Detritus
Mini-Issue #315.5 - May 6, 2005
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*
*** CAST OF CHARACTERS ***
*
Patrick Brower, Editor
patrickbrower@...

Sean P. Gahgan, Editor
lof@...

Tim Wadzinski, Owner
tsw512@...

Steve Shumake, Co-owner
vongoober@...
http://www.vongoober.com/

*
*** LET ME SPEAK ON THIS ***
*
-Two interviews and a review/overview. Face front, true believers,
this issue of Detritus has Views!! - Patrick

*
*** SPECIAL REPORT #1 ***
*
by Eric Ragno (eric@...)

-Soul SirkUS Homecoming Review/After Party Pics

Eric from Vox Tempus checking in with a Soul SirkUS update from the
road! I just got back from the Sunset Strip, where Soul SirkUS
performed their much-anticipated LA homecoming show before a packed
house of friends, family and hardcore fans. Expectations were high as
people lined up to see if all the hype was true -- and they were not
let down! The club rocked from the opening notes, as the band rolled
through nearly the entire Soul SirkUS album and some unexpected
surprises, as well as JSS favorites such as "Stand Up & Shout" from
the "Rock Star" soundtrack. Neal Schon was simply phenomenal, clearly
happy to be tearing up every song right down the middle. Schon had an
elaborate solo spot, performing "The Star-Spangled Banner" (with Jeff
on keys) and "Voodoo Chile" by Jimi Hendrix, before leading into some
Santana jams and a mind blowing drum solo by the amazing Virgil
Donati. It was then Marco Mendoza's turn, as he blew folks away with
his bass/scat solo, later turning to the microphone for "Hey Baby,"
which he used to sing with Ted Nugent.

The diehard Journey fans were in for a special treat during Jeff's
solo piano set, which opened with "If This Is The End" (from his
latest solo record) and included Journey favorites like "Send Her My
Love," "People & Places" and "Good Morning Girl." This lead into the
Sam Cooke classic "Nothing Can Change This Love," leading the band
into a full blown version of "Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin'" that had the
house on its feet! The band covered the entire spectrum, and the after
party was pretty nuts too! Also in attendance were Mark Boals (Yngwie
Malmsteen), Brian Young (David Lee Roth), Bjorn Englen (Robin
McAuley), Maestro Alex Gregory, Howie Simon and Alex Papa (JSS solo
band), Neal Grusky & Eric Ragno of Takara, and members of Europe (who
are in town for a string of shows this week). This was truly a special
homecoming, and the band clearly enjoyed the warm reception at the
after party that ensued! Check out pictures of this show (and the
backstage fun) at http://www.ericragno.com/ .

Relevant links:

Virgil Donati
http://www.virgildonati.com/

Journey
http://www.journeytheband.com/

KeyboardPlayer.net
http://www.keyboardplayer.net/

Marco Mendoza
http://www.marcomendoza.com/

Eric Ragno
http://www.ericragno.com/

Neal Schon
http://www.nealschon.net/

Soul SirkUS
http://www.soulsirkus.com/

Jeff Scott Soto
http://www.jeffscottsoto.com/

Takara
http://www.takararocks.com/

Vox Tempus
http://www.vox-tempus.com/

*
*** SPECIAL REPORT #2 ***
*
by Neal Woodall (MysticX10@...)

-Interview w/ Vivien Lalu (Lalu)
April 26, 2005

Vivien Lalu recently released his first solo album entitled ONIRIC
METAL, a refreshing collection of songs reflecting Vivien's love of
New Age as well as Heavy Metal music. Vivien kindly took the time to
answer some e-mail questions about his history, ONIRIC METAL and
future plans...

DETRITUS: Lalu is a pretty new name on the progressive metal scene;
please tell us a little bit about your background.

