PM: How are things going in general? You are recording a new album, can you reveal any album title or track lists (apart from ‘Midnight Messiah’ on myspace)?

Norman: Actually no! It’s all top secret! But seriously, we have nothing in the pipeline for the rest of the year other than the new album, which is the main priority unless something comes up that we simply cannot refuse. It should have been done last year, but I injured my arm at work so it had to be put on hold.

PM: Do you think it will be out by the end of the year?

ND: Err, we’re not sure, we haven’t even decided on a studio, we have tried a couple of studios and we shall just see how we get on.

It is at this point that Lee Payne and Russ North from Cloven Hoof enter the backstage room and cause a few laughs and jokes!

PM: On your myspace site you have the track ‘Midnight Messiah’ on there as a video, is that the final mix?

Norman: Oh no, that’s just banging it out at one of our rehearsals totally and live and we are playing it tonight anyway for the first time too.

When I go on about the lyrics in this tune, I had completely got the wrong quotes written down, so Paul soon put me straight on that issue!

Paul: This track actually Phil came up with the title, he does that a lot, and he normally has the lyrics for which I normally get my red pen out, draw lines through them and re-write! Great guitarist, but I like to deal with most of the lyrics (laughs). The idea for the lyrics comes from comic strip heroes, that sort of thing, good guy, bad guy etc.

PM: When you come up with tunes, what normally comes first for you?

Paul: Usually it’s a riff. We rip it around and sort out an arrangement, a chorus etc, then continue from there. We normally come with some sort of idea a jam it out from there really and eventually we come with a tune, then I will take it away and come up with a melody line etc. We have yet to work out a schedule, whether we will spend an amount of time in the studio and get things done or like on ‘Mindcreeper’ we would come and go and do bits and pieces.

It’s at this point that Phil comes in and wants to tune up the guitars before they go on stage next (myself and Norman are sitting on the guitar cases), so Phil joins us for the interview as well.

PM: Is there an overall concept behind Elixir, do you have a theme around current affairs or anything like that?

Paul: We never set out to do anything different from that what we do.

Norman: Each individual member of the band has their owns influences we don’t set out to do any particular style.

PM: Will you release the new album on a vinyl issue?

Norman: (laughing) It all depends on whom we release it with!

Paul: That would be nice.

PM: Have you got a label behind you now for the album release?

Paul: No, there is no money being put into this band, only our own so that makes things harder. When Majestic Records folded we were left with very little at all. Phil: The overall sound we have to consider also, I mean the album called ‘The Unknown’ by Attacker has a great sound, and we like that sound, that’s maybe something we would invest in etc. We will check out a studio, do 2 or 3 songs there, if it works the way we want it too then we shall continue in that studio. We would not change our recording technique, but traditional analogue studios are hard to find now so we would have to go digital.

Paul: We will just record whatever way we can!

Norman: The whole internet thing as well has opened up a whole new market so that is also something to consider for the release of the album, but nothing is set in stone.

PM: So speaking of vinyl albums, which front cover do you prefer on your ‘Sovereign Remedy’ album? (Laughing knowing there is a conflict of ideas).

Paul & Norman: The original one with the mad frog on the front!

Phil: Oh dear…back to this one!

PM: You recently played the last gig ever at the famous Ruskin Arms in Manor Park, how was that day for you?

Paul: we loved it, cracking day. Everything went fine, we played well, can’t have been better.

PM: Traditionally for the band, was that venue a place that you used to go too often?

Paul: Certainly for me, as I was local, I played in a few bands there, it was a main stay, but the Royal Standard near Blackhorse Road was the one we used to play more often that not and that’s where we met up with some of the band members.

Phil: First gig for us at the Ruskin was with Desolation Angels.

PM: From all of your gigs in both of the bands era’s, do you have any favourite shows that stick out in your mind?

Paul: Certainly the Greek audiences are great; they always support the band well. Every time we go we end playing like 2.5 hours, they just wont let you go!

PM: Just speaking about the different countries and everywhere that you have played, even though your style and the whole NWOBHM style if you will originated in Britain, it appears to be much more revered in other countries to Britain, do you mind that, is that true?

Paul: Yes to a certain extent. Germany, Holland…

Norman: Italy is great, not forgetting the UK though.

PM: You have played both the ‘Headbangers Open Air’ and the ‘Keep It True’ festivals in Germany over the last couple of years, how did you find those?

Paul: HOA was great, KIT was not so great for us because we did not have Nigel on drums and that was really the first sort of outing for the band.

Phil: The festival (KIT) itself was very well organised and hats off to the organisers it was great, but we did not have any monitors on stage so it was hard to hear what you were playing.

PM: Your following around the world seems to be greater than that in the UK, what do you think about that?

Paul: It’s a shame in general that we don’t have the following in the UK that we have around the world, but until someone thinks that they can make money out of metal again in the UK, that’s the way things are at the moment.

PM: The British Steel Festival concept originated from yourselves to give you a good relevant bill to play with, would you consider taking British Steel to an open air setting in the future and what do you think now that the festival is based in London rather than Milton Keynes?

Paul: That depends whether there is any of us alive to still play!

Phil: It also depends on the way that people want to play live also, if there are fees involved etc, at the moment every band is equal and it a great atmosphere.

Paul: For the British Steel festival as-such, it’s a simple statement of making sure that people know that we are still alive, It worked well for some of the bands that have played British Steel, Hammerhead and Tygers of the Pang Tang got European gigs out of it, same with Cloven Hoof which is great you know. We know who are mates are and it’s great to share the stage with some of these acts.

PM: There is a resurgence in the traditional metal style with the younger generation, e.g. Dark Forest (Christian Horton now also plays in Cloven Hoof), In Solitude, Bullet etc, how does that make you feel?

Paul: Its great, the younger bands are the lifeblood if you like, it certainly makes our job with British Steel easier as older bands are harder to get together now, a younger band is a great opportunity for us to put on as an opening act.

It is at this point that I decide to end the interview, time is pressing on and the band needs to get ready for the stage. But rest assured, Elixir will have something out in the coming months in whatever format they can achieve.

It was a real pleasure to speak to these wonderful folks in the band and as you can see on this very website (April reviews), the gig was something special also. Many thanks to Paul, Norman and Phil for their valuable time, and I for one am looking forward to more Elixir very very soon.

For more on the band check out http://www.myspace.com/officialelixir
http://www.myspace.com/britishsteelfestival

Interviewed by Paul Maddison

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