Pikkuisen meinasi kitaristi Robinson ottaa lämpöä, kun ”samanoloisuus” tuli puheeksi. Kävimme hieman sähköpostien vaihtoakin, jotta pääsimme konsensukseen asiasta. Mitä enemmän sain tietää yhtyeen filosofiasta, pitkästä historiasta ja surullisistakin vaiheista, niin samassa suhteessa hälvenivät Moottöripää-kloonijutut päästäni. Airbournekin haukuttiin alussa, mutta niin se vain on hienon uran tehnyt ja uusi levy kuulostaa erittäin lupaavalta. Vanhan liiton heavy metal on jälkipolvensa ansainnut, vaikka kuninkaiden linnoista olisi sisustukseen otettu mallia enemmänkin.
Videobiisi The Nightmare Ain`t Over ei ole maailmoja mullistava uusien tuulien tuoja, mutta minut se nappasi mukaansa ensi sekunneista. Pienet nyanssit, oikealla tavalla ylpeä takakeno ja poikamainen into takovat siitä isosti kolisevan rautakimpaleen. Höpsöhän minä olisin, jos väittäisin, että Asomvel näyttää originaalilta ja että kappaleessa ei olisi tuttuakin tutumpaa tamppausta, mutta jostain syystä en välitä hittojakaan. Antakaa palaa vaan, niin paljon kuin lähtee! Bändi muuten etsii parasta aikaa levy-yhtiötä. Olisipa irtonaista rahaa, niin sainaisin yhtyeen saman tien. Ennustan, että parin vuoden sisällä näemme Asomvelin logon isolla fontilla kirjoitettuna metallifestareiden lineupeissa.
Kitaristi Lenny Robinsonin haastattelu
Jari: Hi there! A short Asomvel history. Why, when And how?
Lenny: Me and my best mate Jay-Jay Winter started ASOMVEL in around 1993. We got Mark Wharton (ex Acid Reign and Cathedral) to play the drums because he was a friend of ours, and a good drummer. Jay and Wharty were big Venom fans, and I was a Motörhead fan, that’s how ASOMVEL was born. We used to rehearse on a pig farm back then, and drinking Special Brew took priority over our musical endeavours. About thirteen drummers and many years later, me and Jay finally got our shit together and things were happening.
Tragically, Jay lost his life in a car accident in 2010, just as things had started to look up. Me and Jay always said we’d never stop – so I had to carry on in his memory, it was the hardest thing I ever had to do. It took a while to get the line-up just right – those were big shoes to fill! But, here we are, with Jay’s nephew, Ralph fronting the band, and it’s exactly as it should be. So that’s it, in a nutshell.
Jari: What does Asomvel mean?
Lenny: It doesn’t mean anything, Jay was looking for a band name while he was enjoying a beverage, and he wrote the name down wrong – but it stuck.
Jari: So what is your answer for the haters? The band ”M”. Had so fanatic followers and they are going to have a big issue with Asomvel. Not all, but some of them. I personally don`t give a damn. That video song of yours has pure metal energy!
Lenny: Here’s the thing; heavy metal has changed over the years, but ASOMVEL hasn’t. We were wearing these clothes, this style, since the eighties, before ASOMVEL was born, when everyone was wearing them. Everyone had a leather jacket, a bullet belt, cowboy boots, and playing Rickenbackers and using Marshalls wasn’t an oddity. But over the years things changed, and we seem to be one of the few bands still standing, dressing this way. Tight black jeans, leather jackets, and long hair is what’s right about heavy metal as far as we’re concerned and we are not gonna apologise for wearing it. The fact that we’re a three-piece, wearing this style, and playing rock ’n’ roll, is always gonna draw comparisons with Motörhead. As far as we are concerned, that’s a huge compliment, because they did it best!
As far as ’haters’, people with an axe to grind always like to do so publicly, it’s just the way it is, and it’s the same for any band, so we expect it. 90% of what we see is positive, and we’re certainly not worried about a minority of cry-babies who don’t even get their facts right, and clearly do not know the nuances of the music well enough to spot the obvious differences.
There are a million bands that dress and play like Iron Maiden, or Black Sabbath, or Judas Priest, and no one bats an eyelid – and that’s as it should be. Motörhead was one of our main influences, and ASOMVEL and bands like us, are Motörhead’s legacy. It’s ridiculous to think, that in the minds of some people, all the other bands get to leave a legacy of bands who carry their influence, but Motörhead should not get to leave such a legacy. That’s not good enough!
”We don’t ever
play covers.”
Jari: Do you have Motörhead songs in your setlist?
Lenny: No, we don’t ever play covers, and we don’t think anybody can play those songs as well as Motörhead, I wanna hear Motörhead playing those songs, I don’t wanna hear someone else playing them.
Jari: I had depressive thoughts when Lemmy passed. The same was with Dio. Lemmy has been in my turntable since 1980. So 36 years is a long time. Of course you you have to be Lemmy and Motörhead fans. Did you have chance to meet him? Is that 1978-82 era ”the” Motörhead for you.
Lenny: Yes it is. It’s the band that got me interested in playing the guitar and that’s how I learnt, by listening to Motörhead. I saw them on the Iron Fist tour and met them a few times along the way. Lemmy was a true star without a shadow of a doubt, but he had so much time for us every time we met. We were lucky enough to meet Little Philthy once, and he was the same, both of them had a great sense of humour! What we took away from the experience was that it’s so important to give your time to people, and be gracious. They taught us a lot.
Jari: The only surviving member from classic-line up (Kilmister, Taylor, Clarke) Fast Eddie Clarke contacted you and gave his ”blessing” for what you are doing. That must have been a blast?!
Lenny: Our manager sent him the Railroaded video to see what he thought of it, and he loved it, he even recommended us to festivals and then shared our latest video ’The Nightmare Ain’t Over’ on his Facebook wall with a glowing endorsement. This is my all-time hero, and here he is, going out of his way to help us. That tells us a lot about the kind of man he is, and we now know that all three members of the classic line-up are/were extraordinary people.
”…the future of rock and
heavy metal is secure.”
Jari: Some bands tour almost from their ”deadbeds”. Kiss and Twistes Sister have had discussions about a 2.0 version with younger players. Dio makes hologram appearances (how sick is that). AC/DC (why oh why), etc. What do you think about that?
Lenny: In my opinion these bands have earned the right to keep going, or bow out, in any way they choose. They are icons.
Jari: Where do you see metal/hard rock is heading as the old legends slowly fade?
Lenny: As long as bands that have been influenced by them continue to do well, then their legacy will never fade. So long as that happens, the future of rock and heavy metal is secure.
Jari: How far are your goals set? I see a bright future for you. Every discussion will help you to get publicity, either way you want it or not.
Lenny: Our goal hasn’t changed since me and Jay got together at the pig farm, to keep doing what we love to as many people as possible; and now, to keep Jay’s memory alive because he was the coolest bloke on the planet.
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