VIVIEN LALU: I was the keyboard player of an unknown doom-metal band
called Time For A Change and then I joined Sad Warden, which was
funded by the lead guitarist of TFAC after we split up. I hanged with
the guys till the band became Mind's Orchard and disbanded late 2001.
I started my own composing career then... :) I worked two times for
Hubi Meisel, the ex-Dreamscape singer for who I've composed two
albums, but only one has been released so far -- EMOCEAN. Today I try
to produce my own stuff and there I am answering this cool interview
for you!

D: ONIRIC METAL is an excellent CD; I like how you incorporated a
variety of influences into the music. I know you have listed Devin
Townsend and Symphony X as influences but I also hear bands such as
Evergrey and Saga mixed in -- were they also influences?

VL: Thanks Neal! I knew Saga from childhood since my dad listened lots
of their CD's at home, so YES, I can definitely say it's a part of my
inspiration. I never heard any Evergrey album. A friend of mine tried
to get me into their stuff one time, but the songs were a bit too
"dark" for my tastes. I don't like it when music can make me sad. I
know Martin [LeMar] may sound like their singer sometimes, so maybe
that's why people compared us to them? It's an honour anyway, they
seem to be well known!

D: I read another interview with you where you mentioned that you
prefer fantasy lyrics rather than those based on real events. I agree,
and sometimes wonder why many of the younger kids are attracted to
lyrics that are simply a reflection of all the negative occurrences in
the world; any thoughts?

VL: True. Regarding the kids, I don't know. I guess it's more the
anger inside of them, the rebel side but also the aggressive character
of the music they listen to, that creates this kind of effect. When
you listen to rap music, you can hear how much your suburb sucks, and
you feel connected with it if you are somewhat living under the same
conditions than the guys doing this. When you listen to metal it's the
same crap I guess... Mostly about wars, religion and stuff. The kind
of things you see everyday on TV and makes you wonder about the
future, especially when you're a young human being. The energy of
music pushes some people to react against the things they hate or fear
the most. I believe it's because of the aggressive character of many
music styles -- like metal, but also the violence in our daily lives.
I don't know, really...

D: You are clearly a great keyboardist but you choose to restrain
yourself from playing excessively flashy material. There seems to be
more emphasis placed on subtle parts in the arrangements which create
a rich and interesting atmosphere -- was this your intention?

VL: Thanks, yes, this is an awesome comment and a great compliment to
me! You know, I didn't want this album to be a "shred" fest and god
knows [guitarist] Joop Wolters could have played more solos, and I
could have done many keyboard leads but I was willing to make this an
easy and especially "fresh" CD to listen, vocals-oriented and all.
Every keyboardist or guitar soloist release a shred album nowadays,
and instrumental show off don't interest me that much... The only
soloist I respect the most for his musicality is Steve Vai, for he
provides real songs to the listener and crushing arrangements too.
However, I prefer to hear delicate new age music with dreamy
atmospheres. But something I want you to know, I definitely suck at
keys, I'm not able to play a single Chopin piece like Vitalij Kuprij
or Tony MacAlpine, but I'm still able to record and perform my own
stuff, which is enough for me. I'm a simple guy... I'm not trying to
compete in the keyboard wizards category -- and I won't be good
enough.

D: There are quite a few progressive rock and metal bands out there
today. What do you feel separates Lalu from other groups?

VL: Absolutely nothing. The same will to express myself musically than
probably any other music writer out there... To say the truth, I don't
pretend to be original. Really. I feel that my song writing is not
mature yet, but what can I say -- my music would be a melting-pot of
every one of my influences. I try not to be categorized in one style,
THIS could be the point. On ONIRIC METAL, songs like "Wolven Eyes,"
"Windy," "Night in Poenari" and "Timestop" have nothing in common
apart the performers. I love music and I am a very open minded
listener. So is my composing. I simply hope people may have the same
"open ears" to listen, for it's needed to appreciate fully -- or
partially -- what I do. Just my vision...

D: Your parents are musicians -- have you ever considered having them
play on one of your albums?

