Founding member of Power Metallers Silent Force Alex Beyrodt goes back to his roots with a brand new album and brand new band Voodoo Circle.  We catch up with Alex to find out more about this exciting new band and it's music ...

MM -  Firstly thanks for taking time out to take part in this interview and secondly Voodoo Circle, what a great album and band.
Alex - That's OK.  Thank you very much and I like the fact you called it a band.

MM - Yes I did my homework, I've read a few interviews.  
Alex - You've come prepared! (laughs).

MM - When you first decided to put the band together did you have a vision or a list of people you wanted to be in it?
Alex - Well actually the whole thing started about four of five years ago when I started writing the song material.  It was during a time when I took a journey back to my roots because I was getting tired with the whole heavy metal thing.  It was 100 new bands and 100 new albums every month and it started getting boring for me.

So I started listening to my old records, like my old Deep Purple and my old Rainbow records, and I just enjoyed them so much that I thought ... oh my god! ... because I hadn’t listened to them in such a long time. Then out of the blue I started writing songs and they were in this direction and it was so easy and natural to write them.  But then I wasn’t sure what to do with these songs, because I was working on the next Silent Force album and the material didn’t suit

Silent Force.  So I put it to one side and thought one day I’ll do something with them, something special.

A little later I started playing all these jam sessions where you go on stage with all these musicians you hadn’t met before and you’d play a two hour show, you don't rehearse and you don't do anything.  You’d just go there and you’d meet the musicians ten minutes before the show.  You’d put together a set list and just play.  I thought wouldn’t it be great to actually have a band that could actually jam like the bands did in the sixties and seventies, and so the whole thing started.  I started to get a rhythm for all this.

I was doing a jam tour where David Readman was the singer, Mel Gaynor was the drummer, then we had a local bass player and myself.  After the second show I asked the guys right away if they could imagine what it would be like if we did something together.  I said I think I have the right material for us, and that’s basically how the whole thing got started.

MM - When putting a band together with such acclaimed names the expectations must have been high to produce a quality album, did you feel any pressure from this?
Alex - Not at all, that was the great thing actually.  When we recorded the drums I just called Mel up and we met in the studio.  He didn’t know any of the songs and we recorded the drums for the whole album in two days without any rehearsals before that or anything.  So the whole thing was really natural.  We had so much fun, we had no pressure and thought let's do it, let's have fun.  I think you can hear this on the record, it sounds very natural and you can hear the musicians are actually enjoying what they're doing.

MM - As well as the main band you also have a few guest artists on the album, Doogie White and Rudi Sarzo to name just two, how did they become involved?
Alex -  Well Doogie is a guy I’ve met several time backstage when I met Yngwie and we’d have a couple of beers together.  We exchanged email addresses and started keeping in contact.  When I started recording the songs I thought wouldn’t it be great to have a few guests on it and Doogie immediately came to mind.  It's quite funny because when Pink Cream 69 were looking for a new singer it was actually between David and Doogie and now they are together on one album, so I think that’s pretty cool.

The thing about Rudi Sarzo, this is a great story, I don’t know if you know about it or have read about it on the internet.  It’s a long story and I don’t know if you have time ?

MM - Yes we've got plenty of time ...
Alex - It started actually when I was about Sixteen or Seventeen.  I went to a concert to see Ozzy Osbourne in Germany and by then it was Rudi Sarzo, Tommy Aldridge, Randy Rhoads and Ozzy Osbourne.

MM - The classic line-up ...
Alex -  Yes absolutely right!

That night when I saw Randy Rhoads playing I decided to become a professional musician. That night was my key moment.  I already played guitar and by then already had a band, but that night I really thought from now it’s only going to be music in my life and nothing else.

A week later a friend of mine made me a necklace with Randy Rhoads guitar on it and I've worn that necklace ever since that day and have never taken it off.

It’s a really special thing.  Actually I lost it once in the ocean and it came back to me.

I was in Majorca in Spain and I was swimming in the ocean.  When I went back to the beach I saw something golden in the water and went down and picked it up and it was my guitar!  My Randy Rhoades guitar!  I'd lost it without knowing and then I found it.  What I’m trying to say is that I have a spiritual connection with it.

To cut a long story short last year I met Rudi in LA, I was introduced to him and I told him this story, of how I saw Randy the night and wanted to become a professional musician, and about this necklace I’m wearing and that I was really honoured to me him.

