It's always an honor to talk to Kai Hansen, one of the founding fathers of German metal. I caught up with him just as he finished up the band's new EP, Master of Confusion, due out March 15th. It's been at least 10 years since I've interviewed Kai, and it was really great to talk to him again. He's always a great interview, as he tends to give thoughtful, detailed responses. I especially wanted to express my sincere appreciation for Skeletons & Majesties Live, which I consider one of the best live albums in recent memory. In playing and recording their lesser known songs live, as they did on Skeletons in the Closet, they do something that few bands to this date have dared to do. One can only hope that other classic bands will follow suit at some point.

You'll hear about the EP, why they chose to cover Sweet, how they put together Skeletons, what it's like to record without Daniel Zimmermann on drums, and what's planned for Unisonic. You'll find several highlights below, but I would encourage you to listen to the audio, as he said a lot of interesting things during our conversation.

Highlights
Master of Confusion: We got two brand new songs that we actually wrote for the upcoming album, but since we saw that it would be kind of impossible to make it for a full length album towards the tour, we said 'Well, we don't want to go on tour naked. We want people to listen to some new stuff, at least something,' so we said, 'Let's take two songs which are in some way representative for the album and record them, and add up two cover versions plus some live stuff. 

Covering Sweet's 'Lost Angels': Definitely one of my absolute favorite songs from Sweet. I mean, there's many, but this is one of them, a song I really love from the point they put it out. It's called 'Lost Angels', and it's very nice. It was on the later albums, but it was a great song. Actually, this is the only song from the new recorded stuff that has been drummed by Daniel still, because we had already recorded the drums and bass for this song, and we never finished it. So we dug it out, and this time we made it. Actually, we could see while working on this song how much this band actually has done in terms of playing and being really good. All the choirs, and the guitar work is really brilliant, and it's not so easy to reproduce or pick up. But I think we did a real good job on it. And whenever I'm going to meet Andy, I'm going to play it for him and give him a copy and see what he thinks, but I think he's going to be alright with it.

Daniel Zimmermann's departure: It was a hard time since he left. We had the feeling, and of course it came along with me playing in Unisonic and especially for Dirk and Henjo, this kind of feeling that the band starts to fall apart. And for me, it was like falling into a black hole. This lineup was stable, and we were happy, and it was great, and Daniel is somebody you cannot just replace. He was a very unique guy and unique drummer, and he was a real big part of Gamma Ray as well. So when he actually left, we were kind of hanging there and didn't really know, because nobody really wanted to go for this 'Oh, we're looking for a drummer, let's do auditions' shit. For a while we were hoping he might change his mind, and we kept things open.

Skeletons & Majesties Live: Let's write down all the songs on a list that would be in the boat to be played and give that to our fan club people and let them make a choice. And it's a tough thing, because with our fans there's always some songs that are favored by everybody, but the rest is divided up so much that it was kind of a tough thing. We put our own opinion on top, and then finally we had a setlist that we were ready to rehearse, and made a few changes here and there. And then of course we included this acoustic part to make the whole thing kind of different and interesting. I think we're happy with the outcome now.

Michael Kiske joining them on Skeletons: We said, 'Since we want to play something from the Helloween era, wouldn't it great if Michael, since he's now back to going on stages again and being out in the open, ask him if he wants to join in.' And of course, it wouldn't be enough if he just sings one song, so let's try to find something special. So I came up with the idea pretty late. I said, 'Listen, man, we have this kind of vocal/piano/ballad thing, and wouldn't it be great if we did that as a harmony thing?' And we actually didn't even have time to rehearse it here in the rehearsal room. So I think it was pretty spontaneous, and we both partly fucked up the lyrics, but I think it was very entertaining for us and the audience as well. It is definitely something special.

Sharing the stage with Michael again: It is new and old at the same time. It seems very familiar in some way, and in the other way we're not the same persons anymore as we used to be. Only part of us is, but some other things have changed. So that's the point where you start to really find yourself and check out what the other is doing and how he's responding to things you do on stage and so on. But that was kind of easy play for us, and maybe that comes from our past.

