Following on from the release of their excellent new album 'The Rauber' and the announcement that Bonfire will be performing in the UK again later this year at the Z Rocks Festival, we catch up with lead singer Claus Lessmann to touch base with how things are going with the band ...   

MM - Firstly, thanks for taking time out to talk about the new album 'The Rauber'.
Claus - Thank you! 

MM - How did you first get involved with the project The Rauber?
Claus - Well we got an email from the boss of the theatre in Ingolstadt, he asked if we could have a conversation and we were very astonished by this because we did not know what he wanted from us.  We had a meeting with him and he asked us to work on a classic work from Schiller and we said why not, it sounds interesting.  We’ve never done anything like this before so we came together and met the director and starting working on the play. 

MM - How familiar were you with the Schillers play Die Rauber before this project? Claus - I knew it from school and that was the first thing I said in the meeting, that I hate theatre.  The teachers weren’t able to bring in the point where you started loving it.  All of us hated it, but this was so different and it's very very interesting and the shows that we're playing right now, they show the people like it very much.

MM - How have the shows been going so far?
Claus - Yes they're going down very well.  It's always a good thing to get people into Bonfire music, they would normally never come to a show but they are very astonished when the show starts and the whole stage crashes, it's all very interesting to them. 

MM - The Director Pierre Politz wanted you to remain true to the Bonfire sound, did that make it easier or harder to write the songs for the album?
Claus - Ah well no, they said be as you are and write as you would, that's what we want from you.  So it’s a typical Bonfire album. 

MM - How long did it take you and Hans to write the album?
Claus - We started writing in April last year and finished the writing around August, then we wrote the lyrics, very close to the original, then we started recording the whole thing. 

MM - I know when the band play a live show there are also actors involved in the shows.
Claus - Yes.

MM - So the band plays live alongside these actors?
Claus - There are a couple of songs sung by the actors.  It’s a very interesting mixture. 

MM - After this venture will you be taking on any more of these types of projects?
Claus - We don’t know yet.  It's interesting and very intensive work, it takes a lot of time to do.  There's a lot of things you have to look after with the actors, the director, the theatre and the band,  it all takes a lot of time.  

MM - My personal favourite from the album have to be Bells of Freedom and Blut and Tod (Blood And Death) do you have any favourite tracks.
Claus - I like ‘Refugee of Fate’ and also ‘Blut und Tod’.  It's still very Bonfire.  Yes still Bonfire and there’s also a little Black Sabbath in there. 

MM - I saw the band last year at Firefest 4 and I must say you were one of the bands of the day for me and many others.
Claus - Thank you very much!

MM - What can we expect from the band at Z Rocks this year?
Claus - I think we will play some of the songs from this new album as they work very well live, and I must say we can't wait to play England again because it was such a fantastic crowd and we're so looking forward to playing there again. 

MM - What do you think has been the secret to the bands 27 year success?
Claus - Actually I don’t know.  We just can't do anything else, we're still having fun doing what we're doing.  Even if the people of the press write bad things saying it's old fashioned or whatever, Fuck It!  You know maybe it is old fashioned but there is room for everything so there must also be room for Bonfire! 

MM - When Melodic Hard Rock wasn’t popular in this country it was elsewhere in Europe, particularly Germany and Scandinavia that seemed to keep the flame alive.  Why do you think this is so?
Claus - We're kind of Rock N' Roll missionaries!

MM - You said before that you're not a fan of the theatre, has this changed?
Claus - Yes I hated theatre but now I'm loving it!  The main reason I now have respect for the actors is because I already have problems going to the supermarket and having to get eggs and milk, but they have to remember the words and keep them in there minds. 

MM - Thanks again for taking time out for a very busy schedule to take part in this interview lots of luck with the play and maybe I'll see you again at Z Rocks later this year. 
Claus - Thank you, Rock On!

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