In a recent interview with Dutch webzine Lords Of Metal, former HELLOWEEN frontman Michael Kiske was put on the spot, asking to clarify why he claims not be interested in metal yet continues to contribute to metal productions. The following is a brief excerpt:
Lords Of Metal: Is your departure away from metal a sign of you coming of age?
Kiske: "It's rather a case of opening your eyes. Metal in general is filled with a lot of negativity that I feel is destructive for the listener as well as the artist. A lot of people in the metal scene cultivate antisocial behaviour and act as if a lack of decency towards other people is a virtue. Being heartless seems to be a strength. It is just so inhumane, so crude. I am a positive person who tries to treat people with respect. This decency does not mix with the attitude of a lot of people in the scene. In the recent years we have seen an uprise of black metal, a scene which holds a lot of people who are truly sick in the head. Some of those Satanist musicians are just plain idiots who have a complete lack of a human soul which is sickening. This the metal scene is very naïve, even after twenty years."
Lorsd Of Metal: Now you are generalising. EDGUY and AINA weren't what you described.
Kiske: "Particularly Edguy does not fit in my life. It is true those guys are not evil, but they are naïve, making the same mistakes Helloween did at the time. The reason why I recorded a recent song for their last cd is because I liked the lyrics, in which Toby attacks certain journalists who always pigeonhole artists, which is a theme I can relate to. But to be totally honest I did not even like the beginning of the song, not the end. It was the QUEEN-ish part that attracted my attention. Aina is a completely different story, though. It is a fairytale put on music. It has nothing to do with metal, except that it is made by people who are part of the metal scene. But I understand that this can be confusing to some."
Lords Of Metal: Why do you keep on participating on rock and metal projects, then, if you know that it confuses your audience?
Kiske: "First of all I know that it is confusing, even to me. I am a complex person that is not easy to understand. But I realise that I need to take a step back. Now that I have done the Edguy-song, I will never do metal again."
Lords Of Metal: You told me the exact same thing three years ago in an interview. Yet you still did Edguy and TRIBUZY.
Kiske: "I did? Ehr... Perhaps I did. Any musician who searches for his truth will always find twists and turns on his path. I guess this current feeling is not the last time I will journey away from metal only to come back. I mean, when I do something it will always have the tag 'metal' attached to it, simply because I am still tied to that audience. Being an artist is to me about moving forward and backward between feelings and ideas in an attempt to find yourself in your art. It is not easy to find out where you are as an artist, and sometimes you just do something and see how it turns out in six months time. Of course I am not blind for the past, I just do not want to do anything to violent or brutal."
At least he is doing some things!!!!
Lords Of Metal: Is your departure away from metal a sign of you coming of age?
Kiske: "It's rather a case of opening your eyes. Metal in general is filled with a lot of negativity that I feel is destructive for the listener as well as the artist. A lot of people in the metal scene cultivate antisocial behaviour and act as if a lack of decency towards other people is a virtue. Being heartless seems to be a strength. It is just so inhumane, so crude. I am a positive person who tries to treat people with respect. This decency does not mix with the attitude of a lot of people in the scene. In the recent years we have seen an uprise of black metal, a scene which holds a lot of people who are truly sick in the head. Some of those Satanist musicians are just plain idiots who have a complete lack of a human soul which is sickening. This the metal scene is very naïve, even after twenty years."
Lorsd Of Metal: Now you are generalising. EDGUY and AINA weren't what you described.
Kiske: "Particularly Edguy does not fit in my life. It is true those guys are not evil, but they are naïve, making the same mistakes Helloween did at the time. The reason why I recorded a recent song for their last cd is because I liked the lyrics, in which Toby attacks certain journalists who always pigeonhole artists, which is a theme I can relate to. But to be totally honest I did not even like the beginning of the song, not the end. It was the QUEEN-ish part that attracted my attention. Aina is a completely different story, though. It is a fairytale put on music. It has nothing to do with metal, except that it is made by people who are part of the metal scene. But I understand that this can be confusing to some."
Lords Of Metal: Why do you keep on participating on rock and metal projects, then, if you know that it confuses your audience?
Kiske: "First of all I know that it is confusing, even to me. I am a complex person that is not easy to understand. But I realise that I need to take a step back. Now that I have done the Edguy-song, I will never do metal again."
Lords Of Metal: You told me the exact same thing three years ago in an interview. Yet you still did Edguy and TRIBUZY.
Kiske: "I did? Ehr... Perhaps I did. Any musician who searches for his truth will always find twists and turns on his path. I guess this current feeling is not the last time I will journey away from metal only to come back. I mean, when I do something it will always have the tag 'metal' attached to it, simply because I am still tied to that audience. Being an artist is to me about moving forward and backward between feelings and ideas in an attempt to find yourself in your art. It is not easy to find out where you are as an artist, and sometimes you just do something and see how it turns out in six months time. Of course I am not blind for the past, I just do not want to do anything to violent or brutal."
At least he is doing some things!!!!
