BENNO HANKERS (NIGHT LASER): “As A Band, We Are Tight, Precise, And Energetic Like Never Before”

Hamburg-based glam ‘n’ sleeze metal band Night Laser are set to release their fifth album entitled Rats In The Cradle on September 25th. Night Laser’s frontman Benno Hankers spoke with Metal Express Radio about their upcoming album, Night Laser’s upcoming tour with Axel Rudi Pell, his dream of playing Hellfest, and more. Check out the chat below!

Metal Express Radio: Night Laser are set to release their new album entitled Rats In The Cradle on September 25th. What can you tell fans about the upcoming release?

Benno: It is our most versatile, most interesting, and most personal album so far. Listeners can expect influences like Funk, Blues, Thrash, Power Metal, Hard Rock, and of course Glam and Sleaze. There is a lot in that record that we have never tried before.

MER: How was the writing and recording process, being your fifth album?

Benno: It feels like it is only our second album, to be honest. The music on the first three albums was mainly written by our former guitarist. Now, with him gone, we work together as a team. Everyone is involved in the process.

For this record, Eike Freese was in charge of both the recording and production. We wanted to make an album with him for a long time. He did the mixing and mastering for Call Me What You Want, and now we finally got to go through the whole recording process with him.

MER: How was it working with the special guests on the album such as Sebastian Zierof and Johnny Gioeli?

Benno: It was super easy and a lot of fun. As with our former guests, we never really plan to have anyone doing guest parts on the record. Once the songs developed, we got a feeling that some of our friends would be a perfect fit for a specific part. And then we just ask. Luckily, they all said yes! And each one of them brings their own piece of special personality to the song. We avoid giving our friends too much input before they record their parts. We always want to hear their interpretation of the song.

MER: You’ll soon be touring Europe with Axel Rudi Pell. What are your expectations for the upcoming tour?

Benno: It is the third time we hit the road with ARP, so we kind of know what to expect. However, I am expecting more people to be familiar with our faces and our music. Back then we were absolute newcomers. Let’s be honest, we still are, despite our long history. But I think we are really starting to put our name out there. Plus, as a band, we are tight, precise, and energetic like never before. Those will be the best shows we have ever played!

MER: What do you see as plans for Night Laser after the tour with Axel Rudi Pell?

Benno: We are working on more support tours and some club shows, and we are also hoping for some nice festival slots for the summer. However, we will also take a little time-out. The last 3 years have been very demanding, and we all need some rest. But if destiny calls and we get some good gig offers or great ideas for new songs, we’ll be back at it in no time!

MER: Is there anyone you hope to tour with and why?

Benno: So many bands! Of course you could say Iron Maiden or some other big names. However, I would really love to tour with successful bands in our age that worked their way up too. Like H.E.A.T., Crashdiet, Enforcer. There’s so much great music coming from Scandinavia! Hammerfall would be a dream come true!

MER: Germany is known to have a strong and passionate metal scene. How does it feel to be a part of it, as well as stand out among most of the bands?

Benno: The metal scene is definitely alive and kicking in Germany. There are numerous bands active in the underground, and it is always fascinating to see who emerges next. Being a constant in this environment makes us happy as well as proud. We started in the glam niche, which is rather small compared to the mainstream metal audiences. This gave us the advantage of less direct competition, but it also meant that our reach was limited. With our current development, we are hoping to engage new audiences and show the rest of the scene that we have come to stay.

MER: Is there anywhere you hope to play live that you haven’t?

Benno: Hellfest! I have been there several times as a fan, and I dream of being there one day as a band. To me, this is the best festival in the world! And of course we want to come to L.A., Japan, and South America at some point in our career.

MER: Out of Night Laser’s five albums, what is one you would recommend to a new fan and why?

Benno: With Rats… there will be five records actually. I think Call Me What You Want would be the easy way in, because it follows the rules of our genre a bit more. However, if you want to know who we actually are, how we feel, how we want to sound, and which way we are heading in the future, it would be Rats… of course. To me, this is the best album we’ve made so far!