CONTENTS04 Chicago

06 Asia

07 X-Dr ive

08 Niva

09 Blues P i l l s

10 Hammerfa l l

12 Reviews

14 Miss Behaviour

15 Gregory Lynn Hal l

16 Adrenal ine Rush17 State of Sa lazar

19 Yes

20 Ted Nugent

22 J.B.O.

Melodic Rock FanzineThe official Frontiers Records magazine

Year #10 - Nr. 4 / Issue #63

Editor-in-chief: Elio Bordi

Concept, Graphics & Design: Elio Bordi

Writers: Bruce E.J. Atkinson, Duncan Jamieson, BarryMcMinn, Vitale Nocerino, Rob “Ezy” Bone, Primo Bonali.

Headquarters and general contacts:Frontiers Records - Via Gonzaga 1880125, Napoli - ItalyTel: +39.081.2399340/7753Fax: +39.081.2399794E-mail: elio@frontiers.itWebsite: www.frontiers.itFacebook: facebook.com/frontiersrecordsofficialTwitter: twitter.com/frontiersrecEditor and publisher: Frontiers Records s.r.l.

Copyright©2014 Frontiers Records. All rightsreserved. Reproduction in whole or in part

without permission is prohibited.Printed in Italy.

4 | MRF

band. chicagoalbum. now

Interview with:. robert lamminterviewed by:. d.jamieson

Focus on: CHICAGO - Now (Chicago XXXVI) (Frontiers Records)

As soon as that distictive horn sound opens the album, you’re transported into Chicago’sworld that remains as pristine as it did back in the 70s and 80s. It’s has Lamm’s sweetvocals, songs that flirt with pop,rock and jazz, and those horns that buoy the music. It’ssmoother than alabaster. For a band located in the east, it’s a west coast grooves thatbreezes through the music. Considering they’re on their 36th album they do well not tosound tired, quite the contrary, as this fizzes with ideas making this fresh sounding anda remarkably consistent album. It feels like real care has gone into the compositions andperformances here. “Free At Last”, “More Will Be Revealed” and “I Know” could have comeoff any of their albums from their 70s/80s heyday. The gloriously catchy “America” andcleverly arranged “Naked In The Garden Of Allah” show a more socio-political side to theband’s lyrics than the usual love songs. Despite not having the likes of Bill Champlin orPeter Cetera involved this a strong Chicago release. Their music might be out of step withcurrent musical trends but their class is timeless. Duncan Jamieson (92/100)

MRF | 5

Quest ion: Welcome back.

“XXXVI” is a great album

with al l the Chicago trade-

marks included:the horns,

the voca ls , the ba l lads ,

rock and jazz parts. You

must be happy with it . I

be l ieve you recorded i t

while on the road. Can you

tell me about that process?

Answer: For 5 of the 7 tracks I

contributed, as usual, I com-

pose the songs, us ing

GarageBand, I sketched in

keyboards, brass and other

parts. The f i les sent to and fro

wi th my co l laborators . The

actual song feel ing f inished, I

send my GB gr id to Mr.

Linderman who converts it to

ProTools, As we tour, we, with

Hank travel ing to us, set up

the r ig, and begin to replace

sketch parts with the guys

add ing the i r per formances,

usual ly in hotel rooms... Lots

of guitars, via email! To get

Tris drums in the f low, so that

the rest of the rhythm section

is record ing wi th h is rea l

drums, for a couple of tunes,

we decided not to wait unti l

the tour, and went to Drew's

to get it done. Ditto, most of

my vocals, at Parsons Green,

where Hank and I l ive 15 min-

utes apart , so dur ing tour

breaks, I was able to maintain

momentum, br ing ing the

tracks along so that on the

tour , we would have made

progress. Other Tr is drums

were recorded on s tage,

before the gigs, with Keith's

l i t t le HD set up, and then

dumped into Hank's ProTools

master sessions. Real ly, the

whole deal, was about moving

forward forward forward,

whenever, however and wher-

ever.

Q: What should we expect

from it?

A: The new a lbum is pure

Chicago, but more l ike the

innovative music of the early

albums. Tracks are energetic,

longer... Lyr ics have depth,

singing is strong, horns are

the signature that is so famil-

iar.

Can you p lease expla in

what is “The Ring” about

and how it helped during

the recording sessions?

A: Since the new mil lennium,

Chicago is touring more inter-

nat iona l ly . Band members

reside in many different loca-

tions, so gett ing together to

write and record new music,

demands that we do this while

touring. With input from vari-

ous engineers, producers, Lee

Loughnane pieced together a

(sor t o f ) compact movable

recording studio. Al l the best

mics, Pro Tools HD, compres-

sors , moni tor ing systems,

cables, etc.

Q: The band collaborated

on the song writing. Who

contr ibuted what and is

there a greater sense of

cameraderie as you’ve got-

ten older?

A: We have always had a great

work eth ic , f r iendsh ip and

respect for each other, so in

that sense not much has

changed, it 's al l good. We did

agree on this project that the

pr inc ipa l wr i ter would be

respons ib le to produce h is

song. I t worked wel l . Each

songwriter was responsible for

producing his song, making

dec is ions, arrang ing, and

complet ing the t rack, as

always, in col laboration with

the band members. Our super-

v is ing producer was Hank

L inderman, who, as the

recordings progressed, made

rough mixes, constant ly

cycl ing them back to the band,

wherever we were, so we

could work deeper into the

tracks. Eventual ly he created

nearly al l of the f inal mixes

and prepared them for

Master ing for var ious audio

standards: 24bit 96k, AIFF,

WAV, FLAC, app le lost less ,

mp3.

Q: The opening track is the

terrif ic ’Now’. What’s the

difference being in Chicago

now compared to the 70s

and 80s?

A: We know who we are, who

we've always been, as art ists,

and don't need to defer to

peop le outs ide the band,

regarding our music.

Q: There are a couple of

songs “Amer ica” and

“Naked In The Garden Of

Allah” with socio-polit ical

lyrics. Can you elaborate

on the ideas behind those

songs?

A: "America" is a cal l to peo-

ple to hold their representa-

tives in Congress accountable.

Not to do so is g iv ing up

power to “Government as Big

Business”. "Al lah" is a treatise

on violence versus vulnerabi l-

ity in human behavior.

Q: As a band you sti l l tour

a lot. What do you enjoy

about the road?

A: Music is meant to be played

to an audience, this is the

on ly way to exper ience

Chicago and define the per-

ception of this band.

How is to be a Ch icago

music player?

A: I am always l istening to al l

k inds of music, from every

corner o f the wor ld , f rom

every era. I am humbled to be

a work ing composer , mus i -

cian. It is an honorable pro-

fession.

Q: Can you tel l us what to

expect of your l ive show

these days?

A: Mind blowing musicianship,

hugely popular songs, and big

fun!

Q: After 40 years and more

of career, have you ever

imagined your l i fe without

the band?

A: Can anybody real ly imagine

a l i fe without Chicago? Ha! I

have a few other projects I

would l ike to work on, my solo

a lbums, work ing wi thother

musicians. So music is larger

than Chicago.

Q: You’re touring in Europe

this summer. What ’s the

di f ference between

European Chicago fans and

the American fans?

A: European audiences actual-

ly l i s ten and have fun.

Americans think they are at a

bal l game.

