CONTENTS04 Whitesnake06 King Kobra08 Eden’s Course09 Enbound10 M.ill.ion12 Reviews15 The Poodles17 China19 Voodoo Circle20 Uriah Heep22 Lost In Thought

Melodic Rock FanzineThe official Frontiers Records magazine

Year #7 - Nr. 2 / Issue #43Editor-in-chief: Elio BordiGraphic & Design: Elio BordiWriters: Bruce E.J. Atkinson, Fulvio Bordi, DuncanJamieson, Barry McMinn, Vitale Nocerino, Rob “Ezy”Bone, Fabio Mainardi, Tommy Hash.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 RecordsUS Headquarters: usa.frontiers.it

Copyright©2011 Frontiers Records. All rightsreserved. Reproduction in whole or in part

without permission is prohibited.Printed in Italy.

Focus on: WHITESNAKE - Forevermore (Frontiers Records)Alright! it’s called “Forevermore”, it’s their 11th studio album… it’s rich, it’s powerful, it’s the latest fromthe iconic Whitesnake & David Coverdale!! Get set for the biggest Rock ride you’ve had since… oh!...1987! Mr. Coverdale has reassembled Whitesnake with Doug Aldrich, Reb Beach and newcomersBrian Tichy on drums and Michael Devin on bass. Hard and Heavy. Whitesnake have been deliveringfor thirty plus years, ”Forevermore” is no exception! Revisiting familiar themes, this, the groups 11theffort comes out of the gate strong and beautiful, like a long blonde animal! The two opening trackstell us that David and Company haven’t lost a thing. As one journeys through this grand slice of auraldelights — you will discover the old Whitesnake’s heart beating proudly and pumping out new blood!The musicianship is of the highest degree, with the band boldly exploring new paths of musical expres-sion. Immersed in the Rock/Blues traditions, David himself is also in exceptional form. His vocal deliv-ery filled with emotion, power and true to the mark. He can still turn on a dime and go from “a whis-per to a scream”, as one famous journalist put it! All in all, what we have in “Forevermore” is a bold,gracious and potent musical statement from a band that, even after thirty plus years, has a few newtricks up their collective sleeve! Whitesnake…”Forevermore”, absolutely!! Bruce Atkinson (99/100)

4 | MRF

BAND: WHITESNAKEALBUM:

FOREVERMOREINTERVIEW WITH: DAVID COVERDALE

INTERVIEWED BY : WWW.WHITESNAKE.COM

Question: Best wishes on theforthcoming release ofWhitesnake's Eleventh StudioAlbum, “FOREVERMORE”. Whatwas the inspiration behind thetitle? Answer: Thank you... yes... theeleventh... Amazing journey...'Forevermore' is about Eternity... Alove that lasts forever & destined tobe relived & rekindled many lifetimes over...Q: So, what can we expect fromFOREVERMORE? Talk us throughthe album, a little, please... A: It has most, if not all the musicalelements Whitesnake has come torepresent... rock, soul... blues... bal-lads... a twinkle in the eye & a nudgein the ribs... a punch on the nose... &humour, of course... mustn't forgethaving fun... It's quite the buffet... alittle taste of before, during & now...Coupled with some new, inspiringnew blood... Mr Tichy & Mr Devin... apair of snake charmers for sure...Very nice & very, very talented...They have most certainly added wel-come layers. It's interesting that, asin nature, the Snake has to shed itsskin every so often to start a newchapter of its life & shine perhaps alittle brighter than before.Q: Was the success of the highlyacclaimed "Good To Be Bad" thekey driver behind the decision toreturn to the studio to recordFOREVERMORE?A: No, actually... I was planning totake a year off to take care of whatwe called 'back burner' projects whileI still had time... It was the inspira-tion of several interested companiesapproaching us, rather than usknocking on doors... The most com-pelling & passionate, by far, was theItalian company, Frontiers... Theywere ready to go the extra mile...They have been an exemplary com-pany to work with so far... Theirseemingly boundless energy &enthusiasm has been a delight...They showed us the respect of lettingus get on with it...& as you canhear... we did deliver... When Doug& I first sat down to see what weeach had to put in the pot, it wasobvious that it was absolutely appro-priate for all the right reasons tomake another Snake album... Weboth had exciting, juicy, potent &inspirational ideas from the firstmoment... The Whitesnake Muse wasupon us & stayed with us through-out...Q: Following the release of thefirst single, 'LOVE WILL SET YOUFREE', there have been countlesscomments regarding the fact thatyour voice sounds better thanever. A sign of your contentmentwith life? A: Yes... & how nice of you tonotice... It really is the support of ourfans... their belief in me & the band...The influence of my writing partnerDoug... my incredibly talented col-leagues, my Missus, of course... &my Spirit for Whitesnake remains

focused, motivated & powerful... Forwhatever reason I continue to bedriven to go for it on every level... Ijust cannot vocally, or creatively'cruise'... Onwards & Forwards is oneof my personal mottos... I trulyappreciate I can still 'do it'... & Ithank God on a daily basis for thisblessing...Q: Were the majority of songsfeatured on FOREVERMORE well"progressed", prior to enteringthe studio...or did things evolve /were new songs born, during therecording process?A: Doug, Mikey & I work somewhatdifferently from the way it used to bein them there olde fashioned far offdays... Doug & I get together & playeach other ideas & if anything catch-es fire we immediately start structur-ing the songs using the ProTools dig-ital platform & we start layering...It's always an exciting time... Ourdemos are actually very complete...We should put them out there one ofthese days... People would be sur-prised... Throughout the project weare always open to change, or any-thing we feel can improve & we are inabsolute agreement that until wesign off at the end of the mix NOTH-ING is final! We feel it necessary toremain faithful to the ever wideningmusical identity of the band as wesee it at this time in its life... If wehave an idea that doesn't 'feel'Snake-like it usually goes out thewindow... but, to be honest, we areso 'telepathic' now in our sharedvision, it is unusual for that to hap-pen...Q: You posted regular updates onWhitesnake.com, throughout therecording of FOREVERMORE andyour enthusiasm was trulyinspiring. How important was thedecision to record at“Grumblenott”, to the develop-ment of FOREVERMORE?A: Both 'The Reptile House' &'Grumblenott' are houses I rentedclose to my home at LakeTahoe...They are not actual 'studios'in the traditional sense... I do likeresidential studios... Similar to theSixties when bands like Traffic wouldall move into a cottage & stick somestudio equipment in the barn, orwherever... It works for us... We didthat in Purple at times & early Snakealbums... It's less stressful & muchmore economic... It is a sensibleapproach, me thinks... The only timewe went into an actual recording stu-dio was to record Briian's drums...That is the only aspect of domesticrecording I am not confident with...Everything else is a breeze to dealwith...Q: FOREVERMORE features a new"Rhythm Section". A BIG wel-come to Briian Tiiiiichy andMichael Devin. Has their creativeinput proved inspiring for therest of the 'Snakes?A: Without a doubt... They are 'TheWrecking Crew'... I'm surprisedBriian's drums survive the onslaught

