When did ROTTWEILLER get together as a band, and who played in this classic line-up?
"ROTTWEILLER started in 1983 when Paul Crisman (former vocalist for SNOWBLIND) heard that Jeff Gilbert of Ground Zero Records was producing a compilation record called Northwest Metalfest. Paul got into a band with Mike Winston on guitar, Tim Wolfe on bass and Doug Marrapodi on drums, and they recorded the song “Intense As Hell” for that album. Izzy and Rick (also from SNOWBLIND) came onboard in 1984 –85, and we started recording “Screams Of The Innocent” in late ’85."
Can we see ROTTWEILLER as a sort of continuation of SNOWBLIND, or is it too bold to say this?
"Well, we knew we worked well together, complimented each others styles, that sort of thing, but that’s about all we carried into the new band. ROTTWEILLER didn’t happen until about four years after SNOWBLIND called it quits. SNOWBLIND started in 1977 with Israel Rehaume on bass, Terry Gorle (of HEIR APPARENT) on guitar, and Jim Kovack on drums. (Jim is also featured on HEIR APPARENT’s first album.). SNOWBLIND then picked up Paul Crisman as vocalist. Billy Georgiatis (of MEDUSA) replaced Terry as the guitar player in 1978 and then Rick Van Zandt replaced Billy later that year."
What kind of music did SNOWBLIND play?
"We played 70’s rock: BLACK SABBATH, LED ZEPPELIN, DEEP PURPLE, MONTROSE, RUSH, URIAH HEEP, BLUE OYSTER CULT, VAN HALEN, all that stuff . Plus we covered a lot of underground bands, like KING CRIMSON, THREE MAN ARMY, ARMAGEDDON, LUCIFER’S FRIEND, as well as some original songs."
Were there any songs from SNOWBLIND that were transformed into ROTTWEILLER songs?
"Possibly Rick’s song “Where Am I.” He wrote that riff when he was like fifteen or sixteen years old. We also did a song of Rick’s about World War III. That was epic as hell."
Why did SNOWBLIND call it quits, and is it true that Israel Rehaume (bass) and Paul Crisman (vocals), played together in a Top 40 band after this?
"I’m sorry to say yes, this is true. Remember that back then, the new wave scene was in vogue, and let’s face it, heavy metal just isn’t danceable, so we had trouble getting gigs. Jim Kovach was going for a music major at the University of Washington at the time, and he felt the band was cutting into his studies, so in 1980 he left. We recorded with another drummer, but it wasn’t the same. Izzy started a top 40 act and toured through Canada for a while in 1981. Due to a legal matter at the border, the band found themselves without a lead singer, and Izzy had Paul fly up from the States as a replacement."
What’s the best memory you have about SNOWBLIND, and with which bands did they play live in those days?
"SNOWBLIND played three, one hour long sets, so usually when we played there was no other band. We did play some double bills, with bands like TYRANT, with vocalist Geoff Tate. Their guitarist was Adam Brenner, who went on as Adam Bomb. Other than us, they were the only other heavy metal band worth a shit. Remember this was the seventies, and most all the bands of that period played danceable punk rock, or new wave shit. One gig we’ll always remember, was a private party we were hired to play. It was located in a remote lodge, a big place that had about a five hundred person capacity. Right from the start, the crowd turned violent. There was no security, and fights were erupting all over the place. I mean, this went on for hours. Girls pulling each other’s hair out, guys hitting each other with folding chairs, it was absolutely insane. When it was all over, the lodge was in shambles. Broken windows, furniture, and the men’s bathroom had a sink ripped off the wall and smashed into a toilet. We were sure glad our name wasn’t on the lease! As we were leaving, with equipment, band and crew stuffed into our vans, some guy comes limping over to us, battered and torn, bleeding all over. He asks us to give him a ride home, but we’re stuffed into these vans man, and there’s barely enough room for us. Someone said to him, “Sorry man, but we can’t. We gotta leave you here to die!". "
Did SNOWBLIND do mostly covers when playing live, or did they stick to their own penned material instead?
"Yeah, mostly covers, however SNOWBLIND did record a couple of Rick’s songs in an old studio in north Seattle, where HEART recorded some of the tracks for their first album “Sing Child Sing”, but that tape is lost. Maybe it will resurface in Europe!"
You played on the “North West Metal Fest” compilation album in 1984 with a song called “ Intense As Hell”. Was this the first song you recorded as ROTTWEILLER?
"Yes. That was just a very quick recording by the original members. At the time In Seattle, Metal was on the rise with QUEENSRYCHE getting signed, and HEIR APPARENT and CULPRIT shopping their products. With the Northwest Metalfest in the works, the song “Intense As Hell” was put together very quickly so we could get our foot in the door. It’s amazing how that little album has lived on some kind of cult collectors item."
Is this the same version as the version that landed on “Screams Of The Innocent”?
"No, when Rick joined the group, he played the song quite differently than Mike Winston did on the Metalfest album. The “Screams Of The Innocent” version has the same structure as the original, but the guitar tracks were much more powerful, and that raised the intensity level quite a bit. We still close our set with that song. It still blows people away!"
In 1986 you released a four track promo, consisting of four songs, that would eventually come on your first album. The tape consisted of “ The Firesign”, “Where Am I”, “The Quest” and “I Am What I Am”. Why did the songs “ The Firesign” and “I Am What I Am” never get on the “Screams Of The Innocent” album?
"My God! Who is the head of your research department? How do you even know about that? We sure would like to get a tape of that stuff…(Then burn it!) That particular recording was done with another drummer, Mat Wallis of PRIVATE STOCK. PRIVATE STOCK was originally formed by Mat immediately following the Canada top 40 tour (he was the drummer in that band as well.) PRIVATE STOCK originally had Mat on drums, Izzy on Bass, Doug (Can’t remember his last name), on keys and Dan Reed (of DAN REED NETWORK) on guitar and vocals. PRIVATE STOCK was a highly progressive band with material Mat wrote that was very original. Not as heavy as like, Dream Theater’s music, but definitely in the same vein with very progressive, clever compositions. But - who at that time listened to that kind of stuff? Paul and Rick joined PRIVATE STOCK, and soon after we decided that ROTTWEILLER had a better chance of getting signed. The recording you speak of was done before Doug Marrapodi returned to the group. “Firesign” was written by Mat Wallis and would not have been appropriate for the “Screams Of The Innocent” album. “I Am What I Am” was not up to the caliber of the rest of the songs."
Did you release an album after this promo four track? And which songs were on this album? I read somewhere that you were actually recording a six track mini album, when you released this four track promo tape.
"The only work that followed that was a six song cassette featuring songs from “Screams Of The Innocent” that we sold at our live shows. I think we only had five hundred copies of those made. Man, how do you know about this stuff? Is this a tape, that’s floating around somewhere in the European underworld?"
Who are in ROTTWEILLER today?
"Today we still have Rick, Izzy, and Doug, and our new lead singer is called Martin Morin (he replaced Ronny Munroe, who recently joined METAL CHURCH). Martin recently moved to the Seattle area from New York, where he was the singer for a band called Alchemy X. They are a progressive metal band, and in their debut CD "A Delicate Balance", his vocals are commonly compared to Geoff Tate of QUEENSRYCHE. His vocal style in ROTTWEILLER is however much more diverse and intense. We are very lucky to have found him in such a short time."
What happened to your former band members Paul Crisman (vocals), Matthew Wallis (drums), Tim Wolfe (bass) and Mike Winston (guitar), who left the band in the beginning period, and why did they actually leave the band? Do you know if they’re still active in the music scene somewhere?
