Interview - ARTILLERY - We always wanted to have some lyrics who mean something, especially about all the madness which is going on in the world today. ~ DEADLY STORM zine

Interview with legendary thrash metal band from Denmark - ARTILLERY.

Translated by Petra, thank you!

Questions prepared Jakub Asphyx.

Recenze/review - ARTILLERY - The Face of Fear (2018):

http://deadly-storm.blogspot.com/2018/12/recenzereview-artillery-face-of-fear.html

Ave ARTILLERY! Greetings to Denmark! I hope you all are doing well! I feel great, because I just came back from work, where I was listening to your new album "The Face of Fear" for a whole day. I worked on my computer, and I still had the headphones in my ears. I am literally fascinated by the energy that I feel from the new record. I am sure, you won’t tell me your recipe, where you take so much power, but you could describe how the new album was born? Has somehow ARTILLERY changed the way in writing process compare to previous albums?

This album is a combination between some old songs like New Rage, Preached to The Converted and Pain who was written around 2000 – 2007 and the bonus track Mind of No Return who was the first Artillery song written in 1982.

The rest of the songs was written right after our European tour we did with Onslaught.

On our last album Morten and I split the writing, but on this due to Mortens health I had to write most of the stuff. On Face of Fear we tried to make the songs aggressive but melodic with strong hook lines, a bit shorter and with a more straight on production.

Personally, I like the most at the album "The Face of Fear" one thing - melodies. Clear and distinct, you are betting on interesting riffs, the songs slowly graduate; they have a drive and strength. In my opinion, these things make from the good music the excellent one. I wonder how you know that the song is already done. Who has the last word? And how do you perceive their live presentation after that? Is the chemistry between you and then between you and the fans important? Do you also have the ideas which you throw out (don’t use)?

Great you like TFOF and you like our riffing and melodies, Thanks😊

We all have something to say about the songs, I always listen to what the other guys or the producer say but we almost agreeing anytime on if the songs are finished, or if it missed something. We always work very hard to get the songs as catchy as possible.

It´s very rare that I feel that a song is not finished, because if we feel that, we don´t record it.

Some of the songs on this album we already felt in the rehearsal room that this would be a great live song for the fans. It´s very important that the fans like the songs so we listen to what they say, but also try to put some rare songs in the set sometimes.

I hope you will not be angry at me, but last year I was destroyed by two more bands except you. The latest albums of METAL CHURCH and SAXON are as excellent as yours. I take it as a fan, so the album has to have a "solid rock balls". I really like how you insert the heavy metal elements into the thrash metal. Everyone marks you like thrash metal band, but I dare to say you're pretty much influenced by heavy metal. Is it true? Which groups are actually the biggest inspiration for you?

No I love Metal Church I already bought the new album and one of my classic albums is Saxon´s Power & The Glory so no I´m not angry at all 😊

There is so many great bands so just to name a few from Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Metallica and Exodus and I could go on and on.

I know a lot of bands that have lyrics to songs just to sing something. I always appreciate at ARTILLERY that you have the lyrics with some idea, a sense, an opinion. How do you write the lyrics? When the inspiration come and how do you squeeze it into the music? Personally, I think that writing the lyrics is a madly hard discipline, and especially at the new record "The Face of Fear" the lyrics are great. I am often saying to myself, yes, that's exactly how I feel it.

Yes we always wanted to have some lyrics who mean something, especially about all the madness which is going on in the world today like pollution, corruption, religion, global warming, wars, misuse and pain.

A long time ago, when I have attended elementary school, one time my friend has painted your logo into my notebook. I was upset, because I did not know which band is hiding behind this logo. I immediately ran home and tried to get some information about you. Then I finally heard "By Inheritance" and when I went to the pub, I said to everyone that the best thrash metal band ever is ARTILLERY and not SLAYER! We almost got the grips with each other, haha. It was a beautiful time when we were young. How do you remember at your beginnings? Could you reveal to our readers how the albums were recorded in older times?

We had a great time recording albums in the eighties with a lot of metal party`s. We spent a lot of time in the rehearsal room which we shared with Mercyful Fate (and Metallica when they recorded Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets) so yes it was a lot of fun.

Also recording with Flemming Rasmussen was extremely good as we learned a lot of how to record at that time. It´s much easier to record these days.

I still say it to everyone, and it is clear that a long time ago the rock and heavy metal was first, and only then thrash metal has come. There is no development without basics. If we stay in the past, which musicians have actually brought you to the music in general? Is anyone who you still admire to these days, would you like to meet him and thank him for your inspiration?

Yes, I have a lot of heroes from the 70 ties I still admire, Tony Iommi, Richie Blackmore, Ian Anderson, Jim Lea, Mel Schakner & Mark Farner, Michael Schenker, Ulrich Roth and Jon Lord just to mention a few I would love to meet. I have been so lucky to meet 3 of those guys.

During your long history, you have replaced a number of vocalists. Your current vocalist Michael is doing a really great job. Each singer gave the band his own expression, but when I hear Michael, I am saying to myself: "God, it's a VOICE!" He has a great range; does it mean for you that you can afford to work better with his vocal and to go further, to a greater extreme, treble? How did you get together with him? He sang in a band which is a revival band of KING DIAMOND, am I right?

Yes Artillery have had the luck to have great singers and Michael have definately a good voice and range and can sing both the thrassy songs, the metal songs and the ballads and beside that he is also a good friend.

We played on a festival with a Mercyful Fate/King Diamond cover band with Michael as a singer and right after gave him the offer as we knew Søren was leaving and he said yes😊

You have prepared the interesting music video to the song "The Face of Fear". How the recording was going, who directed it and who is behind the main idea of the whole video?

The Video was made by a good friend of mine Terkel (Agressive) and is in my opinion the best video we had made. It´s very close to the lyrics from the song and it was made out of that by him.

You will also visit the Czech Republic in May. On what can we look forward? Are you going to play songs from the new album? These performances will be held in clubs, what I prefer rather than big festivals. Everything is more personal, more comfortable. How do you perceive Czech fans at all? I will be in the first row!

We are looking forward to return to the Czech Rep. and we will play both new and old songs.

We had some good times when we played here last time at Brutal Assault (Good beers and crowd) and looking forward to play for the Czech fans at the clubs again. I will look to see if I can catch you in first line.

I am sure you have as a band some dreams, goals, which you want to achieve yet. Could you tell us? You are the thrash metal veterans; you are recording great albums, we can still hear the enthusiasm from your music. You are touring, performing at festivals. Do you miss anything else in the puzzle?

We have achived a lot of great things like touring in places like South America, Japan, China Russia, USA, Europe etc. But never been to Australia/New Zealand. We really hope to do that.

We have played with a lot of great bands like Slayer, King Diamond, Kreator and Destruction, on festivals with bands like Black Sabbath, Saxon, Savatage and Megadeth just to mention a few but we really hope someday to tour with bands like Metallica, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden that ould be awesome to see how our songs would make it there live. But i know it would be hard to get that, but thats a big dream.

Thank you very much for the interview. You do not even know what it means to me. A fulfilled boyish dream. I wish you a lot of great ideas, sold records, sold out concerts, and also everything good in your personal lives. See you at the concert! ARTILLERY RULES!

Thanks a lot for your great support, hope we can meet and drink a beer when we come 😊.

Cheers and all the best.

Recenze/review - ARTILLERY - The Face of Fear (2018):

http://deadly-storm.blogspot.com/2018/12/recenzereview-artillery-face-of-fear.html