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Another secret to be unveiled: SAMAIN played good teutonic 80ies Metal. Their record is not really a classic, but it will be an enrichment for your collection if your after true 80ies HM. A detailed review of their (sadly only) record "Vibrations of Doom", which comes with a really nice cover, can be read here.
It is always good to see musicians that are proud on their past works and still interested in METAL, although they left the so called "szene" a long time ago. This is not obvious as you all know, there are enough "black sheep" who turned their back on METAL after they realised that their aspired "success" (= $$$) doesn't come true. I am curious how many of today's "Power Metal Sensations" will still be left after the Power/Bombast/BoreToDeath Metal trend is gone...
...but I digress from the main thing: SAMAIN is 100% not one of those deceivers! RALPH VEETY, the guitarplayer on "Vibrations of Doom" is for a good reason proud on this record, so he willingly agreed to answer our questions. Here are some exclusive background-informations about an overlooked and underrated german 80ies Metal Band. Maybe some of you will feel the need to hunt down the "Vibrations of Doom" LP afterwards. Would be a good decision!

1) Which year you got infected with the METAL-virus and what was the release?
Ralph: Actual very early, though it wasn't called Metal those days. I still was at elementary school when Hendrix or Cream filled my ears with screaming guitars. But the real thrill probably hit me when Deep Purple released their 1970 album In Rock when I was at the age of 10.

2) With what age did you start singing/playing an instrument and what was the reason to do so?
Ralph: It was on TV news: Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock. That was 1969. On Christmas Day - I just had turned 10 years - I got my first guitar. And I knew I would be a rock & roll star ;o)))

3) What are your five alltime-favorite records? Ralph: Hard question! There are so many thrilling albums ... my Top 5 ... with headache: 1) Rush: Permanent Waves (1980) 2) Genesis: Selling England by The Pound (1973) 3) Little Feat: Time Loves a Hero (1977) 4) Yes: The Yes Album (1971) 5) Wishbone Ash: There's The Rub (1974) 4) Tell us the three last records/CDs you bought, that really thrilled you! Not latest releases but they hit my nerv ... 1) Dream Theater: Images & Words 2) Glenn Hughes & Friends: A Tribute to Tommy Bolin - Live 3) Saxon: Solid Ball of Rock

Line-Up von "Vibratioins of Doom" LP vlnr: Marc Newman (drums) - Ralph Veety (guitar) - Pete Ancaster (vocals) - Bernard Eams (bass guitar, background vocals) - Dave Herod (guitar)

5) Please give us a discography of all bands you played with and all releases and about how many copies each title were sold!
Only important releases:
a) Samain: Thunderbolt Giants (Demo) (~1,000)
b) Samain: Vibrations of Doom (album) (~50,000)
c) Samain: Thor (7" single, Canada & USA) (unknown)
d) Sampler: The Metal Machine '84 (album, title Diamonds & Disgrace) (unknown)
e) Samain: ...From Now Till Doomsday (Live-Demo) (~2,000)
f) Samain: Today You're A Lion (Demo) (~2,500)
g) Samain: An Evening in May 1985 (Video) (unknown)
h) Take Care: Sun Glasses (Demo) (unknown)
i) Mike Al Becker: Rollimann (CD) (unknown)

Cover: "Vibrations of Doom" LP 1984

6) Looking back: Which of your releases do you like the most and why? Samain: Today You're A Lion. Perhaps because of my favourite song "Waste & Black" (Waste Land's Plead), I don't know, though the bad master mix. 7) And which the least/why? Samain: ...From Now Till Doomsday. Because of the misplaced fingers on guitar. 8) Did your band (any of your bans) record songs that have never been released? Please give us the song-titles and a short description! All songs of all bands would be too many, so a selection: xx) Bronx: Killing Machine (tape, 1982) xx) Samain: Engine's Workin' Hard (Pre-Production Tape, 1984) xx) Samain: An Evening in May 1985 (Live-Tape) xx) Samain: Live at Aardshok 1985, Ludwigsburg (tape, erased) xx) Samain: Live at Monsters of Rock of the Newcomers, Ludwigsburg (tape & video, erased). xx) Samain: Return of the Giants - Live, 1986 (video, unreleased) xx) Samain: Beneath the Fortress - Live, 1986 (video, unreleased) xx) Take Care: More Glasses 1988 (tape)

9) What was the highlight of your carreer?
February 1985, France-Tour "Today You're A Lion", Toulouse-Gig.

10) Tell us a funny story around your band from the past!
We arrived at Toulouse very early in the morning. We looked like zombies after our trip which had lasted more than 30 hours. We got out of the bus in front of a police station, but our French tour managers weren't at the meeting point. A policeman came along and we asked him if we could phone in the office. At that moment a police car came around the corner, stopped with screaming tyres, the door was opened, and out came three armed policeman who thought we would knock out their colleague. It was kind of frightening at that very moment but we laughed a lot about it later.

11) Are you a metal-collector? If yes:
Oh yes! Although not as it was in those damned good times...

11.1) How big is your collection (LPs, CDs, Demos)?
ca. 1600 Vinyls, CDs, Tapes, Videos

11.2) What are your ten most valuable records from a collectors view? I know I'm cheating a bit... 01) Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti, Houses of the Holy 02) Deep Purple: Machine Head, Stormbringer, Come Taste the Band 03) Frank Zappa: Zoot Allures, Sheik Yerbouti 04) Pat Metheny: Travels 05) Grobschnitt: Rockpommel's Land 06) Steve Hackett: Voyage Of The Acolyte 07) Ten Years After: Cricklewood Green, Watt 08) Supertramp: Crime of the Century, Breakfast in America 09) Dixie Dregs: Dregs of the Earth, What If 10) Judas Priest: Screaming For Vengeance, Defenders of the Faith

»...Odin holds the torch menace in his hand and near's the day when the fire's sent We rise the pile light...« [»We Rise The Pile Light« - Ancaster/Eams/Veety 1984][© 1984]

11.3) Vinyl or CD: what do you prefer and why?
Doesn't matter.

12) What indescribable great question have you never been asked yet? And what would your answer have been?
Ahm ... I think about it and send you my reply later :o)

13) What is the current status of the band and what is planned next?
In autumn 1986 Samain stopped to exsist though the band never died in the end. Peter Ancaster (vocals) and I (g) plan a "last" CD with songs which haven't been released yet (old & new). The anniversary-gig 1999 (15 years after "Vibrations Of Doom" release) had to be deferred to a later date.

Any last words?:
Thanks to all fans whose dreams we lived. Thanks to those who still wants us to play for them. Thanks Forgotten Steel, Steven Cannon (Vibrations of Doom eZine, USA), who keep Samain in memory. Without you Samain never has/had been what it was.

"Samain - Still Some Dreams In The Attic"

BANDCONTACT:
Ralph Veety
Email: samain@veetyworld.de
Homepage: http://www.veetyworld.de
(private Site, not only about SAMAIN...)