New PQ interviews
- Thread starter Symphony
- Start date
Power_Metal_Dom
Epic Metaller
Great stuff, very interesting read!
I was suprised about that comment because een though the guitars are a key ingrediant I thought the album was so much more keys focussed this time around than say WoF (though that might be because of having Sam and Bickers shredding it up).
Encouraging to hear about the "Tour of Illusion" and UK tours though! Yes please!
I was suprised about that comment because een though the guitars are a key ingrediant I thought the album was so much more keys focussed this time around than say WoF (though that might be because of having Sam and Bickers shredding it up).
Encouraging to hear about the "Tour of Illusion" and UK tours though! Yes please!
fool_in_paradise
Member
I really enjoyed reading that and the 'Tour of Illusion' sounds awesome!!!
See you there!!!!
Only a couple more days before i get the album
See you there!!!!
Only a couple more days before i get the album
Andiferum
My penis exploded
SW: Well I don’t like Muse. I suppose my most recent purchases were the new Avantasia, the new In Flames is excellent. Soilwork – I seem to be getting back to the heavier sort of stuff. These days I find it difficult to listen to demons and wizards type lyrics. I don’t know if it’s because I’m growing up. I also like traditional fare such as Dream Theater, Threshold Vanden Plas but ultimately there’s nothing better than some good old Van Halen.
Ahh finally, an interview where a guy in metal actually listens to metal! I swear in all the itnerviews I read with metal players now they all seem to be like "I play/hear metal so often I don't want to hear it at home", which sucks. New In Flames & Avantasia is fantastic, though I gotta say I wasn't so thrilled with Soilwork's new stuff... fairly generic. Can't blame you for the whole fantasy lyrics sabbatical though Steve, I'm only 21 and I'm sick of hearing about the ancient forests of elves and unicorns and fairies too ;D the nice thing about Master of Illusion is that although it's clearly power metal, the lyrics are not really traditional PM fare. Except obviously Kings of Eternity, and maybe Hearts and Voices too, though there's no dragons or fairies to be had in those so it's fine
Ahh finally, an interview where a guy in metal actually listens to metal! I swear in all the itnerviews I read with metal players now they all seem to be like "I play/hear metal so often I don't want to hear it at home", which sucks. New In Flames & Avantasia is fantastic, though I gotta say I wasn't so thrilled with Soilwork's new stuff... fairly generic. Can't blame you for the whole fantasy lyrics sabbatical though Steve, I'm only 21 and I'm sick of hearing about the ancient forests of elves and unicorns and fairies too ;D the nice thing about Master of Illusion is that although it's clearly power metal, the lyrics are not really traditional PM fare. Except obviously Kings of Eternity, and maybe Hearts and Voices too, though there's no dragons or fairies to be had in those so it's fine
TemplarOfSteel
Member
Didn't realise you were a Wrexham fan mate! Me too, that's where my family's originally from. This season was gutting, but at least I managed to make it to what may have been our last home game in the football league. Those were both good reads anyway, good stuff. Great to hear you want to keep the connection with the "hardcore fans" =)
Yeah...born in St. Asaph and live 3 miles outside of Wrexham for 11 years in a village called Rhosllanerchrugog!
Metal Maniac ITA #05/08
Power Quest 1 page Interview
Mindview BEL #148
Power Quest 0,5 page Interview
Rock Hard ITA #05/08
Power Quest 1 page Interview
Power Quest 1 page Interview
Mindview BEL #148
Power Quest 0,5 page Interview
Rock Hard ITA #05/08
Power Quest 1 page Interview
http://www.seigneursdumetal.fr/recherche.php?page=interview&id_inter=142
POWER QUEST – Master of illusion / 2008
Interview with Steve Williams
By Lionel Reygner – for www.seigneursdumetal.com
Hi Steve.
First of all I wanna told you that I’m glad to make another interview with you. It was incredible for me to see you in Paris for the Angra’s gig last year. I’ve had some great moments with you and the PQ’s guys.
Hi Lionel! Great to be hear talking to you once again. I can hardly believe that it is more than a year since we met in Paris in 2007. It was cool to finally meet with you after being in contact via email for so many years my friend!
So, how was this tour with Angra and Firewind? It was your first big European tour!
To be honest it was an incredible experience from the first day in Nancy to the very last day in Milan! What a great tour to be on for our first European tour. The guys from Angra and Firewind made us feel so welcome and we became great friends in a very short space of time. I had never been to Spain, Portugal or Switzerland before so it was fantastic to visit new places but also to play in France and Italy was awesome!
