• Black metal and Classic Heavy metal, two genres of the same music, but yet so difficult to combine. WIZZARD and Teemu (leader of the band) are trying to achieve this and find the perfect combination. So, starting from that point we found interesting the idea of having a  short conversation about it and I think that their music proposal sounds very interesting.

1.GIVE A SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF THE BAND. WHICH ARE THE CURRENT MEMBERS?

• I, Teemu, founded the band as my solo-project back in 1995. I have more or less been Wizzard up until now being responsible for all the music excluding one song on the new album, which is the fourth of the band. The line-up has been changing a lot since I have been moving between different cities in Finland and here and there between Finland and Germany. For the time being, however, the line-up is stable and the others are also participating in the creative process. Wizzard has released one demo, "I Am the King" (1996), and four albums: "Wizzard" (1996), "Devilmusick" (1998), "Songs of Sin and Decadence" (2000) and "Black Heavy Metal" (2001). Furthermore, we have played over 20 live shows in Finland and Germany.

• We call our music Black Heavy Metal, because we combine dark themes with basic heavy metal riffing. Our list of influences should give you a pretty good idea of how our music is like: Mercyful Fate, Venom, Iron Maiden, Running Wild, Judas Priest, Grave Digger, Demon, Sacred Steel, Metalucifer, Manowar, Agent Steel etc. etc.

•  It is simply the essence of Metal music. To write exactly the music that I would most enjoy as a fan is my greatest inspiration. I mean, nobody else can do it for me, can s/he.

• We have used both keyboards and female vocals, albeit they have been just little extra spices       in a couple of songs. Of course one should experiment in music, otherwise it becomes boring, but one should also keep the elements that make metal metal and not forget them. Or if one does forget them, one should not call his/her music metal.

• I do not even want to express reality, at least not directly, in my lyrics. The lyrics are stories with which one can drift off the reality or proclamations rising the metal spirit, i.e. the perfect stuff for a metal piss up party ;-) I can deal with issues of reality, economics and politics and society, enough in my work that I don't need to preach about them any more in my metal lyrics.

• "Black Heavy Metal" from the new album, for it somewhat incorporates the whole band philosophy and is also a fucking excellent heavy metal song!

• The only real competition on our segment of the metal market - the extremest true metal corner - is very little. From (known) European bands I can only  name Sacred Steel, Goddess of Desire and Wizard as representatives of the same market, yet these bands are not our competitors as such, but our good mates. The point in that is that we don't need to convince people to buy our albums instead the ones of the competitors, but to inform them about our existence in this segment. Therefore I'd encourage people to buy the albums of Wizard, Goddess of Desire and Sacred Steel as well as ours with the very same arguments: if you want real metal without compromises, get it. If you like the bands I told are our influences, you should not hesitate a moment.

• I'd probably spend the time I spend on music on drinking even more beer. As much as I do love beer, I still can't see it as an option (metal and beer do belong together mind you ;-)), i.e. I could not imagine a life without metal.

• Necromantia and Rotting Christ, for instance. I'm not a fan of either, yet I must say that I respect both for sticking with a unique style already 5-8 years ago when everybody was copying the Norwegians.

• I haven't been much involved with the underground scene, if you define it as bands without a record deal, for quite a while, I'm afraid. Moreover, I have lived in Germany only about eight months by now, so also therefore I can't tell you much about new underground bands. The metal scene is very strong here. There is a big commercial scene led by the faggot magazine "Rock Hard", but also a strong underground scene for almost any imaginable metal subcategory. The        biggest problem here is the huge  supply in albums and gigs: you can't make out which album is worth buying or which gig is worth visiting, because there is such a mass of them.

• Yes, we have certainly played live more than twenty times, yet we have had more than a year complete break because of the whole line-up changing 'cos of  my move to Germany. I do enjoy playing live when the audience is good (principle: 30 REAL metalheads are better than 300 poofters) and the equipment alright. And there must be lots of beer too! ;-)

• I guess my most beloved book is "Lord of the Rings" because it's a great story with superb attention to the slightest detail. From literal heroes I would,nevertheless, probably choose Charles Bukowski's alter ego Henry Chinasky.

• "Metal Forever" by the almighty Goddess of Desire!!!

• Certainly that would be an interesting challenge. I would most likely choose an epic historical film, which is anyway the category I enjoy the most, something like "Stalingrad" would be cool...

• Thanks, Nick, for your cool support! People like you do keep the underground alive! Whoever wishes to learn more about Wizzard can read and hear more stuff at: www.blackheavymetal.de