Roger is always working on new projects and he too the time to talk about his new AOE project End Of Never …
Roger thanks for taking the time to do this interview! I know you are very busy!
NB: Before the age of 14 had you ever thought of picking up a musical instrument?
Well, I was playing trumpet until I was 13 and I actually picked up the guitar when I was 14 Years old; having played an instrument from a young age, although other then the guitar helped me tremendously regarding the understanding of music. It’s highly recommended, it makes everything so much easier.
NB: I know that Yngwie is a big influence and is the reason you picked up a guitar at 14 years old. Have you ever met him or seen one of his shows?
I‘ve seen many shows of him, maybe the best one being on the Eclipse Tour. I got to meet him on several occasions already, I even got a private lesson sorts of from the Maestro on the Tour Bus, while he was on tour in Switzerland, must have been around ’96. What a blast!
NB: How did the opportunity come for you to be in Young Guitar and Guitar Magazine in Japan? How old were you?
They obviously like my guitar playing but mainly this is all about how many records you sell and how much advertising your company does etc, the usual business bullshit… If you sell well you’re there, you might be the best musician on this planet and you don’t sell any records, forget about it. That’s the way it is really. I think I was featured 4 times already. I think I got the first feature when I was about 24.
NB: What was the very first show you ever performed in?
I was 16 years old and we had a gig with my first local band and we just enjoyed ourselves, we didn’t care about anything, we had a hell of a time.
NB: How does it compare to when you are on stage now?
It’s great, but of course people have higher expectations in what you do live, something I didn’t think about when I was 16 obviously.
NB: You currently have two projects in the works: Artension and Angel of Eden. Tell us what you have going on with these two groups.
As for Artension, we have not spoken about a new record for a long time, so let’s see what happens, I would love to do another record. Basically Angel of Eden is what I’m focussing on right now and we’re working on possible live shows right now.
NB: “End of Never” has received some very great reviews. How does that make you feel?
It’s always a big reward for your hard and dedicated work to see that the people out there dig what you’re doing. I’m really happy how things have turned out so far.
NB: If you could take us through the process of writing, recording, etc. Is it you that mainly writes the lyrics and music or does everyone get their shot at writing?
As for this record I wrote all the music and the lyrics for two of the songs. I also did all the Arrangements. Carsten wrote the rest of the lyrics. But the next record will see more contributions from the other guys mainly from Mistheria the Keyboard Player, whom I will write the main part of the next record with.
NB: How do you guys in the band feel that this album has been received?
As I said before, we’re all really happy with it, but good reviews alone doesn’t guarantee decent sales figures, that for we are working right now on live shows. I think it’s very important to play live shows in order to sell records, probably the most important part.
NB: It says in your bio that there are several guests musicians on this record. Can you tell us who you’ve worked with on this?
John West is the Vocalist on 1 Track (Battle of 1386) then David Shankle (Ex-Manowar, DSG) is playing a killer guest solo on Return of the Pharaho Pt. 1. Then I have Ferdy Doernberg (Uli Roth, Axel Rudi Pell)on the Keys for 4 Tracks and Steve DiGiorgio (Testament, Sebastian Bach etc. ) took care for the Bass Tracks.
NB: What is up next for Angel of Eden? Do you have any tours planned or new songs in the process?
Well there are some shows planned in April in Italy and we’re working on some more dates as we speak. . I’m working with a Italian Booking and Management Company (www.chiarapellegriniagency.com) , furthermore I started the songwriting for AOE Nr. 2 and the ideas so far sound really great, I’m sure its gonna be a great next record.
NB: If you had the opportunity to tour the States do you think that it would be received well?
I have no idea, as the Americans are more likely to following trends and I know one thing for sure, the AOE Sound is everything but but certainly not trendy, but you know I simply do my thing, I don’t care about that. But I’m sure there is an audience out there who wants to listen to this.
NB: If you haven’t noticed the United States is somewhat more underground when it comes to good solid metal music. How do you feel it differs in say Europe, South America, places like that?
I think the fans in Southern America and in Europe are maybe a bit more loyal, maybe they just stick a bit more to THEIR Sound.
NB: Tell us how long you guys have been together and how did you all meet?
I started to work on all this in 2005 and then was looking for the right musicians. The Result of this is ‘The End of Never’.
NB: Roger thanks again for doing this interview. The floor is yours if you have anything that you would like to add. “End of Never” is an awesome album and I look forward to your next endeavor. Good Luck and Keep Rockin!
Thanks a lot for having me here. Check out the Record and hope to see you all live. Metal On!!
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