he puts them thro'... He truly isThor's Hammer! Michael is a doll...he's a lovely & articulate man in hisphilosophy & as a musician... I can'twait to take the stage with them...Q: The "Twin pronged" Guitaroffer of "Aldrich & Beach" hasworked VERY successfully forEIGHT years now. A key ingredi-ent on FOREVERMORE?A: Yes, absolutely... they are guitarslingers to die for... Better & betterall the time... I love that neither ofthem rests on their laurels... Theyare always in pursuit of excellence...It contributes significantly to the factwe still work together... They keeptheir eye on the ball & their huge tal-ent on display... They are most wel-come in my life...Q: FOREVERMORE was producedby "Los Bros Brutalos", (MessersCoverdale, Aldrich andMcIntyre). The mix seems tohave captured, successfully, the"full on" intensity of aWhitesnake LIVE show. Was thisa key aim for this release?A: Yes... & I feel the same, too... Itwas always difficult for me to capturethe energy, the essence throughoutthe different chapters of the bandlive when recording... I feel we haveachieved that relatively recently...& Idelight in it... These guys are dan-gerous!Q: Talking of Whitesnake 'Live',the release of FOREVERMORE willbe supported by a World Tour.Did you always have "One eye onthe stage", when composing thesongs?A: Without question... it is alwaysso... The difficulty, but, a nice prob-lem to have, is what the hell do weleave out?... We are blessed with anamazing arsenal of music drawingfrom over 30 years of the band's his-tory... There are times I feel that ifthis was a 'new' band, I would trulyenjoy playing all songs from both'Good To Be Bad' & 'Forevermore'albums in their entirety...Q: For the UK Market, there is aspecial release of FOREVER-MORE, via "Classic Rock" maga-zine, with bonus material. Inview of the sad demise of "HighStreet" music stores...do you seea healthy future for "Physical"release, via sort of "JointVenture"...or is this purely anexperiment?A: I feel hard rock fans, more thanany other, favor having the actual,physical record in their hands... weshall see... I love Classic Rock & thepeople who work there & those whoread it... They have been immenselysupportive to the reincarnatedSnake... I hold the awards we'vereceived from them in pride of placein my home...A: Good luck from ALL atWhitesnake.com for a fantastic2011 and best wishes for theGlobal success of FOREVERMORE.A: Very much appreciated... Thankyou... see you All soon...

MRF | 5

Focus on: KING KOBRA - K ing Kobra (Front iers Records)In the mid-eighties the veteran drummer Carmine Appice formed a quintet that intro-duced the music world to four excellent and talented musicians. King Kobra touredextensively with several major groups and released two sought after albums. The bandwas also behind the performance of the #1 theme song from the movie “Iron Eagle”.Seeking different musical pastures—1988 saw the Kobras’ go their separate ways, untiljust last year. Carmine reunited with original members Mick Sweda, David Michael-Phillips & Johnny Rod…with veteran vocalist Paul Shortino, (ex-Quiet Riot). The newly re-structured King Kobra entered the studio, laying down some very tasty new straightahead Rock tunes. Filled with a funky grove and loads of melody, this new effort keepseverything tight and hard. Paul Shortino’s whiskey soaked voice is just what these guysneeded. The songs contained within range from no-holds barred Hard Rockers toanthem-ic blues drenched sojourns. King Kobra…a true delight for those of us who want‘just the rock thank-you’…and no compromise! Bruce Atkinson (90/100)

6 | MRF

Q: Could you please introducethe new album to our readers?A: Well, if this album was our sec-ond KK album our fans would haveloved it. It has a lot of energy, greatRock playing. Guitar playing, Drumsand bass vocals... songs everyaspect of the album is strongEveryone who has heard this cdlove it all I do as well. It sounds likethe original sound of King Kobraand it sounds fresh !!Q: How did you get in touchwith the Italian label FrontiersRecords?A: Our manager was the one whoput the deal together as Frontiers isthe king of the 80’s band's recorddeals. They have that end of therecording market sewed up. Theyhave most of the albums of all 80’sgroups in the record business.Q: What about the name of theband? Why did you decide togive this name to the band?A: When I started the band I want-ed a name that was a strong nameand a visual name. I like the idea ofthe King Cobra snake. Then Ithought if I spelled it different it

would be cool so I came up with theKobra with the “K” which enabledme to come up with the KK logo wehave on the cover of the newalbum.Q: How did you get in touchwith Paul Shortino for replacingMark Free? Did you try to get intouch with Mark Free beforecalling Paul Shortino? Whathappened?A: I had talked to Mark/Marcie freea couple of months before aboutmaybe doing a few KK gigs. Therewas no interest there the musicMark/Marcie wanted to play wasstill a lot lighter than KK. Andshe/he didn't want to be on stageas a freak... I understood that.When we saw Pat Regan mixing hetold me that Paul was on the Keelalbum doing background vocals. Imentioned to Dave if we did a newKK cd Paul would be great singerfor us. I had worked with Paul and Iknew he was a great singer. But Ididn't know that he was also a greatLyric and melody song writer,andalso that he is a great studio engi-neer that helped a lot in making the

cdQ: How do you think the newalbum compares with your pre-vious works?A: I think this is the best King Kobraalbum to date. I like it better thanready to Strike...this cd sounds gretand has great songs and perform-ances. Our other records were con-trol by our then producer SpencerProffer and restricted us as musi-cans and writers. This cd was pureKing Kobra with no one telling uswhat to do. Oh yes Frontiers didwant something ...they wanted it tohave the sound we had in the 80s.they did get that !!Q: Do you usually feel nostalgiaof the past?A: For some things classic cars ,classic recordings..songs..there arenot many songs from today that willbe around in 20 years. That is thetrue test of time. I love all thethings you can do with computerrecording but I try to do the best ofboth worlds. The fact that withoutthe invention of computers of todayour KK album could not have beendone.

BAND: KING KOBRAALBUM:KING KOBRAINTERVIEW WITH: CARMINE APPICEINTERVIEWED BY : BRUCE ATKINSON

How to order the official FrontiersRecords T-Shirts:

1) Paypal-Go on www.paypal.com-Make the payment to the account:info@frontiers.it writing what are you order-ing and the shipment address.2) Bank trasferSend us an email to info@frontiers.it and askfor the bank coordinates to make the pay-ment.

Question: Hello guys! First of alllet me give you my congratula-tions for this great album and, ingeneral, for your awesomemusic. I also liked your previoustwo albums, still I think that thisnew album is maybe more“mature”. Do you agree withme? Which are your sensationsabout “Trinity”?Answer: Thank you Primo, that'svery kind of you! I also love our firsttwo albums, but I would definitelyagree that "Trinity" is a much moremature record. I guess this is theresult of being together as a bandnow for five years and the bondbetween each band member is verystrong - like five brothers! Moreimportantly we are extremely com-fortable with how we sound andwhat we want an Eden's Cursealbum to sound like. We've created asound of our own, I believe, and thatis something we will never take forgranted, nor want to mess with."Trinity" therefore is an extension ofwhat we have created on "Eden'sCurse" and "The Second Coming"yet without standing still. We'vetaken forward steps again and takena few chances. There is, after all, nocompensation in playing it safe. Q: How could you label yourmusic? Do you think that"Melodic Metal" could explainyour sound? And which are yourmost important influences,musically talking?A: I never really care much aboutlabels to be honest. As Tesla oncesung "Call it what you want, it's allmusic to me". We've always wornour influences proudly on oursleeves; some artists run fromtheirs, but not us! Queensryche,Pink Cream 69, Dokken, Scorpions,

