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MM
- First off I’d like to say thanks for agreeing to take part in this
interview with us, it means a lot to us both as a webzine, but also as
fans of the band. With the advent of your third album ‘Magic Never
Dies’ due for release next month, how is the band feeling right now?
Steve W - Hi Linda! Great to talk to
you again … thanks for wanting to interview us once more! Hehe! The
band are in very high spirits following the recording of new album,
can’t wait for the album to come out and see what everybody thinks
Francesco - Thank you so much for this opportunity. I’m very
excited for the release of the record also because this is my first
album with Power Quest and I’m very happy to be in the band now.
Andrea - Well … What can I say?? ... Everyone is very excited
in this moment and at the same time very trustful for the future things
to come …. We’re trying to plan a great tour, possibly a European
and a Japan one and we’ve got a lot of cool ideas for the future gigs
and for the promotion of Magic Never Dies!!! The band is now compact,
united, perfect and ready to rock and everyone is proud to be in Power
Quest so … that’s the best thing for a band like us!!.
Alessio - Hi to you Little Linda and thx for the space that you
are givin’ us! We are really excited because of all the new things
that were goin’ on during the months before the recordings. We’ve
got some new great songs to play, a new band member, Francesco, a new
label that is working hard and new energy coming along with all
this events! New Power Quest!
MM - Is there any secret message behind the name of the new album and
what made you decide to choose this over one of the other song titles?
Steve W - There isn’t a secret message behind the album title
as such. The actual title came to me before most of the songs had
actually been written. It seemed to be quite an inspirational
title for me as it triggered a serious bout of song writing. If
anything, I think the title really means that as long as there are
people keeping ideas alive then those ideas or beliefs will never die.
MM - I noticed this new album contains 11 tracks whereas your previous
release ‘Neverworld’ only included 9 tracks. What’s the overall
running time of ‘Magic Never Dies’ and is it longer than the last,
or does it just contain shorter tracks?
Francesco -The running time of the new album is about 63 minutes
and it’s only 4 minutes longer than Neverworld. Magic Never Dies
contains only 1 long song (Another World) instead of Neverworld in which
there are 2 long songs (Neverworld and Lost Without You). I think
that every song in both the albums has the right length; there are no
boring songs or too short songs.
Steve W - Yeah, it’s actually 63 minutes including the Japanese
bonus track so it’s very similar in length to Neverworld overall.
Alessio -The whole album has a running time of 58 minutes and
contains shorter songs compared to the Neverworld stuff. There are
some Hard rockin’ “Radio” tracks like “Children Of The Dream”
or “Hold On To Love” and atmospheric tracks like “Strike Force”
or “Another World”. A lot of different styles for every kind
of taste.
MM - There’s been talk of a limited edition
digi-pack being made available for the European release of the new
album. Can you tell us what additional material this will include, also
where can your fans obtain a copy?
Francesco -The DVD will
contain the making of Magic Never Dies with some videos recorded at the
Thin Ice studios during the recordings and some short interviews.
You‘ll see the band playing and recording the songs and discussing
about different solutions to obtain the best final result for the album.
Steve W - The limited edition digi-pack will be released on July
4th in Europe through Majestic Rock records. Distribution in the UK will
be through Cargo and this should mean that the album will be available
in the high street stores such as HMV, Virgin etc. Also check out
online stores like www.zroxx.com.
Alessio - Yeah, Majestic Records was thinking about a limited
edition for Magic Never Dies to release in Europe: the audio CD of the
album and a Video DVD with some footage taken during the recordings at
Thin Ice Studio; some funny stuff. I think there will be a limited
number that everyone can buy during the first days after the release and
I dunno at the moment if there will be some promotions for the fan club
members. Keep an eye on our official website!
Steve S - Also on the DVD there is a photo gallery of band images
and the artwork in its glory. The DVD was shot in the studio, there are
some funny moments in there including a weird dream that Steve W had
about being chased by pinhead from hellraiser.
MM - Your last album
‘Neverworld’ gained a lot of respect and became a classic in many
fans hearts. How would you compare this latest release to your
earlier albums, does it have that classic Power Quest sound to it, or
have you guys be pushing the barrier to untested grounds?
Steve W - I’m really
happy with the reception Neverworld received amongst the power
metal/melodic metal fraternity. I honestly think that “Magic
Never Dies” is a step up again for the band and I believe it is the
strongest PQ release to date. There are certainly all the classic
PQ elements in there but we have added some more spice to the recipe
again this time, just like the progression from “Wings of Forever”
to “Neverworld”.