The future of Unisonic: We came up with this 'one year is a Gamma Ray year, one year is a Unisonic year' policy, and we'll try to keep that working. Of course, that doesn't mean that the other band is completely resting in the respective year, but priority is one band at a time for me. Otherwise I couldn't handle things. So now at the moment, I'm concentrating on Gamma Ray, and I don't think about Unisonic too much. And whenever I'm done with this here, and we've done our album and touring, it's time to get back to Unisonic and start songwriting.

On getting older: I know that we're not a young band anymore, and of course we're at this point where you really put some concrete under what you have and make it really stable, or that you as well might lose it, and just wimp out and go down the drain, which definitely we're not planning to do.

State of the metal scene: Metal is vital, man. Metal is like a fucking dragon with many heads, and each time a head is chopped off, a new one grows on the other side. So it's still there, it's alive, it's been mixing up with all kinds of music and influences and styles, from jazz to folk to whatever. Still the basics, and what it's all about, is that there's a certain need for rough sounds, for aggression, for power, and for this kind of feeling of kicking ass, and that's what unites us.

Technology: What can you say? I just stand in awe and watch, and think 'Well…' You will not turn any wheel back. It's going to roll on, until we're complete techno zombies with individual iGlasses that keep us away from real life and just leave us in the digital world with movies and music and tits and asses, whatever. You know, that's the way it is, and I'd rather take my guitar and play.

Digital downloads: It's more about what a band is creating in total, and that's not dependent on albums, even though albums are still in people's minds as the thing. And, of course, well that's with rock music. If it comes to radio pop, nobody gives a fuck about the album. It's just the song or the two songs, the hits. The rest, don't care. Even those people who buy the album still or download it, but normally it's more about the songs, and the songs that stick out. You know, it's fair, because no one is forced to buy an album and then maybe have like 3 or 4 songs that he actually likes, and the rest, he says, 'Well, average. Don't need. Still have to buy it.' On the other hand, the artists are full of shit because it's like they're doing a painting, and you don't sell the painting as a whole. People come up and say, 'Yeah, I'll only take this part of the painting, and the corner down on the left,' and you'll sign. It's kind of weird.

The inspiration for Master of Confusion: The lyrics are about our own kind of confusion, because as musicians we are not office and businessmen that are always on time, that have a fixed plan about the schedule of the day, and all that stuff, and we like it that way. We are chaotic in some way. We can organize ourselves, but we don't run on a fixed schedule all the time. So that means that many times, and that of course includes our private life (girlfriends, and kids, and people surrounding us, friends), things get to be chaotic. So, somebody's waiting for you, you're not on time, you fuck a date up, whatever. Things like that happen. So that's the thing behind the 'Master of Confusion' stuff, even the record label. It's all in the lyrics.

This was quite an honor, having the opportunity to talk with Gus G., a real legend in the power metal scene. He was in Cleveland with Firewind as they opened for Turisas on the Guards of Glory tour, and it was very cool to sit down with him before the show that night. I've been a fan of Firewind for a long time, and he's been Ozzy's guitarist for several years now as well. He was also in Dream Evil for Dragonslayer, Evilized, and The Book of Heavy Metal, all of which I consider classic albums at this point. I really appreciate him taking the time to sit down with me for this interview.

Gus discusses the recent departure of Apollo Papathanasio, plans for a live album to be released later this year, and his upcoming solo album. He also gives us details on the gear he uses and why, what it's like to play with Ozzy, and this current tour with Turisas.

Highlights
On touring with Firewind: I just consider myself lucky that I'm even having the chance to go out there and do arenas with a guy like Ozzy Osbourne. Usually this would be the reality of things, doing the club circuit, which is not bad at all. I love it. That's where I come from, and this is where you build your fanbase, and it's always good to play intimate gigs. So for guys like me that get to do both, it's only a blessing.

Apollo's departure: You need to have a certain lifestyle set up in order to be able to do this, because we do have breaks and we don't tour all the time, and we don't make a shitload of money from the band. We can make a decent living, but it depends on what state your life is. For a guy like Apollo, for example, he's got a family, he's got the job back home, and all that stuff. And even when he joined the band, he already had that setup. But let's face it: in order to be able to live like a nomad travelling like that, you need to be used to this lifestyle. You need to want this type of lifestyle, and you need to enjoy this type of lifestyle.

