JUNE 11th 2022
IMPACT EXCLUSIVE

MetalTitans got the unique opportunity to chat with IMPACT. We got to speak with members, Ian Hendrik(22), he plays drums, keys, does backing vocals as well as produces and manages the band, while Joe Hanson(32) does the lead vocals. Forming in February of 2020, and releasing "Initial Impact" album in 2021, these guys are full of fresh new energy ready to tear into the metal scene. Check out our exclusive below:

Interview By: Metal Mom Rita

MT: Tell us how each came to be in the band . . .

Joe Hanson: When I joined the band, Impact was already founded. They were looking for a singer to record lead vocals for their first album “Initial Impact”, so I supported the guys with my voice. Once the album was finished I took the offer of becoming a member of Impact.

Ian Hendrik: I founded the band with my very best buddy Morris Ramon on Lead Guitars. We’ve been in numerous bands before and had been making music together for over a decade.

MT: Tell us a little about each band member too please.

Joe Hanson: We’re all based around the same local area in southern Germany. I very much appreciate Morris Ramon’s guitar skills, even though he’s just 20 years old. He’s the virtuoso, but also the one who’s always a bit dreamy…Dan Ringer on Bass Guitar and Danny on Rhythm guitar are the foundation of Impact. On the drums, we have a real monster: Ian Hendrik. He’s also responsible for most of the songwriting, the production and mixing side of Impact and he’s acting as a part time manager for the band. In short: It’s a versatile bunch of guys and that’s the secret recipe for an exciting project like Impact.

Ian Hendrik: Mr. Joe Hanson is a very unique man and a fucking good friend. He’s always right there for you and makes a poet out of every note he sings. He’s become a great contributor for writing new songs and I hope to be working and laughing with him for a long time to come.  

MT: Like the name IMPACT, it is saying , to me, that you will make an impact on people, is that why you chose this name?

Ian Hendrik: You’re pretty much right already (laughing). The cover picture of our debut album puts our message into a picture. We want to make an IMPACT with our music and wake the world up from its over saturation of soulless pop music. We came here to rock and we came here to bring back the beauty of 80s Heavy Metal with a modern touch.

MT: You are a fairly new band (2020), then covid hit, that must have been hard for you, now things have improved somewhat, tell us what you did while covid made such a horrible mess of things?

Joe Hanson: Obviously the crisis took us upside down, but I think we used the time very well. At the time when I joined the band, the songwriting for “Initial Impact” was completed and we could start recording right away. Although we couldn’t play a whole lot of gigs, we were still able to push the project ahead. “You really have to make hay while the sun is out.”

MT: Tell us what kind of influence did you have from musicians as you grew up?

Ian Hendrik: We all grew up on slightly different styles of music. For myself, the first bands I really got into are Deep Purple, Whitesnake and Gotthard. David Coverdale became an icon for me at a very young age. Later I got more into the 80s stuff like Van Halen, Mötley Crüe, XYZ, Winger and the likes. That’s what Joe and I really have in common. He’s the full on 80s guy…the Judas Priest guitar posing is his thing. Danny is the more sort of the classic rock man, who’s really into the Angus Young sound, but he listens to a wide range of music from Dire Straits to Slipknot. Dan Ringer is probably the one with the ‘heaviest’ influences. He’s into power metal bands like Sabaton and Powerwolf. And last but not least…Morris Ramon…you can’t really define his taste of music…he likes blues and funk, but also likes to go crazy to bands like Rage Against the Machine.

MT: In August of 2020  you put out  your first single "We Want Out" , what kind of response did  you get from it?

Ian Hendrik: The initial response was very good. It was hard to promote that song though as no concerts were possible due to the regulations to control the pandemic. We were offered quite a lot of gigs, which sadly never took place, but it was the starting point for Impact and put us on the map.

MT:  I am thinking that the one show you played in the summer of 2021, has left some great memories as it was your first. Tell us about it?

Joe Hanson: Personally for me it was a very special occasion. It was not only the first show for Impact but the very first time that I was on stage as a real frontman. To explain: In previous band projects I always doubled up as singer and rhythm guitarist. It’s a totally new way to present a show without a guitar in my hands and I enjoyed engaging with the audience a lot more. It was very emotional for us to see so many people singing and partying to our songs. We had no idea whether we would be performing in front of 50 or 500 people in the end it was even more than 500 people….they were hungry for live music after such a long drought.

MT:  Now you have a new single "Hometown", tell us why you picked this name for the song?

Ian Hendrik: As you can hear in the pre chorus of the song it’s about my love affair and the hate relationship I have with my hometown. On one hand it is a beautiful little city to live in and I know almost every soul but on the other hand I’m longing to start my journey into the big cities and the wide open world. The name…..gosh I dunno…this is my hoooooommmmeeeetooooowwwwwnnnnn.

MT:  Explain how you came about writing this song and what it means to you?

Ian Hendrik: This song is fully up my alley. The riff came first and the lyrics second. I wanted to write a song in the style of an early Gotthard tune with a heavy blues touch. The topic hometown came up to me, as due the Covid travel restrictions I once again wasn’t able to move from Germany to London where I was studying for the past two years. The song means quite a lot to me, as it captures my emotions being torn between two possible lives.

MT:Do you have plans now that covid isn't such a nuisance anymore that you might try to plan a tour ?

Joe Hanson: For 2022 we are taking every opportunity to play a show. The goal for next year would be to plan a complete European Tour as a support act for a big band as we know we have many listeners in other countries. Maybe we will come to Canada one day too ;)

MT:  Tell us something about yourselves that we might not know . . .

Joe Hanson: The snoring in the intro of our song “Hangover” is actually real. It has been recorded during a recording session when Danny fell asleep after a long night out. There are also some other hidden easter eggs across our songs….just always listen and watch closely to our stuff. By the way, the audience in our new music video for “Hometown” are in fact our fans. We asked them on social media if they would like to be part of a music video and many joined us. Afterwards we rewarded them with a live show and everybody had a great time

MT: What are your plans now?

Ian Hendrik: It’s not a secret anymore that we are working on new material for a second album. You have to strike the iron while it is hot ;-) As mentioned previously, we are planning to go on tour as a support act for a big band that we can play a tour with next year…so Mr. Doc McGhee…if you’re reading this…give us a call. We’re in.

Thank you (Danke) for taking the time to do this interview with us here at Metaltitans, and we look forward to hearing more.

Views and opinions expressed in answers are those of the authors and do not reflect necessarily the official position, attitude or position of 𝗠𝗘𝗧𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗚𝗘 ᴳᴸᴼᴮᴬ