Is there any more recognized band name in Metal then VENOM? If there is, it’s probably a band that was influenced by, shared the stage with or broke the ground to prepare for them and others like them(That’s not to say there are many like them). VENOM changed Metal and took it into an era that saw an explosion of great bands and music.
You’re probably asking yourself, “Why is this guy talking about VENOM? I thought this was about M:PIRE OF EVIL?” Well, it is but, you can’t talk about one without talking about the other. Why? Because, in a manner of speaking, they are the same. At one point in time or another, the 3 original members(Jeff”Mantas”Dunn, Tony”Demolition Man”Dolan and Anthony”Antton”Lant) where members of VENOM.
Although the 3 joined forces to begin the new project, shortly after thier second M:Pire release, Hell To The Holy, Lant went back to his band DEF CON ONE and Classic rock drummer vertuoso, Marc”JxN”Jackson” joined. At first, to complete a scheduled list of dates but, later asked to stay on as the full time drummer.
At first, the band had taken the name “PrimEvil” chosen by the fans but, after learning another band, that had used thier 1988 release title by the same name were planning to re-form. They decided to respect the honor of that band and make another choice. Hence, M:PIRE of EVIL was chosen.
I was and am honored to have had this opportunity to pose some questions to Tony”Demolition Man”Dolan. Here is my interview, conducted via email….
Hailz Tony,
It’s great to meet you! I am a huge fan of both M:Pire Of Evil and Venom. Thanks so much for letting me ask you some questions.
A ; Hey Man it’s a pleasure to be here and thankyou for asking….
Q.1 Let me start by saying, you guys have a great website that seems totally, “for the fans”. A lot of info and easy to navigate. How much input do you and the others in the band have with site design and content?
A; Thanx man….it IS for the fans…simple…The web master is a Long time Venom fan, John Parry, together with his lovely wife Danielle, they administer the site for us…They ran the official Venom site for a while then were threatened after doing it for a long time, over the site and so they stopped that site and started a new un-official Venom one..He was the obvious choice to be our administrator officially along with another long time V fan Kostas but he is having issues i Greece right now..John gets updates from myself and then adds to the site but he designed and passed to us for approval..I like it because it is simple and made by a fan for fans…..
Q.2 You guys have been here to the U.S. as M:Pire Of Evil and previously as VENOM. How different has the reception been, first by the industry, media and venues, and second by the fans?
A; Amazing both…The Media have been supportive and very positive…the reception was amazing..Venue’s just great….advertising for shows was odd…we were guests to Onslaught and as such no one really knew the band although they knew when they were there and some before ,we were ex-Venom and sometimes we showed up and there was no advertising…so we ended up with maybe 50/60 people…and thought what the fuck? Then we hear it is like that in the US for many bands…known more than us..so go figure..Where they was advertising…the places were jammed and fucking insane..for us…there was no comparison really…American and Canadian fans…are supportive, real and love their women, beer and metal and that’s a pretty cool mix if you ask me…ALL HAIL!!
Q.3 Speaking on shows played in the U.S. How or what difference is there to playing here in N. America as opposed to playing in EU , Asia , or S. American countries?
A; People…the amount of people….lol..SA..they are fucking nuts and LIVE for music…it is oozing out of every pore and when they get a chance to see something live from outside they all come…Asia is different…some crazy, some more respectful and patient let’s say…like Japan..and EU??? The home of Metal…so…they are loyal and discerning also…they like you and you are liked forever..they don’t and they just ignore you…In the US…and Canada…you just feel like you are a long lost relative…so welcomed and everyone is so cool…and helpful as well as respectful…truly.,.it is a great world we are in..
Q.4 You guys put out a couple releases, one with both covers from several famously popular bands on them, as well as 2 new songs written for ” Creatures Of The Black “. ALSO one of re-recorded VENOM songs, ” Hell To The Holy “. Of the songs recorded and re-recorded, what do you personally consider to be the most enjoyable to (a)record, (b)play and (c)listen to?
A; Ah…well Hell To The Holy is all M-PIRE no re-recorded Venom songs…that one is what we are working on now…and that will be out January and called, CRUCIFIED…so 3 releases…For us in M-PIRE? We enjoy the recording and writing process very much but LIVE…we love…that’s when you can see the whites of the fans eyes and bring the shit alive for them…to listen to??? Everything we do…we write, record and play what we like….nothing we don’t,,,,,
Q.5 As for listening pleasure, of course you enjoy your own music but, what other bands do you like to listen too (a)old school and (b)modern ?