6 | MRF

Question: What do you rememberabout that gig in Victoria park,London?Answer: That summer afternoon inEast end London was fairly auspiciousas it augured the beginnings of a newfestival in the nation’s capital. Q: Why and when did you decideto do the debut in its entirety?A: It was something we had neverdone in the UK.Q: What is it about the debutalbum that still resonates withaudiences?A: It’s iconic and the whole exceedsthe sum of all the considerable parts. Q: Is there a song that you partic-ularly like from that record andwhat is it about that song?A: Only Time Will Tell – it has intense-ly personal lyrics and it was the firstsingle in the United Kingdom back in1982.Q: What was that period like in the80’s for you and the band whenthe debut became such a megasuccess?A: It was magic. It was way beyondwhat any of us could have imagined. Q: The band has been fairly prolif-ic since you reformed. Has thatsurprised you?A: No, we had a lot of unfinished busi-ness...Q: What are your main influencesas music player?A: My brother, Robert, for practicinghis Church Organ music so much,andinfluencing the way I think aboutmusic. Brian Wilson for showing me,

with the Beach Boys, that there wasan unlimited adventure in music aheadof me if I wanted it, and all those won-derful composers - Bach, Beethoven,Mahler, Tchaikovsky.Q: How do you write music? Doyou have a specific way of doingit?A: It'll come from a musical idea whenI am sitting at the piano (my firstinstrument was a piano). Sometimesit's lyrics first, sometimes it's musicfirst. Usually it's just an idea. It'll be asituation, it'll just be something for mymind to register a situation that will sitvery well into a song. Just somethingwill spark, and I will be ready to go!Only Time Will Tell, for instance... Ihad the verse melody and I hear thelyric was (singing "You are leavingnow, it's in your eyes...") that wasalready written and I didn't have any-thing else, just that melody and thosewords. When I started working withGeoff, it turned out that he came froma very similar background – churchmusic – and lots of our ideas worktogether very well. It's not like youdealing with one guy coming from rockand another guy coming from a classi-cal background, so that we have tofind a middle ground. We have to befrom a very similar background, so if Icome with a verse and Jeff comes witha chorus, there is a likelihood they willfit together. And they do! Particularlyon the first Asia record they fit togeth-er perfectly. So, Only Time Will Tellcame from my verse, Geoff's chorus,and lines which I rewrote in a different

way. And I finished all the lyrics too.As for the arrangement... It prettymuch arranged itself. It was the samewith Heat of the Moment. Funnilyenough, the singles from the first andthe second Asia albums both were thelast tracks to be recorded. We record-ed Heat of the Moment at the lastmoment. It wasn’t part of the firstconception of the album. It was justlate one night that we decided to puttwo ideas together, this time with mychorus, Geoff's verse, and some differ-ent structures. We tried anything tomake it work, and I hope it worked.When it came to our second album,"Alpha", we had finished recording,and were playing the album inMontreal, Canada. We got to the endof the record, and heard the voicefrom the record company guy whosaid, "I don't see any singles. Youneed a single!". So, we wrote Don'tCry that day. We normally spend a lit-tle longer on the writing of music, butsometimes it has to be done in ahurry. So, once we’ve decided on themusic, the direction of the song – it’snot difficult to arrange it. And Carlcomes in and put the drums rightthen, and Steve will play his lovely gui-tar. Q: You’re touring to support thenew “Gravitas” album. How hasthe band changed now SamCoulson is the new guitarist,replacing Steve Howe?A: The band function has not changedat all but we have a new energy and aharder edge to our sound.

band. asiaalbum. high voltageInterview with. john wettoninterviewed by:. d. jamieson

MRF | 7

Question: Let us begin with aquestion for Jeremy, being thefounder of X-Drive, take usthrough your journey to thispoint, a worldwide deal with oneof the finest labels in the land…Answer: I originally started on piano,after hearing “Jump” for the first time.This really influenced me, and led meto start practicing on a borrowed gui-tar from a guy at a local radio station.Fast forward a bit, and those begin-nings were reflected in the X-Driveproject. There were about 40 songsthat I had written in various stages ofdevelopment, but there were an earlybatch of 10 or so that I was deter-mined to share. I'm honored to beworking with Frontiers and surround-ed by their alumni.Q: Now, we have seasoned musi-cians surround you on this proj-ect. How did you meet up withJames and Keith? A: I think it was initially a phone callwith Keith and then from there westarted emailing each other, andsending tracks back and forth. I wasreferred to Keith by a journalist I hadworked with in the past. I had audi-tioned quite a few other singers bythat time, but none of them seemedto fit. After Keith sent me one song, Iknew immediately he was the rightvoice for my music. I met Jameswhen he and Keith were playing inLynch Mob and we needed a bassplayer for the studio. I was definitelya fan of some of his past work, espe-cially White Lion.

Q: Bringing in Fred Fischer ondrums, seems to be the icing onthe cake, with “Get Your Rock On”being such a high energy record… A: I've known Fred for a long time. Hewas in more than one local band, andI knew from the first time I saw himplay that he was the drummer I want-ed to use. He does bring energy, andI really admire his drumming skillsand stage presence.Q: I know that you have spent alot of time in preparing andrecording your debut…pleasetake us through the steps.A: I was working with some musicianswho had been flying to Oregon fromLos Angeles... and after a while, itseemed a better idea for me to be inL.A. At times, it was trying becausethere were different ideas that wereattempted with different musicians,engineers, producers and studios, butit did take a while to find people thatwere able to understand the visionthat I had for the record. Sometimesthat took sticking to my guns, andultimately, it came pretty close towhat I was shooting for. Q: Jeremy, you were able to workwith another legend on thisrecord, Andy Johns!Tragically this was one of Andy’slast works, as we now he passedlast year. Working with Andymust have been a lifetime experi-ence…A: It was. I spent a lot of time withhim, and not just in the studio. In thetime he was working on the project,

he and I would talk for hours abouthis past work, and the legendarymusicians that he worked with.Stories of working with rock iconsabounded. It really was an honorworking with him. As a totalunknown, I was so impressed at howgracious he was to me and how muchdeference and respect he gave. Hewas a very genuine guy. I'll miss notbeing able to work with him again. Hereally cared about the music.Q: Realizing that “X-Drive” is abrand new band, are you planningto hit the road? If so, when andwhere?A: All I can do right now is see wherethis goes. If X-Drive develops a wideenough fan base, who knows? I don'tknow what the future holds for tour-ing, as some of the musicians arealready doing that with other bandsright now. Q: “Get Your Rock On” is an out-standing debut! I would imaginethat with your worldwide dealwith Frontiers, you have sur-passed expectations with thisfirst effort…A: Thanks. I've been impressed withtheir achievements, and it was greatdealing with them. They were veryencouraging when Keith and I metwith the label. It was not lost on methat I was new to the industry, andthis was a big deal. They believed inmy music, and I will always be thank-ful to everyone at Frontiers, especial-ly Serafino and Mario for the opportu-nity.

artist.x-drivealbum. get your rock onInterview with. j. brunner

interviewed by. b. atkinson

8 | MRF

Question: Firstly can you

tell us the story behind

the album title

‘Incremental IV’?

Answer: The title of the

album came about when I

realized that this album

actually is the fourth one, so

I wanted to associate this

album to just that. The word

Incremental means a step

wise enumeration and that is

hopefully what we will con-

tinue to do in the future.

Q: The new album comes

just 10 months after the

release ‘Magnitude’, how

soon after ‘Magnitude’ did

you start work on

‘Incremental IV’?

