Location: Kino Šiška / Ljubljana / Slovenia
Interview date: January 27, 2011
Dani Löble is one of the best drummers modern European power metal has to offer. He joined Helloween in 2005 and has released three studio albums and one live album with the band. In our chat, the (Swiss-born) drummer took us behind the scenes of Helloween’s current tour, as well as the new album “7 Sinners”, which the band is promoting like mad on a fresh world tour.
How are you feeling? Is the tour going alright?
Dani: We’ve been on the road for about a month now. Everything’s going really well, we feel good, and I think our band together with Stratovarius and Avatar is a great combination. We get along really well, so I’m looking forward to the rest of our current world tour with a lot of excitement.
Is homesickness starting to creep in yet?
Dani: Yeah. That’s totally normal. We all miss home and family, the kids. That’s the less lovely side of touring, being far away from home and missing the people you love most. But I have no right to complain. Everything’s working great for us.
I’d like to ask you a few things about the new Helloween album “7 Sinners”. You’re gambling with the number “7” again. What does the “7” refer to this time?
Dani: I know exactly what you’re getting at. Yeah, our magic number “7”. Honestly, none of us was even thinking about it. Only after we’d named the album did we realize the number “7” is following us around again. And it’s actually funny how “7” keeps popping up throughout our career. After we released the orchestral album, the band wanted to record the heaviest metal album possible. We wanted that leap. It was needed. So we’re staying connected to the “Keeper” saga.
The new album is again quite a bit darker and more atmospheric, a bit reminiscent of the “The Dark Ride” days. How did the album develop, and how did you experience the energy flowing between you while it was coming together?
Dani: We really wanted and pushed to make the heaviest album we could. At the same time, we looked back to our roots, but made use of the modern possibilities technology gives you in the studio. When the recording was done, we listened to the material and all agreed that it’s a dark album, but also a loud and very hard heavy metal record. Mission accomplished. Personally, though, I don’t feel the album is as dark as “The Dark Ride”, because our brighter, positive vibe is still pretty clearly present on it, it’s just that this time it comes through in a rawer version. It’s hard for me to talk about the feelings that came up during that time and shaped the album in any way, because our basic goal was simply to make the heaviest record possible. This time everybody built the album together. Everyone brought their own ideas and then we worked on developing those basic ideas together.
The flute in the solo on Raise the Noise is really interesting. How did that decision come about?
Dani: One of the band’s basic desires has always been to be less predictable. We like to surprise people, and if possible, shock them too. I think the flute solo is a nice touch, since it fits the message of that song’s lyrics perfectly. The first idea was to invite Jethro Tull flutist Ian Anderson to guest on it, but he was too busy while we were recording the album, so we turned to Eberhard Hahn, who is a highly regarded German orchestral flutist and also a very good friend of our guitarist Michael Weikath.
It’s unbelievable how much it sounds like an actual Ian Anderson solo. As if Ian Anderson had really played it himself.
Dani: That’s only natural, since the arrangement was written with Ian Anderson in mind from the very start. But like I said, Ian sadly didn’t have time to play it for us. Eberhard nailed the beat of the solo, though. He got really close to what we were after when we wanted Ian Anderson on it. It really does lean a bit toward Jethro Tull.
Let’s rewind for a moment. You joined the band in 2005. I remember seeing you with Rawhead Rexx in November 2001 in Vienna, opening for Saxon. Can you tell us about your transition from Rawhead Rexx to Helloween?
Dani: Rawhead Rexx was my first band back then. We were doing well, and it was definitely a success story. We played as the support act on tours with Saxon, Annihilator, Nevermore,… and my drumming reputation on the metal scene was growing. The interesting thing is that the producer who worked with Rawhead Rexx back then is the same one who’s been working with Helloween for years now. His name is Charile Bauerfiend. Helloween have been working with Charlie since “The Dark Ride”, so that’s more than 10 years. When Helloween needed a new drummer, Charlie suggested they take me. That’s how I got the new gig. One day Charlie called me up and asked what I was up to and whether I happened to be free on Saturday. I told him I had no special plans and asked what he was hinting at. So Charile asked if I was ready to hop on a plane and fly to Tenerife, where Helloween were at their studio. Of course I jumped at the chance. At first they only needed me for three songs. When we finished the job, Sascha (Sascha Gertstner, Helloween guitar, ed.) came up to me the next morning and asked if I’d like to join Helloween. And that was that. So now I’m on my third tour with the guys, in six years as Helloween’s drummer overall. But being Helloween’s drummer is no walk in the park. You always have to keep working on improving yourself, building up your drumming skills and keeping your physical condition high. It’s a huge amount of fun for me, of course, but the role also means a lot of hard graft for a Helloween drummer.
