Primal Fear: primal energy

Metalfan: Hello and welcome to Metalfan.ro. How are you guys doing these days?
Very busy, playing every weekend some festivals somewhere else in Europe !

Metalfan: Seems to be a good year for touring, doesn’t it? You’ve done the 10 years anniversary tour this spring, there’s going to be a summer tour, you are going to play in Russia and Romania for the first time… Things are going pretty well for Primal Fear!
Yes, we’re very excited and the quality and energy of our shows is getting better and better! We never played that many festivals during the summer and it seems after ten years in the metal business, Primal Fear is become a very serious factor and is well respected in every country in the world! Great for us!

Metalfan:  What can you tell us about the shows themselves, how did the tour go so far, what expectations do you have for the future shows?
We want to optimize our show. Sometimes we’re still too wild on stage and a little too nervous in the very beginning, but that’s a great sign too. We’re still 100% motivated and dedicated to our band and shows. Sweden Rock Festival and the Basinfirefest were the two best shows, we’ve played for a long long time regarding the fan reaction!

Metalfan: You’ve got a new guy in the band, the well-known Swedish guitarist Magnus Karlsson. How did you get the idea to approach him about this job? Did he meet your expectations?
Mat is working with Magnus since three years. They've been writing great songs together and became good friends. That’s why Magnus was playing on three songs on the New Religion album already and they wrote two great songs for Mat’s new Sinner album. After Stefan decided he needs more time for his family, Magnus was the logic person to step in his big shoes, while Magnus played fantastic till the first minute with us. He is one of the most talented guitarists now and I can’t wait to record the new album with him!

Metalfan: Magnus is reportedly going to join the band permanently. Knowing that he is also acknowledged as a composer and producer, in what way do you think he will put his mark on the following Primal Fear albums?
As Mat & Magnus are already a sensational songwriting team, the rest of band know their compositions and it will be a hell of fun and satisfaction to record a new album with Magnus and Henny on guitars!

Metalfan: On the same note, a news headline on your website reported that the new album is already in the making, how advanced is the work?
We wrote 5 songs so far and we’re really blown away by the riffs and the melodies. Our best stuff so far! We will write another bunch of 10 songs and then we plan to enter the studio in November and start the recordings, with a deadline in January 2009 and a release in May 2009 – that’s the plan for now. No engineers or mixers have been decided yet, but we’re in contact with some great guys!

Metalfan: You announced the working title to be 16.6. What does it mean?
Hahaha! you’re joking? That’s a riddle – the one who finds out first will receive a free t-shirt from us!

Metalfan: Your latest album to date, New Religion, marked an unexpected turn in the bands musical approach, being melodic and featuring a great deal of progressive arrangements. Is the following album going to continue in that direction?
We never do the same album as the previous one in the future again. We’re looking out for some new ideas, new sounds and some new musical frontiers for us. We have the courage in working on new controversial stuff too. Let us surprise the metal fans again with the forthcoming album.

Metalfan: It’s been a while since New Religion has been released, how do you feel about it now? Are you satisfied with the overall fans’ reaction?
Great! Some of the best songs of our entire career are on this album. The production is really up to date and represents the band really well! The fans reaction overall is great, all over the world and it was a nice step forward for us!

Metalfan: What songs form New Religion seem to be crowd favourites so far?
Sign of fear, Blood on your hands, Fighting the darkness, Face the emptiness – but I can speak only for me, hahaha. Everytime it rains is killer too, but we can’t take Simone all time with us on tour just to sing only one song.

Metalfan: How do you set up your playlist? How do you decide which songs go in or out of the playlist?
We know from a lot of discussing with our loyal fans, what they want to hear. We combine this with our view and most loved songs in the band and make a nice BEST OF compromise for everybody!
 
Metalfan: Do you usually include coversongs in your playlist?
No, not anymore – if a concert is very very special, like on the last tour in Belgium for example and we play 5 encores, it could be that we decide for a special song.
 
Metalfan: On the same note, what is the playlist for the show in Bucharest going to look like?
Expect a 75 minutes Best Of Primal Fear playlist – 10 Years Of Metal – every album will have one, two or three songs in the setlist!

Metalfan: What can the Romanian fans expect from your performance? How would you describe your live performance?
Primal Fear is known as a very energetic live band. For us performance is great, if the band and the audience have a great communication and the musicians are 100% satisfied with their playing. The energy is a big factor, why a Primal Fear show is that special and if we have the chance – space & soundwise in Bucharest, we will deliver!

Metalfan: What do you know about Romania and is there something that you would like to get to know while you are here?
Our free time is very short this time and of course there are a lot of interesting places to visit, but the show comes first and we will deliver a great show, so every private interest comes second!

Metalfan:  You will share the stage with Judas Priest in Bucharest, have you already met them, is this the first time you play with them?
We played a lot festivals with them in the past and we even did an entire tour with Rob Halford’s band in the US. We know each other and we respect Judas Priest as one of the originators of heavy metal, a world class band with world class songs and classics!

Metalfan: Any final words?
We’re really looking out for the show in Romania and a great time with the fans out there!!!