A: We didn’t plan the start

for the work on Incremental

IV. It is a continued process

to elaborate with lyrics and

melodies. As soon as

Magnitude was released we’d

already started create new

ideas and also working with

ideas that already was

shaped in an early form.

Q: With ‘Magnitude’

receiving such critical

acclaim, was there any

pressure on you to follow

up such a great album?

A: I never think in dose

terms. We’re just creating

our music like we’ve always

done. I can tell you that

there is now pressure of any

kind. Critical acclaimed or

not, in the end it doesn’t

mean that much. Of course it

is a great pleasure to read

great reviews but after all

I’m making these recordings

to archive the songs we’ve

come up with, in order to contin-

ue with writing new ones.

Q: How do you feel

‘Incremental IV’ compares to

your three previous albums

and how do you think the

band and yourself has pro-

gressed since the debut ‘No

Capitulation’?

A: The debut was something like

seventeen years ago and a lot of

things have happened during this

period of time. Several members

have left and new ones have

arrived. Even the musical style

has changed during this time

from metal to melodic rock and

now, I like to think that we’re in

for a more pure AOR music style.

Q: What is the songwriting

process for the album, do you

write all the music and lyrics

for the albums?

A: As usual an initial song idea

comes from one of us three

songwriters, Roger, Marcus or I.

Then we bring all the ideas up

front and then finalize them

together before entering the stu-

dio.

Q: If you had to pick one

track off the album that high-

lights what Niva is all about,

which track would it be and

why?

A: It is hard to just pick one song

but if I pick one up-tempo and

one mid-tempo it would be

“Crush” and then “Only you”.

Both songs have a typical NIVA

stylistically structural and both

songs have a joyful feel with a

hit potential, as I see it anyway.

Q: What are your touring

plans in any, it would be good

hear these and the previous

albums songs live?

A: Everyone involved in NIVA has

their full-time jobs and families

to support, but if the opportunity

arises, we certainly will try to

make our way to the live-stage.

So let's see what the future has

in store.

band. nivaalbum. incremental iv

Interview with. t. nivainterviewed by:. b. mcminn

Primo Bonali: Hello guys! How areyou doing? So, can you please intro-duce your self-titled debut album toour readers? In my review I'vedescribed the album as "a real trip,a journey in time and space that willbring you back in the '70s and farbeyond (60s)". Do you agree?Dorian Sorriaux: Hi, I'am doing greatthank you. Our debut album is comingout really soon, the 25 of July. There is10 songs, some old ones that have beenrearranged and some new ones. Its ablues / rock / soul kind of psychedelicalbum and it was produced and record-ed in Gothenburg Sweden by Don

alsterberg. I definitely agree, we areheavily influenced by the music from the60s and 70s.PB: You guys are all in your twen-ties, still your main influences comefrom '60 and '70 artists, like LedZeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplinand Cream. How did you start lis-tening to this music style and thesebands? DS: I became a big fan of blues and rockmusic when I was around 3 or 4 yearsold. I got introduced to bands like ZZTop and the early Status Quo by my dadand then I started to search in recordstores and second hand shops for new

CDs and music to listen to in that genre.PB: How your band was put togeth-er?DS: The band started a few years agowhen Elin met Zach in California whileshe was traveling. They became friendsand started to write some songs anduploaded a couple demos on YouTube.The response was really good so itbecame more serious, they got offeredto tour in Spain and to release an EP ona Swedish label. That's when they askedme to come along on tour and to recordon the ep, I had met Zach earlier thesame year in France when my band wasopening for his old band. After visitingthem in Sweden to practise for the tourI joined the band officially.PB: Your album is going to breleased by Nuclear Blast. How didyou get in touch with the label andwhich are your expectations aboutit?DS: It all started with an Email that wesent to nuclear blast with a YouTube linkand to our surprise they actuallyresponded. A while after that they cameto see us live when we were on tour inGermany and really liked the show.They then made us an offer. We weretalking to other labels as well butNuclear Blast really seemed like theright label for us, they didn't ask us tochange our sound our anything whichthe other labels did. Being sign toNuclear Blast has been a wonderfulexperience, it opened a lot of doors forus and made us able to play biggershows as well as a lot of media expo-sure.

Question: Hammerfall is knownfor many things, fantastic, hardhitting music, no strangers tohard work and of course, a lovefor touring. As you and yourband mates have journeyed,you have experienced somemany highs and lows.and forthe most part, these havestrengthened the band.if youlook through the years, whatimpact have all of these experi-ences had on the music direct-ly?Answer: Thank you! Well, some-times the lows does more harmthan good. But this separates theweak from the tough. The menfrom the mice. If you manage to gothrough it, it strengthens you. Like when you break a bone, theysay it's stronger in the brokenhealed place (I heard lately this is amyth, but you know what I mean:))The lows in Hammerfall's casemade us believe in the true soundand stopped experimenting anylonger. Back to the roots! Why fixsomething that don't needed to befixed in the first place? Done andoverwith it. It happens to manybands though. You try to broadenyour horizons after a while. It'snatural, but stupid if you havesomething good going. But nowback to basics!Q: You are coming off of a muchdeserved break, over a year Ibelieve and pointing to the newalbum, it seems that this breakwas just what the doctorordered!

A: Two years even. Yes, it madeeveryone realize where the bandcomes from and what we shoulddo.Q: "(r)Evolution" seems toembrace some of your earlycreations, when writing thisalbum, were you looking backto your roots?A: Yes, absolutely! We tried tomake a record that would be like afollow up to “Legacy of Kings”. Yeta bit modern somehow. Q: I would imagine that aftertaking such a lengthy break, allof you were more than ready toget going. When did you actu-ally start to record the newalbum?A: The drums in february this year.But the songwriting started beforethat. So the break was really notreally a break:-) People were busycreating.Q: What if anything were youhoping to recapture from previ-ous years in terms of sound,and methodology of recording?A: Everything:-)Q: So in keeping with the abovequestion, what have you donethat was similar to what hasbeen done previous, and whathave you done that would bedifferent?A: We used the producer fron thetwo first records: FredrikNordström. That was a huge reasonthe album sounded like the firstones. His personallity is a bit more"Swedish" than the others we had.We had hard working Germans

before and they were great in allways. Except one. They have a ten-dency to follow the leader (it is acommon problem in Germany...and a strenght as well. Dependinghow you look at it. In this case theybuttered up to Oscar (founder andband leader). Just because theywanted to keep their job, I think.So there was a lot of one waycomunication going on. I don'tthink any of them, Oscar or theproducers, realized themselves, butI personally think it harmed the endresult slightly. It became too per-fect somehow. Now with Nordströmhe was not sucking up to the leaderso much. He spoke his mind andinsisted on a lot of things. It's bet-ter for creativity. And his mix wasmore natural and powerful I think.Not so processed. Well, it's all what you prefer Iguess, but I like when it sounds likea band playing.Q: Now, upon listening to thenew record, we can hear arenewed passion inHammerfall, not that you havelost any, but knowing how hardyou guys work, and how longthe group has been together.How to you keep coming upwith such passionate music?A: People are passionate in theirown ways. There are a lot of hiddenaggression withing the band mem-bers. And some open ones too:-)Not towards each other (so much:-)) but in general. It creates sometension in the music. Good ones!Metal should be aggressive!

band. hammerfallalbum. (-r-evolutionInterview with. a. johanssoninterviewed by:. b. atkinson

