Weapon UK

Interview done in may 2012.

Having been contemporaries of Def Leppard, Saxon and Iron Maiden, in the beginning of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, still got some notoriety with the release of single “It’s a Mad Mad World”, in 1980. Coming from London, England, Weapon reappeared in 2011 with the release of their single “Ready 4 U”. We had a conversation with singer Danny Hynes and guitar player Jeff Summers.

Q. - Hey guys, nice to meet you! Were you involved in some other bands before joined/form Weapon?

Danny: I played in a few cover bands in the Birmingham area alongside original Weapon bassist, Baz Downes, before we headed for the ‘bright lights’ of London were formed a Snatch, who’s line-up included former Iron Maiden guitarist, Bob Angelo.

Jeff: Hi Paulo, I just played in school bands which progressed to play the London pub/gig circuit. The bands had weird and wonderful names like: Flex, Legs Akimbo and Fast Relief and were playing a mixture of Covers and original material.

Q. - Who would you cite as major influences at that time?

Danny: Free, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, UFO & Aerosmith

Jeff: Similar for me, these were the great bands of the late 60’s and early 70’s. We also listened a lot to thin Lizzy and I particularly loved Queen and Uriah Heep. All the bands had such unique sounds then and helped shape the music of the NWoBHM era.

Q. - I presume that was an honor for you to take part of a movement as important as the NWOBHM, tell us a bit about those days and the impact that the single “It’s a Mad Mad World” has had?

Danny: It was, and is, an honor to be a part of it, although at the time we weren’t really aware of it. We were just 4 ‘young’ rockers trying to write and play great songs. ‘Mad Mad World’ got a great response as it was very ‘radio friendly’ but ‘Set The Stage Alight’ had more of an impact. And 32 years later it has stood the test of time! And has been a big influence on many newer bands, including Metallica! Check out opening their song ‘Hit The Lights’ and listen to the opening of Set The Stage Alight.. Something they have acknowledged in print and on TV!

Jeff: Yes, around “77” there just seemed to be a resurgence in the interest for Classic Rock in the UK after a 2 or 3 year obsession with Punk! Young guys who had learned to play listening to the early 70’s greats had trouble relating to the non-musical aspects of punk and continued with hard rock but perhaps borrowing the energy and attitude created by the punk bands. As Danny says, “It’s a mad, mad world” was considered to have a more radio friendly sound than “Set the stage alight” or some of the other tracks we had recorded. Both songs were released in 12” & 7” formats as a double A side, but it was Set the stage that has had a lasting impact!

Q. - Do you recall the songs you were playing at the beginning? Did you play any covers too?

Danny: We never played a cover in weapon. All the songs were original and most of them are included on the ‘Set The Stage Alight’ album

Jeff: That’s right, we also played some songs that never made it into the recording studio such as: “No peace for the wicked” and “this is the song that’s gonna help you along”. There may have been some more but I can.t remember them off-hand.

Q. - At this point with the edition of the single, you were the opening act for Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades” UK tour, how did that happened? How did it go? Any story you could share with us?

Danny: As documented elsewhere, we were seen by Motorhead’s Eddie Clarke playing a gig in London. He liked what he heard and put it to Lemmy, Phil and their manager that we should open for them. A hastily arranged gig was set up at the, infamous, Music Machine, Camden, with Motorhead and their management in attendance. We’d had a bit of problematic day within the day and were really pissed off with each other before we went on stage. This lead to ‘we couldn't give a fuck attitude’ towards the audience, resulting in a great gig. In the immortal words of Lemmy “Any band that has that much contempt their audience has to tour with us” So we were offered and, of course, accepted the 32 date tour. The tour was amazing. We were treated with great respect by Motorhead their crew and, more importantly, ‘their’ fans! The highlight for me was ending the tour with 4 sell out nights at the famous Hammersmith Odeon

Jeff: Yes, this was a fantastic opportunity for the band. The “Ace up yer sleeve” tour was the biggest one in the UK at the time and we were stunned to be offered it. Every day on that tour was a learning experience, the band had only played to audiences of around 200-300 prior to that and most nights were between 3 and 5 thousand!!