"Paul Crisman has a studio, and is engineering the recordings of several Seattle bands, Mat Wallis is in Portland writing and recording different styles of music, Tim Wolfe went on to form a band called MISTRUST, and Mike has been working off and on, but we’re not sure of their current endeavors. We do know that Tim and Mike were working together a couple years ago in a band, called KIX ASS. We hope they get it out there. As to why people leave bands, I guess it all comes down to choices. It’s pretty hard to stay motivated when you’re down on your luck."
Were there any more line up changes between the line-up as we know it right now, and the ones we discussed with Paul, Tim, Mike and Mat?
"After the split from the “Screams Of The Innocent” line up, Paul tried to keep it alive with John Douglas on guitar and Steve Harris on bass, but medical problems wore them down before they were able to get it going. They played a couple of gigs, one I remember was advertised in the local paper. The add said “We’re back and we’re hungry!” Rick thought about going to see the show with a couple cans of pork & beans! They are all still active, working on their own things right now. They’re all very good musicians."
Which bands were your major musical influences in these early days?
"As a band, we never had any specific influences. But we all agreed on what bands kicked the most ass. Izzy liked BLACK SABBATH, ZEPPELIN, DEEP PURPLE and MONTROSE. Doug liked VAN HALEN, OZZY OSBOURNE, RUSH and BRUFORD. Rick’s weird - he never listened to bands, just guitar players. HENDRIX, ZAPPA, FRANK MARINO, ALLAN HOLDSWORTH - those guy’s were his early influences."
Who came up with the idea to call the band ROTTWEILLER and why?
"The story goes that Paul had taken the idea from the dogs featured in the movie “The Omen”. We thought it sounded cool, and the reputation of Rottweiler’s was that of a tough, aggressive animal. It seemed to fit us well. Doug was the one who thought the logo would look better spelled with two L’s. Rick thought of the name “Screams Of The Innocent” and designed the ROTTWEILLER logo and cover for the original album. An artist named Lynn Selleck, who was Jeff Gilbert’s girlfriend at the time, re designed the artwork and logo, and Terry Gorle from HEIR APPARENT cleaned it up in Photoshop for the actual CD.
We get a lot of joking comments about the name. Hell, we know that by today’s standards, the name is lame. But it gives us some cult status here in Seattle, and with the Northwest Metalfest album out there, we decided to keep it. For now anyway."
Let’s have a closer look at the live shows of ROTTWEILLER, if we may. Did you use any show elements during your shows?
"Yeah, we have several different types of special effects like lasers and fog, and flash pods. While we don’t depend on them for our shows, we still like to use them for the big shows if we can. I think the reason for theatrics like costumes or props, is to add an element of drama to a show. I don’t think of our tunes as having a high degree of drama. Our music stays pretty much to the point. Loud, hard, fast, kick ass!"
With which bands did you share the stage in those early days?
"We played a lot of shows with the Seattle bands like CULPRIT, HEIR APPARENT, TKO, RANDY HANSEN, MYTH, and UPPER ECHELON, as well as bands coming through town like SLAYER, and PAUL DI ANNO’s BATTLEZONE."
Do you play covers sometimes with ROTTWEILLER, or do you stick to your own written material?
"No, we’ve thought about doing a couple of remakes, but we are having a hard time deciding on a specific tune. Any cover material has to fit in with the original stuff well enough that it sounds like our song."
I bet, you’ve got some nice stories to tell about the life on the road and on stage with ROTTWEILLER. Maybe you want to share some of these stories with our readers here?
"I suppose the most frequent situation we find ourselves in, is as opening act for some headliner, like Warlord in Itzehoe, or QUIET RIOT, who we opened for recently in Seattle. The headline act as always sets up first, and we have to play in front of their backline. (amps, drums, etc.) This can be a problem on a small stage, and we’ll ask them if the drums can be moved, to make room for Doug and his drums. The answer is usually no, but that’s okay. If they want us to set up so Doug is in their face - Fine. It’s their funeral! Doug Marrapodi is one of the best drummers around. We like showing him off! Our favorite was definitely our trip to Wacken last summer. We really enjoyed the people in Holland and Germany and were very impressed by how friendly everyone was. We definitely want to get back there as soon as our next CD is released."
