Radio Metal has published an interview with EDGUY mainman Tobias Sammet. An excerpt follows:

Q: You declared about this new album (Age Of The Joker): “When you record anthemic music, you tend to be dangerously close to kitsch, it’s a thin line and I think we bounce on this thin line pretty well”. Looking back to your previous album and at your whole career, do you think that the band already crossed that line in the past?

Tobias Sammet : "Yeah. Probably 125 times. (laughs) Definitely. For example if you listen to Theater Of Salvation, I think there are a lot of kitsch elements there. If you listen to the song called 'Tomorrow' or 'Scarlet Rose'. It’s definitely kitsch. I mean heavy metal is supposed to be kitsch in some passages, that’s a very natural thing, it’s like that. I just want to get rid to the kitsch elements a little bit. Of course sometimes you have to be a little kitsch but only to a certain extend. I think that’s we managed to balance on that very well. We’ve always done kitsch things but I think there always were worse bands. (laughs) When they come so kitsch you know? Many. But if you’re recording heavy metal albums, you’re always on that thin line, it’s always a little bit Spinal Tap, there’s always a little kitsch on there. Take a song like 'Robin Hood'. It is kitsch but it’s meant to be kitsch. Spinal Tap it’s a very thin line. We do it instinctively very well. We do kitsch things, that’s what heavy metal is all about, but we are still serious enough to be considering serious music."

Q: So the important is to be kitsch on purpose ?

A: "Not necessarily, it depends of what you want. For example if you take the melodies of ABBA, there are kitsch too but it’s great! If you take the cover artwork of MEAT LOAF’s Bat Out Of Hell, it is kitsch in the greatest most perfect sense of the world! I mean, it’s great kitsch and that’s OK. What I don’t like is cheap kitsch, and there’s a lot of cheap kitsch in heavy metal."

Q: Like?

A: (laughs) "I won’t mention any names! You know… 55 year old man, all oiled up, muscles, wearing a loincloth. I think it’s really kitsch but it can be also a trademark. A lot of kitsch in heavy metal has been trademark. I just don’t want to be embarrassing. I don’t want anyone look back at me and say: 'Whooa that was really really bad'."

Q: Some bands can do kitsch music but that wasn’t intended and very serious.

A: "Yeah I mean a lot of videos from the early 80s, if you take for example the first metal video, where they are riding through the forest. But you know it’s a part of heavy metal history and it’s what it is. They have founded this piece of history of heavy metal so it’s OK but still sometimes you have to scratch your head and… Even I when I look back to what we have done in the past, sometimes you’re scratching your head and think: 'Hmm… Maybe that was a little bit over the top'."

Read the full interview at this location.

Edguy recently returned from the video shoot for 'Robin Hood', the opening track from the band's forthcoming new album, Age Of The Joker.

Video director Oliver Sommer (AVANTASIA, NENA, HELLOWEEN) and the band decided to satirize the Errol Flynn version, The Adventures Of Robin Hood. The miniature epic was shot in the forest with a large number of additional actors, starring German TV-comedian Bernhard Hoecker in two different leading roles.

Tobias Sammet says: "When you decide to do things like that of course you have to be aware that you will most likely make a fool out of yourself. We had to wear tights and looked a bit like four idiots and one transvestite. But we have come to a point we don't care so much anymore. We feel like being in a luxury position where the record label gives us a lot of money to waste for really silly things like sneaking through the forest and looking like idiots. The shooting was one of the funniest days in our career, and that means something. Although It was hard work - the rain, the mud, soaking wet tights, angry horses, carriage, a lot of travesty, sword fighting and hurting smile muscles. You gotta check it out!"

The single, 'Robin Hood' will be out on August 5th and will be available as download and on green vinyl. The video version of the song was cut down to 5 minutes, but the album version has a running time of more than 8 minutes.

Check out the single artwork below:

On August 26th, Edguy will release their brand new studio effort, Age Of The Joker. The album will be released as a normal CD and as a limited edition double album featuring six additional songs. In addition, it will also be available as a double LP. Various journalists already consider the album the heavy metal highlight of the year and one of the strongest Edguy albums of all time.

In the Hellfire Club section at edguy.net fans can listen to the worldwide exclusive release of excerpts from seven new songs in total. Three songs have been added to the playlist since the stream became active on July 4th. All you have to do is register with a valid email address or simply login if you're already a member.

The album will feature 11 songs with a total running time of over one hour. The limited edition digipack will contain a bonus disc with six additional songs.

The album tracklist reads as follows:

'Robin Hood'

'Nobody's Hero'

'Rock Of Cashel'

'Pandora's Box'

'Breathe'

'Two Out Of Seven'

'Faces In The Darkness'

'The Arcane Guild'

'Fire On The Downline'

'Behind The Gates To Midnight World'

'Every Night Without You'

Tracklist for the limited edition bonus disc:

'God Fallen Silent'

'Aleister Crowley Memorial Boogie'

'Cum On Feel The Noize' (SLADE cover)

'Standing In The Rain'

'Robin Hood' (single version)

'Two Out Of Seven' (single version)