Power Dive with Luke Lethal, Klay Mensana
Art: Doomsday Graphics
Acid Blade is a powerful Heavy Metal band from Dresden, Germany, risen out of the ashes of the previous project Angel Blade (demo published by Dying Victims Productions in 2019). However, this is a much heavier and more dynamic band, with influences ranging from 70s Hard Rock and NWOBHM to US Metal and a bit of Thrash. While mashing together different styles, Acid Blade’s sound remains raw and honest, which, paired with the characteristic and versatile voice of frontman, Klay Mensana, will not disappoint any fan of their former work. They are now with Jawbreaker Records, which published their debut album, “Power Dive”, in August of 2022. Following that, they toured through Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Denmark and Sweden in October of the same year, garnering more and more attention, which led to many great reviews, for example, in Germany’s most relevant Metal magazines, Rock Hard and Deaf Forever. After a line-up change in early 2023, Acid Blade is now hell-bent on recording the follow-up to their debut and making a name for themselves in the Heavy Metal scene.
We are a classic Heavy Metal band with a few different influences – ranging from Black and Thrash Metal to Classic Rock to Punk – mashed together. I never thought about what our music means to me, but I’m very proud of what we have achieved in such a short time. Overall, The band means a lot to me, as it’s mostly been my main priority in the last two years.
It all came together rather quickly. I had the tracklist for the album in my mind since before we were founded because I wrote parts of the songs while not having a band at all. So until now, it was the most efficient way to build on my ideas because they were cohesive enough to build an album out of them. I usually have a “song skeleton” in my mind when we start working on a certain song, which means that I have all the riffs, the arrangement, and roughly what I want each part to sound like in my head (fast drums or laid-back drums, straight bass lines or melodic bass lines, etc. everyone takes care of his parts within that certain frame though). We usually learn the song as it is, and over time, everyone starts throwing in ideas where we could do variations or change arrangements. For some songs, Klay also has writing credits, which usually means he wrote the chorus (f.e, in Ablaze at Midnight and Power Dive). Other than that, he comes up with all the vocal lines.
Many of the lyrics are composite works by Sci-Man and me. We figure out stories together, and I turn them into lyrics. No matter if I sing about missing old friends, killing kings, loose horses or other stuff. Often there are metaphors or clear utterances which reflect personal matters of mine or a band members. But I never do this to express those things to the listeners or to deal with personal issues. I rather do this to sing lyrics that fit into the music without being meaningless to myself. That is very important for me to be able to perform the songs in a 100% authentic way. I also create a good bonding between us as a music group by singing about other members’ themes. In addition, I often give space for my interpretations. All that applies to the extraterrestrial songs, for example. Extraterrestrials are not essential here. The actual topic is to be found between the lines or in some particular phrasings and, of course, in your mind.
Klay inspires the lyrics from various sources, whether everyday struggles or fictional works. Musically, my main inspiration is Heavy Metal, simple as that. I have fun playing it, and in some moments, I might listen to the song for the 2000th time, but in those moments, it kick-starts a certain feeling within me, and I’ll be like, “I wanna write something that conveys that feeling!”
None of us is religious, though our bassist Sci-Man was raised in a profoundly Catholic community. His mom cried when he played his first show with his Black Metal band. Either way, we all like sex and rock n roll. I’m not a fan of drugs, except for a few beers here and there. But that’s just about the philosophical fixations that I have. My central fixations in life are the first seven Maiden and the first four Megadeth albums.
In 2009, a documentary series about popular music acts was on German television. I already liked guitar-based music, and my dad recorded the Metallica episode for me. They showed the Killer’s artwork during the episode, and I was instantly hooked. My dad gave me a Maiden CD (A Real Dead One, a not-too-popular live album from 1993) a few days later, and from there on, everything changed. They’ve been the biggest constant in my life since the last week of November 2009. I discovered Megadeth two years later, which inspired me to pick up a guitar. By 2012-2013, I dove into the whole Underground scene, and I’ve stayed in since.
Music is a spiritual experience. Have you ever been to an Iron Maiden show? It’s incredible; nothing compares to it. I’m talking so much about the band right now because I’m actually on my way to the tour’s first show in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It’s a 14-hour bus ride from where I started, and several other people are already on the bus wearing Maiden shirts. It’s incredible. It brings people together, especially Heavy Metal, which is so important to so many people. It brings out emotions in me and others I don’t see anywhere else.
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