, and thesinger’s performance is always top-notch; the only thing is that there’s not too much feed-back from the audience, which makes the whole thing a little bit “cold”. That said, this is asort of “best of” played live from one of the best Power Metal bands. Not for casual listen-ers, but the fans of the band will surely appreciate it. Primo Bonali (85/100)BONFIRE - Fireworks – Still Alive (LZ)In the early 80’s out of the Bavarian hills they came, axes flaying, basses pounding and lead-ing the pack, the mighty vocals of Claus Lessmann, I’m talking about one band and that bandis the mighty Bonfire! In 1987 the band released their critically acclaimed second album‘Fireworks’ and to celebrate the albums release, the band have been performing tracks from thealbum, (some which they haven’t played live in over 20 years), during concerts throughoutEurope. Now we too can experience one of the finest live acts around performing the entirealbum, plus a few bonus tracks, on their ‘Firework – Still Alive’ opus. Having seen the band onnumerous occasions over the years, they still have a fire in their bellies, (pun intended), todeliver great Melodic/Hard Rock as only they can, with Lessmann at the helm, along with stal-wart guitarist Hans Ziller bringing the heat. The album boasts a very special bonus track in ‘I’mOn My Way’, a tribute to the late Steve Lee. A moving tribute to the Gotthard frontman, wholost his life so tragically while vacationing in the US. A great album for all fans of the band thatjust keep burning up stages, one of the genres great survivors. Barry McMinn (85/100)

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HEARTLAND - Heartland (Yesterrock)Yes, this is a re-issue of the debut from “Heartland”, featuring Chris Ousey — who, incidentally,is still performing with the band. Originally released through A&M Records at the beginning of the‘90’s… This debut caused ripples through the AOR world with an emotive delivery. Now, 2011,those emotional stirrings are just as fresh! Heartland was formed around Mr. Ousey and he stilltakes the group out from time to time, when his busy schedule allows. Known as one of the finestvocalist from the UK, and Heartland being one of the classiest groups… It is great to hear thispowerful collection of songs once again. Song like “Teach You to Dream”, “Don't Cast YourShadow”, “Real World”, “Fight Fire With Fire” and “Walking on Ice” are gems that will always freshand amazing and every music lover should have this Heartland album in their collections. Simplya classic hard rock / aor album. Enjoy! Bruce Atkinson (91/100)DRAGONLAND - Under The Grey Banner (AFM Records)Get set for another fantastical journey through the mystic lands of Dragonland!! Although ithas been five years since we have heard anything from this group, we are about to be hurtledthrough a new chapter and adventure. “Under the Grey Banner” propels us through a musicalmystical epic! Piloted by six of Sweden’s finest metal-sicans. Dragonland are now loudly andclearly back! Cinematic in scope — huge musically, this auditory chapter will keep you on theedge. Mystical—at times, even stark… ’Under The Grey Banner’ is a Master’s stroke inSymphonic Metal. Close your eyes and you will see the images leap to reality — forever unfold-ing by the majestic music that propels it. A concept album? Yes, the world of ‘Dragonland’ islaid bare…and we are invited to voyage with our six pilots, exploring and experiencing epicafter epic…always safely under the grey banner. The musicianship from this group is beyondmeasure and the story told here is a breathless quest. I’m hoping Dragonland, the group, willtake their musical journeys to a visual level… but until then, all I need to do is play the albumand close my eyes… something I hope you do too! Bruce Atkinson (89/100)SHY – Shy (Escape Music)This is a considerably more rocked up album from the British melodic rockers. This album is perhapsthe heaviest of their career and I'm loving the choice of direction. Lee Small has a voice not too far offthat of Glenn Hughes/Goran Edman – melodic, yet authorative and powerful. His deeper tone suits theheavier edge that this album carries. There is a lot going on here. The album is most obviously guitardriven, but keyboards play a big part also, swirling away in the background, while a power packedrhythm section keeps songs pumping. The trio of songs that lead the album barely stop to take abreath. It's a truly energetic start. The memorable rock ballad Breathe only slows things down tem-porarily, while Blood On The Line lifts the tempo back with a dose of Europe style melodic rock. Greatstuff! This might just be my favourite Shy album of all now. It's the best produced and the songs havea cracking energy to them. I prefer this direction over the more AOR of previous records and reallythink the guitar work on here from Steve Harris is mesmerizing. It is he and vocalist Lee Small thatmake this album what it is. Awesome. Andrew McNeice - Melodicrock.com (92/100)IRON SAVIOR – The Landing (AFM Records)To say the truth, I’ve never been a big fan of this band, and I always considered the Iron Saviordiscography not really essential in the genre. Four years after their last album “Megatropolis”,here is their brand new album called “The Landing”, 10 songs (+ intro) of the usual “classic”Melodic German Power Metal, that will especially please any fan of Gamma Ray, early Helloweenand Freedom Call; listen to a track like “Starlight”, a perfect example of Speed Metal enriched bynice melodies, or the hymn “Heavy Metal Never Dies”, a mid-tempo a la Accept that will take thecrowd by storm when it will be played live, and you’ll immediately have the picture of an albumthat, although not innovative, is fresh, powerful and quite easy to listen to. Maybe it’s just a mat-ter of personal tastes, but I’m not that crazy for the rough vocals of Piet Sielck; that said, thesongs are very well written and played, so if you like their style, you’d better give “The Landing”a try, as you could discover a pleasant album to spend hours with… Primo Bonali (80/100)THEOCRACY – As The World Bleeds (Ulterium Records)Masterminded by Matt Smith this is the third coming for Theocracy. Originally recording alone, Theocracyhas grown into a competent five piece, giving a broader dimension to their music. This is Power Metalin the vein of Edguy and Helloween mixed with Prog Metal but with a strong Christian message. It’sgrandiose with vocals that are stacked up to sound like choirs of celestial angels, ripping neo-classicalguitar passages that are driven by a rhythm section that’s faster than Usain Bolt. There are gentle whim-sical parts and invigorating heavy guitar riffs. Despite its heaviness it never loses sight of melody.Smith’s songs are burning with invention, progressive in their scope and this is his best record yet. It’srefreshing to hear his American vocals on a genre that is normally so associated with Europe. Highlightsinclude the eclectic opener “I Am”, the hammering “Nailed” and the hummable “The Gift Of Music” whereSmith sings of his belief that, “Music is the glorious crown jewel of creation” and on the evidence of thisrecord he’s not far wrong. This is good enough to transcend a Christian market and should appeal tomelodic rockers, neo-classical metal fanatics and even prog metal fans. Duncan Jamieson (90/100)PARADISE INC. – Time (Avenue Of Allies)Paradise Inc is a Brazilian Hard rock band Rick A. (Bass), Allan Juliano (Drums), Marcos Peres(Guitar) and De Grigo (Guitar) with a German singer, Carsten Schulz (Evidence One, MidniteClub, ex-Domain) surranded by a whole lot of great collaborators as their debut album seeson keyboards Alessandro Del Vecchio (Glenn Hughes, Edge Of Forever Eden’s Curse, TimeMachine), Doogie White (Rainbow, Cornerstone, Yngwie Malmsteen) guest starring on "Not InParadise", while mixing and mastering has been set by Paul Logue (Eden’s Curse, DavidReadman) and Dennis Ward (Pink Cream 69, House Of Lords, Khymera). I must say the albumis a good and technically well performed 80's Rock album, but with lack in originality and ahuge hit on board. All songs equally shares their part without any real high point. Best of areto me the title track “Time”, “Wait and see” and the anthemic “Set me free”. Paradise Inc.'sTime is a more then decent debut album although I wait them to a second and hopefully moreconvincing effort. Their musicianship is huge but they need to forget bands like like Europe,Bon Jovi and Danger Danger and play their own music. Fabio “Deuce” Mainardi (75/100)

