Interviewed by Brian Rademacher
Date: April 1st, 2005

http://www.pyramaze.com

First let me thank you for giving us the interview for our readers at RockEyez.
My pleasure Brian.

Let’s start with the beginning of your carrier. What was the first band you where in?
My very first band was called Urticate. This was back when I was 16 years old. We where playing rock music with a bit of punk influence. Fortunately, my taste has changed over the years ;-)

When growing up in Europe what music did you listen to as a child?
My early stuff where bands like - Bon Jovi, Guns ‘n’ Roses, METALLICA, and Aerosmith. This was when I was between 16 and 18. Before that I had not discovered the wonderful world of rock and metal yet, so back in the very-very early days (like age 10 to 15) I mostly listened to pop music (yes, there you go, I said it – it’s an honest interview right) :-) I discovered ‘real’ heavy metal when I was around 19 years old, and I have never looked back since.

What age did you start playing guitar and what were your dreams?
I think I was 16 when I played that wonderful instrument for the first time. Well, what is every young boys dream – playing rock, driving a chopper, getting all the girls, and getting a record deal of course :-)?

What was the first concert you attended?
Hmmm… the very first concert. I actually think it was a concert with Genesis when I was 14 years old. My first metal concert was at a Danish festival where I saw Helloween. I think I was 17 when I saw them.

What kind of kid were you in school?
I was the quiet shy kind. Didn’t have many friends and looked weird because I grew very fast. I never liked school very much, but it got better when I switched school around the age of 15. I started at this new bigger school a bit further away from the old place, and I was “accepted” into a group of ‘heavy metal and rock’ kids. That’s how I made my first close encounter with the world of rock.

What was the first song you wrote and did you record it?
I don’t recall the first song anymore, but I definitely did not record it. My very first songs was not exactly the right material for a record.

Why did you decide to go into the Black Metal with the band Damion?
Damion was not Black Metal. That has some how been misunderstood by the media. It all started with my management writing my bio, and accidentally mentioning that Damion was more of a black metallish outfit. This was not true – Damion was rock orientated heavy metal.

Did you record anything with Damion?
We did two demo CD’s, but never made it to the big league. I quit the band after playing with the guys for almost three years. Back then I was the singer as well as the guitar player, so when I left the band it slowly fell apart.

Your new band you formed is called PYRAMAZE. Who came up with that name and what is the meaning?
I came up with the name shortly after recording “Melancholy Beast”. There’s no ‘deeper’ meaning with the name. I always liked the tales from Egypt and the mystery surrounding Egyptian mythology. So I just sat down playing around with the word Pyramid. And at some point I came up with PYRAMAZE. It’s a connection of the words ‘Pyramid’ and ‘maze’ – therefore ‘PYRAMAZE’. I think both names represent something mysterious and powerful, and so I thought this would be a nice name for a heavy metal band.

How did you pick the band members?
It was just a matter of finding the best musicians I could get, with the right attitude to work with me. Morten (drums) I knew before I decided to form PYRAMAZE, he has always been a fantastic drummer, and lives close to me. Niels I heard playing at a small festival when I first met him, and I just decided to contact him, and tell him about PYRAMAZE, since I really loved his bass work. Jonah (keyboard) I found over the internet. He had made a notice on the Wacken Open Air homepage, saying that he was searching for a band to play with. I mailed him and asked him for a demo cd. He then actually sent me a demo video, and his skills where amazing, despite his young age (he was only 19 back then). Lance was introduced to me through my management, and come on, Lance King!! Enough said, his voice is incredible. Fortunately for us he had just split up with Balance Of Power, and he really liked the PYRAMAZE material, so he became our singer. Then we have added one more guitar player last year. His name is Toke Skjoennemand. He is one hell of a solo guitarist, and we needed one more guitar player for our live shows, so that’s how he came onboard. He will be on the new album too.

I reviewed your CD Melancholy Beast for our site RockEyez. I gave it a 9 / 10 . When sites review your CD. Does the band really pay attention to them?
Oh yes – definitely. It is always nice to get a good review. Good promotion is important, and what better promotion can a band get than a good review in a metal mag.

I heard you’re working on a new release for 2005. Can you tell us anything about that?
Well, it’s still kind of a secret, but I can tell you this much: It’s a concept album and we are entering the studio on Friday the 1 st of April. We expect it to be in stores around September 2005.

Will PYRAMAZE play any shows in the USA after the new release?
Hopefully! We are working on it, but I have no concrete info about that yet.

What guitarist do you admire?
Marcus Siepen, Andre Olbrich (both Blind Guardian), Jon Shaffer ( Iced Earth) and Erno Vuorinen ( Nightwish)  

Besides yourself who would you consider an up and coming guitarist to look out for?
I don’t really know, I’m not paying that much attention to the newcomers in the scene right now. You know, since we got the record deal, I don’t have the time to get into all of the other new bands anymore, and the urge to do so is not the same either.

What can we see in the future for PYRAMAZE?
Great heavy metal!! :-)

Would you like to say anything in conclusion to our readers?
To the fans: Thanks! Without you, this would not be possible! To those who not yet know us: Go buy our album dudes! ;-) Thanks Brian, it’s been fun.

Editor's Note: Read our review of Pyramaze - "Melancholy Beast"