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These fine
gentlemen under the monicker Stormwarrior come from Germany to show us
how they think heavy metal should be played. They also come, through this
interview, to remind us that true metal can be found within all the genres
and that it's not the privilege of a specific branch. Lars, the man behind
the band, had a talk with us about these and many other interesting stuff.
Care to see?
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Lindisfarne
was just the beginning...
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1.HELLO! FIRST OF ALL TELL US IN A
FEW WORDS THE BAND'S STORY TILL NOW. WHO ARE THE FOUNDERS AND WHICH IS
THE CURRENT LINE UP?
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Stormwarrior was founded on New Year's
Eve 1997/1998 by me and our former drummer Andre who also played on the
album. When we were completed by Tim (bass) and Scott (guitar) we did the
first demotape (Metal Victory) and one year later another one (Barbaric
Steel). After the second demo we were contacted by the italian label Dream
Evil Records. They wanted to release a 7" (Possessed by Metal) with two
songs from the second tape. The next release was another 7" (Spikes &
Leather) but this was released by Remedy Records already. At that time
Tim (bass) left the band and was replaced for a short time by Gabriel who
is pictured on the album but actually never played anything on that. In
summer 2002 we recorded the album with Kai Hansen and Dirk Schlächter.
Soon after the production Andre left the band because of his main band
Dark Age. So that the current and hopefully stable line-up is: Scott Bölter
(Guitar), Jussi Zimmermann (Bass), Falko Reshöft (Drums) and Lars
Ramcke (Guitar, Vocals).
2.STORMWARRIOR. HOW DID YOU
CHOOSE THIS NAME? DOES IT HAVE A SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU? HOW IMPORTANT
IS IT FOR A METAL BAND TO HAVE THE CORRECT MONICKER?
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Well, actually Stormwarrior could be
a name for every real Metallian receiving the everydaystorm of shit from
society but who won't pay tribute to them. I think we came up with the
idea in one of our drunken nights in a metal pub. (The word "Monicker"
I don't know and I couldn't find it in any dictionary,
so I didn't understand the question).
3.YOU ALWAYS TALK ABOUT HEAVY
METAL MUSIC IN YOUR LYRICS. WHY DO YOU DO THAT? WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO ANSWER
TO ALL THOSE WHO MIGHT SAY THAT YOUR LYRICS ARE A BIT NAIVE? IS IT POSSIBLE
TO WRITE LYIRCS FOR OTHER SUBJECTS
IN THE FUTURE (FOR EXAMPLE EPIC THEMATOLOGY)?
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I don't think our lyrics are naive.
There were also in the eightees lyrics about that and there were also some
naive lyrics back then. But actually on the album is not every song about
living Metal, there are also some others and at the moment I'm writing
songs for the second album and I just finished
one song about ancient nordic sacrifices. So you can expect interesting
lyrics on the next album.
4.I THINK THAT ALONG WITH LONEWOLF
FROM FRANCE YOUR SOUND IS INFLUENCED BY RUNNING WILD. WHICH IS YOUR OPINION
FOR THIS BAND? WHICH OTHER BANDS INFLUENCED YOU?
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For me Running Wild is not Running
Wild anymore. A drumcomputer on the albums and working together with a
trendband (Donuts) for a commercial coverversion of a Running Wild song,
that's not what Running Wild once was standing for. Besides the old RW
and very early Helloween I also listen to eightees bands like Omen, Axehammer,
Abattoir, Warrant, Witchkiller, Ruthless, Bathory, Angel
Witch, Overkill,....
5.KAI HANSEN PARTICIPATES IN
YOUR NEW ALBUM. HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO COOPERATE WITH HIM? IN WHICH SONG
DID HE PARTICIPATE? WHAT KIND OF PERSON IS HE?
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We know each other for quite a while
now since we met in a metal pub in Hamburg and when we got the deal with
Remedy Records we asked him to do the album with us. He paticipates in
Chains of Slavery and Iron Prayers. And the coverversion of Heavy Metal
is the law we splited the vocals and the guitarparts. Kai is a great guy.
In spite of his success with Helloween and now with Gamma Ray he does not
behave like what you call a "Rockstar" or something like that. He just
stays normal and is not arrogant like some other people in the scene.
6.THE COVER ARTWORK OF YOUR
ALBUM IS VERY GOOD. I THINK THAT IT WAS MADE BY A WELL KNOWN ARTIST. CAN
YOU TELL US SOME THINGS ABOUT IT?
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Uwe Karczewski drew the coverartwork.
He also did the first Helloween covers and the old Iron Angel stuff. We
liked his works and I think he did a good job for us too.