Q. - So, after the single you recorded a demo-tape in 1981, did you promote that demo quite heavily? Was it well received? Did you try to approach some labels?

Danny: The double a sided single ‘Mad Mad World’ / ‘Set The Stage Alight’ was released on our own Weapon label and distributed through Virgin records. We never released any demos which, although well received, never lead to a deal.

Jeff: We recorded “Midnight Satisfaction” “One night stand” “Take that bottle Away” “Olivia and “Bad Love” around the same time as “set the stage” and “MM World” these trackwere mastered and were planned to go on our first album which never happened. We later recorded four demo quality (unmastered songs) including: “Remote Control” “Light of the world” “Killer Instinct” and “the things you do” these songs were never release until 2003 when our “compilation album” was released by Zoom Club.

Q. - Shouldn’t an LP have been the next step?

Danny: The album was recorded but due to shit management they never secured us a deal.

Q. - What were the reasons that led to the end of Weapon, was at this time that Jeff and Bruce joined Wildfire?

Danny: Simply answer to that is with no deal, no tour support and still in contract to the management company we couldn’t actually do anything so the band imploded!

Jeff: Bruce and I were asked to join Wildfire towards the end of 1982. Weapon had already imploded by then…

Q. - Do you still keep in touch with some of the former members of the band?

Danny: We always were and still the best of friends. Actually Baz & Bruce came into the studio with us in March to re-recorded one of our old demos, Killer Instinct, which will be a bonus track on the new album.

Jeff: As Danny says, the end of the band at that time never encroached on the long lasting friendship that we all have. We still continue to jam and gig with each other whenever we get the chance.

Q. - In your opinion what are the main differences between the 1981 and the reality (landscape) of today?

Danny: The reality is, we’re 31 years older :) Joking aside, I think rock bands have more choices today. They don’t ‘have’ to bow down to record company executives, a dying breed in my humble opinion! All the bands of the nwobhm era started out releasing their stuff on their own labels but once they got signed by the majors they had hundreds of thousand spent on promotion. With the rise of the Internet we’ve come full circle and don’t ‘need’ huge budgets. A band can now get as much, if not more, exposure/promotion through the like of Myspace, Facebook and Youtube etc, etc.

Jeff: The main stay of the musician in those days was the release of the album. The band would then tour to promote the release and sell copies on the back of the tour. The album release would be the main financial income for the band. Generally the opposite could be said no, musicians survive on the live work income now…

Q. - So, what have you done in the nineties? What other projects were you involved with? Did you guys make a living off music or did you have to keep day jobs?

Danny: I’ve been lucky enough to have a made a living out of music. After Weapon, I formed a ‘fun’ covers band called Paddy Goes To Holyhead The line-up changed frequently , apart from me. Former members have included, Andy Scott & Mick Tucker (Sweet) Jeff, Bruce & Baz (Weapon) Mal McNulty & John Berry (Now with Slade) Phil Lanzon (Uriah Heep) to name but just a few! And the current line-up includes Tino & Chris Troy, Andy Burgess (Praying Mantis) and Weapon drummer, Ian Sweeting. We still gig on a regular basis. Full details on the web site www.paddygoestoholyhead.com

Jeff: I played with Danny in “The Paddies” and also recorded and released 2 albums with “Wildfire” and one album with “Statetrooper” during the rest of the 80’s. Both bands also gigged, toured and promoted heavily throughout this time. During the 90’s I have played with various pub bands including the Loudshirts.

Q. - Back in 2003, the compilation “Set The Stage Alight” came up, how that idea did start?

Danny: Zoom Club Records approached Jeff with the idea of releasing so it was re-mastered and released...

Jeff: We were surprised to find that there was still so much interest in the band, this was probably helped by the inclusion of “Set the stage alight” on the 79 revisited NWoBHM compilation put together by Lars Ulrich and Geoff Barton. We were approached by a few small record companies to provide the rights to release the material recorded in 80/81.

