I have never gone out of my way to plug a new act. Titanium Black is a band that I feel, is the future of heavy. Below you'll find the link to the review to their outstanding record Bleed for You. I had the pleasure to talk to singer Terry LeRoi. I threw questions at him & he graciously answered them all. He's a class act. Read on & Rock on.
Thanks to Terry LeRoi for taking the time & check this band out folks, you will not be disappointed.
http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=150069
Terry:So How you wanna do this?
SIXXSWINE:Well, how about I throw a few questions at you & we’ll go from there?
Terry:Great.
SIXXSWINE: First of all, I’d like to start off by telling you how phenomenal I think Bleed for You is. I feel, currently one of the best kept secrets in rock & metal.
Terry: Thanks man, I’m glad you liked it.
SIXXSWINE: Tell me how long has the band been together?
Terry:Let me see, we finished up the record in May of ‘03. One year & a half. No wait, it’s been a year.
SIXXSWINE:The band sound like they been playing together for several years. You guys are tight, I’d really like to see you live.
Terry: We have all been in various bands & have been around.
SIXXSWINE: Terry, how would you describe the sound of Titanium Black to someone that hasn’t heard a note from you guys?
Terry: Old School style, stecato vocals, introspective, artsy with modern elements I’m a big fan of Geoff Tate & Queensryche, they wrote some great songs that stood the test of time. I’m also a fan of Dream Theater and you can probably hear of that in the music.
SIXXSWINE: Cracks of Light is a solid track to kick off the record. I feel that it really sets the tone for the rest of the record. What was the inspiration for that song?
Terry: Wow, thank you, I’m glad you liked it. Well, that track is a bit eerie & creepy, isn’t it? It’s definitely a different kind of song. Content wise it has a lot to do with loss of feeling & being alone. Like you said it does set for the rest of the record, this is a very personal record for me. When I began to write song for what would become Bleed for You, I had been in various bands, I found myself without a band, I wrote most of these songs alone with an acoustic guitar. I didn’t know what was going to become of the songs. It was an uncomfortable & vulnerable time for me & I just wrote. I think back a few years had I shown these songs to my former band mates they have said "dude that’s wimpy!" I would have been uncomfortable with approaching them with them. I was at a point in my life where I began to be honest with myself, with who I am & with the things that are important to me. I think somewhat of a mid-life crisis, that actually how this record started & then the rest of the songs. I wrote something like 60 songs during that time period. That’s just where I was at the time.
SIXXSWINE: How did Michael Wagener get involved with you & Titanuim Black?
Terry: Well, we got his phone number, we gave him a call, we didn’t have to go through an gent or anything , we dealt directly with him. He had me send him a demo, then he called a couple of days later & said "these rock, we gotta get together." So a few days after that I got in my car & drove to Nashville. I was flattered, I mean that was Michael Wagener, he not gonna put his name on something he doesn’t believe in. He had us send him all the songs I had from the present to other bands that I had been in. When we got to meet with him he had songs listed in groups of what we called tens, when I saw that he had the songs I had recently written in a group of tens, I just said to him "why don’t we just record these?" He & I were on the same page. I was uncomfortable with the diversity of the songs, but he said it would turn out awesome. Michael said "You got powerful songs, you got the kick you in the teeth song & then there’s the intimate ballads, you put them all in there & this is gonna make a great record." Have you been to his site?
SIXXSWINE: Yeah, in fact I got a chance to send him some questions that he was nice enough to answer. He’s a down to earth guy.
Terry: He really is a nice guy. Fanastic guy.
SIXXSWINE: Were you fan of Michael’s previous work?
Terry: Yeah, Accept’s Balls to the Wall changed my life! I love that record to this day. I mean, Udo he has such a distinct voice no one sounds like him. The Master of Puppets record is awesome too, I also liked his production on the two Skid Row records that he was involved with. I really loved the production on that particular Accept record, that’s one of my favorite bands.
SIXXSWINE: So that’s the record that you can say that is your personal favorite?
Terry: Yeah, yeah, incidentally Wolf Hoffman owns the property, that’s Michael’s studio is one. Those two have know each other forever & they are both from Germany. He was actually the very first guitarist in Accept, most people don’t know that.
