2020. december 5., szombat
BUTCHERS INTERJÚ TAKÁCS ÁRPÁDDAL ÉS BETLEHEM JÓZSEFFEL
2020. november 20., péntek
INTENSE AGONIZING - GÁCH IMRE
WARRANT PT. 3.
- Is the quality and consistency definitely here?
- I would say: Yeah, sure, definitely.
- Several tracks, such as The Ordeal of Death, The Enforcer, Torture In The Tower and Cowards or Martyrs, often have that evil tone and atmosphere to them, really adding to the aggression. How do you explain this?
- Yeah, sure. I was very interested in gloomy lyrics back then; my visions were a bit gloomy and the mood of the time was such that we still had the Cold War. That influenced me in the lyrics and in the basic mood. Then we had a special experience in London; I went there together with Thomas. We went to the London Dungeon, a wax museum for torture instruments. That's where I got some of my song titles from and it fitted in wonderfully into the time. I was able to transfer that emotion, to connect my thoughts with it and to give the songs wonderful titles. And with regard to the aggression of these songs: by today’s standards the songs may no longer seem so aggressive, but at that time they were considered very aggressive and very innovative, and the song titles just carried that.
- Did The Enforcer shine with a handful of speedy compositions and were all of them very coherently designed?
- Hmm, I don't want to say it like that. Maybe in terms of the lyrics, but in terms of the music I don't know any more whether we composed them in one pass, that is one song after the other. It could also have been that on some days I was more in the mood to write more mid-tempo songs and three days later I created The Enforcer - its riff and the whole song. Sometimes it was just like that; you create the main riff and everything else follows closely after it. I didn't spend hours tinkering with the songs. And that's still the case today. If a song works, it's completed rather fast in most cases and the rest - little gimmicks or rearrangements – may still be made in the studio. But beyond that, I get my songs to the heart quite quickly when writing them.
- All of the songs are catchy and memorable…
- Yes, of course, that is one of my characteristics. I like recognizable and catchy songs, no matter how much filigree work is involved. I think it's really cool to integrate such things into a song, but the chorus and the hook line have to stay in your head right after listening to it and that still holds true today. No matter whether with "Warrant" or other bands I played with or composed songs for, it was always very important to me and I like that kind of music. One of my first bands was "The Sweet". They influenced me a lot and brought me to heavy metal or hard rock and their songs are extremely catchy; including during that phase when they wrote their own songs; songs like Action or Live For Today or Fox On The Run. Simply awesome. That was my time, my thing and you can also hear it on "Warrant", even if it was speed metal.
- Even if it is mainly a speed metal record, some tracks show some interesting heavy metal variations. Is that correct?
- Yes, you are right, like the song Ordeal of Death or the twists and turns in Nuns Have No Fun or Betrayer with a great riff - all mid-tempo songs. It shows that we weren't just into speed metal, but into great songs in general, and we also liked mid-tempo tracks. The only thing we did not do was a ballad. That was not quite our thing. Or Send 'Ya To Hell with a very interlaced riff. A mega cool song. Even today we are often asked why we don't play it anymore. We did play it again ... it's not that easy, but really very cool.
- The vocals on this record are outstanding, unlike the evil sound of many other bands. Warrant opted for a cleaner voice with some harsh screams at times that perfectly fit into the aggressivity of the music. Do you agree with it?
- Yes, I fully agree with you on that. My singing has always been designed to intersperse many high screams. Nowadays they come more from below, but I still integrate these high screams into my singing. This really distinguishes us from other bands, which often sound so gloomy in their basic mood and sound, while I preferred slightly clearer vocals with screams. You've got that absolutely right.
- Soundwise, all the instruments are heard perfectly and well balanced too, aren't they?
- In principle, I would say: Yes, that's what they were at that time. We had a truly great sound engineer at C.A.E.T. studio who really had a plan. He also worked with other bands like Running Wild or Grave Digger, our label comrades. He really had a plan and gave us a great broad sound - better than what he produced for many other bands. I don't know. When we were in the studio for those 2-3 weeks, maybe we were just there at the right time. Anyway, the sound was great. Maybe we could have played it a bit better here and there, but never mind. The mood was right; it was really catchy and rough, and I still really like it today.
- The hooded man appearing on most of the band's covers is named the Enforcer. Was it a kind of symbol to you, like Eddie, Vic Rattlehead or Knarrenheinz etc.?
