CONTENTS04 Dokken06 Ten07 KIX09 Impera09 Bonrud10 Andy Rock12 Reviews14 Soulspel l17 Night Ranger19 Pr ide of L ions20 Neal Schon22 Obsess ion

Melodic Rock FanzineThe official Frontiers Records magazine

Year #8 - Nr. 5 / Issue #52Editor-in-chief: Elio BordiGraphic & Design: Elio BordiWriters: Bruce E.J. Atkinson, Duncan Jamieson, BarryMcMinn, Vitale Nocerino, Rob “Ezy” Bone, Fabio Mainardi,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©2012 Frontiers Records. All rightsreserved. Reproduction in whole or in part

without permission is prohibited.Printed in Italy.

Focus on: DOKKEN - Broken Bones (Frontiers Records)It’s been a troubling time recently for Don Dokken as he has needed vocal surgery.Fortunately, he’s come out the other end and he still sounds recognisably Don Dokken.He might not be hitting those stratospheric high notes as once did but he’s adjusted hissong writing to suit his delivery. The good news is he still rocks. John Levin returns ashis guitar foil and he has enough riff power and shredding ability that you don’t pinefor classic line-up guitarist George Lynch. Song wise it’s pitched somewhere betweenthe classic 80s output, with a touch of mid 90s ‘Dysfunctional’. The title track and‘Victim Of The Crime’ have a definite Led Zeppelin vibe which works well and suggeststhe band still want to move forward. ‘Empire’ rocks hardest while ‘Best Of Me’ and‘Burning Tears’ have the most nagging melodic hooks. The ballad ‘Today’ is a well-struc-tured tune, with backing vocals to help out on those high notes and it’s a song thatcould work well live. Dokken might have had a few ‘Broken Bones’ over the years butthere’s still plenty of life left in Dokken circa 2012. Duncan Jamieson (90/100)

4 | MRF

band. dokkenalbum. broken bonesInterview with. don dokken

interviewed by:. duncan jamieson

Question: The title of thealbum is related to your bikeaccident occurred last year,isn’t it? Or is it a largermetaphor of life?Answer: No it is not about mybike accident, yes I broke 4 ribsin the accident, but the CD titleis about every body that has hadtroubles in there l ife, love,health, lost love, heartbreak,death,,nobody goes through lifewithout a few broken bonesmetaphorically, most of us learnfrom our past mistakes but somepeople do not, what does not killyou makes you stronger. Aftermy bike accident it reminded methat life is short, the pain in ourlives inspires us to make music,and the happiness as wellinspires to write. We are alldamaged.Q: What about the “Empire”of the first song? Who is itsEmperor?A: There are no emperors. Thedictators kill their own people tomaintain control but in the endthey gain nothing but a burningempire, its been going on forthousands of years, and we havenot learned anything. Its theyear 2012 and still we kill fornothing, just like the Romansand Greeks you cannot win andin the end the people lose to afew megalomaniacs who kill theirown people. I am ashamed of ourrace, violence is not the answer,that is the meaning of the song.Q: “Victim Of The Crime”reminds me of the“Dysfunctional” sound andapproach. Is it by chance ordid you want to return to thatsound for this song?A: We write what comes into oursoul. I have no reason to repeatwhat I have already written, Jonand I wrote from our hearts inthese troubled times.Q: Are all of the songs from“Broken Bones” new? Or arethere any coming from thepast?A: Every song is new! We wrote32 songs over 11 months andpicked our favoritesQ: How has your inspirationchanged and the way youwrite your songs from theearly Dokken years untilnow?A: We were young but now weare older and hopefully wiser, Ido not see the world as I didwhen I was 30, everything haschanged, I have children nowand I am concerned about therefuture, and ours as well. I havenever been a political person,but when I see Greece bankrupt,and Spain and Italy on the vergeas well I realize the the politi-cians are running our world. Weare just puppets.Q: In the last 4-5 yearsDokken toured with several

different drummers. what isthe situation about MickBrown? Will he be on stage inthe next tour?A: No, Mick is now with TedNugent, I love him like a broth-er, we have played together for30 years and he HAD played withDokken when he can, but now wemust move on... Jimmy De'Grasso from Megadeath - AliceCooper and Y&T is now ourdrummer!Q: It has been ten years thatyou and Jon Levin haveworked together, changingthe story of the band. What isyour balance about this col-laboration? Do you think thatJon would have fit into therole if he would have playedon the Eighties records?A: George was a big part of theDokken sound but the Eightiesare over. We cannot look backand wonder what could havebeen. Jon's rhythms and solos onour last few records as well as'Broken Bones' show that hedoes not live in the shadow ofGeorge lynch anymore. Georgewill always be remembered forhis contribution to Dokken, butJon has now made his mark andunlike George is a good personQ: Dokken are one of the fewbands that never experiment-ed with any kind of “reunion”Do you consider it a positivething?A: I would love to do one moreDokken record some day with theoriginal members. Jeff, Mick andI get along great but Georgecontinues to talk negative aboutme, I have no desire to play withsomeone that is emotionallyunstable and full of hate. Jonand I are best friends and weboth understand the Dokkensound, George always wanted tochange it. George continues tosay he believes that i was theweakest member of the band, heforgot who wrote a large part ofour music and hits. Narcissism isa disease of the mind, and Ithink it’s too late for him tochange and find spiritual peacein this life time. The band iscalled Dokken, not Lynch, JonLevin was always a fan ofGeorge’s playing. He has alwaysspoken of him with respectbecause Jon has class. You canlisten to “Broken Bones” T&N andLynch Mob and let the fans maketheir own decision, George willgo down in history as once beinga great guitarist, but his day isover!Q: How has the music indus-try changed since whenDokken first hit the metalscene back in the early eight-ies?A: When I went to Germany toget the record deal, they wantedto sign me as a solo artist. The