Q. - Was at this time that you thought about regroup Weapon? The positive reaction to the release of the compilation helped on that decision?

Danny: We didn’t actually regroup then. It wasn’t until 2005 when we were offered The Headbangers-Open-Air Ball in Germany and as it would have been the bands 25th anniversary we thought why the hell not!

Jeff: Yes, the original band got back together for tis one-off festival show and we were knocked out by the fact that the audience seemed to know the material so well. This led to Danny and I re-evaluating the potential to re-unite and maybe make a new record.

Q. - Have you thought about joining (reunite) the original line up or came up with the actual line up?

Danny: After the H.O.A. Ball we discussed the idea but with Bruce unavailable, he’s full time member of Andy Scott’s Sweet, and Baz, unfortunately, too ill to tour we decided against it. But as time passed Jeff and I discussed it again and decided if we could find a rhythm section as good, if not better, than Baz & Bruce then we would give it a go. I think we’ve been very fortunate to have found PJ & Ian who, in my opinion, are on a par with our original members..

Jeff: Yes, it’s a shame that Bruce n Baz were unable to join us…But the new guys are stunning players and have given us a new lease of life!

Q. - The newer single “Ready 4 U” is really notable, does this song means to show us Weapon’s direction from now on?

Danny: Weapon will continue what we started all those years ago and that is to write great rocks songs and perform them live to the best of our ability..

Jeff: We were always single orientated and Ready 4 U sits nicely with both old and new material. The new album will “raise a few eyebrows” As it has a brand new sound but still keeps the band very recognisable to those that remember us from the 80’s.

Q. - What are the projects for 2012? I’ve heard you are working on another release, do you also intend to play in summer festivals or touring supporting the new album?

Danny: We finished recording the new album last weekend and it’s now being mixed at Muse Studios, Atlanta, Georgia. Plan A was to try to get it released before the summer and play some European festivals but that wasn’t to be! Plan B is to get on a major tour towards the end of the year and to release it then..

Jeff: (Update) We have so far been offered and accepted festival dates in the UK (Denim and Leather festival) Italy (Diversemente II in Milan) A club date in Belgium and 2 or 3 more live shows in the UK.

Q. - How would you like to end this interview? I would like to wish you all the best for the future! Thanks! Cheers!

Danny: Many thanks to you Paulo and special thanks to all the fans who supported us, and nwobhm music, throughout the years.. We look forward to seeing you at a venue near you some time in the not too distant future.

Jeff: Yes, thanks for your interest Paulo and thanks also to everyone who has helped to keep the legacy of Weapon alive. We are very much re-invigorated and looking forward to bringing our music (new and old) to you all!!!

Beto Wolf (Sepulcro e Alkateya)

Os Sepulcro começaram por volta de 1981, com o nome de "Botas da Tropa", tendo o Beto pertencido à sua formação inicial, tendo gravado a primeira demo tape dos Sepulcro em 1985. Posteriormente em 1986 iniciou os Alkateya com os quais se manteve até 1991. Nos anos mais recentes ainda voltou a tocar com os Alkateya mas por pouco tempo.

P. - Olá Beto! Quando começaste nos Sepulcro, por volta de 81/82, já procuravam uma sonoridade heavy metal em concreto?

Beto - Sem dúvida era a sonoridade que procurava, já o resto era mais um soft hard rock.

P. - Quais eram as vossas principais influências por essa altura?

Beto – Priest sem dúvida.

P. - Quais as principais dificuldades com que se deparavam? Salas de ensaio? Disponibilidade para ensaiar? Falta de material? Ou outras?

Beto – Todas essas!

P. - Como era a aderência do público aos vossos shows? Tinham uma base de fãs grande?

Beto – Grande não, mas eram fiéis.

P. - Em 1984, deu-se o primeiro festival de heavy metal em Portugal, que contou com a participação dos Sepulcro, que memórias guardas desse festival? Era a confirmação de que o heavy metal procurava impor-se?

