PARADOX

CHARLY STEINHAUER

Paradox was a band that played a mix between speed, power and thrash metal. That resultet in a speedy yet melodic band that fastly gained succes with their two albums in the late eighties, Product of the Imagination and Heresy. But then in the early 90's other musical winds blew over the metal landscape and thrash metal was not anything that the record companies wanted anymore.

So Paradox disbanded for a decade, but lately Paradox has recorded a couple of well received albums. Few bands around has released so much great material as Paradox, they never seem to disappoint. I have spoken with founder, vocalist and guitarist of Paradox, Charly Steinhauer about the past, the present and his heart surgery.

We can begin with a small presentation of your band...

PARADOX was formed by Charly Steinhauer (vocals & guitars) and Axel Blaha (drums) in February 1986. We recorded two demo tapes before we signed a worlwide record deal with Roadrunner Records. For them we recorded "Product Of Imagination" (1987) and our classic "Heresy" (1989). After the split with Roadrunner records we had a big break for almost a decade. In 2000 we signed a long-term worldwide record deal with AFM-Records and released "Collision Course". Due to health problems we had another big break, but came up again in 2008 with "Electrify" followed by "Riot Squad" (2009) and "Tales Of The Weird" in late 2012.

Paradox 2014, From left to right: Christian Muenzer, Charly Steinhauer, Tommy Kittsteiner Calvanese, Daniel 'Evil Ewald' Buld

I must tell you that I bought the Heresy CD back in the nineties without having heard it before and was a quite pleasant surprise for me as it was an excellent album totally unknown to me at the time. I'm a big fan since then.

Thank you! When we recorded "Heresy" in 1989 nobody knew that this will be a classic later on.

It didn`t need much time to write the music for this album. I guess it took two month before all songs were arranged. My favourite songs on "Heresy" are the title track, "Crusaders Revenge" and Killtime".

In my opinion "Heresy" is our best album together with "Tales Of The Weird".

Heresy

I must say that the band has gone through a whole lot of members through the years, why so many lineup changes. Is it hard to remain friends?

Its funny...or is it sad... people often have a totally wrong view about why a band has line-up changings. Some bands have this luck staying forever but this is rare for many years.

Of course it has definitely nothing to do with friends, cause all ex members are still my friends and I still have contact to most of them.

Next thing is...Some of names I saw in our biography never played in Paradox and most of them were in pre-Paradox bands before we changed the name into Paradox or just live musicians.

In 30 years its difficult to hold four guys together. Characters change, musical taste, attitude as well.

Some wanted to stop playing music caused by family or having a fulltime job. We never had fights.

I ever wanted to have a real band but it is not easy and if you are the leader of the gang and people see those line up changings may think I could be a little dictator, but I am a totally easy handling guy and no stressmaker. Each ex Paradox member are a part of this family and will ever be my friend.

btw.. last week the original line-up from 1987 visited me for a coffee. We took a picture on our facebook page

Why did you guys disband in the nineties? And what made you reconsider that a few years later?

Grunge music came up and Roadrunner Records didn't extended our record contract. They were not interested anymore in thrash metal. I remember this was heavy for us. Short after Axel Blaha left the band and quit playing the drums. Axel was my brother (he still is). We started with everything years before and I lost my motivation to go on.

In 1998 I was asked for a unreleased song for a compilation, but I had ten songs for a whole record. This was the start key for a second Paradox chapter.

Do you agree when I say that I think that Paradox has a more typical Bay area-sound than the typical styles of many of your countrymen?

Absolutely right! I totally agree with you and I dont want read something different haha..

I dont really like this typical german bands and their accent.

For example Kreator.. I like their music, especially the last two albums, but if I hear Mille "singing" I must escape. He has a big german accent that sounds a bit weird to me, but I´ve heard other nations like this. I did the same "cowfarmer-english" accent on our first two records and still a bit ashamed by that.

What bands had the biggest influence on you and Paradox's sound?

We are most influenced by Forbidden, Exodus, Heathen, Death Angel, Testament, old Metallica etc.

You recently released your two demo tapes, tell us a little more about that.

We were asked by Iordan from Stormspell Records whether we would be interested to release our original demo tapes on a double CD together with a bunch of picture from the past. What better can happen for a die hard fan. The disc includes also six unreleased bonus tracks which were live recorded in our rehearsal room in July 1986.

The respected magazine Metal Hammer once hailed your debut album the best german debut since Helloween's Walls of Jericho, that must have been amazing to hear back then?

Oh yes!

Imagine, Five years before, Axel and me started learning our instruments from zero.

