Boals, Mark (Ring Of Fire) (February 2002)

Consulting The Oracle: Ring Of Fire's Mark Boals

His new band, named Ring Of Fire, has already exploded on the Japanese record charts, and maybe the same thing will happen here in Europe, who knows. The one thing that's certain is that The Oracle represents a great album of neoclassic metal, and one of the main reasons is that behind the microphone we have one of the best vocalists of the genre, the ever charming Mark Boals. Here he speaks to our microphones?

Igor Italiani: Hi Mark! So if I read it right, yesterday was your birthday - so Happy Birthday, and did you have a party to celebrate or not?

MB: Yeah. That's right. Thank you very much. No, I've worked in the studio almost all day, but I had a nice dinner at night. So no party! I'll have it later on!

II: Oh, OK. On the other side, do you know that today is my birthday as well?

MB: Oh, great. Happy birthday to you. So will you have a party or not?

II: No. I don't think so. I'll go out with some friends of mine and that's all.

MB: OK, OK!!!

II: OK, Mark. Let's go straight to music, now. Are you finally happy with Ring of Fire and the great line-up you were able to create around you?

MB: Absolutely. The band is a great bunch of guys, and they are all great, virtuoso musicians. I couldn't ask for a better band. I can't wait to play some live shows with them as well. We will do that early next year [2002], then we are gonna do the next record, which I can't wait [for] also. You know, we are gonna work together on the next record. We are planning to do more of a band thing, when everybody contributes to the writing of it. It will contain even more chemistry than this album already has.

II: What are the differences you would like to point out from your last solo work Ring Of Fire , and the first Ring Of Fire record The Oracle ?

MB: Well, the differences are that now I have a real band. The guitar player is different, because on the first record there was Tony MacAlpine, who is a fantastic guy, but who couldn't take part on the recordings of The Oracle because he had an already busy schedule. But the guy who replaced him is great as well, he is young George Bellas [now it seems that MacAlpine has returned to the line-up. - II]. I think he is gonna do some things in the future. The main difference was really that we approached the record more as a band, and also from a music point of view the records look the same, but The Oracle takes the music one step further.

II: But were you stunned to learn that the album was at the top of the Japanese charts just after its release?

MB: Oh, I was thrilled. I expected it to do well, but I was really happy that the success exceeded my expectations. They really loved the record in Japan. So I think that we will record a date on the next tour, probably Tokyo, and do a DVD out of that.

II: OK, talking about the album ... one thing that caught my attention was the fact that Erik Norlander was involved in the mixing, and that you recorded in Steve Vai's studios. Can you tell me something else about these collaborations?

MB: Oh, they are friends of mine; and the Steve Vai studio is a convenient place to record for me. It's comfortable. I like to record there, in fact I'll probably record there the next album as well. It has a good vibe. Erik is also a great guy, and the guy who runs Steve Vai's studio, Neal, is a nice guy too. Erik was actually recommended to me from the record company I have in Japan, Marquee. He does a lot of work with them, and so they introduced me to Erik and his wife Lana. I was familiar with him before, but now we are really good friends.

II: Well, considering this, you could have also figured some duets with his wife, Lana Lane ?

MB: Yeah, I did a song with her, and it's going to be released on her new solo record Project Shangri-La. It sounds great. She is a great singer. Concerning a female guest on my records, I'll probably do that on one of my next solo records. That's an interesting idea, since this song I've done with Lana sounds really great.

II: One of the best songs of the album is "Samurai." Is it a sort of homage you paid to the adoring Japanese fans or what?

MB: Well, actually the Japanese are not so proud of the samurai period, because it was a very brutal period and there was a harsh environment for the average person. It's basically just an historical song, I think it's an interesting story, a very interesting period of history to talk about ? and the song is very powerful and evokes a lot of imagery, but always remember that the Japanese people don't like that period, though. In the beginning I didn't know that, too.

II: Another superb song is the title-track, "The Oracle," where you really scream your balls off. What can you tell me about this song?

MB: Well, the title-track is really an epical musical journey, I guess. You know, it's a very long song and it goes through a lot of changes, and I really had fun with that. You know, we wrote the album very quickly, and the ideas were coming one after the other. I didn't spend a lot of time planning the songs, they just came to me as the music was coming out.