Dream Theater, Malmsteen, DeepPurple, Rainbow, Dio, Pretty Maids,Edguy, Firewind, TNT, Evidence One- these guys have all contributed tomaking us "think" about what wewrite and sound like.Q: Which are the themes you'redealing with, lyrically talking, inthis album?A: We deal with a few social com-mentary themes - e.g. the state ofthe world and society today. We alsodeal with love, heartbreaking lossand tragedy, faith, courage andanger. We try to make people thinkwith everything we write lyrically.Messages are important in our musicas well as our album covers, andthere are more messages and sym-bols than Robert Langdon can imag-ine ;-)Q: “Trinity” features - as veryspecial guests – two of the mostpopular singers in the Hard Rock– Metal area, James LaBrie ofDream Theater and Andi Deris ofHelloween. How did you get intouch with them? And how didyou deal the recording-sessionswith them?A: Tracking James down was thehardest, or so we thought, and with-in three hours of first discussing theidea I received an email from him onmy Blackberry. That was freaky!!James was and is an absolute gen-tleman. We hit it off from the wordgo, and he absolutely adores themusic. It was simply a case of align-ing our schedules and working out adeal with him. He was brilliant towork with - the consummate profes-sional - and continues to keep intouch with us on a fortnightly basis -in fact we are launching our PromoVideo for "No Holy Man" this week,which is an awesome animation all

about an evil TV Evangelist. Andicouldn't have been more different. Ihad done some work for KostaZafiriou, drummer of Pink Cream 69,and Helloween Tour Manager, andhe said "If you ever need any help...". So I asked could he hook it up.He did, and I never spoke to Andionce. I just got his vocals in one dayand I was like "WOW"! That was areal special moment for me. Anyonewho knows me, knows I adore PinkCream 69's music since I've beenlistening to them since the late 80's.I love his voice! It's cool now wehave had both PC69 singers on ouralbums Q: Dennis Ward did an incrediblework as sound engineer – asalways! How was working withhim? Has he also added some-thing to your songwriting?A: Dennis is the easiest guy in theworld to work with. Extremelyknowledgeable and always in ourcorner without fail. He just knowswhat an Eden's Curse record shouldsound like! He did bring some adviceon the first two records, in regardsto structure and arrangements,those have stuck with me eversince.Q: Are you planning some live-shows or maybe a full europeantour?A: We are always planning, butwhether we can turn it into reality isanother matter. Touring has neverbeen more expensive, and with thisbands travel expenses it's quite dif-ficult. We have a lot of interest inthe UK, but I'd love to play some-where in Europe and especiallyJapan in 2011. Watch this space aswe are working on many differentangles.

BAND: EDEN’S COURSEALBUM:TRINITYINTERVIEW WITH: PAUL LOGUEINTERVIEWED BY : PRIMO BONALI

Focus on: EDEN’S COURSE - Tr in i ty (AFM Records)After having released no less than two albums in a short two years time (the debut in 2007and “The Second Coming” in 2008), the band around singer Michael Eden took much moretime to release this follow-up; and – listening to the new “Trinity” album – I can really under-stand the reason: this album really rocks! First of all, the production – courtesy of sound wiz-ard Dennis Ward –really shines and fully shows any detail of the band’s Work. The style ofEden’s Curse obviously has not changed and what we have here is first-class Melodic Metal;probably the overall sound became more powerful and slightly more “updated”, still the strong‘80s-roots are there. “Trinity” also features - as very special guests – two of the most popularsingers in the melodic Metal area, like James LaBrie of Dream Theater and Andi Deris ofHelloween, which is another point of interest for the Cd. Don’t take me wrong: the songs arestrong and the album is really worth by itself, so if you like catchy melodies, powerful riffs andpowerful arrangements, don’t miss Eden’s Curse new opus! Primo Bonali (88/100)

8 | MRF

MRF | 9

Question: Hi guys! What abouttalking a bit about your bandand how you got along?Aanswer: Hell (o)! Mike CameronForce here, we started the band in2006, The first direction we hadon what we wanted to play andsound similar to, was the style ofthe german band "RAGE". I metSwede one night out, we have acommon friend so we had metbefore, but this evening I saw atattoo on his arm. It was a 5stringed bass so I asked him if hereally played...I didn't know? Hehad played funkbass for a fewyears and liked Dream Theater sohe was quite skilled:) He playsfingerstyle and it gives a rawsound to Enbound. I have alwaysknown Marvin (guitars) from ourneighborhood, he was 17 when hejoined the band. He was the rightchoice for Enbound! Even thoughhe has not so much life experi-ence, he compensates that withwhat he can do on the guitar,

haha! Lee was found on myspacewhen we were hunting for a newsinger. We listend to his musicand realized that he would be anawsome hardrock singer. And heis!Q: What are your main musicalinfluences?A: From the beginning Rage assaid but we all have diffirent influ-ences, Marvin likes jazz music anddeath metal, Swede is a big fan ofprog-rock/metal and other typical"technically skilled" music. Leelikes Queen, and a lot of arrange-ment music. I am a big fan ofMetallica and melodic music.Q: After you self financed yourpromo EP you finally signedwith Inner Wound Recordings,are you planning to stick withthem for other releases?A: As long as we share the samegoal, we plan to work together.We felt it was the right choice forus, for our music and theme.Q: You come from a very rock

oriented country, how you seethe whole European rockscene nowadays?A: It is a lot of good bands outthere... a lot :) and the fear is tobe become one of 1000 bandswho wants to shine but never will.Q: Are you going to tour insupport of the album this sum-mer? Do you prefer Rock festi-val to play in or smaller ven-ues?A: We have not scheduled anyshows yet. Our fate lays in thehand of the audience, and if theyare ready so are we.Q: Have you plans to record afollow up to "And She SaysGold" soon?A: Yes we have. We already havesongs ready for a new album, butsince we do not live in the samecity we have to use the internet tosend files back and forth. It takeslot of time but it´s the only way togo for Enbound, and it works nice-ly!

The swedish melodic metal band Enbound finally got to sign a record deal and after theself financed 4 tracks promo CD released in April 2008. Enbound features vocalist LeeHunter, also known for his performances in musicals such as Jesus Christ Superstar, inthe TV program "Singing Bee" on Swedish television and band mates Swede, MarvinFlowberg and Mike Cameron Force. Their debut album "And She Says Gold" was mas-tered by Björn Engelmann [Rammstein, Primal Fear, Sonata Arctica] at Cutting Room andis a well crafted 13 tracks melodic power metal compilation, plus a metal rendition ofMichael Jackson’s Beat it. If I some cases they remembers me their label companionsSoulspell’s “The Labyrinth of Truths” I must admit Enbound is a solid quartet able todeliver strong melodies and blistering guitar riffs, notable the vocal performances ofsinger Lee Hunter. Most probably "And She Says Gold" is a little far from being “one ofthe best debut albums to come out during the last ten years in the scene” as their pressrelease recites but undoubtedly lots of melodic metal fans will for sure love their soundand their technical abilities. Fabio “Deuce” Mainardi (87/100)

Focus on: ENBOUND - And She Says Gold (Ulter ium Records)