original album, Breaking TheChains originally came out inEurope and the band was calledDon Dokken. It was pretty rare.There were 500 copies of it thatsaid “Don” on the cover. Sowhen we got the band together,I just dropped the “Don” and webecame Dokken. I am stuck in1989. I think the ’90s killedmusic. There were no good songson the radio. Music was depress-ing then. Dokken is old school.We come from the genre of VanHalen and The Scorpions.Q: Dokken were known fortheir innovative musicvideos. What was yourfavorite Dokken video?A: I would have to say,”It’s NotLove”. We were riding downHollywood Boulevard in a flatbedtruck. We were playing live,yeah! We kept getting stopped. Ithink we got stopped four times!Q: As a singer, who firstinfluenced your style ofsinging?A: I listened to Ian Gillan a lot. Ilove “Highway Star”. I love IanGillan’s falsetto. I listened toRonnie James Dio and StevenTyler that started it all.Q: You did record vocals forthe demo tracks of Scorpionsalbum "Blackout". Back in theday there were all theserumors about you were aboutto replace Klaus Meine inScorpions because he hadsome serious problems withhis voice. Was there anytruth behind that rumor? A: No truth at all, I just did itbecause his voice was hurting. Imean, we just had a guy comesing on our record. So what? Ihad Kelly Hansen to sing back-ground vocals. He has the lowmore husky voice, I’m in themiddle and Jeff Pilson has ahigher voice. Why would Iscream my ass off all day andstack my vocals when I can havesomeone else come in and do it?Q: How about John Norum, hewas out from the band in themiddle of LONG WAY HOMEtour. What really happenedfor him back then?A: He wanted to do more like ablues-type thing. Actually whathe wanted to do, it was reallyweird, it was something likeBlack Label Society meets blueskind of thing? I said it doesn’t fitDokken. I said that has nothingto do with Dokken. When hecame into the band, he wantedto change things so I’ve beenstruggling with him. And whenthe guitarist lives in Sweden,how do you have a guitar playerin another country? It was diffi-cult and expensive. Then his visawould expire and he would haveto go home and come back. Itold him it’s not going to work.

MRF | 5

Focus on: TEN - Heresy And Creed (Front iers Records)With such a cinematic opening… “The Gates Of Jerusalem”, the theme of “Heresy AndCreed” is instantly in your face! Ten’s tenth album is an instant classic! Gary Hughesand friends have totally out-done themselves. Perhaps the greatest Songwriter in thishalf of the 21st century, the sheer volume and diversity of Mr. Hughes’ material isnothing short of amazing! “Heresy And Creed” is a refined Recorded Work, displayingthe multi - talents of the six musicians whom make - up this classic Hard Melodic Rockwonder. As mentioned - fuelled by Gary Hughes, his songwriting and singing… Ten arefiring on all sixteen cylinders!! Flowing in and out of the timely religious and culturalovertones, this story is so powerfully delivered, it totally immerses the listener. A verydeep and layered album - majestic in form - gigantic in musical performance, andexquisitely finished by the song “The Riddle”… This is a monumental release! “HeresyAnd Creed” will be sought after the world over!! Bruce Atkinson (90/100)

6 | MRF

Question: Last year was a big yearfor Ten… Take us through some ofthe highlights, and how yourcomeback year influenced yournew album.Answer: For some time now it hasbeen my wish that Ten should returnto a higher product output and moreregular album turnover. I hope even-tually to return to the pro - active waysof our early years. Last year’s release“Stormwarning”, and the live datesthat followed, felt like an adrenalinerush for Ten. It felt fantastic to play inthe live arena again after so longaway. The band are hungrier than everto play and promote the new product.We felt we had lost touch with our fanbase and now we intend to do every-thing within our power to rectify that. Ihope that there will be a new albumevery 12-18 months from now on.Q: Were the line-up changes inplace during last year, or, morerecent?A: The trick is to bring new vibrantmusicians in that add life and energyto the band. Ten are sounding fresherand more powerful than ever. Ten2012 is very different animal to Tencirca 1996. We have had to evolve tosurvive. Many bands around in the90’s are long gone now. Ten 2012 is nonostalgia trip. We’re not simple dustingoff a collection of old musicians pasttheir sell by date. When members ofany band have been together as long

as Ten have, occasionally we ask our-selves is this what we really want to doany more. Band members come andgo.Q: Gary, how has the line-upchange affected the new album, inregards to the recording processand the performances? A: The recording process never alters.The new members are aware of thebands lineage and legacy and so theblue print is already there. Whenmembers of any band have beentogether as long as Ten have, occa-sionally we ask ourselves is this whatwe really want to do any more. Neil(Fraser) only came in on guitar for theStormwarning album as a session.Mark (Sumner) came in on bass guitarbut at the last minute decided thatcommitting to a tour schedule was notwhat he wanted. In Paul Hodson’scase, ill health was a big factor. Anongoing health condition meant thathe simply couldn’t commit to any fur-ther live dates or touring. Paul and Iare still great friends and will probablycontinue to work on “studio only” proj-ects together. Steve McKenna hasreturned to the line - up on bass fol-lowing a reconciliation with myself. It isgreat to have Steve back in Ten. I hadmissed him. Dan Mitchell has come inon lead guitar for the exiting NeilFraser. Dan is a virtuoso guitar player.His style is somewhere between RustyCooly and Steve Vai. His presence

adds greatly to the live sound. Ten aresounding fresher and more powerfulthan ever. Q: Ten have a very recognisablesound and so it is essential thatthese specific flavours are presenteach time we record . Did you havea certain ‘vision’ regarding“Heresy And Creed”…A: Heresy And Creed isn’t a ‘conceptalbum’ as much as ‘an album full ofconcepts‘. Every song has its own con-cept and is a free standing piece in itsown right. I feel that the album hasgreat depth to it. In fact it is one thatgrows richer with every time you listenthrough it. There are some solid rock-ers alongside some powerful melan-cholic ballads. A typical Ten albumreally but with some new flavours too.“Heresy And Creed” comes out inOctober, worldwide…can weexpect to see Ten in concert duringthe Autum/Winter?A: We plan to tour extensively inEurope with Heresy And Creed. Iwould also like to look into going toJapan again soon. It has been almost10 years since Ten played in Japan and6 or so since we played extensively inEurope. That’s too long and this newline up is on fire. We play Firefest inOctober here in the UK. Then we’re offto Madrid in November. We then doHard Rock Hell Festival just after thattoo.

BAnd. tenalbum. heresy and creedInterview with. gary hughesinterviewed by:. b. atkinson

Focus on: KIX - L ive In Balt imore (Front iers Records)Founded in 1978 in Hagerstown Maryland, Kix led by the energetic frontman SteveWhiteman, along with guitarist Ronnie Younkins and Brian Forsythe, bassist Donnie Purnelland last but by no means least Jimmy Chalfont. The band had numerous hits during the80’s and became one of the more popular live bands of the era, leading the band to tourswith Cheap Trick, Ted Nugent, Triumph and Krokus to name a few. The band parted waysin 1995 but later reformed in mid 2000. The band played some big US festivals in 2008and continue to tour. Prior to new studio album in 2013, the band have released a CD/DVDof one of their legendary live shows recorded in Baltimore, highlighting some of theirgreatest hits with tracks like ‘No Ring Around Rosie, Lie Like a Rug’, ‘Girl Money’ and ofcourse ‘Midnite Dynamite’ and the rocking ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah’, complete with monologue byWhitman of one of the worst girlfriend experiences of all time. This is Kix at their live bestand is good prelude to reacquaint yourself with one of the hardest rocking bands of the80’s. I for one can’t wait to hear the new album. Barry McMinn (89/100)

