A:  I don't know what to say, you'd have to be more specific.

Q: You guys went back into the studio in February of 2002, Silver Cloud Studios, and you’re sharing the studio with Rob Halford.   Did you guys think of asking him to guest sing on any of your songs?!

A:  We thought about it, but deep down I knew he'd say no, so why bother asking?

 Q: INNER ASCENDANCE-The 1989 demo.   First of all the artwork is amazing!   Tell us about the concept, the artist, whose idea it was, etc.

A:  I had the idea to have the empty cross and the prophet have wounds on his hands with lightning striking the sword.   The artist was Robert Ortiz.   Quite a good artist.   I think he's done some comic books too, but I haven't been in touch with him for years.

 Q: This was also re-released as "Genesis" eleven years later and has some kick ass cover tunes as well as the seven original songs from the demo.   Why did you decide to re-release this with covers and what has been the response?

A:  Our label wanted to do it to milk some more money out of us so we said 'sure, why not'?   It was all their idea.   The response was OK from what I heard.   It sold out the limited pressing of 10,000.

 Q: How does Steel Prophet enter the writing/recording process?

A:  I don't know what you mean exactly.

Q: How has Nuclear Blast Records helped Steel Prophet in a day when people would have you believe metal is dead; which I’m here to tell you it’s not!

A:  They've spent money on ads, tour support and recording budgets.   It's all helped the name of Steel Prophet to grow.   There is a metal scene and we both know it.   It's not the largest thing, but it has enough fans to support a few labels and artists.

 Q: The "Goddess Principle" (1995) Brainstorm Division.   Explain the concept behind the title.   Being a woman anything with the name goddess in is going to peak my interest right away! Lol

A:  The duality of the human psyche.   The logic intertwined with the free dreaming side.   Feminine attributes combined with masculine.   Yin and yang.   That's the concept essentially.

 Q: Brave Words/Bloody Knuckles compares Steel Prophet to Iron Maiden and Helloween; two outstanding metal icons and vocalist Rick Mythiasin compared to Bruce Dickinson and better than Michael Kiske.   What kind of pressure, if any, have comparisons like this put on the band?

A:  No pressure on me, I'm not the singer!   He gives us an edge where we feel like we aren't lacking anything in the vocal department.

 Q:Tell me about "Continuum" (1996).   The album, correct me if I’m wrong, deals with death, life, eternity and the environment.   Was this a concept album?

A:  No, no concept, just five songs dealing with different subject matter.

 Q: I’m big into the album cover art.   Does Steel Prophet use the same artist?   If so, who is it?

A:  We've used Robert Ortiz for the first two, Harry Blackwell for the next two, then Greg Spalenka for two, next was Thomas Ewerhard for two.   We have Ken Kelley (Manowar, Kiss) for this one.

 Q: If you could pick anyone to do an album cover for you, design it, draw it, whatever who would it be and why?

A:  Salvador Dali-need I say more-the ultimate surrealist?

Q: Now were talkin’ one of my favorite albums.   "Into The Void" (1997).   I can’t get enough of "The Passage of Time".   I want to know the message behind this song.

A:  It's just a love song for the woman who was my wife at the time.   It was a really intense, passionate relationship we had, which sadly couldn't withstand the usual pressures of a partnership.

 Q: "Dark Hallucinations"(1999)-Another concept album?   And a Fate’s Warning thrown in for good measure.   Why did you pick this particular cover song for this album?

A:  It seemed more obscure than the typical godfathers like Sabbath, Maiden, Priest, etc.   It's a classic song on par with the best metal of the seventies.

 Q: You guys have been pretty consistent on writing/recording/releasing albums either every year or every other year.   Do you feel this as pressure on the band?

A:  No, it's fine, why not produce music?   We're musicians, right?

 Q: Do you have just one person who writes all the lyrics or is everyone given a chance to "don the writing hat"?