VL: Oh, I thought about asking my mum to play some keys or my dad to
play a guitar solo on the next one, but I'm not sure which song(s)
yet. The fact is that I want to keep things the way I want 'em to be,
and I know that when I'd start to work something out with my dad he'd
probably try to change a lot of things, and I don't want that, ha ha
ha! I have strong convictions about the material I write, and I want
to keep control over it. However I'd like to ask them to play
something for me... I just didn't find WHAT yet.

D: You have a great backing band on ONIRIC METAL -- is this a stable
lineup or will you be using different players for the next album?

VL: Thanks! Lalu being an ego-project, and not a band, some changes
could occur anytime. However I hope to use the same lineup again, I
don't know, I will see when time comes how sounds the final rough
material and what are my possibilities regarding the production. It
would also be nice to find local players (I mean French musicians) for
it would also help them to get known and support me live. One thing is
sure, Joop and Martin will be with me till I die. (laughs)

D: It's probably a bit early to be asking but what will the next album
be like stylistically?

VL: Don't worry it's not too early, I already wrote half of this weird
piece of music. This one is shorter, more progressive and especially
more various with few instrumentals. There will be a lot of songs but
all of them being short (around 3-4 minutes at max). I try to be
original but once again, people will tell. I'm not able to judge my
own music really well... It just sounds weird but interesting to me.

D: Are you planning to tour with Lalu, perhaps play some metal
festivals?

VL: Yes! I'm gathering a live band right now so I HOPE being able to
do so, playing festivals or support gigs would be awesome. However,
most of us have to cope with a daily job and other bands/musical
projects, it won't be that easy. But I'm working on it, so the answer
is YES, I hope so!

D: You wrote the music and played on Hubi Meisel's EMOCEAN CD, will
you be working with him again in the future?

VL: Yes, definitely, although I cannot talk about it yet. Hubi is very
serious about that, and so I can't spoil anything to you. Sorry! Only
expect more music from the two of us! He visited me recently and that
was awesome to hang together in Paris. He's a great guy. I love his
concepts and it's always a "YES" to work for him -- anytime.

D: What is your favorite piece from ONIRIC METAL?

VL: "Timestop." The ending give me chills down the spine. But I don't
enjoy "Potboy -- The Final Fantasy" very much today, I'm sorry about
that one, I must have been drunk or something! (laughs)

D: Aside from listening to great music, what else inspires you to
compose?

VL: Movies, video games. I love epic and fantasy stories. Role-playing
games... Everything that feeds my inspiration comes from fantasy books
or science fiction novels. I am addicted to make my imaginary work in
every possible way. The last thing that would inspire me is my daily
life. So boring, it's so nice to escape sometimes! A good movie, book
or CD can help :)

D: Good luck with the album and I look forward to hearing more from
you in the future! Any parting thoughts for our readers?

VL: Thanks so much! I just want to thank people for reading us so far
and in the case they never heard my music, I invite them to check it
and eventually buy it, that I could make more music later on. Also
don't forget that you can make and release your own music, never lose
hope!!! Everything is possible. Your will is the only key. Trust me, I
was nothing but a progressive music fan four years ago. Nothing was
serious then... Thanks and stay cool!

Relevant links:

Lalu
http://www.lalusworld.com/

*
*** SPECIAL REPORT #3 ***
*
-Revive And Survive: A Candid Interview With Reviver
by Cory Zerkee (zerkee@...)

[Note: This interview is also available at Steve's site:
http://www.vongoober.com/Detritus/reviver.html . - Tim]

Recently I had the chance to chat with Dutch Heavy Metal band Reviver
(Patrick van Maurik, Fred Mantel, Tom Heemsterk, Stefan Brederode, and
Tom van Veenhuijzen) about their recently released, self-titled album.

CORY ZERKEE: I will start things off by asking you to tell the people
out there a little bit about yourselves and your role in the band, as
well as what brand of instruments you use and prefer.