- Yes, it has become our mascot; nowadays more than ever. Back then, when developing Enforcer we were thinking about what could become our figurehead. I had composed the song The Enforcer and the executioner just fit the bill. We had it drawn as an oil painting by the painter of the record company in Berlin. Looks or rather looked absolutely great. And thus, he became our mascot and we still have him with us at every show, on every stage. A friend of mine always plays him and it gives us an immediate recognition value. The original statement was pretty simple for me, but nevertheless effective: Bad people should be eliminated by the enforcer. Sounds a bit platitudinous and simple now, but in the end, who knows... In today's world, it would sometimes be good to have such an enforcer. Maybe you know what I mean…
- After the record was released, you went on tour with "Warlock". On the whole, what can you tell us about it? Did the shows support the record?
- I can only say that we never went on tour with Warlock. I don't know where that comes from. I've never said anything like that before. We played a show with them once, I think, and also two years ago in Dormagen. That had been a very nice experience. But nothing beyond it. I'm very sorry about that, but we were not on tour. We had played some shows on our own before - in youth clubs in Düsseldorf. And that had actually been our problem - that we never played much live. Later we played with "Destruction" or with "Angel Dust"; we were actually quite popular in Belgium.
- Do you still mind that you didn't catch much attention in the German scene even though you were signed by the big label Noise Records? How much support/promotion did you get from the label back in the days?
- Noise Records supported us within its possibilities, but we ourselves did not contribute as much to further demand this support, mainly because we didn't have a proper management. Therefore, I can't really blame them for the fact that not much more happened and that we didn't get as much attention as for example Helloween, which started at the same time as we did. We played shows together. But the fact that nothing else has come about is partly our fault, because you have to show a lot of own initiative, and somehow, we didn't quite realise that or maybe we didn't really want to or couldn't do it. We were young, very young, younger than the guys from Helloween, and one or two years can make a big difference. By then you are a little more mature in your head. But those were exactly the decisive years in which we missed that a bit. And Noise Records didn't support us so much afterwards, because they noticed that we changed our sound. That was no longer what they wanted. Weiterbach once mentioned that he thought we could become their biggest driving force, but well ... it only became apparent later when we finally spoke what was on our minds. In retrospect, everything is good; I am at peace with myself; everything is perfect.
- Why and when did Warrant's story come to an end?
- This question is difficult to answer because it is a very long story and I cannot go too deep into details here. I only know that after The Enforcer we played another show with an already different line-up on bass. All I wanted to do at this point was sing. That was already the case when Warrant performed together with Destruction in Belgium. We wanted to distance ourselves from this aggressive, brutal sound, which, however, became a complete flop, because the fans wanted to experience us as they knew us from The Enforcer or First Strike and not as a poser metal band. This sealed our fate and it was no longer what Noise Records wanted to have. Unfortunately, there were influences in the band that I allowed to happen. It actually already started with The Enforcer or shortly after that, which I let run. I should have voiced what constitutes Warrant and that it is my sound and that it must be retained - this speed metal with its melodic and dark undertone. I didn't do that. That's why we lost our way and then, 2-3 years later, we also changed our name. And when I put down the bass, the end was already sealed. But I didn't know that at that time, because Warrant only works with me as bass and vocalist, and as a trio or quartet, and that's the only way it worked and only in this way it fits to me.
- You reunited in 1999 and released a cool record in 2014. What is the current situation?
- Reunion took place in 1999 - a great gig in the Eifel. It didn't stop at the one reunion show. We got the offer to play in Wacken. That's something, of course, we could not refuse. In the meantime, I have played there three times. Then we did the metal bridge in 2014, which was a high risk for me. After 25 years, it's not so easy to continue with "The Enforcer". I think we succeeded quite well. Well, since Covid-19 I haven't had much time to take care of everything what you unfortunately experienced yourself with regard to the interview and how long it took. But I already started to write new songs two years ago, which – this much I can say - will definitely be again what "Warrant" used to be all about - 100% like "The Enforcer". And I am proud of it. You probably won't hear about it until the middle of next year at the earliest; it might even take a year longer until completion. In any case, we are working on a new Warrant CD, new songs, and there will also be a cover song. I am very much looking forward to it.
- Jörg, thanks a lot for your answers. Is there anything you would like to add to this feature?
- I can only say: Thank you very, very much, David, for your patience over the years with our interview and especially with regard to the second attempt. Many, many thanks for your support and interest in our band. I hope that you will enjoy the new songs. As soon as they are finished, I will send you a CD as soon as possible. And I can only say: Walk the metal bridge!
WARRANT PT. 2.
