Location: e-mailer
Interview date: 27.02.2012
Andy B. Frank, singer of the German metal band Brainstorm, is one of the best German power metal vocalists around right now. He’s got an outstanding vocal range and a huge knack for unleashing seriously hard-hitting vocal power every time he steps on stage. Brainstorm released their new studio album »On The Spur Of The Moment« (AFM Records, 2011) in the second half of last year – RockLine review HERE – and they hit the nail right on the head with it, delighting the band’s hardcore followers, because the new record is bursting with untamed rush, aggression and, of course, creative freshness. No more, no less. A proper Brainstorm album from head to toe, in the spirit of their holiest classics! This spring the band is heading out on a new joint tour with fellow countrymen Primal Fear, and on 05.04.2102 they’ll also stop at the Boogaloo club in Zagreb, Croatia. Right before the band hit the road again, we got the chance for a short chat with Andy, who turned out to be an incredibly likeable and above all witty guy, with no shortage of humor whatsoever,…
RockLine: Hi Andy! You’ve had the new album »On the Spur of the Moment« out since September 2011. How have the reactions to your new studio record been so far?
Andy: Really good so far! It was obvious that both the fans and the media themselves wanted a typical, straight-to-the-point Brainstorm album. And here it is. For some people the previous album »Memorial Roots« was too different and not very Brainstorm-like. So, an album they didn’t expect. The new album »On The Spur Of The Moment« comes across as much faster and apparently a lot better album too, ha, ha, ha,… Well, and last but not least, that’s what I think myself, too.
RockLine: How did you pick the album title, and what message is hiding behind its meaning?
Andy: That choice is always up to me. »On The Spur Of The Moment« is our way of expressing the »right here, right now« principle, and it really reveals what Brainstorm are in 2011 and 2012. My take is that we tried something new with »Downburst« and »Memorial Roots«. It all worked out perfectly well, and I’m still happy with both albums. But after many tours and after the release of those two albums, the new album »On The Spur Of The Moment« feels to me like a kind of breakthrough. You know, like it’s telling you »break the shackles and chains, tear down the walls«. That’s exactly what the monster on the cover of the new album is doing.
RockLine: Is anyone in the band a carpenter? The limited edition of the album in a wooden crate is beautifully made!
Andy: Ha, ha ha… No. Nobody in our crew is a carpenter, the idea came from our record label. They asked me how they should put together a special edition of our album, what the packaging should look like. I always wanted a wooden crate from the band I belong to!
RockLine: You’ve always been known as a writer of interesting lyrics. The lyrics on the new album carry deeper life messages too. What inspires you when you write?
Andy: It’s always different. It depends on what I’m feeling at the moment, as an eyewitness to what’s going on in the world. Sometimes the world seems totally messed up, and in those moments I have to write something that will inspire me to see things differently. I’m always fascinated by reading history books, as well as books dealing with religious matters. There were times when I saw a lot of things very dark and couldn’t find the essence, the real meaning in them, they seemed completely pointless. This time, though, I tried to squeeze something positive out of those negative vibes. I think that worked really well on the new album, since the music on it is generally positively driven and hard-hitting too!
RockLine: How long did the writing and recording process for »On The Spur Of The Moment« take?
Andy: We started writing the songs for the new album in the winter of 2011, and I started writing lyrics in the spring of the same year, after the first rough sketches of some of the songs were ready. But, as always, a lot of things changed again later on, once we were in the studio. Nothing stays the same, ha, ha, ha…
RockLine: How did your new producer, Axl Heckert, whom you picked to record »On The Spur Of The Moment«, influence the sound and look of the album?
Andy: Ah, yeah. We recorded the previous two albums in Wolfsburg, which is about 500 miles away from where we live. That’s good, because you can focus completely on the music, but the problem is that it’s hard to change anything once you’re in the recording phase. That was the main reason for the switch, along with the fact that Axel has been a huge fan of the band for many years, and on top of that he’s our sound guy who handles the mix at our shows. We wanted to record close to home again, that was essential to our decision. Axel had a ton of good ideas, and the most important thing of all is that Axl totally understands what we’re saying and what we want in the studio.
RockLine: The new album sounds quite a bit more aggressive than the last one. How did you create the individual songs so they sound this pissed off?
Andy: It all depends on our two guitarists, Torsten (Torsten Ihlenfeld, author’s note) and Milan (Milan Loncaric, author’s note), because they always prepare the basic form of every Brainstorm song. Then comes the team arrangement. I think Torsten must have been really stiff and rigid when he was writing the new songs, because all the stuff that sounds the heaviest on the new album is, songwriting-wise, his!
RockLine: You’ll soon be setting off on a new tour. It’s already your second one with Primal Fear. Why did you decide to join forces again, and are you preparing anything new for your fans at the shows compared to the previous tour?
Andy: We’re not planning anything concrete in terms of novelties. We’ll see. The previous experience with Primal Fear turned out great, and there are also plenty of people who didn’t manage to catch us in this combination on the first tour two years ago, so they’ll get a second chance to come see both bands. Deciding on a new joint tour with Primal Fear was easy, since on the previous tour we became real friends, partners and allies. I still think it’s a great combination. Two German metal bands, both based in southern Germany, and what’s essential, both speak the same dialect, ha, ha, ha,…
RockLine: Andy, you’re one of the best frontmen and singers in German metal. You always keep eye contact with the crowd and give it your all on stage. At every show. Where do you always find so much drive and energy for that, and who does the laundry for all those sweaty shirts of yours afterwards?
Andy: Nobody washes them, I just buy new shirts every day, ha, ha, ha,… Just kidding. Actually, I have to wash them myself, because they don’t exactly smell great after a show. And as for energy? It’s all in the music. And in the fans of our music.
RockLine: At what point in your life did you decide to become a singer, what inspired you to do it, and how do you keep your outstanding vocal form?
Andy: I started singing at fourteen. If I listened to the first recordings with me on vocals today, I wouldn’t believe it’s the same person, ha, ha, ha,… Anyway, I’m constantly doing a lot of sports, working out a lot, and of course drinking plenty of water. I think what made the decisive impact on me at 14 was Bruce Dickinson. It’s bizarre to realize that in a metal world where only screaming and growling is popular today, I still have to look after my voice, ha, ha, ha,…
RockLine: You’ve played in Slovenia three times so far. Do you have any special message for your Slovenian fans?
Andy: Those three shows in Ljubljana and at Metal Camp were some of the best gigs we’ve played in our lives, so I can hardly wait for new shows, for new get-togethers with the fans, so we can go nuts together again. It’s all so wonderful, and all I can say is: »Thanks for your support, you crazy maniacs! You’re the best!«, your Andy.
questions prepared by: Jani Mihevc Cah
intro paragraph, translation and adaptation of the text: Aleš Podbrežnik
photos: RockLine photo archive (2006-2012),
the photos are from Brainstorm’s performance at the Bang Your Head!!! festival “warm up” show in 2011, on 14.07.2011, in Balingen, Germany (Messehalle) – RockLine report HERE.
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