"All About The Album - 15 Questions" - a brand new section at the RockUnited site where recording artists with an recently released CD is confronted with 'album'  questions (15 of them, duh!). If you'd like to have your material up, email:  urban "at" rockunited.com (simply replace "at" with your standard @ )

FIREWÖLFE: "Firewölfe"

FIREWÖLFE  is the smashing debut album featuring ten 'old skool' heavy metal, melodic twin-guitar powered songs from the U.S. act. Mixed by John Payne (Asia) and Jay Schellen (Asia, Hurricane, Unruly Child, etc.), Firewolfe is fueled by the powerful voice of David Fefolt (MASI, Angels Of Babylon, Hawk, Valhalla, etc) and the blasing guitars of Paul Kelff and Nick Layton (both have multiple US tours doing guitar clinics for Guitar Center, Sam Ash and other major music stores). Find out more about thhis classy debut album, the band and their influences, here's,: FIREWÖLFE!!!

How has the reaction to your latest CD been?

The album has only been out for a couple of weeks but the feedback has been great so far.

How long did this CD take to make from start to finish, recording-wise?

Just a little over a year.

What kind of 'sound', production wise, did you have in the back of your mind, prior to entering the studio?

We wanted something tight and punchy sounding with loud guitars, a killer rhythm section and great vocal production.

What kind of input did the producer have during the process?

The band basically produced this album ourselves but we did have some input from John Payne (ASIA) who mixed and mastered the record. He challenged us to get things really tight between the guitars and drums and I think we achieved that!

And are you pleased with the final outcome? (sound - production wise)

Yes, we are very pleased. There are always little things you might want to go back and change but overall we think we have a great sounding record not only with the songs but also production wise.

Did the producer (you) use any (weird) experimental miking and/or recording techniques?

No, not really. We kept things pretty simple through the entire process.

How did you go on about capturing your 'live sound' in the studio, or perhaps you didn't

We kept things pretty organic. There’s not a lot of bells and whistles from a production stand point and we didn’t over edit things either, so at
the end of the day what you are hearing is very representative of what we’ll sound like live.

Please inform us about your favourite songs and lyrical highlights and why?

Nick — Very difficult to choose because I like them all, but I'd say 'Unholy' is my favourite track. Lyrically I think 'Back From Hell' is very cool.

Dave — I think 'Back From Hell' has it all, power, melody, creative lyrics.

Paul — It's hard to choose—they all have their high points for me. I think 'Unholy' is a great song all the way around and I love the heaviness of 'Armed Forces' and 'Feel the Thunder'.

Any overall theme of mood that you're trying to capture while writing songs?

We really wanted to capture that magical sound and mood of the classic metal albums we all grew up listening to—Dio, Savatage, Accept, etc.

Does your vision for coming up with music get affected at all by time?

Nick — No, my vision for creating music has not changed much from the time when I first picked up a guitar many years ago. I like what I like and I seem to gravitate to writing certain kinds of riffs and songs.

Dave — Not at all, more by who the other members of the band are. With Nick and Paul I stayed very true to who I am and what I do best.

Paul— No. I know it sounds like a cliché but we made a conscious decision to create an album with songs that are true to what we love as musicians and music fans.

Did the record company interfere with anything on your "sound" and songs?

We are currently independent—there was no interference at all.

Are there any 'crazy' behind the scenes anecdotes from these sessions that you can share with us?

We all recorded our parts separately in our home studios in various cities so we didn't get to hang out during the recording process. Outside of the occasional ‘haboob’ (dust storms in Arizona) nothing too crazy happened...

Dave - My dog shit on my studio floor once...

How would you describe the sound of your new CD to any potential new fan?

Heavy, melodic twin-guitar powered hook-laden songs that bring to mind such classic metal bands as Accept, Dio, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Savatage..

Who are your influences and heroes? (music-wise)

Nick — Savatage, John Sykes, Yngwie Malmsteen, Dio
Dave — Dio, Sabbath, Skynyrd, Blackfoot
Pau — Classic metal and hard rock—artists like Dio, Ozzy, Van Halen. 
Guitar players like Randy Rhoads, Yngwie, EVH, John Sykes.

If there's anything you'd like to add, say, please do:

Thanks to everyone for checking this out and be sure and go over to our website and get a free download song from the album at www.firewolfe.com 
Sincerely,
Firewolfe

Interview by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
Photos from the band's website www.firewolfe.com www.myspace.com/firewolfe 
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