He was a nice guy and shook my hand and said it was very nice to me.  He said how he remembered that concert I was talking about and we talked a little bit.

Then I thought right away I thought I’m gonna asked him ... "Hey Rudi, could you imagine playing one song on my forthcoming album?" ...  and he took my arm and looked into my eyes and said ... “I would be honoured if a could play on the album” ... and I thought this is really cool, so we exchanged cards.

So then I’m back in Germany and I think OK let's see, I’ll drop him an email and you know how Americans are sometimes, a lot of blah, blah, blah ...

So I wrote him an email to see what’s going on with him and one minute later he sent a reply saying ... “of course I remember you, and of course I’m gonna play on your record, just send me the files.  It's gonna be fun”.

I got an email from him a couple of days ago saying that 'Dream of Eden' was one the best songs he’s ever recorded in his life.

MM - The album itself is a massive blend of Melodic Metal and Hard Rock, was this your vision from the beginning?   Alex - Well actually in my vision I wanted to have a band that can jam and one that that is able to go on stage without rehearsals and play a two hour set.  And the most important thing is to have musicians who listen to what the others are playing and reacting to that. There are too many good musicians out there who only listen to themselves and it makes a big difference if you listen to what the other guys are playing.  You play together.  This is a thing that bands in the sixties and seventies could do and learned from it, but it seems to have got a little lost over the last ten years.

MM - Yes I know what you mean, I've seen a lot of older bands on stage and they have a natural flow, but then some of the younger bands seem more focused on what they're doing as individuals and there is no interaction between the band members.
Alex - Yes interaction, that's what real musicians need to have.  This is what I’m looking for, this is why I have Mel Gaynor on drums, Mat Sinner on bass, David Readman and Jimmy, because these guys are able to do this.  I’ve seen Thunder the British band, man can they play, I still remember their show in Germany and it was one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen because of how they played.  My vision is for when Voodoo Circle go on stage I want that night to be special.  I want that night to be special for the musicians but I also want that night to be special for the audience, and the next night I want it to be completely different.  Listening to the Deep Purple's 'Made In Japan' record and even Rainbow and Led Zeppelin stuff, every live show was different.  That's what I want with this band.

MM - Yes I know where you are coming from.  I know I've seen bands one night and then the next night on the same tour and it's the same show, it all seems a little choreographed at times.
Alex - Yes this happen a lot in heavy metal.  I mean I’ve done this also for many years and it's also interesting to do that.  You get to a level where you're so perfect.  That’s also a challenge and it's also fun to approach yourself to see how perfect you can be, and also how drunk you can be but still sound perfect! (laughs).  Just kidding, you know what I’m trying to say.  (Alex has a wicked sense of humour and this comes through many times throughout the interview).

MM - Yes.
Alex - I’ve done this for so many years now, I’ve played over a thousand live shows in my life and as a musician you also need to be an artist.  You need to experience new things and keep it interesting.

MM - If you could pick one particular track off the album to depict what Voodoo Circle are all about, which would it be and why?
Alex - Oh that's a difficult one, one track off the album gosh, that would be the opener 'Spewing Lies' because it has the classic harmonies, it has the melodies in the vocals, it has the musicianship that stands as the style we want to hear.

MM - What input did the other band members have in the song writing process for the album?
Alex - Well actually when I wrote the music, I wrote it all by myself, then I sent the music to David.  David then came over to my studio in my house and we worked together on the melodies.  That was something really, really great, because usually to come up with great vocal melodies is tough work.

But believe it or not I picked David up Friday afternoon at 1 o’clock from the train station and we drove back next day Saturday at 5 o’clock in the afternoon.  In between that we did all the vocal melodies.   

It was amazing, I’ve never worked with somebody who has so much creativity and is so fast.  We were sitting next to each other and when I started the tape David started singing along ... and we had only just started!  l just looked at him.  The great thing was when he stopped singing I could straight away hear the next melody in my head.  I just put it out and he pick it up.  I mean a song is four or five minutes long so maybe we went through it perhaps twice but then the song was done.  I mean just the melodies and of course the lyrics, he did somethings later by himself.

