Why are there so few reviews of Dark Quarterer? They're practically as awesome as Manilla Road to me, at least they were at first. Obviously volume of great material doesn't match MR, but as far as important and AWESOME epic/prog trad metal goes...

That album contains my favourite solos of all time and some of the catchiest music ever written. Better late than never!

I only have Dark Quarterer's debut album but it's a damn good record. Unfortunately, the sound production suffers from time to time. Hopefully what they're doing with it is simply cleaning it up a bit.

Bart Gabriel just posted this band on Facebook, Altered State. Shares some Deadly Blessing members, the singer for sure. I really fucking like this. Superior vocals, awesome riffs with some nice little hooks thrown in, awesome pace.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6znaH337 ... e=youtu.be

This band has ridiculous vocals: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeFRsFYp ... re=related

The Solar Eagle singer is crazy weird and awesome. Azrael seems pretty sweet.

The Unisonic album is on Youtube, and it's pretty awesome. I was never the biggest Kiske nut, but this is really good, solid, hooky melodic rock/metal. Love "Star Rider": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g1L7zglEwc

My basic idea of music is to create your own art, not to do what people expect of you. I am open to projects, because it is difficult to do your own art without pleasing a certain audience. But to me music is about expressing yourself through your art, which is something you simply cannot do in metal. If someone like me chooses do be a free musician and creates his own thing, he is instantly looked upon by the metal community as someone who betrayed metal. And therein lies the irony of the situation: I rely on the rock-scene because it is what I grew up with and what people expect of mei. But I cannot fake creativity and cannot make an album simply to please the peers of the scene. Which immediatly excludes recording another album with overloaded guitars.

Why are you so reluctant to use heavy guitars?
"Because it detracts from the art. It is just like the choice to talk to someone, or to shout. Both ways of communicating get the message across, but talking is so much more dignifying than shouting. Nowadays I am less impressed by most artist in metal. I don't care if someone can play faster than Malmsteen or sing higher than Rob Halford.

BTW, re: Marcus Grosskopf of Helloween, "Grosskopf" in German means "big head".

I won't speak for him as a person, but Kiske has a great voice for me. I notice that the classic Keeper era of Helloween doesn't seem to get much appreciation here but for me it's still top notch stuff. Even though I do find myself preferring albums like "The Dark Ride" in all honesty, but I prefer Kiske singing wise.