Voodoo Circle
The Whole World Is A Strange Place

08.11.2024

The life of a musician is a winding road - you never know what’s there for you after the next turn. For Alex Beyrodt, a regular subject of our interview section, the latest turn was pretty abrupt, with him quitting Primal Fear after more than 10 years of service and starting a new adventure with three more ex-members. Alongside with that, he’s releasing a new album with his own band Voodoo Circle, luckily with no singer change this time, and even going on tour with it for the first time in nearly a decade. Naturally we were happy to catch up with Alex and find out first-hand about the most important things that had happened in his life since our previous interview.

Last time we talked, it was in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, almost four years later, how do you think the pandemic changed the world and the music business?

Oh, it changed a lot. First of all, so many musicians lost a lot of money. I am talking about myself - just to keep my living standards, I had to spend so much money, it’s unbelievable. All my savings are gone. And after COVID every band is on tour - touring-touring-touring to make money. It’s a big nightmare. And I think a lot of politicians didn’t do a good job, but on the other side, they didn’t have the experience. Who would have known what to do, what is right and what is wrong? The whole world is a strange place at the moment everywhere, in all means. COVID definitely didn’t help.

When did you write the material for the new Voodoo Circle album, “Hail To The King”? In our previous interview you said you already had five songs for the next album – did they actually make it to “Hail To The King”?

Probably yes. (laughs) Actually the album was already recorded one year ago, it was already finished and ready for release. But we wanted to go on a nice tour, we were looking for a tour, but couldn’t find one, so we decided to do a couple of one-off shows, like headliner shows. Then it became clear that I was going to become a father again, and the tour was planned right in the middle of my wife’s pregnancy, so we had to postpone a tour for one year, and also the release of the album. Those five songs, I’m pretty much sure, are on the album.

How do you usually come up with material? Do you put yourself in the writing mode and write an entire record, or do you write individual songs and then pick up the ones suitable for an album from the material you have collected over some period of time?

I write individual songs, whatever comes to my mind. You know, I’m like a chameleon - if you want me to write a Voodoo Circle song, or a classic rock song, I can do that, but if you want me to write a power metal song, I can do that as well. I’m able to switch between styles. Sometimes I just sit down and let the fingers go to see what happens. Right now I’m actually writing new songs for our new project with the ex-Primal Fear musicians, and this is gonna be a really heavy album. This is something I’m looking forward to.

How did bass player Alex Jansen come into picture? We know that he played live with Primal Fear for two years, but how did he become the person to substitute Mat Sinner on tour?

Well, Mat wasn’t fit for the job, so Primal Fear needed a different bass player. Alex Jansen is an old friend of ours, and it was just clear that he was the man, the one for the job. He helped Primal Fear for two years, and he did an amazing job, I think he put the band on a different level. When it was clear that I would need a new bass player in Voodoo Circle, I had to look no further. To me it was clear that Alex Jansen was the guy to ask. I’m so happy he’s in the band right now.

Who is the king that you refer to in the title track of the new album?

(laughs) Actually there is a story about it. “Hail To The King” had a different title when I wrote it. The working title was “The Man In Black”, and it was about Ritchie Blackmore. When David was here in my studio, and we were working on the vocals and on the melodies, I told him, “Hey David, for this song, ‘The Man In Black’, please write some lyrics about Ritchie Blackmore and Deep Purple and Rainbow and a guitar player, something like that”. “Yeah, yeah, sure”. Two weeks later he sent me his vocals, and I was listening to it, and I was like, “Oh, great vocals, a great verse, great bridge..” And then comes the chorus, and I’m like, “What is he singing? ‘Hail to the king’? Didn’t we agree that it was gonna be ‘The Man in Black’?” (laughs) “Hail To The King” was meant to be about Ritchie Blackmore, and the king to me is Ritchie Blackmore.

How did you come up with “Black Country”? It stands out quite a lot from the rest of the album… Does it also have a story behind it?

Actually it does! The area where I grew up is basically coal mines and steel factories. When I was a kid, I learned at school everything about coal mining, and all my friends went to coal mines after they had finished school. David is from Burnley, England, and David’s father used to work in coal mines. Somehow we have the same background in our families. The Black Country is well known for coal mines and everything, and Burnley is not far from the Black Country. I think it’s great to have a song where you can pay tribute to your roots. David has the same roots that I do, and this is a case of pieces falling together.

