Rob Rock interview

(Originally from 6/30/05)

Rob Rock has one of the finest voices in power metal these days, drawing obvious influences from Ronnie James Dio, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden. Though his solo career began only a few years ago, he is no stranger to metal, with a history in bands such as Impellitteri, M.A.R.S., Axel Rudi Pell, and many more.

Some people have wondered about the title of the new album, Holy Hell. What made you decide to go with this title, and what is the message you try to get across in the title track? 

Rob Rock: HOLY HELL -The title is meant to be strong and draw attention - The song is about the struggle between the Holy Spirit and the carnal Flesh. The album deals with the age old struggles of good and evil, heaven and hell, holy and unholy, end times and life struggles.

The new album also has some of the heaviest material you've ever done. Did anything inspire this change, such as the addition of ex-Iced Earth drummer Bobby Jarzombek? 

Well. Bobby certainly was a positive addition to the heaviness of the album but the songs were written first by Roy Z and myself as we usually do, and we were going for a more aggressive album this time from the very start.

How do you usually go through the process of writing and recording a new album or new songs? 

Each album kind of takes on a life of it's own once we get rolling in the direction we want it to go. Certain songs, riffs and ideas fall to the wayside if they don't fit the vision, and other songs flourish as we get excited when the magic starts happening. We usually start with a large group of guitar riffs and vocal ideas, then mold them or drop them to fit our general conception of the vision for the album.

Are there any favorite songs you have recorded? 

Well, usually each song gets treated as my favorite when I'm recording it. That keeps the album strong with good songs and production. It's always important to write the best songs you can and some songs eventually stand out as special and I have lots of them over the years. Some of my favorites include "Forever", "Streets of Madness", "The Hour of Dawn", "Eagle", "Holy Hell", "Father Forgive Them", "When A Blind Man Cries", "I'm A Warrior", "Sun Will Rise Again", "The Future Is Black", "I'll Be Waiting For You", "Writings On The Wall", "Crying Out For Love", and "Fields of Fire".

Your solo project has featured quite a few guest star musicians; what typically leads them to collaborate with you on an album? Are you friends with many of them, do you get many volunteers, or do you just ask the musicians? 

I know all of the guys on my records, they are my music friends and I feel comfortable enough to ask them to play and I think it's great to help each other out and support each other whenever we can.

The Rob Rock website still says the American release date of Holy Hell is to be announced. Do you have any update on that for us? Is it difficult getting label distribution in the US when your largest market is Europe? 

The album comes out on September 6th on Candlelight/Caroline Records. Candlelight has joined with AFM Records to release Holy Hell here in the States. I find the hardest thing to get here is touring and promotion commitments but hopefully Candlelight will come through with that for my new record.

In your lyrics, you definitely do not shy away from your Christian beliefs. What is your opinion of the separation that still seems to exist between secular metal and Christian metal? 

Honestly, I am not that familiar with the Christian Metal scene. I've always been signed to secular labels and I think the difference is that Christian metal is marketed to a Christian audience. My beliefs come through my songs because I write from my heart but I don't limit myself to any certain audience.

Who are some of the bands/musicians that you grew up with or currently listen to that have inspired your music? 

Dio, Ozzy, Judas Priest, Styx, Boston, Black Sabbath, Foreigner, Deep Purple and Rainbow, I love the early metal, not much currently has been very inspiring to me.

Since you are a fan of guest star line-ups, I'll ask this question: if you could recruit any musicians, living or dead, into the band with you - who would be in it and why? 

I would recruit these guys in their prime because they were all so influential in metal: John Bonham on drums, Eddy Van Halen on guitar, Yngwie Malmsteen on guitar, Jon Lord on keyboards, and Geezer Butler on bass...now...let's jam and write some songs!

There are several vocal tips you've posted on your website, but what do you think is the one key tip that every singer should know? 

Your voice is your instrument, a gift from God, you must remember that you can't send the road crew down to the local music store and replace it or fix it or buy a new string when you need it, so don't take your voice for granted and remember that it's a 24 hour a day maintenance program - and a good sleep is always the best remedy.

Finally, do you have any last words of advice for aspiring musicians or rock/metal bands? 

Songs Songs Songs - after you learn to play, learn to write good songs because songs are character of the band and the longevity of the album. Good songs will last forever.

A big thanks to Rob Rock for taking out time for this interview. His new album, Holy Hell, was released in Europe on April 4th, 2005 and is scheduled for a September 6th release in the USA. Visit the official website at www.robrock.com.