Singer Doogie White (YNGWIE MALSTEEN, CORNERSTONE, ROYAL HUNT) has issued his latest update, via the following Q&A; session with MelodicRock.com .

DW: "Its been another busy year for me. It started off with release of Two Tales of One Tomorrow the 4th studio album from Cornerstone. It was well received and we did a short tour in Europe for a few weeks with RAZORBACK. We had hoped to get out and do some more shows in '07 but that is looking increasingly unlikely for a good number of reasons. It may be that the next thing we do is get back in the studio and start writing for the next album. We have yet to sit down and have a talk about it.

I then spent a couple of weeks doing backing vocals for the debut EDEN'S CURSE album, which was a lot of fun and no pressure at all. It great to be asked to work on something that just involves singing and no writing. Its not even lead just the bv's. However I think the bonus track for somewhere or other has all the vocalists involved sharing lead duties, which was a nice gesture on the bands part."

Q: So any news about the new Yngwie album?

DW: "I spoke with him the other day and he is very pleased with the way the album is sounding. We have not set a time for me to go in. It was gonna be July but that's well gone now. Yngwie and the band went to Russia and did a show with Joe Lynn Turner over the summer.

Q: Are Joe and Yngwie going to do a record together?

DW: "I don't know. It never came up in conversation with him. I'll be catchin up with Joe in Madrid next week.

What I do know is that Yngwie has asked me to sing on the new one and we have agreed in principle to do it. So the answer is when he is ready then I'll take 3 weeks or so and go to Miami and we will just tear it up again."

Q: Are you getting to write this time?

DW: "No. Its business as usual for The Malm."

Q: Tell me a bit about EMPIRE and the new album Chasing Shadows.

DW: "Neil Murray contacted me late in '06 to see if I would have a chat with Rolf Munkes about hooking up with him for a few Empire dates. I was busy with Yngwie at the time so Rolf suggested an album in '07. Neil was involved and so was Mike Terrana. So I knew the musicianship was gonna be great. Munkes sent me a couple of ideas he had and they were heavy and very direct. So I wrote lyrics and melodies over them and they sounded awesome. I've found a whole new lease of life writing wise, having been on the road with Yngwie for 18 months. So I gathered all this energy and put it to work on this new Empire album. I am very proud of this album. And if you know me you'll know that I don't say that lightly."

Q: Had you heard Empire with Tony Martin prior to recording?

DW: "Just some of Raven Ride that Neil gave me. Tony had left by then. “Chasing Shadows blows Raven Ride out the water” and that is NOT my quote. This is an awesome album and I am very, VERY happy with it. I don't ever listen to albums I have been on. But this is something else. I play it once a week. I can't believe how well it's turned out. Though why I should have doubted it, is beyond me."

Q: How so?

DW: "Well I now have a vocal studio at home in THE DEN and so there was no pressure, no clock watching. I just got up and made my coffee and started. A bit like when Steen and I went to a house in the woods and recorded Once Upon Our Yesterdays. It took a couple of months to write and I did the vocals as I went along. So there was no demo process. The vocals that I sent Munkes for his approval are the ones on the record. I just worked alone with Daisy, my assistant, and had a blast. I was exploring and being very creative with the songs Rolf sent for this album, melodically and lyrically. Not that I don't always give my all but something just clicked this year. I can only hope that the album gets the promotion worldwide it deserves. That enough people buy it to make it worthwhile for the labels to put up the cash for us to do another."

Q: You worked with Neil before in M3.

DW: "Yes but let's not talk about that."

Q: Why?

DW: No really!!! Let's not talk about it.

Q: Okay. So Omura then?

DW: "Great Japanese guitarist. I worked on his last album with my old mate Mark Boals. For this new one Emotion in Motion, I co wrote 2 songs and one was chosen as the lead single. I went to Japan twice and shot a video and did a launch gig with him. Japan is such a wonderfully crazy place. I love it. I also did a number of vocal seminars/clinics at the Music Institutes in several cities. They love Yngwie, Paul Gilbert and Mark Boals and perhaps me now."

Q: So whats next?

DW: "Solo album time I think. Gathering the good and the great. Writing with some people who I respect as writers, Craig Goldy, Paul Logue, Ashley Limer and I finally get to work with Pontus Norgren. Pontus and I have written a couple of songs for the album and he is going to produce it. Give it a band feel. If it comes together then I am going to do some live shows here in the UK. If that goes well then I am gonna take it to Europe."

Q: Back to Cornerstone and Empire. What are the plans there?

DW: "Well Chasing Shadows from Empire is out in late November. Then I think we will do some shows in January as promotion. Not so much a tour as a few selected dates. With Cornerstone we will have to wait until Steen relocates and sets up Stonelab, his studio. He is busy as always so it's taking time to get it done. Then maybe we will look at some ideas together."

Q: How do you feel the business is going at the moment?

DW: "Do you have all night? If I am honest, there are too many bands desperate to get their album out and the record companies pay them a small, token payment and they go away happy. A deals a deals a deal right? But there is little, if any quality control with music that 5, 10 years ago that would have stayed in the bedroom and is now flooding the market. Some of the compilation sample records I get sent are quite shocking. But the record companies make their money back and more. If they didn't they would not do it. The bands get the albums out. So its win win all round but it's not “healthy” for the genre and music we love.

There are really good bands out there getting lumped in with the rest and its suffocating. The cream no longer rises to the surface. It gets whipped round and lost. La Paz didn't get a deal. Midnight Blue didn't get a deal simply because we were not good enough. Now I get asked if I want to release those songs, albums, demos, whatever. No I don't.. What makes them better now than then? That's the point…well one of them any way. Just don't start me on illegal downloads. 2500 on ONE site for Two Tales, two weeks before it was released. Only journalists had copies. Why would one of them up load it? What's in it for them? I understand folk wanting something for nothing. But if you came to a gig and stole the T-shirts or merch you would be - 1 Arrested, 2 Prosecuted, or 3 have the shit beaten out you. Odd then that some, not all but some “fans” feel its okay to steal the very music they enjoy where by, by consequence, they might prevent that band or artist recording again. A Cd costs 15 euro and T-shirt 25. We all buy the shirt. Right?"

(thanks: Melodicrock.com)