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Interview TITANIC
A Talk With:
BILL MENCHEN (Guitar)
METAL TO INFINITY
As promised a while ago, i'm ready to shoot some questions at you Bill? How are you brother? Hope everything goes okay there in Las Vegas, Nevada-USA.
Bill: Doing good, thanks.
To kick of, i want firstly return to the early days of Titanic...a Metal band formed back in 1995. Who came show up with the idea 'let's set up a band'? Who were the other guys in charge those days Bill?
Bill: The singer (Simon) and myself had worked together before. Neither of us had a band and alternative was becoming popular so it was hard to find musicians. So we thought "lets try something again".
What has you persuaded to take a band name like Titanic?
Bill: It was Big, heavy, metal. And...why not? Sounded cool.
You're a guitar player (to me actually a man loaded with a lot of technical skills). From where the passion of guitar playing?
Bill: When I was young I was captivated by the sound of overdriven guitar. Everybody wants to play the guitar. Some want to play drums. Some play bass to get into a band, usually. Many people would like to sing but don't have a voice. I tried to learn guitar. It took a while to get any good, but it was worth it to hear the sound of it. I was also impressed by FX pedals, even though I don't use many now.
According to yourself, which secret is hidden behind a great guitar shredder?
Bill: Every guitar player has a secret, and it varies with each player. I don't have one secret. My secret involves every aspect of my experience. Starting with my hands. I had to discover what I am capable of. What kind of guitar I like. In my case Flying V's (thanks to Michael Schenker). Pickup is important. Good tube preamp overdrive is super critical. I combine that with what I can do with my hands and that is my sound. I think my overall sound, and feel is more important than how much I can "shred".
Can you name some of your idols? What makes them so special?
Bill: Michael Schenker had the style. Randy Rhoads had cool licks. Ronnie Montrose had great feel. Jimmy Page was good at layering sound, and creating moods. I like some others but those were the main ones.
During the early Titanic existence, you lived in Las Vegas while the other band members lives somewhere else. What about the rehearsals if you lived in seperate harbours?
Bill: It was crazy. I lived about 3 1/2 hours from the band in Riverside California. It was hard to get tight, but after a few shows we started to sound good. At one point my cousin Bruce Menchen joined the group on guitar to help us rehearse because he lived where they did.
''Maiden Voyage'', Titanic's debut album came out not that long after you guys were started with the band. An album produced by yourself, also the songs were written with your own hands. Quite a job to complete, isn't it?
Bill: Yes. Especially if you don't have much money. That CD was recorded is a top level studio in Las Vegas, but almost live. We didn't do many takes or overdubs.
I only heard a few songs on ''Wreckage (The Best Of And The Rest Of)'' but i was convinced concerning Titanic's way of Metal. What's your own opinion about Titanic's debut album?
Bill: I think it was very good for what it was. We wrote all the music in only a couple of months. To tell the truth I am amazed that we are talking about it over 10 years later.
Robert Sweet from Stryper appeared on a few songs. How the cooperation with Robert has been achived?
Bill: A friend of the group knew Robert's mother from the 1980's. One night they had dinner together just to ask for advice on how to have a Christian heavy metal group. Soon after that Robert was hanging around with us.
Back in 1996, you had a release party called TNT...what's the story behind?
Bill: TNT (Titanic, Neon Cross, Tourniquet). I am surprised you know about it. It was a record release party, we had out CD for sale that night for the first time.
Titanic's second album ''Screaming In Silence'' appeared in 2002 which means seven years after the release of ''Maiden Voyage''. The reason why it took several years was because of some of the guys were busy playing music in other bands too, right?
Bill: A lot of things happened in that time. We did some experiment with Robert. I did a few Rev Seven CD's as I was learning how to record with a computer. Matt Hunt of Retroactive Records was happy with sales of the reprinting of Maiden Voyage and asked if we had any other unreleased music. We had ten songs that were never finished so we finished them.
Magdalene Records (now Retroactive Records) popped up...the beginning of a great cooperation came about. I guess you�re still involved with Retroactive Records at this moment, right?
Bill: If it wasn't for Retroactive Records, I don't know if I would still even be playing music. It was nice to have someone actually care about what we were doing and help get our music out.
Can you tell us some more about producer Matthew B. Hunt. Is he the BIG guy behind Retroactive Records?
Bill: He's the big wheel, the main man. He is a guy who has worked hard to turn nothing into something that is very cool.
I received several promo's to review from them so far, actually all CD's with a Christian message on board. Is it important for yourself being a Christian?
Bill: It is more important than life itself. Actually, Jesus IS life. I can never repay what he has done for me.
Can i discribe Titanic as a Christian Heavy Metal band?
Bill: Yes. But it's not an exclusive religious club. If anybody doesn't like what we say, we still invite them to enjoy the music. Titanic is Christian, but it's also heavy metal.