Are there any gigs that will always stick into your mind, because they were very special to you?
"We opened for QUIET RIOT just recently here in Seattle. It was our first gig after we got back from Wacken, and we were so pumped – QUIET RIOT didn’t have a chance! It was in a large club, with a good sized crowd. All of our old friends were there, making a lot of noise. QUIET RIOT had some technical problems, and their sound check went on way too long, cutting into our time. So we went on without a sound check. We had to just set up and play. I think the sound man may have been a little pissed off with how much work he had to do with Quiet Riot, because he had us sounding like Gods – and QUIET RIOT sounded like, well… QUIET RIOT!"
And maybe there are some gigs too that you would rather forget about?
"Absolutely! Like all the times the promoter split with the money, or when we got all our shit stolen, and thank you very much for bringing up all of those unpleasant memories! Actually, we learn from the bad gigs as well. So that we don’t do them again!"
What was the Seattle metal scene like in the eighties, were there many clubs that you could play in as a metal band?
"There was a brief period in the early eighties, when metal was very popular. It was very easy to get gigs and have sold out shows. But after about ’87, Seattle really died down for all types of entertainment. I think it had to do partially with the weather - rainy and cold, so most people would stay home with their cable TV, VCR, video games, and the Internet. It’s too bad too, because there really is a tremendous amount of talent in Seattle, but not enough venues or management companies to support them. The scene is starting to pick up some momentum lately however, with the popularity of nu-metal."
Seattle is very well known for the grunge scene, that came from this area in the early nineties with bands like PEARL JAM, NIRVANA, ALICE IN CHAINS and SOUNDGARDEN. What did you actually think of this scene, and didn’t it become extremely difficult for a heavy metal band to succeed while this style was ruling the scene. You must have been drowning in the grunge bands in these days?
"Bah! There was no scene in Seattle. It was all hype. Here’s what happened: From the mid 70’s until about 1988, bands were aloud to post there concert advertising on telephone poles all over the city. Essentially, free advertising. Then the city council decided that this was an eyesore, and passed a law banning the posting of advertisements on public property. Without the means to promote gigs, the fire went out of the local club scene. When grunge happened, it hit everyone in the back of the head! Where did this come from? There was virtually no scene in Seattle! These bands went from the garage to the big stage – and the local scene was still dead!"
Did the grunge scene change the fact that you were able to play live in Seattle or not? In a positive or in a negative way?
"I think, it helped to put Seattle on the map, so that if you were in a band from Seattle, you might get better treatment. But it didn’t have much of an effect on the club scene locally. As soon as these bands got signed, they became national acts, and they sure didn’t feel like they owed anything to the local community, and for good reason. As soon as their time came, the city cut off their only means to advertise. So they went national and never looked back. Just kind of came and went. The good news is, that some club owners got together and lobbied for a “teen dance ordinance” which allows under age patrons in certain clubs where the bar is separated from the concert hall. It was passed recently, and with the popularity of nu-metal, the future for the Seattle scene looks promising."
In 1986 you released a promo tape. In 2002, you played in Germany at the Wacken Open Air festival. There is a huge interval between then and now, that is completely blank for us. Please fill us in with some details about what you were doing in those years between this four track tape and the Wacken show?
"Well, you have to understand (after listening to our CD) that back in the 80’s the clubs were still all about dancing, unless you promoted your own show with telephone pole advertisement, which was now illegal. We were pretty beat up by this time, so we split up. After that, Izzy started his own Home improvement business, Rick kept his day job and played jazz guitar at night, Doug went to the Drummers Collective and played with some fusion type groups, and Paul settled into a studio engineering gig. We hadn’t heard from each other until Terry Gorle took our CD to Hellion Records when he went with CULPRIT to Wacken 2001. We were all doing our own things, then out of nowhere, ROTTWEILLER returns!"