BAND: ENBOUNDALBUM:AND SHE SAYS GOLDINTERVIEW WITH: MIKE CAMERON FORCEINTERVIEWED BY : FABIO MAINARDI

Question: Sane & Insanity isyour seventh album. How doesthis effort differ from the last?Can your fans expect the samegreat classic sound with somepossible new surprises? Answer: I think we have developed!Two new great members on guitarand keyboards, we all broughtsomething to the table and it´smuch more of a bandfeeling on thisone. Great songs and production ifYou ask me;-)Q: M.ILL.ION has two new mem-bers now, Andreas Grövle onguitar and Angelo Modafferi onkeyboards. How did Andreasand Angelo come about? Tell mea little bit about them.A: Andreas is a youngster living inthe area of our singer UlrichCarlsson. I found out through himthat he was a M.ILL.ION fan. Andwhen I checked the internet I raninto some clips of him playing reallygreat guitar. I talked to Ulrich aboutit and although he thought maybehe was a bit too young and unex-perinced he phoned him up to ask

him if he wanted to audition for us.Let´s say he wanted...;-) We had abunch of recommended guitarists toaudition, but Andreas stood out. Wetested him on tour first. Our friendsin Magnum asked us to be specialguests to them on their last tour inSweden so we did those dates withAndreas. He stepped right into thefire and stood the test very well.Fucking great guitarist with influ-ences from blues to classic rock tometal. Great tone and melody,which is very important. Listen toguys like Michael Schenker andGary Moore (R.I.P) for instance.That´s the way to do it in my bookand Andreas has a feeling that allthe downtuned-to-hell-metal-gui-tarists around the world could justdream of. Great humour as well,very fundamental in this gang, andhe could wipe his precious partswith his long blond hair :)Angelo Modafferi answered an addin a music paper. He´s got Italianand Australian background. Me andhim got along great already on thephone and he sent me some cool

stuff to listen to. Then I met him forcoffea (or was it beer?) and talkedfor hours still getting along great.He then auditioned and we all likedthe wibe and he got the job prettystraight away. Experienced musi-cian, great humour and a verysociable guy. And... he could almostwipe his precious parts with his longblack hair.Q: M.ILL.ION has toured exten-sively in the past and somewhatrecently has done TheStockholm Rock out Festival,(September 2010). What areyour plans for touring to sup-port Sane & Insanity? A: We have just signed to a newSwedish booking agency calledRambo Live and they will bookgigs/collaborate with the whole ofEurope. Our agent there is the guybehind the Stockholm Rock OutFestival, Chris LeMon, and he alsobooks bands like Cinderella, WASPand Udo so we are in good hands.We have requests from Italy so wereally hope to come down againlater this year.

Produced in Sweden in 2010 by Martin Kronlund, (Joe Lynn Turner and Paul Young fame), and BJ Laneby, bassist and founder of M.ILL.ION, Sane and Insanity is right on par with its predeces-sors, No.1, We Ourselves & Us, Electric, Detonator, Kingsize, and Thrill of the Chase, which wereall well received by the masses. The intro to Sane and Sanity, “Sea of Fate” makes one believethat they will be listening to something serene and then, boom, right into “Cry to Heaven” the lis-tener is thrown, and quite pleasantly the toss is! Rhythmic and strong “Cry to Heaven” was a goodchoice for placement right after “Sea of Fate”. “Everyday Hero” the third track, is also a sweetnumber that showcases the new talents in the band of Andreas Grovle on guitar and AngeloModafferi on keyboards. This song is also the bonus video that is included on the limited editionof Sane and Insanity. The title track, “Sane and Insanity” manages to feature all of the band’sassets equally and in majestic fashion. Other songs included on this recording are “Hell’s Gate”,and “Drama Queens”, which are both heavy hitters. “Fuel to My Heart” might be considered tobe the “softer side”, to M.ILL.ION. “Under Your Wings” is predicted to be the fan favorite. Saneand Insanity is one for any Hard Rock/Heavy Metal fan’s collection. Justine Bevan (88/100)

Focus on: M.ILL.ION - Sane And Insanity (Metal Heaven)

BAND: M . ILL . IONALBUM:SANE AND INSANITYINTERVIEW WITH: B .J LANEBYINTERVIEWED BY : JUSTINE BEVAN

10 | MRF

12 | MRF

AFTERHOURS - Against The Grain (Metal Heaven)After Hours were just victims of a record industry bent on squeezing as much of the all mighty dollar outof bands for very little in return, taking bands and trying to mould them into something they wanted andnot what the bands envisioned for themselves, thus the inevitable destruction of said bands. But bands likeAfter Hours always have the last laugh as the major labels struggle to keep up with what the true musicfans want. The smaller independent labels are now picking up these gems and turning the bands fortunesaround. After once such encounter back in 2008 the band decided to give it one more chance and recordone last song for old times sake. That one song ignited something within the band members and theembers took hold and the flames started burning once more and After Hours took to the studio once moreand in full control this time they’ve released the album the band wanted too do. The album is straight upAOR with a dash of Hard Rock thrown in from time to time, with great slabs of melody rich rock like theopener ‘Stand Up’, the excellent title track ‘Against The Grain’ and equally good ‘When You’re Around’, plusof course my personal favourite ‘Let It Go’. Not many bands get a second throw of the dice but when it doeshappen you have to embrace it and it think After Hours have done just that. Barry McMinn (83/100)PAUL YOUNG - Chronicles (Escape Music)Best known as the lead vocalist of ‘Mike & the Mechanics’, and before that: ‘Sad Café’ – Paul Youngwas a shinning talent from humble British origins. An excellent singer, with a graceful style, hewas also an influential songwriter. “Chronicles” is an assemblage of songs; lost treasures, thathave been discovered and complete by some of Paul’s friends…including Graham Gouldman andEric Stewart of 10cc, and of course Mike Rutherford. A showcase of the exceptional singing talentand writing of a man that left us way too early – “Chronicles” offers up music that Paul workedon during the last few years of his life. These newly recorded creations find Paul in exceptionalvoice…with a songwriting craft that is second to none. Deep, and emotional, each musical cre-ation reminds us of the vast multi-talent that was Paul Young. Songs such as “Frozen Heart”,“Grace Of God” and others…show the sensitive soul that we all came to know. Paul Young will liveon in the hearts of music lovers the world over, “Chronicles” will help fill that void we all feel,made by the untimely passing of this bright star – Paul Young “Chronicles” – Elegant – nothingmore needs to be said. Bruce Atkinson (90/100)KINGDOM COME - Rendered Waters (SPV/Steamhammer)I can’t deny I’ve always considered Lenny Wolf as one of my favourite singers ever, and KingdomCome first two albums (the self-titled debut and “In Your Face”) are in my “must-have list”.Unfortunately the band, or - to say better - what is around Lenny Wolf, was not able anymore togive us masterpieces like they delivered in their early days, still they always rocked like hell (espe-cially live – I caught them last year here in Milano, Italy). This new Work, called “RenderedWaters”, represents – as the singer himself clearly states – his vision of how Kingdome Comeshould sound now, and it contains 8 newly-recorded version of old tunes + 3 brand new songs.The sound is definitely more modern and updated (and somehow heavier) without losing “thecharacter and central theme of the original versions”, so that you can still feel the original vibe ofthe songs. I really liked also the inclusion of a new version of “Break Down The Walls”, taken offthe Stone Fury (Lenny Wolf’s awesome band prior to Kingdom Come) catalogue! The 3 new songsadd a modern touch to Lenny’s traditional songwriting, and they completely fit on this CD. Nowyou have the picture. Up to you if consider this as an essential item… Primo Bonali (78/100)BLOODBOUND - Unholy Cross (AFM Records)Let’s be honest: if you would have to judge the album by the Cd cover artwork, you could easilythink to Bloodbound as a sort of second-rate Power/Thrash Metal band. And how wrong you wouldbe! Bloodbound from Sweden delivers, instead, a great Power Metal album, which recallsHammerfall (“Moria”, “Together We Fight”), Helloween (“Drop The Bomb”, “Reflection Of Evil”), and– why not? – the typical Iron Maiden vocals and “guitar duels” (“The Ones We Left Behind”, “In ForThe Kill”). Everything mixed up and “treated” with a personal touch. As a matter of fact, this new“Unholy Cross” can be considered as a return to the Bloodbound early sound, after the previousquite modern and not focused “Tabula Rasa” (2009). The real surprise here is the band’s new singer,Patrick Johansson, who offers some awesome, strong, sometimes high-pitched but always melod-ic, vocals that completely fit with Bloodbound style, and that – quite a lot of times during the play-ing of the album - made me think to the mighty Bruce Dickinson! We’re talking about Heavy Metalhere, so if you want to get the right vibe and energy to start a stressful day-job, put this into yourcar-cd player (as I already did a few times!) and crank it up!!! Primo Bonali (85/100)LOST IN THOUGHT - Opus Arise (Ulterium Records)Lost In Thought is a rather young UK band formed almost four years ago and after going throughsome line-up changes they got to record the self-titled EP in 2008 without huge response butafterwards after new singer Nate Loosemore joined the band they started recording their homony-mous debut album signing in with Intromental Worldwide. Going through the 8 tracks is prettymuch clear these five guys from Wales, David Grey (guitars), Greg Baker (keyboards), RhysAnslow (bass) and Chris Billingham (drums) along with vocalist Nate Loosemore have picked upideas and sounds from a wide sort of musical styles. We may go from progressive to melodic metalpassing through symphonic metal. They try to create their own unique sound and in someepisodes they are well in place to get it, although I must say on some tracks it’s evident they aretoo much into their idols to sound different. Lost In Thought will embark soon in a huge Europeantour beginning in Manchester, UK on April 29th, so that listen to their music first and then enjoythem live, it must be cool!! Fabio “Deuce” Mainardi (86/100)EVERGREY - Glorious Collision (SPV/Steamhammer)During a past interview, frontman Tom S. Englund made it clear that Evergrey is a rock band, not nec-essarily set out on being typecast as simply a metal band or progressive metal band; and that attitudeis what it's all about when it comes the creating of excellent tunage, putting the songs ahead of the packand cranking up everything while adding technical flair .Glorious Collision doesn't waste time in gettingto the point, the immediate brooding vibe of darkened overtones hits you with the sinister riffage. Theoverall tunage possesses the staccato rhythms against an aggressive rhythmic backbone, with "Frozen,""You," "To Fit the Mold," & "It Comes from Within" invoking the brooding atmosphere with the thickmetallic crunch, as well as tracks such as "The Disease," "Free" & "Wrong" further prevailing with thehallowed sorrowful vibe. It's darkened metal at it's finest finesse, as the melodies, the musicianship, andthe songs are bolstered by the vengeful attitude that heightens the epic stance that engulfs the album,yet nothing gets out of hand. Still, Glorious Collision is a masterful set of Evergrey's tunes, where theband continues to deliver for the fans and metal masses. Tommy Hash - Ytsejam.com (90/100)