MRF | 7

Queston: The band has a neversay die attitude and since yourre-emergence in the midnineties, things have gonefrom strength to strength, butwhat keeps you going whenothers have fallen by the way-side?Answer: I feel that this is what Iwas meant to do and what I dobest so why not run with it? WhenI'm on stage I'm giving it every-thing I've got every show, everynight! You'll never catch me justgoing through the motions. I thinkthat's what happens for somebands, they lose the spark.Q: When was the albumrecorded and why chooseRam’s head show in Baltimore? A: We recorded it in December2011. Ram's Head is in the heartof Baltimore, what better place isthere? It's a nice size venue with afull size concert stage, a rockin'band and a sold out crowd, a win-ning combination!Q: The band are working on a

new album for release nextyear, can you give us a littleinsight into the album and willit be pure KIX?A: It's gonna rock! We've got over20 new song ideas to work with atthe moment so we're goingthrough them and trying to narrowit down to the best 10 to 12 tracks.And yes, it will be pure KIX!Q: The band was one of themany casualties of the Seattlescene, did you ever think themusic industry would recoverfrom Grunge and its effect onHard Rock music?A: Things always go in cycles butwhen I initially left the band in1993, I never really thought aboutwhat might happen 10 years downthe road. When we first reunited inlate 2003 we were thinking wewould only be remembered aroundthe Baltimore / DC area and didn'tthink it would become this bigagain.Q: “Live in Baltimore” is pureHard Rock at its live best, so is

touring still a big part of KIXand are their any shows line-up for the not to distantfuture?A: Yes the live show is our special-ty! As I write this, we have twoshows coming up this week andtwo the following week. Q: Looking back over the yearsyou must have many highs andlows, but what has been thestandout moment in yourcareers?A: Wow there are so many! Theone in my most recent memorywould have to be Rocklahoma2008. I think that was when werealized that people did stillremember us even outside theMaryland area. Q: Finally any last words forKIX fans worldwide?A: Thanks for being there all theseyears! If you want to see a realrock show, come on out to see uswhen we're in your area, you willnot be disappointed! Oh yeah, andbuy the record!

Artist. kixalbum. live in baltomoreInterview with. Brian Forsytheinterviewed by. b. mcminn

MRF |9

Barry McMinn: The bands line-up reads like a who’swho of modern melodic rock, but how did the bandcome together?J.K.: I´ve started the band 3 years ago after a conversa-tion with my good friend John Corabi (ex Mötley Crue) andthe plan was that John would handle the vocals and Iwould dig up the rest of the band, unfortunately John´sbusy schedule prevented him to participate so I startedfrom scratch and it was quite easy actually, I just went,who is the best guitar player in Sweden? TommyDenander. Who is the greatest singer? Matti Alfonzetti andso on. And it helped that I´ve none all the guys for over20 years.BM: The album itself is no nonsense Hard Rock, wasthat your intention from the off, just to rock out?JK: Yes, I wanted to make an album that I would buy. Nononsense just rock.BM: It’s unusual to have a drummer as the leadinglight of a band, was it easier to mould the band frombehind the kit rather than from behind a guitar ormicrophone?JK: In this case it was, because I´ve been in differentbands for almost 30 years and there´s always been somany voices in every band that wanted to decide what´sbest for the band and so on but in IMPERA there´s onlyone voice and that´s mine and honestly Matti and Tommyare so busy in other projects so they let me do my thingha ha. BM: The album title ‘Legacy of Life’ is quite a state-ment, is this how you see the band and its music?JK: Yes, of course but it´s also a tribute to my father whopast away a few years ago.BM: Did the band as a whole have input on thealbum or was there one songwriter / composer forthe entire album?JK: Tommy, Matti and myself wrote pretty much every-thing. Lars Chriss (Lion´s Share) mixed it and I producedit.BM: Where do you see Impera fitting in today’s HardRock world?JK: We just wanna be one of those band´s that alwaysreleases new albums and tours all the time. But if peoplerecognize some KISS, Whitesnake or Van Halen in ourmusic I´ll be a happy camper. BM: With such a pedigree of talent in the band werethere any doubts that this would work from the off,you know “too many cooks” and all that!JK: I´ve been trying to put this album together for over3 years and that´s because Tommy and Matti always areon tour or in the studio working on some project but whenwe get together it´s magic and in IMPERA there is onlyone cook.BM: Are there any tour plans to bring the music ifImpera to the masses? JK: We are planing to play some festivals in Europe nextsummer and after that I´m straight back to the studio torecord the next IMPERA album. BM: Where would you like to see Impera in the nextfew years?JK: Living the dream. Recording, touring. Recording, tour-ing.

Barry McMinn: How long have you been work-ing on album and was it a labour of love?Paul Bonrud: It was definitely a labor of love! Iactually began working on the songs for this CDshortly after Frontiers released the first Bonrud CD.Then I got married, got a new job, moved fromSeattle to Minnesota, bought a house which neces-sitated home improvement projects, and most sig-nificantly, my wife needed four major back surger-ies that each required very long recovery times. Ireally had my hands full and there were two yearswhere I didn’t touch my guitar at all. Most of thework on the new CD has been done over the pastthree years.BM: How did you and Rick Forsgren first cometogether and when did you fist know this wasa partnership that was going to reap rewards?PB: I met Rick about three years ago. When Idecided to get back into music, I began networkingwith all the best musicians in Minneapolis in aneffort to meet the best singers. I got lots of recom-mendations from people like Lance King and in theend, there were five guys that had the vocal chopsthat fit my requirements and Rick was one of them. BM: So one Saturday morning about three yearsago, Rick came over to my house and we met forthe first time. We immediately clicked as friendsbecause we had so much in common. Then webegan recording three demos to see how we sound-ed together. The first song we worked on was “WeCollide” and right away, it was very clear that wehad some major mojo. We instantly became verygood friends and I’m very pleased to say we arefriends first, musical partners second. We have alot of fun working on music together which is whatmakes it all worthwhile.BM: How would you compare this new albumto the critically acclaimed debut release?PB: t’s a melodic rock record just like the first CDso fans of that record will feel right at home withthis one. “Save Tomorrow” definitely has betterproduction though and the performances are supe-rior. There are a few songs that have a little hard-er edge than the first CD (“We Collide” and “Bulletin the Back”) but most of them are very similar tothe first CD with a heavy “rocking Journey” influ-ence which can be heard on the title track, “SaveTomorrow”.BM: How did you get involved with EscapeMusic for this new release? PB: I wrote, recorded, and produced this CD inde-pendently without any interaction with any recordcompanies. I wanted to follow my own artisticinstincts. Once the CD was mastered, I sent it off toa few record companies and among them wereEscape Music and Frontiers Records. Khalil atEscape Music was very passionate about signing meand his enthusiasm won me over. Picking a recordcompany is just like picking a band member or hir-ing an employee...you will almost always do betterif you select the person who has the most passionand enthusiasm for the job. They will work harderfor you and that will give you an edge.

