Interviews : Edguy (Tobias "Eggi" Exxel) – 22/10/2009

Edguy will soon be returning to Australia to play at Sydney’s new and upcoming metal festival Screamfest on new years eve. Edguy will also be playing a handful of sideshow throughout Australia in early 2010.

Metal Obsession had the pleasure to speak with Edguy bassist Tobias Exxel, otherwise known as Eggi to speak about Edguy‘s upcoming Australian tour and their first time playing a metal festival of this caliber in Australia.

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Metal Obsession: Hi Tobias, how are you? Welcome to Metal Obsession.

Tobias “Eggi” Exxel: Thank you very much.

MO: Edguy will soon be returning to Australia to play this new years eve in Sydney, at Screamfest which of course is a new and upcoming metal festival in Australia and also includes some sideshows throughout Australia in early 2010. For the many Australian fans who haven’t had the chance of seeing Edguy live, what can they expect from this upcoming tour?

Eggi: I think its just going to be the great show. Its going to be fun. Everyone knows that Edguy are a fun and a happy metal band, so I think it’s going to be great.

MO: Edguy have toured Australia twice already. Once in 2002 and again 2004. I’ve heard in many interviews that Edguy seem to like Australia over any other country the band have toured, yet our fanbase is quite small compared to Europe or America. What makes Australia so special to you over any other country you have toured so far?

Eggi: It was a great experience to play there back in 2002 and 2004. What can I say, I’m just looking forward to it. Will be playing a festival for the first time in Australia which will be completely new to us and I’m really looking forward to it. I’m curious to see what other bands are playing with us because I have no idea who the other bands are playing at the festival.

I think I’m just going to be having a beer, watching the show and talking to the fans and stuff like that. I think that’s going to be really cool. I remember the first time we toured Australia and we were all excited to see Kangaroos and stuff like that because we don’t have anything like that in Germany.

MO: How would you compare the Australian fans to the rest of the Edguy fans around the world?

Eggi: I think that’s a very difficult question to answer. The people who like Edguy are pretty much the same all over the world and they expect to have a fun time at our shows and that’s what everyone really expects from us. I mean all the fans are the same in South America, South Africa, America, Europe and even Australia.

I can’t really compare or say a certain country is louder or even more crazy or something like that. In some countries like Australia though you wont always get 8,000 people at one show and that’s because European bands tour there every 4 years or something like that. In Germany there is always a good concert on every week but in places like Australia you don’t get as many and I think it will be very special to play in a country like Australia that don’t always get as many tours as Europe or Germany.

MO: Has there been much talk about the set-list for the Australian tour. Will it be one set-list for the entire tour or will you mix it up in every city you play?

Eggi: I think it’s going to be pretty much the same set-list in each city. We can’t expect to change one song or two song, or even three songs for this tour. I don’t think there will be a special set-list for every show in Australia because people are expecting pretty much the same wherever they go. Sometimes this can be bad though.

After the second leg of our tour in Europe we could see people posting bad things about our set-list on the internet and all the fans looking at those set-lists on forums or whatever. They look at the set-list and then it’s not a surprise to them anymore. All I can say is don’t go checking out our set-lists on the internet. [laughs]

MO: Edguy’s latest album Tinnitus Sanctus, has been out for roughly a year now. What has been the reaction from fans so far towards the new album and playing the new song live?

Eggi: What can I say, its great to play the new songs live. Every Edguy album is alittle different, yet there is always someone who likes to complain about something on the album, especially on the internet. People are writing long posts about all the details of the album, about what they like and don’t like.

Having said that, the Edguy show’s especially in Europe have been bigger than ever before, so I think that’s a good sign anyway. We are proud of the new album, we are happy with how it turned out and that’s the most important thing.We have to do what our heart tells us. As long as the fans come to our shows will be happy. [laughs]  Some people though just like to complain and say if we’re a heavy rock band or just a rock band and not a heavy metal band or whatever.

MO: That actually brings me to my next question. Recently I’ve heard many metal fans in Europe and around the world criticizing Edguy, saying some of the bands songs and lyrics is considered low brow, perverted or too silly for heavy metal. What are your thoughts on this, do you hear many people in the media or in general criticizing Edguy because of the humor used in the band’s music?

Eggi: Some people always think they have to complain about something. Especially when we do interviews in the media. We always come across cruel people. Maybe they don’t have anything else to do at home so they just sit on the internet,  go through all the forums they can find and write bad stuff about us.