Beto - Foi tudo muito primitivo mas muito gratificante ainda hoje tenho grande apreço e amizade pelos organizadores.

P. - O que te levou a deixar os Sepulcro?

Beto - Diferenças musicais acima referidas.

P. - Como surgiram os Alkateya? Terá estado a génese num encontro entre ti e o Paulo Rui?

Beto - Sim, entre mim e o Paulo havia uma química musical muito forte, que não tinha paralelo nas relações pessoais infelizmente.

P. - Houve dificuldade em encontrar um vocalista, que acabou por ser o João Pinto, irmão de Miguel Pinto dos Sepulcro, como se deu esta situação?

Beto - Em desespero de causa, o Miguel era um caso raro em perceber o que se pretendia para uma música mas estava noutra onda.

P. - Por que razão saiu o Zé Castro, dos Alkateya, por volta de 1988?

Beto - Porque não fomos pacientes, é algo que me pesa na consciência

P. - Entra depois para a formação dos Alkateya o Manuel "Animal" que já tinha sido teu colega nos Sepulcro, consideras esta a formação mais clássica dos Alkayeya: Beto, João Pinto, Paulo Rui, Manel "Animal"?

Beto - Sim para mim são os Alkateya.

P. - Como era a vossa relação com as outras bandas nacionais contemporâneas?

Beto - Era de respeito embora houve-se alguma rivalidade, que na nossa opinião não se justificava num meio tão pequeno

P. - Por alturas da vossa terceira demo "Face to Face", em 1990, falava-se de um contrato discográfico? Por que razão não chegou a acontecer esse contrato?

Beto - A razão foi, andamos a ver estúdios passado uns dias a editora propôs editar a demo sem regravar nada, claro rejeitamos, mas isso nunca foi trauma para nós.

P. - Terá sido a não edição de um disco que levou ao final da banda?

Beto - Não de modo nenhum!

P. - Depois de um longo interregno, os Alkateya voltaram ao activo em 2003, aproveitando a edição da compilação "RePlay", tendo inclusivamente tocado no programa de televisão "Cabaret da Coxa", mas no entanto só permaneceste um ano, porque voltaste a abandonar o grupo?

Beto - Cheguei a conclusão que para mim não é compatível, ensaios de algumas horas por semana para se estar a um nível que eu exijo infelizmente não posso viver da música o tempo do amadorismo acabou.

P. - O Paulo Rui deixou-nos em 2014, que memórias guardas deste excelente músico?

Beto - O Paulo será sempre o melhor Guitarra baixo que tive a oportunidade de tocar, talhado para aqueles temas do começo dos Alkateya tenho imensa pena que nos tenha deixado.

P. - Em 2014 voltaste a deixar os Alkateya no que foi mais uma curta passagem, não sentiste vontade de continuar na banda?

Beto - Voltei com a ideia de voltar aos antigos Alkateya foi essa a ideia ,não foi de todo possível ,acredito na química musical e ali não havia.

P. - Manténs o contacto com os antigos elementos dos Sepulcro ou dos Alkateya?

Beto - Infelizmente não eles não perceberam as minhas razões.

P. - Há algum concerto que guardes na memória por alguma razão especial?

Beto - O último no Rock, fechou aquela sala que tinha uma mística especial.

P. - Continuas a acompanhar o que se vai passando no heavy metal tanto em Portugal como no estrangeiro? Existe alguma banda que acompanhes em especial?

Beto - Em portugal não ,gosto das bandas Nórdicas tipo Evergrey, ou Holandeses Circus Maximus, Ayreon.

Agradeço bastante a tua atenção e votos de tudo a correr bem no futuro!

Beto - Um abraço!

Omen UK

Omen UK had short lived between 1980-1982, but still released one demo tape at that time. We got in touch with guitarist Will Philpot, that actually plays with N.W.O.B.H.M. band Millennium and Power Metal band Serpents Kiss.

