1. Tell us about the origins of TAIPAN? What year did you form and how did you meet and decide to play heavy metal in Melbourne, Australia when the metal scene was just forming? And how difficult was being in a metal band in a country like Australia back in the early 1980s?
Emilio Sarpa (vocals, bass) and I met at school in grade 6. We wrote songs together and were interested in stuff like The Beatles, then graduated to Status Quo, The Sweet, Hendrix, Led Zep etc. We went to Guitar school together and formed a band called Storm. We started playing Thin Lizzy and Kiss covers, then the NWOBHM started and we sort of latched onto that with bands like Saxon and Iron Maiden. This was 1981 and we recorded our first EP Breakout. It was difficult as Pop music was more popular.
2. You released a 4 track 7" EP, first by Central Station Records/shop out of Melbourne (how many were pressed?) and then it was released on 12" by Bullet Records out of England. How did these deals come about? The recording itself was 4 tracks of cutting edge metal of the times, very reminiscent of what was coming out of the the New Wave of British Heavy Metal that was happening at the time, were you aware of some of these bands? What were some of the reviews you received here from Australian & overseas press in regards to the EP? Did Kerrang review it?
We received some pretty good reviews, like "the next AC/DC" and stuff like that. It was a heavy metal scene in Melbourne led by Greta Tate of Metal for Melbourne, or back then Central station records, which funded our first EP, and put us onto Bullet records.
3. What was the metal scene like in Melbourne in the early 1980s and what was a TAIPAN live show like back then? How big were the crowds back in those days? And what bands did you play with that made an impression on you? I imagine the atmosphere to have been pretty special back then...
We played with Heaven and Rose Tattoo, but it was the local scene that was special, with concerts we would do to packed houses with bands like Ion Drive, Stallion, Bengal Tigers, Black Jack, Taramis etc.. which really got us off the ground. These shows were legendary with hundreds of dudes with cardboard cut out guitars headbanging and going crazy, these were the first Metal for Melbourne shows.
4. After the the release of the EP, I believe the band had a few line-up changes, can you go through these and the reasons why? It took you a further 4 years to release the "1770" MLP (or were there other releases before that, like a 7' single with the songs "crazy mary' & "we've got to change" which I only have on tape... was this actually released and by who and how many copies were pressed?) on Cleopatra Records. "1770" was different to the EP, far more melodic, keyboards, backing female vocals and a more progressive style, what made the band go down that road? This is strange, as speed/thrash metal was becoing the main choice for headbangers to listen to. What was the reaction from the fans & the media?
Crazy Mary and Changed never got released. After Chuck Van Der Belt (guitarist) left the band we went in a new direction as we were heavily influenced by stuff like Rush, Genesis, Yes, Zappa etc.. Rob Tronca (keyboards) and Tony Tralongo (guitar synth)came on board and we recorded 1770. The whole Metal scene had changed by then anyway and it was harder to get gigs.
5. A couple of years after "1770" the band split up in 1987. What happened in those 2 years?
I left the band and the guys did some more recordings, even Juno Roxus joined for a while, but it all dissipated after that and we all did our own projects with other people, including covers, and original solo stuff.
6. How many demos did TAIPAN actually record & release? I have a copy of the 1983 demo with the tracks "Mushroom & Mind", "Cosmic Age", "Walk My Land" and "There was One Slightly Better Moment"... Is this correct? I only have a copy. Will any of these songs be re-recorded in the future?
We recorded heaps of demos but never officially released any of them. Not sure how you got your hands on them hahahaha. Some may be re-recorded in the future, in fact on "Metal Machine", our next album, a version of "Mushroom and Mind" will be on it (very different though).
7. So then, the band reformed in 2006? Were any of you involved in any other music prior to the reformation? Who instigated getting the band going again? Do you feel you have "unfinished business" to attend in regards to letting Australia and the world know about one of the first real metal bands to come from this country?
A lot of different music, Alternative, Covers, Rock covers, all sorts of bands. With the emergence of the Internet and various social websites we started getting asked by fans for material. So Emilio, Frank and I had a meeting and then had our first Jam in 20 years. The chemistry was still there, and we felt we were even better players so we started recording again. Well it would be good if the world found out more about us and yes there is still unfinished business!
8. You have since self-released 2 albums, "Stonewitch" in 2007 and "Flamethrower" in 2010, both contained re-recorded old material, will that continue to happen with future releases? What's the reaction been to these 2 albums and are you happy with the way both turned out?
Yes we were reasonably happy, and feel we achieved our goal to re record some of our classic songs and experiment with some of the new stylings. We may re-release "Breakout" and "1770" on CD with bonus tracks and then record totally new stuff.
9. How do you see the worldwide metal scene today compared to the 80s? Do you think you have a better chance of getting your name out this time around than the first time?
In a way we do because of the social networking aspect, but the scene has changed completely where its very diverse and specialized. There is much more choice now than in the 80’s.
10. What have been your influences, musical and non-musical?
In the early days we loved Horror magazines, movies etc, Film soundtracks, and Science fiction. Musical influences would be, Early days, Hendrix, Zeppelin, Sabbath, Priest, Lizzy, Rush, to Modern day Tool, Soundgarden, Satyricon, QOTSA, Kyuss, Fear Factory, Rob Zombie etc etc..
11. You've just signed to German label Killer Metal Records, and had songs from your last 2 albums released as a compilation CD called "Snakes", is the deal with Killer Metal Records a long-term deal? Tell us about your upcoming album "Metal Machine" (to be released early next year), what style will the songs be, any old songs to be re-recorded, where will it be recorded and what is the budget for the recording?
We have just completed our second album for Killer Metal who will distribute our Music throughout Europe and America. Metal Machine will have the remainder of the songs from "Stone Witch" and "Flamethrower" with 3 new tracks added. This was done, like Snakes, so it would be more European market friendly. After that totally new stuff will be released, it’s a 3 year deal for now.
12. All the best for the future, I hope TAIPAN gets their deserved recognition not only here in Oz but worldwide, thanks for the interview, last comments... and please come & play in Adelaide soon!
Thanks so much for the support, and when we get our live act together we will get over and see you guys! Thanks man.
Dave
Taipan