Now let’s discuss the two tracks written by Tony Carey (ex-Rainbow) - “Billy’s Song” and “All For One”. First of all, why were they originally just Japanese bonus tracks on Sinner’s “Respect” album back in 1993? In our opinion, they are among the best songs on that record…

I don’t know but I have the same feeling like you. I thought those two songs were so strong and so special that they should have been released everywhere. But on the other hand, they weren’t really Sinner songs style-wise, they were screaming Rainbow all over the place. I remember very clearly when I was in the studio with Tony Carey recording those songs back in the 90s, because it was a highlight in my early days, I think I was like 24 or 26 at that time. My most favorite album in the world is Rainbow’s “Live On Stage”, this is my go-to-an-island album, and Tony Carey is playing keyboards on that album. When I found myself in his home and in his studio working with him, it was a dream come true that I had never dreamed about. I always had those songs in mind, and 30 years later I am at an airport in Berlin, boarding a flight, and there is Tony Carey standing right in front of me in the same line waiting to board. I just pick his trolleys, and he turns around and looks at me and says, “Oh Alex, is that you?” I said, “Yeah, it’s me, nice to meet you again after such a long time”. That coincidence gave me the feeling that the universe was about to tell me something. I remembered those two songs and decided on the flight back home from Berlin that I was gonna re-record those two songs.

Let’s take a step back and discuss your instrumental album, “Weekend Warrior”. It’s your first ever solo album and your first instrumental album – are you satisfied with the way it turned out?

I’m very satisfied with the way it turned out musically, but of course I’m not satisfied with how it turned out success-wise. (laughs) But I knew that before, instrumental albums are not very popular, you cannot expect to make a lot of money with them. But I didn’t make it for the money, I made it because I had to. It was something that had been on my mind for many-many years, and then we had COVID, so maybe that was a good thing about COVID - suddenly I had a lot of time, and I remember how my wife told me, “Alex, if you don’t record your instrumental album now, you will never do it, because now is the time”. And so I did. How do you like it?

We haven’t heard it, because we haven’t been able to get it anywhere.

Yeah, it’s not on Spotify, and I didn’t want it to be on Spotify. I told the label, “I don’t want it”, so that’s me to blame.
 
You also have an acoustic album called “The Way Of St. James”. Could you say a few words about it?

Wow, you guys have made your homework! That’s impressive! I live in France, and when I look out of my window, I can see the Way of St. James (a way of pilgrimage leading to the shrine of the apostle James - ed.), it’s right in front of my house. The Way of St. James is not only in Spain, it actually starts in the north of Germany and goes through Germany to France and Spain down to… what’s the name of that famous city? I can’t remember. Every time I walk with my dogs or by myself on this way in the forest, I feel very calm, my mind is clear, I get great ideas, and I feel relaxed. Actually I didn’t know this was the Way of St. James, a neighbor told me years after I moved here to France. He told me, “Do you know this is the Way of St. James?” I was like, “No. Now I know why I always feel so great when I walk there”. To me it was a way to pay my tribute to those circumstances and to give something back to the universe.

Do you have any more instrumental music in your future plans or maybe already recorded?

Actually it was so much fun to do it. And from an artist’s standpoint, I learned a lot, and I could experience and experiment in different styles, it was great. I grew a lot while recording the instrumental album, and I would love to do another one, it’s just time is the problem. My biggest problem is time.  

It’s been more than 10 years since we last heard of your other band Silent Force. Is there a chance that you will bring it back one day?

Well, this is interesting! In every interview I’m doing, everyone is asking about Silent Force. But I don’t think so. I don’t have any interest in restarting Silent Force. I’m focused on Voodoo Circle, I’m focused on the new band with ex-Primal Fear members, and that’s it.

Speaking about this new band with ex-Primal Fear members, everybody knows that you are currently looking for a singer, but do you already have a band name? What is the musical direction that you would like to pursue with it?

The whole thing is still very fresh, the whole scandal just happened a couple of weeks ago. What’s great is that one week after it all happened, we already wrote three songs. There is so much dynamic and power, it’s unbelievable, it’s like something has been set free. We already have a band name, yes, that was actually the hardest part! (laughs) That was a motherfucker to do! I’m not gonna tell you right now what it is, because we wanna make an official announcement. We received almost 100 applications for the job from all over the world, but we are already down to four, which we really like, and we will have them sing on those three songs and see how it will turn out. But I already can tell you it’s gonna be so amazing! I’m really curious about what’s going to happen. I mean, it’s crazy to start a new band these days, it’s not easy, but on the other hand, we are all well-known musicians, and I think the media and the fans are gonna watch out for it and they’re gonna appreciate it, so it’s gonna be great!

