MM - The bands debut album ‘Adult Orientated Candy’ is out right now, how has it been received by both rock fans and the media in general? JA - Just the way it has always been with hair metal it is love or hate. We’re album of the month here and idiots of the year there. We have been best seller on CD Baby for almost two months in the Hair Metal and 80s Rock categories. Yeah, we have really sold quite a lot by now. At the end of the day it’s the fans who keep writing us emails or post on facebook about how much they like the album. That’s what really counts.  MM - Tell us about the songs that feature on the album and why do you think people should check it out? JA - ‘Adult Oriented Candy’ kind of unites all the sub-categories of Hair Metal: AOR, glam, sleaze, hard rock, you name it. Plus the power ballad. Lots of riff work, catchy hooklines and huge choirs. Everything you have loved about the 80s. We have tried to create some kind of mix tape featuring different 80s rock styles but with a common denominator.

MM - What was the thinking behind the album, did you have a vision of how you wanted it to be?
JA - It had to sound like 1989. Pretty outdated, if that’s what you want to call it. It is intended to make you think it is an album you have overlooked in the 80s. Anything that happened after ’89 didn’t make it on the record. We don’t sing about the internet, Britney Spears or how grunge killed music, because all this hadn’t been around back then.

MM - How important do you rate the lyrical side of your songs?
JA - The 80s have been about partying, boy meets girl and the sex, drugs and rock and roll thing. There isn’t much you can write about, but you can always find new ways to express yourself. Lyrics are important, since they carry the message of a song, but I put more emphasis on the music. Lyrics are like guitar solos: something cool to add.

MM – You produced the album yourself, how important was this to you to get the sound you wanted?
JA - Sound is overrated, haha. It had to be a late 80s sound right from the start. Thunder drums, big choirs, lots of reverb. I have always loved the atmosphere those productions have created. I had an overall picture in mind, but I always leave room for surprises. So a song might turn out heavier or sometimes softer than I have originally imagined. That’s okay, it would be boring if you were just chasing one particular sound. During the recording the songs tell you how they come across best. 

MM – Your music seems very 80’s inspired, what bands did you grow up listening to and how have they influenced the way you approach your music today?
JA - The first type of music I have been listening to heavily was 1950s Rockabilly. Elvis, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran. Then I came across Bon Jovi, Jon Bon Jovi’s first solo album, actually. I really loved it and started buying more of that hard rock stuff. Then I started to play the guitar and, luckily, this still happened during the era of guitar heroes like Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen and George Lynch, so my musical mind got molded by lots of virtuosity and a lot of hair too, haha. I love good quality music, so it is very hard for me to settle for simple song arrangements. I need a tricky riff here and there as well as wild guitar solos. With a few exceptions 80s hair bands stood for musical skills and quality.

MM – Have you started working on the follow up album to ‘Adult Orientated Candy’, if so what can we expect musically, more of the same or a change in direction?
JA - We have started working on a few rough ideas. There will be a new Beautiful Beast album in 2012. We will be shooting for the same musical direction. I don’t really like it when bands ‘develop’. When a band says they have developed it usually means they have adapted to the current flow. Bon Jovi today isn’t what it used to be, you know what I mean? That’s why AC/DC is so big. They have never changed their sound or style. As a fan I expect consistency and that’s what our fans can expect from us.

MM – The German rock scene is one of the most diverse in the world, from industrial through to metal and hard rock, however there are very few German glam bands coming through. What made you choose to follow this music direction? JA - There is actually a good number of melodic rock bands here. Quite some glam and sleaze bands too, but unfortunately many kids misunderstand the glam and sleaze thing, so their music is more like glam-punk with some stoner rock undertones. Not very melodic. I think the AOR and glam scene in Germany is quite big, though it is hard to detect and the fans are scattered all over the country. Nuremberg, where I live now, is quite a hot spot, though this doesn’t mean you can prowl the streets in spandex without being beaten up, haha. After all, I think that Hair Metal is an American genre and we do indeed sound quite American. I have grown up with Americans in my neighborhood, the best guitar books and videos that I have worked with had come from America, so I guess it just had an impact on me.

MM - Naturally, the music comes first, but the visual performance should not be under estimated. What can one expect from a live Beautiful Beast show?
JA - Expect long-haired guys swaggering on stage trying to outperform each other. I expect quite some self-glorification from a hair band member. That era was about being big and bigger and we sort of reflect that. Frank and me work really great together on stage, musically and visually. Like I said earlier, we have been on stage together for quite some years.

MM - Are you looking to take Beautiful Beast out on the road any time in the not too distant future?
JA - We are trying to secure a few opening shows at the moment. With real hair metal live clubs being quite rare I think we’ll be performing rather sporadically than playing ten consecutive tour dates. But I promise you will see us live soon. The question is where. Most of our fans really live in America, followed by the UK. If anybody gives us a good reason (and good money) to take a long distance flight, we’ll be there.

We'd like to thank Julian for taking the time out of his busy schedule to chat with us today and look forward to catching him live when he hits the UK shores.  If you haven't caught up with his beautiful beast yet then be sure to check them out ... they're a bit of an animal!