HALL OF FAME - MATT SINNER [PRIMAL FEAR, SINNER]

Tribuzy – Hello Mat, first, thanks a lot for taking part of this session. Let’s start it with a question about your beginning. I would like to know about how did you start your life as a musician. Please, tell us when and why did you decide to be Mat Sinner?

My brother played Deep Purple’s Burn to me. I was very successful soccer player in the German youth team, but from this moment, I really thought about forming a band. I became Mat Sinner some years later, as I sacked the drummer and this jerk want to steal away my bandname. Then I had to take care about this in a professional manner and from this moment, the music world knows me under the name of Mat Sinner!

Tribuzy – You are an excellent bass player but at the same time you are great singer as well, we can confirm this on your work with your solo band Sinner. Who are your heroes in music? I mean, as a bass player and singer?

Thank you very much! I think Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy was the guy, why I started to play bass and sing. Sad that he’s not with us anymore and died so early. Then I really like Sting a lot - with and without Police. Kip Winger is another fantastic musician and songwriter, who plays bass and sings. All these guys combine a high class musicianship, with a great taste in melodies and lyrics! From the view of rock singer, I like Sammy Hagar, David Coverdale and from a little different musical background Billy Idol.

Tribuzy - We know you are one of the most important names of the European Heavy Metal. You already worked on Nuclear Blast and now you are working on MTM. How is your point of view about this situation? How important, as a musician, was for you to be involved in the gear of the machine? Learning from the inside of the labels, how things work?

First of all, I will take this opportunity to clear up the situation. I worked for seven years with Nuclear Blast as their label manager. Even I have two strong bands going. I was always involved in the management, publishing, booking, talentscouting, producing and every creative move. For me, it was a logic step to bring all my know-how into a fantastic working record company and I could learn a lot of more things during my time at Blast. But internal politics changed and it was not my company. More than 10 people and mostly great guys left the company during the last months and everything happens for a reason. I will not work for any company fulltime in the next couple of months and I feel really good about it! I split up my power between some different companies, with different kind of tasks. I’m working as a consultant for two record companies. I’m managing a fantastic photographer and cover artist. I’m working as creative director for one of the most successful tour agencies in Germany. Then I have Primal Fear and already signed a great new multi album record contract with Frontiers Records and SINNER will record a new album for MTM Records. I’m so happy, that I can record a new Sinner album again for the first time in 3 ½ years and we will play some shows in Europe! So you see, I will stay multitasking and it’s important for me to stay independent. Time will tell, what will happen next year! I’m looking out to produce an interesting band from time to time!

Tribuzy - When was your first contact with Ralf Scheepers?

We’re living in the same city for ages. Ralf played with Tyran Pace and I’m in Sinner. As we were both lead singers, there was no need in forming a band together. We played some concerts together with both bands on the bill in our younger days! Even we practiced during these days once and talked about forming a band. Ralf sung Sinner’s Danger Zone and I have the recordings J ….. Ralf joined Gamma Ray and had a very successful time with them. So we lost contact for a while, until we Tom and me helped out in Ralf’s Priest cover band for one show!

Tribuzy – Primal Fear is one of my favorite bands. Who was the mastermind who created this amazing band?

Mat, Ralf & Tom are the co-founders of this band. I took over the business part and as we received a great offer from our record company in Japan JVC, the band was born and we recruited drummer Klaus Sperling some weeks later. Kai Hansen of Gamm Ray helped out ion some guitar parts of the first album, then we installed Stefan Leibing on the second guitar as a fulltime member before the first tour!

Tribuzy - I had the great pleasure to record a cover of one of your solo band songs called ‘The Nature Of Evil”, and to make it even better, I had you and Ralf singing this song with me on the album. Honestly, what passed through your mind when you got my first e-mail talking about to record this track (laughs)?

I quiet liked the idea, because this song was never played on stage by my band Sinner and I’m always proud, if other people singing my songs or tunes! It shows, that these songs are really good songs, loved by a lot of people! As I heared who’s involved in the Tribuzy project, it was even more interesting. I know Roy Z. from our tour with halford in the US and what a super creative guy he is. He deserves my greatest respect. I would love to work with him on an entire album sometimes! Then Kiko played guitar on the track and I know and respect him for many years now! What seems to be a strange idea was getting a great track!

Let’s go to the fans questions :

Hi Mat, how was for you to record the Nature Of Evil with Tribuzy? And what did you think about this new version, comparing with the original one? (Nome: Lucas Couto Brito dos Santos, Cidade: Rio de Janeiro – RJ, Idade: 16 anos- Brasil)

I really like both versions – both have a little different vibe and their very own charme! It was a great experience to sing the song for the very first time on stage in Sao Paulo together with my friend Renato!  

