Alex Beyrodt is the guitarist of one of the freshest and classiest metal bands to have hit the scene in the last few years - Silent Force.  The band have a plethora of talent in their ranks and arguably metals best vocalist in DC Cooper.  After tracking down Alex, several emails later we came out with this excellent interview.  Sit down, relax and get to know a fantastic musicians and all round great guy.

How did Silent Force initially come together?

It all began 1998 when I decided to leave SINNER and start my own band. I founded “THE SYGNET” and had a worldwide release. After we toured with DORO and played WACKEN, I started to write new material for the next album. Then I had some problems with the singer, he wanted to be more soft…I wanted to be more heavy, so I decided to search for a new singer.
At this time I was listening to DC Coopers Solo Album a lot. I thought……..men, this guy can really sing.
I contacted my management BOTTOM ROW and they gave me his phone number, I called, sended some tapes and six weeks later he was sitting in my studio in Germany 

How did you get to know DC Cooper?

The first time I heard his name and singing was at “MOVING TARGET” from Royal Hunt.

There is a definite chemistry prevalent throughout all the bands albums. Does this come pretty naturally?
Yes, and this is something I am really proud and happy of. I miss this in many of this new bands…….the fact you realized means you have a big knowledge!!! I love to talk (write) with people who know what they talk!

Well, back to your question. We have two ways of writing music. SILENT FORCE is a band which is able to write a song in 5 minutes during a jam in the rehearsal room. Some of our best material was written like this. We had many MAGIC MOMENTS during our rehearsals. We LISTEN to each other while we playing….this is the easiest way to describe it. Many musicians are only listening to themselves while playing, this is a big mistake! You miss the beauty of music!

Second way is…..I prepare a song myself in my studio, then we listen to them all together and pick the songs we think it is a SILENT FORCE song. Then we put it thru the SILENT FORCE rehearsal room machine I am always writing, I already have 30 new songs for the next album and we have not even started jamming together!


What does DC’s voice give you in regards to influencing material? Are you pretty happy to throw anything good at him, or do you stick to a specific sound?
DC is amazing. You can give him anything and he will find a great hook for it!
But for the new album we took care to write the songs in the best range for him so he can sing like a bird.

Does the band have a vision of what the Silent Force is? If so how well has this been accomplished so far?
SILENT FORCE is all I was ever dreaming of in regards to friendship, playing and Live performance. I’m not sure what the other guys would say , so this is personal.

What are your thoughts now on the debut Silent Force release, The Empire Of Future? What holds up, anything you would change?
Well, I still love the album and I would change nothing.

What are your thoughts on Infatuator?
A great album, heavy and melodic. And I love the guitar sound a lot!

World’s Apart saw a more melodic tone come in, yet still retaining the heaviness of Infatuator, it’s a very fresh blend. What led to the slightly more melodic/hookier music on Worlds Apart?
Well, this was done with the aspect of DC’ voice and range. We wanted to write the best possible music for his voice. AND we wanted to get away from this PRIEST image.

How long did it take to write the album?
Actually not to long. Around 4 weeks in the rehearsal and 4 weeks in my studio by my own, writing, writing , writing.

Was it written before recording commenced, or was stuff composed in the studio?
It was half composed in the rehearsal and half in my studio.

Dennis Ward’s production is very powerful, what role did you play in the albums final sound?
Well, at this time I was not involved in the production a lot. We wanted to have Dennis to be the man! And he did a great job. First it felt a bit strange not to be involved as much as before. But I talked with Dennis a lot and put my trust into him. He is a great producer, great guy, great musician.

The only influence I had was during the drum recordings and of course…..my guitar tracks!

What plans does the band have lined up for 2005?
We will tour in JAPAN in April. After that we start to jam for new material. I hope we will be able to start the recordings for the next album within this year.

How long have you been playing guitar?
25 fucking long years….and I still love it like the first day. I still get excited whenever I pick up my guitar. It is a gift from god, destiny and it changed my live completely.

When I picked up the guitar the first time I was hooked from the first moment and wanted to become a professional musician. Today, I have seen almost the whole world, I have been to Japan many times, USA, South America, Indonesia, China, Malaysia, and in every European Country. Not to forget all this GREAT moments on stage!!!! This is the best!

Who are your main influences and what have they given your playing?
Ritchie Blackmore, Jimi Hendrix and Randy Rhoads. I saw Randy live when I was 17 and it changed my live. I still have this picture in my head when he came on stage…his charisma was AMAZING…..not to forget his playing. The next day I bought all his albums…..and a friend of mine made me a RANDY ROADS Guitar necklace, made by tooth gold. I still wear this necklace and I never took it of in 23 years.