MM - When you heard the finished album for the first time, did you feel ... yes, this is what I wanted from the band!
Alex - Actually when I wrote the songs I thought that there was magic in the songs.  I had all the demo’s here in my studio and even on the demo’s the songs had substance, but when I had the finished product I put it in my car and played if full blast.  I just knew right then that the album something special.  I already had this feeling and I knew the reviews would be good.  When you’ve been in the business for so long you get a feel for it.  But then I didn’t expect the reviews to be so good.  I was a little bit afraid because of the musical changes, because it was more like Classic Rock than Heavy Metal.  I was a little afraid of what the reaction would be from my fans, but that fear was not necessary, I’ve got some great reactions and it was definitely the right thing to do.

MM - What was the hardest thing about putting the new album together?
Alex - Actually it was all very, very easy.  Like I said the drum only took two days, it was really easy.  I took care of the guitar recordings because I had my own studio at home, so I didn’t have to pay out studio rent and I could take as much time as I liked.  I tried different sounds and different effects on stuff, which took a lot of time, but there were never any difficulties.

MM - What inspires your song-writing?  Is it art reflecting life or is it just being inspired by the moment? Alex - I have two different style when writing songs.  Sometimes I just sit down and play guitar and after a while I come up what a great melody or a great guitar riff, then I start to put it together for a song.  The other way is when I just hear a melody and go down to my studio and record it to work on it later. Basically it all comes from inside, sometimes I go into my studio and say to myself ... OK, you're gonna write a song ... then I sit down and pick up the guitar and start playing and it sounds shit for some reason. I'm not playing very well that day and I don't feel good so I just stop it.  Then I go off and watch TV or something.  If it's not the right moment then you can't force it, it has to be natural.

MM - What part of your life do you think music reflects the most?
Alex - Music means everything to me and my whole life is influenced by music.  I mean in every part, since I started working on a my musical career everything relies on music.  All my friends, and I have a lot of friends from around the world, they're all musicians.  I met my wife in Tokyo during a tour.  My daughter is half Japanese and she goes on tour with me whenever we are in Japan.  She's a real rock n' roll baby you know.  Everything in my life relies on music.  It was a long journey and it was sometimes tough, but I've always enjoyed it and still do.  

MM - You've been in the music business for some time now and must have seen some big changes over the years, what do you think has been the biggest change?
Alex - The biggest change is the digital possibilities with the internet and also in the studio.  It has good sides and bad sides.  The good side is you're much faster in the studio and you have more possibilities to be creative.  The bad side is that everybody releases albums, I mean EVERYBODY.  I mean some music is not as it should be, the market is completely flooded.       

The internet of course has created many possibilities to get in contact with so many other musicians all over the world.  I mean you can do a record without meeting the other musicians.  That's something great but again you have to be careful because if you don't meet all the musicians, the music can loose depth and meaning.  But it is great to be in contact with so many musicians. 

Then there is the downloading and all the crap, that is a negative thing.  So overall there are good things and bad.  I would say the biggest change in the studio is going digital.

MM - What bands/artists have influenced you the most over the years?
Alex - Well I'm influenced as you can head by the likes of Ritchie Blackmore, Jimi Hendrix, Deep Purple, Whitesnake, that sort of thing.  The heritage of rock and that's still my inspiration.  I can listen to Deep Purple's 'Made In Japan' and still get inspiration from it.  

MM - The question on most people's lips, including mine!, is will we be seeing Voodoo Circle on the road soon?
Alex - Actually we do our first show in Germany next month.  It got confirmed today.  We got a request from Marshall Amplification.  These guys have put together a tour and we will headline this tour.

But we also have request from Italy and from Greece and we are trying hard to find a tour to support.  We did think about Heaven And Hell but that never came about.  Another band I would like to tour with is Thunder.   

MM - Well they've just announced the next tour will be their last.  
Alex - No way!  What a shame, that would have been great.

MM - I know a lot of bands are finding it harder to make it worth their while touring these days.
Alex - I love touring, it's better than holidays!  I love everything about it.  The stinky Nightliner, the stinky venue that stinks of last nights beer! (laughs).  I just love to be on stage and play guitar. That's when I feel 110% alive and now it looks like we will tour Japan.  The album is going really well there so let's see.

MM - Finally, do you have any pearls of wisdom for our readers?
Alex - I just wish that the people out there would start to listen to musicians who can play.
   
MM - With this we both go off on a tangent talking about all the extremely gifted musicians that have come out over the years but who haven't received the recognition they deserve and how sadly a lot of young bands may have missed out on these artists, but would probably be inspired by them had they heard their music.

We wish Alex and the rest of the band all the very best with the new album and hope to one day catch them out on tour.  If you haven't heard the new album already then be sure to check it out, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.