10 | MRF

12 | MRF

YES - Heaven & Earth (Frontiers Records)As I wrote in another column: “Heaven & Earth” is as fresh as a Spring morning! This is the latestoffering from that veteran ensemble of musical talent that we have been saying “Yes” to for overforty years! What we have here, are eight absolutely stunning pieces of swirling-symphonic musi-cal progressions that will lighten the heaviest of hearts amongst us! A literal and musical master-piece! “Heaven & Earth” may just be the album that re-invents “Yes” and introduces them to awhole new generation! Teaming up with legendary producer Roy Thomas Baker, “Yes” have deliv-ered a complete musical statement that retains all the high marks this group have become knownfor. Yet, they have also breathed new life in their musical creations, finding new nuggets in theirquest of musical expression. There is so much creativity within each track, and from each musi-cian, that it truly boggles the mind! In a few words, “Heaven & Earth” is nothing short of beautifuland unique, just nothing quite like this in all of Heaven or on Earth!! Bruce Atkinson (90/100)

STATE OF SALAZAR - All the Way (Frontiers Records)Again Sweden. And again an incredible album. Even better, if possible! Melodic Rock / AOR atits best, played with a superior musicianship, arranged and written in a superb and mature way,like the band was around since years. And actually they aren't, as State Of Salazar releasedtheir debut EP "Lost My Way" in the summer of 2012, and it was put together only one yearearlier by these five young music students from Malmo. Their (obvious, listening to their music)influences come from bands like Toto, Survivor and Chicago, as the band sounds more US thanSwedish (something that they share with their country-mates Work Of Art). Their debut-album"All The Way" features 12 songs, or, to better say, 12 radio-friendly jewels, with heavenly vocals(Marcus Nygren's voice can reach highest notes without never being annoying), anthemic cho-rus, epic melodies, over-the-top arrangements, and a crystal clear production. The main can-didate for the “debut-album of the year” award! Primo Bonali (95/100)

ADRENALINE RUSH - Adrenaline Rush (Frontiers Records)Adrenaline Rush are the aptly name latest Rock sensation to come out of Sweden. A band that first start-ed to bear fruit when vocalist Tave Wanning and Eclipse’s Erik Martensson got together to record what wouldbecome this debut album back in 2012. Hand picking the band members from various backgrounds aroundthe Stockholm music scene, with Tave being joined by Ludvig Turner and Alexander Hagman on guitars,Soufian Ma’Aoui on bass and last but by no means least Marcuss Johansson on drums. The album, like thebands name implies, is a much needed musical release of epinephrine into the rock system, full of big licksand even bigger chorus’s this Rock n’ Roll as it should be. Wanning has that Wendy James style and atti-tude to her vocals that deliver a punchy, angsty, no nonsense vibe. Stand out tracks for me are all of them,but if I had to pick my favourites then opener “Hit You Like A Rock”, “Generation Left Behind”, “Girls GoneWild” and the massive sounds of “Want It All” have Martensson written all them. This is quite outstandingdebut and one of the finest Hard Rock releases I’ve heard this year. Barry McMinn (99/100)

X-DRIVE - Get Your Rock On (Frontiers Records)His voice is unmistakeable Keith St. John: ex-Montrose, fronts this brand new Los Angeles based quartet. Hisguitar stylings are precise, tasteful and rhythmic founding member of “X-Drive”, Jeremy Brunner, hailing fromthe Pacific Northwest… Jeremy put this group together with the afore mentioned St. John, and James Lomenzoon Bass and Drummer Fred Fischer. As testament to his far-reaching Talents, Jeremy was successful in signinga world-wide deal with Frontiers and “Get Your Rock On” is their debut. Twelve slices of no nonsense guitar driv-en rock, each number living all so well on the world’s stages! A tight, rhythmic group “X-Drive” takes us fromone musical high to another. The record sounds “live” off the floor, I would imagine that there are many songsthat are the result of only one or two takes! And all are Radio friendly and not in a forced way just natural driv-en rockers! As mentioned, Keith St. John’s voice is unmistakeable and so strong. A great counterpoint to theguitar explorations of Mr. Brunner! Couple this with the tight rhythmic playing of Fred and James, and we heara fluid, pulsating and driven undertow that pushes each and every number! Overall, “Get Your Rock On” is agrand debut, and one that should musically fill the Summer air the world over! Bruce Atkinson (91/100)

ASIA - High Voltage (Frontiers Records)This live album was recorded in London back in 2010 at the first High Voltage festival. It finds theclassic line-up covering the whole of their legendary debut from1982, plus a couple of tracks fromthe “Phoenix” and “Omega” albums; the first two albums they recorded after their reformation in2006. It starts off shakily; the sound is too thin and organic for their brand of pomp rock and ittakes John Wetton some time to find his stride vocally. “One Step Closer” doesn’t convince at all butby mid-album it comes together. Steve Howe’s guitar in this live setting is definitely more prog rockthan hard rock. The newer songs “An Extraordinary Life” and “I Believe” work well in the set, per-haps because they’re written to their present strengths rather than their early 80’s prime. However,by the time they hit the home straight with “Here Come The Feeling”, “Sole Survivor” and thebonafide classic “Heat of the Moment” all is forgiven and you can’t help but sing along with Wetton.Not perfect but with Howe back in the Yes camp then this could be a last chance to hear the origi-nal line up so it makes this a significant release for Asia fans. Duncan Jamieson (88/100)

VICTORY - Don’t Get Mad Get Even (Yesterrock)Re-vitalised, “Don’t Get Mad Get Even” was the second release of this 80’s era hard rockgroup. “Victory”, a forceful hard rock group that featured Charlie Huhn-ex Ted Nugentsinger, and Bassist Peter Knorn. The group had early success with their infectious rollick-ing tunes. This re-issues captures all of that intensity and energy. The line-up on this,their second effort, added Drummer Fritz Randow, and Guitarist Herman Frank. These twojoined up with Charlie, Peter, and Guitarist Tommy Newton to go on to even more success!These five created an album’s worth of memorable slices of Metal-tinged Rockers deliveredwith conviction! “Victory” was a bright light in the 1980’s musical sky, and this re-issuewill most likely brighten up those skies once again! “Victory” was a “take no prisoners”type band, and that is no different today! “Don’t Get Mad Get Even” is worthy of that sec-ond shot… Don’t hesitate, pick up this one for sure! Bruce Atkinson (85/100)

MRF | 13

HAMMERFALL - (r)Evolution (Nuclear Blast)After a two year break, these heavy metal Swedes have returned with a vengeance! “r-Evolution” marksHammerfall’s ninth studio album, and it is a scorcher! This record belies their years in the music industry, thereis so much energy coming off these grooves, that you may need a seat-belt when listening! Rock-hard andintense, this collection of brand new expressions registers in the upper echelons of Rock-Metal. As we have cometo expect, any Hammerfall song is complete with poignant messages, and “r-Evolution” is no exception! Hard-hitting, both musically and lyrically Hammerfall delivers. As we journey through this new creation, we are metwith a familiar face right at the start; “Hector’s Hymn” sets the pace. We continue with such rockers as the titletrack, “Live Life Loud”, “Winter Is Coming” and much more. The signature sound of Hammerfall is still there, butthe intensity is akin to their very first couple of albums! Seems the two-year rest was just what these musiciansneeded. Polished and re-forged, the group is offering up a total of eleven slices of melodic, molten metal that willkeep you looking for more! Extraordinary talented musicians creating an extraordinary Recorded Work! Prepareyourself for a re-vitalised Hammerfall and take the next step in “r-Evolution”!! Bruce Atkinson (90/100)

