Power Quest is a relatively new band. Can you as an introduction tell something about how you got started and how did everyone in the current line-up meet? Did any member of the band play before in other bands?

Power Quest was formed in early 2001 by myself and Steve Scott (bass). We had both recently left DragonHeart (now DragonForce) and although Steve was also in Shadowkeep at the time, he wanted to play something a bit more melodic as well. Adam I met in Southampton (where we both live) and I knew he was a metal fan and a great guitarist so I thought it would be good to get him on board as he has a different set of influences…his other band being a technical death metal band (DRS). Steve suggested that we ask Sam, from DragonForce, to complete the line up. We both knew him well from working together previously, so it seemed the logical step. The reactions of DragonForce fans has been interesting! It was only in March 2002 that Alessio joined Power Quest. Many thanks to Maurizio at Underground Symphony for putting us all in contact. He's a great guy and a fantastic singer! You can hear the first recording with Alessio at mp3.com/power_quest. The song is called "Far Away".

I see that you've recently added a third guitar player by the name of Andrea Martongelli, right? How did you meet up with him?

Yeah, Andrea came over to the UK with Alessio when he was recording his vocal tracks in June. He makes a guest appearance in a couple of places on the album and we were so impressed with him in the studio that we thought he would be a great addition to the band. Andrea and Alessio can also be found playing in Italian power metal band Arthemis, also signed to Underground Symphony.

What bands have influenced both you in your playing and the band as a whole?

Personally, I'm influenced by bands like Iron Maiden, Stratovarious, Edguy, Dream Theater and many others. The great thing about Power Quest is that the various members have such different influences, from 80's hard rock to progressive death metal; from Bach and Vivaldi to Symphony X! You never know exactly what new ideas will turn up at the rehearsal room!

Your demo is out since a few months. I think it sounds very professional and the songs kill. Were you pleased with the way it turned out? How were the reactions? Are you satisfied with the success?

To be honest we've been overwhelmed by the response we've had to the demo we recorded in December 2001. We've had some great reviews from many places including Brazil, UK, Japan, Italy, Spain and of course you Marina!. Most of these have now been linked to on our website at www.power-quest.co.uk. Considering we only had 3 days of actual recording time for the two songs, we were really pleased with the outcome. Thanks to everyone who has emailed us about the demo we hope you enjoy the album as much!

How did you hook up with Karl Groom from Threshold to help with the recording?

We hooked up with Karl through his work on the DragonForce demo "Valley Of The Damned". Steve Scott was keen that Power Quest should go back to Thin Ice studios and work with Karl again. We think his work on the demo was great and that's why we returned once more to record "Wings Of Forever" with him. I expect we will do any future recording at Thin Ice studios as well.

You said that you're finishing the preparations for your full-length debut "Wings Of Forever". What can we expect from it musically? Can you tell us a little bit about the songs on this CD? Which topics are expressed through the lyrics?

Yeah, the album is all finished now and is currently at Finnvox studios in Helsinki, Finland for mastering. There are eight songs and two instrumental tracks on the album. There’s a blend of fast, progressive and slower songs on the CD. We try to be as uplifting as we can with the songs themselves. "Follow Your Heart" is about keeping true to your dreams and never giving up, while "Power Quest" tells of a warrior on a quest but he isn’t entirely certain what the purpose of the quest is. "Far Away" tells of a magical kingdom lost in a bygone age. I won’t tell you about the others... it'll be a surprise!

If I am not mistaken, the two songs from the demo will be included on the album... have they been modified in any way?

"Glory Tonight" and "Follow Your Heart" are the two songs from the demo. We have re-recorded both songs and of course Alessio will now be handling the vocals on them. I think he's added a different twist to the songs with his great voice. It was important to do this because we had so little time for the demo.

You are the main composer of the band, how does a Power Quest track get to life? And how do the others bring their ideas in?

As far as songwriting goes, someone will bring a song to rehearsal and we will work on it, maybe change the arrangement and add a melody or counter melody here and there. I've done the bulk of the writing for "Wings Of Forever" but the whole band is involved in the process of taking the orginal idea and making it into a "Power Quest" track. Adam and Sam have also written songs for the album. I usually then make a 4 or 8 track demo of the songs for each band member to practice with at home. That way everyone is well rehearsed when the band gets together. For the next record I hope that with the input of Steve, Alessio and Andrea we can move on yet again with the songwriting.

Do you have any plans for live shows? Who would be the ultimate band to tour with?

Currently we have nothing lined up on the live front. I hope that we can get out to do a short tour in support of the album, so if there’s anyone out there who needs a melodic power metal band...let me know! Ideal touring partners would have to be Iron Maiden for me. Although Dream Theater and Stratovarius would also be pretty cool! But we are all just keen to get out there and play with another band of the genre.

What about the Heavy/Power Metal scene in England? The only bands I can think of are DragonForce, Intense and ShadowKeep... are there any other bands you can recommend in your area or unsigned bands in general?

Yeah Dragonforce, Intense, ShadowKeep and ourselves are the only real players in the heavy/power scene in the UK. Although there are some great bands around like Riff Master General, BioMechanical and of course the prog metal masters Threshold. Another cool band over here is Bloodstream who hail from Bradford.

Could you give a Top 3 of your favorite albums and give some comments about them?

Sure. My top 3 albums are "Somewhere In Time", "Images And Words" and "Return To Heaven Denied". These are my top 3 in terms of influences. "Somewhere In Time" has that fantastic guitar synth sound and the songs themselves are great. I’ve always thought the album is highly underrated. "Images And Words" is the ultimate blend of technicality and melody, and I really think that it is Dream Theater’s finest moment. Awesome! "Return To Heaven Denied" was the album that first introduced me to the Italian power metal scene and it is an album that Labyrinth have failed to surpass so far and I think it will be difficult for any band of that style to create a better album.

Finally, what are your hopes for the band in the future? Are you working on new material?

Well I hope that, in the short term, people will like our debut album when it comes out in October. As I mentioned earlier, it would be great to get out and play live for the fans who have supported us so far. Next year we hope to get back in the studio and record the follow up record. I've got 3 songs together for that so far and the album may include a mini-concept which runs through 3 songs... if those songs make the album of course!

Thanx for taking the time to do this, Steve. Any message for the end?

Thanks for the chance to do this interview Marina. I'm a regular visitor to your website so I realised that this was a good chance to spread the Power Quest message to a wider audience. Thanks to everyone who has emailed us, written to us and called us on the phone. We really appreciate all the support. Keep checking for news at www.power-quest.co.uk and look out for "Wings Of Forever" in October and until then...

THE QUEST MUST GO ON!

---