An interview with Michael Kiske

After reigning for decades in the melodic metal field, Michael Kiske now shows another side of his brilliant voice. Place Vendome, a project set up by Frontiers Records owner Serafino Peragino, appear as a big surprise with one of the finest AOR releases of the last few years. Great musicianship led by bassist and producer Dennis Ward, along with his bandmates from Pink Cream 69, Kosta Zafiriou (drums) and Uwe Reitenauer (guitars), as well as keyboardist Gunther Werno of Vanden Plas fame. David Readman and Alfred Koller, also from Pink Cream 69, collaborated on the compositions that now shine through Kiske's interpretations. I took the chance recently to catch up with Michael ...

It's good to see you back, especially with this amazing Place Vendome. Tell us more about it.

Place Vendome was a project that came from Frontiers Records' owner. He sent me an email last year about an AOR project, asking if I would be interested in something like that. As usual, I told him I'm not into metal anymore and I would like to hear the music first. He told me then: "This is not metal, this is AOR", and well okay. He sent me a couple of songs and I liked the material.

So basically this band was formed by the efforts of Serafino at Frontiers?

As I said, in the very, very early days of late summer last year, it was just him asking me if I'd be interested in something like that. And sure, if the material was fine to do, I would be in. Then it was time to see which kind of producer would be interested, and then he came with Dennis Ward. Actually, I received the demos from Dennis, and I did the vocals after to the demos. After that, Dennis recorded the rest of the music and obviously when you're producing a record, you choose the people you're familiar with and he chose the people around him, the guys from Pink Cream 69. Of course, he's right, and that makes sense. But I've never been in the studio with them. Actually, I never saw those guys.

What do you think of the final results of Place Vendome?

It was very exciting to record the project. This material is very different from what I'm used to do. Some of the stuff is like almost Journey or Foreigner kinda music, which was very interesting to do, but it took me a little while to get into it, and to find my own way in this style. Honestly, the album sounds a bit different from what we had in the demos. I personally think there are like two or three songs that are really overloaded with electric guitars to my personal taste, but it's okay, I can live with that. I wouldn't let the songs have so many electric guitars, but that's the way Dennis Ward produced it.

Which were your main references as a singer for this particular album?

I'm not influenced by singers anymore. When I was very young there was a couple of singers that influenced me a lot, like Bruce Dickinson, Geoff Tate from Queensr˙che, Rob Halford, Ronnie James Dio. Nowadays I don't listen too much to rock music. I'm more into classical music and maybe some other stuff. I sang those songs with my soul, answering to what they were asking me to do. As this was a new style in my career, I had to find new ways for the soul. I personally feel that this material is very good for my voice. It demands certain things that let my voice shine. That's one of the most exciting things when you're doing something unexpected. I'm basically singing the way I always sing, but when the music is different, obviously you sound different.

How do you think your fans are going to receive this new return of yours to the scene? Even it being AOR, for some people it's still considered metal...

Yeah, I know [laughs]. All I can say to you is that I have not been approaching the scene. It has been coming to me with offers from many kinds. I'm not a metal person anymore. I don't believe the ideals of this style, this evil idealising, especially here in Germany, in that metal scene. I just believe pretty much in free musical speech, and that you have to express and respect yourself. Then it doesn't matter what kind of musical style you're playing. As I said, some of the songs have been produced quite heavy by Dennis Ward, but that ain't my fault. My own solo record which will be coming out soon will sound different, that's for sure. Nobody should say that I'm returning to metal or anything like that. And still there's a big difference between heavy metal and AOR. It's a totally different field.

But recently you've also appeared on 'Execution' by Tribuzy, among other guests such as Bruce Dickinson, Ralf Scheepers, Roland Grapow, etc. It's a very heavy album...

The thing is that nowadays I wouldn't really do things like that anymore. This is the only one I recorded in this style recently, and it was because I agreed to do this project like three years ago. He asked me to do it, and I said yes.

Did you hear the album or at least the final version to the song you recorded, 'Absolution'?