I see on your website a range of different guitars, do you have a favourite and what do you look for in a guitar?
Yes, I have quite a lot. The pictures are old actually, I have many new ones and the page needs to be updated!
My favourite is a handmade SIGGI Strat Guitar from a Germany guy, Siggi Braun. (http://www.siggiguitars.de) He is a real artist, he puts all his soul into his guitars!

A Guitar has to inspire me. If I pick it up it has to talk to me within seconds. Then I have a few nice Fender Strats. I am a strat guy! Not to forget the ESP Alex Beyrodt Custom they made for me. It was a present form ESP and they gave it to me while I was in Japan on promotion tour. It has the SILENT FORCE eagle airbrush on the body and inlays on the neck.

What make/model Humbuckers and Single Coils do you use?
I use Seymour Duncan Screamin’ Demon Humbucker and Seymour Duncan Li’l screaming Demon as a mini humbucker. In most of my strats I use DiMarzio HS 3 and HS 2.

How do you like the action set on your guitars?
Low. And I have scalloped fingerboards on most of my guitars. Some are completely scalloped, some from the 10th fret. I have played scalloped fingerboards since I was 17.

Your website shows a preference for Engl amplification, what model do you use and what does that amp give you that others don’t?
I have a Savage 120 and a Savage Special Edition. I love the 4 channels and the midi feature. An ENGL is a real monster, for me the best sounding amp in the world, followed by MARSHALL.

Do you use any external overdrive/distortion devices with your amps?
If you play an ENGL you usually don’t need an extra distortion pedal. But I started to experiment a bit in the last year. I put the gain back and instead of overdrive the preamp I overdrive the power amp. Then I use Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster, or an OriginalTS9 or the Yngwie Malmsteen DOD.

You have done quite a bit of work with Behringer on a 4x12” cab amongst other things. What got you into this line of work?
Money! (laughs) You know, I live around the area where Behringer is based. When they started to develop amps they asked me to help them with my ears and experience. I liked the challenge and started to work with them. Now they send me all over the planet to demonstrate there amps….which is a great gig for a musician.

You have some patches on the V-amp – do you actually use this unit?
Sometimes for clean sounds in the studio. But when it comes to the real thing, I play tube amps, now doubt!

What products would you recommend for a beginner (playing mostly in their home) or semi-pro musician (gigging)?
Well, don’t try to save money on the guitar. If you try to learn on a shitty guitar you’ll loose interest very fast. It has to be fun in the first place. There are so many brands and guitars out there. I think I can highly recommend the FENDER HIGHWAY Strat!! This guitar has everything you need for a good price. Ampwise, if you are a beginner the Roland Cube amps are pretty good. And of course the BEHRINGER stuff. Especially the Vintager AC 112 and the Vampire LX1-112.

Your style of play is distinctive, what do you consider the key aspects of your playing that make your style?
Thanks. Well, I am a autodidact. I learned playing by listening to music. I trust to 100% my ears and sometimes I can hear things other don’t. Especially when it comes to bending and intonation. Many of the new generation players have a lack in intonation. Guys, listen to the old masters!!!!

What do you aim for tonally in the studio?
Raw Power and pressure from the speakers….. the amp has to get into the harmonic distortion range which you only get if you overdrive the power amp.

What microphone positions/techniques work best for you?
One close at the side of the speaker, one in front of the cabinet and on room mic. And Celestion Vintage 30 or G12h Speakers.

Do you have any aspirations/plans to do a solo album?
I would love to do it if I find the time between all my travelling. Well, like I said earlier, I've wrote already 30 Songs for the next SILENT FORCE and I think some of them would fit to a solo album. I already talked to some musicians (quite big names)….and they showed interest.

What interests do you have outside of music?
My Japanese wife Yuko (she is my angel), Asia Culture, Food and Golf.

You were in Sinner for a number of years; I am however unfamiliar with that material so can you give me and others who may not have heard is some insight into that aspect of your career / recommend some albums etc?
Well, I was 12 years in SINNER, one of the most famous Metal Bands of Germany. I was a fan of the band when the asked me to join (I was 23).  With SINNER I travelled the world, and experienced the music business from every aspect. It was a great time. I remember when I went to my fist audition….I entered their practice room and there was a wall of 12 MARSHALL cabinets on my side next to the drums. I was deeply impressed I would recommend these two albums: Judgement Day and  Nature of Evil.

You participated in a project called Missa Mercuria; can you shed some more light on this project?
I was asked to write songs for this project and I felt honoured. It is a very interesting concept album with great musicians and great music.

Anything else you would like to tell the readers of virtuosityone.com?
“It is time for GUITAR HEROES to come back" and…..don’t follow trends, be yourself.

Alex, Thank you for your time.
Thanks for having me here!