1. Can you tell me something about band's history, members and music?

Jurgen: The band has existed with the name Holy Dragons since 1996, but the history of the band dates back to 1992. During this period of time the line -up has changed greatly, people came and went away. In 1997 we recorded the first full-length album and at that time our style took it's shape, though it was later transformed and developed into the direction of more speed and heavy sound. Then we released 4 albums and one single in our country and later in 2003 signed a contract with the Russian label Metalism Records. Two our albums has been released by Metalism Records: "Judgement Day" (2002) and "Gotterdamerung" (2003). Currently two more our albums will be released by the same label.
Speaking about our members I'd like to begin with the youngest one - the drummer Jury Morev. Despite his young age, he has a great potential and good technique. And I'm sure he could play in such bands as Helloween or Blind Guardian. Next is our bassist: he is a year older than the drummer, but 12 years younger than I am. But never mind the age difference, we have very good understanding, as he is the same fan of old Heavy Metal as I am, Iron Maiden especially. He somehow resembles Iron Maiden himself and when he comes to the rehearsal he is all dressed in Iron Maiden's out fit: Maiden's T-shirt, badges, stickers and bla-bla-bla… : ))
Holger- I played with him in the same band in the beginning of 90-ties. But he wasn't in the first line-up of HD, he was not in the second line-up either, but I'm happy that he is in the third line-up at last! We've recorded 50 tracks with him already. The majority of these tracks are in the state of being released or mixing, but that's definitely more than any of the previous singers has ever done in HD. And this great work was done in a very short period of time. I have never liked the usual type of power metal singers with pure high voice; I've always preferred Hansi Kursch, Peavey Wagner, Piet Sielck or Jorn Lande. And I think that Holger's vocal greatly matches our music.
Chris is the backbone of the band. But for this person there will be no band at all. No comments!
And me: I'm a composer, guitar player, producer and everything in one… The most modest member of the band… Ha-ha-ha : )))

2. Fantasy is usual in Holy Dragons' texts. Where are you finding inspiration for it?

Chris: Usually in books, then almost all the members of our band are fond of role-playing games. So, these RPG sessions give great inspiration and lots of material.

Jurgen: I like Scandinavian sagas, "Edda" - both of them, Celtic legends, J.R.R. Tolkien, of course, though nowadays his heritage is exploited by almost everyone. I like Blind Guardian songs by his books but I don't like when bands which, having nothing to say try to make success using his themes as very popular ones. I don't want to follow the same track with our band.
I also like more modern fantasy writers, like Polish writer A. Sapkovsky. We have two songs based on his books. They are "Blood of Elves" from "Gotterdamerung" album and "Sword of destiny" from "Judgement Day". Then, I like Russian writer, who was born in Kazakhstan Sergey Lukianenko and books from the "Dragonlance" series. We also have a song based on the "Dragonlance" books, called "The Old Legend".

3. Since album "Judgment Day" lyrics are on Russian language. Because I more like Russian than English language, I liked that idea. Some other bands in Kazakhstan and near countries also sing on Russian. But why you decided for it? Does any band from Kazakhstan sing on Kazakh language? Will you ever record any song on Kazakh language?

Chris: We decided to sing in Russian after many years of working in English because there are lots of English language Heavy Metal bands and there is a lack of Russian language Heavy Metal. And people really want their Heavy Metal to be done in their native language. And that is only natural and it's good, though I think that a band must be equally able to work using both languages: their native one and English, because lots of fans in other countries want to understand what the band is singing about. What concerns Kazakh, it would be difficult for us to do a song in Kazakh as it is not our native language and we don't speak it very well.

Jurgen: What concerns Kazakh, in our country it is mostly used by the bands, which play Kazakh folk music. There are more than enough of such bands, they are every where: on the radio, TV, etc. Still among them there are some talented groups, but the majority of them play cheap popular pseudo folklore style, exploiting the folklore motives, and we really don't want to have anything in common with such bands. I think that when people try to play music which they don't love and don't understand only for the rotation on radio and TV it's not true.

4. Tell me something more about yours last album Gotterdammerung?

Chris: It's an attempt to look back on the 20th century and to explore what people think and hope for on the edge of the centuries, an attempt to say "farewell" to the past century and to welcome the new millenium with new hopes and dreams and at the same time fear of this great new coming age.

5. Are you concert active? Where you all played until now? How look like situation for gigs in Kazakhstan?

Jurgen: Well, much of the situation is described in the 6th question. We play gigs here but it's very difficult to organize from the financial point of view. If a band wants to have a gig here it needs to waste lots of nerves and money to make a gig. And then musicians have to make great efforts to compensate all the expenditures, because all the earned money will go to the owners of the concert place otherwise there will be simply no concert. And if try to make it the same way as it is done in the other countries you'll only see a closed door right in front of you. But probably our label will organize some gigs in CIS and abroad.


6. Describe me metal scene in Kazakhstan? Which bands should be known? Which metal genre is most popular?

Jurgen: Metal scene in Kazakhstan is underground for 99%. There are many young bands that from time to time split, then new bands appear. And you can count bands which are really trying to do something more than underground by the fingers of your hand : ))). They're no metal labels and infrastructures here. And pop music structures pretend there is no such style as Heavy Metal neither here nor abroad. That's why we're known more in Russia or in Poland than in Kazakhstan.

7. Which music is most listened in band?

Jurgen: We like bands of the 80-ties, I mean: Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Manowar, Helloween. Then I like many German bands: Gamma Ray, Rage, Blind Guardian, Scanner, Axxis, Heaven's Gate and many more…
Then, Holger and me like the old school of hard rock: Deep Purple, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, DIO etc. I like Celtic folk bands and Holger likes thrash metal and close to it Megadeath and Metal Church.

Chris likes Gamma Ray, Iron Maiden, Helloween, Blind Guardian, Rage and lots of others.

Our bassist first of all is a great fan of Iron Maiden and after Maiden he also likes: Helloween, Gamma Ray, and Manowar. And our drummer likes music in every style it only should have a good quality of the material.

But we can't say that we're limit ourselves only with the old bands I try to follow all the new bands and trends in our style. We all try to listen to all the new albums. But I personally prefer the good old Heavy Metal than modern sympho-keyboard bands.

8. Tell me something about plans for the band? When we can expect the new album?

Jurgen: In October our label Metalism Records will release two albums "House of the winds" and "Thunder in the Night". They were recorded in 1999-2000 and in 2004 the voice for them was specially re-recorded in Russian. And we've remastered these albums. These albums were released in Kazakhstan before but they were not available out of the country, even here they were sold in the limited number of shops. Now you will be able to mail order them through Metalism Records in any part of the world.

Currently we're working on the next album and the release of it is planned for the beginning of 2005.

9. And tell something for the end and readers of web-zine Hard'n'Heavy.

"Feel the power of the steel
We will get the score
We were born to fight and win
In Glory war!"
Holy Dragons/Glory war ("Thunder in the Night")


Zeljko Stepanovic
Beograd
Serbia and Montenegro
www.hardandheavy.net