Steve S - Magic Never Dies is a great mix of classic power metal,
uplifting catchy songs, but we consciously decided to move away from the
dragons and fantasy part of the power metal scene. This album
contains great lyrics about real life, we cover all the emotions most
people experience in there personal lives. I really think people
will feel more connected to this album, it’s escapism along with some
prog power music, we are playing more technical songs on this album to,
the guitar and keyboard solos interplay together, and there are some
great harmony moments. The drums and bass are doing some very
technical fills in places, and Alessio is sounding stronger clearer and
better than ever.
MM - A while back I saw a rather bizarre photo of you (Steve W) holding
a ‘key-tar’, is there something you would like to tell us about the
appearance of this wild and wacky instrument?
Steve W
- Now that would be telling eh? Hehe! There’s a chance that the
key-tar will be putting in an appearance at some point during the shows
to promote the new album. We thought it would be cool for the photo
shoot for the album and the guys are keen for me to become a bit more
mobile in the live show, so to speak.
MM - The band seemed more settled now as a group with the inclusion of
your new drummer Francesco Tresca. Would you like to tell our
readers a little about how you came across Francesco in the first place
and when did you realize he was the band’s missing link?
Francesco - I met
Alessio for the first time when we had done a concert together in Italy
with our cover bands (I play in a Motorhead tribute band called
Jokerhead and Alessio in an Ozzy tribute band called The Miracle
Madman). A couple of months later he has phoned to me to ask me to
record Magic Never Dies with PQ and I accepted immediately. When I
had finished recording drums parts the guys asked to me to join the band
and I had no doubt.
Steve W - When Alessio told the rest of us about Francesco we had
every confidence in his recommendation but of course we were keen to see
what he was like as a person as well as a musician. Needless to say we
were blown away on both fronts! I think he has really added something to
the band and this is very evident on the record.
Alessio - We were searching for a drummer to replace Gavin Ward,
our previous drummer. The situation was a bit ... problematic
...‘cause we weren’t able to find a good drummer/guy in the U.K. to
complete the PQ line-up. I knew a good drummer in Italy that plays
in a band of friends and I called him to ask if he wanted to play on
“Magic Never Dies”. He suggested to me to call Francesco
telling that he would have been the right guy for us. And that’s all
... Francesco has learnt all the parts in few days and come over to play
all the stuff in the studio where he blown us away!!! We’re so happy
to have Francesco with us, ‘cause he is bringing new influences to the
band sound and pushing all of us to a new level of song writing and
playing.
MM - What was it
like to return to the studios to work with Karl Groom on the new album?
Is he a hard taskmaster to work for, or is he on the same wavelength as
you all?
Steve W - It’s
always great when it’s time to return to work with Karl at Thin Ice.
To be honest we didn’t even consider working anywhere else this time!
Karl is very easy to work with and seems to get the best out of all the
guys. We are all fairly hard task masters anyway so he doesn’t have to
crack the whip too often. Richard West (Threshold keyboardist) was
in the producers chair for vocal tracking and he is another great guy to
work with, as is Clive Nolan (Arena) who provided some orchestration and
also wrote the song “The Longest Night” which we recorded for the
Japanese bonus track.
Steve S - Karl is so easy and relaxed to work with, he
understands what we want to achieve , and we all work well with him, no
arguments or crap like that. Richard West and Clive NOLAN also pop into
the studio from time to time and over the last 3 albums we have worked a
way of working with each of these guys, Clive adds the backing vocals
and Richard records the vocals where Karl does drums keyboards and bass
parts in the recording process, doing it this way gives the best result
for the album, and also gives various people a break during the
recording process which took us 3 months, so it can be wearing at times,
and there are longs days involved, Alessio and Andrea work late into the
night doing solos and vocals and perfecting little bits here and there.
MM - How long have you actually known Karl, professionally or otherwise,
and how did you guys first come to meet?
Steve W
- I’ve known Karl for around 4 years now but Steve Scott has known him
for a little longer having recorded at Thin Ice prior to joining Power
Quest. Steve actually suggested going to Thin Ice to record the
Power Quest demo CD with Karl and we haven’t looked back since to be
honest.
Steve S - I first met Karl when Dragonheart recorded there in
2000 for the Demo which went to number one on mp3.com, we recorded it in
7 days. After that I went on tour with Threshold & twice and
Arena/Pendragon for 6 weeks and got to know Clive Rich and Karl on those
tours, since then we have been going back to Thin Ice studios to record,
it’s a great escape and a good place to work, not so many distractions
etc, I have also sold the studio Apple computers and various gear as I
work at Apple in London.
MM - What do you prefer out of the two, being holed up in the studios
recording new material, or getting out on the road and playing them live
in front of a live audience?
Steve W -
I enjoy both aspects of band life in different ways. Playing live and
being on tour is what you could say is the fun bit; the reward for all
those hours, days and weeks working hard in the studio and at home.
It’s a real buzz to get up and play in front of a live audience.
