Although I'm not a big Manowar fan and all the other editors would go crazy for this interview, but I had to do it, and honestly I didn't repent it. I had a nice talk with Karl Logan guitarrist, and this guy surpassed all my expectations, he was very sympathetic and helpful, and he replied even to my provoking questions on a calm and intelligent way. Let's say he's a great guy.

It's only your second album since you have joined the band. Don't you think that this 6 years were a bit too long?
K.L.: It's a misunderstanding, when people think, that it took 6 years for us to write the songs for the new album. If then we only make a short tour and since then we were just sitting on our ass, then I say ok, we are lazy. But during this 6 years we were touring continuosly, we released 2 double live albums and a live video, which the fans have been waiting for a long time. So we were very busy. Selecting and cutting parts for the video, and we watched hundreds of hours of materials to decide what is going to be on it. That stands for the live albums too, plus the mixing and etc took a lot of time. I can say, that we started to think about the new album around 2 years ago. But before that up to 1999, the end of the Monsters of the Millenium tour we were playing wherever we were invited. So ok, it seems for an outsider that we needed 6 years to come out with this new album, but in reality this part only took 1 and a half or 2 years.

Ok so the live albums and the video were released. What was the reaction of the fans?
K.L.: They gave a tremendous reception to them. I said it before that these were not just our ideas, the fans asked for them. We got tons of E-mails, and we have been asked wherever we played: when will be a live album released? When will be a video released? Ok there were lots of bootleg recordings from diferent shows, but I think I don't have to talk about their quality...

You are the newest member in the band. How are you feeling in it? And how does it feel to make music with the others?
K.L.: It's a fantastic thing. This is the loudest, heaviest rock band of the world, which never turned back to traditional heavy metal. We are playing great music with classical influences, but we are hard bonebreakers too. If you are a metal musician, then this is the band, which you wanna be part of. And I'm granted with this.

There was a legend, that Rhino, Manowar's ex drummer burned his old drum kit when he joined the band. Have you done something like that then?
K.L.: Ha-ha! No, I only burned the phone numbers of my ex girlfriends. Ha-ha! By the way, I'm playing on the same guitar for nearly 20 years.

Ok, ok, I didn't exactly mean the pyromaniac suscepts, but something symbolic action.
K.L.: Well yeah, I never felt I have to burn up something, but Rhino was affected by many other things, like devorced with his wife etc. Music has been part of my life since my childhood. At the age of 14 I told my parents: "I'm a rock star". I just had to prove it in all the other parts of this world. But don't misunderstand me, I hate too the word "rock star", so let's just say, that I always wanted to be a professional musician.

What do you think about Manowar's image? I'm thinking of the lyrics, the covers, the big Harleys on the stage, and things like these.
K.L.: If you look Manowar's image, then you look Judas Priest's image, and look many other band's image, you'll see, that this is the heavy metal image. Heavy metal always meant some kind of rebellion against the system, against conformism. For instance the long hair. In the past few decades it always has been the symbol of rebellion, and I think, no one can deny, that most of the rock musicians have long hair till this day. What's the reason of this? Others, the outsiders say, that how funny looking are those who has long hair, and how much shit they can say about this little thing. The Harleys? You know, motorcycling was a symbol of something too, freedom, that you are not a person who is locked inside four walls, and you are able to leave behind those shits, which are the symbols of these days. And I hink this is heavy metal. And if we wear this exteriorities, then we are symbols of this all.

Then this question comes from this, how many percents are you, and how many percents is posing? K.L.: Image is 10 percents, 90 percents ourselves. Don't misunderstand me, I don't wake up every morning and dress up in leather. The attitude, the style, I have to be free and live my own life, never mind, what others think about me. This is me.

If you are not on tour or in the studio, what do you spare your freetime with?
K.L.: I'm motor racing. (here he says the sport's name, but I don't understand it - SP) It's like motor crossing, you have to do it with enduro motors.

On amateur or on professional level?
K.L.: I do it on amateur level, I'm racing in amateur championships, but last year I was the champion, so I think it goes very well for me.

