That is really a major pain in the ass, but it is something I have to live with. I worked too much in the studio, with computer stuff and my guitar. I have no idea how exactly it happened. But when it happens you have to deal with it. But I think I’ll survive !

Is there any date planned for the release of the new album ?
Not yet. Our manager is working with several record companies at the moment, things aren’t completed yet. So we won’t announce any date, touring or release dates, until everything is done.

Is the album entirely written and composed ?
No. I’m still working on a couple of songs which I would like to re-mix. I also like to see how the production is going. It’s doing well, but it’s not finished yet.

Perpetual was quite experimental. Which direction will you take on this new record ?
It’s gonna have a much more « up » feeling. Much more guitars. I think this is going to be one of my heavier records. I don’t wanna deny my roots and you will always hear Kingdom Come coming through. It’s a mix between the old stuff and the year 2006. You gonna have very heavy guitars, some typical riffs and vibrations stuff, cosmic breakdown… but overall it’s gonna be one of the heaviest record I will have done, definitely !

Wow ! It’s great to hear that !
I think that after the melancholic experimental records that were Perpetual and Independant, it’s time to make something more hard rock now, and to let everybody know that Kingdom Come still rocks !

Your process of writing has changed a lot between the 80’s and nowadays. Do you think that today you could (or maybe would) write a new « What love can be » or « Do you like it » ?
It would come easy to me to write songs like that again, but it’s just not me again ! We do play some of the old stuff and we enjoy very much playing it live, but I’ve grown up as a person and as a musician. I would have sold more records if I had composed more songs in the old concept.
Lots of people, mainly in the industry, keep telling me : « Lenny, keep keep writing songs like Do you like it or What love can be ». But when I wrote these songs, it was a different time, it was a different vibe, it was a different Lenny ! I don’t want to be followed by old clichés for the rest of my life. It’s like telling the Beatles « keep writing Eight days a week or Hard days night » for the next 20 years !
So I grew up as a musician. I agree I would be happy if I had more success, but I can’t change ! i think I’m lucky to be able to do what I want to do, without following any trend or trying to fulfill the industry. Music must be very personal, very heart-felt. Think what you have to follow through and that’s it !

Where did you get the inspiration for the new album ?
Life. Just living life. Having a coffee in a pub, looking at people, talking to friends, going out…just living life.
I’m inspired by the usual roller-coaster we all have to deal with, and it’s just enough ammunition.
I don’t like to preach. I just like to share my opinions. Many lyrics are very personal, you know, something i went through, or something which keeps my mind busy at that particular time when I’m writing a song. Sometimes it can be political opinions, emotional experiences…just stuff which everybody is dealing with more or less every day. In my songs, I don’t like to say « you should do this or that », ‘cause I’m not the Old Mighty who knows all the answers.
But music is something which can help you or guide you, or whatever. I’m trying to have my words match the song, but in fact the lyrics are secondary to me. Music is more important for me.

Is there any hope to see you play in France in 2006 ?
With pleasure ! But it’s not so much up to us, ‘cause you know, Kingdom Come is not exactly a big band in France. Then, touring costs money (travelling costs, people, crew…), but if we can make it work I would love to play in France. It’s not a matter of if I’d like it or not, it’s a matter of if we can make it possible or not. But if you find a label which does its job properly and some of your French mates who recognize Kingdom Come, then I’d really love to play in France. I’d like to play almost everywhere !

Nowadays, to which artists do you like listening to ? Are you like those bands who keep on saying that music was better in the 80’s ?
Kingdom Come’s early days were in the 80’s, but Kingdom Come was not like an 80’s band, even if it was the case of my previous band, Stone Fury. If I looked at some pictures taken during that period I would really laugh !
Musically speaking I’m really open-minded : I listen to Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles, Barry White, Rammstein…
The only thing is that I’m not in the metal trip. I’m a rocker, but according to me, most of metal songs are « Speedy Gonzales meets wanna-be opera singers ». It’s just like « okay, how fast can we play today ? ». It’s not my cup of tea. I needs heavy emotions in music, I like heaviness. All these songs talking about fucking devils and death just bore me.

The only live recording you offered to your fans was the first part of the album « Live & Unplugged », which was released ten years ago. Do you plan to release a new live album, one day or another ?
I didn’t really think about it. There is no real reason why we should not do that. When we’ll go on tour this year I think we’re gonna tape some shows. We have not released enough live recordings, you’re absolutely right.

