My relationship with the Internet? I've only had a computer for like six months only and I'm absolutely addicted to it. It's a necessary tool to get your music or any kind of business you have. It's an operation for advertising. You can be exposed to anything...I mean, the Net is totally your friend. Yeah, It's a necessary evil!

Well, you can get access to anything you want! Anything! Any perversion, any kind of thing your into...anything!

Yeah! Hahaha!

Fuck Metallica! Fuck Metallica!...I used to like them but now they have too much money and you know...I'm jealous! (laughter) They're fucking abusing their power too much.

Yeah, I guess so. Congrats to him, he's a great songwriter. I can't wait to hear what he's got to offer...you know, on a solo thing.

I hope so! I hope so! He's gonna kick everybody's ass. That dude is gonna fucking come back...

I really don't know! I think it's great! I think it's a great avenue for people who want to check out sounds and other bands. I think it's awesome! Sometimes when I hear something about a band, I've got to hear it you know, I've got to see for myself what I'm gonna buy. I think it's a perfect avenue for advertising. Definitely! Especially in places where you can't find the Record...just order it now on CD.COM.

Hell no!

Fuck no! I don't have the time. I don't have a fucking DSL. I can't just sit there for half an hour and download a whole album. There's other people in my family who want to use the phone, you know...(laughter) If I were to download an album, I'd just go and buy the CD! And if I don't like it, I go to the warehouse and turn it in for something else.

Yeah, you can just...return it you know. So I want something else you know...

Well I don't say that directly to them. I actually say I'd like to exchange this for this record...you know like I'd like my money back please. That's just the way it goes.

Williams is a fucking shred-mobile! He's an awesome player, he's classically trained and he's perfect for us. He has fit in so fast, so well and we've got an awesome drummer by the name of Karl Rosqvisk...

Rosqvisk I think...Um, Swedish names you know...Ushka Buska Dushka Burger

Hehe, yeah, do you remember the Swedish Chef on the Muppets? (imitation of the Swedish Chef - haha, so damn funny)

Yeah, I know. He's cool. I don't mean to be making fun of anybody...I'm not a racist in any way. I love the European connection I've been having in the past two years. It really opened my mind and helped me learn a lot. And you know, there's a lot of great Metal coming from Sweden!

Yes but there's also Power Metal coming from Sweden. Like Tad Morose...they're fucking awesome. Also Le Fay...have you heard of Le Fay?

We toured with them! Those guys rule but they broke up sadly. I'm sure they'll resurface into something else.

Yeah, they had to! They had no choice! (laughter). We were preparing Book of the Dead because we had to go on tour and we were like Hi! Welcome to the band! By the way you'll have to learn this and this and this... (laughter)
No, we didn't do that. They're very good musicians and they caught on really quick, adapted very well and I'm very proud of them. We're very happy to have them aboard. I hope they will stay with us.

No...please [Rick laughs satanically]

They can stand over me with a whip. I wouldn't mind...
(laughter)...Kidding!

Nah, there was really no problems. I'm very satisfied. It's probably our best sound in record. Very crystal clear...a very good production. My only complaint is I wish we had more songs! But to be honest with you, we wanted it to be short, simple and sweet. We basically want quality in our music and not quantity. I wouldn't want to have a bunch of failures so we want to have something that's direct into the point. Trust me, once we've got one record finished, we've already got the next one written.

Well...basically Steve and I wanted to have this as a concept album but things never really came together. We've always been inspired by esoteric type of knowledge and especially Egyptian hieroglyphics. Book of the Dead is something that resulted from our reading books and stuff...

Kind of over everybody's head...

That's only the cover. Let me explain further. Book of the Dead basically, the twelve songs...actually there's eight of them with vocals and they all tell a story. Each story is about a person's experiences, the dark side of humanity...Failure, Doom, alienation...Things like that! We love lyrics that talk to people...we want people to think. We don't like making lyrics that people won't understand. The reason why the title Book of the Dead came about is basically that we wanted to tell stories that deal with really disturbing subjects.

Yes, it talked about the afterlife and stuff but none of the songs have anything to do with that. It's basically the idea about the Artwork and stuff...to look...you know...METAL! (with a rather loud and brutal voice hehe) I don't wanna mislead anybody in any way. If we were to do that, there are bands that obviously do it better, like Nile. We're not like Death Metal. We don't wanna get people into the wrong impression of us. We could do a Death Metal Record by the way...

No, no, no, no. [Rick starts singing some bastard saints and other words I couldn't make out...in Death Metal vocals, hahaha)

The thing is I can't fucking talk for like a week after that! I guess I could do certain things but I certainly couldn't do it night after night. That's what I really admire and respect in Death Metal and Black Metal singers. Their voices are so demonic! God I don't know how they fucking wake up and swallow their breakfast without really seriously causing serious damage to their vocal chords! (laughter)

I LOVE DIMMU BORGIR! They're my absolute favorite right now! They're so fucking good!

I haven't heard them yet but if they're like ex-members of Dimmu Borgir and Old Man's Child they must sure kick ass!