MRF | 13

MALISON ROGUE - Malison Rogue (Ulterium Records)Malison Rouge is a relatively young swedish power metal band, but their self-titled debut albumprove they are talented and very professionals musicians. The album has a wide productionthanks to Mats Levén (Yngwie Malmsteen, Therion, Treat). The energy of a strong live act asMalison Rouge (ex Ashes) has been rightly directed in this studio effort. Although is rather clearthey picked up some tricks from the old master such as Iron Maiden and Queensryche they soundfresh and powerful. I loved so much the up-tempo track “The Griever” and the epical “Scars”.Malison Rouge (Sebastian Jansson vocals, Jonatan Björkborg guitars, Pete Fury bass Guitar, JensVestergren, drums) represents together with bands like Enforcer and Steelwing, Malison a newwave of Swedish heavy metal, we all are waiting them for the next step and we hope they will beable to grow strong and deliver again the goods as they have successfully done with the MalisonRouge album. Fabio “Deuce” Mainardi (86/100)BRIAN ROBERTSON - Diamonds and Dirt (SPV/Steamhammer)With the crunch laden riffs and the steadfast grooves driving the tunage forward, Roberson'ssongwriting skills shine as his own penmanship prevails with the free flowing turned funkifiedtrack "Passion," the heavy blues of "That's All," the dark melodies of "Texas Wind," and the sin-ister grooves of the title track; he even delves into Thin Lizzy material such as the Phil Lynoot co-penned "Blues Boy," which is given a Memphis sound makeover considering the tune was onlyrecoded by Lizzy as a demo and rarely heard in live sets, whereas the same can be said about hiscover of Frankie Miller's "Ain't Got No Money," where again, the 'delta vibe' is present. Diversewithout going all over the place, Diamonds and Dirt lets the guitars do the talking backed up withstrong songs/songwriting - being an album that brings hard rock back to basics, without beingoverloaded with the keyboards or aggressive overtones; being a straightforward approach from afamiliar face in the world of hard rock. Tommy Hash - Ytsejam.com (90/100)BIG LIFE – Big Life (Metal Heaven)The name of Steve Newman is held in the highest regard amongst the fans and artists in both theMelodic Rock and AOR scenes with his work as musician, producer and engineer. His name hasbecome synonymous with many of the best Melodic and AOR albums over recent years. The nameof Mark Thompson-Smith is linked with NWOBHM band Praying Mantis as well as the bands IdolRich, Flight 19 and Touche, together with guesting on the Newman albums, so it only seems rightthat the pair unite along with Rob McEwen for a new band entitled Big Life and this the bands selftitled debut ‘Big Life’.The album is nothing else but good honest Melodic Rock with a modern feelto it. From the off you know what you’re in for with the likes of ’Dying Day’, ‘Close To You’ andthe excellent ‘Calling’ to name just a few. There is something unmistakably British about thisalbum and that’s a good thing from a British Melodic Rock perspective. There aren’t that manybands in the genre coming out of the UK and it’s great to hear past masters bringing it kickingand screaming in the now. Barry McMinn (88/100)JAG PANZER – The Scourge Of The Light (SPV/Steamhammer)In 2004 Jag Panzer unleashed their ‘Casting The Stones’ album to mixed reviews. The album sawthe band change direction to a harsher more intense Metal sound which didn’t go down to wellwith the bands fan base, especially amongst those European fans. But that was then and this isnow and Conklin, Briody Tetley and Stjernquist are back, and since Chris Broderick’s departure tojoin Megadeth, we see the welcome return to the fold of Chris Laseque, who together with Briodyhave returned the band to their Power Metal roots with there latest album ‘The Scourge Of TheLight’. The album is a return to the sound of old with Briody and Laseque bringing the band fullcircle with great slices of Melodic Power Metal like ‘The Setting Of The Sun’ and ‘Overlord’, mixedwith the heavier but still equally melodic ‘Condemned to Fight’, the blistering ‘Call To Arms’ andeven the slightly progressive edge of ‘Cycles’. All stunning songs that will once again that JagPanzer are a force to be reckoned with in Power Metal circles. Barry McMinn (92/100)BORGOGNA – Something To Lean On (Steelheart Records)This is the debut full length album for the italian melodic Rock band BORGOGNA (named by the leadvocalist, Tomas Borgogna) and another hidden gem, shelved for years and that luckily nowSteelheart Records brings to the light of the day! “Something To Lean On” was recorded in Italy butmixed and mastered at the world famous “Sterling Sound Studios” in New York City. We can say thatBorgogna’ sound is a classic '80s Melodic Hard Rock, influenced by the US bands in the genre; thinkto Firehouse meets Mr.Big meets Danger Danger (which – by the way - are their favorite bands).The band is tight and powerful, and – above all – we can appreciate the explosive and shining gui-tar-work of Pierpaolo Buzzi, an extremely talented professional guitarist, and the melodic, some-times high-pitched, vocals of Tomas Borgogna. The opening-track “Dirty Roses” reminds very closethe sound of the first Firehouse album, while songs like “Too Much Love” and “Power” show the tech-nical ability of the band, still sounding very melodic (who said “Mr. Big”?). There are also a coupleof nice ballads here (“Too Times Is Tough” and “Angel”) and a potential Radio-hit like “Sweet Regina”.Recommended for any fan of the above mentioned bands. Rob “Ezy” Bone (85/100)SHADOWMAN – Watching Over You (Escape Music)It has been seven years since the debut album “Land of the Living” by Shadowman was released.The album was warmly received by all who had a penchant for good old British melodic hard rock.After the other 2 albums “Different Angles” and “Ghost in the Mirror”, they have confirmed thierquality and amazing productions focused on amazing songs, catchy melodies and brillant riffs.Shadowman are a band that is all about great rock music influenced by FM and Heartland (ofcourse) and this is what make the band a success. “Watching Over You” in the new album titleand it is, for the moment, the best work they have ever done. These boys just mature nicely astime passes and new songs like “Renegades”, “Waiting for a miracle” and “Are you Ready” are justexemples of how a great and amazing rock song should be these days. Once again Tommy Hansenis at the mixing desk, his capabilities need no introduction. This new release is set to be a top tencontender for 2011! Vitale Nocerino (92/100)

