What motivated you to start a fresh project after your live run with Exciter between 2014 and 2018?
I have to credit our bassist Todd for persuading me to get back into it. I had every intention of continuing music but I was taking my time. The whole metal market has changed in recent years and I had to make sure if I came out with something new it would have to stand out among all these great newer bands that exist today. Starting a new band is quite challenging because in metal every aspect of songwriting has been used over and over, to create something fresh and new that hasn't been done before is quite the task.
The name Powerrage actually goes back to the nineteen-seventies. What is the story behind resurrecting this specific name for your new band?
I did have the name in the back of my mind in the 70`s, to me the words "power" and "rage" describe heavy metal. Back in those days I had no reason to excercise that name so, I just wrote in down as a possible name that I might use in the future . Therefore when it was time to choose a name I thought Powerrage and I thought yes it descirbes the songwriting perfectly.
How did the lineup with Jacques Bélanger, Todd Pilon, and Lucas Dery come together?
As I mentioned Todd approached me first to start a new band. I think I held out for about 1-2 years before I said okay lets do this. For vocals Jacques was the logical choice, I called him and he said yes he was totally into it. With drummers is was a struggle, for one reason or another drummers just weren`t working out. Before Lucas we had drummers that were just temporary just to help me get through the arrangments of the new songs I was writing. At one point I adverstised for drummers and Lucas answered. I called him and right away I liked his attitude. To me a good musician is having the right attitude and talent which Lucas has.
What was the main idea behind writing “Beast”? How challenging was the writing process for these eight brand-new tracks?
The songs took a long time to write before I had the final arrangements. It took me two years (2022-24) to write eight good songs. My thoughts are you can write songs but they have to be good songs not just filler songs on the album (for example a good song then a weak song etc.) that drives me crazy ! lol ! I wanted the listener to headbang to every single song and play air guitar ! lol ! Every musician`s dream is to write a "classic" album, but that takes time and thought and calculations.
"I Torture I Kill" has an almost punkish vibe compared to the heavier tracks on the album. What inspired the musical direction for this specific song?
Yes, this song the guitar riff has a punkish feel to it , that is because when I first starting writing in Exciter in the late 70`s I really liked the British punk movement of that era , which was simple guitar chords played with tremedous energy, that formula has stuck with me till this day, playing guitar the way I do comes natural for me. In a way I have the `punk` mentality, which is anger combined with thrashing out power chords, lol!
Working with Dan Swano at Unisound for the mix and mastering is a massive choice. How did his production approach shape the final sound of "Beast"?
HRR hired Dan Swano to mix and master. The actual record was recorded in our rehearsal hall "live" off the floor except the vocals were recorded in our producer`s (Manfred Leidecker and his assistant George Henderson) studio. The way we did the mixing is that it was a joint effort between myself and Dan. I wanted a `dark` sounding album and Dan definitely used his expertise to deliver mix the way I envisioned it.
The album has a short and intense runtime, was that a conscious decision?
Yes, that was a conscious effort. When we confirmed we had eight good songs my creativity was drying out after that, lol! So, I decided to stop there. Like you say, the record is short and intense, you don`t have a chance to breath, lol!
You wanted to start completely from scratch and not rely on your past accomplishments. Was it difficult to separate the new riffs from your classic guitar style?
My classic guitar style is still there, the are alot of Exciter moments in the guitar riffing but I wanted a more sinister feel. The heavy sound of the 80`s is no longer valid in today`s metal, today it`s darker and heavier, so I`m combining old school with new school. When I write riffs it`s just an extension of my personality, I`m just talking through my guitar lol! "Beast" features all new ideas, I could of used some ideas I had at the end of my Exciter years but I chose not to. I wanted fresh ideas, a new beginning, I wanted to create something new that wasn`t possible before.
High Roller Records is handling the release. How did it come to team up with them? Are there any plans to take this lineup on tour to support the release?
HRR signed us right away after hearing our two-song demo I shopped around. I sent submissions to about 20 different labels, 18 of them no reply, the 19th label said they were not interested and then HRR said yes we want this record! I`m very thankful to HRR to give me this opportuntiy to reach out to the fans around the globe with my new music. We do have one confirmed festival in Europe in 2027 and we do have other considerations from various promotors, but a full tour hasn`t come together yet but I`m working on it.
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