ALL FOR METAL: “Leather, rivets, armor and the highest tones”.

Tim “Tetzel” Schmidt(Asenblut) and Antonio Calanna (former DeVicious) are behind All for Metal. In their debut “Legends” the German-Italian project pays tribute to Heavy Metal and especially Manowar. We talk to Tetzel about the band’s formation and why a bit of old-fashioned cliché might be a good thing after all.

Formative albums:
Amon Amarth – “Versus the World” (2002) – This made me love Melodic Death Metal.
Blind Guardian – “Somewhere Far Beyond” (1992) – A fantasy journey that is second to none.
Nightwish – “Wishmaster” (2000) – Probably my first contact with Metal ever!

Orkus: What was the reason for founding All for Metal?
Tetzel: All for Metal was born as an idea in spring 2021, when it was clear that there would probably be no live shows for quite a while. At that time I had already been taking classical singing lessons for a while – after 15 years of Extreme Metal it was probably about time – and then I wanted to make something out of it. The contact to Antonio came about quickly via Instagram and after the first brainstorming it went to Jochen Richert (AFM) and the basic idea stood.

O: Was the band name clear from the beginning? What does metal mean to you?
T: The band name actually came about relatively late. We had a few placeholders and concept names to reflect our musical direction, however, nothing hit the mark like All for Metal. Metal is passion for us. Hard riffs, fast drums and a we-feeling – at the latest when you meet old and new friends at concerts and celebrate the anthems of the old and new heroes over a beer. Metal is music, joy and movement and yet so much more than the sum of its parts!

O: To what extent were you not afraid to take up clichés? Or was that perhaps even particularly important?
T: After all, these clichés didn’t come about without reason. Leather, studs, armor and the highest notes, catchy lines and a fat show are certainly cliché, but also damn cool and just incredibly fun. This may seem a bit old-fashioned and may not appeal to the jeans and t-shirt avant-garde post-black metal fan, but at the end of the day, you can also go back to what shaped this genre. We want to celebrate all of this and carry it on – future generations should also find the joy in metal and retain a twinkle in their eyes despite all the seriousness of life.

O: Already in the title song, an anvil is struck in proper style. To a real one? Where do you get anvils these days?
T: As seen in the video, a real anvil was struck and with force! (My wrist was in any case well flat afterwards! (laughs)) How do you get it? With a little bit of looking, some great people, and the will to create something special. We released seven music videos and did it all with a lot of effort, real sets and props. We wanted to stand out and not present the same green screen video as 90 % of all other bands.

O: How did you come up with the album name “Legends”?
T: When all the songs were finished, we thought about how to headline the whole thing in a short, crisp and concise way. “Legends” just fit – of course also with regard to the ballad “Legends Never Die”.

O: Exactly! Your first ballad was “Legends Never Die”. In what way was it difficult to put all your emotions into this while remaining “metal”?
T: We start the song quietly and then put a lot of power into the progression. – Fortunately there are some good ballads in metal and we hope to find our place among them. We owed a ballad to Antonio’s incredible voice alone.

O: The video clip was also made in collaboration with Jörg Roth from Saltatio Mortis. How did you experience the shoot?
T: Jörg was responsible for costume and make-up. Mareike Petschulat was responsible for the script and Robin (Luzi) and Simon were responsible for the camera. The shoot was great! Not only did the team put an incredible amount of thought into the game, but they also gave their all with attention to detail and tireless effort to bring “Legends Never Die” and “Mountain of Power” to whole new levels.

O: What does the crystal ball say, what’s next for All for Metal?
T: The schedule is first and foremost to play live and conquer the stages of the world. Festivals, tours and shows as much as the opportunity presents itself. Besides, we are of course working on the next album – we don’t want to keep you waiting long!

Interview: Claudia Zinn-Zinnenburg

All for Metal – Live with Windrose
20.09.2023 Munich, Backstage
21.09.2023 AT-Vienna, Szene
26.09.2023 Frankfurt, Batschkapp
27.09.2023 Berlin, Orwo Haus
28.09.2023 Hamburg, Markthalle
29.09.2023 Geiselwind, MusicHall
30.09.2023 Leipzig, Hellraiser
01.10.2023 Bochum, Zeche
02.10.2023 Stuttgart, Im Wizemann
03.10.2023 CH-Zurich, Dynamo

Line-up:
Tetzel – vocals
Antonio Calanna – vocals
Ursula Zanichelli – guitar
Jasmin Pabst – guitar
Florian Toma – bass
Leif Jensen – drums

Enjoy the video for the song “Legends Never Die” here: