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Stefan Kaufmann Interview
(Accept)

It was only a matter of time before the present tidal wave of new metal-rock bands brought forth a German group fully the equal of its American and British counterparts. That group is here. The name is "Accept' ; the album is "Balls To The Wall," on Portrait Records.
Make no mistake about it - this group is gonna be huge! "Judas Priest" move over! "AC/DC" - watch out! "Metal Heads" - get ready.
We spoke with "Accept" drummer Stefan Kaufmann.

Q. Why all the interest and excitement about heavy metal lately'.' Is it due to the success last year of "Def Leppard" and "Quiet Riot"?
A. I think heavy metal is one of the musical styles that is original. I think heavy metal always comes up when there are no other trendy waves in music that work. The audiences love heavy metal. Heavy metal is always changing a little bit, but it stays in its original form.

Q. Is heavy metal more popular in Europe than it is in America?
A. I think it was always more popular in Europe than in America, because Briain is the center of the music scene in Europe. I think in America, it's the first big heavy metal scene in a long time. I think it's because everything started in Britain, then spread over to Europe, and it took a long time for it to come over to America. There are no real heavy metal bands coming from America except now, with "Quiet Riot '

Q. Why do you suppose that is?
A. Well, I think America is very sunny and spread wide. You've got lots of groups like Journey, and "Loverboy" which of course are very good, but see they don't have that aggression in their music, that feel, that we've got in ours. We've got gray days, rainy weather. Heavy metal comes out of every day life. Heavy metal is a music based on your feelings that you have to have when you compose it and play it

Q. If that's true, we should have a lot of heavy metal musicians in Syracuse, because we get quite a few of those gray days you're talking about.
A.Yeah, well, I think a lot of the record business is located on the West Coast in America. There are more studios there, so there's more business there.

Q. I imagine there's a lot of competition involved in getting the opening slot for a "Judas Priest" tour. How many bands did you beat out for that tour?
A. We don't support "Judas Priest" anymore, we support "Kiss" now. I don't know how we got that tour It was the work of the management, you know. It was also the work of the record companies, the promoters, and the booking agents. Don't ask me how it all fit together.

Q. For anyone who hasn't heard "Accept," what makes your group a stand out from all the other "metal" bands?
A. A lot of the heavy metal bands base their songs on riffs and sounds of heavy metal music itself. I think this is wrong. We base everything of course on the music, that means on the melody, on the composition, on the harmony. We really compose Other heavy metal bands base everything on a riff, they write something using it, and that's it. That's not a real composition.

Q. You don't see "heavy metal" then, as just another fad or phase in rock, you think its gonna last.
A. Yeah, it always stays in the whole business. It's changed a little bit, because of course the audience has changed, and the studio equipment has changed. But, 1 think it's going to last.