You are also movie stars, if I’m informed right. Tell us a bit more about the film that you played in, which is called “Hype”?
"That was actually a different band, Paul, Steve, John, and I think Mat on drums. It was a very quick moment in the film, where Jeff Gilbert is taking the camera crew on a tour of his building where bands would rent space to rehearse."
Wouldn’t it be a nice idea to release this film on a DVD for your fans, or the fans of the Northwest music scene?
"Oh, it’s out there! I’ve seen it on the A&E cable station. Maybe for history sake people might enjoy it. But the band only got about five seconds of screen time. Rick got way more time doing his interview for VH1 Driven – MOTLEY CRUE."
What did you think of the Wacken show? Many people may have missed it, because you already played first thing in the morning?
"That was a little disappointing, but the few hundred fans that were there, came ready to rock! The press rewarded us with some great reviews as well, so we feel good about it. We thought that the crew was exceptional. We knew there were some who were frustrated with some of the new rules, restrictions on pit passes and other things. We didn’t feel as though they were obligated to give us any rock star treatment, we were just happy to be playing again. Though now I think we’ve paid our dues, and next time we’ll lobby for a better slot in the running order. I don’t know the whole story about why the sponsors pulled out this year, I hope the Wacken festival continues to grow and improve."
Did you see any other bands play there, and what did you think in general about this great festival?
"Blown away! Absolutely overwhelming. Nothing like it would ever happen in the states. Sure they have OzzFest and other touring festivals, but nothing that goes on for 3 days! The other really bizarre thing - is that the headliners of a festival like Wacken, play little shitty clubs when they come to Seattle. A band like BLIND GUARDIAN, who has three semi trucks of equipment and a couple dozen people in their crew, came to Seattle recently and played in a small club for about three hundred curious fans. Meanwhile, a band from Seattle like ROTTWEILLER, (who?) goes over to Germany and plays at a festival that sold out in advance of thirty thousand tickets? I mean, how weird is that?
Two days before this gig, you already played a warming up gig in the neighborhood there, supporting WARLORD. How was that experience, and what did you think of the WARLORD gig?
"It was great! We had a blast playing there, the fans at the Club Hollywood were the most dedicated head bangers we’ve ever seen – I mean, they live for this stuff!! We were also glad the folks at Hellion Records were able to see us play. The Wacken festival is a very busy time for them, and they didn’t get to see us at Wacken with the store so busy. We had a great time playing with WARLORD, we were very impressed with the way those guys pulled it off. They had members from three different countries playing with them, and only two rehearsals prior to their Wacken performance. That’s amazing! They looked like they had been playing together forever. Bill and Jochim were very friendly people. We wish them the best of luck."
Did you play outside of America, before you came over to Europe for these shows?
"Nope. That was the first time for ROTTWEILLER. We had a blast! We stayed in Amsterdam a few days, and in Hamburg. That’s where we met up with WARLORD. They played their first gig at the Headbangers Ballroom. We walked in the place, and all of a sudden we’re getting photographed and signing autographs! It’s weird that they knew who we were. They played the song “Set The World On Fire” from “Screams Of The Innocent” over the sound system, and the whole place just went crazy!"
On the “Screams Of The Innocent” album, we can also hear some live tracks. When were they recorded and where?
"They were recorded on New Year’s Eve 1986 at Seattle’s Paramount Theater. The concert was billed as The Rockers Ball, with HEIR APPARENT, MYTH and ROTTWEILLER. The night before the gig, someone broke into HEIR APPARENT’srehearsal space and stole everything they had. They had to play with rented equipment that night. While we were walking around the press area at Wacken, we saw a guy who was wearing a T-shirt from that concert. Can you believe it? The concert was 16 years ago, on the other side of the planet, and here’s a guy wearing a Rockers Ball T-shirt! We went up to talk to him, and he barely spoke a word of English! He knew who we were though – he pointed to our logo on his shirt and said - ROTTWEILLER! YEA!!"
