Battery was a fanzine from Germany written in German.But here's an interview translated to English for you.
HOLY MOSES
Holy Moses should be a familiar name to you, so I'll keep it brief (I don't really know what to write anyway). Since the third LP by the first German major thrashers turned out very well, I wrote to the fanzine, and the result is the following interview, which highlights the disadvantage of a fanzine: unfortunately, some of the questions are quite old and have been asked countless times in the fanzine, etc. Oh well, nothing I can do about it!!
THE COMIC IS QUITE ORIGINAL, BUT WHEN I READ IT, I WAS STRONGLY REMINDERED OF STEPHEN KING'S "THE MIST" AND H.G. WELLS' "THE WAR OF THE WORLDS." ARE YOU KNOWING THESE STORIES, AND WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS OPINION?
Rainer (g): I know both, but I don't see how you could compare them to "The New Machine," except that humanity is threatened by an unknown power. In "The Mist," the beings are from another dimension, one of King's worst stories, in my opinion... and in "War of the Worlds," they are extraterrestrial intelligences.
IS THERE AN ENGLISH VERSION OF IT?
Rainer: Yes, the translation has even been revised by us because every little detail in the text matters. There shouldn't be any misunderstandings.
WHY IS IT SET IN AMERICA, AND HOW DID YOU CHOOSE LIECHTENSTEIN?
IS THAT TRUE, AND IF SO, WHY IS HE PLAYING SOLOS ON THE NEW LP?
Andy: Yes, that's true, I find the rhythm parts more interesting. On TNMOL, I play solos to make the solo parts more varied.
THE LINE-UP SAYS THAT TOM PLAYS "BASS AND FUNK BASS." DOES THE "FUNK BASS" REFER TO HIS PLAYING TECHNIQUE OR TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE BAB (BUNDLESS, ETC.)?
Tom: Refers to playing. (Hey, Uli, take a leaf out of Tom's book—he managed four words, after all!)
DO YOU ACTUALLY PLAY WITH YOUR FINGERS OR WITH A PICK?
Tom: Both. Playing with a pick when funking is lame
Bands like Mekong Delta or Sodom (it's a strange combination, I admit) also have babsoli in their songs—will there be anything like that with HM?
Tom: We'll have to wait and see. It depends on the songs.
The back cover lists, among other things, the names of several companies. Are there advertising contracts there, and if so, did these companies contact you or the label, or was it the other way around?
Sabina: What? Are there companies on there? (Well, in my opinion, yes!)
When I flip through older issues of MH, it sometimes seems to me as if they tried to kill off some bands like Kreator or Carnivore back then, while other bands were hailed as great, but ultimately failed. What do you think of that?
Uli: No matter how much a band is pushed, if they're good they'll go far, if they're rubbish they'll sink.
Rainer: Rubbish is heavier than water.
Do you think some reviews of Queen of Siam were perhaps a little too negative?
Uli, Rainer, Tom: No, absolutely not!!!
Holy Moses should be a familiar name to you, so I'll keep it brief (I don't really know what to write anyway). Since the third LP by the first German major thrashers turned out very well, I wrote to the fanzine, and the result is the following interview, which highlights the disadvantage of a fanzine: unfortunately, some of the questions are quite old and have been asked countless times in the fanzine, etc. Oh well, nothing I can do about it!!
THE COMIC IS QUITE ORIGINAL, BUT WHEN I READ IT, I WAS STRONGLY REMINDERED OF STEPHEN KING'S "THE MIST" AND H.G. WELLS' "THE WAR OF THE WORLDS." ARE YOU KNOWING THESE STORIES, AND WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS OPINION?
Rainer (g): I know both, but I don't see how you could compare them to "The New Machine," except that humanity is threatened by an unknown power. In "The Mist," the beings are from another dimension, one of King's worst stories, in my opinion... and in "War of the Worlds," they are extraterrestrial intelligences.
IS THERE AN ENGLISH VERSION OF IT?
Rainer: Yes, the translation has even been revised by us because every little detail in the text matters. There shouldn't be any misunderstandings.
WHY IS IT SET IN AMERICA, AND HOW DID YOU CHOOSE LIECHTENSTEIN?
Sabina: It had to be one of the two superpowers to make the magnitude of the threat clear
Rainer: It could have been Russia, but we simply know more about the Americans. I also consulted an American, for example, about the news blackout; the president can only impose that in the event of war, when martial law applies.