You're involved with other bands like Rev Seven, Redeemer, The Seventh Power, Final Axe,... Quite a bandlist Bill! Must be surely hard labour delivering your skills to each one of them.
Bill: Redeemer was my first group that I started in 1984, with me singing. It's part of my history, but not an ongoing project. The music was put out by Matt Hunt just to make it available so it wouldn't be lost forever. Same with Rev Seven. The Rev Seven music was originally recorded between 1991 and 1999, with me singing. Final Axe was a band I had between 1989 and 1991 with Keith Miles singing(screaming).
The Seventh Power is a permanent ongoing project with me singing. A bit more modern and fresh. Matt Hunt and I picked that name because it sounded cool, and www.theseventhpower.com was available. I have a new project that Matt Hunt wanted me to do called "Menchen". The name was his idea. It has Robert Sweet, Tony Franklin on bass, and a singer named Ken Redding. It should be out in 6 months or so.
I assume, these are all Metal bands that released their own albums in the past.
Bill: Yes. It has been a great blessing to see them all officially released by Retroactive Records.
Which one has the most success of all?
Bill: Titanic has sold the most because it has been out longer, Final Axe also. The Seventh Power is catching up fast even though it has been out only a few years. We are very excited about the new Seventh Power release "Dominion and Power" that should be out in a month or two. Matt Hunt thinks it's very good, let's hope the fans agree.
But your attention goes out to Titanic, right?
Bill: Well, it's the biggest seller so far. I talked with Matt Hunt last week about another CD for Titanic and he really wants one, so, maybe next year we will do one. I would like to do one, they are fun. It's a theme oriented group. I refer to the songs as "ship" songs. It's a fun theme to work with.
Retroactive also sent me Titanic's latest release entitled ''Full Steam Ahead'' a while a go. Great output, loaded with highly recommended and very HEAVY Metal songs. I love it, i'm hooked on stuff like this. Can you tell us why people should buy this album?
Bill: For all the reasons you just gave!!! (laughs) It's a quick snapshot view of all the material we have in the original versions. Also, there are two songs from ''Maiden Voyage'' that have Robert Sweet playing drums that no one has heard before that were recorded in 1996.
Once again, i only heard a few tracks of your previous albums...allow me to say that ''Full Steam Ahead'' is your best effort up to date. Are you agree?
Bill: Yes.
No longer guest appearances of Robert Sweet...why?
Bill: Robert was busy touring when we did Full Steam Ahead so we used another drummer. He is on the new Seventh Power, and the new Menchen CD, both out soon.
Please, tell us a background history of the remaining members David St. Andrew and David White. Where these guys come from Bill?
Bill: Robert Sweet and Ray Kilsdonk asked me to help then with a Rod Stewart tribute show they were involved in a few years ago. I played guitar and keyboards. St Andrew was the singer. David White was the drummer for a Bon Jovi tribute that St Andrew played bass with. I put a few roughly edited demo video shoots that we did up on youtube. Search for "Robert Sweet Rod Stewart".
Can you guide us through some of the songs, i mean a little overview of the songs' content, the lyrical subjects.
Bill: Shovel The Coal is about living focused with purpose and not wasting time. Dead Mens Bones is the very opposite. Deep Down describes finding real faith. Captain Of The Ship is about Jesus guiding our coarse. Holy Ground is when Moses saw the burning bush. Son Of Thunder is about James and John in the bible, the sons of Zebedee, with an application for today. Upon The Cross is about Jesus upon the cross. The Wind describes how you can't see the wind but you know it's there because you see the effect. Just like God. Wisdom is about having it. The Sea is about the final judgement.
How did you get involved with them and what's actually happened Simon Tyler, Ray Kilsdonk and the others...are they no longer into Hard Rock or Heavy Metal?
Bill: Simon is building movie sets last I heard. Ray is an aircraft tool designer in the aerospace industry.
The new ones, both 'messengers of God' ?
Bill: Well, it turned out that way in one sense.
When you look back to the early days of Titanic til now, what's showing up in your mind Bill? Satisfied so far with all those brilliant things you've delivered to the world of Heavy Metal or not?
Bill: I think it turned out good. Could have been better, could have been worse.
What's on the list for the near future. Summer is in sight, so maybe Titanic will be on the bill of one or another 'open air' festival?
Bill: I don't know, really. We will see about that one...
Dreams are made to come true...what about yours?
Bill: Well, my life turned out good. I've had ups and downs. Victories and failures. I haven't gotten every thing I ever dreamed of, but maybe that is the grace of God. You know the old saying "be careful what you wish for". I'm not dead yet though, either.
I'm running outta questions Bill...it was an honour speaking with you about facts happened in the past, things going on nowadays, etc... i'd like to thank you for the precious time brother. Do you have a final message to our readers?
Bill: We were created to know our creator through his son, don't miss it or you've really missed it. Oh yeah, listen to some good heavy metal too...