Metal Asylum, in New Jersey, spoke with guitarist Alex Beyrodt about the latest album from his band VOODOO CIRCLE, his status with PRIMAL FEAR, and his return to SINNER.

Metal Asylum: Tell us about the new Voodoo Circle album Broken Heart Syndrome. Why that title and how does it differ from the original?

Beyrodt: "Wow, where to start…when I started writing music for the album I talked to the guys in the band and said I wanted to go back in time as much as we could, back to our roots, the late 70s early 80s. and around that time I also opened myself up to other music styles, like blues, and you can hear that on Broken Heart Syndrome because I’m more open to that stuff than I was before. At first I was a bit unsure if people would appreciate my change of style a little bit because I was known for heavy metal guitar in Sinner, Silent Force, and Primal Fear, but what I do in Voodoo Circle is actually who I really am, I really enjoy doing this. And the fans really like this as well, and as a result Broken Heart Syndrome hit the German national charts at #64 which is a huge success for this kind of music. And it came completely unexpected. Concerning the title, around two years ago I had some private stuff goin but it didn’t have anything to do with a broken heart because of a love affair. I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and the doctor conducted all these tests to see why. He said I was healthy, organs and everything were fine, I wasn’t feeling well because I was not happy because I didn’t play the guitar or was touring for half a year and he said if I didn’t start playing I may get a broken heart syndrome. I said 'what?, really?'…and he said yeah it’s a real medical term for your heart deforming where it changes shape and it could result in death. And as soon as he said that I knew it had to be the album’s title."

Metal Asylum: Are you considering this a solo project since your name is part of the band’s name?

Beyrodt: "Well we look at it as a band, and I know in reviews and the press it appears to be a project but that’s not how we look at it. It’s like five friends playing their favorite music together, nothing less or more. Why I attached my name to it is because on the first album I had on it Mel Gainer from Simple Minds, Rudy Sarzo (BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, ex-QUIET RIOT, DIO, OZZY, WHITESNAKE) on one song, Doogie White from RAINBOW, David Readman from PINK CREAM 69, and Mat Sinner from Primal Fear/Sinner, all these big names. So I wanted to make sure from the beginning that people knew this was my band and not like the new band from one of the other guys in the band."

Metal Asylum: Are you still in Silent Force?

Beyrodt: "Well that is my band also, it always was, and a few years ago I decided to put it on ice for the time being because my priorities right now are with Primal Fear, Voodoo Circle, and Sinner which keeps me more than busy. Plus, the other guys from Silent Force are busy too with other bands, DC Cooper is back in Royal Hunt, and Andre the drummer is in RAGE, so right now it’s not the time for Silent Force."

Metal Asylum: And what’s your status in Primal Fear? I know you have been a fill in guitarist many times.

Beyrodt: "Yeah I am a full member now, I think we announced it 8 months ago but didn’t make a big deal out of it because for so many people they thought I was a member anyway, haha, and the next record will be the first I actually album with the band. You know I actually played my first show with Primal Fear tour in 1999, then again in 2002, then 2006, then 2009, hahaha...I’ve always been helping these guys out and me and Mat have been buddies for more than 25 years so it’s all family."

Metal Asylum: So you and Magnus will be the guitarists in Primal Fear?

Beyrodt: "Yeah. We already did a European tour last year, then South America was a few weeks ago, we played in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Brazil, and that was great. Me and Magnus are a great fit together. But after the release of the next album we will be back in America and it will be the first time Magnus will be with us in the US.'

Read the entire interview here.