As far as we understand, you would not be happy to answer questions about Primal Fear. But there’s one question we have to ask: in the latest statement from Primal Fear, you are called their “former live and touring guitarist”, but at the same time, you are credited as a performer on many of the band’s studio albums. Could you maybe clear up this confusion a bit?

That got me confused as well, because I am the member who played in Primal Fear for the longest time after the bass player and after Ralf (Scheepers, vocalist). I was a member of the band, not a hired gun. That was written just out of rage, just to pick on me. The whole story is so bad, I don’t wanna talk about it because I would completely destroy someone’s reputation, the little of it that is still there. Let me put it that way: if four guys are not in a band anymore overnight, there must be a major reason, because a band like Primal Fear, which is successful worldwide, is not a band that you leave easily. There must be something serious. I wanna add that Ralf tried until the last second to hold everything together and to solve the problem, but he couldn’t do it. That’s my statement.

Let’s come back to Voodoo Circle to finish this interview. In November you are finally going on tour for the first time since 2017. How did you manage to arrange it, given the busy schedule of everyone involved?

That’s always difficult to do, to find the right timing so that everyone is available. Especially Markus (Kullmann), our drummer, is so busy with so many projects and bands, and it’s always like, “Hopefully he can do it, hopefully he can do it”. But we found the timing that works, and I’m totally looking forward to be back on stage, even if it’s just small clubs. I think Voodoo Circle is really good in small clubs, and it’s gonna be a lot of fun, I already can tell. (laughs) I can’t wait to hit the road with my friends.

With seven albums in the catalogue, and so many songs that you never played live, how did you put the setlist together? And how long are you actually going to play?

It’s gonna be a 90-minute set. There will be a Hammond solo, there will be a drum solo, there will be a guitar solo. (laughs) That’s the great part of Voodoo Circle - we have the freedom to jam, if we want to, and we never know what’s going to happen. As to the setlist, it’s very difficult. We have a couple of songs that are, I think, some kind of classics, and, of course, they have to be played. That makes it easy. But to pick new songs to add to the set is always difficult. But I think we have a nice set together, and I can’t wait to hit the road.

Who do you have on the Hammond, by the way?

Alessandro del Vecchio.

Oh, he’s back, isn’t he?

Yeah, and we’re so happy about it!

Before you go out with Voodoo Circle, you have a show in Kerlingen, Germany, billed as “Alex Beyrodt & Friends”. Could you tell us a bit about that project?

That project is a pure fun project. It has no constant band members, I just invite musicians I know. They are very famous German musicians, for example, the keyboard player sold like 15 million albums, he’s from a very very famous German band. We don’t rehearse, we just go on stage and play cover songs like Deep Purple, Rainbow, Jimi Hendrix, Lenny Kravitz, all kinds of cover songs, and the audience just love it, because the quality of these players is so high. This is something I do for fun, I started it a couple of years ago, and I’m gonna repeat it in January. There’s gonna be “Alex Beyrodt & Friends feat. Doogie White”, and we’re gonna play a pure Rainbow/Deep Purple set. This is also something I’m really looking forward to, because it is so much fun, and people love it. If you wanna have the exact sound of Rainbow in Russia, just give me a call.

You’ve been playing music for several decades. What keeps you going after all these years? Do you ever feel like you want to give up, and if yes, what do you do about it?

Well, when I was a young boy, my dream was to play guitar and to be on stage. This was the dream of my life, I always wanted to become a rock star, to travel the world playing in a famous band that is making records and making tours. That feeling is still there, and that’s something I’m really happy about. I still have this candle burning inside after all these years and all the experience I’ve had - all the bad days, but also many good days. The fire still burns!

Voodoo Circle on the Internet: https://www.voodoocircle.de/

Special thanks to Irina Ivanova (AFM Records) for arranging this interview

Interview by Roman Patrashov, Natalie “Snakeheart” Patrashova
Live photos by Margarita Stefankova
October 24, 2024
© HeadBanger.ru