AT SOME POINT, A CERTAIN DAVID COMES UP ON THE RADIO AND SAYS, "YEAH, I GUESS I'M JUST A LUCKY POPSTAR." IS THAT SAYING (AND DAVID) YOUR IMAGINATION?
Rainer: It could have been Russia, but we simply know more about the Americans. I also consulted an American, for example, about the news blackout; the president can only impose that in the event of war, when martial law applies.
AT SOME POINT, A CERTAIN DAVID COMES UP ON THE RADIO AND SAYS, "YEAH, I GUESS I'M JUST A LUCKY POPSTAR." IS THAT SAYING (AND DAVID) YOUR IMAGINATION?
Rainer: David exists, the saying could be his, with the big mouth he has; he's just a real gigolo, er, entertainer.
THILO'S GUEST APPEARANCE WAS PRETTY SHORT, DO YOU THINK YOU'LL HAVE MORE LUCK WITH THE NEW ONE?
Uli: Yes (Come on, Uli, don't give such long answers!! W.).
From the interview in F.E.T.U. #4, I gather that Andy has the skill to play solos?!?
THILO'S GUEST APPEARANCE WAS PRETTY SHORT, DO YOU THINK YOU'LL HAVE MORE LUCK WITH THE NEW ONE?
Uli: Yes (Come on, Uli, don't give such long answers!! W.).
From the interview in F.E.T.U. #4, I gather that Andy has the skill to play solos?!?
IS THAT TRUE, AND IF SO, WHY IS HE PLAYING SOLOS ON THE NEW LP?
Andy: Yes, that's true, I find the rhythm parts more interesting. On TNMOL, I play solos to make the solo parts more varied.
THE LINE-UP SAYS THAT TOM PLAYS "BASS AND FUNK BASS." DOES THE "FUNK BASS" REFER TO HIS PLAYING TECHNIQUE OR TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE BAB (BUNDLESS, ETC.)?
Tom: Refers to playing. (Hey, Uli, take a leaf out of Tom's book—he managed four words, after all!)
DO YOU ACTUALLY PLAY WITH YOUR FINGERS OR WITH A PICK?
Tom: Both. Playing with a pick when funking is lame
Bands like Mekong Delta or Sodom (it's a strange combination, I admit) also have babsoli in their songs—will there be anything like that with HM?
Tom: We'll have to wait and see. It depends on the songs.
The back cover lists, among other things, the names of several companies. Are there advertising contracts there, and if so, did these companies contact you or the label, or was it the other way around?
Sabina: What? Are there companies on there? (Well, in my opinion, yes!)
When I flip through older issues of MH, it sometimes seems to me as if they tried to kill off some bands like Kreator or Carnivore back then, while other bands were hailed as great, but ultimately failed. What do you think of that?
Uli: No matter how much a band is pushed, if they're good they'll go far, if they're rubbish they'll sink.
Rainer: Rubbish is heavier than water.
Do you think some reviews of Queen of Siam were perhaps a little too negative?
Uli, Rainer, Tom: No, absolutely not!!!
Sabina, Andy: Yes, yes!
I heard you had trouble with AARG REC—is that true?
Sabina: You can't really call it trouble. The contract had expired, and we were simply looking for a new label.
What do you actually think of AARG REC's practices, for example, that you were advertised as a black metal band?
Uli: Well, it was certainly a mistake to call the "Queen" black metal. We were never a black metal band!
You've probably often been asked whether it's a disadvantage to be a singer in the metal scene. Conversely, is it perhaps an advantage?
Sabina: You've tricked me! I'm not a woman at all. My name is Bernd Martin Buhl
And I used to be a carpenter. One day I planed my finger and screamed terribly. My boyfriend at the time, Andy, came over and said I couldn't play guitar anymore. Yeah, that's how it happened!? (Hahahahaha-W.)
/ Werner Linke
I heard you had trouble with AARG REC—is that true?
Sabina: You can't really call it trouble. The contract had expired, and we were simply looking for a new label.
What do you actually think of AARG REC's practices, for example, that you were advertised as a black metal band?
Uli: Well, it was certainly a mistake to call the "Queen" black metal. We were never a black metal band!
You've probably often been asked whether it's a disadvantage to be a singer in the metal scene. Conversely, is it perhaps an advantage?
Sabina: You've tricked me! I'm not a woman at all. My name is Bernd Martin Buhl
And I used to be a carpenter. One day I planed my finger and screamed terribly. My boyfriend at the time, Andy, came over and said I couldn't play guitar anymore. Yeah, that's how it happened!? (Hahahahaha-W.)
/ Werner Linke