MAGUS
BEAST
Does the name Agressor ring
a bell to you? If so, then this is the very band that for some reasons
changed its name into Magus Beast and I don't think I have much to say
since you already know them. As for the rest of you that hear this name
for the first time, I should let you know that Agressor-Magus Beast is
an old band, whose story starts back in the 80s and after a dormant period,
they organize their attack with their high quality heavy metal...Can't
wait, but till then check this interview out...
1.HELLO AND CONGRATULATIONS FOR
YOUR GREAT ALBUM! FIRST OF ALL, I WANT YOU TO TELL US HOW MANY YEARS DO
YOU EXIST AS A BAND AND PRESENT THE CURRENT LINE UP.
Thanks man. Actually Magus Beast,
as you know, used to be called Agressor. Agressor actually started out
WAY back in 1985. There had been different lineups and changes and
what not but the music has always been the same. We play what we like to
hear…. As far as the current lineup, we have basically been going
at it since 1998 or so, actually once Steve(drummer) started playing
with us again we have been going strong since then, which was January 2001.
2.ALTHOUGH YOUR CD "SAY YOUR PRAYERS"
HAS THE NAME AGRESSOR, YOU'VE CHANGED IT TO MAGUS BEAST. WHY DID THIS CHANGE
OF NAME OCCUR? WHAT KIND OF CHARACTER IS MAGUS BEAST AND HOW IS HE CONNECTED
TO YOUR MUSIC?
Yeah we used to be Agressor.
We wound up changing the name due to a few things. There wound up being
several other bands with the same name, most notably, a death metal band
out of France. SO instead of trying to go back and forth and battle
over the name, we deicded it was time to start fresh, breathe some new
fresh air into the band. We honestly feel it was the BEST move we could
have made. Since the name change we have been offered SO many more opportunities
than when we were Agressor. So we feel it was a great choice to do… As
far as what Magus Beast means,… I would have to check with Ron (vocals),
but I think his interpretation of it is something along the lines of a
SUPREME BEAST……hell it sounds cool too!!
3.THE SONGS ON THE ALBUM, IF I AM NOT
MISTAKEN ARE QUITE OLD. WHY HAVE YOU DECIDED TO RELEASE THEM NOW AND NOT
IN THE PAST?
Actually, here is the trick. This
whole CD is pretty old. We did record this in the fall on 1996 and released
it in the Winter or Spring of 1997. We were dormant for a few years
After Steve moved out west and our other drummer, Tony, decided to step
down, as we could never find anybody to fit the bill. All along while
we were dormant, we were still selling this CD all over the world.
We have sold several thousand copies of this CD and just when I think it
will quiet down, people keep ordering and I have to keep reordering from
the manufacturer!!! Which is great.
4.IS THIS RELEASE SELF FINANCED? IF
YES, IT'S REALLY BIZARRE FOR ME, SEEING SUCH A GREAT BAND LIKE YOU UNSIGNED...WHAT
DO YOU THINK OF THE METAL INDUSTRY?
Yes this CD was self financed.
Thanks for the compliments but yeah we haven’t gotten signed but then again
we were dormant for quite a while. We are in the studio now and should
be done with a new CD roughly around the new year… Things are going great
with it and the songs really kick some major ass!!!! You guys are
gonna love it, we certainly do.
5.WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LYRICS?
WHAT KIND OF LYRICS DO YOU LIKE TO WRITE? DO YOU PREFER REAL LIFE STORIES
OR FANTASY THEMES AND WHY?
For the most part, Ron (vocals)
is the one who write pretty much all of the lyrics. He has a much
more twisted mind than the rest of us. I have recently started working
a little bit on the lyric side of things but that is mostly Ron’s doing…
As far as what he writes about, shit. Depends on the mood he is in,
could be a story, could be about life, could be anything…. Like I said
the man has a sick mind!!!
6.YOUR MUSIC IS CLOSE TO BANDS LIKE
OVERKILL, JAG PANZER, JUDAS PRIEST. DO YOU AGREE? WHICH OTHER BANDS HAVE
INFLUENCED YOUR STYLE AND ATTITUDE?
I have heard some of those comparisons
and we really appreciate being mentioned along with such great bands as
those… We just set out to write what we like and what we would want to
hear…. Shit other bands, the list would be huge, here is a small sampling
of folks that may in some way influenced us (in no particular order) IRON
MAIDEN, MANOWAR, ANTHRAX, KING DIAMOND, MERCYFUL FATE, METALLICA, QUEENSRYCHE,
SLAYER, FREAKING EVERYBODY..mani could go on for days I guess…
7.ONE THING THAT SCARES ME IN THE 80S
BANDS IS THAT WHEN THEY REUNITE THEY ADD MODERN ELEMENTS IN THEIR MUSIC
LIKE NU METAL OR HARDCORE. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT? WILL MAGUS BEAST
CONTINUE TO PLAY 80S HEAVY METAL IN THE FUTURE?
