Out of
Belgium comes MAGIC KINGDOM, a great traditional Melodic
Metalband, with strong Neo-classical influences (a la MALMSTEEN).
They just released their 2nd CD and therefore I had an interview
with leader Dushan Petrossi, who is the guitarist of MAGIC
KINGDOM, let's see what he has to say...
Please introduce us your band, when did you
form MAGIC KINGDOM?
Well,I
formed Magic Kingdom in 98,we released a first album in 99,the
line up changed a bit coz my first drummer and keys players were
only studio sessions guy,they only recorded the first album
without being involved in the band,they never toured with us,so
after this Vassili Moiltchanov (our bass player introduced me to
a really great drummer he knew,he's name is Anton Arkhipov(ex
Exhumator) and we knew he was the right drummer for us,lot of
energy and technique,he toured with us even for our first album
so to me he's the real first drummer of Magic Kingdom,for the
second album we asked Aymeric Ribot from Headline to be our keys
player,and he did a great job too(he also recorded the bass
bariton voice in the MT track,we also have Bob Katsionis on 2
song lead key solos(a keys virtuoso from Greece,he released2
albums on Lion records) and Oliver Hartmann for the lead vocals
on 2 songs and the whole album's additional cho irs and backing
vocals ,our singer is the same as on our first album but this
time he also recorded the black metal voice in the MT track.We
also get a soprano singer for the MTtrack(Sylvie
Grare-Headline)and Ramuald Siedletsky for the death metal vocals
of MT ;thats it-))
Please
tell us all about your new CD?
We really
think that this new album is our real first album,the first album
production was horrible,it took 4 years before we release it ,we
had juridical problems with our former label but thanks God we
have won our tribunal case,the songs are sympho power speed
metal,with good vocals melodies and good instrumental parts.This
is the music we like,we hope that metal fans will also like our
new songs
What makes
your band different than the other Metal bands?
I think we
have something different with this 13 minute kind of metal opera
song we recorded wich mixes all metal style of voices;death
,black ,soprano,traditional metal,baryton,next album will be even
more in that way but we will still record'normal 'melodic speed
metal songs too-))
Which
bands/musicians/guitarists influenced you? MALMSTEEN I guess...
yes
,Malmsteen,Iron Maiden,Gary Moore but also agressiver bands of
the 80(Slayer,etc)a bit of Satriani too,Steeve Lynch for the
tapping stuff,Al di Meola;Paul Guilbert,there re are many,and I
hope to get my style with mixing these influences
Belgium is a very poor country
for metalbands, can you explain is why the scene in Belgium was
so much bigger in the 1980s than it is nowadays...
I really
dont know,I only know that it is very hard to find good musicians
for the neo classical metal here in Belgium,we ve try a lot of
different good keys guys but they are all into jazz fusion kind
of music and when I asked them to play this scale or this guitar
lick notes on the keyboard with a really fast tempo they were
totally lost,you know I m not following the belgians metal scene
,symply coz I dont know the other bands,all the bands I know play
trash or death or hardcore,we are real good friends with
Bloodshot but this is really not symphonic metal,its hardcore
trash,I think we are the only symphonic power speed metal with a
contract here in Belgium(actually with 2 different labels coz
Iron Mask is also signed but not on LMP ,on Lion rec)Thats really
a thing we are proud of,of course ,its a lot of working every
day,a lot passion and devotion to our instruments and the music
we play,we dont have regular jobs ,we pl ay music every day.
How does
the future look like for MAGIC KINGDOM?
aNEW ALBUM
of MK in early 2005 on LMP,we defenitely dont want to wait 4 more
years before we release the next album-)) but first we will
release the second Iron Mask album in september or october
hopefully,we have a great new german singer and also Oliver
Hartmann on 3songs this time and again all the choirs and B
vocals,it will be a more kind of(modern )Rainbow-hard rock style
but also with some agressive and even prog parts,all is already
recorded, we ll start to mix soon ,its different than Magic
Kingdom wich is more speed power metal
we have some touring plans for MK with Firewind and Pagan s Mind
but nothing confirmed at the moment ,we ll keep you informed
Please
name your 5 favourite albums of all times and the 5 albums (or
songs) you're currently listening too...
I think I
will name you 10 of my favourites all time albums coz I dont
listen to so much new bands,,hope you are ok-))
1 Marching out- Malmsteen
2 Somewhere in Time -Iron Maiden
3 Out in the fields -Gary Moore
4 Operation Mindcrime Quennsryche
5 Reign in Blood -Slayer
6 Images and words -Dream theater
7 Divine wings of tragedy- Symphony X
8 Alison Hell -Annihilator
9 1987 -Whitesnake
10 Racer X first album
Thanks for
answering the questions, anything to add for yourself?
thanks a
lot,please check our new album,if you re fan of good sympho
guitar oriented speed metal you will relly like it,our digipack
version got the video clip of Child of the Nile,one more very
good song ,a poster,sticker and liner notes about each
songs,enjoy!