'Once Again It's Time To Fear The Dragons!'

Escapi Records — already known for sweltering hot releases by The Dictators and The Hellacopters — late last year unleashed Give Me The Fear by Tokyo Dragons.

Tokyo Dragons (Steve Lomax - lead guitar/lead vocals, Mal Bruk - lead guitar/vocals, Mathias Stady - bass, and Phil Martini on drums), mixes AC/DC, Thin Lizzy and Motorhead all into one big gargantuan sound—making for a hard rock house-shaking debut by a band that British critics are falling all over themselves to praise.

Destined to be the hard rock album of the year, Give Me The Fear (11 tracks in 40 minutes) manages to evoke the basic sweat that accompanies the activity of those in pursuit of good times, fast cars and loose women. The songs—“What The Hell,” “Get ‘Em Off,” “Do You Wanna,” “Come On Baby,” “Let It Go,” “Johnny Don’t Wanna Ride,” “Teenage Screamers,” “Ready Or Not,” “Burn On,” “Rockin’ The Stew” and “Chasing The Night” — were produced by Pedro Ferreria (The Darkness) and recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales during June and July 2004.

Chatting recently with lead singer and guitarist Steve Lomax, I first noted that as they are not from Tokyo and that they are clearly not Dragons, just where did this colorful name originate?! "The name came to life in the Bailey Pub on Holloway Road after a long and productive creative brain storming session ! We basically wanted a name that captured our very strong group dynamic and the moniker "Tokyo Dragons " fulfilled our criteria. Looks great, sounds great and it will hopefully ensure that we are gonna be massive in Japan!"

Your album title suggests a 'bring it on' mentality to your profession, but do you really wish for the Fear to be brought?! "The Fear is more a kind of mythical beast than a state of mind. It transcends the mere physical and mental state becoming a spiritual Leviathan. The Fear is both destructive and creative , both positive and negative. So , yeah! BRING ON THE FEAR! It's dangerous and so therefore SEXY!"

With this new album having been produced by The Darkness' producer, Pedro Ferreria, I wondering what he brought to the table come the final mix? "He added the objective ears but understood where the band was coming from, so he helped us capture our vision! It was real fun and very creative."

Your bio states that you are '... four English Gentlemen,' but sorry, isn't that just one big oxy-moron?! "Are you implying that by being English that you can't be a gentleman?! Which is probably true to a certain degree but in all seriousness that statement is slightly flawed anyway especially as one of the band is from Bavaria! I think it would better to say we are four London gentleman, as London has shaped who we are as people and what we are as a Band. And we are, of course, the perfect gentlemen!"

One tabloid in Britain noted that you were "unreconstructed '70s rock fans, ... definitely ugly, but in the best possible way"! Are these the recurring kind of supposed accolades that your homeland are always giving you or do they get better?! "I was hoping he wasn't being literal about being ugly, as you couldn't find a better looking group of men. There is a certain themes in all of our reviews; "Grizzled Barbarian beef-rock" is one of my favourites. "Lock up your farm animals" is not!"

Out of the 11 songs on this new album which one truly stands out to be your go-to favorite when recommending it to first time listeners ... and why? "I would say "Come on Baby " is my favourite in a field of gems. I think it captures everything about the Band. It rocks, its got a big chorus, harmony guitar. A real stomper! I am real proud of that song and it sounds GREAT!"

For fun, and taking the titles of a few of your album tracks, please let us know:

'Do You Wanna?' - What is the one thing that you've most wanted to do for the longest time ... and still might?! "Being in a Kick ass Rock and Roll Band and I never want it to stop!"

'Johnny Don't Wanna Ride' - Is there really someone called Johnny in your lives that this track was created about? "It is about someone, but they ain't called Johnny!"

'Teenage Screamers' - When was the last time you caught yourself screaming lyrics out loud at a concert ... and which one was it? "That would be "Living After Midnight" by Judas Priest performed by the Swedish Band "Sound Track of Our Lives" at a friends wedding! That was one Helluva party and boy, was I singing along!"

What '80s (and possibly cheesy!) song would you love to cover today if asked ... and why?! "It would be "Everyday Hurts" by Sad Cafe. It's the archetypal 80s pop/rock tune. Is it cheesy? Who cares!!!! I reckon we could do a great version of that song. Will It ever happen? No!"

If you were asked to record a single for charity, and had to choose 3 other known musicians (no one from your own band and dead or alive!) to aid you in the project, who would they be, what instruments would they play, and what would the name of the NEW song be?! "Miles Davis on trumpet, Phil Lynott on bass guitar, and Blackie Onassis on drums. The song would be called "Hand Over The Cash!"

Lastly, I like Penguins ... do you?! "I love penguins, both the antarctic species of birds and also the chocolate candy bar, which is very popular in the UK. Pppppick Up a Penguin!"

Interviewed by Russell A. Trunk

www.TokyoDragons.com

If you would like to win an AUTOGRAPHED copy of Tokyo Dragons' brand new CD, just answer this easy question: In Chinese history, The Year of the Dragon takes place every how many years?!