We met so many cool people on the tour, including fans, local crew, promoters etc and everyone really made us feel welcome. It didn’t see like we were just the opening band on the bill, it felt like a really big family on the road together!
What have you think about the French metal heads?
The French metalheads were amazing! I have to say that for sure! It was interesting that some places were crazier than others. In Bordeaux, Toulouse, Lyon, Strasbourg and Nancy the response was awesome from the fans, while in Paris and Riems it was a little more reserved. Of course, you are always going to get different reactions.
I think Paris must be a bit like London because so many bands play in those cities and, as a result, I think it is harder to win over the crowds.
For your brand new album “Master of Illusion”, you have a new label. The biggest you ever had. What do you think about this evolution? I’m really happy for you for this deal with Napalm Records.
I think it was absolutely critical that we made the correct move in terms of the label for this album and for the future. It has been so disappointing to see the poor promotion and distribution that was have suffered from in the past. So many fans in Europe had told us that it has been so hard to get hold of our albums in the past, but now I think that will be a thing of the past.
I’m so pleased to see the level of promotion that Napalm have been doing for the new album. I have done far more interviews than ever before and there have been more adverts in the magazines across Europe and tracks on sampler CD’s that magazines give away too. I’m very impressed with the work that the Napalm guys are doing for us!
You have some guests on the album as you did on your last album. Can you present us, tell us your choice please.
The idea behind the guest appearances was quite simple. I thought it would be really cool for the fans if the majority of the guests were people we have toured with in the past. As a result we invited Bob Katsionis (Firewind), Richard West (Threshold), Jorn Viggo Lofstad (Pagan’s Mind) and Chris Neighbour (FourwayKill) to take part in the recordings.
I also invited a 5th guest as well and that was Bill Hudson (Coldera, ex-Cellador). We have never shared a stage with Bill but he has been a good friend of mine for a number of years and we have often talked about appearing on each others albums so it seemed the right time to get Bill to be a part of a Power Quest record.
For this MOI, the artwork is the best of your fourth albums. Is it still Toxic Angel who have realized it? Who have found the idea of this cover?
We actually used a different guy this time for the artwork. Felipe Machado produced the cover art and I think he has done a killer job. He was worked in the past for bands like Iced Earth and Silent Force.
We spent a lot of time trying out different ideas as the original idea he came up with was very different to the actual album cover but we worked closely together to produce the artwork as you see it now. It’s great to hear that you like the results!
The idea behind the cover is that the leaders of the world hold the earth in their hands but there are always two sides to every thing they do and each decision that is made, even though most of the time we only get to see or hear one side of the story.
How have done to choose the album’s title, because there are a lot of great songs.
We decided on the album title way before we actually finished writing all the songs. I had the idea that this title would be great and once it had stuck in my mind it really inspired the writing process as well. The lyrics for the title track are some of my favourite ones on the whole album and the song talks about serious issues, rather than just the normal power metal things, you know? We did consider other titles but we kept coming back to “Master of Illusion” so that was what we decided to go with in the end.
For this album, you know that it’s the album of the month (May) on our webzine. I can tell you that after the first listening, my choice was quite easy. All the songs are better than the others.
It’s a real big thing to get an album of the month award, so I’m really pleased that you rate the album and the songs so highly. Before this album I don’t think we have ever got an album of the month award but I think we have now had 3 for “Master of Illusion” which is incredible! I’m glad it was an easy choice for you! Haha!
What are the press results for MOI?
So far the reaction from the majority of the websites and magazines has been excellent. Of course there will always be some reviews that are not so good. One UK magazine was particularly nasty about the record but I could tell from the review that they had not listened to the whole album, probably only 1 song or something. Most of the reviews have ranged from 6/10 to 9.5/10 with a couple even giving us maximum scores!
I think with the number of people the album has been sent to for review, it is natural that some guys will not even like the genre so there is no way they will like what we do! Lol!
Can you do a song by song liner note please?
Of course. Here’s a brief description of each song on the record.
Cemetery Gates:
This is an uptempo song and the first PQ song ever to be less than 4 minutes long. It’s about how when you are growing up you always have your parents there to help you along the way but it is inevitable that, at some point, we have to stand on our own and face life without them.
Human Machine:
A mid tempo song that looks at how human beings are becoming more and more stuck in routines, almost like machines. Life goes by so quickly, almost before we realise it, so it is important to do what you want to do while you can. Our first guest appearance is Richard West (Threshold) on this track.