How did you get in contact with Juergen Hegewald of Hellion Records in Itzehoe, who re-released your “Screams Of The Innocent” album on CD in 2002?
"Terry Gorle of HEIR APPARENT was signed to Hellion in 2000, and played Wacken that year. He talked to Jurgen about releasing CULPRIT’s “Guilty As Charged” CD, and when CULPRIT got their deal and played Wacken 2001, Terry went with them, and brought our CD along with him to see if Jurgen would be interested in ROTTWEILLER. We felt pretty confident that we would be next, so we started putting the band back together right away."
Are there any more live tracks recorded over the years, and are they probably useful for a live album in the future?
"We only put the live stuff on the CD, because we felt that the original recording was too short. The studio recording timed out at about thirty-five minutes – perfect for vinyl, but for the CD, we needed more time. The Rockers Ball had been recorded direct off the board, and although the sound wasn’t the best, it was the only other thing we had recorded from the period. I think a good live recording is definitely in our future."
During these songs you also play a live guitar solo and a drum solo. A thing that is almost never been done anymore. (which is a crying shame, if you ask me, because I think it was always a highlight to see the individual band members standing in the spotlight to do their solo thing!). How important is it or you to show the individual abilities of the bandmembers, although you know that some of the fans may think it’s very old fashioned?
"It is very important. It provides for some contrast in the show, and gives the other members a break! Back in the eighties, Doug was always a little nervous about doing his drum solo. He’s a perfectionist, and he was worried about something going wrong. Rick told him about a time that he saw MAHOGANY RUSH play, and during the drum solo, a microphone slipped out of it’s stand, and was rattling around on the kick drum. The drummer didn’t stand for it – he kicked his set over and stormed off the stage. So he tells Doug, if something like that happens, just kick the shit out of your drums and keep going! Well, a couple gigs later the same thing happened to Doug during his solo. We’re standing off the side of the stage, watching cymbals and drums fly as he continued to play – awesome!"
When you returned to the US, after this European tour, it became pretty quiet again. What happened since September last year?
"We played a few shows, but our main focus is finishing the next CD."
What can we expect from the style, any major changes in music style if you compare it to the material on “Screams Of The Innocent”?
"The main change will be the quality of the recording. “Screams Of The Innocent” was really recorded as a demo. I think we paid like one thousand for the whole thing. So there wasn’t a whole lot of time spent on “sweetening” during mixdown. We all have matured as musicians as well, and we think that the material will show it. The extreme energy that was produced with “Screams of the Innocent” was achieved through pure adrenaline driven improvisation and spontaneity. So for this new CD, we’re leaving plenty of room for a lot more of that kind of mayhem."
Maybe you can give us some song titles already?
“Vanishing Ladder”, “Where Evil Roams”, “Vicious Wind”, “Rage Of War”, “Friend Of Pain”, “Speed of Light” and “Evil Genius”. Maybe we will add an instrumental or a cover tune…"
Any touring plans for Europe already again, or was the Germany tour a ‘once only’ experience?
"Man, we would love to live there! You bet we’ll be back as soon as we can!"
What’s your favorite ROTTWEILLER song and why?
"Doug and Izzy like “Where Am I”, because it takes the most concentration. Rick has the most fun with the solos in “Tough To Take”, “Exterminator”, and “Set The World On Fire”."
What do you think about the US METAL scene nowadays? Are there any bands that we should watch out for, because they’re very well talented and interesting in your opinion?
"The US metal scene – We’re talking about real heavy stuff - was never a mainstream thing. Still isn’t really. The nu-metal stuff is all over the radio these days, and that’s encouraging. We like some of that stuff, in limited doses. DISTURBED seems to be the band to watch. Time was just a few years ago, that all you heard on the radio was classic rock from the seventies and grunge. Now mainstream listeners are being exposed to some pretty screaming stuff, and they’re digging it. But there’s a big gap between talent and technology these days, as soon as people get bored of listening to detuned guitars, these guys are going to have to learn how to play! Not necessarily sounding like every GIT graduate you’ve heard, but like the raw talent some of the old seventies bands had."
