De sjokkerer ikke med nyskapende metal, men de gjør det gamle bra. Her går det i metal som oser Maiden, som også bærer preg av banda som lot seg inspirere av band som Maiden. jeg anmeldte nylig skiva ‘ Sinister Lightning’, der skrev jeg blant annet dette: «Jeg hadde ventet et mye mer retrostyrt band, hyling og speedmetal om en annen, men det er rett og slett klassisk metal. Melodisk, amerikansk-inspirert, med gitararbeid som ikke er ulikt det Warlord kjørte på med.» 

Les resten av anmeldelsen HER.

Dra på deg naglebåndet, skinnjakka og bli med på en tur til Tyskland, der fikk jeg tak i bassist Alec.

Blackslash@Facebook

Hey, and welcome to Heavymetal.no! Everything’s ok? Life’s good?

«Life is good and we couldn’t be happier about the stuff that happened recently!» (Tipper de sikter til skiveslipp 🙂 Yj).

I really liked your brand of metal, or melodic metal/hardrock. What do you promote yourself as? Classic metal, which you are tagged as in the promo sheet? I do hear a lot of hardrock as well, like in ‘Don’t Touch Me’.

«Hardrock is ok, Heavy Metal is ok, Oldschool Metal or New Wave Of Traditional Heavy Metal is ok. We play it all! It’s all Rock n Roll in the end!»

I LOVE Warlord, and since the first time I heard the band back in the early 80’s, the band has been one of my favourite American metal bands. You do have a lot in common with Warlord, any thoughts? You agree? Maybe the band is an important inspiration?

«Thanks for the compliment. We like that kind of music. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that Warlord is a major influence, but it sure is one of our many influences.»

And if you were to sell your band to one not familiar with the music or style, how would you describe Blackslash?

«Although I wouldn’t dare to compare ourselfes to these bands, I would recommend our band to metalheads that are into bands like Maiden, Riot and Thin Lizzy.»

One aspect of Blackslash, and don’t get me wrong :), you don’t sound German at all, more Uk/Us. Compliment or not?

«I think you absolutely nail it. It’s a mixture of US / UK Metal for sure! These are the countries that produces the stuff we like the most, which doesn’t mean that we are not into some fine German bands like Formel 1, Victory, Accept or Destruction.»

Liveshot, with Alec upfront – photographer:  Klaus Polkowski (Facebook).

I rarely bother to keep up with the new and upcoming metal bands, all of the retro stuff hammering down these days, but sometimes its just too good to be true – like you guys. What kind of feedback have you been getting? Is it great reviews all the way? Or do some magz/reviewers miss out on what the band wants to say?

«To our surprise the new album got very good reviews through and through. Normally there are always some people that do not dig what a band is doing. Seems like we didn’t do any major mistakes on Sinister Lightning! That was not the case for our first album, Separate But Equal, where we got mixed responses.

The production is light, simple and to the point, was this a result of hard work? Did you strive for the album to arrive like this? Or was it a natural process?

«Vagelis Maranis, a Greek dude who owns a music studio in Backnang, South Germany, sure helped. We went into his studio for 3 weeks, lived there, and the result is a product of dedication to Metal. It felt like a very natural process.»

What made you go for Iron Shield? And were there other labels interested?

«Ultimately we wanted a label that supported bands that we like. Iron Shield with bands like Delirium Tremens or Revenge (America) seemed perfect for us. Thomas from Iron Shield is an oldschool metalhead and he is very passionate about his label. It was a match made in /hell/ ;-).»

I am a big fan and collector of nwobhm, and theres a lot of elements from this era in your music. Not only the Maidenesque stuff, but hints from the underdogs as well. Do you like this era? And if so, what are your favourites?

«To me, it’s my favourite kind of subgenre of metal. Those were the times man. So many great bands. I mean come on: Praying Mantis, Tank, Tygers Of Pan Tang, Samson, motherfucking ANGEL WITCH! Ough!!!! If you are not into these bands there is something wrong with you and you certainly haven’t got a clue about how metal is supposed to sound like.»

You guys are so young, not an old bag like me 🙂 What made you go for this style? Its kind of trendy to play true metal these days, but not entirely like you do.

«While we might be young, 22-25, people seem to forget that we formed back in 2007 when we were only 15 years old. That was nine years ago and we never went for another genre. To us it is definitely not a trendy thing to play this kind of music. It’s what we have always done. It is the music we always liked.»

Ten years ahead, still metal? Or is it just a phase you think? When I was growing up, in the 70’s, and during the early 80’s, a lot of people were metal- and hardrock heads, but very few are burning the fire today.

«Metal on, forever!»

I really hope Blackslash will enter the big league. And if so, are you ready to devote the time and effort needed? Or are factors like school, family and work standing in your way?

«You certainly need something in the back if you strive to become a musician nowadays. We don’t go to school anymore, we work or have nearly finished our studies at university. We will just wait and see what opportunities there will be for us.»

And the band name, Blackslash? What? I typed Backlash a couple of times, until I figured out what it really was 🙂

«No worries mate, you are not alone :D. It has no deeper meaning, so do not worry about it too much.»

What’s the coolest experience so far? The most memorable episode?

«To me it was playing this gig in our own hometown, Donaueschingen, in front of nearly 3000 people. It means a lot to me to know that our city supports us. So thank you to Fürstenberg brewery, Irish Pub Blarney and Delta Tau Chi for never letting us down!»

Thanks a million, for the interview and the great music. I will order the CD and vinyl when I get some cash 🙂 Any last words?

«Order the CD/ LP and other merch at our homepage

and go to our shop. If you order something please write «Hölderle for president» to receive absolutely nothing. Thank you for the interview man and keep the flame alive.»