II: Mark, I also read that from now on you will be the manager of yourself. Is that right and why do you act in this way?

MB: Well, it's not necessarily a permanent thing, but for the time being it's a more efficient way of doing things for me. There are so many managers who really don't do anything, they don't do nothing, anyway! In today's music world you have to be really, really aggressive to promote a band or an artist, and somebody sitting around doing nothing is not going to help you. So I thought about taking the bull by the horns (by myself), so I know what I'm doing, and I know something is getting done at least, eh, eh?

II: Obviously I have also read that you will start touring in Europe. Have you some dates already planned? Will you come to Italy?

MB: Yes, we are going to do just a short European tour before the Asian one. We will do just a few dates as a showcase, to get a taste of the band. Album is getting out now, so we want to touch just a few areas and give the people a taste of the band, then, later on, we will probably come back to do some other shows. In Italy we will probably come at the beginning of February, perhaps to do a couple of shows in Rome and Milan.

II: A thing that amazes me is the great success you have in Japan. How do you explain the fact that Japanese still love neoclassic metal?

MB: Oh, Jesus, eh, eh, I don't know how to answer that. But I'm glad that they do, even if I don't know why. I know that they appreciate musicianship and talent, and artistry. They like just about any kind of music that is done really well. I think that's what I've noticed over there. I don't know if they really like all music genres, but they certainly like what's done well.

II: On the other hand, why doesn't America care about this sound anymore?

MB: I don't really think that the American people that don't care anymore, but the record companies, the big corporations [don't]. They wanna sell products but they don't care about the quality or the right promotion. They just wanna make money, so they know they can sell a lot of records with the pop or boy bands or girls bands. That's the easy way to go, so that's why this is the most popular music in America right now. Good songs and slick sounds, and it sells easy. However I think that some heavy rock will come back in the market, because the radio stations, they still play a lot of rock, but there is no new artists to play, so they play all the old stuff. It's a bit funny right now. I'm a bit embarrassed for America.

II: Mark, do you think you'll always stick with neoclassic records or maybe you'll try something else in the future?

MB: Oh, wow, I'm working on a solo record right now, and it's going to be melodic rock. Heavy melodic rock. It's not gonna be the same as Ring Of Fire. I wanna have this band, Ring Of Fire, which is the best band I had, but I also like to write other kind of music, too. So that's why I'll do a solo album as well.

II: And who are the musicians that will take part in this solo album?

MB: There will be Vinnie Appice on drums, I'm gonna play bass by myself, and guitar will be a guy named Shawn Lane. He is a great guy, and lately he is been doing a lot of blues stuff, but he can play anything. I always wanted to work with him. I met him some years ago and I always knew he was good. There will be another guitar, too. I have some people in mind, but they are on tour right now, so I'll have to wait and see. Erik Norlander, I think he will play some keys as well, because I wanna get some vintage sounds.

II: One final question, Mark. You are clearly one of the best singers that neoclassic metal has ever had. Can you name three records every fan should have in his collection?

MB: Oh, that's a tough one. There are so many, I don't know how I can name only three. I can't do it, I can't name just three. It's too hard. I have thousands and thousands of records, I collect everyone, and man it's just too hard...eh, eh...

II: A final message for the Italian fans?

MB: I love Italy. Every time I come there I can't wait to come back. The food is great, the people are great, the cars are great, the cities are great.

II: Mmh, you also like the cities?

MB: Yeah, I can move there.

II: But you know that one of the major problems of Italian cities is too much traffic?

MB: Yeah, I guess that when you live there you know the problem, but when you are visiting, traffic doesn't matter. Traffic in L.A. is much worse than in Italy, ah, ah ... that's probably why it doesn't bother me!

II: OK, Mark. Thank you very much. I hope to see you when you come to Italy. Happy Birthday once more.

MB: Oh, Happy Birthday to you! OK, see you and bye bye!

Discography:
Ignition (1998)
Ring Of Fire (2000)
Ring Of Fire - The Oracle (2001)
Ring Of Fire - Burning Live In Tokyo (2002)
Edge Of The World (2002)
Ring Of Fire - Dreamtower (2003)
Ring Of Fire - Lapse Of Reality (2004)
The Chronicles (2011)
Ring Of Fire - Battle Of Leningrad (2014)

Burning Live In Tokyo 2002 (DVD) (2002)