Artist:   Power Quest

Date:  17 December 2009 

2009 was THE single most turbulent period for founding member Steve Williams and his band of power metallers Power Quest.  Not only did the bands lead signer decide to move on to pastures new, but the lead guitarist and drummer quickly followed suit.  Spurred on by the well-wishes and faith of the fans in the band he's put together a whole new line-up and today we have the extreme pleasure of catching up with them to suitably grill them as only we can get away with ...

MM - How's the tour being going so far?
Pete - Last night was interesting, I wasn't really happy with last night but tonight's show was much better.

Paul - Yes because this is the first time we've been out together as Power Quest, it's eye opening and it's been a weird and interesting way for us to start our touring with Power Quest.  The guys are all pulling together though and we're working through it as best we can.  Tonight was a big big leap forward compared to last night.  Last night was disappointing but we're just trying to keep as positive as possible about it all.  We were determined to make tonight's gig a better gig than last night and it was.    

MM - Am I right in thinking the show with Tarja was the first one with the new line-up?
Steve – No actually we'd done a couple of little pub gigs before that, one in Derby and one in Southampton.  They were just to get the machine oiled and see how it went.  It was a big challenge because I'd asked the guys to learn some 10 - 12 songs in quite a short space of time to be honest, but they did a great job.  So when we took it to London with the big stage and a packed out crowd, I wondered how was this going to work out, but I take my hat off to each and everyone of them because it was a really good show.  People came up to us afterwards and it's all you can ever hope for that someone comes up and says ... you were the best thing tonight.  There wasn't much work done beforehand because we didn't have much time together, but clearly, as always with Power Quest, everybody works behind the scenes and everybody's going at it hammer and tongs the rest of the time.  That's what I appreciate it and it kind of comes with the territory as well.    We only actually rehearse together one weekend a month.  

Ben - Well basically I'm friends with the bass player from Eden's Curse Paul Logue and he's friends with Steve.  Paul knew that I was playing guitar and was looking to get into a band, so when he heard that Steve was looking for a new lead guitarist he put my name forward and that basically was how it all happened for me. 

Rich - I was friends with Pete and we'd been working for a few years together in another band called Metalloid.  We played a gig with Steve and Power Quest last December in St Albans and when Pete said he'd auditioned for the band, I sent Steve a message asking if I could audition as well.  Steve contacted me back pretty much straight away and that was that.  I think I was probably the first confirmed member of the new line-up. 

Steve - Yes you were. 

Rich - It was all very easy and very quick. 

Steve - How did I join the band?  Well I thought one day maybe I'd start a new band and that was pretty much it! (laughs).  No seriously, with all these guys I've been very fortunate in that not only are they really great musicians, but you guys know having followed Power Quest over the years, simply being a great musician isn't enough.  You've got to be first and foremost a great person and as you can see of these guys, they're all diamond geezers in every shape and form.  I said at Metal Fest when we finished with the last line-up that it had been a privilege for me to work with those guys and already it's been a privilege to be with these boys.  I'm sure as time goes by we're going to build up a bond that could even be stronger than what's gone on in the past.  Everybody gets on and you can't ask for more than that.         

MM - It very much a bright new beginning for the band but I have to ask the question, was there ever a point where you thought ... I'm starting a new band?
Steve – Oh yes, it was about 50 / 50 to be honest with you, if not more for not carrying on.  Maybe what sold it to me was the reaction of the fans.  I'd already kind of decided at the end of August when I was talking to everybody.  Then when we played the last show with the old line-up with everybody at the end of September, so many people came up to me after that show and said they were so glad we were carrying on.  These weren't people who I'd seen before and knew, these were all different people.  These were people I'd never talked to who obviously loved the band and kept telling me I had to keep going.  It was at that point I realised I'd obviously made the right decision.  These guys have vindicated that, which is cool, I'm very happy with it.   

