Mob Rules

MM: Can you talk about he concept for the cover art and the artist who created it?
Matthias: The cover art work and the booklet was made by our new drummer Nikolas Fritz, who is a student in arts. He did a great job and we feel very thankful to him.

MM: As a German power metal band, how much praise do you give to veterans Helloween, Gamma Ray, Blind Guardian or others? And were these bands a heavy influence on Mob Rules?
Matthias: Yes, of course. We know about the legendary reputation of these bands, and in some cases – mainly in the past – Helloween was an inspiration for a few Mob Rules songs. Nowadays you find more of Queensryche, Dream Theater, Amorphis and some Iron Maiden in our ideas, musically as well as lyrically.



MM: You are now celebrating your 15th anniversary as a band. How's it feel to reach such a milestone and what's your plan to last another fifteen years?
Matthias: It´s a good thing to have survived and to be still fresh and creative. The plan for the next 15 years? No idea, maybe another six albums and a DVD. Would be great!

MM: How do you plan to gain more popularity, especially in the States, where power metal doesn't have the following it does as in Europe.
Matthias: We have no plan, we just do our music, play the best shows we can and hope that the people enjoy it. That´s all a band can do, the rest is a business/marketing task.

MM: With Mob Rules' namesake, how much was Black Sabbath an influence on your band's formation?
Matthias: Less influence, more done by accident. The reason for the band name, when we were searching for it, was a cap on my head with the logo “Lynch Mob Rules” (the band from former Dokken guitarist George Lynch – I´m a huge fan of him!).

MM: The band is still very guitar-orientated, and on "Radical Peace," the keyboards seem to accentuate and pop up at just the right moments that add atmosphere and emotion. How do you balance the musicianship between the two instruments?
Matthias: We compose with all band members at the same time in the same room, so there is a natural balance in the band, based on discussing and trying out every single idea.

MM: Do you still enjoy the live setting and how important is it to the band to put on a great show? Matthias: I still enjoy, of course, on stage is as much important as in studio. It´s two shoes of the same pair, so we are focused on both aspects.

MM: What are your tour plans to support "Radical Peace"?
Matthias: The original plan was to tour with Ronnie James Dio, which was unfortunately cancelled (due to Dio being diagnosed with stomach cancer). So right now we are looking for alternative plans. Hope we have some other opportunities.

MM: Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Any parting comments for our readers?
Matthias: Thanks for your questions. Hope that everybody enjoys our new album "Radical Peace!"

Article by Kelley Simms

Website:
www.mobrules.de
www.myspace.com/mobrulesband