Q. - Hey Will! When did Omen start? Who were the first members? Tell us a bit about the beginning of the band.

Will Philpot - Hey Paulo! In 1980 I was approached by bassist Mick Thompson and drummer Dave Moore and asked if I wanted to form a band with them along with vocalist Rod Jinks. We initially rehearsed in Dave’s bedroom, doing covers such as Paranoid and Starbreaker to see what we sounded like.

Q. - What were your main influences at the very beginning of the band?

Will Philpot - We were influenced by older bands like Sabbath and Priest but also by newer bands like Iron Maiden and Def Leppard.

Q. - How about shows? Did you play regularly in the UK back then? Or was it hard for a heavy metal band to be booked in the area at that time?

Will Philpot - We had a regular support slot at a local Rock night at the Zetland Pub in Saltburn, opening for other local bands such as Black Rose.

Q. - At this time did you play some covers too, or was it only your own songs?

Will Philpot - We played a lot of covers – Starbreaker, Ripper, Diamonds and Rust (Judas Priest), Paranoid (Black Sabbath), Ace of Spades (Motorhead), Sin City, Overdose (AC/DC).

Q. - After the first demos, did you try to approach a label, to record an LP?

Will Philpot - We were young and naïve and were just happy playing live. We were lucky enough to record the demo for free at a local school.

Q. - When did "Omen" split up exactly? What happened that lead to the split?

Will Philpot - Mick Thompson, bass, left to form another band but was soon asked to join Black Rose. Rod and I went on to play in other local bands, Danger, Twin Star and Crazy Cottage. Sadly no demos were recorded and all live tapes have been lost.

Q. - What do you think that lacked to "Omen" to have a successful career?

Will Philpot - I think we were young and inexperienced. Maybe if we had a manager or summon to support us we could have gone further.

Q. - Did you stay in touch with the other former members over the years?

Will Philpot - Rod Jinks and I have remained close friends and I occasionally see Dave at concerts.

Q. - Around 2000 you joined Serpents Kiss, how did that happen?

Will Philpot - I formed Serpents Kiss for the love of writing and playing Metal. I have recorded three demos over the years, the first two with Rod Jinks on vocals and one with two female vocalists. We release our first album proper in October (Dragon Lord) with Nikki Wozzo on vocals and Mike ‘Machine’ Malais on drums.

Q. - Next step you joined Millennium, in 2015, were you familiar with them, back in the day?

Will Philpot - No, I had never heard of them! I was advertising for a vocalist to join Serpents Kiss and Mark Duffy contacted me and asked if I would join Millennium.

Q. - The album "Awakening" has been out for a while, how’s it being received by Millennium fans so far, despite the severe economic crisis that affects all of us?

Will Philpot - It’s had fantastic reviews and decent sales. Pure Steel Records offered us a contract for the next album. Spiritual Beast Records have just released Awakening in Asian territories with three bonus tracks.

Q. - Do you have plans to tour or any festival appearance?

Will Philpot - We have lots of gigs coming up this year including Headbangers Open Air (Germany), A Day of Rock (UK), Mearfest North (UK) etc….

Q. - How do you do to concentrate in two different kinds of music and compose for both, with Millennium and Serpents Kiss?

Will Philpot - I present ideas to Mark (Millennium) and he decides which ones he likes and we take it from there. The same with Nikki (Serpents Kiss). The Millennium tracks are on the heavier side and that suites Marks vocal style (he was vocalist and founder member of Thrash band Toronaga).

Q. - Besides Millennium and Serpents Kiss, do you play in any other band now-a-days?

Will Philpot - I record guitar and bass for a friend who writes contemporary pop music.

Q. - Were you surprised when "Obscure NWOBHM Releases", got in touch with you to release Dragon Flight compilation?

Will Philpot - Very surprised indeed. And very pleased. They were great times and I’m so glad that more people can get to hear the raw energy from the old days.

Q. - Looking back in time, after so many years, how do you see the "Omen" adventure?

Will Philpot - Great memories! I just wish we had recorded more.

Q. - Anything more you want to say, to end up this interview?

Will Philpot - Thanks for your interest and all the best for the future.