Alan Parsons "Eye2eye, Live In Madrid" - Fr cd 451 - €5,99Allen / Lande "The Showdown" - Fr cd 485 - €8,99Andersen / Laine / Readman "Three" - Fr cd 275 - €3,99Asia "Omega" - Fr cd 455 - €5,99Asia "Spirit Of The Night" - Fr cd 481 - €5,99Asia "Spirit Of The Night" (Special Edition) (cd + dvd) - Fr cdvd 481 - €9,99Asia "Spirit Of The Night" dvd - Fr dvd 027 - €5,99Auras "New Generation" - Fr cd 454 - €5,99Benedictum "Dominion" - Fr cd 508 - €5,99Black N Blue "Hell Yeah!" - Fr cd 513 - €8,99Blackwood Creek "Blackwood Creek" - Fr cd 438 - €3,99Blanc Faces "Falling From The Moon" - Fr cd 431 - €5,99Brian Howe "Circus Bar" - Fr cd 450 - €3,99Bruce Kulick "Bk3" - Fr cd 446 - €3,99Cain’s Offering "Gather The Faithful" - Fr cd 423 - €1,99Crown Of Thorns "Crown Jewels" (3 cd) - Fr cd 225 - €6,99Crown Of Thorns "Faith" - Fr cd 386 - €1,99David Readman "David Readman" - Fr cd 343 - €3,99Def Leppard "Mirror Ball, Live & More" (3lp) - Fr lp 523 - €17,99Dokken "Lightning Strikes Again" (Lmd, incl. 1 bonus trk) - Fr cd 349l - €3,99Extreme "Take Us Alive" (2CD) - Fr cd 456 - €5,99First Signal "First Signal" - Fr cd 476 - €5,99Giant "Promise Land" - Fr cd 449 - €5,99Glenn Hughes - "First Underground Nuclear Kitchen" - Fr cd 371 - €1,99Great White "Back To The Rhythm" - Fr cd 344 - €3,99Great White "Rising" - Fr cd 407 - €3,99Hardline "Leaving The End Open" - Fr cd 405 - €3,99Hurricane "Liquifury" (special edition) - Fr cd 472 - €3,99Hurtsmile "Hurtsmile" - Fr cd 504 - €5,99Jaded Heart "Perfect Insanity" - Fr cd 430 - €3,99Jeff Scott Soto "Live At Firefest V" - Fr cd 501 - €5,99John Waite "Downtown Journey Of A Heart" - Fr cd 293 - €3,99John Waite "In Real Time" - Fr cd 460 - €5,99Jorn "Dio" - Fr cd 467 - €5,99Jorn "Live In America" (2 cd) - Fr cd 347 - €5,99Jorn "Spirit Black" - Fr cd 415 - €5,99Journey "Eclipse" (2lp) - Fr lp 517 - €10,99Journey "Eclipse" (ecolbook) - Fr cd 517e - €8,99Journey "Eclipse" (lux box) - cd + 2lp + t-shirt + poster - Fr bs 517 - €49,99Jss "One Night In Madrid" (2cd) - Fr cd 440 - €3,99Jss "One Night In Madrid" dvd - Fr dvd 023 - €3,99Keel "Streets Of Rock & Roll" - Fr cd 445 - €3,99Keel "The Right To Rock" (remaster) - Fr cd 444 - €5,99Kip Winger "From The Moon To The Sun" - Fr cd 373 - €3,99Los Angeles "Neverland" - Fr cd 437 - €5,99Lynch Mob "Smoke And Mirrors" - Fr cd 425 - €3,99Mastedon "3" - Fr cd 432 - €5,99Mastedon "It's A Jungle Out There" - Fr cd 433 - €5,99Mind Key "Pulse For A Graveheart" - Fr cd 419 - €3,99Mr Big "Back To Budokan" (2cd) - Fr cd 427 - €5,99Mr Big "Back To Budokan" (2dvd) - Fr dvd 021 - €9,99Mr Big "What If" - Fr cd 505 - €8,99Mr Big "What If" (lux box) cd + dvd +lp+ poster+sticker - Fr bs 505 - €49,99Nelson "Before The Rain" - Fr cd 489 - €5,99Nelson "Lightning Strikes Twice" - Fr cd 486 - €5,99Nelson "Perfect Storm, After The Rain World Tour" - Fr cd 490 - €5,99On The Rise "Dream Zone" - Fr cd 439 - €3,99Pink Cream 69 "Live In Karlsruhe" (2cd) - Fr cd 428 - €3,99Pink Cream 69 "Past & Present" (2dvd) - Fr dvd 022 - €5,99Place Vendome "Streets Of Fire" - Fr cd 398 - €5,99