Let's talk about the new album, but first about the upcoming single, Warriors of the World United. What do you think, does a heavy metal band need to release a single?
K.L.: It's very interesting that you asking this, I recently read in a music magazine, that are these kind of releases suitable for the record companies, and the result was no. First we need to know, are these singles good for something. Of course to show the becoming costumer in one song, the style and the sound and etc of the upcoming album. I have to say, that I don't see any reasons for us why not to release a single like this too. On a single there is usually one song. I listen to it, and decide if I like it or not. Then I'm looking forward, to the others, the entire album. I listen in to the album, and I say: hey, what a cool band is this!, and why not, I buy the album. Peeople are thinking this way, and the record companies knows this. Those who buy the pre-release, which is of course cheaper than the album, and like it, those will buy the album too. There's the opportunity to choose. If you only show the complete album to the people on the entire price, which is more expensive, then they'll think twice to buy it or not.

What do you think, can you get some new fans with the help of this release?
K.L.: Yes, I think we can, I told you the process before. If people like a song, then they'd like to know more about the certain band.

But how can a song like that reach the people? I don't think that a band like Manowar will aim the radios.
K.L.: A single like ours, isn't destined to reach the radios. We have never been a radio-band, since we have born, the biggest stations never played any Manowar songs. We only have to do that, to inform those who are interested, that it's released, it's available, you can try it. Those who read the music magazines, watch the websites on the internet, read the interviews, those will probably hear about this. And for all that is said above there are some smaller stations worldwide, where they belive in us, they play our songs, and promoting us. And these people which I meant before knows about these stations. Although, the real heavy metal's scene weren't, and won't be the mainstream, the nowadays status is very good for this style.

I didn't hear the album yet, but I think you didn't change your style or something like this.
K.L.: (here he says in half an hour that what a pity that I couldn't listen to it - SP) I would have been very interested in your opinion, because this album is a bit different than Louder Than Hell. Musically it goes back to the roots of Manowar, with wonderful orchestral parts, like in Master of the Wind, and with bangings like in Kill With Power. This is an album which I really belive in, and I think, we couldn't do better. The band is unbeliveably together, we supported each other in everything, and you can hear this on the album.

In it's entirety is this a fast album full of energy, or monumental and epic?
K.L.: I think the last one. I don't say that we wrote 20 minutes long songs, but there are songs like Nessun Dorma, which is an "opera-song", or an instrumental orchestral one, which is really beautyful, but of course the traditional Manowar songs, which are very heavy. But there's one which is like Carry On, it's a bit like hard rock, not metal. But people will be very surprised, because we made a fantastic album which is variated, but united too.

How do you write songs?
K.L.: Joey (Joey DeMaio bassist) and I write the songs. Not together, but he brings his ideas, I bring my ideas too, then we mix them, and Joey decides, which of these has the real Manowar sound. He decides because he's the leader, and in the studio he's the producer. That's why it happened, that I have around 30 half ready songs recorded some way at home, and only two is on the album. After this we have to select again, because it's an important thing too that which songs fits really in the album's mood. Then if it's ready, we have to record it some way to show it to the others, and then we make the final works on it. And this time totally different things can come out of the songs than we first thought, because all of us is very creative. If you look in the booklet who wrote the songs, you can't be sure, because we wrote all together.

You told me that you have lots of unreleased songs at home. Don't you plan something own project?
K.L.: Oh yes, I thought of it and now I'm planing it too. Not exactly, but something will happen in the future. But now Manowar has got priority in all things.

North-America has always been an unconquered land for you. What do you think, will you ever be succesful in the USA?
K.L.: In the United States everything depends on the support of the media. If you make a difference between Europe and America, the first thing you notice is the size of the countries. Let's see New York state, where there are a lot of radio and tv stations, and let's say we are promoting our album there, it could work, because for x money we can put our ads everywhere. The problem? This is only one state! In Europe there aren't as many countries as many states are in the USA. And as a heavy metal band like Manowar hasn't got any chance to be in the national media, we would have to do this in every state, and pay the lot of money. A promotion like this needs a lot of money but heavy metal never had as big audience to allow this. But if it would happen, and the houswifes would whistle Manowar tunes during washing or cooking, then the spirit of our music would disappear, metal would be "normal" and that's what against it have been always fighting.

Published by: twilight.hu