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Hanover-based band Cannon is back in Metal Style and will go full force. Time to talk with singer Mat about their past, present and future..
Was it destiny that Cannon got revived? As far as I know you met at a concert, right?
Yes, Cannon split up 1996 and we didn't keep in touch. When Whitesnake played Hanover in 2003 our bassist Steve Carrington had a seat 3 rows behind me. During the break he tipped me on the shoulder and that's how Cannon Mark II started.
Was the old magic there from the beginning? Or did it take time to grow together again?
Magic? That would be exaggerated, but we know right from the start, that we wanted to make music together again. That we did record again and release CDs just happened, wasn't planned.
Have you been surprised about the reactions you got for Back In Business? And how came that your debut got re-released? I guess not just your long-time fans commented on this...
First there was the release of the double CD The History. The reactions were raving! To be honest we didn't expect that so many people will remember Cannon after all those years. But then all of the sudden fans from around the world contacted us and asked for a new album.
We got even more reactions for Back In Business - well, Point Music did more promotion for this one. Especially from outside Germany we got a lot response, from the USA and South America we got a lot of positive feedback. And that made the US label Metal Mayhem licensing the European release for a domestic release with a new artwork in the US. That helped a lot and the first requests to play live arrived.
When we had Metal Style ready for release, Metal Mayhem asked us about re-releasing Thunder And Lightning in the US - and so this one got out there...
Your new album is called Metal Style. Did you have planned to get more metal? Or did it just happen?
It was our intention to go 'back to the roots' resp. to go back to the style of Thunder & Lightning. And we wanted a tight package of songs, tighter then on Back In Business. At Back In Business we used all the ideas we had after this 7-year break.
Okay, it wasn't planned to have a ballad at Metal Style, but it happened and we did want to let the fans hear it.
What inspires you these days to write songs?
Talking about music it's the feeling we have at that time, at the moment we like it heavy. About the lyrics, well, there is a lot of inspiration like TV news and newspapers, but also my opinion about certain things and sometimes the typical cliches like you find them at Wine, Women and Song.
At Into The Fire you talk about the comeback of a boxing champion. Does it somehow is related to your own comeback? And can you imagine to write a song for some boxer to use for entering the ring?
Sure! As some might realized I'm a huge fan of the boxing sports and not just at our new album you find a songs about boxing, also at Back In Business there was one - Stand Up And Fight.
If someone is interested in, just drop us a line!
Was it tough to find a new drummer for coming shows? One might think in Hanover that's kids play...
Well, yes. We knew from experience that not just any drummer would do. Our original drummer Mats Toralf left the band in 1994, so we have been in that situation before. And we have high requirements, keep in mind that Walter is a trained drummer - me too, but I have not his level. Its frustrating for a drummer, if he get something shown and can't do it himself.
We found Arnd Lorenz incidentally, he is a colleague of Oliver - and he's perfect for us. He is very experienced and released with the Hanover-based power metal band Galloglass 2 CDs and a Live-DVD.
Talking about Hanover, that's the past. The scene we had in the 80's is gone and these days there isn't much going on talking about hard rock and metal. It's a pity, coz in the 80's there been countless hard rock and metal bands, Hanover was the German hard rock capitol.
Any shows planned? Festivals?
There are many fans asking us to play 'Bang your Head' or Wacken, but its not in our hands. Beside that there are several requests from the USA, but nothing is set in stone.
Have already talked about what songs you will play live?
As we already rehearse I can tell you that most of the songs will be off Metal Style and Back In Business. But there will also stuff from Thunder And Lightning. And there might be some surprises...
What's on your schedule for 2009?
First we will rehearse the new live set and than it's to-wait-and-see. Actually that's how we work since we reunited. It should be fun, that's why we do it, to have fun. We definitely don't need to proof something and it's not about the money.
Looks like we will hear more from Cannon in 2009 - and if you want to catch them live, then visit their webspace frequently!
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