MRF | 15

Focus on: THE POODLES - Performocracy (Frontiers Records)The fourth studio album from preening Swedish rockers The Poodles sees their soundmaturing. They’ve maintained their huge perfectly coiffured melodies and singer JacobSammuel is on fine form; part metal, part Eurovision on the likes of “I Want It All” and“Cuts like A Knife”. Mats Valentin’s production, sonically, reminds me of The Pretty Maids’great “Pandemonium” album of last year as it takes the best of traditional melodic rockmelodies, adds some modern darker riffs and keyboard textures that make it sound freshand current. Those darker sounds can be heard on “Until Our Kingdom” and “I BelieveIn You” but fear not they still sound like The Poodles and not The Rottweilers. Lyricallythere’s more depth on the personal, affecting “Father To A Son” and the terrificallyarranged “As Time Passes By”. This should please the Poodle faithful and bring the bandnew admirers too as they prove they’re still top dog. Duncan Jamieson (92/100)

Question: There’s a maturing ofyour sound on this record,slightly darker and more epic inplaces. What brought thischange about?Answer: Yeah you might be right,there might be some darker alleyson this one, still I think we had thaton the previous albums as well butthis is very hard for me to judgesince I've been so involved in thework on the album for such a longtime. To me it's a wide prospectiveof songs both in moods and temposwhich I find very important to haveon an album. Most of my favoritealbums are very varied. We writearound 40 songs for each album andthen pic 12-14 songs, so it's achoosing process that is heartbreak-ing every time… killing your dar-lings, you know, but the result isgreat albums, and that's the mostimportant thing for us.Q: Lyrically too there’s a maturi-ty to the songs, and some songsappear to touch on very person-al issues such as “Father To ASon” and “Time Is Passing”.Who are these songs about?

A: Yes these two songs is about myrelation to my father who passedaway 2005, a had a very complicat-ed relationship with him and whenhe passed away it really got mestruggling with a lot of the mainissues in life. I believe in using diffi-culties in life to inspire me in mywriting and I never seem to liberatemyself from this topics, for goodand bad. I mainly write from mypersonal experiences, things that Iread or hear even though I ofcourse twist it around sometimes.But what interest me most is humanrelations. I believe this is an interestthat we share in the band. Q: Also, lyrically there are somebig themes sung throughout therecord. Was this discussedbefore the making of the CD ordid the themes just happen asthe songs were written?A: Well I'm a lyrics fanatic and real-ly love to take the chance to com-municate topics of importance whenthe opportunity appears. We all goaround thinking of the meaning ofour life's from time to time, why welive and act like we do. This doesn't

mean every song has to be a philos-ophy thesis or a poem, sometimes asong appeal to more of a "tits andas" attitude, which is cool to mewhen it's required. It's just that weare naturally have a more epicbasis. Q: It’s a big sounding album,with obviously a lot of care andattention given to the song writ-ing and finding the big melodichooks you’re well known for.Every song is reaching for thestars with no fillers. You seemlike a band intent on world dom-ination. Is this the plan?A: Definitely, make no mistake, wewant to be bigger than The Beatles!Masters of the Universe, Kings ofthe Hill! On top of the heat. TheChampions! or die trying! What canI say… we've got high ambitions.Q: Do you have a message foryour fans on the release of thisrecord? A: Buy it, learn it and love it! Whenwe come on tour we will not disap-point you, we'll kick as and give itall for you to have the night of yourlife!

BAND: THE POODLESALBUM:PERFORMOCRACYINTERVIEW WITH: PONTUS EGBERGINTERVIEWED BY : DUNCAN JAMIESON

MRF | 17

This record is an unexpected treat from Swiss rockers, who despite three new tracks on agreatest hits compilation in 2008, haven’t released an album for sixteen years. Only ClaudioMatteo remains from the band that started out in 1985 and there’s a sleazier, heavier feel toa lot of the material here than of old; possibly abetted by the production of Chris Johnson(Buckcherry) and Michael Parnin (Kings X). Eric St. Michaels is a damn fine singer and the bandcover a wide range of rock styles with class and aplomb. The libidinous “She’s So Hot” and“Girl On My Screen” have beefy, heavy breathing riffs and mix blues, melodic rock and sleazebrilliantly. “Lonely Rider” is a top drawer mix of Bon Jovi and Danger Danger and the closestto their “Sign In The Sky” heyday. The slightly countrified “On My Way” cheekily lifts fromCheap Trick’s “I Want you To Want Me”, while “Deadly Sweet” and “Trapped In The City” areraw rockers similar in spirit to recent Nightranger. Guaranteed to return to my CD player a lotthis year, the sheer quality here may take people by surprise. Duncan Jamieson (92/100)

Focus on: CHINA - Light Up In The Dark (Metal Heaven)

Question: Welcome back! This isyour first full album since “NaturalGroove” sixteen years ago.Where have you been and how didyou get things rolling again?Answer: We were all playing in sepa-rate bands for a while and occasional-ly playing together for special events.The chance to play with Black Sabbathand Motörhead at the Spirit Of Rockfestival brought the band China backtogether in 2007.Q: You brought in Chris Johnsonand Michael Parnin for productionduties. What was it like workingwith them and what do you thinkthey brought to the sound?A: With Chris it's all about startingfrom the beginning with the design ofthe soundscape or sonic template andbringing all guns to bear on that con-cept. Mike is more of a band guy whenhe's working and concentrates onkeeping everything authentic and wellrecorded while holding back a little onstudio tricks. In other words if youdon't see it on stage, don't record it.The band had a lot of freedom toexpress our own input and thankfully

Chris & Mike were there to balanceeverything out. So that's the short ofit... they brought a balance betweenthe band, the music and the reality ofthe past records looming over ourheads every step of the way.Q: You’ve got a number of differ-ent rock styles on the album fromsome of the melodic rock yourknown for to a sleazier sound andeven a touch of country. Was thisdiversity premeditated or wasthat just the way the songs hap-pened?A: Good question! We couldn't doChina circa 1986 without showing whowe are now. So we tried to keep trueto the old fans the best we could whilewe stepped out of the box a bit toshow some other skills we've pickedup. And as far as getting Sleazier...We would have to say "thanks for thecompliment". We like to see rockbabes and dudes done up and lookingpunky out in the audience. A lot ofthem need a groove they can move toso we try to provide a little rumpshakin' hard rock for them. The coun-try touch came from the unplugged

days and Marc Storace had sang "OnMy Way" a few times with us before soit was a natural choice for a duet.Q: What has the inclusion of MackSchildknecht meant to yoursound?A: Mack's impact is tightness andpunch. His playing on the recordbrings a technical edge from theheart. He kills live and tempts the nextgeneration of rockers to jump up andscream.Q: How different is your approachto the band now in 2011 than itwas when you started?A: Extremely different! There are nodeadlines or demands set by out-siders. We can feel good about our-selves and those we work with and nothave the pressure on us to competeagainst the trend of the day. Backwhen China was hot in pop media andthe money was poring in from therecord company the demand for areturn on investment was terrifying.Nowadays instead of giving in to pres-sure from the outside we approacheverything in more of a tribal mannerand try to stay who we are.