A; Between us? Machine Head, Immortal, Judas Priest, Rammstein, Destruction, Mayhem, Opeth, Eversin, Ultra Violence, Necrodeath, Black Label Society, Black Country Communion, Black Sabbath and a million more…..lol
Q.6 What, if any, genre label do you feel BEST describes M:Pire Of Evil and what do you feel about the many genre labels the industry, media and fans put on bands today? ( When I was a kid, into bands like VENOM, METALLICA, EXODUS, RAVEN and more. We didn’t have all these labels. 30 some odd years ago 😉 ).
A; None…we have no label…well except….METAL..we are METAL…There is a thought that Metal was dying, weakening…not true…just as many fans now as there ever was, it is just that there is so many small genre’s and large genre boxes everyone has been slipped into by media and fans alike that is seems that way…because back in the day we were one and now we are fucking 20 or more…classifications…lol. It seems that if you like Grindcore these days you shouldn’t like Black Metal, and if BM not goblin metal or Viking metal or fucking…Morris dancer metal….I like metal and there are BM bands I like and BM bands I don’t, Grind bands I dig and Grind bands I don’t and so on….fuck labels….if it’s metal of any kind and I like it…job done….once we all get back to being one crowd with great and varied bands in front of us…then we will all win and everyone one will see, we are as big a fanbase now as we ever were…
Q.7 Talking about years past, the way we found out about new bands was usually with borrowed mix tapes of bands from friends. Having said that, what are your thoughts on file-sharing and/or bands/labels who seek to recoup “damages” from people sharing music?
A; Look I was myself a tape trader…that’s how we did it coz, their wasn’t many labels interested early on..and that’s how the word was spread coz you couldn’t just fly to another country and play either…we relied on, trading and fanzines…but things changed…now you can record, produce at home yourself and do your own artwork..then build a page, a site and there you are…released….go find some local shows and the job is done..there are many online webzines will even review you…THAT is great, THAT is healthy and THAT is the extension of what we did back then….Stealing a stream of an album that is costing the band big money to make commercially…sometimes before it is even finished…and just the other day a mate was saying how he had sent a promo fwd of the NOT out new album to SA to be reviewed and the guy has loaded it up for everyone to share and now they are all having the album and it isn’t out yet….THAT is not right..because if THAT band gets fucked and no money comes in…they will get dropped eventually and then it’s all over, they will need a full time job and no more albums…of course as I explained before, they could go make internet stuff at home…but you make no money at that, can’t tour, can’t do it beyond the net.. Sure there is Marillion etc..but again that takes a control….their shit isn’t all free…otherwise they would stop operating…I don’t want to lose bands like this…I buy my music and if it is new by bands who send me stuff…I use it to help promote them but NEVER give it for streaming…or the bands would stop where they were forever…I realize I am generalizing…and I don’t agree with statements for sharing files and against sharing but this is my though in simple terms..If you wanna share…share new bands and new demos…keep music alive…not the shit that is already there…just to save yourself a couple of bucks, what is that? Also if you disagree with Lars and Metallica? Then don’t be a hypocrite and stream their files for free…simply blank them…coz that does make no sense..
Q.8 What kind of music or bands influenced you to become a musician and what bands influence you now, years later?
A; Now? No bands really, just inspired by music in general…As far as back….The Dickies and Motorhead….Sabbath, Kiss, Judas Priest…Deep Purple…usual…I suppose…some favs….Guitar wise, Gary Moore..bass Lemmy and Geddy Lee…JXN is a classic drummer and a new age too…he plays Sabbs like he is bill ward and Slayer like he is Lombardo…he is a true musician…
Q.9 Do you get a chance to get out in your area and catch some local metal? If so, what bands do you like to go see perform? (local plug)
A; Just saw Void Vod…there was Overkill in town at same time…Rammstein, Metallica…Judas Priest, Machine Head, Slayer, Testement…we all go see bands when we can…I guess I am the worst at seeing anyone (Tony) as I never seem to have any free time…I am a fucking workaholic….lol
Q.10 Here in my region of the U.S. , Northeast (RI)(Mass), we have a great collection of metal bands. Although, due to the economy, venues have gotten fewer and fewer. As you travel around the world, do you see this happening all over?