MM – Have you had a chance to do any work on the new album yet?
Steve – Well after Christmas we're really going to get stuck into the new material.  I've been writing stuff in the background as it were and we're going to demo 2 or 3 tracks in February to see what the record company thinks of (a) the material, and (b) the material with the new line-up and the full package if you like.  Then we'll look to do the new album maybe May / June time at the absolute latest.  With the new album we definitely aim to get it out in 2010 and the key thing for me is looking for other touring opportunities in between because at least with everybody being based in the UK it gives us a little bit more flexibility in terms of what we can or can't do.  Whereas before if somebody phoned up with 5 days notice and asked if we'd like a support slot, as it happened with Malmsteen, I said I'd love to but logistically I can't sort that out.  But now we probably could.  It would mean tweaking things but it is something that's do-able.  That's a really positive thing for us.  

The new record is going to be interesting.  We've got to keep true to the PQ tradition in some ways, but also bring some new ideas in as well.  I think, as I always do, that I will not be telling guitar players what to play.  Obviously I'll tell them if I don't like it, but these ideas are up to them.  Likewise the drummer, I'm not going to tell the drummer how to play, I might suggest something but at the end of the day it's up to him and that's how the organic flow works for us.  Hopefully everybody will get into that aspect of it as well. 

Paul - Well I can't speak for the other guys in the band but for me personally, it's nice to go up on stage and play the songs that have gone before from the previous guys, there's so many great songs that we're happy to get up on stage and play, but, when we get to do our own material, while keeping in with the traditional Power Quest sound, once we get to do that it will start to feel like maybe we've arrived and it's more our own thing just that little bit more as the new members of Power Quest.  At the moment we're just getting our faces known and letting the fans know who the new guys are.  Once the new album's done it will make us feel solid as Power Quest and the new line-up.   

MM - It will help you build up your own identity.  
Steve - As you can see already with some of the old Power Quest songs, there are variations in some of the songs as to what used to happen, particularly with the guitar situation.  When we play 'Magic Never Dies' Andreas used to do a little solo thing at the start, whereas these guys now do a little duel thing.  It's a bit longer than it was before but it works really well and I think when you've got the switch between 1 - 2, 1 - 2, that kind of thing, it's way better than just one guy stood there going at it the whole time.  Not to diminish anything that Andreas ever did because as I would never do that, but it just adds a bit of variety and if you get that trade off between the guitarists then that's fantastic.  

Likewise Pete's a different frontman style to Alessio, he's much more in the traditional British frontman style, which is what I was looking for and that's fantastic.  He's much more of a crowd mover and integrator and that works really well.  That's something I've been looking for ever since Alessio said he was hanging up his boots.  

It's the same with Rich for example, him and Francesco are both great drummers but in different ways.  Rich is a real power-house traditional metal drummer with the full double-bass action and all that, whereas Francesco was more of a progressive metal drummer and always looked like he was doing a crossword when he was playing because he was not even breaking sweat.  Rich is all hair and sweat.  It's great as it just provides a contrast.     

MM - So have you actually got any songs ready that you can choose from for the demo's.  
Steve – Yes we've got about 8 or 9 songs so far, although there's always new ideas coming up all the time.  I've had some really interesting things go on in my own life this past month or so, which has given me some more ammunition with the more personal direction the music was taking more on the last record.  There will be more of that going on, but equally there's going to be some really bloody fast songs that we maybe haven't done since the 'Neverworld' record.  The real full on, 100 plus beats per minute stuff.  It's going to be interesting. 

MM - What have you got planned for after this tour then?
Steve – Once we get into January we'll be straight into the rehearsal rooms and start working on the songs for the demo.  That's the first thing.  We're also talking to a couple of agents about tours for around the March / April time, one of which will be a European jaunt.  I can't say more than that at the minute but as with everything it all comes down to money, as does everything these days.   Basically you'll get the offer then you have to weigh up whether you can afford to do it.  It's as simple as that. Then it will be the album after that and a few touring opportunities for the Autumn as well.  Which is why I want to get the new album out some time October / November time so we can then do something this time next year again.  Go out and do a UK tour.  