MISS BEHAVIOUR - Roadkill (AOR Heaven)The Swedes previous, sophamore album “Last Woman Standin” really saw them raising their game withthe addition of singer Sebastion Roos. “Double Agent” sees them build on the strengths of that recordand provide us with another great example of Scandnavian melodic rock that wears its 80s influencesproudly. There’s a good marriage between Erik Heikne’s guitar and Henrik Sproge’s keyboards that givethe band an almost epic AOR qualty that seperates their sound from others playing this genre (and aside of themselves that they should do more of). There are also some killer choruses on the title trackand “Magical Feeling”. On “Cold Response” and they do a good impression of Toto meets Work Of Art.The power ballad of sorts “Corporation Arms” offers up a change from the usual boy meets girl fodderwhile “On With The Show” is just an old school song about rocking. More in common with fellow SwedesHouston’s brand of AOR than H.E.A.T or Eclipse’s harder melodic rock. If you were smitten by MissBehaviour’s charms on their last record then this is equally captivating. Duncan Jamieson (86/100)

NIVA – Incremental IV (AOR Heaven)This is the fourth Niva album and like the bands debut on AOR Heaven “Magnitude”, “Incremental” is anoth-er full force slice of AOR that defines the genre perfectly. The guitars of Roger Ljunggren and keyboards ofMarcus Persson, together with the bass of Jan Stal and drums of Bengan Andersson, join vocalist and bandnamesake Tony Niva and together, they take up where “Magnitude” left off. From the opener “Don’t YouKnow” Ljunggren’s guitars make their mark. These are soon joined by the superb vocal tones of Niva andfrom here on in its melody rich rock all the way. Things continue on melodic path with the up-beat rockerand first single “Crush” and continue in the same mid-tempo style with “Better Just Forgotten”, before turn-ing it up another notch with “Magnitude”. With all melodic rock albums you expect a ballad and this albumhas a corker in “Travel Back In Time”. All in all a great album and a worthy follow up to “Magnitude”. Wellworth shelling out your hard-earned cash for without hearing any more than the tracks mentioned, so I’llleave the rest for you to enjoy yourself. You won’t be disappointed. Barry McMinn (86/100)

J.B.O. – Nur die Besten werden alt (AFM Records)J.B.O. (James Blast Orchester) the undisputed kings of Bloedsinn (nonsense) are back with the 10th stu-dio album and once again the German’s from Erlangen deliver an album of total fun filled Parody Metal,with some reworkings and some new music. This album will bring a smile to even the most stone facedas you can’t help but love this quartets spin on pop and rock songs. The band pays tribute to AliceCooper’s “Schools Out” with “Schule aus” and even Opus’s “Live is Life” is give the dark metal treatmentwith “Death Is Death”, and to be honest, I love the JBO make over. Other songs given the JBO treatmentare “These Boots are Made For Walking” on “Das Bier ist da zum Trinken” and even “Mambo Number 5”is revamped with the excellent “Heavy Metal 666”. Even though the album is sung in the bands nativetongue you don’t have to speak German to understand what this band is all about. It never did Rammsteinany harm singing in German. Ok so this will not be everyones cup of tea, but if we all liked the same thingmy job would be a lot easier. Take this album for what it is, a whole lot of FUN! Barry McMinn (82/100)

GREGORY LYNN HALL – Heaven To Earth (AOR Heaven)

The debut album from 101 South’s lead singer may takea few people by suprise; in a good

way. A possessor of great rock pipes , he’s fashioned an album that is an eclectic mix of

rock genres. He plays guitar but he’s also backed by some rampant guitar playing from

the likes of Guiffria’s Craig Goldy and Armoured Saint’s Jeff Duncan. It’s all anchored by

Hall’s voice so it proves to be a cohesive album despite its diversity. The most startling

songs are “Stars In The Night” and “I Thought I Only Saw Heaven”. The first remind me

of Graham Bonnet era Rainbow and then, blow me down, the latter is a heavy juggernaut

that recalls the Ronnie James Dio era. “Rockin’ The Road” could be Brian Howe era Bad

Company. Add to that some terrific hooks on the melodic title track and you have a great

album that should appeal to any classic rock lover. Duncan Jamieson (88/100)

ACCEPT– Blind Rage (Nuclear Blast)Judas Priest, AC/DC and Accept share common ground in that you know instantly that it’s them fromthe opening chords. They’ve all struck on a formula that works for them, often simple but effectiveand those that try to emulate them rarely do it as well. Accept come out snorting, hoofs thumpingand horns waving on the metal anthem “Stampede”. Over the course of the record they deliverexactly what you’d expectof them; razor sharp yet catchy riffs, manly gutteral vocals from MarkTornillo, gang chanting choruses and scorching solos that’ll singe your eyebrows off. “Fall of theEmpire”, “200 Years” and “Wanna Be Free” are all worthy additions to their canon. It might not top2010’s “Blood Nations” or their last album “Stalingrad” but it’s still a cut above the vast majority ofmetal bands. On the title track, a homage to the great rock and metal bands, when they sing thatthey themselves are one of the last of a dying breed they are not wrong. Thank goodness they’restill around,delivering the pure definition of teutonic metal. Duncan Jamieson (90/100)

Question: It’s another great

album from you.

Answer: Thank you very much,we’ve put down a lot of work intothis one. Q: Your last album ‘Last

Woman Standing’ was well

received. How does the new

record differ in your eyes?

A: We knew “Last WomanStanding” was a great album, butthe reception by fans and thepress was way beyond our expec-tations. That of course meansthat the expectations on “DoubleAgent” is high. We grew as aband by touring on “Last WomanStanding” but then a terribleaccident in Nottingham took ourmanager and friend MichaelSundén from us and that affectedus a lot. We put our heads in thesand and decided to make ourbest effort to make an album thatwould have made Michael proud.The new album is more straightforward and live-oriented, Ithink. Double Agent is morenuanced so to speak.Q: How did you record the

album?

A: We recorded it as a band.Spent time together in the studio,worked hard and had greatmeals, laughs and drinks everyevening. “Last Woman Standing”was recorded in sessions and wedid not have the same chemistry

in the band back then as we donow. I hope that’s something thatreaches the listeners, this emo-tional aspect. Q: What sparked the idea for

the song “Double Agent”?

A: The lyric picks up where thetheme of “Last Woman Standing”ended. Musical wise it’s a combi-nation of red wine and embracingthe music we love.Q: What songs are you partic-

ularly proud of on the record?

A: I like to think of an album, likea good movie. It has to have upsand downs in both tempo andemotion. We’re not a band thatreleases an album with 12 threeminutes radio songs. This albumhas a couple of these in “ColdResponse” and “Magical Feeling”and it has more emotional songslike “Corporation Arms”. It alsocontains more complex tracks like“The Cause Of Liberty” and heav-ier tunes like “Edge of TheWorld”. Q: What is it about the 80s

rock sound that captures your

imagination as you were too

young to hear it first time

round?

A: My first memory of hard rockwas a Europe concert back in -92.Went with my mom and laterfound out that Sebastian was atthe same gig with his mom. 10years old, Kee Marcello and Joey

had a really strong impact onmyself. It’s all about the melodiesand the musicianship for me. Thepowerful sound. I don’t wannadismiss some bands out there,but you don’t have to growl andtune your guitar to drop D tomake powerfull music, my opin-ion. Q: There are a number of

great melodic rock bands

coming out of Sweden at the

moment. Bands like H.E.A.T ,

Houston, Eclipse, W.E.T and

yourselves. How do you

account for this new wave of

melodic rock?