Question: This is your firstsolo album and some read-ers will recognise you as theguitarist with Wild Rose. Canyou tell us about your back-ground and how you got intomusic? Answer: Hi there! Well, I'vestarted playing music veryyoung around the age of 16 andI played with many differentbrands till I grew up , I was real-ly hungry for music!!! In 2004after a lot of search finally Imade my own band Wild Rose!We made a few demos andfinally last year we finished andreleased our first official albumnamed ''Half Past Midnight''.Q: What’s been the reactionof Wild Rose to your CDrelease?A: If you mean the other guys ofthe band, the reaction was verygood and they supported mewith kindness !! I wanna thankthem a lot!Q: “Into The Night” has aclassic late night 80s AORfeel to it. Which bandsencouraged you to pursuethis direction?A: There are a lot of bands thatinspired me through these yearsbands like Bon Jovi, Dokken,Europe, Journey, Chicago, RussBallard etc, while I'm a fan ofmelodic rock from when I was akid! Also the way that my lifehas turned to was a reason thatinspired me a lot (many adven-tures) and of course my countryespecially the summer!!!Q: It truly is a solo album, asapart from the drums, youplay all the instruments andsing lead vocals. How didyou piece it all together?A: When you are working at thestudio you don't have problems to piece it all together especially when you know to play all these instruments andwhen you know what exactly you wanna do!! I don't think it was a problem and I enjoyed it very much cause I dideverything I wanted!Q: There are some great tunes on the record such as “Love Is Not A Game”, “I Wanna Be With You” and“Without You” for example. Which tracks are you particularly fond of?A: My favorite tracks from the album are different as the time passes... I mean before a while that it was summer, Iwas listening again and again to ''I Wanna Be With You''... ''Without you" also is a good one and... All the rest...!Q: Do you write your solo material differently than the material you write for Wild Rose?A: Not exactly, I mean the inspiration is the same but in Wild Rose I have in mind our singer George and his voice!!I have to write songs that will be perfect for George's style and of course for Wild Rose too!Q: What’s next for you Andy?A: Next coming is the new Wild Rose album "Dangerous" which is almost ready (some details left) and of coursesome other projects that I have in mind to do in the coming future so stay in touch...

BAnd. andy rockalbum. into the night

Interview with. andy rockinterviewed by. d. jamieson

The unlikely named Andy Rock is guitarist with Greek melodic rock band Wild Rose. Thisis his debut solo album but any fears that it might be a self-indulgent, fretboard shred-fest are dispelled from the off. The record teleports you to the late 80s when AORwalked the earth and ruled the airwaves. Considering it’s a guitarist’s record whatstrikes you about the record is the authentic 80s sounding keyboards , also played byRock, that wrap up the music in a big fluffy cloud of hummable melodies. At differenttimes the music brings to mind Los Angeles, Aldo Nova, Michael Bolton (Fool’s Gameera) and even Robin Beck. On ‘Love Is Not a Game’ and especially standout ballad ‘IWanna Be With You’ the music, especially the atmospheric keyboards and the sweetmelodic guitar solos recall parts of Strangeways. Vocally, Rock’s voice is a little thin inplaces and a bigger production sound would have helped but if you like 80s AOR withsongs about heartbreak, in the city, in the night, in the rain and often all at the sametime then this is an easy album to like. Duncan Jamieson (86/100)

Focus on: ANDY ROCK - Into The Night (AOR Heaven)

12 | MRF

JEFF LYNNE - Long Wave (Frontiers Records)After a gap of ten years this is Jeff Lynne’s latest solo album. Initially, it might be disap-pointing to discover that it’s not new original material from the former ELO lynchpin but analbum of covers. It’s a mix of old sentimental standards like ‘Bewitched, Bothered andBewildered’, ‘Love is A Many Splendored Thing’ and ‘Smile’, rock ‘n’ roll covers such as‘Running Scared’ and ‘Let It Rock’ and soul music like ‘Mercy, Mercy’ and ‘At Last’. The rockand soul material is more what you’d expect from Lynne and there are some echoes of theeclecticism of his ELO days in the arrangements of the tunes. The standards, on the otherhand, are by design songs that are the middle of the road, and Lynne’s take on them is gen-erally laidback. However Lynne is astute enough to make them sonically appealing and youcan tell these songs are special to him and his performance on the disc is warm and invit-ing, leaving you with a satisfied nostalgic glow. Duncan Jamieson (90/100)ELO - Mr Blue Sky-The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra (Frontiers Records)ELO are one of those rare bands that when one of their songs come on the radio, they makewhatever songs that have preceded it or follow it sound insipid and uninspiring by comparison.Jeff Lynne took a kaleidoscope of genres, and added the pop-craft and experimental playful-ness of the Beatles to create undeniably classic pop songs. To celebrate the 40th anniversaryof ELO’s music, like an old masterpiece that’s been restored to its former glories, Lynne has re-recorded the tracks and with the aid of modern technology has made the songs sound pristineand better than ever. The new version s might not replace the original vinyl versions in youraffections, but the inclusion of the previously unreleased ‘Point Of No Return’ makes this worthchecking out for diehards and for those unfamiliar with the bonafide pop classics that the bandcreated then this is an indispensable introduction. Duncan Jamieson (90/100)BONRUD - Save Tomorrow (Escape Music)‘Save Tomorrow’ is the long awaited new album from Paul Bonrud’s BONRUD following theiracclaimed debut. Bonrud is once again joined by the vocal powerhouse that is Rick Forsgren.Also lending his powerhouse drumming is Paul Higgins, with Bonrud himself taking up bothguitar and bass duties on this opus. The album ge’ts underway with the excellent ‘WeCollide’. From the off the hard rock hits hard and fast, with Bonrud firing on all six whileForsgren unleashes his vocal might and Higgins pounding the skins in almost primal fashion.A real ballsy opener. The hard rocking keeps going with great tracks like ‘American Dream’,‘Last Sunrise’, the funky ‘Blinded’ and my personal favourite ‘End Of Days’. Even the moremellower moments like the stunning ‘Last Sun’ make for great listening. It may have beena while coming but ‘Save Tomorrow’ is well worth the wait. Barry McMinn (90/100)MOB RULES - Cannibal Nation (AFM Records)"Cannibal Nation" is the seventh album for the german metallers Mob Rules. The band has plen-ty of quality and the new album is here to prove it, starting with the strong Metal-opener "CloseMy Eyes", passing thru' the more atmospheric and melodic "Lost" (with some epic keyboards) andthe typical melodic german Power Metal of "Tele Box Fool" to the orchestrally-arranged "Ice & Fire"(which features atmospheric orchestral-parts by “Miro” of Avantasia and Angra-fame). PersonallyI've been really impressed by the vocals of Klaus Dirks, who might recall Tobias Sammet’(Edguy/Avantasia) or Bruce Dickinson’s style, especially on the higher notes and on the use ofvibrato; that said, the dual guitar-work (courtesy of Matthias Mineur and Sven Lüdke) and thetight rhythm section are worth a note too. If what you're looking for is an excellent Power Metalalbum that moves beyond the borders of the classic European / German Power to approach somenew "aural solutions", go for it and you'll not be left down... Primo Bonali (85/100)GRAVEYARD - Lights Out (Nuclear Blast)The band Graveyard was burn in 2006 and “Light Out” is the third album, the second one onNuclear Blast. During the years the band become really well known playing a lot of live showsand releasing so amazing albums like the second CD “Hisingen Blues” (2011). The soundcomes from the seventies and is full of blues, powerfull riffs and dark atmospheres. Hard rockwith balls and so much ispired, “Lights Out” has no fillers and if you want the best from it, lis-ten to it from the beginning till the end, it is a journey! Songs like the opene “An Industry OfMurder”, “Slow Motion Countdown”, “Endless Night”, “The Suits, The Low & The Uniforms” and“Fool In The End” are clear example of what I’m talking about. “Light Out” is probably the bestalbum Graveyard have released in their history, so there are no doubts that it will be in the2012 top ten. Enjoy! Vitale Nocerino (90/100)PASTORE - The End Of Our Flames (Ulterium Records)Pastore is a Brazilian heavy metal band formed in 2007 by Mario Pastore [Acid Storm,Delpht, Soulspell] and Raphael Gazal. They released their first album "The Price For TheHuman Sins" in 2010. Pastore are now ready for the follow up "The End Of Our Flames",produced by Raphael Gazal himself while mix and mastering was handled by Thomas"Plec" Johansson [Scar Symmetry, Miseration, Incrave] at Panic Room Studio, Sweden.Pastore line-up consist of Mario Pastore vocals, Raphael Gazal guitars, Alexis GallucciBass and Fábio Buitividas drums. "The End Of Our Flames" is a ferocious heavy metalalbum in the vein of huge metal bands such as Judas Priest or Iron Maiden, highlightsthe opener and title track "The End Of Our Flames", “Fools” (amazing bass work overhere) and the up tempo “Unreal Messages”. Fabio “Deuce” Mainardi (88/100)