Civilised?:
This song was inspired by a news story in the UK last year about a young boy who was shot dead on his way home from football practice. The song asks what kind of world we are now living in if children cannot even walk home from school in safety.
Kings Of Eternity:
A more typical, up tempo power metal number in the traditional PQ style. The first song on the album that does not deal with real life issues in the lyrics.
Master Of Illusion:
Title track, with some hints of progession. This song is all about how the leaders of the world sometimes interfere in the politics of other countries, particularly if there is something to be gained…ie oil, gold etc but also considers how no action is taken if there isn’t some hidden benefit. New keyboard sounds in evidence in abundance on this track.
The Vigil:
This song has an almost pop/punk feel to the arrangements in places and also features some growling vocals from Chris Neighbour and a great guitar solo from Bill Hudson (Coldera). Lyrically, “The Vigil” talks about a “vigil” to re-invent and redefine the path we have chosen in life.
Save The World:
Another mid tempo song, which concerns itself with the state of the world today. War, greed, politics all in the name of trying to “save the world”, allegedly! Bob Katsionis (Firewind) makes a guest appearance on this track.
Hearts And Voices:
This is a sing along type song which will be great in the live arena. It is the only song on the album in the vein of previous PQ tracks like “For Evermore” and “Children of the Dream”.
I Don’t Believe In Friends Forever:
I wrote this song about a guy I had known and worked with for over 10 years, who inexplicably one day decided to start talking shit about me at work and landing me in a whole heap of trouble. This is my homage to him! Hehe! This song also highlights a lot of new keyboard sounds for PQ.
Never Again:
Ending the album on a fast and furious note, this song is all about taking your chances when they present themselves and not being afraid to step out of the shadows. Dare to dream!
This song features a guest appearance from Jorn Viggo Lofstad (Pagan’s Mind).
Now, I think that you’ll make a big European tour for this brand new killer album, as you did with the MND album. Can we have some info? I hope you’ll play in the south of France this time.
I truly hope that we will get the chance to do another 3 week tour of Europe like we did in 2007 with Angra and Firewind. There is nothing confirmed so far so I cannot say for sure what the touring plans will be but, yeah, south of France sounds pretty good to me.
Hopefully with Napalm working with us we will be able to make this wish a reality because for the tour last year we had no tour support from our old label and we had to find the money ourselves to be able to be part of the tour! I’d like to thank Jorg at Dragon Productions for giving us that opportunity.
This is the end of the interview; feel free to say what you want to the French fans.
Best regards.
I’d just like to say thanks to you Lionel for the chance to another cool interview with you for your webzine. I’m really pleased that you like the album so much and I hope the visitors to your website will read your review and check out the album as well, which will of course give us an even better chance of returning on tour once more to France.
“Metal Horns in the air” to all your readers and all the French metalheads who have supported us on the Quest so far! You guys rule, and without you we could not keep doing what we love to do! Cheers!
POWER QUEST – Master of illusion / 2008
Interview with Steve Williams
By Lionel Reygner – for www.seigneursdumetal.com
Hi Steve.
First of all I wanna told you that I’m glad to make another interview with you. It was incredible for me to see you in Paris for the Angra’s gig last year. I’ve had some great moments with you and the PQ’s guys.
Hi Lionel! Great to be hear talking to you once again. I can hardly believe that it is more than a year since we met in Paris in 2007. It was cool to finally meet with you after being in contact via email for so many years my friend!
So, how was this tour with Angra and Firewind? It was your first big European tour!
To be honest it was an incredible experience from the first day in Nancy to the very last day in Milan! What a great tour to be on for our first European tour. The guys from Angra and Firewind made us feel so welcome and we became great friends in a very short space of time. I had never been to Spain, Portugal or Switzerland before so it was fantastic to visit new places but also to play in France and Italy was awesome!
We met so many cool people on the tour, including fans, local crew, promoters etc and everyone really made us feel welcome. It didn’t see like we were just the opening band on the bill, it felt like a really big family on the road together!
What have you think about the French metal heads?
The French metalheads were amazing! I have to say that for sure! It was interesting that some places were crazier than others. In Bordeaux, Toulouse, Lyon, Strasbourg and Nancy the response was awesome from the fans, while in Paris and Riems it was a little more reserved. Of course, you are always going to get different reactions.
I think Paris must be a bit like London because so many bands play in those cities and, as a result, I think it is harder to win over the crowds.
For your brand new album “Master of Illusion”, you have a new label. The biggest you ever had. What do you think about this evolution? I’m really happy for you for this deal with Napalm Records.
