ARTILLERY (Eng.)
– Thank you so much for answering our interview. How is the band currently doing?
Michael Bastholm : Hi Paco! Thank you so much for wanting to talk to us, we’re doing fine these days.
Michael Stüttzer : We are doing great, thanx Paco
– You are releasing a new album, entitled «Legions». Tell us a little about it’s creation and final outcome on your view.
Michael Bastholm : Well, first of all, we wanted an album that pretty much summed up everything about Artillery and included some new elements as well. So the title is regarded to our fans, but the track has a meaning on its own also. But the whole process went really quick and fast, and I guess you can hear that too. The album came out as we wanted I guess, since we so deeply involved during the writing and recording process, it was almost a surprise when we heard it all together for the first time, we were really pleased – and relieved too hehe
Michael Stüttzer : It has been one of the fastest Artillery Albums we have been recording, and it was a bit tough to do because of our heavy touring. But it have been giving it a lot of Dynamic and nerve because the songs were so fresh when we ented the studio and we are very satisfied how it ended up!
– Listening to the album it honestly sounds quite aggressive yet really clean, with no cracks. Are you satisfied with the production? Have you got the sound you were really looking for?
Michael Bastholm : Yes, we wanted the sound to have the trademark aggressive sound, but also still keeping it accessible. There’s a lot of stuff going on at times, so in order not to overblow the soundscape, we kept the sound clean also. It’s still really solid and heavy, but you can do a lot of stuff with the sound we decided to use.
Michael Stüttzer : In my opinion is the best production on an Artillery album ever both very heavy and easy to hear all instruments etc!
– This opus contains 10 tracks, something really welcomed since CDs exist, as sometimes 14 o 16 songs can make an album boring. Are these 10 tunes the only ones you had for this record?
Michael Bastholm : No, we actually had a track, which we did not use or record. Otherwise yes, there were no more songs than these 10 songs, which agreed, were to keep the album fresh and intense. Also the songs are quite long, some of them, so yes, it would become too long a record with, say, 15 songs on it.
Michael Stüttzer : Define your sins was a track who was close + rerecording of the song Welcome to the mind factory but we ended up only using the 10 songs to not keep Legions to long!
– Along the same lines, ¿did you have any songs that didn’t make it to the album or is there any old song among these 10 songs?
Michael Bastholm : Apart from the bonus tracks on the digi-version of the album, there were no old songs lying around or anything. And I guess I answered the first question above, so yes, we scraped one song, but maybe it will show up somewhere in the future, or not! hehe
Michael Stüttzer : The song Enslaved To The Nether was original written in 2007 without the lyrics who was done arround the same time as the others!
– About the topics and lyrics, tell us a bit de cover’s concept and the lyrics on the album. ¿What does a band like ARTILLERY talk about in 2013?
Michael Bastholm : The same things they talked about in 1985! Hehe, well, of course there are some new topics along the lines as well, but the world is still a corrupt, dangerous and imposing place to be. Injustice and decline of human rights is still everyday news and the state of our ecosystem is still suffering. So, I guess we just talk and sing about it in different ways these days, but overall it’s pretty much the same. The cover is like a shady representation of, how a weapon shield would look like, if was to be an Artillery weapon shield.
Michael Stüttzer : There are really a vibe back to the early days in the lyrics this time and personally I like that a lot. Good job by Michael!
– And about the line-up you have nowadays; tell us a bi about it. What musicians are currently among its ranks and has any line-up change affected you during the last years?
Michael Bastholm : We’ll I guess any line-up change has an impact on a band. But I guess it was for the better, the band needed new people around since both Søren and Carsten decided to leave. They were never pushed. So now we have Josua Madsen on drums and Michael Bastholm Dahl on vocals as the new members. The core of the band still consists from Michael and Morten Stützer on guitars and Peter Thorslund on bass.