Thank you for your time, and wish you all the best for the future!

Leather

Leather Leone, the legendary Chastain lead singer, is back on track again, with her band Leather, and a new album called "II" recorded in Brazil. 

Q. - Hello Leather! Do you recall when you first joined Chastain? Was it around 1984? Tell us a bit about those first days.

Leather - I remember being really interested in the way Chastain wrote.  For me, he created a gothic, neo classical world that I could get lost in...I was very green and still learning the craft.   He always believed in me and would let me go vocally to figure it out.  It was the day of the big studio, many producers,

lots of hopes and dreams.   It was a very natural yet at times frustrating...

The recording process for me still can be claustrophobic...

Q. - Who do you cite as major influences at the time?

Leather - My influences are still the same...Dio, Dickinson ,Tate.

Q. - How was it the Bay Area metal scene in the early 80's? Was it a united scene?

Leather - The 80’s in the Bay Area was a very united place.   We all went to each other’s shows , a definite feeling of family...we were all just making music trying to get signed....good times.

Q. - How were you relations with other local bands? Did you help each other?

Leather - Yes as I said. All the big bands as we know them now were all about comradery.

Q. - And what differences did you feel between the NYC metal scene and the California one?

Leather - I noticed no difference between the coasts. We were all just head banging beasts!

Q. - What do you recall from the Kiss tour back in 87? What memories do you keep from those days? Was it a good chance for Chastain exposure to a massive crowd?

Leather - It was not a Kiss tour, it was one show at The Dayton Arena.   It was Chastain territory so the crowd was crazy!  Of course it was good exposure for the band, but we didn’t continue on the same level.

Q. - Why did you leave Chastain back in 1992? Did you want to concentrate in your solo career? And why were you absent for so many years?

Leather - Chastain came to an amicable end.  We had different ideas of our future…

It was so long ago, it had nothing to do with me wanting a solo career. I looked for other interesting projects and didn’t find any, so I walked away.

There was no one beating down my door… believe me.

Q. - Malibu Barbi came from the ashes of Rude Girl, and got some notoriety in the middle 80's, did you try to approach a record deal at that time?

Leather - As I always say, MB was never my band.  I knew them and did the EP as a favor to them, that’s all it was.

Q. - And what about Sledge Leather, with Sandy Sledge? Will you continue this project?

Leather - There are no plans to continue Sledge Leather....my priority is the Leather band.

Q. - What were the principal reasons for your coming back?

Leather - I came back as a tribute to the loss of Ronnie Dio.  It was my way of dealing with the grief and doing music in his honour.

Q. - Tell me a little bit about your new Leather album "II", what expectations do you have for it?

Leather - When my new manager and I decided to move forward with the boys....I honestly had no expectations.   They knew nothing about my past musical ventures,  so it came from a pure place.   We just all sent our ideas to each other and figured out what worked for us.   The process for me was so easy and natural...I knew this was the next chapter for me....

Q. - Was it easy to find this new line up for Leather? Who's been playing with you lately?

Leather - I wasn’t looking for a new line up...I wasn’t thinking of doing anything new.

When I was on the road with Rob Rock (with the wisdom of my manager, Rodrigo Scelza)...they appeared....we all had an immediate connection...

We had a conversation and decided to see what we could write together.

Now we have “Leather II” and an upcoming North American tour.....we are blessed and taking full advantage of this opportunity.

Q. - Do you consider to play any Chastain songs, when you're on tour as Leather?

Leather - I will always do some Chastain classics, but my main priority is the new Leather material....it’s our time...

Q. - How do you feel being back to the metal scene after all these years? It's good to be back?

Leather - Being back in the game is much more invigorating now that I am wiser...

My level of appreciation and love I have for this band has motivated me to work hard and get better...Vinnie Tex (my main writer) has kicked me in the ass.  He pushes me and takes no crap. I look forward to our new collaboration.

Q. - In your opinion what are the main differences between the eighties and the reality of today? Do you keep an eye to the metal scene of today?