A; Yes right now, it is hard promoters are cautious…we are having a difficult time…we were Venom yes but are new as M-PIRE of EVIL and they just don’t want to take a risk in case…so you have lots of work to do…but it is changing as the world repairs itself…music is the food of the soul and that can never die…
Q.11 The way bands promote and distribute and market their music has changed a lot over the past couple decades due to digital technology and the internet. Have you found it better or more difficult to get the music to the fans and how do you guys reach your fans best?
A; As far as the net it is great…gives you an immediate reaction from fans…which you can use and work with..so the, leave it to fate ethos can be diminished somewhat….back when, bands would talk up albums in mags, release, then fans would say, this isn’t that good, and the reviews would say forget it…lol…then the bands would be back in the press on the next record saying…yeah we didn’t like how that album was done and the songs too we were never happy with then they start again and hope it goes better…now with the net you can be cautious, let demo-ed stuff out and illicit a response and see if you are indeed going somewhere..but…the net doesn’t get to everyone and I wish high street shops were still alive coz some people are still living in the real world and NOT the cyber world, where they are amazing and hot, sexy and really really cool…some people are just normal people like we all were before social networking…lol and so you have to reach those too and if you don’t play live and have no music outlets left…these people will miss who the fuck you are and that isn’t good for 2 reasons…1 They don’t hear you and 2 They don’t hear you!lol
Q.12 One last question I like to ask to end most of my interviews. In one word, describe an M:Pire Of Evil show.
A; FUN
Thanks so much for taking time to answer my questions and I look forward to getting a chance to see M:Pire Of Evil perform one day. Maybe even close to home in Providence, RI 😉
A; We have dates upcoming in Italy and Germany and in 2013 we are heading back to the US and Canada..so we will see you soon..for sure…Thanx for the cool questions Rick and ALL HAIL!
MPIRE OF EVIL WEBSITE
See you folks next time
-Rick
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MetalCage 
M-PIRE OF EVIL: A BAND FOR THE FANS – Tony (Demolition Man) Dolan Interview
Posted: October 12, 2012 in Commentary, Info, Interviews, UncategorizedTags: interview, mpire of evil, tony dolan, venom
Is there any more recognized band name in Metal then VENOM? If there is, it’s probably a band that was influenced by, shared the stage with or broke the ground to prepare for them and others like them(That’s not to say there are many like them). VENOM changed Metal and took it into an era that saw an explosion of great bands and music.
You’re probably asking yourself, “Why is this guy talking about VENOM? I thought this was about M:PIRE OF EVIL?” Well, it is but, you can’t talk about one without talking about the other. Why? Because, in a manner of speaking, they are the same. At one point in time or another, the 3 original members(Jeff”Mantas”Dunn, Tony”Demolition Man”Dolan and Anthony”Antton”Lant) where members of VENOM.
Although the 3 joined forces to begin the new project, shortly after thier second M:Pire release, Hell To The Holy, Lant went back to his band DEF CON ONE and Classic rock drummer vertuoso, Marc”JxN”Jackson” joined. At first, to complete a scheduled list of dates but, later asked to stay on as the full time drummer.
At first, the band had taken the name “PrimEvil” chosen by the fans but, after learning another band, that had used thier 1988 release title by the same name were planning to re-form. They decided to respect the honor of that band and make another choice. Hence, M:PIRE of EVIL was chosen.
I was and am honored to have had this opportunity to pose some questions to Tony”Demolition Man”Dolan. Here is my interview, conducted via email….
Hailz Tony,
It’s great to meet you! I am a huge fan of both M:Pire Of Evil and Venom. Thanks so much for letting me ask you some questions.
A ; Hey Man it’s a pleasure to be here and thankyou for asking….
Q.1 Let me start by saying, you guys have a great website that seems totally, “for the fans”. A lot of info and easy to navigate. How much input do you and the others in the band have with site design and content?
A; Thanx man….it IS for the fans…simple…The web master is a Long time Venom fan, John Parry, together with his lovely wife Danielle, they administer the site for us…They ran the official Venom site for a while then were threatened after doing it for a long time, over the site and so they stopped that site and started a new un-official Venom one..He was the obvious choice to be our administrator officially along with another long time V fan Kostas but he is having issues i Greece right now..John gets updates from myself and then adds to the site but he designed and passed to us for approval..I like it because it is simple and made by a fan for fans…..