His solo album: Nothing's set in stone. I haven't even signed with a label. I've been writing with a couple really great singers. I've written lots of material. I'm not sure what's going to end up there right now . I'm still putting it together, to be honest. I wouldn't reveal too much information. Let me put it this way: if Firewind would be closer to Deep Purple, this project is going to be closer to Led Zeppelin, if you know what I mean. So it's going to be a bit more of a straightforward rock 'n roll kind of thing. I'm planning to have some instrumentals on there as well. I think it would be cool for the guitar fans, probably people would expect that from me. There's going to be vocal songs on there as well with some guest singers. 

On playing power metal: It's the most uncool type of music to play these days. The cool factor is zero. And we know that, but you've just got to do what you've got to do, and you never know what it's going to be like in 3 or 4 years. Heavy metal has trends as well, so you've just got to stick to your guns and play what you like.

I recently caught up with Olli here in Cleveland as he and Turisas came through with Firewind. This was both my first interview with the band and with a heavy metal violinist, a cool experience to be sure. Stand Up and Fight was one of my favorite releases of 2011, offering up an impressive dose of symphonic elements combined with big choirs and a wide range of vocals from clean to death. I was therefore eager to hear about the new album that's in the works, and Olli gave me as much information as he could. He's an unassuming and pleasant guy, and I want to thank him for the interesting conversation. 

Here are some highlights of the interview:

On the new album: 
So we spend most of the end of 2012 in studio. We kind of painted ourselves in the corner with the album. The tour dates were set, and we knew that we had a strict deadline, which we almost met. It's kind of 99% done. We even did some recordings during the 70000 Tons of Metal cruise in the cabin. We set up a small studio there. And some things are still missing, but part of it has already been mixed. I'm confident it's going to be ready soon.

What to expect in terms of sound: I think we took the Broadway musical soundtrack type of approach pretty far with the last one, and that was very over the top produced in some sense. Actually, we decided to take a bit rawer approach on this, so a bit more stripped down production, with a bit more speed, not so polished arrangements. We decided to keep the orchestrations, but do it with a bit smaller ensemble, more chamber orchestration. It's a bit of a step to another direction, but you can still definitely hear the Turisas sound there.

Subject matter: On the second and third Turisas albums, it was very concept tied about the Varangian Guard, the actual historical events of Norsemen serving as mercenaries in the Byzantine Emperor's army. Now we decided to give ourselves a bit of freedom from that, and it's a bit more universal themes. Not exactly like about waving swords all the time. With those themes you can paint yourself into a corner, and fans are expecting everything is about bloodshed and gore and epic heroic tales. I think there's actually more you can tell with music.

Side gigs: I do occasional studio sessions with different bands every now and then. Some personal writing stuff, and if I have the chance to do live gigs with anything, dancing music or smooth jazz or whatever, I like to do that. It keeps you fresh.

I caught up recently with Eli Santana, guitarist of Holy Grail. To be honest, there's really not much to get excited about in the American metal scene these days, but these guys have quickly made a name for themselves with two solid releases and lots of touring. Expect to find catchy vocals, top-notch production, and plenty of guitar solos on their latest effort, Ride the Void.

Eli details what went into the production of this new album, the band's influences, and what it's been like to tour with his favorite bands. Holy Grail will be on the road with Exodus and Anthrax as part of the Metal Alliance Tour this spring.


On touring with his favorite bands: I'd like to say, 'It's fine, they're just normal people,' but when you've listened to these people and seen them live…Most of the time, I can keep it together. It's not until I get a couple drinks in me and we're sitting there, talking like buddies, and then I just completely nerd out and fan out.

On the polished sound: I know there was a lot of people upset we had a modern sound. We didn't do some attempt at a retro recreate. A lot of the parts we felt really needed that and it was almost a disservice to some of the parts if we tried to go for this retro thing. You know, I'm sure old Angel Witch and Witchfinder General would have loved to have our production if they could have, but they were in 1983 in England, so they did the best they could, and that was modern back then.