Primal Fear "16.6 All Over The World" (dvd) - Fr dvd 026 - €5,99Primal Fear "Live In The Usa" - Fr cd 465 - €3,99Primal Fear "Live In The Usa + 16.6" (cd+dvd) (sp ed) - Fr cdvd 465 - €9,99Primal Fear "New Religion" (lmtd ed) (incl. bonus track) - Fr cd 346l - €3,99Prime Suspect "Prime Suspect" - Fr cd 487 - €3,99Revolution Renaissance "NewEra" (Tolkki/Kiske/Sammet) - Fr cd 375 - €1,99R.Springfield "Venus In Overdrive&Live In Rockford"(cd+dvd)-Frcd447 - €5,99R.Springfield - Jeff Silverman "From The Vault" - Fr cd 448 - €3,99Royal Hunt "2006 Live" dvd - Fr dvd 015 - €3,99Royal Hunt "Collision Course" - Fr cd 368 - €3,99Royal Hunt "Eye Witness" (digipak) (incl. bonus trk) - Fr cd 147d - €3,99Royal Hunt "The Mission" - Fr cd 095 - €3,99Saint Deamon "Pandeamonium" - Fr cd 413 - €3,99Scheepers "Scheepers" - Fr cd 506 - €5,99Seventh Key "Seventh Key" (special edition) - Fr cd 470 - €3,99Seventh Key "The Raging Fire" (special edition) - Fr cd 471 - €3,99Spin Gallery "Embrace" - Fr cd 441 - €3,99Stan Bush "Dream The Dream" - Fr cd 477 - €5,99Strangeways "Perfect World" - Fr cd 483 - €5,99Ten "Stormwarning" - Fr cd 507 - €8,99Terra Nova "Come Alive" - Fr cd 469 - €3,99Terra Nova "Escape" - Fr cd 253 - €3,99Tesla "Alive In Europe!" - Fr cd 457 - €5,99Tesla "Comin’ Atcha Live! 2008" - Fr dvd 018 - €5,99The Murder Of My Sweet "Divanity" - Fr cd 442 - €3,99The Poodles "In The Flesh" (dvd) - Fr dvd 028 - €5,99The Poodles "No Quarter" - Fr cd 484 - €5,99The Poodles "No Quarter" (Sp.Ed.) (cd + dvd) - Fr cdvd 484 - €9,99The Poodles "Performocracy" - Fr cd 511 - €8,99Tony Harnell & The Mercury Train "Round Trip" - Fr cd 468 - €3,99Triumph "Allied Forces" - Fr cd 495 - €5,99Triumph "Greatest Hits" (cd + dvd) - Fr cd 461 - €9,99Triumph "In The Beginning" - Fr cd 491 - €5,99Triumph "Just A Game" - Fr cd 493 - €5,99Triumph "Never Surrender" - Fr cd 496 - €5,99Triumph "Progressions Of Power" - Fr cd 494 - €5,99Triumph "Rock & Roll Machine" - Fr cd 492 - €5,99Triumph "Stages" - Fr cd 498 - €5,99Triumph "Surveillance" - Fr cd 500 - €5,99Triumph "The Sport Of Kings" - Fr cd 499 - €5,99Triumph "Thunder Seven" - Fr cd 497 - €5,99Two Fires "Burning Bright" - Fr cd 474 - €5,99Unruly Child "Worlds Collide" - Fr cd 482 - €8,99Uriah Heep "Live In Armenia" (2lp) - Fr lp 527 - €10,99V.a. "Power Ballads Compilation" - Fr cd 478 - €1,99Vanden Plas "The Seraphic Clockwork" - Fr cd 464 - €5,99Vince Neil "Tattoos & Tequila" - Fr cd 463 - €3,99Warrant "Rockaholic" - Fr cd 514 - €8,99Wetton / Downes "Icon" (special edition) - Fr cd 473 - €3,99Whitesnake "Forevermore" - Fr cd 509 - €8,99Whitesnake "Forevermore" (lux box) cd +dvd+2lp+ecc - Fr bs 509 - €49,99Whitesnake "Forevermore" (special edition) cd + dvd - Fr cdvd 509 - €9,99Whitesnake "Live At Donington 1990" - Fr cd 516 - €8,99Whitesnake "Live At Donington 1990" (3lp) - Fr lp 516 - €17,99Wig Wam "Non Stop Rock ‘N Roll" - Fr cd 443 - €5,99Winger "Live" (2cd) - Fr cd 352 - €3,99Winger "Live" dvd - Fr dvd 016 - €5,99Xorigin "State Of The Art" - Fr cd 526 - €8,99Yoso "Elements" (2cd) - Fr cd 466 - €5,99