I think it was absolutely critical that we made the correct move in terms of the label for this album and for the future. It has been so disappointing to see the poor promotion and distribution that was have suffered from in the past. So many fans in Europe had told us that it has been so hard to get hold of our albums in the past, but now I think that will be a thing of the past.
I’m so pleased to see the level of promotion that Napalm have been doing for the new album. I have done far more interviews than ever before and there have been more adverts in the magazines across Europe and tracks on sampler CD’s that magazines give away too. I’m very impressed with the work that the Napalm guys are doing for us!
You have some guests on the album as you did on your last album. Can you present us, tell us your choice please.
The idea behind the guest appearances was quite simple. I thought it would be really cool for the fans if the majority of the guests were people we have toured with in the past. As a result we invited Bob Katsionis (Firewind), Richard West (Threshold), Jorn Viggo Lofstad (Pagan’s Mind) and Chris Neighbour (FourwayKill) to take part in the recordings.
I also invited a 5th guest as well and that was Bill Hudson (Coldera, ex-Cellador). We have never shared a stage with Bill but he has been a good friend of mine for a number of years and we have often talked about appearing on each others albums so it seemed the right time to get Bill to be a part of a Power Quest record.
For this MOI, the artwork is the best of your fourth albums. Is it still Toxic Angel who have realized it? Who have found the idea of this cover?
We actually used a different guy this time for the artwork. Felipe Machado produced the cover art and I think he has done a killer job. He was worked in the past for bands like Iced Earth and Silent Force.
We spent a lot of time trying out different ideas as the original idea he came up with was very different to the actual album cover but we worked closely together to produce the artwork as you see it now. It’s great to hear that you like the results!
The idea behind the cover is that the leaders of the world hold the earth in their hands but there are always two sides to every thing they do and each decision that is made, even though most of the time we only get to see or hear one side of the story.
How have done to choose the album’s title, because there are a lot of great songs.
We decided on the album title way before we actually finished writing all the songs. I had the idea that this title would be great and once it had stuck in my mind it really inspired the writing process as well. The lyrics for the title track are some of my favourite ones on the whole album and the song talks about serious issues, rather than just the normal power metal things, you know? We did consider other titles but we kept coming back to “Master of Illusion” so that was what we decided to go with in the end.
For this album, you know that it’s the album of the month (May) on our webzine. I can tell you that after the first listening, my choice was quite easy. All the songs are better than the others.
It’s a real big thing to get an album of the month award, so I’m really pleased that you rate the album and the songs so highly. Before this album I don’t think we have ever got an album of the month award but I think we have now had 3 for “Master of Illusion” which is incredible! I’m glad it was an easy choice for you! Haha!
What are the press results for MOI?
So far the reaction from the majority of the websites and magazines has been excellent. Of course there will always be some reviews that are not so good. One UK magazine was particularly nasty about the record but I could tell from the review that they had not listened to the whole album, probably only 1 song or something. Most of the reviews have ranged from 6/10 to 9.5/10 with a couple even giving us maximum scores!
I think with the number of people the album has been sent to for review, it is natural that some guys will not even like the genre so there is no way they will like what we do! Lol!
Can you do a song by song liner note please?
Of course. Here’s a brief description of each song on the record.
Cemetery Gates:
This is an uptempo song and the first PQ song ever to be less than 4 minutes long. It’s about how when you are growing up you always have your parents there to help you along the way but it is inevitable that, at some point, we have to stand on our own and face life without them.
Human Machine:
A mid tempo song that looks at how human beings are becoming more and more stuck in routines, almost like machines. Life goes by so quickly, almost before we realise it, so it is important to do what you want to do while you can. Our first guest appearance is Richard West (Threshold) on this track.
Civilised?:
This song was inspired by a news story in the UK last year about a young boy who was shot dead on his way home from football practice. The song asks what kind of world we are now living in if children cannot even walk home from school in safety.
Kings Of Eternity:
A more typical, up tempo power metal number in the traditional PQ style. The first song on the album that does not deal with real life issues in the lyrics.
Master Of Illusion:
Title track, with some hints of progession. This song is all about how the leaders of the world sometimes interfere in the politics of other countries, particularly if there is something to be gained…ie oil, gold etc but also considers how no action is taken if there isn’t some hidden benefit. New keyboard sounds in evidence in abundance on this track.
The Vigil:
This song has an almost pop/punk feel to the arrangements in places and also features some growling vocals from Chris Neighbour and a great guitar solo from Bill Hudson (Coldera). Lyrically, “The Vigil” talks about a “vigil” to re-invent and redefine the path we have chosen in life.
