Interview: Todd Michael Hall from Riot, Reverence and Burning Starr

Author’s note: if you want to read the Spanish version of the interview, go here.

Nota del autor: si quieren leer la versión en español de la entrevista, vayan para acá.

Todd Michael Hall is one the hardest working musicians in the current scene of Heavy Metal: a family man, owner of a company and member of three active bands, the vocalist doesn’t seem willing to stop. Despite being the singer of two great bands like Reverence and Burning Starr, two groups that have released some really good albums over the past few years, he became much more known when he took the microphone as the lead vocalist of Riot after the great Mark Reale’s passing –the leader and guitar player, for those that don’t know- and Tony Moore’s exit from the band. In a way, Todd’s inclusion has injected the band with a lot more energy to keep moving forward after Mark’s deceased and their new album, Unleash the Fire, is a great proof of that. But the career of Todd goes beyond the new version of the band, Riot V. And so I set up to meet him for an interview, which I can say he accepted with gusto and desire.

Once he answered all my questions, he said that we made a pretty long interview. I asked him to forgive me for doing so many questions but I was a huge fan, to which this was his reply: “No problem. I don't think your questions were a problem. The problem is that I talk a lot. I am not capable of giving a short answer.” That might give you an idea of what to expect from this interview. As someone who makes lots of questions, Todd was the perfect subject to interview and I can say I truly enjoy this process. As usual, I hope you do as well.

KT: well, first of all, thank you for taking the time to do this interview, Todd. It really is a pleasure.

TMH: Thank you for doing the interview. I appreciate the chance to tell people more about me and my music.

KT: Unleash the Fire was a great way to introduce yourself to a Riot fan base that didn’t know what to expect of this new incarnation of the band. How do you feel by taking such an important role as the lead singer of Riot?

TMH: I was a little worried at first as to how things would go and if I would be accepted, but people quickly made me feel right at home as soon as we started playing live. For some reason, the vocal styles of most of the Riot catalog are right in my vocal pocket, so I feel very natural singing with the band. It also helps that my older brother, Jon, turned me on to Riot way back in the early 80's when Fire Down Under was released. There is definitely a sense of maintaining a legacy when we play and I take that role very seriously. I try hard to reproduce the songs faithfully. I feel completely blessed to be in Riot V. The guys in the band are not only great people, but also incredible musicians and playing live with them is an absolute treat.

KT: that album has been regarded as one of the best in 2.014. I tend to agree with that statement, as a longtime fan of the band. What was your input in the album and in which songs?

TMH: Thank you for your compliments on UTF. I am really proud of that album. It came together very quickly. I started working on new songs with them before I was ever announced as the new singer. Within six months I had recorded vocals on eight different songs already. The third song I worked on was Bring The Hammer Down and Donnie gave me free reign to write lyrics and vocal melodies. Both Donnie and Mike like to suggest melodies also. We tend to work together on them. It seems they are both happy to let me write lyrics, because I ended up writing the lyrics for 8 of the 12 songs on the album.

KT: I read in some interviews you did when you joined the band that you were a bit intimidated by the Tony Moore era songs because you felt you couldn’t sing that high all the time. Now that you have been touring with the band, how do you feel in that particular aspect?

TMH: I was worried about whether or not I could sing the Tony Moore era material in a live setting and night after night. Each singer has a different vocal range where they are comfortable singing. Just listening to it, I thought perhaps the Tony Moore era songs would be a problem, but I had never tried it so I did not know. Before I agreed to be in the band, I asked them for a sample live set and I practiced the songs in my home studio to see how it felt. It seemed possible so I gave it a shot. I am very pleased by the fact that we have been able to play multiple nights in a row and my voice has stayed strong. I have a lot of experience singing live, so I know how to protect my voice. I also try to eat right and keep myself in shape, so I think that helps as well.

KT: I wanted to talk to you about the live setting. I’m not sure how much of an influence you have in the Riot V set lists, but haven’t you though in playing more Mike DiMeo songs, considering his songs are in a lower register?

