Evidence One have long since been firm favourites of the staff here at HRH headquarters. Their last album, Tattooed Heart, received a perfect review from Steve Atkinson and now, with the release of their third album, 'The Sky Is The Limit, it was time to catch up with vocalist Carsten 'The Lizard' Schulz to have a chat.

Reaction to the album has been very positive from both fans and the media so far. Is it safe to say your feeling pleased and that the new album is shaping up to be your most successful yet?

CS - “Most definitely! We've received fantastic reviews so far and lots of mail from fans saying that this is our best album, so we‘re delighted! This is how we hoped it would be, though, really!!”

The album has a harder rock edge to it than your previous releases. Was this intentional?

CS - “Well, what we wanted to do with this album was show us as close to our own actual style as possible. From album I to the second, we took a huge step towards Melodic Metal. But, this time we thought it was time to somehow establish our own sound. Personally, I see this album as a mixture between both previous albums: as heavy as "Tattooed Heart", but also as melodic as "Criticize The Truth".”

Robby (guitars) has now left the band in the performing context. I gather he is still strongly linked to the band though. What is his current role in the band?

CS - “For us, it really isn't much of a change actually. He's sort of the sixth band member now. The two of us are still writing all the songs, he's still producing our albums; the only thing is, I’ve now got somebody new (Warthy) over on my left on stage!”

Your new guitarist Joerg is rather special and supplies some great playing on the new album. How did you find him and what do you feel he brings to the band?

CS - “Joerg is a buddy of our drummer Rami basically. They both also play in a Thrash band called Justice and they‘ve known each other for several years. Joerg has been Robby's ‘live’ substitute for quite some time, so after a few shows it just seemed pretty obvious to ask him if he wants to join full time? He's an awesome guitarist with a wonderful sense of melody and great technique. He really gives the songs a push!”

The new album has already joined my list as one of the best hard rock releases this year; every track is a stormer. As the album came together did any tracks jump out at you and have you thinking, “This is going to give the fans and listeners a real buzz”?

CS - “Oh, thanx very much, man! Well, when I heard the riff to what later became the title track "The Sky Is The Limit" for example, I instantly knew that this was gonna be a track to really crank out loud! Other tracks more or less grew on us during the songwriting and recording process. It's strange, because, when I read the reviews, there's a couple of songs which stand out as highlights and, well also, a few lowlights of the album too; same track, different point of few. I gotta say, though, I love this. It’s really positive!”

Have there been many opportunities to play the new material live yet?

CS - “Sure. We‘ve been playing the title track "The Sky Is The Limit" for more than a year now, just to see how it would work for the fans. And, when we did the Cat Rock Festival this Summer, we also did "Mr. Madness" and "Won't Sleep Alone".”

Song writing wise it sounds like the creative juices were really flowing whilst you created the new album. Was there much material left over from the sessions or is the album pretty much a reflection of all the material written?

CS - “Well, as usual(!), I’ve got lots and lots of diamonds left in my attic after this album, and Robby and I have started offering these songs to other bands recently actually. You can find E1 leftovers on the fantastic Eden's Curse debut “Eden‘s Curse” (also on AFM), as well as on the upcoming Gary Barden newie actually. We tend to write tons of songs and later sort out which would work together as one whole record, and this invariably means that there's the odd fantastic track that unfortunately doesn't go with the others and is left out. The bonus track on “The Sky…..”, "Into The Depths Of My Soul" is a leftover from "Tattooed Heart"; "Raging Winds", we didn't finish for "Tattooed Heart", and there‘s quite a few more where those came from. In a couple of albums we might use them all, or maybe one day we’ll release a full album of the leftovers?”

The band has appeared on some major stages over the years; Earthshaker, Wacken and the Gods Of AOR. How much preparation goes into getting yourselves ready for gigs of this nature?

CS - “Honestly speaking, not that much. This is a well oiled machine. We usually rehearse once or maybe twice, especially if we have to do new songs for a show, but that's it. It's a really good feeling, working with pros like this!”

What’s your preference, outdoor shows or smaller indoor venues?

CS - “No preferences at all, I simply like to rock!”

You have a fair number of fans in the U.K. Is there a chance that we may see Evidence One over here in the near future?

CS - “You know, I definitely hope so! Since "Tattooed Heart" we’ve received lots of fan response from the UK, which is a real honour, since we're not native speakers of English... But, we have to be honest, I have no idea when we can play there. We asked a couple of booking agents who do the festivals if they'd want us back, but nothing came of it, and doing club shows... That’s simply too expensive, I'm afraid. We will support, man! Hey, if you know someone who can book these small, long haired Germans, let me know!”

What’s your opinion on the musical climate for melodic hard rock at the moment compared to when Evidence One released their debut? Do you feel audiences are growing and becoming receptive to classic hard rock/metal again?

CS - “Most definitely. It's coming back certainly. I don't think it's quite getting as huge as it was in the 80s, but even the major press is starting to accept this sort of music again and every little bit helps. What's great to see, is that Hard Rock and Metal in general is becoming stronger and stronger once more. To me, it really seems that, at the end of every decade, people turn to this type of music again because music seems to become very tired. In the late 60s with the first rush of Purple, Zep and Sabbath people really got into the whole scene, the NWOBHM in the late 70s was big, the huge success of Metal in the late 80s proved that the music was strong; the Prog, brutal and heavy stuff at the end of the last century - now, let's see? What's coming up next? Also, the frontiers between the different types of Metal and Hard Rock seem to be vanishing. Even Glam is coming back in Scandinavia, man?”

When the band get together for rehearsals are there any songs or bands that you like to cover for fun or do just to get yourselves in the “rock zone”?

CS - “Not seriously. We sometimes jam a bit, and we’ve thought recently of doing some Sammy Hagar or Scorpions tracks to include in our set, but it‘s not something we take too seriously. We also got offered a couple of places on some tribute albums recently though, so let’s see?”

With three studio albums under your belt do you foresee the possibility of a live album or do the band feel another studio release to be more appropriate?

CS - “It's way too early, in my opinion, for live albums. I guess we'd rather include some live tracks as bonus tracks to our next release, like we did on the recent re-issue of "Criticize The Truth" instead. You know, with our upcoming shows in the Czech Republic we’re actually doing our first full headlining shows ever, so to think of a live album is a little too much! We've only done support shows so far, and if we were to do a live album, it's gotta be something that spans our whole career……you really can't do this in a 45 minute show.”

Rather than ask about the individual inspirations of the band and / or members, I think it’s always fun and just as insightful to ask you this. If you could form a band featuring any musicians dead or alive who would the band comprise?

CS - “Difficult, difficult question because I'm in love with so many different styles of Rock music... Let's see... With me singing?” “OK. Guitar: Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Stevens; bass: Nikki Sixx or (of course) Billy Sheehan, maybe, as well?” “On drums: Deen Castronovo or Tico Torres and keyboards, Jon Lord.”

It’s been great having you take time out to answer these questions. Have you anything you would like to add for the readers of Hard Rock House?

CS - “Thanks Al! As usual, don't believe the critics! Go, listen to what might be interesting for you and decide for yourselves!” “Peace!” The Lizard !

Many Thanks to Carsten for taking the time out to talk to RHR. Evidence One's latest album, The Sky Is The Limit, is out now via AFM. To read the HRH review of the CD then click here. To find out more about the band then you can visit there official website at www.evidenceone.de