A: In Sweden there’s a history ofcreating music with strongmelodies, but unfortunately thescene is so small here, most peo-ples like heavier rock. For us itwas an eye-opener to tour in theUK, with a growing fan base ofthis music. But there are a lot ofgreat melodic rock bands from allover Europe I think.Q: Can we look forward to

seeing you live in Europe to

support the record?

A: I definitely hope so. We gaineda group of fans and supporterswith the last album and of coursewe want to rock with them soonagain. Let´s hope that ”DoubleAgent” lives up to the expecta-tions so that festivals and venuesaround Europe want to have us.

band. miss behavioralbum. double agent

interview with:. Erik Heikne interviewed by:. d.jamieson

Question: How does it feel tohave our solo album released?Answer: It feels great to have aproduct coming out that's com-pletely me. Also a little scary,because if people like it, itsgreat, but if the don't, well younow the rest, lol. It’s all on me...But its nice, it’s kind of a naturalprogression from 101 South to doa solo album.Q: It’s a got a variety of rockstyles on it (like albums usedto have) but it all soundscohesive because it’sanchored by your vocals. Didyou set out to make a diversesounding record?A: I didn't really set out with anypre-concieved ideas of how Iwanted it to sound, I just wentfor it, I’m a guitarist, so natural-ly some of the songs are more

guitar riff based. I just let it flow,most of the songs were written asI was recording the album.Q: Some people may be sur-prised by how heavy this is inplaces. There’s even aRainbow / Dio sound inplaces. Were these bandsinfluences on you here?A: Yes, of course we are all prod-ucts of who we grew up on,andare influenced by, my 4 strongestRock vocal influences are, RonnieJames Dio, David Coverdale, PaulRodgers, and Lou Gramm, notnecessarily in that order.Q: How long did it take torecord the album?A: The album took about 3months to make. Q: Tell us about the writingprocess and the musiciansyou got in to help you.

A: Sometimes I startedwriting with a Guitarriff, other times it was aconcept or a feeling... Itjust depended, some-times I just got realquiet and listened...Good tip for life also...Because I played almostall the instruments(except some drumsand guitar solos on 5songs) on the album Itwas really cool to beable to write, recordand hear the songs fin-ished the way I heardthem in my head, andwanted them to comeout. Also having goodBros play Guitar solosfor me like Craig Goldy,Jeff Duncan, BillyLiesegang, JohnnyNavarro, Mike Turner...It helped bring in thosefinal touches orspices...Q: Your faith isimportant to you.How does that affectthe lyrics?A: Yes for sure, myfaith is my foundation,and definitely influ-ences what I wannasay, I always wanna liftpeople, take them to abetter place. Theresenough negativity in theworld already, I dotouch on the other sideas well to identify withpeople...Q: Is there anychance of you goingout on the road topromote the record?A: I really want to put aBand together and playlive and support thisalbum, I’m looking forplayers right now, ifyou know any Pros,lemme know they can

contact me directly at gregory-lynnhall@aol.com Q: Will there be another 101South album?A: I talk to Roger Scott Craig nowand then, I would love to doanother album, we shall see, itseems its getting harder andharder to make good high qualityalbums these days, the budgetsare small and makes it very diffi-cult to hire live players, produc-ers, etc.. It forces us to put onmany hats to make an album.Q: What’s next for you?A: I would love to get out andplay live, also collaborate withsome other Pro musicians andrecord more albums, and startsoaring... Get back in the mixwas nice chatting with you, RockOn and God Bless.

MRF | 15

band. gregory lynn hallalbum. heaven to earth

interview with:. gregory lynninterviewed by:. d. jamieson

Question: So can you give us abrief history of how did the bandcome together?Answer: It actually started as a soloproject. I had been playing in differentbands for a long time but nothing evertook off in a serious way. It’s hard tofind a group of people who share avision and want things to go in thesame direction. I mean, you alwayshave a good time and lots of laughsbut after a while just seeing the insideof a rehearsal studio and doing smallclub gigs gets old. I knew I was readyto take my music to a more profes-sional level but wasn’t sure how to goabout it. And then just by chance I raninto Erik at a Quireboys concert. I hadworked with him briefly laying downvocals on a song of his a couple ofyears back but I didn’t really knowhim at all. We got to talking anddecided to meet up and see if wecould do some serious work together.Erik is an incredibly talented guy -he’s a songwriter, a musician and aproducer. I don’t think there’s any-thing in music he can’t do well. Plushe’s a genuinely nice person. And as itturned out he totally understood whatI was looking for musically and every-thing fell into place. Ideas just keptcoming and after a short while we hada bunch of tracks that were exactlythe way I wanted – good melodies,great riffs and very energetic and liveoriented songs with a modern produc-tion yet keeping one foot in the 80’s.I knew I wanted to play the songs live,it’s the main reason I’m even in thebusiness at all. It’s always been aboutthe show and performance for me, the

connection with the audience. I lovebands like Hanoi Rocks and Van Halen– really tight bands that can give acrazy front man a solid foundation tostand on so they can focus on gettingthe party going and entertaining thecrowd. I will always try to be the cir-cus monkey and give the people theirmoney’s worth. If you want to hearme focus on singing you have to getthe album. So when the album wasready I got in touch with some reallytalented guys I knew from school andother bands around town. They likedthe songs and were also fans of Erik,so we decided to become AdrenalineRush. I think the name really sums uphow we sound and what we’re tryingto do live. The guys are really greatand I’m so happy to have them withme. Q: When putting the albumtogether, was there a set directionyou wanted the album to go, ordid it just evolve song by song?A: I had an idea of what I was lookingfor. I grew up listening to rock fromthe 60’s 70’s and 80’s and I love theheavier stuff like Led Zeppelin, JudasPriest, WASP and so on. But I thinkmy voice and visual vibe fits betterwith the classic melodic 80’s partyrock. There was a bunch of femalefronted bands back then that were,and still are, really great. Bands likeVixen, Lita Ford, Lee Aaron, FemmeFatale and so on. I like a bit of melodybecause it makes the song more inter-esting to sing. And I don’t mind flirtingwith pop at times either. So that wasthe general direction I wanted to go.And once Erik and I were on the same

page on that we started bouncingideas back and forth and the songsjust kept coming. Q: Personally I think this is one ofthe finest Hard Rock albums thisyear, but are you pleased with theend result?A: Thank you so much, I really appre-ciate you saying that. I am verypleased with the album and the bandand everything else as you can imag-ine. There’s a whole lot of hard workbehind it and it actually came out veryclose to what I had in mind when westarted working. I decided early onthat I was going to make an albumthat made me happy in the first place,to go with my gut feeling so that evenif this was the last album I ever madeI could at least walk away proud. Andnow, if others like it as well, that is ahuge bonus. Q: How was the songwritingprocess for the album? Did all theband have input on the finalsongs?A: No, not this first time around. Itwas all me and Erik. Well, actuallythere were a few more songwritersinvolved, but for the most part it wasjust us. I am not much of a song-writer, at least not yet, but I did con-tribute on lyrics and vocal melodies.So I am dependent on other songwrit-ers which is why I am so happy I gotto work with Erik. He understoodexactly what I was looking for bothmusically and production-wise. Butnext time I hope the guys in the bandcan work with us and put their markon it as well. I really want this to be aband and not a solo project.