SIXXSWINE: Paul Taylor who played in Winger is on featured throughout, how did he get involved?
Terry: Don’t forget he also played with Steve Perry on his solo tour.
SIXXSWINE: Yeah, and he also played on Alice Cooper’s touring band. That was on the Constrictor tour, if I recall correctly.
Terry: Yeah. Well, Michael knows Paul & he knows Kip(Winger), Paul had just moved to Nashville from California, which is where the Michael’s studio is at. Michael had invited him down & we needed some keyboard done. We gave him some tapes of the songs we need him to work on, he left & he had his piano & keyboards completed within a couple of days. He’s a good guy. He actually got us on speaker phone & played what he had & it fit well. He later played some keyboards on some of the other songs, strings & stuff.
SIXXSWINE: I hear a lot of metal influences in your voice & also in the songs on the record. What are your influences? And how about songwriters? Musicians?
Terry: Oh man, there’s so many of them. Let’s see there’s AC/DC, Accept, Judas Priest,Tori Amos, Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond, I like good songs. If I can’t feel the emotion, then why am I doing this? I have to feel it.
SIXXSWINE: What about singers?
Terry: Well, I gotta say that my favorite band in the world hands down has to be AC/DC. I remember when I discovered that band, when I was like 16 years old, I loved them from the first listen. I also used to cover Rob Halford in one of my former bands, the definitive metal singer, then there’s also Dio, Bruce Dickinson, then there’s the guys with the strange voices like Udo. He’s like a cross between a Bon Scott & I don’t know what. And you know what? Growing up I used to listen to a lot of Journey too, Mickey Thomas, a lot of stuff like that too. I also can’t deny the influence that Pantera had on me when, they came out. At that time I was hardcore & into what Pantera were about. So you taken in all this other art & then you translate it & it comes out your way.
SIXXSWINE: Terry have you ever heard the band Shok Paris?
Terry: You know I’ve haven’t. I guess, I need to get me some Shok Paris?SIXXSWINE: Well, the reason I ask is that your vocal style reminds me of their singer Vix Hix. It’s just a coincidence I suppose. You gotta check ‘em out. I hear similarities, but that’s just my opinion.
Terry: Cool, I will look them up.
SIXXSWINE: How satisfied are you with the final product? And who’s idea was it to record in 5.1 surround sound? That was a brilliant idea in my opinion.
Terry: I’m very happy, I couldn’t be happier. We spend so much time on this record, we scrutinized every note. I think it sounds great. Michael suggested recording the record in surround sound, that’s why the record too seven months to complete, we did two different mixes & built it from the ground up. At this point I don’t believe that there is another metal record that has been recorded in surround. We recorded each instrument in front of a different speaker, then when we did each instrument, we stripped the board down & then did the stereo mix. We have the masters & at some point we will begin to sell the record in surround, that version will have a bonus track it’s called Where the Wild things Are."
SIXXSWINE: Excellent, I guess I have to watch out for that.
Terry: Yeah, I’m sure you’ll enjoy that when it’s released.
SIXXSWINE: The band featured on the record is still intact?
Terry: No, actually we have a new drummer, if you go onto our website you’ll see there a different picture. He’s actually the drummer from my previous band.
SIXXSWINE: So you didn’t have any problems replacing the previous guy?
Terry: No!(laughs) I just made a call.
SIXXSWINE: Any plans for a tour to support Bleed for You in North America?
Terry: Yeah, right now we’ve got some people working the record for college & metal radio. We are getting some spins throughout the country , Maine, Dallas, Detroit, Cleveland & even Honolulu. Now we have another gentleman that working the record on active rock, some of the bigger stations will be getting the record. where ever we catch a buzz, hopefully the fans know where to call & they can follow that around that way.
SIXXSWINE: That’s pretty impressive, considering it’s on your own label?
Terry: Well, it’s my label, but I am a partner with some industry veterans.
SIXXSWINE: It must be gratifying that there's buzz around the band.
Terry: Yeah it really is.
SIXXSWINE: What have you been listening to lately?
