HEAVENLY began as a cover band, than you won the band competition which brought you the deal with Noise. But many say your sales point is because you reminds the fans of HELLOWEEN or GAMMA RAY.

From the days where you played cover songs until you decided to go new ways with traditional power metal, what was on you mind? I mean is the move to fast for me to grasp. Or was it a long time development?

Well, actually you should ask this to Ben or Max, cos as you maybe know, I joined the band right before the Stratovarius tour as a keyboarder....So I know that they started playing doors covers, but a few months after they were already composing some heavy-metal tunes.But everybody starts with doing covers...Personnally, I played in a small Metallica cover band when I was 15 years old, and together with Charley we were covering Iron Maiden when we met, 10 years ago.

Do you have any set definitions how your music and style should be like in gerneral?

Pffff....mmmn, not really!I think it's heavy metal music.basically.then you can put a lot of things around, like "power-melodic-epic-symphonic-speed"metal or whatever-metal.I just know that what we're doing is a fast, powerful heavy-metal with orchestrations and emotions.

Do you think you need to have a really good foundation of technical ability and playing skills to play power metal?

I think so.not just in order to play power, but also any kind of music.that's a respect.I wouldn't record something if I wasn't able to play correctly.I know music is about emotions more than technical ability, but you need at least to be able to express your feelings, and it requires a good technicity.

Do you think doing coversongs is very importend for a young band to start with? Do you have any good methodes to care your style?

Yes, covering songs is quite important.you start ripping all the things you like in the style of this guitarist, and in the way this one play, and this mix create the basis of your proper style...then you start creating songs and building your own style.

Just like HELLOWEEN or EDGUY, due to traditional Metal HEAVENLY is a surprisingly young succsessfull band. What do you think is "new" on you to challenge the requisitions for nowerdays metal bands?

Well...the fact that we are french.usually that kind of band is german.hahahaha.no, honestly, I don't really know...I think that we are true in our way to play and create songs, and that's what the kids like...

Both Piet Sielck and Kai Hansen appeared on your debut as guest musicians. How was your experience with them and did you lerned anything from those old metal gurus? You even didnt meet Kai Hansen personelly, what a pitty... How do they see your music?

Of course meeting all those great personalities helps to gain experience...Actually we met Kai, but later, when he was playing with Iron Savior in Paris.and we met again when we played together in London (that was pretty cool: Gamma Ray, Edguy, Heavenly, Nostradameus and Lullacry...)..I don't know what he really thinks about our music, but I guess he doesn't hate it at least, otherwise he would have forbid us to play on stage before them. :-)

Why did Chris (Guitar) and Laurent (Bass?) leave the band? Are Ben and Max the heart and head of the band and the rest just hired soldiers?

They left the band for personal reasons.At this time, Ben and Max were the heart and head.Now we are a real band, and heart and heart are separated in 5 unique pieces.

All songs of the Winner album was written by Ben. So aren't you ever envolved into the songwriting or at least the arrangements? Are you responstive for Soli?

Actually, when I joined the band, almost everything was already composed.I composed my soli of course, I recorded almost all the choirs (which I arranged as well) and took care of some arrangements here and there.For the new album, I composed 3 songs.

In total contrary to the performences of Ben you look like having a lot fun while jumping around on stage and doing funny faces. Many people are taking the music too much serious, how do you think?

Well, when I go to a Morbid Angel gig, I don't wanna see Trey Azagtoth jumping on stage.our music didn't need to be serious for the moment, so we can smile and laugh on stage.we'll see what future brings...

You are the new one in the band, how does it come that you are responstive for giving interviews? Did you know Ben and Max before you joint in?

Well, no, I met Max and Ben only one day before our first gig together.quite fast, isn't it?actually I had to learn the songs in 2 days, and then I was playing before Symphony X.!!!uh!!!why am I doing the interviews?well...I don't know!I like it anyway, so....

Were you playing in other bands before?

Yes.I used to be guitarist-singer in a black-death metal band called Memoria, guitarist in a metal band called Hors Normes, guitarist-keyboarder-backing vocalist in a hard rock band called Jack'o Lantern, and now I'm building a side project with J&üuml;rgen Steinmetz from Silent Force and Felix Bohnke from Edguy.it should be something really funny, really hard US poser stuff.