band. adrenaline rushalbum. adrenaline rushinterview with:. Tave Wanning interviewed by:. b. mcminn

16 | MRF

MRF | 17

Question: Which are your sensa-tions about"All The Way"? Whatare your expectations about?Answer: Thank you so much! I’mreally glad you like it. I’m extremelyproud of the songs and more thensatisfied with how the recordingsturned out. I believe we’ve done akiller record and I think it will pleasemany fans of AOR and West Coastwith its accuracy and variety withinthe genre. At least, that’s whatwe’re hoping for. When the albumwas recorded we didn’t know whatto expect really. But we’re startingto understand that it’s not only us,there’s actually others who like whatwe do, and that’s simply amazing! Q: I could describe your soundas "Classic Melodic Rock - AOR",something pretty close to newbands like Work Of Art orH.E.A.T. (early albums), or"masters" like TOTO and SUR-VIVOR. Do you agree? Whichhave been your most importantinfluences, musically talking?A: I can’t argue with that, haha. Ibelieve we have alot in common withWOA and with early HEAT, when itcomes to influences. The reason whyState of Salazar sound like we do, Iwould say is the mix of West Coastand AOR combined with SymphonicRock and Arena Pop/Rock. Andmaybe the most important thingabout our sound; we always try tomake our up-tempo songs suitablefor a training montage. The mostimportant influences I would say isToto, Queen, Journey, Bill Conti andVince DiCola. But the list goes onwith everything from Chicago,

Airplay, Gino Vannelli and TheDoobie Brothers to Survivor,Europe, Kiss and Abba. Just to men-tion a few, hahaha. Q: Which are the themes you'redealing with, lyrically talking, inthis album?A: Well there’s a lot of lyrics on thealbum dealing with LOVE in differentdirections. Unrequited love, thelonging for love, break up hate-love,about finding the right one and tohave found the right one. Thenthere’s of course these feel goodlyrics about believing in yourself andfighting for your dreams, as well assomewhat more humorous playfullyrics.Q: Where your monicker, StateOf Salazar, comes from? Anyparticular meaning behind it?A: No, there’s no meaning behind itmore than that it’s the band nameactually. We came up with the nameSalazar because of an old internaljoke between the guys in the bandand we thought it sounded great toput it together with State of. It’skind of a wordplay with; state ofmind - state of Salazar. That’s allthere is to it, really. But yes whenwe learned about Portugal’s historyand the irony that we play positivefeelgood music and the possible linkthat can be done with the dictatorSalazar, we discussed changing thename. Thank God we didn’t! We’reSwedes and we love the irony, haha-ha. The name brings an edge to ourmusic with all the questions, precon-ceptions and ideas about why wechose this name. Our music is allabout feelgood and we just don’t

wanted a predictable easy slickname to go with our already smoothmusic and lyrics. Q: How and when the band wasput together?A: Me and the other guys met atMalmö Academy of Music back in2008, we became friends and start-ed the band one year later, parallelwith our education. Up until 2009 I’dbeen the singer in several metalbands and I felt a great need to goback to my roots and write slickmusic inspired by the 80’sWestcoast and AOR. A genre thathas always been close to my heart.In the beginning we just had somefun with it. We recorded some demosongs and we did some small shows.In 2012 we decided to record our Ep”Lost My Way”. It was our last yearbefore graduation and we wanted toat least have a decent recording ofour time together if we wouldn’tcontinue after we had finishedschool. But then when we released itwe learned that there’s actually stillan audience for this. A wonderfulaudience who loves this music asmuch as we do. And that was all weneeded to be sure we wanted thisband to carry on and aim higher.Q: How did you get in touch withFrontiers Records?A: They contacted us, only a monthafter our EP ”Lost My Way” wasreleased. Ever since we started thisband it has been a dream for us toend up with Frontiers as our recordlabel. And for that to come true soquickly, and that it was they whocontacted us, was really overwhelm-ing for us and still is.

band. state of salazaralbum. All the wayinterview with:. Marcus Nygreninterviewed by:. p. bonali

Question: You spent a lot of

2013 playing ful l-album

performances of The Yes

Album, Close To The Edge

and Going For The One. How

much does it help to write

songs for the new album?

Answer: The three albums haveobviously inspired me, andinspiration is the creative keyby which we accomplish any-thing in life. Q: To my ears, it was one of

the best album of 2013:

great production, great

lyrics and a torrent of cre-

ativity. Is there a sort of

secret formula to write a

Yes song?

A: Getting in honest touch withthe heart and translating thatinto music and lyrics.Q: I think Heaven And Earth

is a perfect title for a Yes

album, is there a particular

meaning behind it?

A: Eastern spir i tual i ty andphysics alike emphasize thatreality is in fact governed bydual i ty. Where there's l ightthere must be darkness, etc.This concept is depicted in thetitle and visually within the Yeslogo on the cover - the jaggedlines of black and white con-trasting one another.Q: Can we consider Heaven

And Earth a concept album?

A: No. However, I believe thatno one is the originator of theircreative fruits but rather achannel merely for a greatersource. So, a grander conceptmay reveal itself to me, theband, or to the listener overthe course of time. Q: What about Roy Thomas

Baker? Why did you choose

him to produce the album?

A: Simply because he makes amean cappuccino (laughs.) Weobviously chose RTB becausehe's accompl ished amazingsounding productions throughthe years!Q: Some artists said that

it’s not easy to work in stu-

dio with him…

A: A lot of people think thatthis kind of music is just enter-tainment, but I think thatevery genre of music is a formof art. Q: What do you hon-

estly think about it?

A: I absolutely agree. Q: I know your albums are

first of all about music, but

do you think that it could be

also a method of communi-

cating a message?

A: Yes music has alwaysserved as a RELAYER of posi-tive messages.Q: Do you feel that any of

the new songs have what it

takes to be treated as a

new classic of the band?

A: Only time and the collectiveconsciousness will tell. Q: When you’re in the stu-

dio do you give any consid-

eration to how you’re going

to pull something off live,

or worry about it later?

A: Yes, we gave great consid-eration to this while creatingand recording in the studio.Q: How similar is your stage

image to your actual per-

sonality?

A: My wife says I sing equallyas well at home in the showeras I do on stage. I try to bringmy sense of self to the stage inan honest and transparentway. Q: Which are the composi-

tions from the new album

that you feel best represent

the spirit of the band in this

particular moment?

A: Each and every compositionon Heaven And Earth is equallythe direct product of the cur-rent spirit of Yes. Q: What has being in Yes

meant to you?

A: It's a great honor to actual-ly be a member of the bandthat has always meant so muchto me. I want to do everythingI can creatively to help andserve them, now and into thefuture.

