Metal Rules Interview with Olaf Hayer

Olaf Hayer is one of the best and busiest young vocalists on the metal scene today. In addition to being the voice behind Luca Turilli's solo work he also has released CDs with Treasure Seeker and Lord Byron. Olaf is also the lead vocalist for the great new band Dionysus. Joining Olaf in Dionysus is Ronny Mialianowicz ex-Sinergy, who was recently interviewed by me for Metal-Rules.com. Olaf answers questions regarding all of his projects past, present and future.

Hey Olaf! Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. I am going to start off by asking about Luca Turilli. You were involved with Luca's "King of the Nordic Twilight" CD. How did you get hooked up with him for that project?

Well, Sascha Paeth who produced the album, called me on the phone, and asked me if I'm interested in singing lead vocals on Luca's Solo album. Of course I was. So a few days later Luca called me up, and we spoke about how the album will be like. Luca heard me singing on the Treasure Seeker album, which I did a year ago. So the story of the nordic twilight began......

What was your level of involvement? Did you have any input to the song writing process and vocal melodies or was everything all ready for you to sing when you went into the studio?

Luca sent me all the stuff as a very ruff pre-production even with some keyboard-lines for the lead melodies. The songwriting was well done when I got the songs. But I must say that Lucas taste of music is very similar to mine, so I loved every song. Luca, to me, is a great composer, and he gave me the freedom to sing the songs in my style of singing, but as I told you, we had the same imagination about the songs.

Luca is a very nice guy, and it's also very nice and funny to work with him. He is very intense to get the best result out of his music, but in a absolute relaxed way.

Luca Turilli is not only a project. It is a permanent band for sure for the next two CD's. You know, the plan is to release three albums. King of the nordic twilight was just the first chapter of a trilogy about the cosmic love, that survives even space and time. And I will be the singer for all three CD's. Nobody knows, what will be after that, but time will tell.....

Yes, we will go in the studio in 2001 to record the next CD. And after the release there will be a tour, but don't ask me when or where. This will be decided later.

When there is a new CD will you have more input on this one or does Luca do everything himself?

Well, the last time I spoke with Luca, he told me that he already has finished the songwriting for the next CD, and also some songs for the third. So I guess there will be no space for me to put in some songs, haha (He is fucking fast!). But this is absolutely no problem for me because I know that I will love the songs.

There was a video for "The Ancient Forest of Elves" from King of the Nordic Twilight. Can you tell our readers a little about the video and how it was made?

This video was made in only two days. It was a low-budget production, and there where a lot of things that went wrong. But we had a lot of fun, and I was really impressed about the result. The video was made outside in the nature, and that day it was raining every five minutes, so that we had to make a lot of brakes. The next problem was, that the company that should bring the lights and all that stuff didn’t come at the right time. We started in the morning, and they came in the evening. And over this we couldn't get the horses on the first day, even if they were rented. That was the reason why we needed the second day for the video. But believe me, it was really funny.

Yes of course, it was my first try as an actor, and who knows, maybe you'll see me in Hollywood some day, haha. It's a lot of fun, to ride a horse for a video, if you do that the first time. I was really happy that I didn't fall down from the horse (and it was a wild one).

I like videos because you can see the musicians, not only listen to the music. And it's a great thing, if your music tells a story, to give the people the pictures also.

You have a great new band named Dionysus which includes Ronny Milianowicz ex of Sinergy who I interviewed a short while ago. Can you tell me a little about how this band came about and a little about each member?

Well, we came together the same way, as it was with Luca. Ronny called me on the phone and asked me if I want to join the band as a full-time-member. We spoke about what kind of music it will be and so on. Than they sent me a demo with two songs. I was really impressed about the potential the musicians had. They are really good musicians so I couldn't say no, haha. You know, Ronny did a great job in Sinergy, and Magnus Noberg (bass) and Johnny ÖÖhlin (guitar) have been members of the Band Nation, which was also quite famous. I must say that Johnny for me is one of the best guitar-players in Europe. I really look forward to our first CD.