Who knows what the older bands
are thinking when they reunite.. everybody has their reasons for doing
what they do, whether it be money, they like to experiment, or they have
aged and are into different shit, who knows. For us, it is bottom
line, we are who we are and We will continue to write aggressive shit that
we like to listen to so you can probably bet that when you a hear a new
song from MAGUS BEAST, you will damn well know it is us…..
8.HAS IT EVER HAPPENED TO YOU TO DREAM
OF A MELODY AND WHEN YOU WOKE UP SUDDENLY TO HAVE FORGOTTEN IT? IF YES,
HOW DID YOU FEEL?
Shit if I had a dollar for every
time I woke up and couldn’t remember an idea, I would be richer than Donald
Trump… The way I look at it is, if it comes back to me, then
there was a reason for it and it was that good that somehow my body wanted
to find that idea again.. if not, then fuck it, can’t wallow on shit that
didn’t happen.
9.HAVE YOU SENT THE ALBUM TO ANY MAGAZINES
OR LABELS? HOW WERE THE REACTIONS OF THE PRESS AND FANS?
I have been on a mad tear of sending
our shit to anyone and everyone who I think might be interested, fuck even
those that might not… the name of the game is promotions, you can never
get enough of it. The response we have gotten from the press and the fans
has and always has been, nothing less than incredible…. People are always
mailing or emaling and asking for more and more.. so soon enough, you guys
will have plenty more of us.
10.FINALLY, I WANT TO ASK YOU IF YOU
HAVE ANY NEW MATERIAL READY AND WHEN WILL IT BE RELEASED? LET'S HOPE WE
WON'T WAIT FOR ANOTHER 20 YEARS!! :)))
Ooops I guess I sort of blew this
question. The answer is YES. We are hard at work in the studio and
have about 5-6 songs completed ( in the recording process now ) and a bunch
more that are just about ready to record…….. of course we have a ton of
other material, but we are sorting through that as well, and see what we
like or don’t like.. so soon enough you will get sick of seeing a non stop
flow of new shit from MAGUS BEAST!!!
11.DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS FOR LIVE SHOWS?
WHAT SHOULD THE METALLERS EXPECT FROM A MAGUS BEAST LIVE SHOW? SHARE SOME
OF YOUR EXPERIENCES FROM YOUR LIVE SHOWS WITH US...
One thing about us, even if there
hasn’t been a new cd put out. We are CONSTANTLY playing out live.
In the last year or so alone, we have opened for a ton of great bands such
as KING DIAMOND, OVERKILL, SAVATAGE, FATES WARNING, VIRGIN STEELE, Strapping
Young Lad ( at Milwaukee Metalfest) the list goes on and on…Next Month
we are opening for BENT BROTHER, who actually is _______ can’t say
it direct but I will list the members – Dee Snider, Jay Jay French, AJ
Pero, Eddie Ojeda and Mark “the animal” Mendoza – some real SMF’s!!!… Our
shows are all out, give it our all shows where we go out and basically
give the biggest, loudest punch in the face with out material…..
we are not big into props and crap, except for lots of speakers!!!
We just come out and give it 10,000% every time……. The experiences
to list have gone from worst to best but there are way too many to try
to list.
12.WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO SOMEONE THAT
DOESN'T KNOW YOU, IN ORDER TO INTRIGUE HIS INTEREST? WHICH IS YOUR MOST
APPEALING ELEMENT ACCORDING TO YOU?
CHECK US OUT OR WE WILL FUCKIN
KILL YOU!!!!!!!!! Basically let them know that we are a very aggressive
and fast band that will kick there ass, check us out… let the music speak
for itself.
13.IF YOUR MUSIC WERE AN EMOTION, WHAT
WOULD IT BE? IF IT WERE A PAINTING, WHAT WOULD IT SHOW?
Damn, now we are getting philosophical
and shit.. how the hell would I know… each bit of our music contains all
different emotions at any given time.. so our shit is like life… as far
as a paint, I have no clue!!!!
14.IF YOU HAD A PROPOSAL TO DO A VIDEOCLIP,
WHICH SONG OF YOURS WOULD YOU CHOOSE AND HOW DO YOU IMAGINE IT TO BE?
Not sure of which song but most
likely it would be a live shoot and maybe add in some elements that go
along with the subject.
15.LET'S SUPPOSE THAT WE LIVE IN A
WORLD WITHOUT MUSIC. WHAT WOULD YOU DO IN SUCH A CASE?
Keep working my day job and probably
go insane!!!
16.IN WHICH MOVIE SOUNDTRACK WOULD
YOU LIKE TO HAVE TAKEN PART OR HAVE COMPOSED?
Don’t really know.. I don’t pay
too much attention to hat stuff…I try to write music that I like and that
comes from within so whatever comes of it, is fine by me!!!
17.THANK YOU! HAVE I FORGOTTEN TO ASK
YOU ANYTHING AND YOU'D LIKE TO MENTION?
We want to say THANK YO to you
and everyone out there that has heard of Magus Beast or have supported
us anywhere along the line.. and just let this be a warning to ya!!!
You ain’t seen NOTHING yet!! The best is yet to come, and SOON!!!!!!!!
Nick “William_Kidd”
Parastatidis
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