TMH: Mike and Donnie have the biggest say in what we play live, but Riot V is based off the Thundersteel era Riot, because Donnie was a principal writer on Thundersteel and Privilege of Power, so that is a big factor in determining the songs we play. With one or two exceptions, we have not been selecting songs based on how difficult they are for me to sing. It is more a matter of us trying to decide what the people want to hear and what makes sense for this version of the band. The Riot catalog is so large that there will always be that one song someone wanted to hear that we did not play. We played 27 songs in one night in Japan and people still mentioned others songs they wanted to hear.

KT: are you guys working in a new Riot V album?

TMH: There are definitely plans for a new album. We are in the thick of it right now, because we have a six month break from live shows. I am currently working on lyrics and vocal melodies for four songs Donnie sent me. I know that Donnie is working on more and Mike said he has songs in the works as well. We hope to have a new album out in 2016. 

KT: you invited Rick Ventura to do a piece with you in one of your shows. Is there any chance of seeing former Riot members as guests in an upcoming album?

TMH: I know that on UTF we specifically avoided that, because we wanted to establish the new line up and avoid confusing people. For this new album, I have not heard any talk of that, but I am not always aware of the things that Donnie and Mike have in mind. We are still pretty early in the new album process, so I imagine it is still possible.

KT: you are an extremely busy man; you have three bands, a family and you own a company. Can you tell me the pros and cons of doing that? Do you have any free time to do other things you love doing, besides music?

TMH:  I tend to burn the candle at both ends, because there are so many things that I want to do. I often worry that I am not good about knowing the difference between following my passions and being selfish. Most of my time is spent with my family and on my job, but I do spend a fair amount of time on music. The positive thing about music is that I get to record and release albums and play shows around the world. I think the biggest con is probably family related. Fortunately, I am not away doing music too much. I was only gone about six weeks this year, but it is still easy to feel guilty when I have to be away. I had to miss some of my daughter's soccer games and that breaks my heart, because I know there will only be so many of them to see. As far as other things I like to do, I exercise to stay in shape and also have my own rock climbing gym, but outdoor rock climbing has disappeared from my life. I do not want to take more time away from my family. I like to read books and watch movies too, but it is hard to find time for that.

KT: Jack Starr stopped the Burning Starr project back in the late 80s. The project came back with you on vocals. Tell me how you joined the group and can you give me a little scoop of how is to work with Jack?

TMH: My older brother, Richard, noticed a posting on Blabbermouth back in 2004 that Jack Starr was looking for a new singer for an album to be released on Magic Circle Music, which is a label owned by Manowar. Richard thought that if anyone could appreciate my style of singing, it would be Jack Starr. We are both big fans of Manowar and I also owned Jack's Out of the Darkness solo album, so I was familiar with him as well. I sent in a CD with some of my past recordings on it. Manoel Arruda, who works for MCM liked what he heard and gave it to Joey DeMaio. Joey liked what he heard and called me. We arranged a visit to their studio. I recorded a couple of things at their studio and Joey asked me if I wanted to be in the band. One of the big treats of that trip was that I got to meet Eric Adams and he was even in the control room watching and listening to me record. Eric has always been one of my two favorite singers.

I did not meet Jack Starr in person until about two years later. He and Ned live in Florida and I live in Michigan, so we do not get together very often. Jack is a very friendly and laid back or casual kind of guy. He thinks very melodically and tends to write vocal melodies and often the lyrics too when he writes a song. Ned Meloni tends to do that also. When I get writing credits on a Burning Starr album, it is usually because I finished out the lyrics for a song that they started. Jack and Ned have never handed me music and asked me to write all of the lyrics and vocal melodies for a song.

KT: Defiance was an interesting comeback work but I think you guys really excelled with the second one, Land of the Dead. Can you give us a bit of an insight on the making of the album and your input in that one?

TMH: I agree with you on that one. I really liked Defiance, but it seems a little eclectic in styles and this became more evident to me when Jack and Ned increased the focus on Land Of The Dead. I think the vision, passion and consistency really helped propel LOTD to a higher level. I felt pretty involved with LOTD and got quite a few writing credits, but it was mostly for finishing out lyrics that Jack or Ned started. As I mentioned before, they live in Florida, so I am not a big part of putting the music together. They send me music tracks with melody guidelines and lyrics and I record vocals, sometimes altering the melody slightly or changing the range of the voice, but staying fairly true to what they sent.