It’s great that people can criticize though. It shows that they’re interested in Edguy and our music in general. As I said before we are proud of our music. It’s always important for Edguy to move on and that’s what we do all the time, take Mandrake or Hellfire Club as an example. I wouldn’t say Edguy is turning into a sleazy rock band or something like that, but who knows, maybe the next album will be alittle bit more heavy or faster or something like that.

Coming back to the question about the set-list. We are proud of all the Edguy albums, so we always do our best to mix it up adding new and old songs, not just concentrating on the new album. I think the people who prefer the old stuff will have a good time at these shows because we always mix it up and play new and old stuff.

MO: Are you hoping to play afew track off Tinnitus Sanctus when you tour Australia, or will this tour be more of a ‘best of’ tour?

Eggi: We may only have 90 or so minutes to play, so we always do our best to play all the best songs, at least what we think are the best songs or what we think the fans expect to be the best. Of course the new album is apart of all that and as long as we have enough time will play 2 or 3 songs from albums like Vain Glory Opera, Theater of Salvation, Mandrake, Hellfire Club and Rocket Ride will be happy. Of course the new album is always expected to be played but we don’t want to concentrate or play the entire album. We want to mix it up and have a good time.

[Go to ask next question but get disconnected. Thankfully Tobias rings a few moments later]

MO: Do you follow the Australian metal scene. Do you have any favorite Australian bands at the moment?

Eggi: I was going to say before we got interrupted that the most popular band from Australia that I like at the moment is Airborne because everybody is talking about them over here and they sound alittle like AD/DC. I think their really cool.

That’s the only band from Australia that I know of but its very difficult to follow the Australian metal scene over here in Germany. I think will get to know it alittle better once we get to Australia and tour in early January.

MO: What’s next for Edguy after the Australian tour. Are there plans to write a new album soon?

Eggi: Yeah. I think so. After the Australian tour I think we will. Edguy have been nearly all over the world for the Tinnitus Sanctus album, so after we have alittle break, maybe for 2 or 3 weeks because we don’t like to take long breaks will just go into rehearsals and start writing songs, working out ideas and stuff like that.

MO: Is there anywhere Edguy haven’t toured yet that you would like to tour?

Eggi: I don’t know. Maybe to South Africa with Edguy because I haven’t been there with Edguy yet, but I was there with Blind Guardian. I went over there for Blind Guardian’s South African tour which was a first time for me and also for the guys in Blind Guardian.

I said to myself when I was there that I would like to be here with Edguy. Hopefully for the next album we will have the chance to tour South Africa, that would be great. Then we can say we have been almost everywhere around the world. [laughs]

MO: Well Tobias, I better wrap this up. Is there anything you wish to say to the Australian fans before we finish?

Eggi: Of course. I just hope everyone is going to be there at Screamfest and the other concerts in January and as I said before I’m going to be around the stage having a beer talking to the fans and I think that’s what everyone in Edguy will be doing, just hanging in the venue talking to fans and having a good time. [laughs]

I’m really looking forward to the Australian tour. It’s going to be great because I’ll also be able to see the fireworks on the 31st of December in Sydney and then I can send text messages back home to Germany and say Happy New Year, but of course you will be 9 hours ahead of Germany. [laughs] I’m looking forward to that.

MO: It’s been a pleasure speaking with you Tobias. I look forward to seeing and Edguy in Australia very soon and wish you the best of luck on the bands upcoming tours.

Eggi: Thank you very much. Thanks for the great interview. I look forward to seeing you and the Australian fans in 2 and a half months.

Band: Edguy
Date: 22/10/2009
Origin: Fulda, Germany
www.myspace.com/edguy
www.edguy.net

Interviewer: Anwar Rizk
Interviewee: Tobias “Eggi” Exxel (Bass)
You can catch Edguy this new years eve at Sydney’s Screamfest. 19 bands over 2 days celebrating heavy metal at Australia’s first recognizable international metal festival.

Click image to enlarge

Edguy Australian 2010 sideshows w/ Cynic and Black Majesty

3rd Jan. – Billboard, Melbourne
5th Jan. – Fowlers Live, Adelaide
7th Jan. – Capitol Theatre, Perth

For more ticket information go to: www.justsayrock.com.au or www.ticketek.com.au