Ex-ATOMKRAFT Guitarist Says TONY DOLAN Is Pushing A One-Sided View Of Band's History

Former ATOMKRAFT/current AGANKAST guitarist Rob Matthew has responded to ATOMKRAFT frontman Tony Dolan's (ex-VENOM) recent online posting claiming that Matthew is "disrespecting" all past and present members of ATOMKRAFT by piecing together the band's "unofficial biography" which Dolan insists is "full of errors and contradictions."

The following statement was sent to BLABBERMOUTH.NET by Rob Matthew in response to Dolan's posting:

"Obviously I don't need to comment on the fact that Mr. Tony Dolan is pretending he has a webmaster writing his Blabbermouth articles… We all know it's really him.

"Well, what do I say?! Do I respond and get caught in a middle-aged blokes catfight between two 'nearly rock stars?' Or do I simply ignore him?

"When I first returned to the metal scene over two years ago, I had forgot about people's different personalities, but all came flooding back. I met Eric Cook, ex-manager of VENOM and ATOMKRAFT, and he said that if you ignore Tony Dolan then he gets bored and goes away.

"I have never once set out to attack anyone out of spite or [for] sport. I only wanted to put the record straight, that's all. I only hope in time people will recognise my contribution to ATOMKRAFT.

"All I can is the best way they can do this (if interested) is to listen to the music I have written and co-written in AGANKAST... and compare the two bands in terms of songwriting — that's all.

"Over the past twenty years, I have been involved with and written many different styles of music, many ideas too… some great… and some not so great. Some I will look back on proudly and others I will probably be mortified by... LOL. That's life.

"I have known some great musicians and artists over the years and I have found a great many of them who have given up on the industry early in life. Many of these are sometimes the most talented of people. Last year with AGANKAST, my decision to leave the band was permanent, but I had to return for [an appearance at the] Bloodstock [festival] and this final double album.

"AGANKAST has been a coming of full circle for me on my musical journey, which has taken me from a kid performing in front of thousands to folk clubs to psychadelic weirdness — a bizzare mix, I know, but that's the curse of eccentricity.

"So where now?? When you hit looming middle age... What next?? Do you go around again? AGANKAST, for me, after all, is ATOMKRAFT all over again.

"Well, the answer to the question is no. Age, unfortunately, changes everything. When you're young, you can look cool but getting older for some of us sometimes unfortunatelly just looks uncool.

"I think ATOMKRAFT's Ged Cook [drums] and Ian Davison-Swift [vocals] have played their cards right, from the start keeping silent, and I respect them for that. But for me now to go down the Tony Dolan path of stardom is not something I had ever planned. And this is what I want finally to say to my old 'band buddies'... At 'total metal' we were the best!! At the end of the day, we all had a great time. I have good memories of the past; some dodgy stuff took place but that's life. There is nothing to forgive now… because it was all part of growing up. The Cook brothers were a good laugh at the end of the day. Dolan...in many ways... Dolan and myself were always pretty similar... craving fame… so I understand him. I don't think it's clever that people constantly slag him off; he's just Dolan after all... But he knows that people will reply to him if they feel he's overstepped the mark. I hope he learns to show a little more respect to people in the future. I mean, if you're a big-shot film actor as Dolan now is? Then it's not good PR to be bad-mouthing ex-band mates like myself in webzines articles especially when at the time in (2004) I had no voice to reply. Obviously, I changed all that when I formed AGANKAST. But it's all history now anyway. I said my piece; people can work it out themselves. If Dolan continues over the next 20 years to push a one-sided view of ATOMKRAFT's history, then there's nothing any of us can do about it... that's the bussiness.

"My announcement to leave AGANKAST last year was only delayed because sadly the replacement didn't quite work out. But we are already hunting out a new guitarist for 2007.

"From day one, my time with AGANKAST was only to be a couple of years because coming full circle changes your perspective on what you want out of life. And music itself had already become less important to me. Not just metal or guitar solos or whatever, but music as a whole...

"Music was never just a hobby for me — it was much more than that — and I always put my all into it, but my plans for my future had been laid out long before AGANKAST and that time was in 2007.

"I may re-appear in the future in some Croatian death metal band or VILLAGE PEOPLE tribute… Who knows? Never say never. But whatever happens in the future, I genuinely wish everyone, past and present, good health and a long life... even Dolan…

"Over to you, Ged."