Guitarist MIKE CHLASCIAK Talks About Working With TESTAMENT, ROB HALFORD

Metal Asylum recently spoke to guitarist "Metal" Mike Chlasciak (HALFORD, SEBASTIAN BACH, PAINMUSEUM) about his current and up-and-coming projects, including his collaborations with the likes of Sebastian Bach and Rob Halford. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Metal Asylum: Mike, you are rather busy, playing in both your own band PAINMUSEUM and Sebastian Bach's solo band, along with part-time stints in TESTAMENT. So tell us where your priorities lie. Is PAINMUSEUM or Sebastian Bach your day job and what is your position in TESTAMENT?

Metal Mike: "Yeah, I suppose you can say that I prefer to keep busy. It is very natural for me. My schedule fills up pretty quickly, whether it is my own band PAINMUSEUM, Sebastian Bach or if the 'Metal God' calls me and asks to do a tour, an album or what have you. I must say that however that I treat my own band very seriously and much of my attention is spent on that, you know — just building it brick by brick. My schedule with PAINMUSEUM gets filled in first from now and then I go and tour with Sebastian when the opportunities arise. I enjoy doing tours with him, and have only missed one when I was in Los Angeles working on Rob's album. It used be reversed — I would await tours with other artists first and then fill in the dots with PAINMUSEUM activities, but it is no more. I have reversed those roles, because at the end of the day I need to take care of my own business first. And then, I can go out and have some fun with others. I'm no longer satisfied with PAINMUSEUM taking a back seat to anyone else. With TESTAMENT, it looks like guys have been having a lot of fun with the reunion, and they always have my best wishes. I'm in contact with TESTAMENT and you know who knows ... maybe there will be time for us to share the stage again."

Metal Asylum: How has response been to the debut album from PAINMUSEUM and have you started writing a follow-up? If so, what is that music sounding like?

Metal Mike: "I am absolutely satisfied from the response to our debut 'Metal For Life'. It reached the hearts of fans that we are interested in — the real metal fans who grew up on early METALLICA, DEATH, MEGADETH, TESTAMENT or OVERKILL. Press has been also very kind to us which is nice to have .... Germany's Heavy Oder Was? magazine said this about our debut: 'Finally a band that delivered us an album in the tradition of PANTERA's 'Vulgar Display Of Power' and MACHINE HEAD's 'Burn My Eyes'. Any questions?' So you see, we have hit the right chord with the press, but even more important to us as a band; the fans. For me it was not a choice whether I put together this band or what band soundling like this or that ... I found the musicians whose style I like and we put a record together that satisfied us as fans first. The business aspect of it — the marketing of the music and all that ... was left to check into later. This, looking back, was a really dangerous move on my part. But you know, I only have one heart. I will not lie to myself or to our fans and I have to sleep well at night, so I make the music that speaks to me at the end of the day. We have been working on some things for the next album, but it's early ... I have about six songs completed musically and Tim and I wil continue to write together all the lyrics and such."

Read the entire interview at www.metalasylum.net.