Metal Mike: As I see you are a Bill and Ted fan, I was just wondering what your thoughts were on the new movie with out Keanu Reeves?

Dave: I think it's like producing the movie Star Wars without R2D2, or watching Led Zeppelin without Bonzo Bonham. It can't be Excellent without K.R.

Metal Mike: Tell us a little about the style and character of your band.

Dave: Elfion evolved in the 80's as a Power Metal band. Our style originated from influences like Maiden, Rush, and UFO to name a few. Also, our music had similarities to bands like Warlord, Manowar and Rainbow, since this is what we were listening to alot in those days. There were not too many Metal Genres in the beggining, so our style at that time was an amalgamation of various 80's metal bands. One thing is for sure, our focus was always to remain original and focus on the true character of band, which was to perform and write music to the best of our abilities.

Metal Mike: Your band was formed from a band called Mace, which later became Elfion in 84'. My question is "Are there some albums out there that we aren't aware of? or just the 3 song demo on your profile?

Dave: Anthony (vocalist) and I started Mace in High School and continued collaborating for a few years with local drummers and bass players. In 1984 Elfion's line-up solidified when my brother Mike(Elfion's Bass player) and his High school buddy Andy(Elfion's drummer) joined the band. There are no albums out there, unless someone bootlegged our gigs and created "Metal Garage Bands Unleashed" without our permission. In 1993, Elfion recorded the 3 song demo, currently found on our MySpace site and the Elfion dot com site that is still under construction.

Metal Mike: What happened with the band between 84' and now?

Dave: Between 1984 and 1987 Elfion performed at alot of local clubs in Los Angeles and San Bernardino county. The band disbanded in 1987 due to me joining the Marine Corps. Elfion didn't surface again until 1991. Now that I was back in country, so to speak, we reformed and started from scratch, once again. The new direction of the band was based on four guys who could not quit their day jobs to pursue a serious music career. In 1993 we recorded the three song demo and continued to play at local clubs, trying to get more and more exposure. At this point we were not sure of the future, but we enjoyed every minute, playing our tunes for our fans! In 1994 we parted ways as a band. Since the four of us are good friends, not to mention Mike is my bro, we somehow kept the idea of playing alive. In November of 2006, Elfion decided to give it another shot!

Metal Mike: How strong is the Metal resurgence in the music scene right now, in your opinion?

Dave: One of the reasons Elfion decided to reform was due to this fact. Mike(Elfions bass player) and I were having a few beers last year talking about the Heaven and Hell gigs that were announced. To us, this meant one thing. "Metal is making a comeback." In Southern California, it would be cool if KNAC was still airing the Mighty Metal Hour, so I think the lack of Air time is a big factor. There is nothing wrong with Classic Rock, but if you are into Metal, you are not going to hear it on any station you dial into, here in Southern Cal. Northern California is alot better about Airing Metal bands. The internet and Myspace has helped an unknown band like Elfion be heard. If we had the internet back then (1980's), with MP3 downloads, Metal would've never lost its momemtum in Southern California. It's a good thing Metal never died in Europe, the UK and Japan!

Metal Mike: How much material do you currently have ready for an album?

Dave: Elfion currently has 10 tunes ready for an album. We have just recovered from a studio fire that took place last June, so our focus for now is to play our next gig(October at the Galaxy), and determine where to turn when we reach that intersection.

Metal Mike: The L.A. and southern California circut can be pretty supportive for metal bands. Can you tell me a little about your experince with this, as well as what the average show was like (attendance wise and experince wise)?

Dave: You are right about the L.A. And So Cal circuit being known for its live Metal shows. In May of 2007 Elfion played a few gigs in L.A., that went well for us. The experience was an eye opener and proved that ELFION still has what it takes to play live. The attendance was average at both gigs, but again, this helped give us an idea of what is yet to come.

Metal Mike: Who are the directional leaders of your band? Who composes the music and writes lyrics?

Dave: Anthony (Vocals), Mike (Bass Guitar), Andy (Drums) and myself decided there should not be a leader this time out. I come up with guitar riffs and new ideas and present it to the band when we get together at the rehearsal studio. Mike and Andy work out the drum and bass parts on their own, after reviewing the scratch tapes/cd's I provide. Anthony and I write the lyrics, but it appears alot of the lyrics will be written by all of us in the very near future.

Metal Mike: Any luck with a label yet? as I see you have been currently unsigned.

Dave: No luck, but this is not our concern at the present time. We want to go back into the studio in October to record our 2007 demo.

Metal Mike: How hard is it to stay focused and keep going with the thoughts of no lable? or is it even an issue for you?

Dave: Our biggest obstacle so far was the 6/30/07 fire that set us back. We lost about 60% of our gear, so our focus has been on rebuilding what was lost. I think there are alot of opportunities that can surface from the exposure we get from Myspace and the net. For now, we will continue to offer our tunes over the net and see what happens.

Metal Mike: When did each of you get started in music?

Dave: We all started in our early teens. I have been playing guitar since I was 14yrs old. Mike/Elfion started when he was 15 and Andy/Elfion has been a drummer since birth. Anthony/Elfion first started singing when I approached him to become the singer of MACE, way back when..

Metal Mike: As we are pretty new to you, we were wondering about your band line-up, have you had the same members since the beginning?

Dave: The core members have always been the four of us, with drummers and guitarists coming and going.

Metal Mike: I see you are playing The Galaxy Theater on Oct 6th... can you tell us a little about this show as well as the other bands that will be appearing?

Dave: This is our first major show since we reformed, so we are stoked about it! It's happening at a venue that is well known in Orange County, Ca., so we expect to get alot of exposure from this gig. The headliner is Finntroll from Finland. The Galaxy has offered a few other gigs that we had to turn to down earlier this month, due to lack of equipment. We know we will have gigs lined up in Vegas too! Our friend Josh Zilla/Figzilla Productions has also offered us a few gigs in the Vegas-Strip area.

Metal Mike: Can you give us a mission statement from Elfion?

Dave: Our mission is to make sure we accomplish our goals (release our first CD, play as many gigs as we can) in the coming year and make sure our fans know we appreciate their support! Metal Mike & The Montalian / MUEN Magazine.. Elfion wants to thank you for giving us this opportunity to share the history of ELFION with You and the World.

Metal Mike & The Montalian