How was your trip to trough Europe? The Wacken Open Air Show?
Did you play in several countries?
(Dave): We played 2 weeks of shows in Germany and England. We were supposed to play in Spain as well, but had to cancel those few shows before making it. A lot of the shows were in small clubs, but the reception was very good. We played Wacken and a festival arranged by Rick Walker in Bradford England with Witchfynde. All the shows were great, great crowd response.
T.T.D paid for all expense on this trip to Europe, why was going to Europe, so important for T.T.D? WHy didnt the label pay for the trip?
(Dave):We wanted to go to Europe to play at Wacken and witness some other real metal heads. The US sucks for metal, although there are a few bands like us that try to carry the flag of real metal into battle. Miskatonic Foundation is still getting off of the ground and they don't really have the money laying around to completely pay our expenses. We did stay with the Rich and Chas (Solstice) in England and they fed us a lot too. They also provided most of the transportation so in a way they did support the tour!
You started the band not so long ago. 1995. However , you have received great recognition and still remain faithful to the underground scene, How do you acomplish this feat in such a short time?
(Dave): I think people like TTD because we sound like a real band who is playing the kind of music they really enjoy. I think a lot of people prefer the complex arrangements and the classic/epic metal style compared to death, black metal. Rich has done a great job promoting the first release and Scott has done a lot of "spreading the word" through mail and the distribution of the previous recordings. Don't underestimate the power of the underground!!!
Your first singer was a woman, Janet was she on any previous recordings?
(Dave): Wasn't she right person for the job? Janet ended up moving to Germany to persue a career in opera.
What's is like to work with a female singer as part of heavy metal band when you're only thinking about drinking, screwing and listenig metal? Not to mention the fact of dealing with 300 drunken fans who want to screw your singer?
(Dave): Janet was an excellent vocalist, but it was a little weird working with a female singer. It was kind of like having your sister in your band. We couldn't talk about women like the pig's we are, and kind of had to hold back. We were sorry to see her leave but really excited when we found Tony and began working with him. We didn't play out much until Tony joined the band, so we never had the pleasure of beating many drunken fans off of her. Despite the constant drunkenness I think we managed to keep our hands off of her.
Some of the band members have played in death metal bands before. Do you like death meatl? Which are your favorite bands?
(Dave): Marc (the drummer) and I played in a death metal band before TTD and Scott and Jimmy had a crappy little death metal band in highschool (he, he). I'm a big fan of old Carcass, Sadus, and old thrash metal like Forbidden, Exodus, Helstar, and Forced Entry. Everyone in the band has different metal influences and it makes for an interesting style - mixing classic/epic metal, thrash, and other styles. I think you can see this mixing more witrh the newer material, but it's still 100% metal.
Scott: Golgotha didn't suck! Dave is just jelous because Jimmy and I got all the ladies.
Among the flyers you sent me, there's one that i really like, it's one for a show with October 31, Division and premonition, and feature a demon shitting on Hammerfall , did you design the flyer? Do you feel hatred towards this bunch of fags? (Scott) Yes, I designed the flyer. I drew the demon shitting on the Hammerfall "H" and I'm glad you liked it! We make fun of Hammerfall because they're are the opitimy of trendy false metal. Even worse than all this lame-ass pussy-fart false Gothic Metal!!! That shit makes me wanna fucking vomit! We stand for all that is true in metal. We listen to Omen, Oz, Running Wild, Pentagram, Venom, Motorhead and Iron Maiden and Manowar. We're not riding this stupid fucking Power Metal trend. Our music is dirty and ugly! We're fucking proud to be a metal band and Hammerfall is a disgrace to our cause and an insult to everyone who considers themselves to be a fan of metal.
How was the crowd response at Shows like the Powermad 99, March metal meltdown, North Carolina Metalfest,Milwakee metalfest?
It must be a great experience to watch you injected large doses of refreshing heavy metal in your live shows?
(Dave) Those shows are kind of hit and miss depending on the time and day we play, but at every show we have people approach us to buy CD's and tell us how much they like TTD. It's more important for this to happen at this level than to have 1000 people show up to each of our shows because we're radio friendly, or "US modern metal.
Scott, you are kind of T.T.D's leader, you play all the acoustic guitars (excellent, by the way) and do back up vocals, is some complicated this process for you?
Scott- Well I'm not really the leader. None of this would be possible without the other members. I'm very driven and I handel a lot of our contacts and bussiness relationships but then again we all take part in that. All decisions are made as a band and we stand 'till the death as brothers. These guys have put up with a lot of stupid shit from me and I'm glad to still be playing with them all. Anyway, Thank you very much for your compliments on my acoustic playing!!! It means a lot to me! As for my back up vocals I just scream and shout. No talent necesarry for that shit. Maybe just a few beers to get in the militant mood.
Miskatonic Foundation is the label that released "The Cursed Of Twisted Tower".

The label's name is taken from the books of Horror master H.P Lovecraft, does he inspire your lyrics in any way?What other subjects do you cover in your lyrics? some track speaking about of beer and bitches?
