– Hello, thank you so much for answeing our interview. How is the band currently doing with the release of the new album?
WE ARE DOING VERY WELL, THE REACTIONS ON THE ALBUM ARE POSITIVE, AFTER A LONG PERIOD BEING OUT OF NEWS WE ARE BACK ON THE METALSCENE AGAIN

 

– This new opus is entitled «Monsters of Rock», tell us a little bit about the reason behind the itle and how did the idea for the cover arise.
AFTER BEING 35 YEARS OF KILLER I CONSIDER OURSELVES A LITTLE BIT AS “MONSTERS OF ROCK” IN THE LYRICS THERA ARE ABOUT 35 SONGTITLES INCLUDED FROM KILLER SONGS FROM ALL 7 ALBUMS

 

– I have had the chance of listening to it and I think it’s a grand lesson of traditional Heavy Metal. There’s no doubt it is a really 80’s sounding record. Was this your idea? To keep making the music you know the best without overproducing it and without more modern sounds?
THE IDEA WAS DOING THE THING WE CAN DO BEST, AND THIS IS PLAYING CLASSIC TRADITIONAL HEAVY METAL

 
– The album contains 15 tunes. At the beginning I thought it was a bit too much, as I’m a fan of those 8 or 9 songs vinyls, but it feels short. Is this all the material you had for the album or were there any other songs that didn’t make it into the release?
NO THIS 15 SONGS WHERE ALL WE HAD. THE REASON WHY WE HAD SO MUCH SONGS IS, BECAUSE WE HAD’NT  MADE ANY NEW RECORDS FOR 10 YEARS. SO WE GATHERED AND COMPOSED A LOT OF SONGS DURING THIS 10 YEARS AND WE COULD NOT DECIDE TO DROP A FEW SONGS, SO WE RECORDED THEM ALL

 

– Luckily for those of us who enjoy 80’s Metal, this is a straight-forward album, taking no prisoners, where songs as «Monsters of Rock», «Back to the Roots» or «Rock City» are declarations of principles. How did these tracks arise? Are you nowdays happy to still be able to reclaim our style?
YES I AM HAPPY THERE IS STILL A MARKET FOR CLASSIC TRUE METAL – EVEN AMONG YOUNGER PEOPLEkiller 2

 
– Even though it is really classic, it is also quite diverse influences-wise; ther’es SABBATH, PRIEST or MOTÖRHEAD nuances, even Blues in «Making Magic», or Punk in «Deaf, Blind and Dumb». Are all these influences or just my perception?
YES OF COURSE I AM INFLUENCED, AND THE BANDS YOU MENTION AREN’T THEY INFLUENCING THE WHOLE METAL SCENE ONE WAY OR ANTOTHER ?

 

– And about the rest of the songs; what does KILLER deal with in this effort? What are the songs you will play live?
LIVE WE WILL CHOOSE BETWEEN 3 OR 4 NEW SONGS, DEPENDING OF HOW LONG WE CAN PLAY ON SOME FESTIVALS WE ONLY A 40 MINUTES PLAY TIME AND WE CAN NOT FORGET OUR OLDER FAMOUS SONGS OF COURSE BUT FROM THE NEW SONGS WE WILL CHOOSE BETWEEN : BACK TO THE ROOTS / NO WAY OUT / HOLD YOUR HEAD UP HIGH / SHOTGUN SYMPHONY / DEAF BLIND AND DUMB

 

– As I have the chance of interviewing you I would like to dig a little bit into the band’s history. How was KILLER born and how were the early years like, with albums as «Ready from Hell» and «Wall of Sound»?
THE DETAILED STORY YOU CAN FIND IN THE BIO OF OUR WEBSITE (WWW.4-KILLER.BE)
BUT THE EARLY YEARS WHERE CRAZY BECAUSE WE WHERE THE FIRST HEAVY METAL IN BELGIUM WE OPENED A LOT OF DOORS FOR OTHER BANDS

 

– Nowadays thanks to the Internet the access to this kind of albums is easier. Have you noticed, due to new technologies, your audience is wider?
YES OF COURSE NOW I RECEIVE MAILS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, FROM EUROPE – BRASIL – JAPAN – USA

 