FRED MANTEL: Tom Heemskerk and I formed Reviver in 1997. During these
early years we concentrated on finding the right band members and
worked out the Reviver-style of metal. We recorded some demos and
promos and participated on some samplers. Since the participation on
the METAL CRUSADE sampler of Heavy Oder Was?! and the release of the
OSIRIS EYES promotion MCD, we were on the right track and got several
label offers. We signed with Remedy Records and recorded the first
full-length Reviver s/t album, which is released now.

PATRICK VAN MAURIK: I am the vocalist and I joined Reviver in the fall
of 2002. Before that time I was the vocalist of Montany. I try to help
out with writing songs and lyrics, like all band members. I use a
Custom amp and speakers and an Alesis effects module.

FM: I'm one of the founders of Reviver and I'm playing guitar. Besides
playing guitar, I like writing songs and doing studio production.
Mostly, I'm playing BC Rich guitars because of their cool bodies. I'm
using Marshall Amplification, both a JCM 800 and a JCM 900 set. The
JCM 800 set does have a more '80s sound. Besides this, I'm using
Rocktron pre-amplification and effects.

TOM HEEMSTERK: I'm the other founder of Reviver and the other
guitarist. I also write songs. Most of the time I use Washburn
guitars, but I also have a Dean and a Hamer. I'm using a Mesa Boogie
50/50 poweramp with two Marshall 1936 cabinets, and a Rocktron
Chameleon pre-amp with effects.

STEFAN BREDERODE: I'm the bass player of Reviver and I entered the
band one year ago. Before Reviver, I played in Montany. The bass
guitars I'm using are Bass Collections guitars. I like the dark sound
of those guitars very much. Besides these bass guitars, I'm using
Peavey amplification.

TOM VAN VEENHUIJZEN: I have known Tom and Fred for a very long time
and witnessed the early years of the band from the outside. In that
period, I played together with Tom in the progressive metal band
Forever Mortal, which we had started together with a couple of
friends. When I quit FM, I was already engaged with another band which
I started (with some other guy) called Noctumbre. I told Fred a few
years back that if they'd ever face trouble with drummers, I would be
glad to help them out. I did a couple of weeks later when their last
drummer quit.

I've always played Pearl, ever since I started playing 12 years ago
with FM. I bought my first kit right out of the rehearsal room. It was
in terrible shape, but good enough for me to start.

I am a graphic designer for a living and thus designed and made the
inside of the CD booklet and the logo (original logo design was by
Mich Heemskerk by the way).

The cover art was done by a good friend of mine who works in the
computer arts and games industry.

Since a year or so now I play with carbon sticks. I've probably tried
a few dozen different sticks, from wood to fiberglass and aluminum to
this. I like 'em so much that I decided to ask for an endorsement by
the company that produces them, Carbostick, and am glad to announce
that I will be having my very own Carbostick with my signature on
them.

CZ: I was going to ask you about the album art, but you beat me to it.
Mich and you did an excellent job on the booklet. You both have a lot
of talent.

Reviver was formed in 1997, and several demo discs later, you guys
finally have a full-length album in circulation which was released
just last month. That must be exciting to finally have that under your
belt. How is the new album being received from what you've seen? Has
the fan reaction met or exceeded your expectations?

FM: The new album is received very well! We've got great reviews in
the international press. It was an exciting moment, releasing this
album. It's our first official album, released by a label. Concerning
the first reactions on the release, we are on the right track.

CZ: I'm glad the album is getting excellent reviews. As a matter of
fact, I have had a chance to pick up the album and I am not going to
lie, I love it. Patrick's vocals combined with the strong guitar,
bass, and drums seem to make an excellent combination. The entire
album seems to flow and every song fits well. What were your
inspirations for the album? I never thought I would hear the word
Quetzalcoatl used successfully in a song but you pulled it off.

FM: Most songs on the album are relating to a "lost civilization"
concept. We like to dig into these kinds of concepts very much. It
inspired us for the main part of the album. Besides this, '80s metal
bands like Iron Maiden, Crimson Glory, Judas Priest and Queensryche
have also influenced us. During the years, we've searched for the
right musicians to have the best combination and all together, it
resulted into this album.