Having said that, I really enjoy the creative process involved in
putting a new album together. I think we are very fortunate in
that we all get on well in the studio and hopefully this comes across in
our music and performance.
MM - What’s it like watching the fans reaction to a new song when you
play it live for the first time. Are you ever worried they might not
like it, or are you secretly excited inside to see their reaction when
it hits certain parts?
Steve W - Yeah,
it’s an interesting question. I guess a good example was when we
played “Edge of Time” at Bloodstock 2003 before the Neverworld album
had been released. Quite a departure from the Wings of Forever
sound but it didn’t take the fans long to start banging their heads
along with us! Hehe! It is certainly fun when you have a new track
up your sleeves that is unexpected, you know? I think it will be
interesting when we play live later in the year … which new songs will
be played? Which older ones?
Alessio - Every time that we play a gig we are playing to enjoy
ourselves and our fans and you can see it on stage when everyone smiling
and filling every note with energy. A new song is a new adventure
and we are excited to see how the people is feeling after our
performance. It’s like drinking a beer and seeing the effect!!
HAHA!!
MM - The power and the passion the band has for the music really seems
to shine through in your live performances. You all seem to enjoy
the gigs every bit as much as your fans. How does it feel to stand
up on stage in front of hoards of eager fans and just do your thing?
Have you ever played a gig and not enjoyed it for whatever reason?
Andrea - To be honest … it has never happened!!!! ... The
reason why we always enjoy the show is because we love music too much
and being on stage is always a party for us. As you know some of
the band have different bands and always play live during the year …
it’s a non-stop party for us that has to carry on! And the fans always
make the party more interesting and funny!!!
Steve W - It’s very rewarding to see the fans really enjoying
themselves as much as we do at a live show. I think the band feeds
on the energy generated by the fans and vice-versa.
Alessio - I love to play and transmit to the people how I’m
feeling. I love seeing people headbang following our songs and
chant along with us. I think is one of the best thing you can ask
while your are playing live. Yeah, we enjoy playing live, ‘cause
Power Quest fans are great! I’ve played some gig that were
difficult to enjoy, but most of the time is due to an organization or a
technical support not professional enough.
MM - Are all the songs on the new album
‘new’ songs or were there any that were left over from the previous
album, but that you just didn’t have room to include?
Alessio - All the songs on
Magic Never Dies are new songs; all the stuff was written after the
recordings of Neverworld.
Steve W - Yes, all the songs featured on the new album were
written specifically for this album. You quite often hear about bands
who have written 40 songs and then they break it down from there. To be
honest we usually write what we consider to be an albums worth of songs
and that’s it. A song that isn’t worth working on doesn’t
even make it anywhere near the recording process. I don’t play
the guys ideas or songs if I don’t believe in them 110%.
MM - When working out the final track listing how hard is it to decide
which songs to keep and which ones to leave off?
Steve W - As mentioned in
the previous question, we never have the decision of what to include or
exclude as we believe that everything we are bothering to record is
worthy of inclusion on our record. A certain amount of thought is
put into the running order for the album though as I feel this is an
often overlooked, yet crucial area.
MM - The artwork for the
cover of ‘Magic Never Dies’ looks fabulous and was completed by
Toxic Angel. Just how much input did you have into the design and
do you feel it accurately represents the band and its music?
Steve W - Toxic
Angel … wow! What a great job he has done … just wait until you see
the rest of the artwork. We commissioned much more artwork for the
inside of the booklet as well! I was heavily involved in the creative
process as I wanted each piece of art to represent a song on the new
album. It will be interesting to see if the fans like what we have
come up with for the booklet. Personally I think the entire package,
both CD and artwork, is a great representation of where Power Quest are
today.
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MM
- There’s been whispers
that the band might be holding an album release party, how
likely is this to go ahead and when will any information be
released on it if it does happen?
Steve W - Yes, there is indeed going to be a release party
scheduled for Saturday July 2nd. We are just waiting for
confirmation of the venue.
The party will be for industry, fan club members and guests.
Full details will be posted on the PQ website as soon as we
have them.
MM -
The Power Quest fan club was launched in early April this
year. What made you decide to start the fan club and do
you perhaps see yourselves as some sort of ‘power metal boy
band’ with a poster on every bedroom door?
Steve W - Hahahaha!
I certainly don’t see myself as someone who should be anywhere
near anyone’s bedroom door! Hehehe! Scary thought that! Having
said that I used to have Iron Maiden posters all over my room
when I was a kid.
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The
fan club was put together because many people were actually asking us if
there was going to be such a thing. It’s even run by one of our
biggest fans (Hi Carole!), so it’s “by the fans, for the fans” if
you like. We wanted to do something extra for the people who have
been so supportive to us over the past few years.
