Interviewer : Andreas Schoewe
Published on : April 2002
DECLARATION OF WAR
One of the best equipped recording temples on this planet was baptized "Galaxy Studios". And indeed, an addicted musician will find only the finest and most modern equipment here - as from another world. That the best is just good enough for MANOWAR is self-evident.
It is February 10, 2002, and we stand in the Belgian Mol, sort of in the very heart of Europe. Here's the place where the bass player Joey DeMaio, vocalist Aric Adams, guitar player Karl Logan and drummer Scott Columbus - short: Manowar - are presenting five songs from their latest work WARRIORS OF THE WORLD to an about 60 heads counting troop of international journalists. Better said: five so called rough mixes, thus for demonstration purposes prepared versions, which by no means are the final product, let alone they do not represent the form of what the consumer will finally get to hear on his purchased CD. The reason: the quartet's love of perfection, beyond it resulting in paying tribute with a drastical delay.
Why DeMaio and his True Metal Warriors went to the central european province to hone their first since 6 years regular album unbosoms after a tour through the Hi-Tech sound factory. The aficionado flicks his tounge hearing buzzwords like "Augan ATLANTIS II - 96 tracks/24 bit (96kHz) Fiberchannel Network Recording System" or "Sony 3348 upgraded 96-Track-Digital-Recorder". Even composings of 16mm-, 16-mm-Super and 35mm-films are due to a Kinoton film projector less of a problem and Dolby Digital EX 6.1 - 7.1 belongs to the usual, trivial workaday-standard.
The five studios of different sizes (alltogether equipped with an interactive control room, an at least 12m² big singing cabinet and - as a matter of course - an own bar for the bodily weal) accommodate every possible configuration of artists. This way it is possible for the 8 meters high and 330 square meters enfolding "Galaxy Hall" to harbor a complete oral orchestra. (And in case they once forgot to bring their own Steinway D Grand Piano: no problem! The Rolls Royce among the pianos belongs to round-the-clock available usual equipment!). Significant as well is the fact that the accessibility of the complex is not only denoted in car minutes, but also in helicopter minutes (Amsterdam and Cologne: 20; Brussels: 12; Antwerp: 7; Paris: 40; Eindhoven: 30) - a helicopter landing place is situated in the garden. In other words: in this solar system at least there is no studio that is better equipped and more custom tailored, for even the most demanding musician. However the absolute highlights represent the air conditioning and sound insulation: a special air conditioning system ensures a complete regeneration of the entire air in the Galaxy Hall in 15 minutes - without putting the instruments out of tune through fluctuations in temperature and without the slightest whirl in the air. The bunker-like fundament, on which the whole complex resides lying on huge spiral springs, prevents the transmittance of vibruations from one recording room to another - and guarantees eventually an acoustic insulation of 100.7 dB. World record - and about tantamount to a rock band playing in one of the studios (in Switzerland there is a loudness limit of 100dB by the way), but outside in front of the door nobody hearing a single tone. Logical for the loudest band in the world to feel that they are in good hands here, for the disturbances with the other acts working in the remaining 4 studios caused by the Metal Warriors are reasonably excluded. And vice versa...
This also applies to the initially mentioned presentation of the five song samples: this takes place during a yummy eating in the Galaxy Hall. Thereupon it is allowed for everyone to ask their most burning questions within the limits of a half-our lasting press conference (which, however, besides the usual phrases hardly delivered any news). Following a Meet'n'Greet, commemorative photos - and the band members jump into the turmoil for the purpose of some small talk. We learn more from the conversation with Karl Logan: The gitarrero worked out "around 30 song ideas and put them under consideration". Finally only two of them made it on the album. But that didn't cause any frustrations to the redheaded giant: "Manowar is based on Joey's lyrical concept. It should be easy for anybody to understand that I can't join the band after their 15 year long existence and change everything. Furthermore I have the freedom to publish my not used takes on a solo album." That surely won't happen in the near future: "First of all we have to dub the album till the beginning of march. On the 15th of march the pre release single WARRIORS OF THE WORLD should be released. The album should be released 6 weeks later on the 27th of may. "This indeed are statements the chef warrior doesn't like because of ther finality. To the question asked in the previously mentioned press conference, how long their stay in the galaxy studios supposedly would take, he answered short and skimpily: "Till the album's finished!" More concrete answers were given about the accruement process: "Manowar always compose songs. Sessions in their main meaning can not be timed and/or exactly defined. (In our songs) We reflect anything that happened to us: events during the tour, backstage, during the recording sessions... insofar the accruement process of WARRIORS OF THE WORLD ties up seamless to the one of LOUDER THAN HELL. This time we set more value on making the songs playable live than we ever did before. One, two samples per concert are okay. Besides any metal band should be in the condition to play their own songs live. Metal represents naturalness... and of course it stands for a special way of living..."
Joey DeMaio recorded nearly the whole material single handedly in his new, during the past two years built by 24 hours a day and work around the clock actions, studio named "HELL". Why the hitherto studio "Haus Wahnfried", named after DeMaio's favorite composer Richard Wagner, isn't up to date anymore and what happened besides in the past 36 month in the encampment of the Americans will be told in one of our forthcoming magazine releases. A last thing left to say: The material, heard during the demonstration sessions allows the conclusion, that all of you, who could deal with LOUDER THAN HELL should have no problems with the new, ten songs containing work. To say it another way: This disc is another declaration of war to all the "whimps and posers". And the single will contain two live tracks from the "Gods of Metal" festival in Milan: "March For Revenge" and "Carry On".
Hail!
ANDREAS SCHOEWE
The songs heard
Because it will surely be interesting for you, not only to read about the impressions of the critics as usual, we decided to let one of you tell about his impressions: Josef Zachner from Passau. He won the main prize in our Manowar competition from the Metal Hammer released on the 12/2001 and proved to be a real "TRUE BROTHER OF TRUE HEAVY METAL" - the Manowar tattoo on his left arm can not be removed and he also wants to fix the autographs by tattoos. And here we go, brother Josef: The first track "Warriors Of The World United" containing epic choirs combined with straight and clean guitars underlined by the pounding drums is a real rocker, that nearly sounds like a groovy hymn. "Swords In The Wind" is a straight also in a mid-tempo played song which, pervaded by a straight instrumental play, could have easily refined LOUDER THAN HELL as well. "Nessum Dorma" has a dramatic buildup and is furnished with the necessary power by Adam's powerful singing. Manowar break new ground with this truly classical track, for this composition could pass as a kind of cover version of Giacomo Puccini's opera "Turandot". Whereas the full of drive "Hand Of Doom" impresses through his many choirs, plausible singings and the drums play , which seems to be almost mechanical. And I consider "Call to Arms" to be the best track that evening, since it will surely force tears into the eyes of all Manowar-Fans and make them press their fists together over their heads: Eric impresses through a diversified singing and high shouts as in times of KINGS OF METAL - the band generally through an aggressive play. My conclusion: the first impression of the five songs leaves no doubt that Manowar tried to develop in the scope defined by themselves and that they wait on with a surprise here and there. For the time being however there haven't been any fast and/or slow extrema à la "Hail and Kill" or "Heart of Steel" to hear. Should it stay like this then the material would be a bit too much LOUDER THAN HELL - like for my taste.
