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Mosh : Since you mentioned the recent legalities , I ’ ll spare asking you the details as you ’ re probably sick of talking about it . Are you just focused on moving forward and making a killer RATT album ? Warren DiMartini : That ’ s the basic plan . Once the judgement was made , we decided to do it . It was kind of late in the season – that was in November – to book a tour . Usually those kind of plans get started the summer before you do it . At the same time , we were working on material for a new record , hopefully to come out in 2018 .
Mosh : Carlos Cavazo has been in the band in one form or another since 2008 . Obviously you have a good relationship with him . What ’ s it like sharing guitar duties with him ? Warren DiMartini : It ’ s great . We ’ re sort of cut from a similar cloth ; we grew up listening to the same stuff and the same bands . We share leads . I didn ’ t know him real well in the ’ 80s , but we ’ ve crossed paths a few times . I always remembered he was cool , so when we were looking for a guitarist , he was an obvious choice for me .
Mosh : Michael Schenker filled in briefly with RATT in 1991 , what was it like playing along side him ? Warren DiMartini : It was surreal . In high school I was listening to bands like Scorpions , UFO , Van Halen , Ozzy , and I never ever expected to ever meet any of those guys . So to have Michael Schenker fill in for a tour was beyond any reasonable expectation .
Mosh : Infestation was a killer comeback in 2010 , but what ’ s your opinion of the laterera RATT albums such as the self-titled and Collage ? Although there was some good stuff on both , to me they lacked that familiar classic RATT sound . Do you agree ? Warren DiMartini : I agree . But I have to add that the good stuff on Collage is up there with my favorite work that we ’ ve done . “ Steel River ” I think turned out great and I still like listening to it . Other stuff on the record didn ’ t hit as high . It was a project where we took songs where we had written but hadn ’ t recorded yet or had demoed them and never finished . It was off the beaten path for us , we basically produced it ourselves . When I listen to it I hear the potential of where it could have gone .
Mosh : It goes without saying that many people miss Robbin , as I ’ m sure you do too . What do you remember most about him ? Warren DiMartini : I knew Robbin the longest . We went to the same junior high and high school . Not at the same time , we were four years apart . We were never in the same school together but we went through the same channel so to speak . He was always in popular bands in the town where we lived so I was always going to any concert I could where they were playing . He definitely set the bar high and always knew what he wanted to do and always knew where he was going . We had a lot of great memories hanging out and I miss him
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38 illinoisentertainer . com may 2017