Dennis Ward mixed this record, so he sent me a MP3 of just that song. But I don't know anything else about the album. It's not really my kind of music anymore. I know what Tribuzy is trying to say in the song, but I don't really care about absolution. I don't believe in the Pope, I believe in Jesus Christ. This expression 'absolution' is not really my language.

You're already preparing another solo album, but many people still don't know what happened to SupaRed. What can you tell us about that and also about your solo album?

I've kind of given up trying to make a band. It just doesn't work. A band demands a lot of things. The record that will be releasing containing solely my own songwriting will be more or less like melodic soft rock music, sometimes including classical influences, orchestra, and things like that. That's my musical direction now.

Is that a consequence of what you do listen to nowadays?

Maybe. I mainly listen to classical music: Bach, Mozart, Brahms. But I do listen to U2, I really like their last album. They're pretty much a rock band these days again, sounding similar to what they did in 'The Joshua Tree'. I actually like also some material from Coldplay, for instance.

You kept your voice in good shape, but it changed in some ways, don't you think? How do you see that?

Yeah, definitely. My voice got a lot stronger. Especially in the last ten years, my voice has changed a lot. It's just natural when you get over thirty. When I'm singing these days, much louder, like a B or something, it has much more feeling and power. That's why it doesn't sound so loud as before. I think it's better this way.

We were talking about your break from the metal scene. What made you change your ideals about metal and life?

I've always been very spiritual and religious, even though I'm not really a church person. Actually I think the church is a lie. But I do believe in the spiritual side of my existence. And the music is the image of the soul. Whether the music is evil, extremely destructive, beautiful, or positive, it's always reflecting something from your soul.

In a recent interview to Brazilian's Mundo Rock, Kai Hansen said some very positive things about you. Among the things he said, there was: "I think the whole thing around Keeper Of The Seven Keys has a lot to do to Michael Kiske's voice, and there's no Keeper without Michael". So I'd like to ask you... how is your relationship with Kai Hansen?

I personally only like the time in Helloween when Kai was a member, because he was necessary for the chemestry and the band's spirit. The first three years in Helloween were great, we liked each other and you saw a real band. After Kai had left, it became more and more a nighmare. And I was quite happy when it was over for me, although it didn't end in a way I like. I met Kai twice a few weeks ago together with Roland Grapow, and earlier this summer too having dinner. It was all very relaxed and nice. I always liked Kai; he was always a good person to be with. He loves to be funny and silly, and we never really had any problems. We are okay with each other again since1994 after a long talk in a music store when I was out of Helloween.

Also from that declaration, I'd ask... which are your feelings towards the release of 'Keeper Of The Seven Keys III - The Legacy'?

If that's what they want to do, they shall go for it. But it's always coming across a little desperate, when bands go back like this. Don't forget: it's a totally different band today, so they can't really create another Keeper. And I personally would always tell ANY band to do what comes naturally. Be creative and artistic and don't live in the past! It's okay if they would sound different after 17 years. But I also don't really care about Helloween today much, Sir.

Your fans are always reminding your days in Helloween, and especially after the announcement of the release of the 3rd part of 'Keeper Of The Seven Keys', it seems there's a growing feeling between the fans and the media about a Helloween reunion. Kai Hansen told he would do it under some conditions. What about you?

I generally don't believe in art-slavery and records just created to please markets. If I would ever do something again with Kai Hansen or Roland, it has got to be an honest, creative, fresh and real rock-record. No trying to fake anything to be a better pleaser. I don't think those concepts create a good soul for music. And to add to the confusion, to me songs like: Future World, Dr. Stein, I Want Out, A Little Time and many more were never really Heavy Metal anyway. It was positive Rock n Roll with energetic guitars, and I still like those songs among a few others.

Thanks a lot for the interview Michael. This space is all yours...

Thank you. The fans have to make up their minds and understand that music has to be something that delivers honesty and truth. It can only be this way if the musician expresses himself with a true heart. We all know that evil exists in the human being, that's true, but it all depends on how we try to move on, on what we idealise, and the choices we make in our lives.