Save The World:
Another mid tempo song, which concerns itself with the state of the world today. War, greed, politics all in the name of trying to “save the world”, allegedly! Bob Katsionis (Firewind) makes a guest appearance on this track.
Hearts And Voices:
This is a sing along type song which will be great in the live arena. It is the only song on the album in the vein of previous PQ tracks like “For Evermore” and “Children of the Dream”.
I Don’t Believe In Friends Forever:
I wrote this song about a guy I had known and worked with for over 10 years, who inexplicably one day decided to start talking shit about me at work and landing me in a whole heap of trouble. This is my homage to him! Hehe! This song also highlights a lot of new keyboard sounds for PQ.
Never Again:
Ending the album on a fast and furious note, this song is all about taking your chances when they present themselves and not being afraid to step out of the shadows. Dare to dream!
This song features a guest appearance from Jorn Viggo Lofstad (Pagan’s Mind).
Now, I think that you’ll make a big European tour for this brand new killer album, as you did with the MND album. Can we have some info? I hope you’ll play in the south of France this time.
I truly hope that we will get the chance to do another 3 week tour of Europe like we did in 2007 with Angra and Firewind. There is nothing confirmed so far so I cannot say for sure what the touring plans will be but, yeah, south of France sounds pretty good to me.
Hopefully with Napalm working with us we will be able to make this wish a reality because for the tour last year we had no tour support from our old label and we had to find the money ourselves to be able to be part of the tour! I’d like to thank Jorg at Dragon Productions for giving us that opportunity.
This is the end of the interview; feel free to say what you want to the French fans.
Best regards.
I’d just like to say thanks to you Lionel for the chance to another cool interview with you for your webzine. I’m really pleased that you like the album so much and I hope the visitors to your website will read your review and check out the album as well, which will of course give us an even better chance of returning on tour once more to France.
“Metal Horns in the air” to all your readers and all the French metalheads who have supported us on the Quest so far! You guys rule, and without you we could not keep doing what we love to do! Cheers!
Close-Up SWE #101
Power Quest 1/3 page Interview
There's also a feature on Napalm Records, and we are on the cover CD too
Power Quest 1/3 page Interview
There's also a feature on Napalm Records, and we are on the cover CD too
There will be a small feature in the next issue of Zero Tolerance (UK)
I'm doing an interview for www.hardrockhaven.net tonight which I believe will be streamed on their site as well.
"Cemetery Gates" is on the Powerplay (Issue 99) cover CD which I think is out today
I'm doing an interview for www.hardrockhaven.net tonight which I believe will be streamed on their site as well.
"Cemetery Gates" is on the Powerplay (Issue 99) cover CD which I think is out today
One you can listen to......
Power Quest: Mastering the Illusion
Power Quest keyboardist and songwriter Steve Williams checked in with Hardrock Haven to talk about their new release Master of Illusion; how American President Bush had a bit role in compositions; how they brought in awesome musicians like Bill Hudson and Bob Katsionis to guest on the CD; what the lyrics to songs like "I Don't Believe in Friends Forever" and "Hearts and Voices" really mean; and a hell of a lot more.
Tune in now to hear one of Metal's best musicians and songwriters talk about his brilliant band Power Quest, and check out their incredible new CD Master of Illusion today.
Hear the entire interview ...http://www.hardrockhaven.net/
Power Quest: Mastering the Illusion
Power Quest keyboardist and songwriter Steve Williams checked in with Hardrock Haven to talk about their new release Master of Illusion; how American President Bush had a bit role in compositions; how they brought in awesome musicians like Bill Hudson and Bob Katsionis to guest on the CD; what the lyrics to songs like "I Don't Believe in Friends Forever" and "Hearts and Voices" really mean; and a hell of a lot more.
Tune in now to hear one of Metal's best musicians and songwriters talk about his brilliant band Power Quest, and check out their incredible new CD Master of Illusion today.
Hear the entire interview ...http://www.hardrockhaven.net/
fool_in_paradise
Member
Sweet, that was a great break from revision. I still can't believe that reviewer who said Master of Illusion was Dungeons and Dragons fantasy type lyrics 
I really hope they got fired for that one, if you don't have time to listen to the album why write a review based on assumption?
It's one of my alltime favourite albums
October tour!! i will most definitely see you there.
I really hope they got fired for that one, if you don't have time to listen to the album why write a review based on assumption?It's one of my alltime favourite albums
October tour!! i will most definitely see you there.
Andiferum
My penis exploded