– Going back to the early days, I remember I knew about you through a special edition of a Spanish magazine about a festival in Bruges in 1983, where also played a Spanish band called BARÓN ROJO. What are your memories from that period? Do you recall BARÓN ROJO or could you see them?
YES IT WAS THE FIRST BIG BELGIAN METAL-FEST WITH +- 7000 PEOPLE / THERE WAS ANVIL-URIAH HEEP- GARY MOORE – KILLER – OSTROGOTH   AND INDEED BARON ROJO. MUSICALY THEY WHERE GOOD BUT THEY SUNG IN SPANISH LANGUAGE WHICH WAS SOUNDING VERY STRANGE FOR US AT THE TIME

 
– That magazine stated you were the Belgian MOTÖRHEAD. Do you like this tag or have you ever felt close to MOTÖR?
BEING COMPARED WITH MOTORHEAD IS MORE A COMPLIMENT THAN AN INSULT. BUT IN REALITY WHEN YOU TAKE A DEEPER LISTENING TO THE SONGS OF KILLER, WE ARE NOT SOUNDING SO MUCH MOTORHEAD, WE HAVE OUR OWN STYLE AND SOUND COLOUR

 

– Already in 1984 you release «Shock Waves», and then 6 years later, in 1991, you released the follow-up, «Fatal Attraction». How was that period and what happened that it took you lso long to record again in 1991?
BETWEEN 1986 AND 1991 WE DID A FIRST SPLIT, I MADE A SOLOALBUM IN THAT PERIOD

 
– The 90’s were tough for traditional Heavy Metal, anyway there still was a market for this music. You ceased your activity during that period. What were you up to until you recorded again 13 years later?
I PLAYED IN A BLUES ORIENTATED BAND AND ALSO IN A FEW COVERBANDS WHICH KEPT US ALIVE DURING THE GRUNGE PERIOD

 

– And from the 2000’s up to the date you released again albums on a regular way, this being the third from this last era. How do you see this comeback and what effect has it had on you as a band?
IN 2002 WE STARTED KILLER AGAIN WITH A NEW LINE UP AND A MORE MODERN APPROACH I AM THE ONLY ORIGINAL killerMEMBER. I BELIEVE THE LAST 3 ALBUMS WE MADE ARE VERY GOOD

 
– I’ve been lucky enough to see you twice live, one was at our Metalcova Festival in Barcelona, in its second edition. What are your memories from that festival? Were you treated good? Were you happy?
IT WAS A GREAT SMALL FESTIVAL – WE WERE TREATED SUPER AND  I STILL HAVE SOME FRIENDS FROM THE ORGANISATION AND THE SPANISH FANS

 

– Is there any chance you could play there again? I can’t reveal anything yet, but it is possible, right?
I CAN TELL YOU ALREADY A BIG SECRET, THIS YEAR WE ARE HEADLINING AGAIN ON METAL COVA 28/11/2015  TO PROMOTE THE MONSTERS OF ROCK ALBUM SO BE THERE AND COME TO MEET ME ?

 

– I also saw you last April at Keep it True. What were your thoughts on that fest? For us is the underground Mecca, and you manage to see there bands you thought you would never see. How was your time there?
WE HAD A GREAT TIME AND THE REACTIONS OF THE CROWD ON OUR LIVE SET WHERE OVERWELMING WHILE I WAS VERY HANDICAPED BECAUSE  2 WEEKS BEFORE KEEP IT TRUE, I BROKE THE LITTLE FINGER OF MY LEFT HAND BY FALLING OF STAGE ON A FESTIVAL IN BELGIUM.  NORMALY I SHOULD HAVE BEEN 6 WEEKS OUT, BUT STRONG AND TOUGH AS I AM I TOOK SOME PAINKILLERS AND DID THE SHOW WITH ONLY 3 FINGERS. AND I AM VERY HAPPY I DID THIS , INSTEAD OF CANCELLING THE SHOW. MOST OF THE FANS DIDN’T EVEN NOTICED I HAD A BROKEN FINGER.

 

– And coming back to the present days, how is the tour and festivals situation? Are there plns for new albums or projects?
WE ARE DOING SOME FESTIVALS IN BELGIUM / ITALY / METAL COVA AND WE’LL WAIT AND SEE WHAT COMES MORE INDEED WE INTEND TO MAKE ANOTHER ALBUM, BUT WE DON’T KNOW WHEN WHEN YET MAYBE BEGINNING NEXT YEAR

 

Paco Gómez
paco@queensofsteel.com

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