MRF | 13

THRESHOLD - Definitive Edition (Nuclear Blast)“Formed in the South of England in the late 1980s, THRESHOLD combined the influences ofheavy metal and progressive rock to craft their own unique sound which was a far cry fromthe commercial sound of the time.” Threshold are one of the best progressive metal bandever and their history is so full of amazing and innovative albums that no one can disagreewith this statement. Nuclear blast is releasing all their back catalogue and this is a reallyamazing operation since the first albums are all out of print and so much difficoult to find.They are called “Definitive Edition” and will be released in September, October andNovember: “Wounded Land” + “Psychedelicatessen” – September 7, 2012, “Extinct Instinct”+ “Clone” – October 12, 2012, “Hypothetical” + “Critical Mass” + “Subsurface” – November16, 2012. All the edition will be enriched with extensive bonus material making them anabsolute presence in your album collections. Vitale Nocerino (95/100)ORDEN OGAN - To The End (AFM Records)Originally founded in June 1996 as Tanzende Aingewaide the band was soon renamed toOrden Ogan. After releasing three well received demo tapes: "Into Oblivion" (1997),"Anthem to the Darkside" (1998) and "Soli Deo Gloria" (1999), and going through someline up changes the band they self produced the full length album "Testimonium a.d." in2004 that got a huge success among german critics. “To The End” is an epic melodic metalalbum crafted with the best intention possible. In addition to that fans of the band willbe pleased by the releasing of “Angels War” and “Mystic Symphony”, two songs constantpart of their live set for many years but never released on an official album. Other rele-vant tunes are the title track “To The End”, the epic ballad “The Ice Kings” and “DyingParadise”. Orden Ogan are exceptionally talented musicians that panned a high classsongs collection. A great metal album indeed. Fabio “Deuce” Mainardi (88/100)OBESESSION – Order of Chaos (Ulterium Records)Formed way back in 1982, Obsession is an American heavy metal band led by singer MichaelVescera. The band passed trough many line up changes and Vescere also joined for sometime the Japanese metal group Loudness and Yngwie Malmsteen on the albums "TheSeventh Sign" and "Magnum Opus". In 2004 Obsession reformed and they released"Carnival of Lies" in 2006 while in the 2008 the self titled Obsession. In 2009, Obsessionstarted working on "Order of Chaos". Currently Vescera's band members are Scott Boland(MVP) and John Bruno (X Factor X) on guitars, Chris McCarvill (House of Lords, Jeff ScottSoto, Dokken) on bass and BJ Zampa (Dokken, Yngwie Malmsteen, House of Lords) ondrums and even though this is a totally new line up the classic Obsession sound is still there.Personal highlights “Twist Of The Knife”, “License To Kill” and “Dark Shadows” but restassure most of the tracks will rock you out loud. Fabio “Deuce” Mainardi (87/100)CANNON – Burning Love (Yesterrock)No strangers to the rigors of the music business, ‘Cannon’ have been around since themid-eighties. Veteran Hard-rockers all “Cannon” went missing in action during the lastdecade of the twentieth century, only to be found again in 2002/03. It was actually2003 that the full-fledged re-union of this German mainstay of Heavy Metal wasrealised. The group hasn’t looked back since and their latest effort, “Burning Love” isan apt title, as this record shows their collective love for Heavy Metal music. Yes, you can tell that they are all veterans, but not dated. “Burning Love” is modernmolten metal in every sense. High energy levels… Intense, rhythmic, and in placesquite melodic. A tough and hard hitting slice of metal, “Burning Love” will heat up yourlove for straight-up, no nonsense Rock!!

