PRIMAL FEAR Bassist Talks Live DVD, Upcoming Album

Roger Scales of TheyWillRockYou.com conducted an interview with bassist Mat Sinner of German power metallers PRIMAL FEAR prior to the band's May 22, 2010 concert in Allston, Massachusetts. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

TheyWillRockYou.com: Let's talk about the new live DVD, "16.6 - All Over The World". Did you feel it was the right time for a new DVD with all of the new band members and subsequent albums since the last DVD, "History of Fear", released back in 2003?

Mat: It was more a product of the fans asking for some newer live material. In fact, even though "History of the Fear" came out in 2003, we never had a live album/CD prior to "Live in the USA". We had a lot of great possibilities on the last tour to record and film with some large festivals and just some crazy crowds. It was also one of the longest tours we have ever done, so the amount of footage we had to pull from was extensive. South America, Japan, the U.S., Europe… the fans were great and the performances match the energy we were feeling from the crowd. Also we knew that in 2010 we would be playing a lot more shows with tours here in the U.S. and another four weeks in Europe, [so] these live releases will help bridge the gap between our next studio album.

TheyWillRockYou.com: How did Pamela Moore's involvement come about on this year's tour and how long as she been associated with PRIMAL FEAR?

Mat: She has been a good friend of the band for years and we have always felt that's it good business for PRIMAL FEAR to help cross-promote other artists whenever possible. We had "Metal" Mike Chlasciak play on the "Black Sun" album back in 2002 after having toured with him when he was a member of HALFORD. Pamela did some shows with us last year and the crowd really responded well to her performances and she enjoys being out with us and we love to have her. She and Ralf [Scheepers, vocals] work extremely well together and they plan on recording more together in the future.

TheyWillRockYou.com: Do you feel you have an advantage producing the band while also being the bass player and songwriter as well?

Mat: It's really a question of whether you can do the job. The guys had heard the work I've done with other artists and really didn't want someone coming in from the outside to help direct the vision that we have as PRIMAL FEAR. They look at it this way: If they are not happy, they don't have to travel far to buy a pair of spikes to kick my ass because I'm right in the back of the bus!

TheyWillRockYou.com: Is there a special significance to the "16.6" title on your last record and will the follow up carry on with this same theme or go in a different direction?

Mat: No, the follow-up is already being planned and will be a very different kind of theme. It will be very provocative, I can promise you that. The concept and the strategy will not disappoint longtime PRIMAL FEAR fans. But before that, at the conclusion of these shows, we are going into pre-production for Ralf's first solo album. He has written songs over the years that are very personal and little different than PRIMAL FEAR, so that will be a great challenge we are looking forward to. He wants to make sure not to completely alienate his hardcore fans, so we will mix in some real metal tunes as well.

Read the entire interview from TheyWillRockYou.com.