Join me live at wruw.org!

Okay, I've really overdone it for today's show with lots of interviews and new music to share with you. Here's a quick rundown of everything coming your way on the Metal Meltdown. Interviews with:

Damnation Angels (PelleK and Will): Their debut album, Bringer of Light, finally sees the light of day today, and they'll be telling us all about it and what it's like to wait so long between the Japanese and worldwide releases.

Sabaton (Par): Having wrapped up their latest round of touring in the States, I had a chance to review the last year in the life of the band and find out what's next on the agenda as they build on the tremendous success of Carolus Rex.

Holy Grail (Eli): He'll be telling us all about the new album, Ride the Void, and their upcoming tour with Exodus and Anthrax.

Turisas (Olli): Currently on tour with Firewind in the States, Olli and I sat down in Cleveland last week to talk about the new album they have in the works, among other things.

Gamma Ray (Kai Hansen): With a new EP on the way next month, Kai and I talked about their new drummer, covering Sweet, the amazing live album they released last year, and sharing a stage with Michael Kiske once again.

I recently had the chance to catch up with 'Zetro' about his new band, Hatriot, as their debut album (Heroes of Origin) hit the streets. Best known as the voice of Exodus on albums such as 'Fabulous Disaster' and 'Tempo of the Damned', in addition to his work with Chuck Billy in Dublin Death Patrol, 'Zetro' is truly a legend in the thrash metal scene. 

Joined by his sons Nick and Cody as well as other young musicians, Steve clearly relishes playing the role of mentor. No longer feeling the same external pressures of work and family he did more recently with Exodus, 'Zetro' is committed to making Hatriot work as an ongoing band that tours and records regularly. I really enjoyed talking to Steve, as he's an energetic guy and is very excited about this new chapter in a long, accomplished career. 'Heroes of Origin' is fast, aggressive, and angry, with snarling vocals that will definitely appeal to fans of DDP and Exodus.

Some highlights for you:

On starting over: "People think because I'm Zetro and I've played in these legendary bands in the past, it just doesn't necessarily work like that. It's kind of 'What have you done for me lately?' I had to shop the demo, obviously…That was my hardest part, I was like, 'Am I gonna do this again?' I'm like 45 years old, I'm gonna start a new band. Then I gotta come up with a name, then we gotta come up with a logo, then we gotta get members, and write songs, and play shows, and do photos, and just all the things that like [yuck], that a musician that's been doing it as long as me, you're like [yuck]. But once I got it all done and at the point we are now, I'm so excited for it. I really am. It's great."

On playing with kids and younger musicians: "Every rehearsal is a lesson for them, because I'm going to tell them something to expect. 'This is what's going to happen to this, and then when we do this, it's going to be like this.' And so, I don't sugarcoat anything. I give it to them exactly like it is. It's not pretty, it never will be, it's just the business side of it and how it works."

On his work ethic: "I don't like the laziness of most musicians. It's really bad. If I could have run Exodus or I could have run other bands, maybe it would have been a different story. The greatest thing about Hatriot is that I get to run everything, I make the final decision. And I'm not a lazy person. I get everything done."

On leaving Exodus: "Mentally not in the right place at that time. They can take no blame for that. That was me. Unfortunately that business wasn't doing as well at that time. And working like we were before, it was hard to jump out of a $90,000/year job to go make $30,000 a year so that everybody was happy. Plus I had little kids at the time, and it was just hard to do that. That's why I'm much more dedicated now to being able to do it because my children are in the band, everyone's older, and it's just time to do it again."

The future of Rebellion seemed uncertain after the departure of three members, including Uwe Lulis (ex-Grave Digger), back in 2010. With vocalist Michael Seifert and founding member Tomi Göttlich (ex-Grave Digger) still committed to the band, however, they forged ahead, filling out the lineup and putting together a new album.