Oh yeah! I love Black Metal! I love European Metal. I could go on and on for like hours about bands I like...We're already stealing enough from Iron Maiden (laughter - Rick was joking), I'll have to talk to Steve about that! (laughter) So I don't know...I kind of wanna escape that. I have to talk to Steve about that one. I don't know why every album of ours has something that reminds people of Iron Maiden...don't you think?

Oh...now that's something different! (laughter) I've been defending it all day cause like the song Escaped is very Iron Maiden-ish.

No, not the Trooper...You know that riff [Rick sings a riff I didn't remember listening to anywhere in their album]...that's from Hallowed Be Thy Name.

[Rick Sings] Yeahhh...Hallowed be Thy Name...

You should have seen me in the studio when I was recording that! I was pissing Steve off!

Oh yeah! Cause I was like I don't wanna record the song! It's so Maiden-ish! and he was like [Heck! I don't know! Rick is a man of a million weird noises! Hahaha]...and then I was like Ok...SCREAM FOR ME LONG-BEACH ARENA! (laughter - what else hehe) and Steve was like Ok God damn it! Stop fucking around here!.

I want you to suck my balls! [Rick does an imitation of Cartman's voice and Trust me he's the best! Hahaha]

How would you like to suck my balls Mr. Garrison?

I like Metallica, Steele prophet...I Don't know, Iron Maiden...they tend to suck! Fuck that! I'm not fair!

I'm a fuckin' little demon. You either like me or you hate me. All you have to do is tell me stop it - go away and I'll, I'll I'll, I'll, I'll...go (laughter)

Hehe...ok, ok. I'll be serious now, I promise.

I'm sorry...I'm sorry (in an acting sort of way haha. Very funny as usual)

At the moment, right now, there's really nothing scheduled as far as Europe. Now, there is some talk about a West Coast tour in the US. We were supposed to play in some Festival in America in Kalamazoo but the guy couldn't guarantee us flight tickets there and Hotel accommodations so we told him to blow it...Now from what I understand we're scheduled to play in some festival in Hungary.

Yeah, that's what I hear. I've never been to Hungary...I'm Hungary...I'm so Hungary [he pronounced it fast so it was more like hungry haha]. So, we're supposed to do that but as far as tour plans...there's nothing really that I can tell you.

Because America is huge and everybody's generic and everybody's weaned on fucking crap. Generally the masses...if they found something that has a really appealing image like Sex...

Yeah...the world spins around a big cock! (laughter) And everybody loves...SEX. And that's what really markets you know...so, I don't know. America, go figure! And there are these bands right now...they're calling themselves Metal...

Yeah...Rollin' Rollin' Rollin...watcha gonna do now?...I wanna kick that cocksucker in the balls!

I'm telling you! I'm telling you...what the...[Rick imitates a bit of Korn and we laugh again]. I don't know man. They're making money and I'm not and I'm fucking mad so...that's just the way it is.

What ever happened to the good music? Remember how you felt when a Piece of Mind came out? Or waiting after Number of the Beast to go get the next Maiden and when Dio first joined Sabbath and you went like wow! Fuck!...and opening the sleeves of the record and going wow!. What happened to all that?

34! I'm just an old man singing... [Rick imitates an old man's voice] I remember...when I was your age

Haha thanks. I'm a fucking complete clown!

Well, some interviews are like so damn boring and some others ...I can hardly understand them, they can hardly speak English...I don't blame them...they're like asking some really in depth questions and I have to really pay attention to what they're doing. But to be quite honest with you...like after the three last interviews...I start drinking! I start drinking!

Trust me, I am enjoying it very much! (laughter) I have to say I've heard the most phenomenal things about Greece. I mean, from Gamma Ray they told me You know what? You can barely leave your bus! The kids wanna meet you, they wanna touch you, they want something... and I was like cool! I can't wait to be in Greece! I want to be taken over! hahaha!

I would like to do a live album in Greece like...Iced Earth!

I know what you're saying. I just hope that Book of the Dead won't be turned off by the fans. Our previous album had a lot of speed Metal element...it had a lot of fastness. It was quite a different record. Now, Book of the Dead is a complete step for us. Hopefully in the right direction. I hope that fans will understand that we're trying to grow as songwriters as well. Hopefully they won't think that we're wimping out and that we're becoming...pussy-like, you know.

Yeah, absolutely. I think we can dive into anything we wanna do pretty much. If we set our minds to do it, we can achieve it. I've got the type of voice where I can pretty much do anything and I'm not trying to brag or say oh, I'm so special. I think I'm possessed by demons...I like get this strong feel and it like comes out of my throat and I go oh my God! Did I just do that?. It's kind of like that. I'm hopping that we can grow and that our music will remain timeless.

I don't know. Time will tell my friend. I can't really answer that. [Rick gets a deadline from the Promotion Company...because we had already been talking for ages!]

Basically I just wanna say that I can't wait to play live in Greece. I've heard so many good things. Please, if you've got the money and you've got the time...pick up Book of the Dead and you won't be disappointed. Hopefully we'll see you soon!

Oh, we're going to a Greek restaurant by the way! I'm going to eat gyro! Hahaha! So, man, it was a pleasure talking to ya! Take care yourself!