BAND: CHINAALBUM:LIGHT UP IN THE DARKINTERVIEW WITH: ERIC ST . MICHAELSINTERVIEWED BY : DUNCAN JAMIESON

Question: Hi guys! How are you?Wow, your brand new album“Broken Heart Syndrome” is aMONSTER!!! Also if that’s a newrecord, it recalls a familiar andalways much appreciated sound,the one that made bands likeWhitesnake (in primis), DeepPurple and Rainbow so unforget-table! Do you agree? How do youfeel about that?Answer: Well, thanks for the compli-ment. It is our attention that youcan hear our roots, the more thebetter. With Voodoo Circle we wantto keep the good old times alive,were bands could really play andjam, without the power of a comput-er, software and internet skills. Themusic of the 70ties and early 80tieshad a lots of feeling, vibes, mojo andsongwriting skills... and that is werewe start!Q: Have these three bands (thatI mentioned above) been yourreal influence on this album?Would you name more?A: Yes, I also love Hendrix andPower Blues... btw Blackmore was ahuge Hendrix fan... listen to his riff-ing in "Catch the Rainbow"... that'sLittle Wing all over the place... :-)Q: How did you come up with thename for the band?A: The circle part stands for circle offriends, as said I know Matt alreadyfor many years and also David andme go back more than ten yearsalready. Mel just moved to my area,he lives about twenty minutes awayfrom me and we regularly have cof-fee and cake together. It’s importantthat people know that the band con-sists of friends. The voodoo part hasto do with all the mysterious thingsthat happen on stage, so the combi-nation of the two led to VoodooCircle.

Q: You were part of two veryrecognized German band beingSilent Force and Primal Fear, butstill you felt the urge to startsomething new. What’s the rea-son for this?A: Well, let me first point out thatI’m not a full-time member of PrimalFear, but that I’m just helping themout whenever they need me. I’vebeen good friends with the bandalready for a very long time, espe-cially with Matt Sinner, which I’veknown for more than twenty yearsnow. Voodoo Circle was more or lessstarted a couple of years back whenI decided to go back to my roots andstarted to listen to the music againwhich I really loved and had missedfor a very long time: bands likeDeep Purple and Rainbow, the sev-enties stuff. When listening to thosegreat albums, I also started to writesongs in that direction, which werenot really suited for Silent Force, butwere very special. At that time I alsodid a session tour with a couple ofmusicians in Germany, where weplayed shows of about two hourslength with a lot of improvisation.The people in that band werebesides myself David (Readman –vocalist of Pink Cream 69), Mel(Gaynor – drums) and a local bassplayer. After the second show wewere amazed about the quality ofthe shows and I asked them if theywanted to start a new band with meand David and Mel immediately said“yes, of course”. Matt Sinner was alogical choice for the bass playerspot and that’s how Voodoo Circlewas born. Q: Obviously the two stars hereare David Readman (a singerthat I always personally loved!)and the awesome Alex Beyrodton guitar, yet all the band

(including world famous MatSinner) plays really tight, pow-erful and passionate! How doyou feel as a band? Any wordson both David and Alex?A: Since it is me, Alex Beyrodt,doing the interview I can't say any-thing about myself, About David...hell... he is one of the best singers ,period. His voice, feeling, lyrics andskills give the songs what they needto become alive. I am very happy tohave him and the whole Voodoogang on board, matured and experi-enced players! Without them thiswould'nt be possible.Q: How has been the songwrit-ing process? Who has been incharge of the music and lyrics (Iguess Alex did it, right)?A: Basically I write the music, recordit in my studio, then work on themelodies with David and Mat...done. David is responsible for thelyrics... I would never tell a englishman what he has to sing ;-)Q: How did you get in touch withAFM Records?A: By phone...Q: How do you feel about thepower of Internet, and theeffects (both, positive and nega-tive) it is having on bands andthe music-industry in general?A: The marketing effect is good,when it comes to sales and down-loads it is a nightmare.....and.... Ihave to say that there are to manyself proclaimed music journalists outthere who doesn't have a clue aboutmusic... but they run Homepagesand get promo cd's for free... someof them embarrese me.Q: Have you any touring-plans?A: Yes, but to early to tellQ: That's it! Thanx a lot for yourtime. Any last words?A: Rock'n Roll isn't a rockin' chair!!

BAND: VOODOO CIRCLEALBUM:BROKEN HEART SYNDROMEINTERVIEW WITH: ALEX BEYRODTINTERVIEWED BY : PRIMO BONALI

MRF | 19

20 | MRF

Focus on: URIAH HEEP - Into The Wi ld (Front iers Records)Uriah Heep’s newest release Into The Wild promises to be all that their previous 40 years worthof recordings were; fantastic! The trademark sound that is Uriah Heep, that classic seventiesfeel, rock vibe, is still ever present throughout Into The Wild. “Nail On The Head” opens themusical montage that fast becomes like candy to the ears. This is a song that takes one backto easier times in music when a band went into a studio and simply recorded and then cleanedup, not like now when things are massively over produced The inspiration for the title of therecord and the third track on the album written by Phil Lanzon and Mick Box comes from a moviethat tells of a long journey that has come to an end, and the feeling of both fear and excitementin beginning a new journey. “Money Talks” is a down and dirty song with grit, while the song“Believe”, if one didn’t know that it was Uriah, one might have to listen a few times to decide ifit were not Journey, another outstanding artist on the Frontiers label. “Hard Way To Learn” isthe absolute tops on the album, but there are many that are the tops, this one just so happensto have amazing guitar work on it that grips you right in the beginning. “Trail Of Diamonds” isa bit of a sleeper in comparison, but is a welcomed siesta. Justine Bevan (95/100)

BAND: URIAH HEEPALBUM:

