David Esquitino from the Spanish site Rafabasa.com conducted an interview with UNISONIC singer Michael Kiske (ex-HELLOWEEN) recently. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Rafabasa.com: About the creation of Unisonic...

Kiske: "I'm very well now, I got not only a new band, also a management and people worried about those things. Is really great. I mean, one day I meet with Kosta and Dennis here in Hamburg to offer me that idea. In that moment I felt that it was the right thing, what I have to do now. I don't know, some things need time and sometimes you need to pass for a different way, and let the time passing by when you feel a bit different of your environment, but now I'm glad with that situation, really."

Rafabasa.com: How will Unisonic sound...

Kiske: "I would say that we're treating it as a rock band. If we have to do things more hard rock then we will do it, and if we want to make things more easier we will do that. That was very important to me, we are a Rock band. I don't like to be buried in any certain musical scene, but also it is important to be open. Anyway I can't say where that band will go, or how colorful the music will be yet, because this is not a solo project it's a real band where three people write songs. There is a situation of democracy now. I don't have or had any problem with rock music since a long time ago, it was only a short period when I was tired of everything, but it was a little time. Around 2004 when I made the first Place Vendome album, I realize how cool that music is, but even that it was not a big change in terms of my musical tastes. The change is to be in a band now. Also now it seems that I still enjoy listening to some metal albums that I enjoyed when I was younger - some PRIEST albums, MAIDEN, I still think they're amazing, very good music."

Rafabasa.com: About the compositions...

Kiske: ""'Souls Alive', is a song written by Mandy, so I don't think it sounds like PLACE VENDOME or PINK CREAM 69. But probably it doesn't matter what we are playing, because it would have the stamp of Dennis and Kosta which I think is good. For me, the songs we have are all different. We just chose it because it had the best pre-production, but it's not the final recording yet, just a demo. It's not the album version I mean. I still have to re-record the vocals again when we record it for the album. I will probably use a more heavier tone in the chorus for example. The soul of my songs are different. For example, the songs I wrote for the album are more like power...I don't want to say ballads, because they are not really ballads. It's like 'Silent Lucidity' of QUEENSRŸCHE, for example, it has that thing that I love, also Kosta. I'm not saying that it would sound like that but it has some similar style, even in the lyrics. I like the rock thing in the bridge, but I don't want to make it too long, but I like the slow tone and timeless. That's the difference with the Place Vendome stuff. I also know that Dennis won't produce Unisonic like the albums of Place Vendome neither Pink Cream 69, those bands have things of 80's, mainly Place Vendome with that AOR and classic melodic hard rock. In that case, the sound would be more fresh and modern...It's like for example, if I would sing on a solo album of Kai Hansen, it would have a lot of things that sound like Helloween. If Kai composes and I sing, there are not doubts to what it would sound like."

Rafabasa.com: About touring with Unisonic...

Kiske: "Until now everything was nice, nothing negative to talk about. I was surprise how I only found friendly people with excitement to watch me again back on the stage. What changed in those 17 years, are things like now it's all full of mobiles and cameras shooting all that you do and in one moment everything is in internet. I mean you can't afford to have a bad time only a bad day... In Helloween days when we went out on tour, we were fine. I don't remember a day of really awful singing, but even if you got it, in the past it wouldn't matter very much, just that day and done. Now all that you do it's uploaded on the internet and also people before they to go to the show, they check the previous shows, even the warming up dates, to see some mistakes or conclusions, then you can't explain to them that these dates are just warming up shows (laughs). Now I know that, but I try to ignore those things. Both people searching for the best stuff of Michael Kiske and people who are searching for mistakes, because it's not realistic. Music is subjective. I never thought in things like "best singer" or things like that. I don't have any intention to be better or worse than Bruce Dickinson or Robert Halford, or even Bono, Ronnie James Dio. Each singer has his own identity, his own personality, and his particular tones and that's all. I only can try to be the best Kiske but nothing more. So, to compare singers in that way it doesn't make any sense for me. But in the end when somebody says that Kiske sucks or that singer is better or worse than Michael Kiske, I can't say anything because perhaps he would be right. The music is something subjective. You can't fight against that, but it's a stupid thing. It's funny when people join in fights on the Internet for those kind of things. They are just opinions!"

Rafabasa.com: The problem is there are a lot of people with much free time...

Kiske: "Yes, that too (laughs), but my point is that it's not a discussion. You can't argue with that. If somebody tells you, you suck because he doesn't like you, ok, but it's childish to argue with those things. I love it when somebody likes what you're doing, but I try not to let it affect me. Good comments or bad comments, I don't want the pressure to have to be better or worse to the opinion of somebody. The expectation and excitement are fine, but hey I'm just a fucking singer! I'm glad to be well considered and to be able to do it for a long time, but you have to be realistic and I think sometimes I was overestimated."

Rafabasa.com: About the future...

Kiske: "Unisonic is the only thing I'm doing right now... I mean, I have other more plans. I will have more in the future. I'm sure I would do another solo album, mainly because I still have a deal signed, but well anyway it depends if I can feel completely satisfied with the artistic level of Unisonic. Perhaps I might not have a need to make one. But for example we already discarded a lot of stuff we will not use for this first album, but well, I don't know if I will use some of that stuff in my solo project. Dennis and Kosta are not making anything with Pink Cream 69, at least this year, so Unisonic is also their priority. If we make a really good album and the feedback is good, we can start touring for the next year in a lot of places, and the position of the band to the future would be really good. At that moment we're not worried about deals, sales, and those things. The illusion is big and everything is working fine."

Read the complete interview here.