Hello, firstly I would like to say that I’m a great Primal Fear’s fan. I would like to know, what could we expect from Primal Fear in the Live and Louder Festival? There’ssomething special to this concert?(Nome: Walter Sólon, Cidade: São Paulo, Capital. Idade: 14 anos-Brasil)

Of course, we cannot bring the European stage set with us, because the flight restrictions and the travel, but we will play a lot of the songs from the Seven Seals album live on stage in Brazil aside of some classic fan favorites. We can do an exclusive Setlist for the fans in Brazil. Anyone who wants to participate can send us a list of 3 songs you want to hear at the Live & Louder fetsival to our management - info@levelten.de

Hello Mat Sinner, I live in Belo Horizonte, and I would like to thank you guys for coming to BH with Tribuzy last year. I play keyboards and I would like to know your opinion as a musician about keyboards in heavy metal. In a band like Nightwish, the keyboard is like a solo guitar, but in some gothic bands keyboards are only "atmosphere creators" and I would like to know what kind of keyboards you think are more interesting for a power metal band. Thanks for your attention, Primal Fear Rules! (Nome: Juliano Faria, Cidade: Belo Horizonte,Idade: !5 anos- Brasil).

Thank you Juliano. In my view, the keyboards is a fantastic instrument. You can play the sound of a Hammond Organ to a heavy guitar track, you can play like an entire string orchestra or you can play a harmony solo together with a guitar. Then you can just create a bombastic atmosphere, from the highest to the lowest tone – you have the range of the entire scale. There is no other instrument that versatile than keyboards. I think the real good mix as a treamplayer and the song makes the difference!

 I would like to know if your family had some negative influence when you decided to play Heavy Metal, or they supported you since the first steps? (Nome: Flavio Henrique Martins Sartor, Cidade: Florianópolis, Idade:19 anos- Brasil).

As I was already a well known soccer player, my father was totally against my musical influence and that I liked heavy rock and heavy metal. But in the end no one could stop me to became a totally dedicated musician!

 You said in an interview that the song Demons & Angels is the perfect combination between the old Primal Fear and the new. Would be this song that better defines the band? If not, what song do you think that better defines Primal Fear? ( Nome: Rafaela, Cidade: São Paulo, Idade: 14 anos- Brasil).

That’s very close! I wouldn’t say, that Demons & Angels is the only Primal Fear track with this attribute, but you have a great riff, strong vocal line, a 100% typical PF huge singalong chorus, breakdown with mighty orchestra strings etc etc – this song have everything which makes me proud of the band and my partner! That’s correct!

Which bands are you listen more in the actuality?(Nome: ARIEL WERLE; Idade: 16 anos; Cidade: São João do Oeste – SC - Brasil).

The last five albums I’ve listend today were: Tourist – The Revelance Of Motion , Evergrey – Monday Morning Apocalypse , Katatonia – The Great Cold Distance , Pink – I’m Not Dead , Vengeance – Back In The Ring

How did you fell playing with Renato, Bruce, Roland and the others, during the Execution DVD concerts here in Brazil with Tribuzy? ( Marcos Braga, 28 anos, Rio De janeiro, RJ - Brasil).
I enjoyed it a lot. I had a great time. All of these guys were polite, creative and in a good mood! The songs went very well and even the encores with Bruce on drums and Ralf, jeff and me sharing the lead vocals was so much fun! Roland & Roy are great mates since years! I met a lot of good friends during my stay and I really enjoy Bazil every time and I feel very well, when I’m visiting your country! That’s why I’m always coming back to Brazil and I’m looking forward to October!

  The first contact I had with your job was through Tribuzy’s album, I already knew Primal Fear, but I didn’t know your solo band. I loved the Nature Of Evil song and now I’m a new fan of your solo work. How important was in your opinion, Renato Tribuzy’s decision of to record an old song of your solo band and show this material to the new audience who didn’t know your solo band until that moment? ( Rodolfo Lavinsk, 16 anos, Santo André, São Paulo - Brasil).

I really don’t know and haven’t thought about such a question! I really think, that renato’s decision to record the song has a reason. Everything happens for a reason and he decided to record this song, because the song fits to his voice and his vision of his album. If it comes to a new Tribuzy album, I’m sure we can write some fantastic stuff together! I’m really happy to hear, that you like and enjoy what I’m doing with Sinner. There are a lot of great songs written for this band. Check out “Judgement Day” – one of my favourite albums ever! It’s great, that I will go back together with Sinner in the recoriding studio and record some brandnew stuff in September!

Besides Tribuzy, which other Brazilian bands you know? (JaquelineNatal, 23 anos, Belo Horizonte - Brasil).

I know a lot of band from Brazil from our tour, supporting us, I know your bigger band of course and I know the band, who participated on the forthcoming Primal Fear tribute sampler. There are a lot of talented bands out there and very good musicians. If anybody is interested, feel free to contact me. I would love to produce an album with a band from Brazil!

Tribuzy - Thanks a lot Mat, I hope you had a great time doing that! Please feel free to send your last words to all people who are reading this!!!

Yes, I hope to see you all again in October and we have a great time together at the Live & Louder festivals and a party after the shows! Brazil rocks!

Yours,

Mat