INTO THE WILDINTERVIEW WITH: MICK BOXINTERVIEWED BY : JUSTINE BEVAN

MRF | 21

Question: Congratulationson over 40 years in musicand your new album. Is thisalbum a commemorative tocelebrate the band’s greatsuccess?Answer: Thank you very muchand we feel that 40 years is awonderful achievement. We hada CD on our previous labelcalled “Celebration,” and thiswas really the CD to commemo-rate our 40 years. We re-recorded some of the classicHeep tracks, and added twonew songs, to show that we arevery proud of our history, butwe are still moving forward. Thenew CD called “Into the Wild,”on our new label Frontiers, wesee very much as a new begin-ning, and we hope that thispartnership will be successfulfor the label, the band, and thefans.Q: The band is sti l l l iveactive, but the distancebetween new studio albumstakes more and more time.Why it is so?A: This is nothing to do with us,but the state of the recordingindustry. With the advent of theinternet, Record Companiesattacked companies l ikeNapster and taking them tocourt, and found that they couldnot police Napster or anyoneelse for that matter it. At whichpoint the internet exploded andRecord Companies imploded,disappeared or amalgamated.At this time we did not have alabel and could not find one,because the Record Industrywas in free fall. So we did whatwe do best and toured in the 53countries that we have fans andreleased live CD’s and DVD’s.This period of settl ing downtook the best part of 10 years.Then we were offered byUniversal to do a new CD, forwhich we recorded “Wake theSleeper.” Then we celebratedwith a CD called “Celebration,”to commemorate our 40thAnniversary which was releasedon Edel, and we have just fin-ished recording a new CD called“Into the Wild,” for Frontiersour new label. Apart from thiswe have release 3 Off ic ialBootlegs on Edel, “Live inSweden,” “Live in Budapest,”and “Live in Japan.” So you cansee once we found a home, webegan to release material on amore regular basis.Q: Why is the album calledInto the Wild? A: That is the title of the 3rdtrack on the CD, and was writ-ten by our keyboard player PhilLanzon and myself. This was anidea Phil bought forward in thelyrical department. It is a songthat was inspired by a film, and

a book of the same name. Inthe storyline it reaches a spiri-tual ly transcendent pinnacle,being the idea of ending onelong strange trip, and plummet-ing into an even-greaterunknown with both fear andelation. This is our adaption onthis, with someone beingchased through the wild. Whenyou release a new CD, you alsohave a fear of the unknown thatis coupled with elation. The ela-tion comes of course if the fansand the media like it.Q: How does this album’ssound differ from your firstrelease? How has the bandevolved? A: I think there are differencesand similarities. We have usedthe same musical trademarksthat Heep have always had, andthat is the Hammond Organ, myWah Wah Guitar, and the factthat we have five vocalists inthe band, so our harmonies areal l important to our overal lsound. So this template isapplied to new songs each timewe record a new CD, and then itbecomes 100% Heep. Therecording techniques are obvi-ously different from 1970 tonow, but we try to record in theold traditional way, and that iswith the whole band in the stu-dio at the same time. Q: “Nail on the Head” and“Believe” along with othersmanage to have a classicrock sound, reminiscent ofthe seventies, but also havea modern polished feel.What is your recordingprocess l ike that you areable to achieve this andmaintain that great UriahHeep sound and keep itupdated?A: We find it important to playin the studio as a band, andthat way you get the band onone pulse, rather than thepiecemeal approach. We tend totry and use analogue as muchas we can, and it is all impor-tant to try and record the bandin ful l f l ight. We usual lyrehearse a track up until we arehappy with it, and then pressthe record button, and it is usu-ally in the bag in 1-3 takes.This makes the tracks soundfresh, and exciting.Q: The recording processwas fairly quick, right?A: Yes, as by recording it thisway, you reduce the amount ofoverdubs you need to do, andyou manage to get a lot of thebasic tracks in one hit. It is alsoa lot more enjoyable, especiallywhen you hear it back in thecontrol room. Q: Uriah Heep is noted forhaving a cult-like following.How do you think your fans

will receive this album? Canyou anticipate a fanfavorite? A: That is quite a cult followingwe have, as we play concerts inover 53 countries, and havesold in excess of 30 mill ionalbums, but I do see what youmean. I am hoping theyembrace this CD in much thesame way as our last studio CD“Wake the Sleeper,” which hadcritical acclaims from both fansand media alike. We have ourfingers crossed! What are your plans fortouring?A: We have an extensive tour-ing plan being put in place nowwhich encompasses thus far,Greece, Austral ia, Indonesia,Hol land, Germany, Poland,Austria, Czech Republic, andthe USA. It is going to be abusy year but I always say “Aworking band is a happy band!”Q: Is there one place thatyou like to go to more thananother?A: I personally find all touringexciting, even if I have been toplaces before. I would like tosee the bands presence more inItaly. The last shows we playedthere were tremendous and theItalian fans are a passionateabout the rock music as we areabout playing it. It would beespecially nice, seeing as ourrecord label Frontiers, arebased there. Q: You also recentlyreleased, (November 2010),The Official Bootleg Vol II-Live in Budapest a two discset which features songsyou still play live from the70’s. along with pretty cur-rent songs as well . Withsuch a library at hand, howdo you decide what to bringinto the set list? A: I think as far as our live setgoes there are always be songsthat we have to play like, “JulyMorning,” “Easy Livin’,” etc, butit is always nice to put newsongs alongside these favorites,which gives everything a lift.Occasionally we look back atour back catalogue and pick outan old song and play it, and thiscan be fun too. Q: What can we expect nextfrom Uriah Heep? Is thereanything that Uriah Heephasn’t done yet that ismaybe still in the thinkingor dreaming up stages?A: We have not tried the fullorchestra treatment on eitherlive or on recordings. Some ofour songs would be beautifulwith full orchestration. But fornow we are happy to releasethe new CD, and travel theworld playing it to fans old andnew.

22 | MRF

Fabio Mainardi: Hi guys! And welcome, you previouslyrecorded two EP's, are you satisfied with the recordingof your first album now?David Grey: Thank you for having us. Definitely! To haveJacob Hansen master the album was an absolute honour, notonly was he the vocalist for one of our favourite bands AnubisGate, but he did such an amazing job with the album. TheEP's were rough demo recordings put together very quicklyso people had something to listen too and we had somethingto send out to various people in the industry. Also, Nate oursinger was brand new to the band at the time so it was agreat way of getting him into the swing of things in the LostIn Thought world.FM: What's your writing and recording process normal-ly? Do you write together or what?DG: Normally the writing process consists of us all sittingdown together in the rehearsal room bouncing ideas andback and forth and then those ideas start to form with vari-ous members input and then we'll usually build on thoseideas and start building up a structure and more form, whichwill eventually build into a song. Sometimes a member cancome in with an idea that sounds great from the get go andeveryone else will build parts around this which can alsoshape the idea into something else and take it into a newdirection. The only song on the album which wasn't writtenwith this process was Seek To Find which was actually ainstrumental track I wrote before we decided to re-form LostIn Thought.FM: You as a band went through some line-up changes,would you like to introduce your band members to us?DG: Myself who is David Grey - Guitar & Backing Vocals andthe other members who are Nate Loosemore - Vocals, GregBaker - Keyboards, Simon Pike - Bass and Chris Billingham -Drums.FM: What are your main musical influences?DG: Our individual influences are quite varied and can rangefrom Elton John to Killswitch Engage, but as a band our maininfluences would have to be Dream Theater, Circus Maximus,Anubis Gate, Symphony X, Soilwork etc.FM: Are you going to tour all over Europe soon. Haveyou planned to record some live gigs for a possible livealbum? Or are going to release a new studio album?DG: Yes, we are going to tour all around Europe supportingDelain with Serenity. We are actually planning on recordingeach show but this was for us to listen back to the shows toreview our performance and other aspects, but I suppose itgives us the possible option of releasing a live album but we'llhave to see about that one haha. With regards to releasing anew studio album our debut album Opus Arise will bereleased through Inner Wound Recordings on the 29th Aprilwhich is also the starting date of the tour. The plan will be toplay and promote Opus Arise but when things quieten downthe next objective will definitely be to write new material fora new studio album.FM: What's your favourite moment during a live con-cert and what's your favourite moment while in stu-dio?DG: We have actually only played 3 small shows with smallsets since we re-formed which were local and were playedbefore we signed to Intromental but the favourite momentduring a live show would have to be hearing the responsefrom the crowd after you've finished the song. Our favouritemoment in the studio is when an idea suddenly pops intoyour head and parts of a song can be changed there and theninto something you would have never thought of before andturn out to be awesome.