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July 24, 2008 |
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Mat Sinner
November 12, 2005
By Tony Antunovich
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With the recent release of their sixth studio album, "Seven Seals", Germany's PRIMAL FEAR have set a new standard in Metal, and judging from the reaction of the international press (and fans alike), it looks as if this powerhouse is going to tower over the entire Power Metal genre and take their turn to rule the throne and reign supreme for a long time to come. It is said that those who work hard and focus on their strength shall reap the rewards put forth from that work. In this case, "Seven Seals" demonstrates the hard work, dedication, and heart PRIMAL FEAR put into what they do. METALEATER recently spoke with one of the band's founding members, veteran Metal man Mat Sinner, to discuss the various components of the new album, the upcoming tour with HELLOWEEN (slated to commence at the end of this month), the ups and downs of the music business, and most importantly, the music itself.
How are things going?
Really good! We have a lot to do here now doing promotion work for the album. We are getting a fantastic response from all over Europe. You don't know when you finish an album how the reaction from the media and music press will be. In the end it turns out that it works really, really well. We're in two of the biggest European magazines; in one we're "album of the month", which is great for an album released in October. There are a lot of albums coming out and if you are "album of the month" in the most popular magazine, it's fucking great. So we're really, really happy about what we see now; what we've done with the album and the response of all the journalists.
You're speaking of Metal Hammer, right?
Yes. It is the maybe the biggest in Europe. The thing is that we've never been "album of the month". Traditional Metal has always placed between... let me say 6 and 30, for example; so if it's great you're maybe in the top 10; but the more modern stuff is always voted more popular than the traditional Metal stuff. With this album, it looks different; so it was a great honor for us to be "album of the month" now.
The seven songs that you showcased at the listening party (last May 19) were not mastered yet and you were working with Mike Fraser on that while you were in Vancouver. The finished product is phenomenal; the production is crystal clear; it has a very dynamic sound, and Mike Fraser did an excellent job. What are your comments on that?
You never know before you start. We already planned the changes - starting with the songwriting and putting the band in a little different direction. As we started, we were very unclear where we wanted to go with this thing, but we already decided not to record "Devil's Ground Part II"; we wanted to go somewhere else with this album, even if it's still PRIMAL FEAR. Then we had a different team during the recordings in Germany - with Charlie Bauerfeind for the first time, who has been a good friend of mine for years, but we never worked together. He worked with Ralf (Scheepers) on the GAMMA RAY album, but not with me before. We worked together with HAMMERFALL or HELLOWEEN where I was involved, but not in PRIMAL FEAR; and this time the guy was doing a fucken great job as an engineer and helping me cope with using the album. He was a very good choice. Then we discussed things with three guys from Los Angeles and two guys in Canada who could make the mix and who would fit in our budget.
So we discussed it with these five people and in the end, we decided on Mike Fraser. Now the album is here and it was absolutely the right choice; it was a very good team in the studio; Mike always gave me the last word on the mix and he was really listening to me when I said, "Oh, let's try the vocals a little up or the guitar a little up or something." He really listens and it was kind of a great teamwork with Mike as the leading guy and it was absolutely fabulous. Also, the Warehouse Studio was a very nice place. You know, we came from the other side of the world and it was a heavy trip for us; but in the end, I can say that it was maybe the best time in my entire recording career. It needs a long time to get there, but after my experience in Vancouver... it cost a lot of money, but in the end it was worth it.
It's different; it's PRIMAL FEAR, but I think you've taken a huge step to that next level. There is a big difference in Ralf's vocals as well. It's still Ralf, but he's progressed so much, even since the last album.
Yeah. I produced it so I know (laughs). I beat him to this level. He wasn't sure sometimes because he has an extremely good head voice; and to sing with this head voice, to the listener it sounds like he is really, really into it; but it's not that heavy for him to sing. Sometimes it's really easier for him to sing a head voice than a normal voice. So it was a big step in the recording studio for him to sing more in this normal voice - or let me say less screaming, more singing. During the recordings, Ralf was not sure if it was the right way for him, but I was absolutely sure; and in the end he's the happiest man on earth because everybody says, "Wow, Ralf it's great! I think everybody knows that you can scream, but on this album you really sing." This is the difference.
I agree. I'd like to make a quick comment about the mix; every instrument blends in well with the vocals and they all seem to be at the same level. I'm sure you've heard some albums where let's say the drums or the vocals are a little bit too low...