Q.2 You guys have been here to the U.S. as M:Pire Of Evil and previously as VENOM. How different has the reception been, first by the industry, media and venues, and second by the fans?
A; Amazing both…The Media have been supportive and very positive…the reception was amazing..Venue’s just great….advertising for shows was odd…we were guests to Onslaught and as such no one really knew the band although they knew when they were there and some before ,we were ex-Venom and sometimes we showed up and there was no advertising…so we ended up with maybe 50/60 people…and thought what the fuck? Then we hear it is like that in the US for many bands…known more than us..so go figure..Where they was advertising…the places were jammed and fucking insane..for us…there was no comparison really…American and Canadian fans…are supportive, real and love their women, beer and metal and that’s a pretty cool mix if you ask me…ALL HAIL!!
Q.3 Speaking on shows played in the U.S. How or what difference is there to playing here in N. America as opposed to playing in EU , Asia , or S. American countries?
A; People…the amount of people….lol..SA..they are fucking nuts and LIVE for music…it is oozing out of every pore and when they get a chance to see something live from outside they all come…Asia is different…some crazy, some more respectful and patient let’s say…like Japan..and EU??? The home of Metal…so…they are loyal and discerning also…they like you and you are liked forever..they don’t and they just ignore you…In the US…and Canada…you just feel like you are a long lost relative…so welcomed and everyone is so cool…and helpful as well as respectful…truly.,.it is a great world we are in..
Q.4 You guys put out a couple releases, one with both covers from several famously popular bands on them, as well as 2 new songs written for ” Creatures Of The Black “. ALSO one of re-recorded VENOM songs, ” Hell To The Holy “. Of the songs recorded and re-recorded, what do you personally consider to be the most enjoyable to (a)record, (b)play and (c)listen to?
A; Ah…well Hell To The Holy is all M-PIRE no re-recorded Venom songs…that one is what we are working on now…and that will be out January and called, CRUCIFIED…so 3 releases…For us in M-PIRE? We enjoy the recording and writing process very much but LIVE…we love…that’s when you can see the whites of the fans eyes and bring the shit alive for them…to listen to??? Everything we do…we write, record and play what we like….nothing we don’t,,,,,
Q.5 As for listening pleasure, of course you enjoy your own music but, what other bands do you like to listen too (a)old school and (b)modern ?
A; Between us? Machine Head, Immortal, Judas Priest, Rammstein, Destruction, Mayhem, Opeth, Eversin, Ultra Violence, Necrodeath, Black Label Society, Black Country Communion, Black Sabbath and a million more…..lol
Q.6 What, if any, genre label do you feel BEST describes M:Pire Of Evil and what do you feel about the many genre labels the industry, media and fans put on bands today? ( When I was a kid, into bands like VENOM, METALLICA, EXODUS, RAVEN and more. We didn’t have all these labels. 30 some odd years ago 😉 ).
A; None…we have no label…well except….METAL..we are METAL…There is a thought that Metal was dying, weakening…not true…just as many fans now as there ever was, it is just that there is so many small genre’s and large genre boxes everyone has been slipped into by media and fans alike that is seems that way…because back in the day we were one and now we are fucking 20 or more…classifications…lol. It seems that if you like Grindcore these days you shouldn’t like Black Metal, and if BM not goblin metal or Viking metal or fucking…Morris dancer metal….I like metal and there are BM bands I like and BM bands I don’t, Grind bands I dig and Grind bands I don’t and so on….fuck labels….if it’s metal of any kind and I like it…job done….once we all get back to being one crowd with great and varied bands in front of us…then we will all win and everyone one will see, we are as big a fanbase now as we ever were…
Q.7 Talking about years past, the way we found out about new bands was usually with borrowed mix tapes of bands from friends. Having said that, what are your thoughts on file-sharing and/or bands/labels who seek to recoup “damages” from people sharing music?