- When and how did Warrant get together? Was the band established by you on bass/vocals, Lothar Wieners on the drums and Thomas Klein on guitars or did you go for any line-up changes?
- Yes, the band was founded by Thomas, Lothar and me. We were basically a school band and friends. Thomas, me and Lothar came from the same district. However, at first, I was also the guitarist and we had no bass. At that time, we didn't know that a band needs a bass. When we realised it and someone had to take over the job, I did. Next, we needed a singer. In the beginning we had a different singer, followed by another singer, but it never worked out. We once had a previous band called "Poison", with Thomas, Lothar, me and a singer, and from that band "Warrant" emerged. But it didn't work out with the singer and so I got into playing bass and singing. This has worked best since then.
- What can you tell us about your early rehearsals?
- I can only say that things were very chaotic at the beginning. Initially we rehearsed at my home, at my parents' house, and we drove them totally crazy because we couldn't play much yet, but we thought it was already mega cool and we asked ourselves: "What's their problem?". In fact, it was cruel. We drove them crazy about the noise and the stuff we always played, especially my sister's boyfriend. He was 10 years older and always wanted to tell us that something was wrong, but we didn't believe him. In retrospect I know that he was right. But it was always extremely funny and was always accompanied by something to drink. Later we moved to Ronsdorfer Strasse. There is the bunker where many famous bands rehearsed: "Warlock", "Stormwind", "Deathrow", "Assassin". And so, did we. It was always making-merry. We sat together upstairs (not in the basement) and had a beer. We had so much fun; it was great. Sometimes we drank more than we rehearsed. When it came to the songs, of course, we accelerated our efforts, but otherwise there was always a certain party mood during rehearsals.
- Did you start writing originals or were you mostly jamming on covers?
- We started writing our own songs quite early. That was extremely important to me, but of course we also had 1-2 cover songs. At that time, we were into "Demon" and "Night of the Demon" was one of our most favourite songs. We covered that one. However, we didn't have a bass at that time. We had two guitars, I sang a bit and we had a drum kit with us - that was scary nice. Unfortunately, there is no recording of it. "Demon" was our first cover song. There was another one, but then we started to write our own songs. Many bands from that time, such as "Maiden", "Priest" and "AC/DC", inspired me a lot and so I started to write my own songs; Thomas as well. That was very important to us.
- Do you still remember how you were signed by Noise Records? Where there any other labels interested in the band?
- Yes, other labels were also interested and made offers, including Mausoleum Records, RoadRunner and also Noise Records. Noise Records or Walterbach, the then and long-time boss of Noise Records, was economically very active and he was the fastest to strike. We were still quite young, 17 years old. We didn't know what we were getting into at the outset. We were simply extremely happy when we got the offer from Noise Records - at that time the biggest record company in Europe in the heavy metal sector. That was absolutely amazing. He came straight from Berlin, took us to a pizzeria downtown, buttered us up a bit, told us how great we looked and what cool songs we had, and that we were the band of the hour. Thus, we immediately signed a record deal that was less favourable for us, but probably better for him.
- Your first material was the First Strike EP. Scavenger's Daughter appeared on the label's compilation Metal Attack Vol. 1. How much did they help the band? Did you manage to draw the fans' attention to the band with these materials?
- As you say, Scavenger's Daughter was released simultaneously on the Metal Attack vol. 1 compilation and First Strike was our first output. The record company supported us - let's say - within their possibilities, but not with regard to live stuff. The record was featured. Since Noise Records was the biggest record company at that time, we got a lot of press attention and it was mostly positive. The rest was up to us. That's where our problem started, because we didn't really have a good management and we didn't know how to promote ourselves. We probably would have had to go on tour much earlier, play shows. We still went to school, were only at the end of our schooling and it was all a bit difficult, and there was no one who would have "kicked our butts" to move things forward. The material we wrote was super-good; the fans thought it was really cool, and it was really well received, but we would have had to work much more live on stage. That was actually our problem.
- At which point did second guitarist Oliver May join the band? What about his musical past?
- Oliver joined us after we had written the songs for "The Enforcer". During song writing we had noticed that we needed a second guitar - for the sound and for solo guitar duels and things like that as well as for a better broader live sound. Therefore, we looked for someone, placed an ad. Oliver was based in Düsseldorf, contacted us and so it went pretty fast. He was also still a pupil, just like us, so it fit perfectly. We had a lot of fun together. But he joined the band when the material for "The Enforcer" had already been written. Therefore, he only recorded it with us in the studio.
- When did you start writing the material for your debut record The Enforcer? How did the song writing process go compared to the EP?
