What inspired the members of professional, recording bands to form Men Of War?
Patrick Fuchs: It was all Matze’s fault!  We’d been friends for many years, so it wasn’t a big deal when he asked me to perform a couple of Manowar songs at a one-off show.  He always wanted to do it and I was the only one he knew who could pull it off.  It was a lot fun, which is why we kept it going for a couple of years.  It was a twist of fate that a week after Men Of War decided to call it a day we received the call to play with Ross at the Keep It True festival.

How did you react when Keep It True promoter Oliver Weinsheimer told you Ross The Boss wanted to perform at the festival with Men Of War?
Patrick: I just said “Yeah! Let’s do it!”  There was no doubt that it would work.  And I knew we were about to play all the great, classic Manowar tracks in front of a real festival audience!  When the day arrived, I was quite nervous, but I was totally sure it would be great.

How surreal was it rehearsing those classics with Ross The Boss for the first time?
Patrick: It was a bit strange.  We had just met him at the airport—the guy on our CDs—and we’re about to play “our cover songs” with the guy who wrote many of them.

When we started playing, we all agreed, “This is the way these songs have to sound!”  That is nothing against Men Of War guitar player Andreas Thinnes (from the great band Murder She Wrote), but everyone knows Ross has an extremely personal sound.  For a moment it felt like “us and the hero,” but we had a long breakfast before we rehearsed and we talked and joked around.  That made things more relaxed.  We got along great ‘cause we have a similar sense of radical humor.

How energizing was the festival crowd’s reaction?
Patrick: It was both amazing and surreal.  I wrote the lyrics for “We Will Kill” about that night.  There were so many faithful Manowar fans; many that had travelled from all over Europe.  When we played “Mountains” (from Manowar’s Sign Of The Hammer album) there were men standing like trees with their fists raised in the air and tears running down their faces.  It was very touching.  And, of course, there was a bloody bunch of raw energy!

At what point did everyone decide this fun excursion should become The Ross The Boss Band and that the band should begin collaborating on original music?
Patrick: I recently read online that I am the singer of the “Official Ross The Boss Band.”  But everything came together so naturally that we never spoke about it.  After Keep It True, we were booked to play in Greece, which was where Ross first introduced the riffs for what would become “I Got The Right” and “We Will Kill.”  These were the two demo songs that we used to get our deal with AFM Records.  That was followed by more songs, more gigs and more ideas.  It was a natural progression.

How easy has it been writing music with Ross The Boss?
Patrick: It has been very easy.  We originally planned to write songs using the Internet [because we live in Germany and Ross resides in the United States], but that never really happened.  I couldn’t come up with good vocal lines to the riffs ‘cause I missed the groove and atmosphere of a band playing together.  Everything finally fell into place, however, when we got together and jammed.  Within a couple of days we had 11 tracks!

How difficult will it be for Ivory Night to co-exist with The Ross The Boss Band?
Patrick: I don’t foresee a problem.  Ivory Night has been together for many years.  There will be times when Ivory Night is busier and there will be times when The Ross The Boss Band will be busier.  It has definitely been good for the Ivories; we’ve gotten a lot of free promotion thanks to all of the Ross The Boss interviews and reviews.  Ross will always be in The Dictators, however, and we will always be in Ivory Night, so there is no problem for anyone.

How happy have you been with the critical praise and the fan reaction New Metal Leader has received?
Patrick: I am very pleased with the extensive feedback we have received.  There has been a lot of promotion and a lot of reviews—we’ve kept people talking!  It’s not just a release you notice and then forget. It’s New Metal Leader, an important album with a title that just might cause a bit of controversy.

What was it like to hold the completed CD in your hands for the very first time?
Patrick: I fell in love with the double vinyl version!  Holding a new album in my hands is always a very intense, but ultimately, a short-termed feeling.  I am extremely delighted that it is finally completed.  But in the next breath I thought, “Okay.  Done.  Next one!”  Once each album is complete, it instantly becomes a piece of history.  I am proud of everything I’ve record, but I am always looking to the future.

What does the future hold for The Ross The Boss Band?
Patrick: More music, more gigs and constant growth and development!  The future certainly doesn’t look bad!  We have a great record and strong business partners who believe in the band.  More importantly, we are really enjoying what we are doing.  As long as it remains fun walking on stage and writing music, it’s gonna be great!