A; Look I was myself a tape trader…that’s how we did it coz, their wasn’t many labels interested early on..and that’s how the word was spread coz you couldn’t just fly to another country and play either…we relied on, trading and fanzines…but things changed…now you can record, produce at home yourself and do your own artwork..then build a page, a site and there you are…released….go find some local shows and the job is done..there are many online webzines will even review you…THAT is great, THAT is healthy and THAT is the extension of what we did back then….Stealing a stream of an album that is costing the band big money to make commercially…sometimes before it is even finished…and just the other day a mate was saying how he had sent a promo fwd of the NOT out new album to SA to be reviewed and the guy has loaded it up for everyone to share and now they are all having the album and it isn’t out yet….THAT is not right..because if THAT band gets fucked and no money comes in…they will get dropped eventually and then it’s all over, they will need a full time job and no more albums…of course as I explained before, they could go make internet stuff at home…but you make no money at that, can’t tour, can’t do it beyond the net.. Sure there is Marillion etc..but again that takes a control….their shit isn’t all free…otherwise they would stop operating…I don’t want to lose bands like this…I buy my music and if it is new by bands who send me stuff…I use it to help promote them but NEVER give it for streaming…or the bands would stop where they were forever…I realize I am generalizing…and I don’t agree with statements for sharing files and against sharing but this is my though in simple terms..If you wanna share…share new bands and new demos…keep music alive…not the shit that is already there…just to save yourself a couple of bucks, what is that? Also if you disagree with Lars and Metallica? Then don’t be a hypocrite and stream their files for free…simply blank them…coz that does make no sense..
Q.8 What kind of music or bands influenced you to become a musician and what bands influence you now, years later?
A; Now? No bands really, just inspired by music in general…As far as back….The Dickies and Motorhead….Sabbath, Kiss, Judas Priest…Deep Purple…usual…I suppose…some favs….Guitar wise, Gary Moore..bass Lemmy and Geddy Lee…JXN is a classic drummer and a new age too…he plays Sabbs like he is bill ward and Slayer like he is Lombardo…he is a true musician…
Q.9 Do you get a chance to get out in your area and catch some local metal? If so, what bands do you like to go see perform? (local plug)
A; Just saw Void Vod…there was Overkill in town at same time…Rammstein, Metallica…Judas Priest, Machine Head, Slayer, Testement…we all go see bands when we can…I guess I am the worst at seeing anyone (Tony) as I never seem to have any free time…I am a fucking workaholic….lol
Q.10 Here in my region of the U.S. , Northeast (RI)(Mass), we have a great collection of metal bands. Although, due to the economy, venues have gotten fewer and fewer. As you travel around the world, do you see this happening all over?
A; Yes right now, it is hard promoters are cautious…we are having a difficult time…we were Venom yes but are new as M-PIRE of EVIL and they just don’t want to take a risk in case…so you have lots of work to do…but it is changing as the world repairs itself…music is the food of the soul and that can never die…
Q.11 The way bands promote and distribute and market their music has changed a lot over the past couple decades due to digital technology and the internet. Have you found it better or more difficult to get the music to the fans and how do you guys reach your fans best?
A; As far as the net it is great…gives you an immediate reaction from fans…which you can use and work with..so the, leave it to fate ethos can be diminished somewhat….back when, bands would talk up albums in mags, release, then fans would say, this isn’t that good, and the reviews would say forget it…lol…then the bands would be back in the press on the next record saying…yeah we didn’t like how that album was done and the songs too we were never happy with then they start again and hope it goes better…now with the net you can be cautious, let demo-ed stuff out and illicit a response and see if you are indeed going somewhere..but…the net doesn’t get to everyone and I wish high street shops were still alive coz some people are still living in the real world and NOT the cyber world, where they are amazing and hot, sexy and really really cool…some people are just normal people like we all were before social networking…lol and so you have to reach those too and if you don’t play live and have no music outlets left…these people will miss who the fuck you are and that isn’t good for 2 reasons…1 They don’t hear you and 2 They don’t hear you!lol
Q.12 One last question I like to ask to end most of my interviews. In one word, describe an M:Pire Of Evil show.
A; FUN
Thanks so much for taking time to answer my questions and I look forward to getting a chance to see M:Pire Of Evil perform one day. Maybe even close to home in Providence, RI 😉
A; We have dates upcoming in Italy and Germany and in 2013 we are heading back to the US and Canada..so we will see you soon..for sure…Thanx for the cool questions Rick and ALL HAIL!
MPIRE OF EVIL WEBSITE
See you folks next time
-Rick
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