MICHAEL KISKE Officially Announces His 'Departure' From The Hard Rock Scene

Former HELLOWEEN singer Michael Kiske has issued the following statement regarding the break-up of his SUPARED project:

"I officially like to announce my departure from the hard rock music scene now. I simply don't fit. Especially on the last record I did experiment around again with hard rock sounds, trying to keep things interesting for me, but it doesn't lead me to anything. I guess subconsciously I was working with these sounds again trying to get more in peace with my past somehow, but it simply isn't me anymore. The extremely bad record sales of the SUPARED debut was the final bit and answer I needed for this decision. My interpretation of this sort of music doesn't get accepted. So I don't want to waste my and other people's time anymore. Big thanx to everybody who supported this band-project and me! I am sorry if you are disappointed now that I have to finally close this chapter for good, but I am not the person who goes on forever with something that is not meant to be. A big 'fuck off' goes out to everybody who only burned or downloaded SUPARED instead of buying the CD. You may say you love music, but all you do is destroying the financial existence of bands and musicians. People like you make sure that all free music that is not just a fake set-up by the industry will die out completely. The same 'fuck off' goes out to all smart-ass critics who can only treat music as a stinking product to please the market. Instead of trying to understand a musician's work or the mission of art in general, you think you can dictate musicians what they have to do, misusing your power over the public opinion. As long as artists fight against your stupid kind, there's hope. If your type wins, there's no future for the real thing. People like you don't deserve any real music!

"For a number of years now there has been a strong conflict in my chest. A completely different conflict than most people would guess. Every part of me says: no more! I made myself physically ill making this last record. That says it all. And as everyone can see, it leads to nothing worth it. All I want to say is: Hard rock isn't my music anymore. I can't cope with its mentality, ideals or musical language. I have found much better artistic arguments, and certainly much higher morals than what the metal scene has to offer. And you won't hear anything metal like anymore coming from my address for the rest of my life. I will also lead no more useless discussions anymore with people around the world about things they simply don't have a sense for. It's a waste of energy and time. People don't necessarily become wise when they get old: an asshole will only become an old asshole. In the same way young people [are not] necessarily alive just because they are young. Many people are spiritually dead already as teenagers. And brutalizing music, that makes us dumb, numb and morally def does its part. If you don't agree with me, and don't like my talk, fine! To each [his] own. It's absolutely right for me. I say it again: I simply don't fit into the metal scene. I am not what the scene wants, and I don't want the wimpy artistic truth this scene has to offer. I didn't even really fit into HELLOWEEN as a person. I was always a stranger in that band, because I wasn't at all like them. I liked metal in the eighties, and still like some records, but I was never really the typical metalhead. Even in my hardest metal days I was always just as much listening to U2, ELVIS, BEATLES, EURYTHMICS, KATE BUSH, PAT BENATAR, classical music and so on. What a heresy, right? But I am happy that I never isolated myself in metal. I was always open to anything good in music. And believe it or not: I am totally convinced that's the reason for my success as a singer in metal. My approach was different! Metal is certainly not any law for me. My love for God, Christ, free aht and Humanity is. We've got to do what we believe in. If you don't follow your convictions, you're dead. A person that doesn't follow his believes, or doesn't even have any ideals or morals is just a pitiful hollow existents in my eyes, no matter how smart or modern that person might see itself. I wouldn't trust someone that has no believes for a minute. There's nothing holy for him or her.

"As Carlos Santana said in an interview: All that matters is what we do in our life's with our energy, light and love.

"That's all.

"Peace!"