IRON FIRE (Eng.)
– First of all thank you so much for answreing to our questions and, how’s the band currently doing until the release of the new album?
Well, we´re just been in the rehearselroom working on the new songs of course, making up ideas and concepts for the next record all the usual stuff and breaking in the new guitarplayer, Rune.
– Tell us a bit what does «Voyage to the Damned» deal with, as well as how were the recording sessiones and what can we find on this new piece.
First of all, Voyage of the damned is a record with a space theme, first time for us not hero and swords and stuff, we took another angle on this record to play more with rythms not just double bassdrums all the time but a more modern twist to it, as musicians you need to evovle and test yourself how far you can take your music instead of just do the same thing over and over again, it´s a bit risky, but I´m sure it´s worth it and people will like it.
– Listening to the effort I find a quite epic work in production terms and choirs but, at the same time, really melodic in vocal terms. Was this what you were looking for this record?
Our new guitarplayer is also a keyboardplayer so he really lifted the whole thing with big choirs and such, we also changed the producer from Tommy Hansen to Jacob Hansen to make it sound more up to date and more detailed and I think he really nailed it. It´s still very Iron fire like with melodic vocal work and good melodies, no changes there, the new thing is the production, more heavy and up to date.
– I also notice certain progressive touches in some parts of some songs; was this also something planned or, otherwise, did it come out naturally?
It certainly didn´t come out naturally, we worked a lot with this to make it sound like we wanted to, progressive but not to much so it woudn´t sound like IF, it´s a thin line you can cross easily and then people wont like it, this doesn´t sound like IF anymore and stuff, but at the same time it´s gotta be something new and fresh.
– And, in a general view, once the album is listened, I feel like it could have been a conceptual CD; isn’t it?
Well it is kind of a conceptcd, it´s taking place in space, some of the solos got a spacey feeling to it and some of keyboard do the same thing, so you can say it´s an overall thing and feeling of the record.
– Since 2009 more or less, you have a steady band, without changes; has this been something positive for the evolution of the band in these last 3 albums?
I belive we have been a steady since Fritz Wagner joined the show, only some guitarplayers in and out, but no worry there, of course it´s easier with a steady line-up and you can grow as a band, actually the new record is a proof of that, it´s more wellplayed and thought through and could only be done because of a steady lineup.
– You started to get attention in 2000; how were those first steps for the band like and what were your best moments?
Sorry to say but I joined the band in 2004, when we started to make «Revenge» but I guess it was pretty good.
– I remember both «Thunderstorm» and «Revenge» were two albums that meant a lot for the Power Metal scene of that period; how do you now see those first albums and what’s remaining from those IRON FIRE?
Of «Thunderstorm» it´s only Steene who´s remaining but from «Revenge» it´s also me and Kirk B. It was a good time for band after «Revenge», things started to flow again after a couple of years in the gutter, we got great attention and even scored a tour in Europe. I dont think «Revenge» is that big a influence as «Thunderstorm» even though it´s a slightly better album and better produced, but «Thunderstorm» really made is mark in history.
– What happened between «On the Edge» and «Revenge»? You moved from Noise to Napalm but you didn’t release any new material in 5 years.
Iron fire got canned from Noise in 2001, let the reasons be unknown, and then a battle started to get IF back on track, back then it was a big swingdoor of people who thought they could make it in the band, things speeded up when Kirk joined the band and then later yours truly, we made a record for our own money and did everything ourself and shopped it around for 10 recordcompanies, actually 3 or 4 we´re ready to make a deal, but as the story tells we chose Napalm and released «Revenge» in 2006.
– Coming back to the present; what are your touring plans to support this new effort?
Hmmm, ask Napalm, haha, no we dont have any tourplans right now, we have a little in Denmark and Norway and in April we got a job in Chech Republic, so no tourplans right now, unfortunually
– And on a view to the future; is there anything you would like to do you haven’t done yet? As a live album for instance.
Actually we just did our first video, should have done one for years ago, go check it out on youtube, back to the question, if we gotta do a livealbum we have to learn to play, right? just joking, let the future tell what we have in our flamed longsleeves.
– That’s all from our sidem our best wishes and hope to see you in Spain on this tour.
Thank you and a big cheers to fans in Spain, stay metal and all that and lets hope we come by Spain at some point.