Leather - The main difference is that labels are now longer needed to put your creation out there... A blessing and a curse.   How do you stand out today?

But coming from my school thought.....do music because you are in love with her, do it because you have to.....that has always been my reward ...to see a thought become a song that we all relate to....

Q. - After all these years, do you still "bleed metal"?

Leather - I bleed deeper and darker than I ever have. My new family has pulled me back in time to move forward...for them and Ronnie I wave the flag!

Q. - How do you want to end up this interview? Anything more you want to say?

Leather - I want to thank all of you who have continued to believe in me.   All of you....

We plan on taking “Leather II” all over the world to share it with you.

Love and Dio always....stay tuned to ttps://www.facebook.com/leatherleoneband

https://www.facebook.com/LeatherLeone

Thank you for your time, and wish you all the best for the future!

Satan's Host

Robin Stele, was the original drummer for Satan's Host, on their early days, known as "D. Lucifer Stele", having recorded their debut "Metal from Hell & Midnight Wind.” After that, he joined the thrash metal band "Anathema", also from Colorado, having recorded two demo tapes with them.

Q. – Hey Robin! When did you join Satan's  Host? Tell us a bit about the beginning of the band.

D. L. S. - Patrick Evil Elkins and I met when I was 15 years old, he was 14. We were both really just beginning to get to a level where a band was possible talent wize. We played a lot of covers to get started, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Scorpions, Tygers of Pan Tang, Saxon Etc. When we had played a couple parties it was time for a name. I had been checking out occult books from the library   we wanted a name that would set us apart and create a mysterious story about what we did. In one of the books Patrick and I were looking at was a name that just said everything we wanted. SATAN'S HOST! That was “the Beginning”.

Q. - What were your main influences at the beginning?   

D. L. S. - The bands that really influenced me were more blues based, I loved rock and roll too. My earliest influence was deep purple but I also was a huge fan of Kiss. Later my taste refined, I listened to Led Zeppelin, The Doors, The Who. But my whole life changed when Patrick played In trance off Tokyo Tapes, GodDamn what a great Record. All I knew was I wanted to play great metal and scare the crap out of people.

Q. - At this time did you play some covers too, or was it only your own songs?

D. L. S. - At first we played covers, all the songs we loved hearing. Not that shit on the radio, but real music, real metal. Soon we started experimenting with song arrangements, Patrick and I wrote over 200 songs one summer.

Q. - How about shows? Did you play regularly in the Colorado area back then or was it hard for a heavy metal band to be booked at that time?

D. L. S. - In the beginning we played these massive parties around Denver, they were called “Major Rager” parties hundreds sometimes a thousand people would show up there. After we released Metal From Hell we played a few Metal shows.  Around 1986-1988 We warmed up for some great bands, VoiVod, Kreator, Dark Angel Possessed…. For some reason Denver was pretty cruel to the hometown bands back then. I remember at the possessed show there was a crowd of head bangers standing in the middle of the audience booing and shouting for us to get off the stage. Fuckin assholes had no idea what respect was. That behaviour didn't happen after that show, we were gaining momentum.

Q. - Why "Midnight Wind" didn't see the light of the day back in the day?

D. L. S. - The truth is we did the pre-production, but W. E. B. Records had sunk a ton of money into another artist on the label and put Midnight Wind on the back burner. So we started writing again, the next record was supposed to be called KEEP THE SECRET, We even wrote a song called Satan's Host to be released on that disk.

Q. - What lead to the end of the band in the eighties? When did you split and for what reasons?

D. L. S.- I want to be clear, the band went through a hiatus period, but Satan's Host Flame NEVER Went out. It's true I left the band I'll admit now I think it was a mistake. But during that time I wanted to get a lot more serious about recording & touring. But the label was going through some growing pains and if we were going to tour that meant finding the money to make it happen. Rehearsals were diminished, I got fed up and left the band. The next day Megaforce records sent over contracts to look over. At the time I had no idea they had even considered us. It never came to pass… I

I moved on.