Bruce Atkinson (88/100)IMPERA – Legacy Of Life (Escape Music)Impera is the brainchild of drummer J K Impera, who some three years ago, originally had JohnCorabi pencilled in to cover the lead vocal slot, but unfortunately schedule conflicts meant thiswasn’t to be. Luckily enough for us that meant that left room for Matti Alfonzetti to step up tothe plate to fill the vocal role. Along with Matti comes Tommy Denander, whose pedigree in thegenre is second to none and finally taking up the bass duties is Mats Vassfjord, so Impera wasborn. The album itself is no-nonsense Hard Rock, with Impera leading the way from behind theskins with a thunderous back beat and those hard edged bass lines of Vassfjord not far behind.Up front we have the huge vocals of Alfonzetti and leading the charge, the six string splendourthat is Denander’s trade mark. From the opener “Turn My Heart To Stone” to the closer “DeadendStreet”, it’s hard rocking all the way. The phrase “all killer no filler” comes to mind. Definitely oneof the finest hard rock debuts of the year. Barry McMinn (92/100)REDLINE – Vice (Escape Music)Hailing from the British heartland of Hard Rock, Redline is a five piece Birmingham band that livesand breathes “Nu-classic Rock”. Six years old, this quintet are creators of some very tasteful, wellexecuted straight ahead rock. Hardened by the powerful driving rhythm section of MarkBiddiscombe-drums, Steve Hall - bass, and Rhythm guitarist Steve Petty. The music on “Vice” isfurther tempered by Lead Vocalist Kez Taylor and Lead Guitarist; Ade Yeomans. “Vice” can be con-sidered the group’s debut, at least in the full length album category. Since their inception,‘Redline’ has been constantly growing. With a few line-up changes, and numerous demos… The group’s present membership seems to be the one. Producing a driven and melodic set ofsongs, “Vice” should serve these lads very well, and yes, us as well!

Bruce Atkinson (80/100)

BAnd. SOULSPELLalbum. Hollow’s gathering

Interview with. heleno valeinterviewed by:. fabio mainardi

Question: We talked last timewhen The labyrinth of truths”has been released, and now herewe are with ACT III of yourMetal Opera, can you tell uswhat's happening in the story-line of this one?Answer: Yes, of course! The thirdchapter tells us the part of the storywhere the main character deals withhis mother’s death (Princess Judith’sdeath – in A Rescue Into TheStorm). He discovers his special giftand begins a journey searching forthe Amon’s Fountain to reach theother dimensions so he can find outwhat happened to his mother.During his journey he faces Banneth– the loyal keeper of the sacred tree(Blaze Bayley), The Holy Dead Tree(Tim Ripper Owens) which talks tohim with a magical language hecan’t understand at first, thephoenix (Amanda Somerville) whohelps Judith in the other dimension,the Charon (Michael Vescera) whoallows Judith to assist his son beforeshe enters the ship of souls, among

many others interesting characters.Q: Again lots of musicians andsingers have been part of therecordings, can you tell us moreabout the huge work of record-ings with all these guys?A: It was fantastic to work with somany great musicians from Brazil,Europe, USA etc. I’m learning a lotand working a lot of course (lol).Soulspell producer (Tito Falaschi)and I are working together for 6years and now we are able to man-age our schedule very well. I’m veryexcited to start working on the nextalbum so we can do everything likewe always dreamed of. We spentabout 300h of recordings to reachthe level we wanted for this album.We will never minimize the thingswhich can improve the album quali-ty. Also we spent much more timeon the choir parts of this new albumcompared to the previous ones. Wealso wanted a more organic sound,so we spent much time recordingthings with perfection so we would-n’t need to edit anything. I think the

result can be heard and the differ-ence is huge from the other albums.It is a more detailed album, but alsoa faster one. It is very difficult to putthese two characteristics in thesame album. Q: What about the rock scene inBrazil and what your thoughtsabout live events over there?A: The rock scene in Brazil isstrange. The people (fans) are won-derful and they like the brazilianalbums a lot. But, we have a lot ofinternational big events all weekend,so if you want to survive here youhave to think faster and to producea different event. I’m trying totransform Soulspell concerts in spe-cial theatrical events. As Brazil is ahuge country, we have a lot of peo-ple who like Heavy Metal eventhough it isn’t our main music stylehere in Brazil. You have to bepatient and conquer each fan, oneby one. You will never loose a con-quered fan. Through the years youcan have a big list of fans and playfor a considerable audience.

Soulspell Metal Opera is a Brazilian Heavy Metal project led by drummer Heleno Vale.Story line is about a story concerning the conflicts among human emotions, not a hugeeffort in the fantasy department here, with young boy powerful evil dragon and all theclassic yet listened storyboard. Not a huge success in the music that is not that far fromthe previous efforts, “A Legacy of Honor” from 2008 and the second one “The Labyrinthof Truths” (2010). Probably having a huge list of musicians and singers doesn't help somuch to get a decent album, although I must admit very well produced. The incredibleguest appearances goes from metal icons such as Tim “Ripper” Owens [ex. Judas Priest,Iced Earth], Blaze Bayley [Iron Maiden], Michael Vescera [Obsession, ex. Loudness,Malmsteen], Markus Grosskopf [Helloween], Amanda Sommerville [Avantasia], MattSmith [Theocracy] and many (too) more.

Fabio “Deuce” Mainardi (80/100)

Focus on: SOULSPELL - Hollow’s Gathering (Ulterium Records)

14 | MRF

MRF | 17

One can always tell when a group of musicians are a confident bunch when they stripdown their electrified music creations to that of the bare essentials and voices. Andthat is what “Night Ranger” has done! What with just guitars / barest of drums, and alltheir vocal ability, this group put on an amazing performance. After thirty years in thebusiness - these lads should be confident! And it shows! This new release was record-ed just a few months back, live and off the floor - with only acoustic guitars and thebare essentials in the drum department, new life has been breathed into these classicnumbers by the perfect harmony of the combined voices of Night Ranger. A beautiful-ly packaged CD/DVD set, you, too, can be part of the select members of the audience- with this specially invited concert performance! Captured live somewhere inCalifornia, Night Ranger celebrates thirty years of creating some of the best AORaround!.. And now we can celebrate with them! Bruce Atkinson (91/100)

Focus on: NIGHT RANGER - 24 Strings And A Drummer Live & Acoustic (Frontiers Records)

Queston: Why did you feel theneed to record an all-acousticalbum? Why did you decide tocelebrate your 30th anniversarywith such an album like this?Answer: We have recorded so manyrecords before this but we hadnever done an acoustic album. Ithink it will be a nice break for thefans to hear some of our classicsongs done in a very different way.It was also a nice challenge for usas a band to be acoustic and still beNight Ranger... You know, keepingthe excitement and energy withacoustic guitars. It was really funactually.Q: Could an acoustic song havethe same energy of its electricversion? Is it possible?A: Yes and it is a very different kindof energy. With acoustic guitars asong takes on an entirely differentflavor as different parts rise to theforefront and the song really takeson a life of its own. Sometimes itseems like a completely different

song... I always loved what Claptondid with "Layla" acoustically sowhen we came up with this idea wereferenced that song as to how onecan take a kick ass rock song andturn it into a cool acoustic thing.We love a good challenge.Q: What is for you the most dif-ficult thing to singing on anacoustic base?A: It's a bit different as I could feelfree to add in some licks dependingon the ebb and flow of the song butgenerally it's the same. Different forme to play so much six string guitaron a record but I started out onguitar and not on bass guitar...Iswitched to bass when I was about12 or 13 as there were too manyguitar players and no bass players. Q: How did you choose thesongs to include in the album?A: We got in my studio to rehearseand just started trying songs out...Sort of auditioning them as it were.Eric had an idea to change aroundthe vibe on "This boy needs to rock"

