Alder Thru Zonder: An Exclusive Interview With MARK ZONDER Of A-Z
By
Larry Petro,
News Monkey
Friday, July 15, 2022 @ 8:17 AM
"When I put [A-Z] together my thoughts were, car commercials, beer commercials, and Cobra Kai."
- advertisement -
A-Z brings together former FATES WARNING bandmates drummer Mark Zonder and vocalist Ray Alder. Also on board are world class musicians Philip Bynoe (STEVE VAI, WARLORD), Joop Wolters, and Vivien Lalu. Zonder wasn’t looking to put together another prog-metal venture this time around. A-Z is a full-on Arena Rock affair with in-your-face melodic vocals, driving guitars, killer drums, and bombastic choruses.
Sure, there’s a little bit of Metal and Prog in there to discover, but certainly no 10 minute epics. Their self-titled debut is set to be released on August 12, 2022 through Metal Blade Records. I personally can’t stop listening to it. A perfect 5 out 5 stars! I had the chance to speak with founder Mark Zonder ahead of the album’s release.
Highlights Include:
-Discussion of their self-titled debut album
-How band members were recruited
-Defining the AOR/Arena Rock sound of A-Z
-Taking a chance on making the call to Ray Alder
-Working with Metal Blade Records on the release
-Touring possibilities
-Memories of working on Ray Alder’s first album with FATES WARNING, Perfect Symmetry (1989)
-Mark’s back catalogue re-releases with WARLORD & SLAVOR
-And much, much more…