How do you handle the constant stage jabs from your singer Andi Deris, when he takes a few shots at you every night at the shows?
Dani: One of Andi’s main concert tips to everyone in the audience is not to leave their whiskey bottles alone on the table as long as I’m anywhere near them, ha, ha, ha…. We’re very good friends and we make fun of each other all the time. But we’re pretty even. We’ve swiped quite a few bottles of red wine from each other, ha, ha, ha…
Fair enough! Okay, here’s a fairly standard question. Who was your musical inspiration when you decided to become a drummer?
Dani: All kinds of thoughts and wishes go flying through your head at that age. What drives you is basically the desire to become a rock star, even though to this day I don’t know what being a rock star really means. Maybe the guys in Metallica can tell you, but it definitely doesn’t apply to Helloween. The first guy who made an impression on me was Tommy Aldridge, and Joerg Michael too. I wanted to play like those two. And that takes a lot of hard graft and effort.
And your drum kit, in line with your skills and needs, has just kept growing and growing year after year…
Dani: Yeah. And of course I can thank the fact that I get all this drumming gear for free. That lets me bring to life all the ideas I have in my head, and keep upgrading and perfecting my technique and the variety in my drumming. It’s also welcome because it adds to the spectacle of Helloween’s live shows. At the end of the day, the whole point of rock n’ roll is one big party. Every one of us is up on stage trying to convince the audience that we’ve got seriously big balls, ha, ha, ha…
Have you ever thought about doing a solo music project?
Dani: No. Never. Being part of the Helloween crew takes up a lot of my time. Helloween is number one for me, and you really have to put it first, ahead of other musical challenges, absolutely always. So I use my remaining time outside Helloween to be with my family and see friends who mean a lot to me. I do have a few ideas, but there’s no time to make them happen for now.
For the song “Who Is Mr. Madmen?” on the new album, you again invited legendary Saxon singer Biff Byford to guest. He’d already appeared on the previous album “Gambling With The Devil” in the same role, but only in the intro. How did you convince him and get him on board?
Dani: Yeah, same as on the previous album, we were looking for someone fitting who could deliver a few interesting spoken bits. As we racked our brains, we came to the conclusion that the only right person for something like that is Biff Byford. “Weiki” (Michael “Weiki” Weikath, Helloween guitar, ed.) was the one who picked him. All of us in Helloween have been big friends with Biff for a long time. Me since my Rawhwead Rexx days, and some of the others even longer. Markus (Markus Grosskopf, Helloween bass, ed.) and Weiki, who’ve been knocking around stages for 27 years, have known Biff just as long. For Biff, there was no question of turning down the invitation. He was honored to take part. His voice has something special that no other vocalist can conjure up. It sounds rustic.
Is Helloween planning any festival shows around Europe this summer?
Dani: Yes. Arrangements are already in the works. I don’t have the details on me right now, but I know we’ve confirmed a spot at this year’s “Bang Your Head!!!” festival in Balingen, Germany. That’ll be followed by a bunch of other festival shows that are in the confirmation stage right now. We’re really looking forward to more festival gigs! Once the festival shows wrap up, we’ll continue the tour. This November we’ll kick off the second leg in Russia and then carry on in the USA. The whole “7 Sinners” world tour should be done within a year.
Are you planning any kind of DVD or live CD release in the near future?
Dani: No. Not this time.
That’s about it. We’re slowly wrapping up our conversation. Is there anything left that we haven’t covered?
Dani: I’d just like to say hi to all your readers, hoping our new studio album “7 Sinners” lived up to their expectations, and that we’ll see as many of you as possible here at the show in Ljubljana tonight.
Dani, thanks for your precious time, and I wish you lots of personal satisfaction and success on the current Helloween tour.
Dani: Thank you too.
photos: Rok Klemše and Vasja Šabeder
This interview was made in collaboration between RockLine and Rock Hard Slovenija.
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