7.HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO
RECORD THE ALBUM AND IN WHICH STUDIO? IS IT A CONCEPT?
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No there is no concept in the album.
We recorded in Hamburg in the Hansen's studio and we wanted to create a
sound that has the aggression of the great eightees sound that went lost
in the last years. So it took about two and a half months with some short
breaks.
8.ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE
PROMOTION YOUR LABEL IS DOING FOR YOU? WHAT KIND OF FEEDBACK DO YOU RECEIVE
FOR THE ALBUM FROM THE PRESS AND FANS?
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Yes, I think Remedy Records does a
good job. They started not a long time ago with nearly nothing and now
they are on the way to be germans best metal independent label. So it's
an honour to be part of this. The album was received very good for a debut
album. We got many great reviews in the metal press and many people wrote
us that they like the album. But what I think is really good already is
the aggression and roughness that not many bands can call their own anymore.
9. WHICH DO YOU THINK IS THE
BEST AND WHICH IS THE WORST PART IN YOUR MUSIC? WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU
NEED FURTHER IMPROVEMENT?
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Difficult question. I think the vocals
will get more improvement because actually I am not singing for a long
time now. And of course because of the new line-up we have to prepare for
playing for live-gigs together.
10.WHAT DO YOU PREFER MORE:
DO YOU WANT YOUR ALBUM TO BE APPRECIATED BY THE FANS OR BY THE MAGAZINES
AND WHY?
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Of course reviews in zines are important
also to inform the followers that there is a new album out, but we don't
play our music to get great reviews and to sell a lot of records. If the
followers like it then everything is alright. But I would not say that
we play music just for the fans. We do that because we like it and if other
people are like-minded then it's ok, if not it's also ok.
11.IN YOUR LYRICS YOU TALK A
LOT ABOUT TRUE HEAVY METAL. CAN YOU GIVE ME YOUR OWN DEFINITION OF HEAVY
METAL? WHO DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE FALSE?
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Actually I never talk about True Heavy
Metal because for me that became a notion of the bigger metal labels and
press to sell every shit band. (Not that every band who says to play "True
Metal" is shitty). For me True Metal is not bound to a certain style in
metal. As long as the people live Metal and not only play Metal and the
music is free from any gay non-metal sound it could be called that way.
So it doesn't matter if the band plays straight Heavy-, Thrash- Speedmetal
or great Death- or Blackmetal. As long as the roots are not forgotten and
the music stays pure it is true Metal.
12.WHY HAVE YOU RELEASED YOUR
FIRST 2 DEMOS IN TAPE FORMAT AND NOT IN A CD-R LIKE MOST BANDS DO NOWADAYS?
IS ANY SONG FROM THESE DEMOS INCLUDED IN YOUR OFFICIAL ALBUM?
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Because I actually don't like cds that
much. So tapes shall be used for demos and vinyl for albums and singles,
that would be perfect. For the album we rerecorded Signe of the Warlorde,
Sons of Steele, Bounde by the Oathe and Defenders of Metal.
13.ARE YOU ANNOYED BY PEOPLE
WHO JUDGE THE ARTISTIC VALUE OF A BAND BY THE NUMBER OF CD'S IT SELLS?
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Yes. No one can tell me that gay melodic
metal bands who are big in Europe and sell a lot of records have a higher
value than perls of the eightees like Witchkiller or Axehammer only because
they didn't sell that many records.
14.IF ELECTRICITY CEASED TO
EXIST, WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD HAPPEN TO HEAVY METAL MUSIC? WOULD IT BE
VANISHED OR TRANSFORMED?
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I think then Heavy Metal Music would
be the roaring voices and the striking swords of underground barbarians
who attack the rulers of this earth.
15.IF YOU HAD THE ABILITY TO
TRAVEL IN TIME, WHICH HISTORICAL PERIOD WOULD YOU LIKE TO VISIT AND WHY?
WHAT WOULD YOU MISS THE MOST FROM OUR TIMES?
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Two periods. First back into the eightees
to see all the great bands live. Another period is the Viking Age. I would
go there to warn our forefathers about christianity and the church to prevent
their invasion and to keep paganism alive into our time. I really would
like to know what it all would look like.
16.WHAT TITLE WOULD YOU LIKE
THIS INTERVIEW TO HAVE?
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Lindisfarne was just the beginning
17.THANK YOU! THESE LINES BELON
TO YOU...
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Well, thank you for the interview,
and a great hail to all who like the album. See you on the festivals.
Nick "William_Kidd"
Parastatidis