We had this problem ourselves in the past sometimes. For example, with the "Black Sun" album we mixed it three times because we were not happy some levels. With this album it's really different. I think every instrument is loud enough and there is one good thing on this album which I really, really like; it's the atmosphere... in the quieter parts you can really hear everybody's breathing. So there is a really, really intense atmosphere, and if the band get is getting loud it's really Metal. So the difference between the quiet and loud parts is really, really great this time. This is very, very important for me. This is where I want to go with music with attitude. It's not only playing double bass drums and heavy riffs; it's the combination.
When you were producing "Seven Seals", did you encounter any of those same mixing problems as you did on "Black Sun"?
No, absolutely not. It was absolutely the right team. We had a lucky hand in choosing the guys who were working with us and everybody worked out really, really well. The thing is, in the beginning I really knew where I wanted to go with this album and it worked out. Some of the guys were really unsure if it was the right thing; and in the end they agree now and they are very happy with the result of "Seven Seals". Now if the media and music press agree that we did a great album then everybody is really happy. I think it was absolutely the right way to go, the right people to work with and the right strategy, even if it was a very expensive album (laughs).
"Seven Seals" is pure PRIMAL FEAR, but it's different and I think you've just stepped it up even more with this album. That's what Metal needs now - some more originality - because in my opinion, there is just too much monotony these days.
I can agree, and this is why you have to have a little courage to go in different ways and try to renew your own act; and I think the easiest thing for PRIMAL FEAR is to do another "Devil's Ground" album; but in my view, with a song like "Metal Is Forever" - the ultimate three and a half-minute song from PRIMAL FEAR - to do it again and again would, for me, not be satisfying as a musician. I have other targets and focuses and I had to try to make this future for PRIMAL FEAR really, really interesting for us as musicians too. We have to bring "Seven Seals" now to the stages and I can promise that we will put a lot of these songs in our live set that maybe some older fans will be a little bit irritated that they will hear about 70% new songs in a PRIMAL FEAR live show. But this is what PRIMAL FEAR has done. We're damn proud of it and we will play these songs; and I see this as the future for PRIMAL FEAR.
I've been doing Metal for more than twenty years now and I can say that I didn't expect with my six PRIMAL FEAR albums that the latest one is absolutely my top album I've ever recorded. For me, this is absolutely satisfying and a surprising point in my career that this album is, for me at the moment, really the best album I've ever worked on. How much happier can you be?
Let's talk about the album cover. The finished product looks really good.
We wanted to go in a different direction with everything - with the video clip, the album cover artwork with the booklet. There should be a different strategy behind the whole thing. As I said, we started with the songwriting and ended up with the cover artwork that was done a little bit differently. There is still the eagle there, but the eagle in a different way than we had it before. It's all a little part of that big new vision we have. Also, the video clip for "Seven Seals" is fucking amazing. We're very proud it. A lot of countries put the clip on their version of the album because they also think that the video clip is amazing. For the first time in our career the Japanese record company put a video clip on a CD. They never did this before; but they said, "The video clip is so fucking good we want to add this as a special bonus." I agree. It's cool.
The eagle on the album cover looks like a PRIMAL FEAR emblem - your coat of arms.
We used this eagle in a different way as our company's trademark, Fear Music. Then we decided that it would be cool if we had this eagle in a kind of 3-D Metal version; so we used this one as a normal print. We said to the guy who did the cover artwork (Martin Haeusler), "Let's try to put this eagle in a Metal format/3-D way." He worked on it and it's fucking cool. So we have the new stage set; we have a big back-drop with this eagle and the side-drops - even the t-shirts. Everything is based upon this eagle. I'd say it looks really, really good. It's different but it fits to our new attitude and that's great!
The world tour for "Seven Seals" is happening in November and December and then again in January where you will be setting out with your fellow countrymen, HELLOWEEN. What are your thoughts on the upcoming tour?
In Europe we thought it was a good idea to go out with another big well known band; and with two great bands together, I think the venues will be packed everywhere with a very good response from this tour. The HELLOWEEN management approached us and asked us to do this. We know these guys very well and we're good friends so I think it will be a peaceful tour - and a tour that will happen. This is the most important thing at the moment. In our past, we had some problems with that where we wanted to go on tour and the tour was cancelled by the headlining act from America. This was bad for us in the past, but this time, we really believe that this tour will happen. I think it will be a great thing. And it looks like we're going with HELLOWEEN to Korea and Japan later in March (2006). I think this will also be interesting for both bands.
