Hello Edguy and Tobias Sammet!
CrankItUp is really looking forward to the show at Tyrol this Sunday the 25th of September and to get the chance to talk to you On Camera but let’s give the fans a preview!
-The new album is named ”Age of the Joker”. Where did the title come from, and what does it mean to you?
We started this band almost 20 years ago, when we were 14 years old. Now we can look back on more than 500 shows in more than 40 countries on four continents, we have toured with the Scorpions and Aerosmith, we have played stadiums as special guest of Iron Maiden. Our career has given us so much more than we could have asked for, we had a good year, and another good year and then another good year, and we are tempted to say this is OUR golden age. ”Age Of The Joker” is because Edguy has always been the court jester amongst all Heavy Metal bands, we were allowed to say things a bit tongue in cheek and get away with everything, other bands would have got their heads chopped off, so ”Age Of The Joker” perfectly suits us. It sound tongue in cheek, megalomaniac and like Epic Metal. It is a perfect title for an Edguy album.
-Even though the name is “Age of the Joker” it feels like Edguy’s darkest album do date. How come?
I don’t really think it is a dark album, for me our previous album ”Tinnitus Sanctus” was a dark album, I think this new one is very colourful. It’s got mystic elements in songs such as ”Behind The Gates To Midnight World” or ”Faces In The Darkness”, it’s got very down-to-earth songs such as ”Fire On The Downline” or ”Nobody’s Hero”, but it’s also got very uplifting easy-going songs such as ”The Arcane Guild” or ”Robin Hood”. I think this is a very diverse album, but as opposed to our last really over-diverse album ”Rocket Ride”, this one has a real good flow. It sounds like one band showing all its trademarks, because we didn’t think too hard, we just did what we feel needs to be done, without having to remind ourselves of what we should sound like. We knew it instinctively, and that’s why I think this album is so creative.
-How is it possible for childhood friends to play with each other after 19 years without killing each other?
Well, how is it possible to be married for 30 years without killing each other? I guess there are people who could tell their experience and explain. I guess the keyword is respect, and you have to be able to set your ego aside at times, and the other four have learned to be able to exactly do that when I enter the room, haha! Seriously, of course you have discussions sometimes, and of course you wanna beat somebody up at times, but that’s a normal thing being in a relationship like ours for so long. You just have to accept that and I guess enjoying our common dream outweighs temporary anger because of a guitar riff being kicked out or the smell of the bass players socks…
-If you had to live without either music or humour, which one would you live without?
It’s one of those hypothetical ”A or B” questions, I’ve never been in the situation where a fairy asked me if I wanted to keep my hearing or my eyes… And if that would happen, I’d fucking beat her up so she asks someone else. To answer your question: It’s not a matter of what I’d prefer, it’s just a matter what would kill me faster… No music = no humor AND No humor = no music: No Tobi!!!
-If you weren’t musicians, what would you have done with your lives?”
Dirk would be an ecconomist, Jens would be a gardener, Felix would be a translator, I’d be a historican and Eggi would be a bass player.
Thank you so much! We will see you on Sunday!
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JimmyJRimsby
