LH: This was Pagan's Mind first UK tour, do you think they were given a warm welcome over here?
SW: Absolutely, I think the fans were appreciative that the guys had made the effort to come over and play some shows over here. Big thanks should go out to the promoters Chrissy and Phil though as they did all the leg work in organising the whole week for us and they did a great job.

LH: Are there any plans to go over to Norway to tour with Pagans Mind, or to play outside of the UK at all?
SW: Certainly! We are confirmed to play Ragnarock festival in Oslo in August along with Pagan's Mind, Twisted Sister, WASP, Kamelot and many more. It promises to be a fantastic 3 days of rock and metal. There is the possibility that we will do a couple of warm up shows with Pagan's Mind beforehand. And we are working on further European adventures as well.

LH: Previously, you have mentioned that your record label has prevented you from being able to tour abroad. Do you feel that being on your current label "Majestic Rock"; may open you up to more opportunities for Power Quest to tour outside the UK?
SW: Difficult to say really. Majestic Rock are great guys but obviously they don't have the financial clout of a SPV or Nuclear Blast. Most of our touring activities are self financed so I always assume that to be the case with future missions. We have made a number of great contacts with booking agents and promoters lately so I'm hopeful that these will lead to bigger and better things in that arena.

LH: We met you guys at Prog Power. Which bands did you see and what did you think to the bands who played?
SW: Well, I only got to see the complete sets of Threshold (who were awesome as ever) and Freedom Call (hampered by a dodgy sound). I saw plenty of Pagan's Mind during our dates with them and thoroughly enjoyed their sets each night. To be honest, I spent most of PPUK hanging out at our merchendise stall. Therion are not my cup of tea to be honest but I did enjoy the acoustic set that Orphaned Land did at the warm up show. Good to meet you guys after the ARFM interview we did too!
LH: Did you have an overall favourite at ProgPower out of the bands you watched?
SW: Definitely Threshold! Never been disappointed by one of their performances. I guess you could argue I'm a little biased as we are good friends with the Thresh boys and of course Karl Groom and Richard West produce our albums for us!

LH: How was the pre-show which you played at?
SW: The pre-show was fun. Very small stage. Could barely fit everything on and there was no room to swing a cat! It was so hot in there that the walls were dripping. Really enjoyed the show despite the heat and the fans really seemed to get into it as well, which is all you can ask for!

LH: You're newest album "Magic Never Dies" has been described as having a much more mature sound to it, is this something you made a conscious effort to do, or was it more of a natural progression?
SW: The writing process is a very fluid process for us, nothing is forced or contrived. The songs come out as they do and there is no conscious thought to make it one thing or another. I think the PQ sound is constantly developing and this is something I anticipate continuing over future releases.

LH: Some of the songs on the album are quite autobiographical and about real life situations. Can you tell us about what inspired you for these songs on the album?
SW: Absolutely. Songs like "Hold on to Love", "The Message" and "Children of the Dream" are certainly born from personal experiences in life. As you get that little bit older obviously there are more of these experiences to draw on and I think it is good to have some "real life" things that people can relate to while listening to the songs.

LH: Are there any bands around on the UK metal scene that really stand out for you at the moment?
SW: I think there are some cracking bands out there at the moment in the UK. Particularly Soliloquy, Shadow Keep, The Prophecy, Replica X, Musta Talvi and Intense. Each of these bands are representing something slightly different under the metal umbrella and I think this bodes well for the UK scene.

LH: Thank you for your time. Is there anything more you would like to add?
SW: Thanks for the opportunity to do this interview with you guys. We really appreciate the support! I'd also like to thank all our amazing fans out there and the PQ crew (Simon, Manuela, Paul and Anna) without whom we wouldn't get out of the starting blocks! Haha! Until next time...the Quest must go on! Cheers!