(Dave) I think that everyone in the band is an H.P. Lovecraft fan (I love the shit) but we haven't written and Lovecraft inspired songs yet. Rich is obviously into H.P. in a big way. TTD lyrics mix history, mythology, and fantastic imagery. We probably do need to write a beer-bitch song, but haven't yet. Many of the songs are also about battle and "The Curse of Twisted Tower" - a legend about an evil gypsey that was burned at the stake (album cover) for Witchcraft and cursed the twisted tower that served as her prison and the rest of the kingdom. Hail Dark Rider is about a warrior so evil and relentless that he defeats Satan and claims the throne of hell.
Which T.T.D member lived the power and the magic of the glorious 80's? Who is the most heavy metal veteran ?
(Dave)Tony is definately the TTd veteran, being in more bands and being the eldest member of the group. We all lived through the glorious 80's and try to re-live them at each band practice .
What is T.T.D' top ten all time fave playlist? Iron Maiden - Powerslave Forbidden - Forbidden Evil
(Scott) Well Dave says "Powerslave" and "Forbidden Evil" for 2 of them and I'll agree with that. I would also say Metallica "Ride the Lightening", Voivod "Dimension Hatross", W.A.S.P. "The Last Command", Slayer "Show No Mercy", Black Sabbath "Technical Ecstacy", Bruce Dickinson "Chemical Wedding" and Vio-Lence "Eternal Nightmare". However it changes with every interview. I'm just thinking of the albums that we all like collectively.
13-Which is your favorite Iron maiden album, and why? , What do you think of their "Brave New world" album? There's a whole revival of the old heavy metal school.
Scott- "Powerslave" or Piece of Mind" because those were the years that they really found their style and were perfecting it. They were totally fresh back then and there was an energy in the songs that let you know that they knew they were writting some really revelutionary stuff.
Tony's singing is very Bruce Dickinson-epic like. was it difficult to find a singer with this skills? has he been in other bands?
(Dave)Tony has been in several other bands, some during the 80's. Most were local bands that weren't known internationally - but he did play in a band in Spain while in the military. We were really lucky to find him and to still have him as a member. Once he joined we became a real band ready to play gig's and get serious about taking the band to the next level.
As i said before, you guys create songs along the lines of the legendary bands, specially those of the NWOBHM. Besides Iron Maiden, what other bands of this wave have influenced?
(Scott) NWOBHM bands. Favorites are Jaguar, Venom, Maiden, old Def Leppard, Witchfinder General, and Saxon even though they were a little before. The basics mainly. There were so many great bands back then but only a handful really had their own sound.
Your album cover shows T.T.D burning an exotic bitch-witch, It has nothing to do with today's covers. does it reflect your admiration for the covers of bands like Iron maiden (Somewhere In Time) or Manowar (Figthing the World)?
Yeah, those old metal album covers certainly had something to do with it. Tony came up with the concepts when he wrote the title track and we projected it onto the cover art. Wait until you see the cover for "Hydra"....
Speaking about comeback and the retro trend, not all the bands have had the best comeback (Venom, Destruction, etc). Which band has disappointed you with its comeback, which has impressed you?
(Dave) We played after Destruction at Milwaukee and I thought that they ruled. The recent solo albums by Dickenson and Halford are great too - not really comeback, but good none the less. I think that most attempted comebacks have been good ones, although many people don't seem to be into them for some reason.
Lets talk about of your discography. You have two demos "Hail northern Virginia" and "Triumphing True Metal". Correct me if i'm wrong, but i thinks Germany's Iron Bone Head released at least one of them , why were so few copies released?
Those first 2 demos were basically promotional materials and the production wasn't something that we wanted to spread everywhere. Of course "Curse" could have been produced a little better too. The rarity of those demo's is what makes them so popular in a way. We still have a lot of people request the first demo's after hearing the newer material.
You have a lot of material on vinyl. First , A Split 7" with Cold Mourning. This was your first work on vinyl and feature singer Tom Philis from While Heaven Wept. W.H.W is very different from the T.T.D in the sound style. Did Tom Philis have a different singing style on this split?
Scott- I think Tom tried to sing in a more "heavy metal style" than he did on the While Heaven Wept stuff but you still tell it's him. He did a good job on the vocals back then but he wasn't the perfect vocalist for TTD. Besides, the guys a party rocker. Can't get asnything done with that drunk singing. Ha ha ha
Then came a four way double 7" with three other bands: NEVAUS (Germany) MOOD (Hungary) and REVELATION, this bands are really unknown for me, i dont know anything about these bands? ,still is in the scene they?
(Scott)These bands are all Doom bands and we got put on this thing because we started it out as a doom/heavy metal back in '95. The whole concept of TTD when we started was to be Heavy Metal Doom band. That is: Doom Metal with only Heavy Metal influences like Solstice or Candlemass. Not this stoner hippy fuzz metal crap. I'm talking about Jackson Flying V's and mego heavy riffs. Anyway, we drifted away from that vision as our drive to play faster and darker

grew. That's pretty much how our music has progressed over the past 6 years. It's come full circle now in 2001. Our first demo was slow doomy and magical. Now, our 2nd album will be fast dark and magical. This is the style that has come to be the Twisted Tower Dire trademark.