CHRISTMAS SEASON SALE !- Valid until December 22nd 2011 -First come / First served – Minimum order 3 cds/boxes/Lps or DVDsSend your orders to: info@frontiers.itHandling and shipping costs:From 1 to 3 pcs: 5,60 EUROFrom 4 to 6 pcs: 8,50 EUROFrom 7 pcs onwards: shipping cost will be communicated separately in the email confirming the order. In this case, do not forget to include your full shipping address with the order.Handling and shipping costs for orders including Boxsets and LPs will be communicated in the email which will confirmback your order.The payment must be sent via paypal to the info@frontiers.it email address within 24 hours from the confirmation ofthe order. If the payment will not reach us within this time frame the order will be automatically cancelled.For everyone unfamiliar with Euro currency you will be able to use this website: www.xe.com for conversions in yournational currency. Happy shopping and MERRY CHRISTMAS !

Focus on: FATE - Ghosts from the Past (Aor Heaven)These Danes have undergone a number of line-up changes over the years and with onlyPeter Steiner remaining from their original 80s incarnation it’s no surprise their sound ishas changed considerably. It’s more like a very melodic Leverage now than the Europeor Bon Jovi clones of old. They haven’t completely thrown the bath water out with thebaby though because they’ve held onto their signature big keyboard sound that com-petes for the limelight with the melodic guitar. A couple of tracks “At The End Of The Day”and “Follow Your Heart” do hark back to the old sound, proving they can still do it whenthey want to. New singer Dagfinn Joensen does a good job with these songs and theheavier tracks that make up the bulk of the record. “Children Of The Night”, “I Believe InRock ‘N’ Roll” and “Daddy’s Girl” are the pick of the bunch. The band have grown up andthere are fewer songs about partying and more about society’s shortcomings. 13 songsfull of good ideas and regardless of whether they should call themselves Fate or not, thisis a classy melodic metal record, worth checking out. Duncan Jamieson (88/100)