KT: Land of the Dead was a special one for the Manowar fans because they featured Ross the Boss and Rhino as special guests. Could you tell me how was to work with them and how they joined the band?

TMH: I did not work with them in the studio. I have never met Ross The Boss, but I would certainly enjoy doing so. I have met Rhino and worked more directly with him, because he plays live with us. I also met him and talked to him before he was in the band, because we played the Magic Circle Festival twice when he was there with Holyhell. Rhino is a friendly and passionate guy and an incredible musician. He plays guitar really well and also has a great voice.

KT: what is the current state of Burning Starr? Are you working on new songs? Land of the Dead was your last album and that was back in 2.011.

TMH: We have been working on new songs for quite some time now. It seems like it has been forever and it is amazing how time flies. We all get so busy in our everyday lives that the focus is just not always there. In the case of Burning Starr, we can only work as fast as Jack and Ned can write and record new music. I am not typically the hold up, although there have been times when I was busy with other things and could not jump on recording a song right away. I have done initial vocal recording for all the new songs except one, which I hope to finish in the next week or two. Once that is done, I will need to go back through all the songs to address Jack and Ned's suggestions and then I will be finished. We are excited to get the new album done, but at this point, I don't think it will get released until well into 2016.

KT: would you consider Reverence as your band or as the project were you have a lot more influence in the compositions?

TMH: I most definitely consider Reverence to be my band, although it is my band with Bryan Holland. When Bryan and I got together we talked a lot about how we wanted to sound and we had a lot in common, which is why we write so well together. Even though Bryan and Pete Rossi write the music, I have strong input into determining the overall sound we want to achieve. In addition, I am completely responsible for all of the lyrics and vocal melodies, so it really does feel like my band.

KT: the band’s brand new album, Gods of War, is coming out very soon. What can we expect from this work? Are there any surprises in it?

TMH: I definitely put a lot of pressure on myself. I felt like I did the best I could on When Darkness Calls and I wanted to feel that same way again. I wanted to be really proud of every song. I wrote lyrics for 23 songs and I was pretty tough on myself and the guys. We set out to do final recordings of 17 of the songs, but ended up only taking 15 into the studio and then only finalizing 13. I am not that big on writing extra songs just for the heck of it, because writing can take a lot out of you, but we had to keep pushing, because I knew some of the material just didn't cut it. We had taken a bit of a break from writing and it took a little while to get back in the groove. It seems you can always have doubts, but in the end, I just had to trust what I thought were good songs and finalize the album. Some people have already said they think it is better than WDC, so that is nice to hear. We hope it will be well received. I think people will definitely recognize it as Reverence, but there is an element of growth too. There is actually a surprise on the album, but only people that purchase the US/Euro physical release will get the surprise.

KT: you are a weird case in the music world because you have become a lot more predominant and known in the scene in the last couple of years instead of making an early impact like most Metal musicians in the past decades. You didn’t do lots of works in the 80s or 90s, but since the mid-2000s, you have been working nonstop. Why is that?

TMH: I actually started singing in bands when I was 15 years old. I recorded for the first time when I was 17 and released my first album called 25 Gets A Ride with the band Harlet back in 1988. It was independently released though and despite my hopes and dreams, it was not a big hit. Far from it actually, so no one really knew who I was. I recorded more demos with Harlet in 1990 and then released an album under the band name Pulling Teeth in 1994, before leaving the music scene for a while. I did well in high school and rather than move out to LA in 1987 when I graduated, I decided to go to the University of Michigan to get my business degree. I was playing shows with Harlet in Detroit throughout that time period, but as I said, we never got famous. When I graduated college in 1991, I started working for the family business and continued to play with Harlet, but by then, the music scene was getting massively affected by grunge. Like a lot of other musicians, we were confused, which helps to explain why my Pulling Teeth album was so incredibly eclectic. By 1996, I had left the music scene and no one seemed like they wanted to hear my style of singing anymore. A few years later, I wanted to put something together, but just could not find a group of musicians with the same style of old-school metal in mind. Not until I was selected to be in Burning Starr in 2004 was I presented with the opportunity to sing and record again. Even though I was technically out and about back in the 80's, no one really knew me, so people tend to think I just started singing more recently.