A:  Rick, and I do the lyrics.   Karl also has written a song.   No one else has tried yet.

 Q: "Messiah"(2000).   I love "Goddess Arise".   Who wrote it and where did the idea come from?

A:  I wrote the song, the idea came to me as I was looking at the Messiah cover art, which we had decided upon before the CD was recorded.   It's just a little fantasy based on what I think is going on in the cover.

 Q: Here again the artwork! Who?

A:  Greg Spalenka.

Q: "Book Of The Dead"(2001).   The album got great reviews.   Metal Rules called Steel Prophet "a well-kept secret…"   How does that make you feel to hear that?

A:  More like a 'dirty little secret', but the cat's out of the bag after this interview, isn't it?!

 Q: Do you feel like Steel Prophet has an underground following in the US?   What has the response been in the US as opposed to overseas?

A:  Yes we do have an underground following.   We've been on tour here and played festivals, and the reaction is good so far.   The metal scene is much larger in Europe, so we sell less albums here than there, but we see a steady increase as people hear our music.

 Q: What was it like to work with Roy Z on "Dark Hallucinations"?

A:  He came, he jammed, he laughed, he left.   In that order.   No complaints!

Q: This record allowed you to tour with Gamma Ray, Edguy, and you guys did Wacken and Bang Your Head Festivals.   How did this help and what were the crowds like?

A:  It gave us some experience touring and some promotion.   The crowds were very large at Wacken and BYH.   I think our stage presentation was helped quite a bit by the tours and festival appearances.

 Q: You guys are slated to play the Prog Fest in Atlanta this November.   Are you lookin’ forward to that?

A:  No, we did that last year actually.

 Q: Is it disappointing to see how metal music has fallen by the wayside?   Not so much in Europe as in the states.

A:  A little, but I didn't like the hair stuff, and hated being associated with that music.   People called Warrant and that kind of thing metal, and I was into Maiden, Sabbath, Priest, Metallica and thrash music.   I'm sad that the more metallic bands and their ilk have been driven underground again though.   It's OK though, because when I started liking it, it wasn't popular either.

 Q: I want to go back and ask you about your new untitled CD.   The release is slated for the end of July 2002 and will be released in Europe first.   Does Nuclear Blast wait to see how it does in Europe to determine the release date in the US?   How does that work?

A:  It would take much too long to explain how they decide, but I think it involves tea leaves and voodoo dolls…

 Q: Steve, who are some of your musical influences?

A:  Zeppelin, Sabbath, Queen, Trouble, Maiden, Randy Rhoads - you know, the usual suspects!

 Q: What was your first guitar and when did you start playing?

A:  A Bradlee's guitar and I started playing when I was sixteen.

 Q: What do you like to do for fun?

A:  Hiking, listening to music, spending time with my kids, restaurants, moderate drinking, sex, and just hanging with friends.

Q: What advice would you give, to a young person, wanting to enter this business?

A:  I'd advise you to find a sewer and jump in first;  it's easier and the end result is the same!

Q: What are your thoughts on Corporate radio and/or Payola?

A:  Sadly corporations run everything else from politics to toilet paper manufacturing, so why not radio and all the mass media?

 Q: I would love to put a Metal Fest together here in Dallas.   If you could put together "the ultimate" metal show who would you invite?

A:  Trouble, Sabbath, Dio, In Flames, Solitude Aeturnus, Napalm Death and Iced Earth.   For old times sake I'd bring in Edguy, Lefay and Angel Dust too!

 Q: What do you think of women in the metal scene?   Have you noticed the audiences being all men or half-in-half?

A:  Probably seventy:thirty in favor of men.   Personally, I like women in the metal scene, whether it's as musicians, fans or business.

 Q: Steve, this has been awesome! The floor is yours! Any last words?

A:  Bye Bye

KEEP ROCKIN'!

If you would like to contact me for interviews or reviews, email me at the link below and I will get back with you as soon as possible.