MRF | 15

Question: This is another newchapter in Fate’s career. Youmust be happy with The results. Answer: Yes we are very happywith the new album: ) My name isJens Berglid (drummer) and I willanswer your interview, if youshould have any follow up questionjust mail me and I will do my bestto answer.Q: With only one member leftfrom the eighties line-up, canyou tell us about the band as itstands to day , and tell us a lit-tle bit about them.A: I would have to say that wewon’t compare this line-up with theold ones as times was differentback then, but it is probably one ofthe strongest ones ever! We are allworking for the same goal and thefeeling in the band is just excellentthese days! Dagfinn Joensen vocal:Dagfinn is from the Faroe Island,We contacted him up after seeinghim perform live with another bandin Copenhagen in 2010! ) Dagfinnhave been active in: Eager ToPlease from the Faroe Island.

Mikkel Henderson keyboard: Mikkeljoined the band in 2008 for the liveshows planned but it work out sogood that it was decided that heshould be in the band as a perma-nent member. Mikkel has played in:Circus Mind, Evil Masquerade andExpedition Delta TorbenEnevoldsen guitar: A true guitarhero that has bands like Section A,Fatal Force and of course his ownsolo albums on his resume. Torbencame to the rescue when SørenHoff left the band! We are trulyhappy to have this man in theband! Jens Berglid drums: Jensjoined the band in 2008 and is theone pushing things forward at alltimes. Jens have played in bandslike: Iron Fire, Star Rats, EvilMasquerade, Black Succubi andSons Of Tomorrow. Peter Steinckebas: Peter is the only original mem-ber left and has been more or lessworking on Fate the whole time, hehas played with many musiciansover the years but nothing reallycame out. Peter is the rock in theband never loosing his ability to

write new Fate songs.Q: Which songs on “GhostsFrom The Past” best sum upwho Fate are in 2011 and why?A: Children of the night andDaddy's girl, both are very melodicand still Hard-hitting.Q: How did you go about thesongwriting for this record?A: Most songs came to life fromideas by Peter and Mikkel. Butevery member has been involvedfrom start to finish.Q: It’s hard to believe but Fateare over a quarter of a centuryold. What do think have beensome of the high points?A: It has been many over theyears, but the more resent oneswould have to be when we playedMadrid Spain in 2010! Also our vis-its to Sweden and Norway havebeen great.Q: Are there plans for you tourto promote this album?A: Yes but none are confirmed asfor now but our booking companyMBM are working very hard as wespeak!

BAnd. fatealbum. Ghosts from the Past

Interview with. Jens B interviewed by:. duncan jamieson

MRF | 17

It’s been nine years since the first Mecca album was released and where the debut had alarge contribution from Jim Peterik in the song writing department, this sophomore effortrelies on the band’s lynchpin Joe Vana for the bulk of the material. Musically, like the debut,there are comparisons to be made with Toto, Spin Gallery, Williams/Friestedt and aWestcoast vibe that breezes through the record. Vana is abetted by AOR demi-god TommyDenander who adds his song writing and guitar skills as does Christian Wolff which helpsgive the record a consistent band sound, despite a who’s who of session musicians also beinginvolved. Vana has a strong voice perfectly suited to this Westcoast AOR sound; smooth butwith enough range to wring out the melodies and tug on the heartstrings. “Perfect World”,“I Know” and the title track are confident, musically adept songs that will get fans of thedebut biting their pillows. The very Toto sounding “Closing Time” and “Did it For Love” areperhaps the best tracks with clever, varied arrangements and sugary hooks. For WestcoastAOR fans a pilgrimage to Mecca is still very much in order. Duncan Jamison (95/100)

Focus on: MECCA - Undeniable (Frontiers Records)

Question: I remember buyingyour debut. I can’t believe thatwas nine years ago! What’staken you so long to release thisrecord?A: We had a series of issues includ-ing the death of my then co-produc-er and friend. I decided after hepassed to re-record the wholealbum and start over. I was com-mitted to making the album asclose to as I heard it in my head aspossible. I wanted Bryan to beproud of what we did even if he wasgone.Q: I believe you recorded thetracks three times! The lengthof time this record has takensuggests you’re a bit of a per-fectionist. Is this true?A: See above hahahaha... Yes I am.I believe if people are going tospend their hard earned money onsomething I work on, I better givethem 110% of what I have!!! I didnot skip one step, I did not leaveany stone unturned... this album isa 1,000 percent effort!!Q: Tommy Denander is a greatmusician. I’ve just seen him at