About the acoustic part of « Live & unplugged ». Is the acoustic experience something you plan to do again ?
To be honest, I never really thought about this. There is always something you can do. We could do an  Unplugged Tour, but it is something you have to de properly. You know, I saw « Radiohead unplugged in France » on German TV, it was wonderful. But recording another acoustic album is not in our plans for the moment.

Looking back on your career, if you had to pick un only one Kingdom Come album, which one would it be ?
It’s very hard to choose. On each record there are a few songs which I like very much and some songs I don’t care that much about anymore. It’s hard to say. One of my all time favourite songs I’ve written is Twilight cruiser. But then again the new album is pretty damn good too (laughs), so I don’t know. A good thing about Kingdom Come is that you have a song for every mood.

Even if you recorded in album in German language, all your Kingdom Come songs are in English. With the success of bands such as Rammstein, and if you started your career today, would you consider writing songs in German ?
No, definitely not. Rammstein, they’re enjoying great success ‘cause of the singer, in his voice you got this very old-fashioned german voice, he know very very well how to market it. I must admit that Rammstein’s singer is a great lyricist. Some of his words are phenomenal. His vocals and words are completely different from Kingdom Come. But musically speaking, especially on the new record, there are similar approaches between the two bands. I like heaviness, they have a lot of moody vibes, they have a lot of string sections, thay have a lot of industrial elements, which were also incorporated on Independant, for example.
They are very, very heavy, but never senseless heavy. Never this « Speedy Gonzales » heaviness.
But I think my voice is better of singing in English.

I’m a great fan of German hard rock. Which are your favourite German hard rock bands ?
I used to like the early Scorpions. The new Scorpions pretty much bore me to death. It’s just a marketing strategy, there is no sincerity in it. You know, The Scorpions are simply too rich. They’re nice guys, don’t get me wrong, but they do not mean anything to me.
Right now my favourite German band is definitely Rammstein.

Any bands you don’t like or hate ?
I do not hate anybody. Hate is a very mean word, I try not to use it at all. Sure there are some tbands that I do not like, but it’s all just a matter fo taste. I don’t like to say : « it sucks because it’s country ». I can ‘t stand country music, but for people who like it, it’s okay !

So you can also understand people who do not like your band…
Absolutely ! My first love, when I was 22, hated rock music. She listened to John Denver and classical music. She thought « What the hell is wrong with you Lenny ». I listened to Def Leppard and Ozzy Osbourne. But we loved each other very very much. We simply never listened to music together. When I went out and played rock music, she stayed at home listening to John Denver and doing a little tea-time. (laughs). But on the other hand we loved each other, so it’s okay.
I wouldn’t judge a person by looking at the bands he listens to.

You’ve got of very active Internet forum and fan-club. Do you think te Internet is the best medium to promote artists nowadays ?
Not the best, but it’s becoming stronger and stronger. One of Kingdom Come’s problems is very simple : the majority of people don’t even know about us. And it’s my fault if we started the forum so late, ‘cause the forum is not even a year old.
My brother had been telling me for years « Lenny let’s do this, let’s do that », but I’m an old fashioned kind of guy, I kept saying « I don’t want to do this, blablabla, let’s just release the records, do interview for the magazines, and that’s it ». But now I’m starting to enjoy more and more the Internet, looking at how people talk to each other on the forum is interesting. They talk about all kinds of things, Kingdom Come related things, or life in general, things which have nothing to do with Kingdom Come. I like the activity of Kingdom Come bringing together people. I think it’s a wonderful thing.
Then , you may have nitced that in the old days you had like 20 big record companies. Now you have 2 ou 3 very big companies, and a thousand of small companies. As a consequence, an artist who releases a record on one of these small companies, people can’t know about it ‘cause there’s not enough space and time to promote everything.
So fans are trying more and more to create their own platform. Not using the Internet would be, I think, a big mistake. So, I think it’s great that that technical platform is available to us. Actually, my brother is taking care of things related to the Internet ‘cause I’m not smart enough to take care of it. So thanks to my brother it’s possible to have such a platform.

To conclude, would you like to say a few words to the readers of Hardrock80.com ?
What can I say ? Check our songs, I would be very happy if you enjoyed our forum and exchanged your thoughts, even if you don’t like us ! Join up and complain about me. No problem !
On the other hand I wish all of us peace, stay healthy, rock on and have a good life. I’m serious you know, I really think it !

Thanks a lot Lenny, and let me wish you the best of the future.
Thank you. Bye !