R: Actually, that tour was not that long. It got cancelled after several shows. But we did play some shows, we played the Milwaukee Festival, we played in New York... but ProgPower really means a lot to us. Like we said, there are people from all around America, and this is the place to come to. We just flew in yesterday, we were tired and dead, but we got here, and we really like it! We had a chance to talk to the fans out there, drinking some beers. Yes, we had a 28-hour-travel looks, but we talked to people and we had a great time with them! It's a good place, and we're gonna rock the house tonight!

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When you toured the States with Rob Halford, how did that go?

R: Oh, it was wonderful. And it was short. The situation just was not working out, financially, and it got up to the point when we couldn't continue. The production had issues, and in the end it was just not calculated well enough from our management. But it's always good to come to the States. So in a sense it was somewhat good for us. There's always two sides to everything.

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You were on Nuclear Blast then. Now you're on Frontiers.

M: Yes, Frontiers, an Italian label.

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Why them? Where did they come from?

R: We were trying to work out a new contract, and Mat spoke to many companies, and they offered us the best deal. They really wanted us, and they really made us a very good offer.

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Who distributes them in the US?

M: No distribution, besides, I think, Locomotive. The album will be available in January. They don't want to rush it, they want to bring it over here and give it a proper push. November would be too soon, and they want to bring it here with a proper, well-prepared promotion. I hope it's a good business decision, because the die-hard fans will try to get the import version. But, of course, this is their job, we don't really pay too much attention to that. Overall, we're happy with our management.

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Would you please comment on the latest changes in the lineup?

R: There were problems in the studio, but also some attitude problems. We felt like Tom was turning his back on us. After changing the record company it was a big challenge for us to produce our best album to date, and everybody was giving it a 100%, but we felt like this guy turned his back on us.

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How long did the whole recording process take for New Religion?

R: Starting from the writing sessions -- 6 months.

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Here's a question that I always wanted to ask: how is Primal Fear different from Sinner?

R: It's a different vocalist? (everybody laughs) No, seriously, it's a different style! It's a straight-edge power metal, compared to Sinner, which, to me is, more of a melodic metal / melodic rock... Now even more: Mat's latest album gotten into more of a melodic rock territory.

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Is there a competition?

M: Nope.

R: No. None at all. There can't be. This is a band writing, and in Sinner there's just one man behind it -- Mat. There is no competition between Sinner and Primal Fear.

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Mat, as far writing for both bands, how do you split yourself?

M: Each band has priority in a certain time period. I focus on that band 100% at that period. Sinner wasn't active in the past year or so, and I was 100% focused on Primal Fear. In fact, for a couple of years prior to the last Sinner album, Sinner was not active, and then I, kind of, revived it and wrote for them and with them, but outside of that I am completely involved with Primal Fear. I cannot do two big things like this at the same time.

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When you write and you come up with ideas, do you think "this would work better for this band" or "this would work better for that band"?

M: No. When I write for Primal Fear, I write for Primal Fear. When I write for Sinner, I write for Sinner. When I come up with the idea that I don't like or I don't think would suit this band, I throw it out.

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How does the songwriting work in Primal Fear? Do you first come up with the riff or with the melody or with the lyrics or what?

R: Sometimes we start with the lyrics. Or sometimes we come up with the melody line. It's different for everybody and for every song. First everybody thinks on his own, collecting ideas, then we get together and work out the final thing together.

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Can you give me an example? Give me one song and tell me how you came up with it?

R: I can give you one. On the new album, a song called "Too Much Time On My Hands." I was sitting on a toilet, and, you know, on a toilet I always have some time on my hands, so I starting humming "Got too much time on my hands" and thought "Hey, this is a good melody!"

M: That's where Ralf usually gets his ideas, the toilet! (everybody laughs)

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Of all the bands that you toured with, who did you enjoy the most?

R: It's like an album. We always like our last album the most, and when we're on tour, it's always the "package of the moment" that we enjoy the most. Halford was a very special tour for us, but there've been many festivals and many tours with many people we loved to hang out with. It's a great life.

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Any negative experiences?

R: There were some, but I won't mention them.

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What do you listen on the daily basis? Metal or other stuff?

R: I listen to all kinds of music. I don't just limit myself to metal; I listen to all kinds of stuff. Of course, I only have so much time, so I just listen to radio.

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When was the last time that you've heard something that made you go: "Wow, that's great!"? Or even "I wish I could do that!"?

R: The last U.D.O. album was great. Not the "I wish I could do that" type, but a great album.

M: The last album I really liked was the album from Fuel. Don't remember the title, but the songs were great. Great guitar, great vocals, everything. So I definitely thought "Wow, this is cool!"

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Ralf, did you ever speak to Rob Halford or Tim Owens??

R: Yes, I spoke to Rob many times before his return to Priest and after. I also spoke to Ripper.

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In retrospect, what do you think now about the whole Priest situation.

R: Well, I was very disappointed when I didn't get the gig, and I lost my Gamma Ray gig as well. But now, looking back, it's amazing how well everything turned out. Obviously, have I even gotten the position, I would have been out the same way Ripper is now out. And I started Primal Fear as a result. So Tim seems to be happy, Judas Priest is happy, Rob Halford is happy, and I'm pretty happy too.

Thank you for the interview, gentlemen, and best of luck at the show!