Firefest backing Jimi Jamisonand Jeff Paris. You’ve struck upa great working partnershipwith him and Christian Wolff.Can you tell me what it’s likeworking with them and howthey helped shape the sound ofthe record?A: Tommy has been a dream!! Wehave already begun working onMecca III, and Tommy and I arecommitted to making this album a100 Percent effort again. There isno reason why with hard work anddedication, and a little luck, we cansurpass Mecca I and Mecca II...Q: There’s no denying you musthave been taking notes whenrecorded the debut with JimPeterik because there’s a touchof his style in your songwritingnow. What lessons did you learnfrom Peterik about songwrit-ing?A: I learned almost everything Iknow from Him and FrankieSullivan. I have written almostexclusively and extensively withthem... and now with Tommy D aswell... JP taught me the importance

of melody, FS the importance oflyrical content and structure and TDhas taught me about the marriageof melodies and music... How's thatfor an education!!!!Q: There are some great songs;AOR, Westcoast and even progmoments. I particularly like theToto-like “Closing Time”, thevery melodic “Did It For Love”and the hard rocking “W2W”.What songs would you highlightand why?A: Thanks again!! For me they allhave special meaning... I meanthat... all 12 mean something aboutmy life the past 8 years... I shouldhave included Serafino!!! But, Iwould say my personal favorite insthe song "Undeniable"... it marriesall I have learned about songwrit-ing, amazing 6 string work byTommy Denander, the groove laiddown by drummer Rick Vitek, Therock solid bass of Wally Hustin, lushkeys by Eric Ragno, and even anending solo and rhythm guitars bymy son Joey...A TRUE MECCAEFFORT!!! and the TRUE MECCASOUND!!

BAnd. meccaalbum. undeniable

Interview with. Joe vana interviewed by:. duncan jamieson

Question: Secondly how didThe Magnificent come togeth-er?Answer: Serafino Perugino(Frontiers records) introduced us.He had an idea that we shouldwrite music together and make analbum. It felt right from the verybeginning. We have a very similartaste in music... and same sort ofsick sense of humor! Whohahaha!Q: With a new band coming outof Scandinavia almost everymonth, what makes TheMagnificent stand out from thecrowd?A: Well we don`t really fall intothis scandinavian standard heavymetal category for sure. Nothingwrong with the Scandinavial metalscene at all. This is something a lit-tle bit different from that. MoreAOR and hard rock.Q: The album boasts somewonderful slices of MelodicHard Rock, but what tracks areyou particulary proud of andwhy?A: I like all the songs. I think thealbum works well from the begin-

ning till the end. It`s not like somepop albums where you have onekiller single and then the rest ofthe album is crap.Q: With a wealth of guest writ-ers listed on the album credits,was it hard to pick the tracksfor the album and were thereany left over that could make iton to the second album?A: Not at all. It was all very easy.The material came together with-out any complications. No leftovers. If we start working on thenext one it has to be written fromthe scratch. I don`t like to lookback and use left over ideas ingeneral. Usually there is a reasonwhy a left over track didn`t makeit to the album at the first place.Q: Have you had a chance toconsider whether there isgoing to be a second albumyet?A: There are no plans made for thefuture yet. Let`s see how thealbum goes and how peole react toit. Q: You guys have a backgroundin Prog Metal so what made

you decide to do a Melodic Rockalbum?A: A lot of our musical influencescome from 80`s heavy rock. Thiskind of album has been dream ofthe both of us for a long time.Q: Some say the band nameThe Magnificent might be a bigpretentious, who came up withthe name and what was theidea behind it?A: I think the name idea camefrom Serafino in the first place if iremember correctly. It`s a goodname for this kind of thing. More ismore, The bigger the better. Therecan never be too much reverb onthe snare drum and so on...Q: Where do you see TheMagnificent going from here,do have your heart set onworld domination?A: A world domination? What amagnificent idea! Hahahah!Seriously, i usually live day by day.It goes how it`s ment to be. I real-ly don`t take any pressure in mak-ing music. I am happier this way.In 6 months or so we have a betteridea where this is leading us.

MRF | 19

There is no defying that 2011 have been an exceptional year for Melodic/Hard Rock,with some simply stunning releases ticking all the right boxes for fans of the genre.But another noticeable thing has been the number of outstanding release from theScandinavian territories, so it comes as no surprise that despite it coming close ofthe year, here we have another band leaving their mark on 2011 and that band is TheMagnificent. The band was put together by Circus Maximus singer extraordinaireMichael Eriksen from Norway and Finnish producer/guitarist Torsti Spoof (of Leveragefame), joined by a whole host of guest artists, both musically and on the song-writ-ing front. The result is a stunning album that just oozes class with more than its fairshare of sublime Melodic Rock, with notable highlights being the opener ‘Holding OnTo Your Love’, ‘Cheated by Love’, the rocking ‘Satin & Lace’ and the excellent ‘Bullets,Smoke & Fire’. All great tracks, but this album has so much more to give and is wellworth checking out, because this is one of the new generation of bands who are driv-ing the genre we love so much ever forward. Barry McMinn (96/100)