In the beginning I thought the winner album was a concept album telling fantasy styled stories. In fact Ben has a nice and easy way to tell people to believe in ones self and to be happy and friendly to the wourld around us. Do you think you are a winner?

If I am a winner? well, yes! we had a lot of fun recording this album, we did a great tour...that was cool.we are winners, definitly!

Noise Rec. is a winner, too, isn't it? :)

Yeah, they're doing quite a nice job for us. We've got good relationsship, and that's it! cool!

If I didnt understand wrong you have an own studio "Sound of the Winner" Studio in Paris where you recorded the new album? Do Ben and Max also do other productions beside HEAVENLY?

No, this studio is only for our heavenly stuffs. But I'm maybe going to use it to record a solo project.we'll see.

Both Your melodies and the singing reminds me strongly to the old HELLOWEEN. So I guess the influences for your todays music is based on the old glorious days of German Power Metal?

Yes, Ben is a great fan of Helloween and Gamma Ray. Personnaly, I'm more into Alice Cooper, Annihilator, Iron Maiden, Scorpions, Morbid Angel, Pestilence, Europe, Malmsteen...but as Ben used to be the only composer, you only had one ring of the bell:-)

You had a greate tour with EDGUY in Germany which brought you a lot respect in their, how was your impression of the Krauts?

This tour was purely amazing.we had a lot of fun, fans were absolutely great, that was really a nice nice tour.

You are already a big name in France, but before your tour with EDGUY not much German know about you, how did you feel on stage as a suportband?

actually we were a bit known in germany as well.Being a supportband is not a problem.it's even more easier: you only have 30-40 minutes to kick ass, so you can give all you have...if the soundenginneer allows you the right sound!

You seem to have a lot in commen with german bands so I was surprised to hear that HEAVENLY comes from France. Do you have many contact with german bands or scene?

Yes, we are friends with Silent Force, Edguy, Avalon, Gamma Ray, Iron Savior, Mob Rules...

Do you think german bands has some how advances in playing power metal? Do german band have it easiert to come out than french bands?

well, yes, metal is not a famous kind of music in France, and in the other countries, it's more like "where do you come from? France? bwahahahah, there's not heavy metal there"...so it's easier when you come from Finland, Sweden, Germany, but the wind changes sometimes...

Now english is surely the dominating language in heavy metal, will you ever consider to write some songs in your French? You also can speak a little german, right?

Ja ich spreche ein bissschen Deutsch. Aber ich denke, dass wir nicht in franz?sich singen werden.English ist besser...when you want to sell something out of France.:-P

The french metal scene is becoming better. 10 years ago I only know some death metal bands like LOUDBLAST, NO RETURN, D.A.B., so extrem metal is engrowing well in their. How about the main stream? What do the french kids like today?

Well, there's some good bands in France: Manigance, Malediction, Agressor, Anorexia Nervosa, No Return....but what you can see on TV is quite different: Jennifer Lopez, all those bloody shits...

Which interesting power/speed metal bands can France still offer today? Do you know HEADLINE? DREAMCHILD seems to be also a good one.

I know Headline, but to be honest, I only know the name.same with Dreamchild.I don't listen so much power-speed metal actually.

How does your gig at home look like? How many will come when you are playing in Paris?

Well, actually we don't know yet, cos we never played as headliner yet.we were supposed to, but we had problems with the organisation of this french tour, so I'll be able to answer this question in one year! ;-)

China hast a lot metal bands, but nearly none of them has such a vocalist like Ben Sotto. Do you have any advice incl. how to choose a good singer or how to praticise?

mmmm...no!just be yourself, sing what you can sing, play what you can play, be honest with your music, that kind of things...

Maybe you do not know much about the far east culture. But you surely do know China, what impression do you have of it?

Well, I'd love to go to China, I love this eastern culture...maybe we'll go there for the next tour..would be great...I've got a lot of respect for this kind of culture.I don't know that much about it, and so I would love to learn more...