and we all just fell into it. That real-ly set us on the right course on howto do our songs acoustically. Somesongs didn't work and others were ablast to play. It was pretty obviousthe ones that didn't work... Theysounded like a train wreak. It wassurprising though how so many NRsongs could come off acoustically. Ithink it goes back to when we start-ed the band, if you couldn't play thesong on an acoustic, sing it andeveryone got it, then it wasn't agood song and we didn't use it.Q: In your opinion, are therenew bands that can replacebands like Night Ranger whenyou won’t be any more onstage? Are you - like LynyrdSkynyrd said - “the last of adying breed”?A: That's a good question, and ahard one too. To be honest with youI don't know. Where is the nextElton John, Springsteen, Stones,Zep etc? I'm still waiting... I'll letyou know when I see em.

BAnd. night rangeralbum. 24 strings...Interview with. jack blades

interviewed by:. b. atkinson

Question: You’ve been busylately what with Jimi Jamison’s“Crossroads Moment” albumand contributing songs toartists like Fergie Frederiksen.When did you start writing forthis record and how long didthe process from writing torecording take?A: I started writing in august 2011.I was on the road doing a showwith a supergroup out ofMinneapolis called the FabulousArmadillos. In the green room Ijust started riffing on somethingnew - the talented backgroundsinger Pamela Macneil camearound (she produces many ofFergie’s vocals) and we just wroteuntil show time. The result was“Coin Of The Realm”. With this oneunder my belt - I got on o PoL roll!Next came Delusional - thenImmortal. Once they start coming -there is no stopping the ideas. Butyes - I needed a few years off after

“Roaring Of Dreams” to get myjuices restored.Q: What songs in particular onthis album are you particularlyproud of either musically orlyrically and do you think theywill become POL classics?A: I am proud of “Are You theSame Girl”. So many of us changeas we mature - and not always forthe better. I love this songs bitter-sweet mood - with one of Toby’sbest vocals to date in my opinion.Q: This is your fourth albumnow with Toby. What do you dodifferently now in terms ofwriting and recording than youdid when you first got togeth-er?A: By now I really know how to getthe best out of toby - I have real-ized that the more he can relate toa lyric - the better he will sing it.While he was singing “Sending MyLove” he was thinking about hislovely wife and brand new son -

and the emotion just came out ofhim - You can hear it!Q: There are a number of songsthat have you thinking aboutthe past. Was this intentionalor is this what has been occu-pying your mind recently?A: I like to look back. But I don’tlive in the past - I use the past justto learn from and move forward.Ask me “Yesterday” is about thebrash confidance many of us unfor-tunately lose though time.Q: You’ve included the track‘Vital Signs’ which of course isthe title of the classic Survivoralbum of 1984. Can you tell meabout the inclusion of this songand why it took so long to final-ly see the light of day?A: Ha! I couldnt seem to finish it atthe time. I didn’t even show it toFrankie! Sometimes you just don’thave the right tools to finish asong. This one took many moreyears of living!

MRF | 19

It’s Pride Of Lions fourth studio album, the band helmed by ex-Survivor man JimPeterik. Alongside the golden voiced Toby Hitchcock the pair continue to serve uptheir infectious, upbeat AOR anthems. Peterik is both the villain and hero of thepiece here. His own singing and some of his lyrics can be too melodramatic anddownright cheesy at times. This lessens the overall effect of the record but once thesongs get round to the choruses, the sheer joyous abandon of the hooks convinceyou that Peterik’s still a master tunesmith. These catchy choruses and Hitchcock’srange compensate for the cheesiness elsewhere. The rocking ‘Coins Of the Realm’,the euphoric ‘Shine On’ and the melt in the mouth ballad ‘Everything Money Can’tBuy’ win you round in the end, and there’s a chance to hear the song ‘Vital Signs’originally written for but omitted from the Survivor album of the same name.Overall, cheese aside, this is a strong AOR release. Duncan Jamieson (94/100)

Focus on: PRIDE OF LIONS - Immortal (Frontiers Records)

band. pride of lionsalbum. immortal

Interview with:. jim peterikinterviewed by:. d. jamieson

Focus on: NEAL SCHON - The Calling (Frontiers Records)

band. neal schonalbum. the callingInterview with:. n. Schon

interviewed by:. Barry mcminn

“The Calling” is the new solo release from Journey guitarist Neal Schon. A man whoneeds no introduction so I won’t, so let’s get straight down to the album itself.Joining Schon on this instrumental journey are Steve Smith on drums, Igor Len onkeyboards and special guest Jan Hammer on Moog solos. The album see’s Schontake a step aside from Journey and shows his virtuoso guitar skills on this quitestunning and very listenable instrumental release. The album explores Schon’sFunky and Jazz side with a little Blues thrown into the mix, along with the more tra-ditional Rock elements, thus making this a very interesting album to listen to andone you can come back to time and time again and still hear something you missedlast time around. With such diverse tracks like ‘Carnival Jazz’, the short but impres-sive ‘Irish Field’, the rockier ‘Back Smash’, the oriental mix of ‘Fifty Six’ and the funkfilled epic ‘Tumbleweed’, all different and at the same time all excellent works thatshow off Schon’s six string dexterity. You don’t have to be a guitar player to appre-ciate this album, just a lover of great musicianship. Barry McMinn (95/100)20 | MRF

MRF | 21

Question: Who was your firstinfluence to play the guitar?Anser: The first time I heard TheBeatles, I was like, “What is thatjangling sound?” that was it.Then, the rest of the BritishInvasion.Q:What was the first guitaryou really lusted after?A: My dad – we were a modest,middle-class family – got me aStella. My fingers bled. Then Iupgraded to a Silvertone, fromSears. But it was the Gibson335 – from my dad – which wasstolen. Q: What was the best gig youever did?A: A lot were great. TheHammersmith Odeon on my firstSantana tour was one. JimmyPage came. Eric Clapton came.Everyone was there. And withJourney at the Rose Bowl, forBill Graham. It was the finalshow on the 1981-2 EscapeTour. We were the first rockband to play there. It was soldout. Everyone had their lightersgoing, the place looked like aChristmas tree. Q: And your worst playingnightmare?A: I spent 3 years with PaulRodgers, which was amazing,electrifying. Deen Castronovoon drums, Todd Jensen on bass.We did songs from Free, BadCompany, The Firm, and ourMuddy Waters tribute album. Igot Paul to do some Hendrix.We’re at Woodstock 2. Slash satin. The rains came. Equipmentshorted out, it was a disaster gigfor me. It was so frustrating tobe at an event like that and haveit turn out that way.Q: What’s the most importantmusical lesson you everlearnt?A: It still applies today: listen.Listen well to who’s around youwhile you’re playing. Don’t gooff in your own world. Even ifyou’re the leader of the band,you gotta listen to what every-one’s doing.Q: Do you still practise?A: Every day. I noodle a lot,keep my fingers moving.There’s this footage of WesMontgomery warming up – he’splaying blistering fast! And, asaccurate as he could. I try towarm up with all my limbs.When I’m home, off the road, Ipractice more. Or I’m recording. Q: Do you have a pre-gigwarm-up routine?A. First, everything in number 6.We have keyboards backstage,Deen will beat on anything! Weadd different songs from night tonight, and rehearse backstage.Our crew plays well enough, thatthey can sound check. We runthrough a new song once ortwice, and we’re ready. I also

