London based metallers Voltstorm release their self-titled mini-album tomorrow (March 25th) and if the first two singles from it - 'One Life' and 'C.O.D.' - are anything to go by, it promises to be a release full of storming rhythms, blazing guitar riffs and roaring vocals, which fans of bands such as Helloween, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Metallica should check out 'tout suite'. The guys took some time out from preparing for the album launch and their upcoming tour in April with Kardinal X to answer a few questions for 'Ballroom Blitz's Man At The Back' on the album, band and playing live amongst other topics.
Voltstorm are John D. Prasec (Vocals), Fred Stigliano (Guitar) and Ivo Yordanov (Drums).
The 'Voltstorm' mini-album is released on the 25th March 2022 on all digital platforms. Physical copies can be pre-ordered from the band's website - www.voltstorm.co.uk. Singles 'One Life' and 'C.O.D' are still available on all the streaming sites.
Voltstorm play an album launch show at 'The Half Moon' in Putney on 31st March and then take off on the 'Mind Control' tour in April with Kardinal X - dates on the band's website and social media sites.
Hi Guys, thank you for taking some time to answer a few questions. First off, for those readers who might not be familiar with Voltstorm, could you give a short history of the band?
We originally formed in 2019 and as we were taking our first steps in late 2019 with plans to hit the studio in March 2020 ...well that didn’t go to plan…. We worked between lockdowns and restrictions on the album with obduracy and determination to get to this very point
And who would you say were the main influences on Voltstorm?
In Voltstorm we are influenced by different bands; we have elements of power and epicness taken from bands like Stratovarious, Rage and Helloween, mixed with the aggression of NWOBHM and thrash like Metallica, and the result is this melodic fresh thing called Voltstorm.
You've a new self-titled mini-album out on March 25th. Where did you record the record; somewhere you've recorded before? And did COVID hinder the recording and releasing of the mini-album in any way?
Well, as mentioned before, COVID did indeed hinder our plans but we believe for the better, it gave us more time to focus on the finer details as there was no pressure to finish and to hit the road.
We worked with Alessio Garavello at Rogue Studios in Wembley, a producer most of us knew very well from our previous endeavours. He managed to take our ideas and ambitions to the next level.
Do you have a sense of how your two recently released singles - 'One Life' and 'C.O.D.' have done out in the 'big wide world'?
We have an idea of how things are going out there, its tough, very tough but with sheer determination and the help of our PR agency we are managing to achieve some results even though the doors of the main rock outlets are still being shut on us. Do you have a favourite track on the mini-album and if so why? And were there any songs that didn't make the cut for the mini-album that we might get to hear at a later stage?
Each one of us has different preferences but as a band we could probably agree on 'No Surrender' as it really embodies the spirt of Voltstorm.
There are indeed quite a few songs which didn’t make the cut for the album as you know in order to have 6 good songs you need to have at least 11-12 demos. We are not sure if some of those ideas will resurface in the near future but you never know….
You've a tour in April - The Mind Control Tour - with Kardinal X. Will these be the first shows you've played as Voltstorm? And are Kardinal X a band you were familiar with before the tour? Yes, they will be indeed. Our official debut show and album release party will be on March 31st at the Half Moon in Putney, London. We didn’t know Kardinal X before this tour and we still haven’t met in person. We had a few zoom calls with several bands back in December / January to try to find someone crazy enough to take the risk to organise a tour with us as no booking agent was remotely interested in Voltstorm. As individuals, where are the best places you've played?
Nice question, for John his last live performance in February 2020 in Buenos Aires, Argentina - as the last leg of his solo tour before the pandemic. Ivo’s last show was at the Underworld in London.
Do you have any particular venues / festivals that you would like to play and are on your 'bucket list'?
Well quite a few to be honest, but will definitely try to be realistic here and say the Hammersmith Apollo, any open air festival, and last but not least we would love to tour North America. And what's the best part of gigging for you?
Sharing the energy and the venue with the audience, to make them feel part of the band.
Do you feel the 'grassroots' rock / metal scene is in a 'healthy' state at the moment? Are there any bands you'd particularly recommend to readers?
I’ll be politically correct and would say it’s hanging on a fine thread, but per se the scene is kind of healthy it's just that bands don’t have the space and the opportunities they deserve/need to grow due to tribute acts and I will stop myself there. Well we have quite a selection of fine grassroots bands sharing the stage with us across the country, so definitely Kardinal X, Reaper, Buried By My Heartache, Electron, Bad Earth and Appartihia are worth checking out ! And finally, what plans for Voltstorm following the album release and tour? More of the same; we have some demos for the next release and we will need to write some more music in order to be ready to hit the studio in late summer and deliver a new album in Spring 2023. We might even try out some of the new songs while on tour to see what the fans reaction would be, we haven’t quite finalised that as of yet.