Will you be coming to North America to support the album?
At the moment we're still in negotiations. It's always the same (laughs), because we want to come over there and set up a good show. We would be very interested to support a good band and play for a lot of people. I hope we can find the right tour for us. We will see. We have to find the right way to do it so that the band can still exist after this tour and not to be bankrupt (laughs).
Do you think that the expectations have been set higher for "Seven Seals" than any previous PRIMAL FEAR album?
Yes, but I'm always living in reality. I'm still a part of the record company (Nuclear Blast) and I know how life is at the moment - record sales-wise and also shop-wise. It's not that easy anymore. I received a lot of e-mails from fans who listened to the album and downloaded it from somewhere. This is a real problem we have; so we have to be very realistic with life in the music business at the moment and if we sell more albums than our last album did, I'm a really happy man and I think this is possible. But I won't go too far to say, "Okay, let's double the sales with this one." or something like that. This is not reality at the moment. You know, as I told you before, we put a lot of money into this production to make this a great album, and if everybody gets it for free, there will be no more albums from PRIMAL FEAR in the future. This is the bad thing. I always see it like this: you go, for example, to get Chinese food; you sit down and have a great meal and run away without paying.
So if everybody does it, the restaurant gets closed down. It's that easy. It's the same with music.
You mentioned that the music business is more difficult these days, along with the Internet downloads problem. Do you find that it affects your ability to do the music thing full-time and that you have to resort to having another job or something like that?
You know, with me it was totally different. Seven years ago, I changed my whole life and there was a point where I did everything differently. I started to work at Nuclear Blast from the negotiations between SINNER and PRIMAL FEAR and all the main guys in the company. They have a lot of great new bands and their sales went up and they were looking for some tough guys that they needed for their team to grow. They asked me if I'd join and I said, "No, no. I'm happy with what I'm doing." Then came a point in my life where I said, "Okay, I'll change everything." - everything, except for my hair. The only thing I kept is my hair (laughs). And then I said "Okay! Let's start with Nuclear Blast." - and that was at a point where I didn't know that PRIMAL FEAR was really doing that well. But just at the beginning of PRIMAL FEAR, I started at Nuclear Blast. Then PRIMAL FEAR was really, really successful from the first album on, and that's why I'm still doing the music and still loving it and touring everywhere.
On the other side, I'm now one of the leading guys in that company and I love my job and I will always try to find a way to do both things as long as PRIMAL FEAR makes me happy like right now. It's not that easy, but there's always a way if you want it.
On a larger scale, the Metal market is better in Europe than it is in North America.
Yeah, but as I see the sales from other bands, those bands who are touring their asses off in North America and every toilet in the land, they are selling albums. But this is a tough job. For example, touring three or four times a year through America - like CHILDREN OF BODOM and others - it's really tough to go through this and still exist as a band without splitting up. I know every Monday and Tuesday, it's a BAD job to play somewhere just to have a gig and not to have an off-day or something, just to put some money in the pocket. I think it's really, really tough and I really give credit and a lot of respect to these bands who made it. I think for us it would be really difficult to do this and not split up.
Mat, what things would you like to see happen for PRIMAL FEAR in the future?
As I told you, my target is to sell more albums than "Devil's Ground". This is my priority with this new album because I'm 100% convinced and I think we did a really good job with it. The response from the media is so good that there is a chance; but I will see what goes on. Then we will practice for the three parts of the HELLOWEEN tour - Europe and later Asia - and then we will see. I think that there will be more shows in South America. Brazil is one of the priority countries for us. We always did a good job there, and we will see what we can do in the U.S. and Canada. We have to do some shows there, and some festivals again. So we're busy with this album until next year at the same time, and then we'll make a cut and see what we did. I'm 100% sure that we will do a good job with this thing. Then we will talk about the future.
What message do you have for the PRIMAL FEAR fans all over the world?
Of course, they have to check out the album because I think they will hear it in my words that I'm damn proud of this album; damn proud of the work of my guys in the band and all the people who were involved in this album. They really did a good job and I think the album is absolutely worth it. I think one thing is you have to really, really listen well to all the details on the album. It's not an album that is crystal clear from the first point of view; you have to go a little bit more into more details, like in songs like "Diabolus", for example, is a really, really long song with a lot of different points and instruments. We used more than 110 tracks to get this piece of music together. [FIN]
» Official PRIMAL FEAR Website
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