KT: all your bands play a brand of classic Heavy Metal. Don’t you have fears of getting a bit saturated with the style? Have you had moments where you wish you could try something a bit different?

TMH: My real passion is for Heavy Metal and I have developed and trained my voice for this style of singing, so it seems like the best place for me. I should probably play Country music, because it is very commercially viable in the US and you can be old and still be successful. The challenge is that I was not raised on Country, so I would feel like an imposter. I am blessed with a great job, so I don't really need to make money from music. This gives me the ability to focus on the style of music I love the most, rather than on the style of music that might make me the most money. I have written some songs on my own that would be more appropriate for a Light Rock or Folk Rock style band. I wouldn't mind recording some songs like that, but I do not have a group of musicians available to me that want to do the same thing. I also record a cappella choir pieces, which I have sent out as a Christmas greeting to friends and family in the past. I hope to finish a cappella CD one of these days, but I would probably just give it away rather than sell it.

KT: considering all the bands you play with how is your process of writing songs? How do you say “this one is for Riot; this one is for Burning Starr; and this one is for Reverence”?

TMH: The principal musicians and song writers are different in each band and that is probably the most important part of maintaining a band's sound. As I mentioned with Burning Starr, Jack and Ned write most of the vocal melodies and lyrics too, so I am more of a (non-paid) hired gun in that situation. With Riot V, even though I write a lot of the lyrics and develop vocal melodies as well, the music is a lot different from Reverence, so the resulting songs end up sounding quite a bit different too. I have worried about all of the bands starting to sound alike, but it does not seem to happen, so I think we are okay so far.

KT: have you ever thought of taking a break from all these projects and focus on something else?

TMH: It is probably difficult for people to understand, but music is not the biggest part of my life. My family and work occupy most of my time. I do spend a fair amount of time on music though and it is nice to get a break now and then. I still get to do a lot of other things. I think the biggest thing I missed out on the last few years is outdoor rock climbing. I only climb in my gym now and have not climbed outside on real rock in over three years. A rock climbing trip does not typically involve my family and I think it would be too selfish of me to plan rock climbing trips in addition to touring with Riot V. I don't want to spend more time away from my family.

KT: time to do some mandatory questions. Of all the albums you have done, which ones are your favorites?

TMH: When you consider your past recordings, it is difficult to rate them, because the songs you have written are kind of like your children. You cannot really pick a favorite, because they all have a special place in your heart. I can look back at my early Harlet recordings now and realize that while they had great elements, the overall song writing was not as good as it could be. We were young. I think our song writing matured greatly on the Pulling Teeth CD, but then we were too varied in style. The lack of focus lessened the overall impact of the album.

Defiance was a special album to me, because I have great memories of working with Joey and the people at the studio. Although, basing my opinion strictly on the music and overall impact made by the album, I think Land Of The Dead is a better album.

The first Reverence album is quite special to me, because I wanted to record an album like that for so long and to find Bryan and form such a great partnership was like a dream come true. The second Reverence album felt a little more difficult to write, because life was a little more complicated, but the end result gives me that same great sense of accomplishment that I had for the first album.

There is no doubt in my mind that Unleash The Fire with Riot V is a special album. It happened so quickly, but came out so good and received such a great response, that it will always hold a special place in my heart. I also got to play quite a few great shows with the guys and the people in the audience were singing back my own songs to me. That is an awesome feeling.

KT: can you give us your Top 10 of favorite albums of all time?

THM: This is a ridiculously hard question and I will not even state that these are the best albums of all time. My only statement is that these are albums that I listened to a lot growing up and they are in no certain order. Manowar, Battle Hymns. Queensryche, The Warning. TNT, Knights of the New Thunder. Warrior, Fighting for the Earth. Malice, In the Beginning. Dio, Holy Diver. Iron Maiden, Seventh Son. The Front, self-titled. Surgin', When Midnight Comes. Q5, Steel the Light.

KT: and finally, could you give us one final message for your fans and readers?

THM: Thank you for your support of Heavy Metal. The energy and feedback I get from the international metal community is what drives me to continue. Take care and God bless!