Terry: Well, I just discovered this band called Shinedown, I think considering the bands that you’re into you’ll love this band. I actually just saw them in a club out here about a week or so ago.
SIXXSWINE:Never heard of them, I will look into that.
Terry: Yeah you gotta hear that band, excellent singer, they are from Jacksonville, Florida. They got this song on the radio called "45." They might be playing it out your way, look them up. I would like to do tour with those guys. As far as other stuff, what I got in my car, AC/DC "Powerage," & Neil Diamond. Another newer band that I like is U.P.O., they have another great singer, I have been listening to The Whitestripes, I like those guys a lot! Man, I think that’s about it. There is this song that I like by the band Good Charlotte, that’s a decent band. Let’s not forget Jet, I like Jet, I think I like Jet because I like AC/DC so much.
SIXXSWINE: They definitely have a stripped down sound.
Terry: Yeah & they are from Austrailia & there’s two brother in that band too.
SIXXSWINE:That’s right! So, let’s say down the road, do you foresee yourself shooting a video? If so would there be a concept? A live performance clip? I could see Titanium Black getting some spins on Headbanger’s Ball & also Uranium.
Terry: Yeah, in fact, in about August you’ll see something on the website. We’ll be playing a show here, with a crowd of about 5,000 people, an outside event & we’re the headliners! There’s gonna be some clips of the site from that event.
SIXXSWINE: So I know that the video clip is currently in the planning stages, but is there a particular track that you’d do a video for?
Terry: Well, currently we have release Quite A Machine as the first single to radio, and that’s probably what we are going to go with. I was told by the radio people, that have been working the record, that they feels the first four tracks are singles. We opted not to come out of the blocks with a ballad. I’m very flattered, that someone feels that strongly about the record.
SIXXSWINE: That’s excellent!
Terry: Yeah, it really is.
SIXXSWINE: Terry, in closing I’d like to thank you so much for taking the time to answer some questions. You know how I feel about the record. If someone wanted to pick up the record, how would they be able to pick it up?
Terry: Thank you for helping spread the word about the band. People can go log onto the website www.titaniumblack.com/ & order it directly from us. Of course, we hope to have the distributed in stores throughout the country. I think we’ll do that with the Dvd Audio version of Bleed for You.
Thanks to Terry LeRoi for taking the time & check this band out folks, you will not be disappointed.
http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=150069
Terry:So How you wanna do this?
SIXXSWINE:Well, how about I throw a few questions at you & we’ll go from there?
Terry:Great.
SIXXSWINE: First of all, I’d like to start off by telling you how phenomenal I think Bleed for You is. I feel, currently one of the best kept secrets in rock & metal.
Terry: Thanks man, I’m glad you liked it.
SIXXSWINE: Tell me how long has the band been together?
Terry:Let me see, we finished up the record in May of ‘03. One year & a half. No wait, it’s been a year.
SIXXSWINE:The band sound like they been playing together for several years. You guys are tight, I’d really like to see you live.
Terry: We have all been in various bands & have been around.
SIXXSWINE: Terry, how would you describe the sound of Titanium Black to someone that hasn’t heard a note from you guys?
Terry: Old School style, stecato vocals, introspective, artsy with modern elements I’m a big fan of Geoff Tate & Queensryche, they wrote some great songs that stood the test of time. I’m also a fan of Dream Theater and you can probably hear of that in the music.
SIXXSWINE: Cracks of Light is a solid track to kick off the record. I feel that it really sets the tone for the rest of the record. What was the inspiration for that song?
Terry: Wow, thank you, I’m glad you liked it. Well, that track is a bit eerie & creepy, isn’t it? It’s definitely a different kind of song. Content wise it has a lot to do with loss of feeling & being alone. Like you said it does set for the rest of the record, this is a very personal record for me. When I began to write song for what would become Bleed for You, I had been in various bands, I found myself without a band, I wrote most of these songs alone with an acoustic guitar. I didn’t know what was going to become of the songs. It was an uncomfortable & vulnerable time for me & I just wrote. I think back a few years had I shown these songs to my former band mates they have said "dude that’s wimpy!" I would have been uncomfortable with approaching them with them. I was at a point in my life where I began to be honest with myself, with who I am & with the things that are important to me. I think somewhat of a mid-life crisis, that actually how this record started & then the rest of the songs. I wrote something like 60 songs during that time period. That’s just where I was at the time.