Did you record any video footage or video clips, besides the film that we discussed earlier?
"Yeah, but nothing professional. It’s very expensive to film a concert so that it sounds good, and has all the camera editing that makes it exciting to watch. Rental prices for digital video equipment are coming down though, so we may come out with a good full length concert video before too long."
How important is the Internet for a band like ROTTWEILLER, and where can we find your website?
"Oh wow… I’ll try to keep this short. We feel that we’re in the early stages of a revolution in the way music is made available to an audience. With the Internet, it’s the listener, who decides what is good, not some corporate schmuck or record company A&R dweeb. I see stores in the future that don’t have categories like pop, rock, jazz or whatever. You walk in to a small shop, the clerk asks you what kind of music you like, and he directs you to a computer that gives you the means to search and sample tons of fucking kick ass bands, that you’ve never heard of. You add them to your cart, pay the man, and he burns you a CD, complete with cover art and shrink wrap right there on the spot. Dig on this - the Sony Corporation sold twenty billion dollars worth of music merchandise last year. However, they sold forty-seven billion dollars worth of CD burners, and MP3 players! They know which side their bread is buttered on! They’re not going to stop CD burning off the Net! Man, if this happens, mainstream pop music will die!!!"
Do you get many contacts from outside of America?
"Yeah, we’ve been getting a few. We need a manager to work the PR, we’re really too busy to handle a lot of press. When we get the new CD out there, we’re going to need a publicist to work full time getting the word out so that festival promoters will want us back over there on tour. We like hearing from the fans as well. We get a lot of mail from all around the world. It’s great!"
What are your five most favorite metal albums of all time?
"This is a tough question, because we really don’t listen to music the way fans do. I suppose we could come up with a list, but it’s not what we’re really into. We listen mostly for the feel, and to get inspiration for our writing. Rick, Izzy and Doug listen to stuff that is way difficult to play. Louder, Harder, Faster, right?"
What are the future plans for ROTTWEILLER?
"To keep goin’ and play live for as long as metal lives! Up until a couple years ago, we had no idea metal was still alive in Europe. If we had known that metal was happening as big as it is over there, we would have got back together a lot sooner! Furthermore, we have been working with our new leadsinger Martin Morin for a couple of months now, and the progress he is making with the new material is very encouraging. We have all the songs written, and the cover artwork is completed and we hope to have the new CD recorded by years end. We will also be updating the web site soon - Stay tuned!"
Do you have any other hobbies or interests, besides playing music in ROTTWEILLER?
"We all have our regular jobs still, so there’s not a lot of extra time for other interests. Rick plays jazz guitar very well. Styles ranging from fingerstyle solo standards to bebop and gypsy jazz. It’s fun to go into a music store with that guy. He’ll go from playing ripping lead on a solid body, then pick up an acoustic guitar and play some django, and finish off with a piano concerto played on a guitar synthesizer. He’ll draw a crowd, then he’ll go up to the counter and buy a pick!"
Do you have any special messages for our readers?
"Don’t forget to check out our website at http://www.rottweiller.org and drop us a line!"
The last words are for you....
"Thank you very much for this opportunity to tell you about ROTTWEILLER. We really have a lot of fun answering all of your mail. Rock on!!!!"
Interview by: Toine van Poorten
(parts of this interview will appear in HEADACHE magazine, NL - Dec. 03/Jan. 2004)
ROTTWEILLER DISCOGRAPHY
*SCREAMS OF THE INNOCENT ('02 Helllion Records)
Contact ROTTWEILLER at:
Email: info@rottweiller.org
Internet: www.rottweiller.org