Oh, it's melodic-power-metal. We all love power-metal, but we are also influenced by some different kind of music. So lets see what it will be.....

Does the band have a CD recorded? and who are the main songwriters in the group?

No, we didn't record a CD yet, but that is the aim. The main songwriters are Ronny and Johnny. This is because they've had some ideas even before I joined the band. But I guess that I will also give some input in the future and hopefully for the first CD.

How about label interest? Has the band been speaking to any labels and whom, if any, have shown interest?

I cannot say names now, but there are some record-companies that were really interested. The problem was, that we only have had two Demo-Songs and that is not enough for a record-company to sign a band. So we recorded four more demo-songs two weeks ago, and send them to the labels. Now we are waiting for them to respond......

I gathered from Ronny's interview that you don't live near him at all. Where are you located and does being far away from band make it difficult to get any work done?

I live in Germany, and if we want to play together I have to take an airplane. But in times of computers and internet it is not a big problem. We are sending all stuff via e-mail and mp3. For me it's even better to be far away, because otherwise I would not be able to do three bands at the same time. You know it's the same problem with Luca, he lives in France now. And I also have a band here in my hometown called Lord Byron. This would be not possible if you have to rehearse every week with each band.

Is Dionysus planning to do any touring, or have you done any, to help get your name out to the people?

We also plan to make a tour after the release of the first CD, but I cannot tell you more at the moment. The most important thing now is to get a good record-deal.

What are your future plans for Dionysus? Is this going to be a full permanent band or is it just another project?

I think and hope that Dionysus will be a permanent band even in the future. We have big plans, and because of the big potential of the band I set big hopes in Dionysus. Dionysus is for sure no project, it's a full band.

Oh, I love it. It makes life so easy. What would a band like Dionysus do (you know I'm from Germany, the rest from Sweden) if we wouldn't have the internet? By the way, I also own a website about myself, and the bands I'm in. It's www.olafhayer.com I would be very glad, if some of your readers would visit my site, and feel free to sign my guestbook!

Do you have any other projects or collaborations in the works that you might like to tell us about?

Well, maybe you already know, that I'm a student and that I have a son (1.5 years old). So for me three bands are really enough at the moment. But maybe in the future....

You have also been involved with the band Lord Byron. Can you tell me a little about that band and if the band is still together?

Lord Byron exists since some years and the members of Lord Byron are some of my best friends, and we are still together. We prefer to stay a local band to play smaller gigs, because most of us are married and have children. I really love to sing in Lord Byron, because we know each other very well, and in this band I do some songwriting, so it's ok for me if I do not in Luca Turilli.

We know that your are an awesome vocalist but do you play any instruments?

I started as a drummer (but not a good one) and sang backing vocals. And I played trumpet in an orchestra when I was a child. But I don't play a "real" instrument.

My influences are: Helloween (when Kiske was their Singer), Judas Priest, AC/DC, TNT, Gamma Ray and so on. At the moment I also like bands such as Stratovarius, Edguy and Rhapsody.

What do you think of the metal scene today? Does metal seem to be gaining in popularity?

Yes, my opinion is, that metal gets stronger everyday, not so well in Germany, but I guess in some other countries ,like for example Brasil, metal is really popular. But I know, that there is a big crowd of people in every country that like heavy metal, so I believe that metal will never die.

I asked Ronny this question so I will ask you also. In North America Mallcore, "Nu-metal" or whatever you want to call it, has become very popular with bands such as Limp Bizkit, Slipknot and Korn. Do these bands have any popularity in Europe and what are your thoughts on these rapcore bands and their type of music?

I guess, that Limp Bizkit is also very popular in Europe, but not as much as in North America. I don't like this rap core style. I prefer hard riffs with very melodic vocals. But if people like their sound, they must be also very good. I wish them all the best and success for their music.

Is there anything else you would like to say to the readers of Metal-Rules.com?

Yes, I want to thank all the people, that supported me and the bands I'm in, in any way. I hope to see you on tour some day.