– Throughout these last 4 years you have released 2 albums; how has this new ARTILLERY’s period been? Are you satisfied with what you’ve done during these last years? And how is the feedback you’ve seen from your fans?
Michael Stüttzer : It has been very buisy period touring a lot arround the world, playing in South America, US, been on a European tour and The Barge To Hell (a cruise for only Metal fans) and playing some great festivals like Bang Your Head, Copenhell, Metal Mission and Maryland deathfest among others! So we are very grateful for that and for the support of the fans!
– In 1999 you did a new incursion in the scene with an album entitled «B.A.C.K»., why did the band have no continuity and why did we have to wait 10 years again?
Michael Stüttzer : We was not really a band at that time, we where more like a project with a session drummer and only played at Wacken 2000 and 1 gig in Copenhagen. Due to Flemming did not wanted to tour we could not do so much! So we first really was back in action in 2007 with a new singer and could tour again! It has been a great journey since then!
– Talking about ARTILLERY is talking about a cult band into the 80’s underground scene. How was ARTILLERY born and how was the Danish scene back in the 80’s?
Michael Stüttzer : Where there was a little bit of everything, from bands as PRETTY MAIDS or MERCYFUL FATE to some others like MALTESE FALCON or RANDY. Artillery was born in late 1982 with Morten and I + our first singer coming from a outfit called Devil´s Symphony and Carsten and Jørgen from a band they already had named Artillery with only 2 guys! There was only Mercyful Fate who played the more heavier stuff like us!
– During your beginnings you released albums as «Fear of Tomorrow» and «Terror Squad», nowadays cult records. How was the era of those two releases?
Michael Stüttzer : It was a tough but fun period and we had a hard time on Neat Records who released both Fear of tomorrow and Terror squad! For an example they delayed Terror Squad for over a year and never really gave us the support we wanted!
– And nowadays, with his technology an easy access to albums like the aforementioned, do you notice a new wave of fans? From the following generations of the 80’s?
Michael Stüttzer : Yes there is a lot of new fans coming which is great, sometimes you can see father and son or Mother and daughter coming to see us which is amazing! The internet have open a lot of new doors for us!
– Talking about such, what’s your point on the Internet and new technologies? Do you think the comeback of many bands is due to the new fans? Or maybe because nowadays is easier than back in the day to reach the world and being known from any part of the world?
Michael Bastholm : The internet has definitely made information easier, and for old bands to know, that there still are a lot of fans out there listening to them is a giant motivator. It’s cool to be able to communicate with fans so easily and at the same time, it also takes some of the mystery away. I guess it’s faster to communicate things out, but people also have a ton of other things they could do, so it’s harder to impress people these days also.
– Coming back to the present, how does the promo for the album look? Do you have any tours or festivals boked for this year or 2014?
Michael Bastholm : I have no idea about how the promo looks haha, sorry! – and regarding tours, everything is rescheduled until next year, so 2014 is going to be one hell of a year celebrating the rock n roll lifestyle hehe! Very much looking forward to that!
Michael Stüttzer : It´s being releashed for the magazines etc as a online promo and we are planning a new Us and European tour beside playing some festivals as Metal Days among others! In January/February we will also go to South America again!
It´s going to be a busy year again!
– And on a view to the future, do you plan new recordings? Or anything you have never done before, like a live album or DVD?
Michael Bastholm : Well, we did a livealbum and DVD with “One Foot in the Grave”, but making a new live DVD would be awesome and hopefully something we can do in the near future. But what I can say is, that we will do another album. Ideas have already been laid out, so it’s going to be killer!
Michael Stüttzer : A DVD will be great and we hope we can do that soon with the new line up!
– That’s all from our side, our best wishes and hope both the new album and its tour will work really good. Thank you so much.
Michael Bastholm : Well, thank you so much! – Thank you for your attention, care and interest! It means so much to us! And to all guys out there:Have a great time, take care and stay metal!
Michael Stüttzer : Thanks a lot for your support, look out for Artillery coming your way to Thrash!
