Pre-Promotion for House Of Insanity album 2008

Chris Caffery of Savatage & Trans-Siberian Orchestra Interview August 4th 2008,Sonic Train Studios,Varberg,Sweden

You are working on a new album.How is it going and what is the title for it?
It's just about done and House Of Insanity it's called.

What can we expect from it?
I think this record is a little more what people would expect from me.My last record was cool but it was the first time I was working with a producer and I think I was listening to him more than to my own gut.
It was a cool record but I think it got away a little from who I am. And from what most of my fans was looking for musicly.
And with this record it was like the longer the time goes by that Savatage doesn't play the more I become disconnected from the Savatage fans and that was really starting to bother me.
And some people think that I am one of the reasons why Savatage doesn't play together because I do these records and it's not that at all.
I do these records becasue I wanna see the Savatage fans and play and get music out. And the last thing I wanted to do with this music was to alienate myself even further from the fans.
So with this music I'm going a little bit more home with it. I think the Savatage fans will be very happy with it when they hear it and say this is what we've been waiting for.

Any special guests on it?
Zak Stevens (Circle II Circle/Savatage) is doing a duet with on a song called Solitaire. Glen Drover (Megadeth) did a guitarsolo on one song.
John Macaluso (Tnt/Starbreaker) did the drums on this one. And did an amazing job.That guy is a freak of nature. The most of the record is just me.
You know if anybody is gonna fuck up this records...It's gonna be me.

Release date?
Well, I'm kinda a little late. I was hoping to have it done by the first week of July. So i'm running kinda a month late on it.
So my hopes of getting it out in 2008 is ...I don't know if I can. But at least i'm gonna try to have it out in Europe in late October or early November but if I can't it's gonna come out everywhere in Jan/Feb 2009.
I don't wanna rush it.I don't wanna mess it up.It's a really good record and the last thing I wanna do is waste the music because i'm in a hurry to get out there.
I was hoping for October but i'm running a little late now but at least i'm not running 8 years late like Savatage have.

Any plans to tour in Europe and Sweden?
I'm trying to figure that out now. I have to start with Trans-Siberian Orchestra in October on their tour and that one isn't done till the middle of January.
So I have a few touring offers in January so I have to see how it goes with the release and everything.
I think when the press gets a hold of this record and the label starts to listen to it some other really intressting opperturnitys will come up.
So i'm just gonna wait see and I think Trans-Siberian Orchestra might tour outside of Christmas next year too so i'm just gonna have to wait and see what goes with that.
And there's still talks about the magical Savatage reunion might happen next summer,but who knows either.
It was our 25th anniversay in 2007 and we will the only band ever to do a 25th anniversary tour in the 27th or 28th year.

Has there been any talk about doing a tour with Jon Oliva's Pain & Circle II Circle?
They are touring together and my only problem with that is the same problem I think Paul O'Neill has with it.
And he knows that the Savatage fans really wanna see Savatage.
And no single person of course there's Jon Oliva is the closest you're gonna get and he is the leader and the founder of the band but no single person ever makes a band.
I think people really wanna see Savatage back together and I think if we were to do this tour where you would have me, Jon and Zak playing all their own music and then do a Savatage jam it would like...
- Why the hell isn't Savatage playing. Because at that point there really are no excuses for Savatage not to be playing. We need Al,Johnny and Jeff to play and who knows they might wanna play.
I happy that Jon & Zakk is touring together and I have done shows and toured with Jon. But me personally right now I would like to see Savatage tour again.
I think in the end it's what the fans want and it's what I want as a fan of the band as well it's my 21st year with the band since the first show with the band.
I think people really wanna see Savatage play.They miss it and I miss it. It's no offence to anybody Jon or Zakk or even myself who's doing anything on the side.
I think everybody is making good music but I think everyone's really wanna see Savatage.
I mean Bruce Dickinson is doing great solo records on his own. Accident Of Birth and The Chemical Wedding are two of my favorite albums ever but Bruce and Adrian Smith were doing clubs and theatres.
And now they're back in Iron Maiden and they are selling millions of tickets and everyone is going to see them.
It's just that feeling when you get the band back together again and it's just a complitelly differnet thing. It's same same thing with Black Sabbath
when Osbourne,Butler and Ward came back with Iommi whom I'm a huge fan of every record ever.It went the same way.
And I think that's what people want in the end. And I think that's why people wanna see Savatage back together again.
Especially the Dead Winter Dead/The Wake Of Magellan line up and we got to the level where we were abel to headline festivals and i think there is what we'll be if the band got back together.
That's the line up that I think it should be.

Where is the talk about Savatage and next year now?
We have to see.There's a few different things like schedueling and just getting everyone on the same page.
Cos the only thing that can make Savatage play is Savatage.
It's at that point now where everyone wants and the only thing holding us back is ourselves.
I've spoken to everyone induvidually and everybody wants to do it. It will happen but I just don't know when yet.

Any plans to do a European tour with Trans-Siberian Orchestra?
Yeah that's part of the things that's going on now.T.S.O. is doing another none holiday cd.
It's called Night Castle and it's another one of those where me and Night Castle is in the same position where it 's a will it be out in 2008 thing.
When it comes out we are planning to tour outside Nov/Dec and outside the United States. I think Europe will love it.
It's an amazing live show. And I know Paul O'Neill would never bring it over here if any short of what we have in the States.
He would pay money to play so that people could see it the way it should be.When we bring the show over everyone will be blown away by it.

Are there any plans for another Doctor Butcher album?
There are always plans for another Doctor Butcher album.But I have to get Jon Oliva and time to do it.
Jon is busier than all of us. Always working on T.S.O. and his Jon Oliva's Pain so he more so than everybody doesn't have the time now for Savatage or Doctor Butcher becasue he is busier than me.
But someday hopefullly.But the good thing about it is that both me and Jon have done alot of heavy music on our solo stuff.
So I think if we ever did another album it has to be so bombastically heavy that it would be really fun to do. I would love to do it.
Even if Jon won't sing on the whole album I was thinking maybe writing it like a horror opera and maybe having guys like King Diamond and Ripper Owens to sing on it as well.

Who are your favorite guitar players?
Micheal Schenker.Tony Iommi.Adrian Smith.Ted Nugent.Eddie Van Halen.Yngwie Malmsteen.Rik Emmett.Randy Rhoads.
I can sit here all day,there are so many great guitarplayers.

Hope to see you all on tour very soon!!!!

Interview by Andy Flash for Artrock webzine.

Chris Caffery

http://www.chriscaffery.com/

http://www.myspace.com/chriscaffery

Savatage

http://www.savatage.com/

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

http://www.trans-siberian.com/intro.html

Doctor Butcher

http://www.doctorbutcher.com/