SIXXSWINE: How did Michael Wagener get involved with you & Titanuim Black?
Terry: Well, we got his phone number, we gave him a call, we didn’t have to go through an gent or anything , we dealt directly with him. He had me send him a demo, then he called a couple of days later & said "these rock, we gotta get together." So a few days after that I got in my car & drove to Nashville. I was flattered, I mean that was Michael Wagener, he not gonna put his name on something he doesn’t believe in. He had us send him all the songs I had from the present to other bands that I had been in. When we got to meet with him he had songs listed in groups of what we called tens, when I saw that he had the songs I had recently written in a group of tens, I just said to him "why don’t we just record these?" He & I were on the same page. I was uncomfortable with the diversity of the songs, but he said it would turn out awesome. Michael said "You got powerful songs, you got the kick you in the teeth song & then there’s the intimate ballads, you put them all in there & this is gonna make a great record." Have you been to his site?
SIXXSWINE: Yeah, in fact I got a chance to send him some questions that he was nice enough to answer. He’s a down to earth guy.
Terry: He really is a nice guy. Fanastic guy.
SIXXSWINE: Were you fan of Michael’s previous work?
Terry: Yeah, Accept’s Balls to the Wall changed my life! I love that record to this day. I mean, Udo he has such a distinct voice no one sounds like him. The Master of Puppets record is awesome too, I also liked his production on the two Skid Row records that he was involved with. I really loved the production on that particular Accept record, that’s one of my favorite bands.
SIXXSWINE: So that’s the record that you can say that is your personal favorite?
Terry: Yeah, yeah, incidentally Wolf Hoffman owns the property, that’s Michael’s studio is one. Those two have know each other forever & they are both from Germany. He was actually the very first guitarist in Accept, most people don’t know that.
SIXXSWINE: Paul Taylor who played in Winger is on featured throughout, how did he get involved?
Terry: Don’t forget he also played with Steve Perry on his solo tour.
SIXXSWINE: Yeah, and he also played on Alice Cooper’s touring band. That was on the Constrictor tour, if I recall correctly.
Terry: Yeah. Well, Michael knows Paul & he knows Kip(Winger), Paul had just moved to Nashville from California, which is where the Michael’s studio is at. Michael had invited him down & we needed some keyboard done. We gave him some tapes of the songs we need him to work on, he left & he had his piano & keyboards completed within a couple of days. He’s a good guy. He actually got us on speaker phone & played what he had & it fit well. He later played some keyboards on some of the other songs, strings & stuff.
SIXXSWINE: I hear a lot of metal influences in your voice & also in the songs on the record. What are your influences? And how about songwriters? Musicians?
Terry: Oh man, there’s so many of them. Let’s see there’s AC/DC, Accept, Judas Priest,Tori Amos, Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond, I like good songs. If I can’t feel the emotion, then why am I doing this? I have to feel it.
SIXXSWINE: What about singers?
Terry: Well, I gotta say that my favorite band in the world hands down has to be AC/DC. I remember when I discovered that band, when I was like 16 years old, I loved them from the first listen. I also used to cover Rob Halford in one of my former bands, the definitive metal singer, then there’s also Dio, Bruce Dickinson, then there’s the guys with the strange voices like Udo. He’s like a cross between a Bon Scott & I don’t know what. And you know what? Growing up I used to listen to a lot of Journey too, Mickey Thomas, a lot of stuff like that too. I also can’t deny the influence that Pantera had on me when, they came out. At that time I was hardcore & into what Pantera were about. So you taken in all this other art & then you translate it & it comes out your way.
SIXXSWINE: Terry have you ever heard the band Shok Paris?
Terry: You know I’ve haven’t. I guess, I need to get me some Shok Paris?SIXXSWINE: Well, the reason I ask is that your vocal style reminds me of their singer Vix Hix. It’s just a coincidence I suppose. You gotta check ‘em out. I hear similarities, but that’s just my opinion.
