“Mandy - Thanx for scaring the shit out of everybody…next time it’s Bermuda shorts, a Nike tank top and Birkenstocks!”

The above message appears in the liner notes of ex-Dokken guitarist George Lynch’s 1993 solo album, Sacred Groove. It addresses WWIII frontman Mandy Lion who, at the time, was a little known but larger than life force of nature on the metal scene. He provided vocals for the track ‘The Beast’, and it was a safe bet that if you were part of the Dokken/Lynch/hair band crowd you’d never heard anything like him. On a platter that featured Glenn Hughes, Ray Gillen and the Nelson twins (!), Lion was the devil on Lynch’s shoulder offering up hellfire, lust, and perhaps some redemption for all the sappy ballads Lynch had been forced to play during his years as The Don’s right hand man. The man in black in amongst the Guns ‘N’ Roses and Poison wannabes, flying in the face of the Nirvanas and Pearl Jams that beat the hell out of the metal scene, Lion was decidedly unique.

He still is. Just ask him.

“You can’t imagine what a shock to the system I was back in the day,” Lion offers, not a trace of arrogance in his claim. “I remember Marilyn Manson coming to see my shows with pink hair carrying a Barbie lunch box. It was like throwing Dracula into a city filled with happy, dancing hobbits. Everyone back then wanted to be pretty and sound pretty; I’m about as far removed from that as it ever gets. I remember people hiding in bathrooms during my shows afraid to come out (laughs). It sounds funny, I know, but it’s true. I never tried to scare anyone. I’m just myself but somehow that usually ended up scaring the straights. The way I look and dress is not for stage. If you see me walking down the street this is what you see. I’m always the same, on and off stage.”
“WWIII was active from 1986, so quite a few years before the Lynch thing,” he adds. “If I'm not mistaken WWIII was signed for two years before George ever called me to do that thing. This is when Tracy G (guitars) got so intimidated that he started freaking out. Calling me ever day trying to explain to me why this is a huge mistake, how George Lynch sucks and so on. Can you imagine...? Saying that George sucks? I knew then that the guy is clearly out of his mind.”

Lion remembers the recording sessions for 'The Beast' well...

“I believe that George likes doing the heavy stuff more than the commercial stuff. I believe this based on his reaction to my version of his song the night I went to the studio for him to listen to it. He was so excited he was literally dancing around the studio yelling 'Bad-ass!' He liked the fact that it was heavy but at the same time a little cheeky. Metal often times is completely void of humor or completely ridiculous, like Gwar for example. I like Lemmy or Bon Scott kind of humor. You know, like 'Shot Down In Flames' and other songs like that. To this day when George calls, as soon as I pick up the phone I hear him yelling: 'I am the world's first full blown...'”
“Another great thing happened during that recording; Glenn Hughes was there when I did my vocals. Glenn is one of the all time greatest singers as I am sure everyone knows. I was absolutely sure he would hate what I was doing with this song. After I was done tracking he came up to me, shook my hand and said that this was the heaviest vocal performance he’d ever heard and that he absolutely loved it. I think I grew an extra inch in height that night.”

On today’s mainstream metal scene Lion’s voice is considered to be on the lighter side of ominous, but that hasn’t hurt him in the slightest. On the contrary, he is able to attract both the melodic hair band followers looking for something with a venomous old school Blackie Lawless flair, and open minded members of the melodic death metal crowd who remember their roots. He chalks it up to individuality.

“When I started people honestly didn't understand where I was trying to go with what I was doing. Eventually the fans caught on and by then the scene started to change. I was always and still am in a peculiar position as far as my stuff is concerned. I’m too melodic for the hardcore scene and I’m way too aggressive and heavy for the melodic rock scene. Since I’m not part of any scene I have to create my own world musically speaking. This is much harder than following a trend but it lasts much longer as well. I was never someone who ran with the herd. If you want to be a mega pop or rock star you have to cave a little in order to please more people. Most bands that really become giant success stories are bands that are willing to change for the sake of making more money. I remember, for example, when Pantera was a band very much like Poison, with pink spandex and all the trimmings. When the glam scene started losing its lustre they changed into a heavy band because the scene became more of a heavy scene. Ministry looked and sounded a lot like A Flock Of Seagulls at one point and changed as soon as heavy industrial stuff became popular. I remember when Ian Astbury looked and sounded like a gay pirate before he went metal and broke into my closet. Today he is doing a great Jim Morrison impression and singing Doors karaoke every night. This is what you need to do if selling huge numbers is what drives your ambitions. I’ve never been and never will be willing to compromise what I do for anything.”
“To me, making music is all about self expression,” he adds. “If I changed in order to please more people I would be completely miserable. I decided a long time ago that I will do what I do and if people like it, then great. If they don’t that’s fine as well. If I change some day it will be of my own accord and not for coin.”