Focus on: THE MAGNIFICENT - The Magnificent (Frontiers Records)

BAnd. the magnificentalbum. the magnificent

Interview with. torsti spoof interviewed by:. barry mcminn

20 | MRF

Focus on: ROYAL HUNT - Show Me How To L ive (Front iers Records)It’s another Masterpiece! “Show Me How To Live” is the latest from musical geniusAndre Andersen and Royal Hunt. Magical and Regal, this release brings back leadvocalist DC Cooper…a mission royally accomplished. Seven brand new epic creations;‘Show Me How To Live’ is layered with melodious, commanding rivers of music thatflow with such strength — that each song will drain you! Surrounded by awe-inspir-ing players… Andre performs very confidently and allowing each member to shinebrightly, as well. A very tough, yet complex rhythm is laid out each and every timeby drummer: Allan Sorensen, and Andreas Passmark, laying down those massive basslines. As we ascend through each masterful track, be prepared to rise to new heightswith string bender, Jonas Larsen and the distinctive layers of keyboardist extraordi-naire; Andre Andersen! DC Cooper consistently delivers the chops! Rich, powerful…itis like this singer never left. “Show Me How To Live” — Epical, full of majesty andmagic. The hunt is on! Long live Royal Hunt!! Bruce Atkinson (95/100)

BAnd. Royal huntalbum. show me how to live

Interview with. andre andersen interviewed by:. bruce atkinson

MRF | 21

Question: Andre, the lasttime we chatted, was in 2006with the release of “RoyalHunt 2006”… and thatseemed to be a closing of achapter regarding the band…are we seeing a new chapterbeginning now?A: I guess so… every line-upchange´s affecting the overallsound of the band slightly and –although it might be in a subtleway – changes the path of thebands evolution. I´m very confi-dent about this new album andexpecting us to reach a new levelof quality entertainment whichwe´d like to offer to our fans.Q: You have a new albumcoming´s out, and a new DVDpackage… both celebratingthe return of DC Cooper inthe vocal chair… tell us howthis came about…A: It all started very prosaicallywithout any “master plan” inmind: DC and I started talkingon Skype and such and after afew chats decided to “test thewaters” – so to speak – and do alittle tour, just to make sure ifwe could still recreate the vibewe used to have… and it workedout beautifully. So – obviously –the next step was to try andrecord an album and I´m happyto inform you that the wholeprocess went down smooth andeasy… so what else could we do?Well, one of the things our fanswere talking about for years was“1996” and “Closing the Chapter”videos which previously werereleased only on VHS and evenin that form in very limitedquantities and throughout veryfew territories… so we hired acompany to digitalize those mas-ter tapes, improved both audioand visual parts and – on top ofthat – put a 50 minutes docu-mentary (filmed in 96/98) inthere to complete the package.Q: “Show Me How To Live” isa very interesting title, espe-cially for an album… is thisnew Work a concept piece?A: No there´s no concept behindthis album… at least not lyrically.If I may guess what might go asa silver lining throughout thewhole thing, I’d say it’s a musi-cal/production form of thisalbum: a vast amount of neo-classical themes, some modera-tion of the progressive edge, anextended role of the backingvocals and full, heavily orches-trated arrangements.With the return of DC Cooper,has his vocal style inspiredyou onto a different plane?How can I say… in writing thenew record, is it different

than what you originallyenvisioned it to be?A: Some songs were writtenbefore the decision of workingwith DC again was made, some –later… but obviously every singleone was trimmed to accommo-date his voice and singing stylein the best possible way. Q: Royal Hunt is such a fear-some band, creating greatepics that are musically wayahead of our time… do youever feel limited in what youcan do?A: No, I have no concerns aboutgoing in whatever direction Imight feel is right for us. Everyartist should (in my opinion) fol-low his ambitions and musicalgoals as he pleased regardless…otherwise you´ll stagnate.Granted, I have my musicalniche within which I operate, but– in this particular case – theniche is pretty sizable, so Idon´t really feel restrained atany time.Q: You have always been theleading man in the band, thesound of the new album isunmistakably yours again.Did the other members haveany influence in the writingprocess?A: Sure, I wrote all the songs,but when time comes for record-ing/arranging, everything goes.All guys have they own, uniquemusical personality and we allworking hard to make it comethrough, even if we have tochange some arrangements inthe last minute. I do write thestuff, but Royal Hunt is verymuch a band. Everybody canhave their input and it’s alwaysappreciated.Q: Do you have a vision forthe band and which way itshould be headed and hasthat vision changed overtime?A:We do have a plan, in a way.When we started the band, tenor maybe only eight years agothe whole idea was to do some-thing a little bit different. Youalways have AOR bands and youhave your progressive bands likeDREAM THEATER and stuff and Igrew up on YES and GENESISand KANSAS and STYX and stufflike that so we tried to do some-thing that is a little bit morecomplicated and progressive butat the same time, wrap it insomething a little bit moreaccessible to the public. The bigsport for us is that every time wehave a beat which is like someirregular time signature or some-thing like that, we color it withsome simple singing line or

something like that so that itwon't be like we are standing inthe middle of the stage saying"Mom, look what I can do!" Itgives a little bit of color. Likeother bands we want to be bigand sell a lot of records and playbig places and we are working atit. We are getting better everyyear and that is basically theplan, to get better. And then tointroduce people to some kind ofmusic that we feel is interesting.Q: A lot of those bands thatyou have mentioned are stillfloating around and, I think,that they have passed theirproductive stages for themost part and are now justliving off of past glories.Should the time ever comethat you feel like ROYALHUNT isn't being artisticallyproductive will you put it outto pasture?A: We are trying really hard notto do that and it isn't really hardfor us anyway because from dayone everybody is very involvedin the band, like we don't haveanybody who is just "in theband." We are all the time work-ing on new ideas, musical ideasand lyrical ideas and stuff likethat and I don't think that willever be a danger. We are justfocused on trying to do an albumthat is better than the previousone. For as long as we have thespirit, we will be fine.Q: Putting this music on to astage must also be a greatchallenge… but you pull it offtime and time again… it is alot of hard work…A: It is, but it also a lot of fun. Ifeel extremely fortunate andprivileged to be working withsuch great musicians as Jonas,Andreas, Allan and DC… And ourbeautiful and talented backingvocalists… and the best crew inthe world. Anything´s possible,when you’re surrounded by thisgroup of great professionals. Q: I would say that having alabel such as Frontiers mustbe uplifting, knowing thatthey are supporting you tothe hilt!A: Absolutely: half of your suc-cess is the people behind it – thelabel, the management. You cango far with a great band andgreat material, but to make theproject a success you need asolid team behind it.Q: Touring plans, how arethey coming along, for 2012?A: I´d guess on March/April2012, but it´s a bit too early tomake any plans… let´s wait andsee how the album will bereceived.

Duncan Jamieson: Like some-thing out of the movie TheMagnificent Seven, Theocracystarted out with only you but hasgrown in members. You recordedeverything onthe debut by your-self. Then you enlisted a coupleof recruits for “Mirror Of Souls”and now on “As The WorldBleeds” you’re up to five. Howhas this changed the way youwrite the music and record it?Matt Smith: It’s only helped. Even inthe early days, I always wanted a fullband—I just couldn’t find any localmusicians who even knew about thiskind of music, much less wanted toplay it. I think you can really hearthe added personality that the fullband has given the music this timearound. Just as the addition ofShawn made such a difference on

Mirror of Souls compared to the drummachine on the first album, I thinkhaving a genuine “guitar hero” in Valhas really opened up the sound of theband and added another dimension.As for the writing, the new blood wasalso really helpful—Val brought insome great ideas that fit perfectlywith what I was working on.DJ: Can you see the band contin-ue to grow? I can see you with afull choir and orchestra backingyou!MS: Haha! Something like thatwould be cool to do one day as a spe-cial event. Our music definitely lendsitself to that epic approach.However, we also enjoy the raweraspect of just five guys playing musiclive, and I think the new album espe-cially works well in that setting.Good, catchy, standalone songs. But

as far as I’m concerned, this is theperfect and ultimate Theocracy line-up.DJ: Lyrically, your Christianbeliefs are obviously very impor-tant to you. What do want to tryto communicate with your lyrics?MS: Well, a lot of Christian musicstrikes me as sort of vapid, repetitiveand simplistic. We try to offer some-thing a little deeper than that. We’renot reinventing the wheel or breakingnew ground necessarily, but we atleast like to examine various topicsfrom a Christian perspective that youmay not see every day, and hopeful-ly make people think. DJ: Apart from your Christianbeliefs, musically where do drawyour inspirations and influencesfrom?MS: For me, the influences werepretty typical: Queensryche,Maiden, Metallica, Dream Theater,etc. I’m a fan of song-first writerswho can write big melodies: TobiasSammet, Tony Kakko, Neal Morseand Tuomas Holopainen are a few ofmy favorites.DJ: Do you notice a differencebetween the States and Europe inattitudes towards metal musicthese days?MS: Well, it depends on the kind ofMetal, I think. There’s definitely adifference for the kind of stuff weplay; the fans are intense and dedi-cated in Europe, whereas here athome no one really seems to care.The people who do show up here aregood, don’t get me wrong, there justaren’t many of them, haha.Hopefully that will change!