I remember we were shocked in a very positive way. We could not believe at all what they wrote about us. Over night we received suddenly phone calls from record labels and invitations for radio stations to give interviews. Thousands of letters from fans who ordered the demo tape or just to say what great band we are. A youth dream came true. I guess more than that. A life dream were realized. So if you believe in what you do, then you can reach a lot in less years.

Product of Imagination

I always thought that you guys got less attention than what you deserved. Do you agree with that? And what do you think is the reason for that?

Again I agree with you.

It has to do with our big breaks cause by health problems and line-up changes. Also we were never a big touring band. Of course we did business mistakes as well. PARADOX would be a really big band if we didnt had so much obstacles. On the other hand I dont need to be a big rockstar. Better a heavy metal fan. Okay...its great to have the talent to create and produce your own music as well.

There are no original members still in the Paradox, has this been something negative for the band?

I'm the original singer, founder, songwriter and producer. We had a lot of line-up changes, but we never changed the singer on our records. If we compare to Annihilator with five different singers we were constant. If you change the singer or main songwriter, the whole trademark is gone. It seems strange but after so many years the original sound is still in Paradox.

You're close friends with the guys from Vendetta?

Yes. We have a long term friendship and respect each other a lot. Ex Vendetta singer DAXX wrote the lyrics for our current album "Tales Of The Weird" and I did some vocals and lead guitars on ex Vendetta guitarist Micky Wehner. We still meet from time to time cause we live very close together.

In the 80`s we grew up in the same time and made private sessions and partys.

It reminds me on a great time we had.

What's the highlight of your career?

Difficult question....

One: Getting famous in the world with our own music.

Two; Paradox still exist after thirty years.

Three: Newcomer number one in germany

Four: Record of the month with our debut album on one of the biggest labels in metal.

Five: live experience like "Dynamo Open Air 88, Wacken 99, Keep It True 2006, Headbangers Open Air 2009, Lillehammer (Norway), Oulo (Finland), Athens (Greece), Madrid (Spain), Rome (Italy) and many others events.

You where pretty ill a decade ago, with a serious disease. Are you feeling better now and can you tell us a bit about that time or is that too personal?

First of all. Im still in rehabilitation after my big heart surgery I had on the 24th of December 2012,

but I can work on new material for the next record.

We play our first show in July at the Headbangers Open Air and I`m waiting to share the stage with such great bands like Death Angel or Warlord. Our first show in five years

King Diamond needed three years to go back on stage. He had the same. (four bypasses, heart attack) A decade ago i had six emergency surgerys caused by a intestinal disease. It was a horror to me and it took years to heal. Its a wonder to be still alive. I guess if I would get the diagnostic cancer i wouldnt be surprised. I fought and i would fight again. If you dont believe in your strength, you have no chance in this case.

Do you think that the thrash metal scene has changed during all these years?

Yes. In the 80´s each heavy metal release was special. Nowadays the market is full of average bands. Everybody can do a record in his living room. The Download piracy destroy sales and the result is...

Record companys can`t pay budgets for bands anymore. That means less good productions.

Nowadays we have more mass than class. The worth of a musician is much less than it was in the past as well. Just the biggest bands can live of their music. What comes after Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer or Iron Maiden?!

Its a kind of cliché to say all was better in the 80`s, but the truth is, it really was. Its a matter of fact.

What's your plans for the near future?

The next record has top priority.

"Heresy II - A Lasting Treasure will be released in early 2015.

Nobody should expect a copy of the first Heresy album musicwise. Its just a follow up to the lyrical concept. Nevertheless it will include all musical trademarks of Paradox. A bit more straight in the face.

Also we plan to enter the stage again.

Have you got any funny story to tell, if anything weird has happened while touring or so?

With Paradox I could tell so many funny and weird storys, but this would take too much space.

I had some great moments in my life as a fan as well. I saw AC/DC twice with Bon Scott in 1979 (Opener Judas Priest), I talked to James Hetfield in 83/84 and received autographs from Cliff Burton.

Once I was sitting in the backseat of Mercyful Fate's old bandbus with King Diamond during their first visit to Germany in 1983. He was unmasked and Mercyful Fate were unknown. I asked him.. Who is King Diamond? He said: the driver in the front. ..This guy gave me an autograph, but King Diamond was kidding me. The truth was, It was just a busdriver. What a disgrace hahaha.

Hahaha, Any last words for our readers?

Metal greetings from Deutschland! We thank for your support!

Keep the metal flag high!

By/Ruthless

(03-04-2014)