MM - Seriously
though, now’s your chance to persuade our readers to break open those
piggy banks and become members. What do your fan club members get
for their money and how can people sign up?
Steve W - Well, for the
princely sum of £10/$20 you get 2 issues per year of the fanclub
magazine “Tales from the Quest”, a full band biography, membership
card, signed photo, exclusive access to a track from the new album that
is not available anywhere else, competitions, and the possibility of
hanging out backstage at an upcoming show. We are constantly looking at
ways that we can improve the fanclub and offer more goodies etc.
MM - The band are currently signed to Majestic Rock
records for the release of this new album. How well do you think
you fit in with the label and its fellow bands? Is this signing
for the one release or does it go further than that?
Steve W -
Yeah, we’ve just done a one album deal with Majestic Rock to see how
things go really. Personally, I think we have delivered a great
album so now it is up to them to deliver some great promotion to go with
it. We are certainly different to bands like Waysted, Lionsheart
and Million who are also with Majestic Rock. These bands are
perhaps more “rock” than “metal” although I think one of the
great things about Power Quest is that we straddle the divide between
power metal, hard rock and progressive metal, which perhaps will open up
more opportunities on the live front.
MM - In a previous life both Steve’s were in fellow
power metal band Dragonforce, a band whose fan base are often seen
waving plastic swords and axes about at their gigs. Have your
Power Quest fans ever done this at any of your gigs, and how do you
personally feel about the whole plastic sword debate?
Steve W - Ah the swords
and axes question … hehe! I think it’s cool that the kids are
getting into all that kind of stuff, especially the DF fans.
Haven’t seen too much evidence of that at our shows to be honest but I
do think that so far we seem to have attracted a generally older
audience. There is not so much “sword and sorcery” in our
lyrical content now as there was on “Wings of Forever”. At the
end of the day I just love seeing the fans enjoying themselves you know?
Alessio - I think that a gig is a moment of fun, relax, energy
and everyone has a way to release his feelings and maybe for someone
waving plastic swords is a way to release the energy. So, why not?!
MM - Have you ever thought of adding any visual things on stage during
your live performance, such as dragons, swords, wizards or warlocks?
Steve
W - Sure. I often daydream about what we
can do to enhance the live show but of course these things are all down
to budgets. We’ve not had much luck in this respect with our
previous labels (apart from Marquee/Avalon in Japan who are amazing!) so
I’m hopeful that this is an area that we will be developed more and
more as time goes on.
Alessio - We’ve haven’t thought about adding visual things
for our stage. We were more into music to think about something like
that. It would be great to have something like that, and I think that
possible very soon we will be covered by this kind of stuff Eheh!
MM - The band have performed some astonishing gigs
over recent years, do you have any plans to perhaps release a full
length live DVD of one of your live performances/tours?
Steve W - Absolutely!
I think that if we can get the opportunities to play for 60-90 minutes
at some point in support of the new album then I’m keen to explore the
possibility of filming a show, perhaps as a fanclub release of possibly
a full fledged product. If we have the chance to visit Japan later
in the year then this would certainly be a chance to either film a show
or make a documentary about the trip.
Alessio - We have two videos available on our website done by
Steve Scott, nothing professional, but the first step to see what
happens with PQ on the road. A live DVD would be another thing “to
do” in our future as a great possibility to show to the people what
Power Quest are like on stage.
MM - How can your fans help spread the word and promote the band and its
music more? With so many radio stations out there nowadays, are
there any in particular they should target to request a song off the new
album?
Steve W -
Well the internet is the way to go I think in the promotion stakes.
Post on message boards and forums, especially those that are connected
with power metal. In terms of radio we have had great support in Japan
from Captain Wada and over here from Total Rock and ARFM radio.
There are some songs on the new album that would be perfect for radio
play and for rock/metal clubs as well.
So if there are any fans who want to take Power Quest CD’s to their
local metal club or local radio station (some have rock shows, although
I know most don’t) that would be very cool indeed. Any coverage
from radio stations in the USA would be most welcome as we are getting a
lot of interest from over the pond this time round.
MM - Finally, is there a message you would like to
send out to all your fans to close out this interview?
Steve W - I’d
just like to thank all the PQ fans, fan club members and supporters out
there who have been absolutely amazing with their support and
encouragement over the past 4 years. Without you there would be no Power
Quest …that’s for sure.
I hope everyone goes out and grabs a copy of “Magic Never Dies” when
it is released (May 23rd Japan, July 4th Europe). I really feel that it
is the strongest Power Quest release to date and me and the guys are
immensely proud of the record and we hope you guys enjoy it as much as
we enjoyed making it.
Thanks to you too Linda for your continued support and to everyone at
the Mayfair Mall … see you on tour!
MM
- Thanks guys and best of luck with the new album! |