With only two official albums in the last 18 years – the WWIII debut and its 2003 follow-up When God Turned Away – it’s no surprise Lion has been under the radar in terms of press. He doesn’t suffer from Axl-esque visions of reclusive grandeur, however, having turned the internet into his private stomping ground bordering on a full blown MySpace empire.

“It’s not so much that the metal scene is clueless so much as the literal millions of fans visiting my sites show clearly,” Lion says of the perceived lack of exposure. “Instead it’s that the publications have been oblivious for the most part. For obvious reasons, of course. If you’re busy reporting about whatever the current flavor of the month is, and other than that you talk about the mega bands on a weekly basis as well, you might miss out on a few bands here and there who are doing their thing with varying levels of success. Over the last few years I have been building up my pages to the point where I am completely independent of any help in this business. Even though I’m signed at the moment I don’t need a label at all. My pages are such a raving success and my business is growing week by week that I can honestly say I’m running circles around labels these days. This means much more work for me, but in the end it’s more than worth it because I don't have to wait for a bunch of lazy people who don't know what they’re doing to get the job done. Being completely independent in the business of music is the greatest blessing you can imagine.”

And Lion has proven it’s possible to make a living as an independent artist. It simply comes down to wanting to work for it.

“The age of the record label is officially over,” he insists. “Personally, I like it that way. For too long they’ve been using and abusing bands. Bleeding the fans dry with completely over priced CDs and laughing all the way to the bank. The internet has created a way for an artist to market and sell their own product without having to bend over for a label. Back in the day you had still reasons to sign a contract with a label because they gave you advance money so you could pay your bills while working on music. They paid for recording a CD, they paid for a video, they gave you money to go on tour, and so it made sense that they should get compensated for all of the things they helped you with. Nowadays you don’t get advance, they won't pay for the production of a CD and if they do it is a tiny budget, no tour support and so on. The only thing they do for you these days is take your money. They sign you and get the lion’s share of every dollar your hard work brings in. If someone wants to get paid they have to do something that is helpful in the process of achieving success. If they just sit there and take your money then what the fuck is the point.?”

Call it a shrewd bit of marketing savvy, a genuine love for his fans, or a healthy dose of insanity, but part of Lion’s business model involves offering his music for free. Every so often he sends out bulletins to his fans reminding them that he will provide those that can’t afford to buy his music with some mp3’s to tide them over. A message that is sent out to over one hundred thousand fans simultaneously. He explains:

“I’ve been giving away free stuff for decades because I don't believe in only taking. If you’re a fan and you’re broke, the last thing you need is your favorite artist to tell you ‘If you want to listen to my shit then pay me, fucker!’ This is the way I see it; if you’re a fan and you are broke then I’ll give you my music for free. If you get yourself back on track then maybe you’ll buy something later. When you can afford it. My fans are like my extended family and they’ve been taking care of me when other bands had to take on day jobs. There are plenty of bands that at some point had more commercial success than me, but at some point their career stopped and they had to start making a living some other way. I never had to do that. This is only due to the fact that my fans are the most loyal bunch out there. So I will remain loyal to them until I die. While I’m sure many of my fans think that I’m crazy they still appreciate the fact that I’ll take care of them.”

Lion’s most recent work is a cover of the Prince hit ‘Kiss’, which has received mixed reviews from the fans. Another WWIII record is in the works, and following a jam session in California with former WWIII bandmates Vinnie Appice (drums) and Jimmy Bain (bass) back in April, Lion said it was possible they might team up in the future.

“I have some new and original stuff coming out very soon. In fact, there are two almost finished CDs waiting to get out. There are quite a few things brewing but one never knows what goes on until the contracts are signed. Touring is where my heart is at because I get to meet my family on the road. My manager is working on getting a few tours lined up, but the band I will be touring with has to be a fearless one. The new line-up and the new stuff is absolutely unreal.”

In closing, Lion explains the difference between his WWIII persona and Mandy Lion the solo artist…

“WWIII is a straight up metal band. Heavy metal all the way. Mandy Lion is more heavy hard rock with a huge groove and a bit more melodic. But, anything I do ends up heavy by default.”

WWIII - ‘Time For Terror’

Mandy Lion - ‘Kiss’