PVM: We thought it was a name we had to use. If you are called
Quetzalcoatl you should have your own song.

CZ: True enough. I think the feathered serpent is worthy of his own
song. I see Reviver has been playing live to support the album; do you
guys enjoy playing live? I know some bands find touring and playing
live to be a necessary evil and you can usually see it in their lack
of enthusiasm on stage.

FM: We like to play live very much. It's very cool to be on stage and
meet the fans. We like to travel and see some of the world. We hope to
do a real tour to promote the album, but unfortunately there are no
plans for it so far.

To promote the album, we will do some shows in Holland and Germany. We
will also play on some cool festivals, like the Metal Bash festival in
Germany.

CZ: Festivals are a win-win for both the bands and the fans. The fans
get to see multiple bands at one show, and the bands get to meet other
bands in the same genre and make friends (or enemies, depending on
your luck).

Your album was produced in house at Steelworks Studios was it not?
Tell us about Steelworks if you would.

FM: The album is indeed produced in the Steelworks Studio. It's my own
recording studio and it's also used for recordings of other bands.
Sound engineering is my daily job besides my activities for Reviver.

The mastering of the album is done by Piet Sielck (Iron Savior) at his
Powerhouse Studio in Hamburg. He did a great job and gave the
production the power it needed.

CZ: It is a definite bonus to have your own studio as you can cut out
the middle man, so to speak, and mix/edit your album exactly the way
YOU want it to sound.

Patrick, you are of former Montany fame and have moved on to Reviver.
Was leaving Montany due to Reviver, or was it for other reasons? If I
understand correctly, Montany has disbanded so to speak due to
artistic differences. It's unfortunate to see any good band cease to
exist, but I also understand its hard to keep a band together when
everyone has differing ideas.

PVM: There was a big age difference in the band between the guitarists
and the rest of the band. The young guys wanted a more progressive
type of metal and Stefan and I wanted a more '80s sounding type of
metal. We had some words about that and they thought it was better to
continue without me and I joined Reviver. Stefan joined later and
after that it was over with Montany.

CZ: Age can definitely have an effect on one's way of thinking and
ideas as far as band direction. It seems that you guys seem to mesh
very well as a band. How long have each of you been playing music and
who were your inspirations when you were growing up?

PVM: Main influences when I was between 6 and 15 were Ozzy, Status
Quo, Iron Maiden and Queensryche. When I was about 15 other bands like
Helloween, Fates Warning and Crimson Glory were big influences.

But the main reason why I am playing in a band are my Uncles. They
played in a rock band when I was 6 or 7 in the style of Status Quo,
when I saw that I wanted to have a band as well.

FM: I'm playing guitar since I was 16. Before I played guitar, I was
playing some keyboards. Because I was a little late starting as a
guitarist, I experienced a lot during those early years. My
inspirations are Iron Maiden and Crimson Glory. My favorite guitar
players are Yngwie Malmsteen, John Sykes, Jon Drenning and Glenn
Tipton.

TH: As a kid I played the piano and later keyboards. I picked up my
first guitar at the age of 16 and learned how to play listening to
Iron Maiden and later Death. Then, after that, I started to listen to
more progressive music like Dream Theater, Joe Satriani and Tony
MacAlpine.

SB: When I was 15 I listened to bands as Exodus, Anthrax, Helloween,
Destruction and Kreator very much. During that period, I played guitar
in a thrash metal band called Final Decision. After that period, I
changed to playing bass.

TVV: Like I said earlier, we started a band when I was 16, that was
(almost) my first encounter with a drumkit too. I always knew though,
that my place was behind the kit. Every time I crawl back from under
the kit I came from, I say to myself this is where Im supposed to be,
and it feels fantastic time and time again.

My inspirations are very, very wide. They range from Public Enemy and
NWA to Slayer, Anthrax, Testament, Kreator and all the rest of the
great thrash bands to Morbid Angel, Death, Devin Townsend, Suicidal
Tendencies and King Diamond to David Bowie, Frank Zappa, King Crimson,
Depeche Mode and simply all other things that I like, without being
able to give an explanation for that.

CZ: OK. This is a touchy subject of late, but I will ask it anyways.
What is your opinion of the music business today in regards to, for
example, the growing trend of MP3 downloads. Do you feel it hurts the
music business and the artists, or do think that it HELPS by spreading
the music? I can't even tell you the large number of bands I have
discovered and later went on to buy CDs from through hearing MP3s.

FM: It's okay to listen to some MP3s to know something more about a
band. If people like what they are hearing, please buy the whole
album. I know downloading the MP3s of a whole album hurts the music
business. To be honest, in the past everyone copied albums on tapes so
in fact there's not so much difference. The only difference is that
you can download it from the Internet, in the past you needed to copy
from someone who bought the album.

People need to understand that when they don't buy the album they are
making it very difficult for a band to make a new album. Record labels
only look at the sales, can you blame them? It is sad but true but
they are no charity institution, and don't make money with good
reviews. In the end they have to pay the bills for promotion,
production, recordings, etc., etc. Consequently you probably will
never see your favorite band play because they can't afford a tour or
you can't afford their tour.

Therefore we are very grateful to people like you, who like to
discover new bands and help to promote them and is willing to purchase
the album when you like what youve heard. That's very cool.

CZ: This is a question for Tom H. and Tom V. You both have more than
one band on the go other than Reviver, Forever Mortal and Noctumbre,
respectively. Are you finding it hard with more than one band on the
go, being you guys only have so much time in a day, so to speak?

TH: Being in two bands does take a lot of time and it would be logic
to give up one, but the experience I get playing different styles
(Forever Mortal is a progressive death metal band) makes me a more
versatile guitarist and writer.

TVV: Time is not a problem. Its very important how you spend your
time, but with Noctumbre next to Reviver and my daytime job, I am not
finding it difficult to make the time needed for Reviver.

Another thing I think is very important is having another way of
expressing your musical creativity. It makes you want to play the
things you do when you do. Noctumbre is a totally different thing than
Reviver that makes me want to play heavy metal. It works the other way
around too; I love to play everything as long as its good; that's the
important part about it.

CZ: After listening to the album enough times to drive my wife insane,
I have three definite songs for album favorites, and those are
"Bringer Of Evil," "Garden Of Eden," and "Another Day" in that order.
Which are your favorite songs on the album and why?

FM: My favorite song is "Osiris Eyes" because of its power, speed,
atmosphere and its varied mid-part.

SB: I really like "Watch Out," because it's an old school metal song,
it's my roots.

TVV: That's a very tough question. First I didn't like "Cycles" that
much, but I think it's one of my favorites now, because we recorded it
great and in a more honest way than before and because Patrick's
chorus line is simply great. "Bringer Of Evil" is one of my favorites
because of the fun drum parts. Still; it's very hard to tell which
songs are favorites...I think they're all great.

CZ: Lastly, I would like to thank you guys for taking the time to chat
about Reviver and I wish you all the best with this and all your
future CDs. With Patrick's unique voice, which you can instantly
identify in any song he sings, Reviver is definitely not a band that
will fade into the blur of common bands found in the industry today.
Hopefully all your hard work will continue to pay off. I have no more
questions for you, so feel free to say any last words that you may
want to, and thanks again.

ALL: Thank you for this interview and we hope all readers of this
interview will, at least, listen to the album.

REVIVE AND SURVIVE!!

-More information as well as song clips from Reviver's s/t can be
found on their Web site.

Relevant links:

Remedy Records:
http://www.remedyrecords.de/

Reviver
http://www.reviver.nl/

*
*** OUT ***
*

Detritus Rock/Metal e-zine
"Rock Hard With A Purpose"
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Detritus/