do my own warm-up for 10-15minutes.Q: If you could put togethera fantasy band with you in it,who would the other playersbe (dead or alive)?A: There are so many greatmusicians, but you don’t knowtill you play with them what willhappen, if it will make magic.Mitch Mitchell in the early daysagainst Jimi’s electric blues wasamazing. I like jazzier drumswith a rock guitar sound, not so4-on-the-floor. Singers – PaulRodgers, Arnel Pineda, StevePerry, even John Waite! Paulbrings something different to thetable. He brings me back to myblues roots. Q: Present company except-ed, who’s the greatest gui-tarist that’s ever lived?A: I can’t pick just one. My listis a mile long. That said, JimiHendrix’s timeless. He wasunique. He paved the way… Hewould go where no one had gonebefore.Q: Is there a solo you reallywish you had played?A: I wish I had played JimiHendrix’ “All Along theWatchtower.”Q: What’s the solo / song ofyour own that you’re mostproud of?A: “Everybody's Everything” onthe Santana 3 record. I playedlead guitar on the track Carlosplayed rhythm and bass and wehad the Tower of Power horns. Itwas the number 1 hit single onradio from that record.Q: What would you most liketo be remembered for?A: The bands I’ve played in, andfor being known as a good musi-cian.Q: There seems to be a popu-lar trend these days ofartists teaming up/collabo-rating in order to release analbum or single. What do youthink about it, and are youopen to any future collabora-tion? If so, with whom andwhy?A: Yeah, I'm always open to col-laboration. I'm working on a sideproject right now that's called"Guitar Men" that's based out ofSausalito, at the Record Plant.Right now there's 23 tracks andit's got everyone on it fromStevie Wonder to Carlos Santanato Bonnie Raitt, I believe, andRonnie Montrose, myself, andSammy Hagar. I've got about 5different tracks on this recordright now, one with my girlfriendLori Carpenter singing. It's real-ly fun for me. I love collaborat-ing. So, yes, in answer to yourquestion. I think if somethingcame our way and looked inter-esting, I think we'd definitelypursue it.

Q: Did guitar playing comeeasy to you? A: It did actually. It did after Igot into it. The first couple ofyears it was a lot of practicing. Iwasn't out playing sports withthe other kids. I was in my roomplaying guitar. I studied like allday and all night for the first twoyears, until I started to get agrip on just the basic blues, Rand B blues. Once I felt that Iunderstood that and couldexpress myself with that, then Isort of didn't practice as much. Istill walked around with a guitarall day. I don't practice thatmuch any more. I come down tomy studio, and it's a differentway of practicing. I play. Ihooked up to a couple of Echoplus now that enable me to sam-ple up to about 3 1/3 minutesworth of background music formyself to jam over. It's morecreative for me to make upsomething on the spot ratherthan practice scales. I've neverbeen a fan of that. I don't likethe way players sound that areso well school that, you canobviously tell that this is aDorian Scale and this is a MinorScale and this is a Flat FifthScale. Some notes sound rightto me, and some notes soundbad. So, I try to play the notesthat sound right.Q: Your parents were in themusic business. Did theyenjoy any time of regionalsuccess?A: No they didn't. My Daddeserved to actually have somesuccess. He was a pretty incred-ible composer and arranger.Because of where the musicscene had gone, he was more ofa Big Band arranger like aGerald Wilson or early QuincyJones, Count Basie, DukeEllington, that kind of thing.There really was no market forBig Band stuff. He wasn't gettingany work and he'd become disil-lusioned with it all. He can stillwrite and arrange beautifully.But, he just never had any suc-cess with it.Q: Do you ever get tired ofwriting, recording, rehears-ing, touring, making videos,and giving interviews?A: No, because you know what?It's not a lengthy process. It's avery fast one for me. I can usu-ally make a record in 2 to 3weeks. If I'm doing just a Bluesrecord which I've never done, ora jam type record, like an R andB record, I can make one in acouple of days. It's not a hardthing to do. I've always beeninto that concept. Let's get it,get it done, and get out. Themore you stay in there...themore you think, the more itstinks. That's about it.

Fabio Mainardi: Since 2004 when youreformed this is your third album. What aresimilarities and differences with this lastwork?Michael Vescera: Carnival of Lies and Order ofChaos are a good representation of what Obsessionportrays. A straight forward melodic power metalband. The one difference is our new drummer thatappears with us on Order of Chaos, BJ Zampa. BJbrings a whole new dimension to Obsession andreally helps to bring it to the next level.FM: I read you started writing for this albumun 2009, can you tell us about the writing andrecording process you went into?MV: John Bruno, Scott Boland, and myself first gettogether and write the actual music, then we pres-ent it to the other members and work out what theirparts. We try and stay true to the Obsession soundbut also want them to be comfortable with theirparts. The record was recorded and mixed between2 studios, our studio in Connecticut (Toy RoomNorth), and the Toy Room in Nashville. The record-ing process went rather smooth, all the membersare great players and 100% professionals and theyall understand the Obsession sound and how to cap-ture it.FM: Are you digging the ultra modern technol-ogy or you'd rather prefer the old schoolrecordings?MV: I do miss the old school process of recordingwith Tape but I also do love modern technology aswell. as long as it is not abused. I really love a com-bination of the two.FM: Where do you take inspiration aboutlyrics?MV: World events, personal experiences, life anddeath, hope, and survival.FM: Can you introduce us the current bandmembers?MV: John Bruno Guitars, Scott Boland Guitars, ChrisMcCarvill Bass, and BJ Zampa Drums. We have allbeen friends for a good amount of time and haveworked with each other on various projects. FM: Are you planning touring in support of thealbum?MV: Yes we are. We are currently in the process ofputting together a tour. At the moment nothing is instone, but we are confident a tour will follow withthe release of the CD.FM: What's next for Obsession?MV: We plan on touring and promoting Order ofChaos to all corners of the world. Then start thenext CD and continue forging ahead.