MRF | 19

band. yesalbum. heaven and earth

interview with:. j. davisoninterviewed by:. v. nocerino

20 | MRF

Focus on: TED NUGENT - ShutUp&Jam! (Frontiers Records)

2014 sees the much-anticipated new studio release from the Motorcity Madman himself TedNugent “Shutup&Jam!”. The album is Nugent first album in 7 years and although 65 years old,the Detroit native still knows how to rock and “Shutup&Jam” is pure Nuge. With a heavy doseof Rhythm and Blues and the trademark big riffs, this is Nugent at his musical best. As thealbum opens up with the title track, it’s clear it’s still all about the attitude. The album is fullon Nugent as the riffs come thick and fast on the outstanding “Fear Itself”, before Derek StHolmes is unleashed on the mike for the funk filled, “Everything Matters”. Even Sammy Hagarmakes an appearance on the rockin’ “She’s Gone”. Other tracks of note have to be “I StillBelieve”, which was released originally on line in 2011. Even Nugent sense of humour shinesthrough on “I Love My Bbq”, but if any critics dare to say the 65 year old has lost his riff build-ing edge, then they haven’t checked out the excellent instrumental “Throttledown” and thestorming ‘Screaming Eagles. Now this where he really sets the fret-board on fire in true Nugentstyle. A really great return from the Nuge, a modern classic. Barry McMinn (95/100)

artist. ted nugentalbum. shutupandjam!

interview with:. ted nugent interviewed by:. b.mcminn

MRF | 21

Question: This the first stu-

dio album in 7 years, why the

gap between this album and

“Love Grenade”?

A: My life is SO phenomenally

exciting, fun, exhilarating,

adventurous and gratifying on all

levels, God, family, country,

careers, that I am able to com-

pletely indulge and immerse

myself in the annual summer

rockouts & thrilling hunting all

year, that I run wild with those

things that deliriously turn me

on. With such nonstop stimuli, it

is near impossible to get me in

one place long enough to record.

Having double knee replacement

surgery in February 2014 com-

bined with the gift from God to

organize the schedules and

availability of my entire

R&B&R&R dreamteam, it was the

perfect alignment of the planets

to finally capture these soulsong

masterpieces. I'd call it sheer

luck.

Q:“I Still Believe” was origi-

nally released as a free

download in 2011, did you

release this a taster to see if

the world was ready for

another Ted Nugent album?

A: Nah, I never tease or test

jack diddly. I unleash killer licks,

grooves, ideas and songs all the

time. The rough demo jam of

this tune was spontaneously

captured on digital technology

right down the road from my TX

ranch. I like the sound, feel,

spirit & energy of it & made it

available on a whim. I figured

earthlings needed some fresh

killer NugeROCK to satiate the

beasts within.

Q: Your embarking on anoth-

er tour bringing the total to

over 6500 shows, what keeps

you motivated at 65 years of

age?

A: I didn't invent piss & vinegar,

but I have perfected it over the

years, still crave the collabora-

tive musical creativity, crave

unleashing my killer songs with

my killer band to killer audiences

everywhere, so the love of the

music is more powerful today

than ever. Clearly I'm the lucki-

est guitar player in the world.

Q: In 2011 Derek St Holmes

returned to the Nugent band

after a hiatus, was it great to

have the full Funk Brothers

band back together at full

force?

A: Derek is my MotorCity soul-

music BloodBrother, so it is

always a joy to have his magic

voice on those original master-

pieces he sang on. Killers

deserve killers.

Q: Did you write all the songs

for the album, or did the

other Funk Brothers get

involved in the songwriting

for “Shutup&Jam!”?

A: I crave the personal delivery

of my musical dreams and

visions, so I am very protective

of my musical statements.

Though I dearly enjoy the team

effort on some songs like I have

occasionally with my Amboy

Dukes, those Damn Yankees and

killer musicians I have been

privileged to collaborate with

over the years, when it says "...

Written by Ted Nugent" it is my

100% baby. I'm a songwriter

and love it.

Q: Sammy Hagar joins you on

“She’s Gone”, how did the

Red Rocker get involved on

the album?

A: Sammy & I come from the

same American black soulmusic,

blues, R&B&R&R school of

authoritative music, so our

threat to make killer music

together was long overdue.

Q: Your political ideas are

notoriously conservative.

Does this fact ever given you

some troubles during a

show? Has ever happened

that some fans booed at you

because of your political

beliefs or criticized you in

some way?

A: The unabashed truth and logic

of my politics and overall life

strongly enhances the overall

power of my uppity defiant free-

dom loving soundtrack and qual-

ity of life. There has never been

a more defined line drawn in the

sand. The best people in the

world stand with me, soulless

haters are on the otherside. This

is sad but necessary till evil peo-

ple either wake up or go away. I

stand stronger than ever and get

stronger everyday.

Q: Is there a place, in the

world, where you would NOT

play because of political ide-

ologies?

A: No. In those criminal devil

hellholes of Nazi Islamist insani-

ty they need my music more

than anybody on earth. I could

cleanse their souls.

Q: Is there any particularly

fun/crazy tour episode you'd

like to tell us?

A: Far too many to list.

Something intensely memorable

happens in one way or another,

usually many ways every night.

My music pushes people to the

brink of dangerous over-reac-

tion, and I personally have it

down to a science, though pure-

ly primal and guttural as it is.

We go to uncharted musical

zones everynight, people get

crazy, woman get naked, chil-

dren see God and primal urges

unleash. It's way too much fun

for mortal beings to handle.

Seriously.

Q: Finally what are the

biggest misconception people

have of Ted Nugent?

A: I doubt there is much mystery

or misconception left about me

after more than 50 years of non-

stop interviews, writings, media

and public exposure. Everybody

has all the information about me

that they need. The goofy, irre-

sponsible, unprofessional, dis-

honest, antiAmerican agenda-

driven media has consistently

lied about me and made up the

most ridiculous stories, but the

truth is more than available for

intelligent, caring people to seek

and embrace. Good people know

the truth, goofballs live a lie. I'm

good with that.

Q: Do you believe rock music

is a strong way of delivering

a political message or... 'it's

just fucking R'n'R, Baby!'?

What is your opinion about

band that uses their music to

promote a strongly politi-

cized message?

A: The pure beauty of my music

and of me myself is the absolute

uninhibitedness and pri-

malscream honesty we gush

forth. I hold nothing back and

my incredible music eliminates

any BS that might rear its ugly

head, at which point much

decapitation transpires. I believe

what I believe and say what I

say because I mean it and all

honest research and evidence

proves that I am always right. I

genuflect at the altar of self-evi-

dent truth and logic and common

sense. No one can deter me,

ever.

Barry McMinn: The bands sound and style is

quite unique in the world of Metal, how did

the whole concept come about to Parody

Metal?

Hannes: There are enough serious Metal bands onthis planet. And metal doesn’t necessarily mean toworship satan and eat babies. You can love metal,but be a happy and nice person. Besides, many ofthese “wannabe- evil” musicians are real pussiesoffstage.BM: The new album features your own songs

as well as some reworking (not covers) of

classics, how do you come up with the ideas

behind the songs?

H: The ideas come to us, which is very nice ofthem.BM: Although the album is sung entirely in

German, for non-speakers like myself its still

a really enjoyable album, why do you think

your music crossed the language barriers?

H: Like said before, it’s Metal, but it’s happy. To behappy is more fun than to be sad or angry.BM: How have bands in general reacted to the

reworked versions of their songs (we won’t

mention Rammstien!)?

H: All our Cover songs must be permitted inadvance, so there are no negative reactions after-wards. But in MAAANY cases we don’t get this per-mission.BM: Apart from Metal and Rock songs, Pop

music has also been given the JBO treatment.

Are there any genres you haven’t covered and

would like to?

H: There are no boundaries and limits forBlöedsinn!BM: What do you prefer writing your own

songs or spinning other people’s songs?

H: There’s no big difference, if we like a tune, orwe like what we have made of it, then it’s as coolas playing or recording an original.BM: Finally will J.B.O be touring in 2014?

H: Yeah! We will be touring Germany, Austria andSwitzerland in autumn 2014 (www.jbo.de/tour).