Armin Zelzer
Hammerschmitt
Hello Lior, the pleasure is all mine. After we finally finished working on our new album, we invested much time in our videos and tried promoting with them even before the release of "Dr. Evil".
The album simply reflects the last three years with all its ups and downs after the release of "Still on Fire". We have never been more committed and in our opinion, "Dr. Evil" puts everything in a nutshell. It just feels complete, well-developed and authentic. We are very, very happy with the result.
We have always loved writing our own songs, but were often driven away from it for various reasons. Partly it was our own fault because we used to be a cover band for several years. But we (especially I) also had to learn to accept the fact that German song texts do not really go well with our musical style. Ultimately, "Dr. Evil" continues with what we have started with "Still on Fire" – back to the roots, we finally arrived home! There is nothing better than getting the appreciation and respect for your own written songs.
There really is no special meaning behind it. This is how it works: Ben comes up with a vocal line, using made-up or somewhat English words, the main thing is that it sounds cool. After that I put the words on the exact vocal line. When I began working on the text, I used to hear "cause I´m doctor Evil" over and over again in my head. The others and I liked it and that is how we came up with the title for our opening song. We definitely did not think of Austin Powers, hehe
The interplay of the songs, the bands´ energy, the artwork, the mix and mastering, but especially the intensity with which the album was recorded. I think, we have not been able to bring all of that together in such a good way until now. Every band has its special album where everything seems to be just right and it is not important what everybody thinks of it, because that´s how you wanted it to be and no questions remain unanswered from the very first song. To us, "Dr. Evil" is this kind of album – a milestone.
We do hope that "Dr. Evil" makes young metalheads or fans from different genres, who usually do not enjoy this kind of music at first, curious. Most fans, however, are rather conservative when it comes to their music, then again, you can notice a certain tendency towards bands from the 80s and 90s. It is almost a longing, even of many younger fans, who would have liked to have been there back then, and "Dr. Evil" would be just right for them.
We are a well-coordinated team; everyone contributes their fair share. Gernot, Summi and I get the idea for a new song which all of us work on until everyone is satisfied. After that or even in between, Ben creates his vocal line and once we have decided on a title, I write the matching song lyrics.
Absolutely right, the sound of the album is genuinely amazing. Gernot really wanted Achim Köhler to bring "Dr. Evil" to life. He is an extremely professional person and knows how Metal has to sound like – a big step forward for us!
Lyrically, "War", "Metalized" and "End of time" make a really big differences for me, because there are, in fact, related to our band history in a very, very personal way. Musically, "Saints of Rock" and "Unreal" are like a travel back in time, but just as you rightly said, "Dr. Evil" is so much more. It is so diverse that I would make a new choice by tomorrow already. The title song itself or the powerful "Say my name"…sorry! haha
We played "Restart Your Fire", "Saints of Rock", "Tonight" and "Dr. Evil", and the reactions were very good and show that our new album is also extremely powerful live. But this is just the beginning, "Fly", "Metalized" and "Unreal" will follow.
Simply our credibility. We have known each other since 1986 and have made music in the same line-up ever since. This spark of friendship leaps over to the fans. I do not know how to explain it to you, it is something which makes our concerts unique.
This year´s highlight is our release concert on October 19th, 2019 in our home town Munich. For 2020, our wish is to play on big festivals to become more known and then we will see.
To be honest, I wish the old times would make a comeback. You spend much more time listening to your favorite music, after all, a long-playing record had two sides and a vinyl was a sacred possession. Nowadays someone listens to your music for three seconds at maximum and then clicks on the next song and forgets about you. The internet offers endless advertising opportunities but at the same time supply exceeds its limits. Nowadays word about you spreads fast but you are just as quickly forgotten. It is both a blessing and a curse.
Very difficult question to be honest. Right now, I can not think of any bands. I think the big arenas and stadiums will be pretty empty once all the great heroes have quit and I guess you have to count bands like Slipknot in on that, have you not? The last concerts I went to were Saxon and Metallica, simply amazing!
We would like to do all of that very much, but our luck depends on the success of "Dr. Evil". For now, we have no tours planned. We have made some arrangements, especially for festivals, but not before 2020!
Thank you very, very much Lior, it was an honor!
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