Metal Allegiance
Interview with Mark Menghi 14.03.2018
MM: Its a pleasure to speak to you, tell me how pleased you are with the next "Hail on Steroids"! Sorry!! Metal Allegiance Album?
Mark Menghi: hahahaha very pleased. Its definitely our best and most defined album yet (even though its only our second album). Its 100% thrash metal. I think people are really gonna dig it… at least I hope! I think we found our way on this record.
MM: I see you describe the Band as "Hail on Steroids" that has to be a future song title dont you think ?
Mark Menghi: I don’t remember describing Metal Allegiance as “Hail on Steroids” maybe Dave did once since he was in Hail!? Or maybe I did? I don’t remember… Definitely not a future song title. Nothing aginst Hail! but Metal Allegiance is leaps and bounds ahead of what Hail! did. Hail! was a covers band… Metal Allegiance was a covers band turned original band hence our global record deal with Nuclear Blast. I did see Hail! once in New York City and it was awesome… I think Portnoy played drums that night if I remember correctly? And Andreas on guitar? Baby Metal Allegiance! haha
MM: What does 2018 hold in store for Metal Allegiance tour wise?
Mark Menghi: We will be doing three select festival appearances during the summer. We are playing Metal Days Festival in Slovenia, Fezen Festival in Hungary and Rockstadt Festival in Transly-fucking-Vania (Romania)! We also have a few surprise shows in store for later on in the year.
MM: If you could choose 5 artists dead or alive to form a super group who would it be?
Mark Menghi: Dio on Vox, Dime on lead guitar, Glenn Frey on Rhythm guitars and Cliff Burton on bass (I would take a back seat and not play to see that).
MM: Which are your Two favourite Metal Albums of all time and what they have meant to you personally?
Mark Menghi: Number one for me is Metallica’s "Master of Puppets." That album showed me what musicianship is all about. It taught me that you can be a real musician and play heavy, aggressive music while writing amazing songs. It also taught me the concept of different time signatures. The album is perfect from first song to last. My second favorite has to be Iron Maiden’s "Killers” just because of Steve Harris’ playing. Its off the wall!
MM: What would you regard as your biggest achievement in the Music Industry to date or is it yet to happen?
Mark Menghi: My greatest achievement to date is for Mike, Alex and Dave asking me to be a creative element (songwriter) within Metal Allegiance. Metal Allegiance started in 2011 and I was a behind the scenes dude… as Mike puts it “I moved all the chess pieces to make MA work” but in late 2014 when we came up with the crazy idea to write original music, it was Mike and Dave who pushed me to join the creative side. They knew I could play and knew I had novels full of lyrics. That was before we had any label interest or anyone even knew we were writing music together. Fast Forward to now… We have a global deal with Nuclear Blast, performed many shows together, one full length album and an EP under our belts as Metal Allegiance… I am constantly learning and growing as a songwriter. Not everyone gets to share a writing space or stage with musicians like Alex, Dave or Mike plus people like Gary Holt, Charlie Benante, Steve Vai, Phil Demmel, Andreas Kisser, Philip Anselmo, Corey Taylor, Dave Lombardo, Kerry King, Mikkey Dee etc… etc… the rosters of MA live shows and track listings are very long and very impressive. I’m still in shock that I am listed as a musician
with these heroes of mine. I am forever humbled and grateful that some of the best musicians on the planet asked an unknown dude from New York to enter the creative space/stage with them. For me, thats my greatest professional achievement.
MM : Who do you think has influenced the world or Heavy Metal more than any other person and why?
Mark Menghi: Black Sabbath. Because they started it all!
MM: What one possession could you not live without right now?
Mark Menghi: Trusty Ol’ Red! She is my “red” bass that you see in all the photos. That bass has been with me since 1995 and was used to write and record ALL of the MA original material. She’s my baby.
MM: What would you say is Mark Menghis Motto in life is
Mark Menghi: To always be willing to learn and grow as a person, which will translate into all aspects of your life whether your a musician or not. And to always be loyal.
MM: Sum up Metal Allegiance in Four words
Mark Menghi: How about three words? Band of Brothers.
Do You have Final Words for our Readers?
Mark Menghi: Thank you for taking the time out for reading and be on the look out for our new record later on this year!
Interview Seb Di Gatto