- When did we start doing this? Almost immediately after the release of the "First Strike" EP a lot of new ideas came into my head. Thomas also had some ideas, although I was already the main songwriter (and singer of course). Thus, it went pretty fast and the two releases came out very close to each other. Song writing was no problem at all. The ideas just gushed out of me. That's the way it went.
- You entered the C.A.E.T. studios Berlin. What do you recall of the recording sessions? Were you prepared to record the album?
- Yes, I have to say that we were quite prepared to record the album; actually, just like with First Strike. Maybe I don't have to mention it at this point: Lothar Wieners did not play the drums. He had a bad tendinitis at that time and couldn't bring in the song. That might have been of some benefit to us, because it helped us to recruit Thomas Franke - a drummer and friend of us who already worked professionally as a drummer. Thomas Franke was also the first “UDO” drummer. And he recorded our two records including The Enforcer. We were very fortunate. I recorded bass and drums with him in one take. Then came the guitar; that was not quite so easy. Of course, we were still relatively young and inexperienced, as you could see; we did everything ourselves - that's how it sounds. Rough. The record had mega-good songs, but they had been recorded just like that; without much preparation. You can hear that in both productions - in my opinion even more so in First Strike than in The Enforcer. The latter was already a bit more professional. That's the way it was for us at that time.
- To what extent, do you think, was the EP great? Warrant took basically everything they had and made it even better.
- Looking back, I can say that the EP was truly great. It was made simply without thinking much about it. The focus was on the songs. Whether it "pinched" here and there - no idea. It did and you can hear it today. It didn't always fit that well, but the atmosphere was great and the songs, like "Scavenger's Daughter" (still the favourite song of Kai Hansen from "Helloween"), were just right. But of course, we wanted to develop ourselves further. With "The Enforcer" we wanted to become better, more professional, and the spirit of the first compositions was 100% preserved, but we played better. And you can hear that. "The Enforcer" is already a bit more mature. We also had a second guitarist with us; that was great for the solo element. Oli really took us a major step forward. It had been a great time.
- All of you were great and skilled musicians…
- Ha! Ha! Excellent, no, we were not, God knows. But we were already good songwriters back then and knew exactly how a song can work. The basic idea for songs like "The Rack" or "The Enforcer" was quickly found and then you tried to get something out of the last 10-20%. We couldn't implement it all technically yet. We were mentally more advanced with the songs than we were technically able to do. We weren't "mega skilled musicians" yet, but we worked on it and got better and better in a relatively short period of time. And when I think of today, the song as such is still the most important thing to me.
- Would you say that, with the addition of Oliver May, you pumped up the sound, and do the songs that are both rapid (such as The Rack) as well as tough and cruising (like Ordeal of Death) make this a dated record but cool to listen to?
- Surely you can see that our sound definitely got broader with the addition of guitarist Oliver May, because we were able to produce something completely different with two guitars. If you know right from the start that you have two guitars, you will have much more possibilities with solos and rhythm guitar. Besides, Oliver was already a very good guitarist back then, who contributed many awesome solos. As already said: The songs had already been written, but of course he brought in his solo components. Of course, we were already able to do this, as was already shown on First Strike with Ready to Command as a smooth song. Next to it were the speed hits, like Scavenger's Daughter. The same applies to the songs on "The Enforcer". Not much has changed in this respect. The Rack fully corresponded to the rapid claim and Ordeal of Death was more the cruiser. We had both on the start, on both releases, but with Oliver as the second guitarist we were able to feature it more.
- Did speed metal and a very recognizable amount of power metal build the foundation?
- I would definitely say yes. But even here I have to add that - as a songwriter - I have always listened to a lot of music from many genres; not always everything from the speed metal or metal genre (although speed metal in that sense did not exist yet). I just always liked to listen to fast songs, like Exciter by Judas Priest. And I noticed that they "incite" me; they spur me on and that there is something about them, and that combined with a great, simple song writing à la AC/DC. That was our thing. This mixture may sound strange at first, but it worked. I still say today: "Warrant" is a band, AC/DC is style, "Meets" is speed metal". In the beginning, we also listened to Metallica; the first Kil 'em All. At that time, we had actually already come to speed metal ourselves, because we ourselves became faster and faster without much influence as from Metallica. I didn't even know Slayer back then. We were led there by just a few songs, like Accept, Shark or Exciter by Judas Priest... That was already enough to realise: That's it; you want to carry on with that, you want to have more of those songs. And you process it with songs from AC/DC, Kiss, things that circulated at that time and that we listened to.
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