After these two 7" came a 10" split with SOLSTICE, the band of Miskatonic labelmanager? tell me more about this split, and your relation with SOLSTICE frontman?
(Scott) Actually the split 10" came out on Near Dark Productions subsidiary label Mark of the Devil. It's a split picture disc with Solstice. Both of us used demo tracks om it. Limited to 300 copies! It's likely that we'll release something else on Syren though. We're thinking about triangular shaped picture disc between us and Solstice.
Have you been offered to release the two demos and 7" as a full length album? or, will they used as bonus track?
We probably wouldn't release the demo material again, with the exception of "Beyond the Gate" being released as a bonus track on the vinyl. We have at least one other bonus track in mind too, a cover we performed at Wacken. It should be cool.
When will your new work ready? will it continue the line of C.O.T.T? Will you stay with Miskatonic Foundation? Will you release a special LP version? (Dave) Yeah, Metal Supremacy has agreed to release the vinly with some bonus tracks. We're looking into the possibility of having glow in the dark vinyl or something else interesting. We're recording in March and hoping to release the album by May 2001. That's kind of pushing it since the post production stuff often takes a bit of time. I promise that it'll be worth the wait!
How many vinyl copies of C.O.T.T were released? Why did make it a double Lp? What rare tracks or cover are included here?
(Dave) 500 copies of the vinyl were released, and I don't think I even have one copy left!! They sold quickly, impressing us all. It was a double because of the number and length of tracks and because we knew that it would be cool! We released a few extra tracks with the vinyl including; Voivod - forgotten in space, Manowar - Revelation, Iron Maiden - Powerslave medley, TTD - When all is said and done. These tracks were recorded and not used for other projects, or only partially in the case of the Maiden song. It was too long to fit the whole thing on the Maiden compilation CD. The Voivod actually did make it onto a compilation which made our drummer very happy. He's a big voivod fan and did the vocals on that one.
You have a strong attraction for vinyls. Do you collect them? Which are your most precious vinyls?
(Dave) Scott has a shit load of vinlys, enough to start his own store. He's got all of the essential classic metal albums. Scott- vinyl rules!!! My favorite peices are probably my Ozzy and Maiden bootlegs. Lots of picture discs too
The name T.T.D sounds epic and magic for me, what is the history behind of this name and his meaning?
(Dave) A former guitarist came up with the name. I combines mythology, history and fantasy in a way that compliments our music well.
All the T.T.D songs have some special magic for me, which owe took the longest to write and have ready? Which holds a special meaning for you?
(Dave) Valkyree Death Squadrons probably is the most complex song and took the most time to perfect. Personally I like Epic War because it's such a driving song. The harmonies rule and it just sounds like battle.
How are the Twisted Legions doing? is T.T.D popular in Japan already? Where do most of your fans come from?
(Dave) Most of our fans seem to be in Germany, but some pop up in Scandanavia, South America, the Eastern European Countries - basically everywhere BUT the United States. We do have fans here, but people here just aren't into metal like they used to be. We sometimes have better turnouts playing in another country than in our own cities!! Too bad, they're not worthy anyway! METAL!!!!!
T.T.D has been featured in the best comercial magazines around the world, obtaining high rating. This means more promotion and higher sales. Will you stay Underground without paying attention to what it means to be part of the magazines and music industry?
(Dave) We hope to get a better production with this album, but we'll still remain underground. This is where our fan base is, and this is where we'll stay. We have been fortunate to get great reviews and play some great shows recently, but we still definately consider ourselves an underground band.
Your sound is raw and heavy bu still technical and melodic, you sound more direct and with more spirit than any of today's too many overproduced, complex or happy power metal studio bands.what do you think?
(Dave) I agree, we hope to retain the raw sound with a better production this time when recording. We certainly aren't going to over-produce with fairy dust and shit. The Isle of Hydra will be raw, direct, and HEAVY!!!! We still enjoy writing somewhat complex arrangements, but we know how to do it and not OVER-do it. Lets change of subject. If you had a lot of money, you know, if T.T.D were a rich band, on which porno star would you spend some of that money? Do you prefer American or Europeans? (Dave)
We prefer Americans because we're stupid and can't speak anything but English. On the other hand, we do have a history of spending money on German hockers....tough decision. I'll have to think about it a while. If they're female, and into metal, we're usually somewhat interested! Of course drinking lots of beer comes first.
Will we see you in South America some time? Where would you like to spend a vacation with an exotic latin babe.
I'd love to play in South America. If I went there I'd like to see the whole place, not just the most talked about places. Rainforests to beaches...and beautiful women along for the ride!
Thanks for your time , partying words Scott........., Thanks for the interview Jimmy!!!!