Mob Rules are getting ready to attack!
The energy that the melodic metal act from the North of Germany are currently radiating is almost like a physical presence, what with a ne recor company, new management, their advance single "Lord Of Madness" out since the end of July, plus their third recording "Hollowed Be Thy Name", including a number of surprises, in the pipeline. With their debut album Savage Land (1999), and even more so with its successor Temple of two suns (2000), the band surrounding Klaus Dirks caused more than a mere murmur among the press: Mob Rules' second offering was voted album of the month by various European rock publications, making the '10 x Dynamite' category in RockHard magazine and no. 4 in the Metal Heart editors' charts. Hollowed Be Thy Name reinforces this positive impression without copying its predecessor.
"it was our aim to come up with an album that combines all the typical trademarks of our sound, but it's certainly no repeat of our previous release," Dirks point out. "that's why I wouldn't want to compare the quality of our second album with the current CD. Both are strong recordings. Hollowed Be Thy Name was recorded at the Soundgarten Studios in Oldenburg (drums, bass and guitars) and the Gate Studios in Wolfsburg (vocals, keyboards) and mixed by Markus Teske (Vanden Plas, amomg others) at the Bazement near Frankfurt.
Comparisons with Stratovarious, Virgin Steele, Helloween or Queensryche, which the press frequently quoted in the past, may also apply to Hollowed Be Thy Name. However, in the toughness department Mob Rules seem to gravitate more than ever towards the style of American elite metal act Savatage. "We're still very melodic, but some arrangements show us from a rawer, more edgy side." Dirks is referring to tracks like the title songm which also happens to be the album's opener, the two faster numbers 'Speed Of Life' and 'Ghost Town', or the anthemic '(In The Land Of) Wind And Rain'- already considered one of the band's classic with its driving rythms and epic chorus.
There's a special story behind 'How The Gypsy Was Born', a re-arranged cover of that Frumpy classic from the early Seventies. "The track tells the story of Creation from gypsy's point of view and fits perfectly into our concept," Dirks explains. "We really wanted somebody with a rougher vocal quality than mine for the characteristic vocal line in the final part." The first choice in their search for a suitable vocalist was Peavy Wagner (Rage), who was visibly impressed by Mob Rules' version and immediately agreed to help out.
The same applies to the band's friend Roland Grapow (ex-Helloween, Masterplan). Grapow plays a fantastic intro on Àll Above The Atmosphere' and contributed a virtuoso solo on the final 'Way Of The World'. "The Track originally went under the working title 'Helloween Song', so we said to ourselves: if it has that Helloween quality, why not get somebody who has the right sound? What could have been more obvious than asking Roland. His two parts on the record are amazing!"
The concept album, which takes up where the first two releases left off and explores the subject of power in different contexts ("It's about political and religious authority, about the power of love and death, but also about powerlessness and the abuse of power"), is rounded off perfectly by the surrealistic sleeve art courtesy of the Belgian, Eric Philippe, who translated the album title, which may initially appear slightly blasphemous, faithfully according to the band's precise instructions. Dirks: "A real eye-catcher!"
So what happens next? After a successful tour with Savatage in July and an appearance at the Wacken Open Air, Mob Rules are currently preparing for their autmns tour. In between, they're scheduled to play a number of individual shows (with Freedom Call, among other), and then there's the release party at the Pumpwerk in Wilhelmshaven on Ocotber 4, where Mob Rules' fans will get a chance to experience the band's energy visually once again.
A Brief Band History
Founded in 1994 by Klaus Dirks, Matthias Mineur, Thorsten Plorin and Arved Manott, Mob Rules produced their first demo in 1996 with new addition Oliver Fuhlhage after a series os successful gigs, securing themselves a recording contract immediately. March 1999 saw the arrival of their debut album Savage Land, followed by Mob Rules' tour with labes mates Ivory Tower, featuring keyboarder Sascha Onnen for the first time. In summer 2000 at the Wacken Open Air, the band introduced two tracks from their second album Temple Of Two Suns, which was released in autumn of that year.
After a number of individual gigs (with Symphony X, Doro, among others) the band toured with Company of Snakes all over Europe in spring 2001 and were invited to Paris as headliners of the NTS festival (featuring Rhapsody, Shaman, Silent Force, among others). As of August, Mob Rules commenced to work on tracks of their current album Hollowed Be Thy Name, which was preceded by the advance single 'Lord Of Madness' to mark the tour with Savatage. The Wacken Open Air 2002 will be the baptism of fire for the new material: at least two brand-new, unreleased numbers of Hollowed Be Thy Name are more than likely to whet the appetite for upcoming challenges.
Source: http://www.mobrules.de/