We're also looking at the Summer festivals as well.  We've just signed up with a booking agent in Germany who's looking after people like Jon Oliva and that kind of calibre of rock acts and they're looking at pushing us towards the festivals like Sweden Rock and that kind of thing.  Which is just what this line-up needs, early exposure and big events, there's nothing better.  So yes, there's lots of things happening on the horizon.    

MM - You're not generally the first person people might think of as a lead vocalist.  You're very well known being in Threshold, but not playing the part of the lead vocalist. 
Pete - Yes exactly and that's one of the reasons I wanted to do this.  Unless anyone is familiar with my other band with Rich, Metalloid, then they maybe won't be as familiar with my vocal ability.  Locally I am known as a lead singer but on a wider forum I'm not as yet.  This is a good opportunity to raise the bar and move up a level. 

Rich - Oh I love Power Quest.  I was a big fan of the band even before I joined and I loved their material so it's really cool, it's good fun and it's a challenge.  I've been playing for the past 15 years on drums, with 10 years of those being with in a black metal band, then an electro pop-rock band as well, which I still do.  I've played with a few other bands as well but this is right down my alley.  Although they're not my songs that I've written, it doesn't matter to me, I'm just there to do the job and I look forward to working with Steve and the rest of the guys on the new stuff.  Very excited, very happy, very honoured. 

Paul - I've loved the stuff I've heard for a long time and I've always just been stood at the side of the stage singing away to all the songs in the past with Manuela our manager.  We'd always stand together at the side of the stage and sing-along to them together, so I already knew the songs quite well.  But to actually be standing on stage and playing them to everyone is just fabulous.  Although I've always been into the different forms of metal and rock, I've never actually got to play in a band that's playing this type of stuff, I've always played in bands that had very different styles.  I've also always been either the guitarist or the vocalist, so coming on to bass for me is ... well as said before, there's some big shoes to fill and it all started with Steve Scott.  I'm following in his footsteps.  

You could see when he left what he meant to the fans of Power Quest.  Some people were quite devastated about it for a while.  Hopefully I'll help people get over that.  He had a phenomenal style of playing.  He played with his fingers whereas I play with a pic.  I'm not going to lie, he's probably a lot more technically gifted than I am and I think I'll probably have to work a lot harder at what I do.  I hope in bringing that to Power Quest it helps add that little bit something without changing it too much.  I'll just apologise to all the girls now for now being as good looking as Steve Scott is, but you can't have everything can you?  Steve, it's a pleasure playing your songs, thanks dude.              

MM – Do you have any final words for all your fans both old and new?
Andrew – Thanks to all the fans, the older fans especially for sticking with Power Quest and accepting the new line-up and we look forward to seeing you out on the road in 2010.  We have a lot of things planned with the new album and touring, and it's going to be cool to see you all out there on the road. 

Pete - Hello people I'm a man of few words so I'd just like to say thank you, I love you all and I'll see you out on the road again next year. 

Steve - As always I'm privileged and honoured to be able to still be out here doing this and as all the boys have already said, we really do appreciate every bit of support we can get.  Probably me more than anybody.  I really appreciate the support everyone has given me in the interim period between the old and new line-ups and I appreciate the fact that people really did convince me to carry on and they were right.  I thank them for that in every way.  I thank these guys as well because without their support we really wouldn't be sat here talking about these shows either.  

I can't wait to get out there again next year and as I've said before it's the people that make the band in so many ways.  We're just the humble musicians that go out there and play the tunes, but without the people there we're nothing.  I try to drum it into everyone I've ever worked with ... don't ever forget that.  Once you loose sight of that you're gone, that's all I can say.

MM - We'd like to thank the band for taking the time out to chat with us today and to welcome all the new members.  We're also delighted Steve decided to continue with the band when our good friends Alessio, Andreas and Francesca decided to move on to other things.  Long live Power Quest and all who enjoy their music!

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