Terry: Cool, I will look them up.
SIXXSWINE: How satisfied are you with the final product? And who’s idea was it to record in 5.1 surround sound? That was a brilliant idea in my opinion.
Terry: I’m very happy, I couldn’t be happier. We spend so much time on this record, we scrutinized every note. I think it sounds great. Michael suggested recording the record in surround sound, that’s why the record too seven months to complete, we did two different mixes & built it from the ground up. At this point I don’t believe that there is another metal record that has been recorded in surround. We recorded each instrument in front of a different speaker, then when we did each instrument, we stripped the board down & then did the stereo mix. We have the masters & at some point we will begin to sell the record in surround, that version will have a bonus track it’s called Where the Wild things Are."
SIXXSWINE: Excellent, I guess I have to watch out for that.
Terry: Yeah, I’m sure you’ll enjoy that when it’s released.
SIXXSWINE: The band featured on the record is still intact?
Terry: No, actually we have a new drummer, if you go onto our website you’ll see there a different picture. He’s actually the drummer from my previous band.
SIXXSWINE: So you didn’t have any problems replacing the previous guy?
Terry: No!(laughs) I just made a call.
SIXXSWINE: Any plans for a tour to support Bleed for You in North America?
Terry: Yeah, right now we’ve got some people working the record for college & metal radio. We are getting some spins throughout the country , Maine, Dallas, Detroit, Cleveland & even Honolulu. Now we have another gentleman that working the record on active rock, some of the bigger stations will be getting the record. where ever we catch a buzz, hopefully the fans know where to call & they can follow that around that way.
SIXXSWINE: That’s pretty impressive, considering it’s on your own label?
Terry: Well, it’s my label, but I am a partner with some industry veterans.
SIXXSWINE: It must be gratifying that there's buzz around the band.
Terry: Yeah it really is.
SIXXSWINE: What have you been listening to lately?
Terry: Well, I just discovered this band called Shinedown, I think considering the bands that you’re into you’ll love this band. I actually just saw them in a club out here about a week or so ago.
SIXXSWINE:Never heard of them, I will look into that.
Terry: Yeah you gotta hear that band, excellent singer, they are from Jacksonville, Florida. They got this song on the radio called "45." They might be playing it out your way, look them up. I would like to do tour with those guys. As far as other stuff, what I got in my car, AC/DC "Powerage," & Neil Diamond. Another newer band that I like is U.P.O., they have another great singer, I have been listening to The Whitestripes, I like those guys a lot! Man, I think that’s about it. There is this song that I like by the band Good Charlotte, that’s a decent band. Let’s not forget Jet, I like Jet, I think I like Jet because I like AC/DC so much.
SIXXSWINE: They definitely have a stripped down sound.
Terry: Yeah & they are from Austrailia & there’s two brother in that band too.
SIXXSWINE:That’s right! So, let’s say down the road, do you foresee yourself shooting a video? If so would there be a concept? A live performance clip? I could see Titanium Black getting some spins on Headbanger’s Ball & also Uranium.
Terry: Yeah, in fact, in about August you’ll see something on the website. We’ll be playing a show here, with a crowd of about 5,000 people, an outside event & we’re the headliners! There’s gonna be some clips of the site from that event.
SIXXSWINE: So I know that the video clip is currently in the planning stages, but is there a particular track that you’d do a video for?
Terry: Well, currently we have release Quite A Machine as the first single to radio, and that’s probably what we are going to go with. I was told by the radio people, that have been working the record, that they feels the first four tracks are singles. We opted not to come out of the blocks with a ballad. I’m very flattered, that someone feels that strongly about the record.
SIXXSWINE: That’s excellent!
Terry: Yeah, it really is.
SIXXSWINE: Terry, in closing I’d like to thank you so much for taking the time to answer some questions. You know how I feel about the record. If someone wanted to pick up the record, how would they be able to pick it up?
Terry: Thank you for helping spread the word about the band. People can go log onto the website www.titaniumblack.com/ & order it directly from us. Of course, we hope to have the distributed in stores throughout the country. I think we’ll do that with the Dvd Audio version of Bleed for You.