Arminius: Furor Teutonicus was released late last year and finds the band as strong as ever. This is a concept album based on the German leader Arminius, who led the German tribes in destroying three Roman legions at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 CE. My favorite track on the album is 'Vae Victis' (Latin: 'Woe to the Conquered'), which you'll find below along with the official video for 'Ala Germanica.' Basing an album on history or literature is nothing new for Rebellion, of course, and I would refer you to the last three albums based on the history of the Vikings or their first album, A Tragedy in Steel: Shakespeare's Macbeth if you're interested in exploring their previous work.

In this interview, Tomi explains the concept behind Arminius, the challenge of exploring a period of history and a character used in German nationalism, and moving on with the band after Uwe decided to leave. Here are a few highlights from the interview:

On Arminius and German nationalism: When I thought about doing Arminius, the first thing was 'No, you can't do that.' Because Hitler did all that, and it started in the time of Bismarck, so it was when the German Reich was founded, and the German people started to dig out national pride, and we all know where that led to...So I thought, 'I don't want to leave all this to the Nazis, to the right-wing fascists. I think it doesn't belong to them.' So if I write about it, I sort of take it a bit away from them, claim my part in it or my ownership of it. This was also a motivation.

On Uwe's departure and the value of low expectations: This is the reason why Uwe left, because Uwe wanted to take the band higher than Grave Digger, and that didn't work. To me, it's a pastime. If I looked upon it as more, I would be disappointed. So, since I did not succeed to bringing the band to total, professional, high #1 level, I took it where I could. And, I'll see what the future brings. If the future brings more success, that's fine for me. If it doesn't, I'll be content and happy with what I have, because it's still more than most other bands have. Much of how you evaluate things depends on your expectations, and I'm more for low expectations because I can be positively surprised.

I had a blast doing this interview. Mike's extensive history in the scene alone would have been enough for an interesting conversation, but his honesty and sense of humor really made this one of the most enjoyable interviews I've done in the last 16 years. If you've been living under a rock, Mike is best known for his work with Tarja Turunen, Axel Rudi Pell, and Rage. His recent solo album, Sinfonica, finds him bringing drums to classical music.

From working with Yngwie to moving to Europe at the age of 37, Mike has faced and overcome many challenges along the way to become one of metal's most prolific drummers. He certainly didn't shy away from laying out all of them in this wide-ranging discussion with me. I really want to thank him for taking so much time out of his schedule to talk to me. Some highlights include:

His career: "Sometimes I laugh when I get paid to play the drums, because I actually get paid to have fun, and that's a hard thing to find on this planet. So I thank God for that."

His time with Yngwie: "He's one of the worst people I've ever met, and I would never work with someone like that again, nor would I ever play with him again. I would work at McDonald's before I played drums for that guy. There's more respect and credibility in working a regular job than playing music for that man."

On playing fusion: "I like to play fusion. I made a few fusion records - these don't sell. You know, people are using those records now - they're either hanging them on their porch to keep birds away, or they're using them for drink coasters. My mom's got a closet full of my solo CDs, if anyone wants to buy some."

Leaving RAGE: "They just kept quantizing my drumming, and putting heavy samples on my drums. And I said, 'Please leave it alone, man. You're destroying this, you're destroying me.' They wouldn't listen. So I left."

Join me today for interviews with Gus G. (Firewind, Ozzy) and Steve 'Zetro' Souza. I caught up with Gus this week here in Cleveland, where he was playing with Firewind. Steve has just launched a new band, Hatriot. Tune in from 5-7pm Eastern (23:00-01:00 CET) at WRUW-FM 91.1 Cleveland.

Coming up on today's Metal Meltdown, I'll be talking to Mike Terrana. One of the most prolific metal drummers of the last 15 years, Mike has played with Tarja, Axel Rudi Pell, Rage, Masterplan, and so many more. His current solo work finds him bringing drums to classical music (see below). During the show today, I'll play clips from the interview along with some of my favorite songs.

I really enjoyed talking to Mike, as he was both interesting and hilarious. We covered most of his career in this extensive interview, the full audio of which I'll post soon.

So join me from 5-7pm Eastern (23:00-01:00 CET) tonight at WRUW-FM 91.1 Cleveland for Metal Meltdown!