Q. - Did you stay in touch with each other over the years? You're all still friends?

D. L. S. - Patrick and I played in a band we put together called PSYCHONAUT a heavy speed metal thrash band, we did one demo. After that I moved out of state. We did not speak again for 20 years. That's when Patrick had heard I had been killed under mysterious and sordid circumstances. I was listed as deceased in the encyclopedia Metallum. He even did a few interviews where he said he heard I had been murdered. That's what inspired me to write my book about the early days, called METAL, MAYHEM & MURDER (unpublished).

Q. - Do you miss Satan's Host? What memories do you keep from those early live shows?

D. L. S. - Patrick talk off and on throughout the years. I do… I

I miss writing with Pat. I miss the brotherhood we all shared. When we hired Harry Conklin to sing on the album, we actually kidnapped him. At the after party of a Jag Panzer show we asked him (Harry Conklin) to follow us outside to go over the tracklist and lyrics for Metal From Hell. Unbeknownst to him we were taking him to Denver. We had booked time in the studio for the next morning and come hell or high water he was going to sing on our record. So Patrick got in on one side Harry got in, I pushed him into the middle jumped in and we tore out of there burning rubber. Yes we kidnapped The Tyrant!!!! Worked on lyrics all night, he recorded 5 songs the next morning.

Q. - Then you went to join the thrash metal band "Anathema"? For how long did "Anathema" last? Tell us a bit about those days.

I joined ANATHEMA shortly after I left Satan's Host. We played together for about two years. But I wanted to play a more power metal/ thrash style. I was really into Megadeth and Helloween at the time.

Q. - Did you try to approach some labels at that time? Sent the demos to fanzines?

D. L. S. - Yea the guitarist Jeff Harmson was really good at what he referred to as PenBanging. Nothing came of it.

Q. - How do you see this "Anathema" recordings after all these years?

D. L. S. - I still listen to the demo I was on. I only played on one release. The first one, The Trauma Never Ends.

Q. - In your opinion what are the main differences between the eighties and the reality of today? Do you keep an eye to the metal scene of today?

D. L. S. - Back then the world was a lot smaller. The bands were more competitive. But we still had a sort of state of mind about it all. We were living in a time of kill or be killed mentality metal was everywhere, figuratively speaking. The world was ours for the taking. We rehearsed 6 days a week and went out every night after rehearsal to promote our bands. It seems to me that it's not as easy to brand your bands name on the minds of the fans today. With the invention of digital music sharing and social media, any jackass with a laptop will over share their unrefined recordings.  I really try to keep up with what's being released, but Really!?! There are just too many bands I can't keep up. I find myself very often going back through my old favorite songs and just pulling my van over to blast some Priest. I know a lot of Metal heads are going to cringe when I say this but my favorite  bands right now are Hellyea, Disturbed and I still listen to Pantera’s Cowboys from hell.

Q. - So what are you doing these days? Do you still play in any band? Tell us a bit about it.

D. L. S. - I'm not playing with anyone right now, but I had played with a punk band called Cathartic Dissent a few years ago and I'm talking to the Vocalist about writing a Punk metal album. So we'll see.

Q. - Did you take a listen to what Satan's Host have been recording nowadays? Their latest recordings? What do you think of it?

D. L. S. - I'm really happy they are still writing, releasing stuff all the time. The nightmare will never die!!! I will always be a fan of Satan's Host. I would love to write and record with Patrick again someday. We both know “WE HAVE UNFINISHED BUSINESS”.

Q. - How do you want to end up this interview? Anything more you want to say?

D. L. S. - I don't do a lot of interviews, I'm just not that relevant anymore. But one thing is certain in my life. I will always listen to metal. That much about me is a fact. As long as I draw a breath and can hold a drumstick in my hand I will be drumming. I don't care about fame or all that bullshit. True metal is forged in the fires of passion not on the pages of Facebook. Although I have been, an artist all my life I am first and foremost a fan.

Thank you for your time, and wish you all the best for the future!