After four years of silence, Mike returns with 5 —a powerful solo album blending raw heaviness with vulnerability, channeling loss, rage, love, and truth into a fierce reckoning.
1. Mike,
welcome back to Lelahel Metal! How does it feel to return now with your first
solo album in four years?
It feels like a release I’ve been waiting for too damn long. Four years of
silence built up into this record—it’s me breaking out of the shadows swinging.
2. The album has been described as “not a comeback, but a reckoning.” Can
you tell us what that statement means to you personally?
A comeback chases the past. A reckoning faces it head-on. This isn’t me trying
to relive glory days—it’s me confronting loss, anger, and survival, and putting
it all into the music.
3. You’ve said the record blends heavy riffs with personal stories,
including a tribute to your late best friend. How did writing that song affect
you emotionally, and what do you hope listeners take away from it?
Writing it tore me open, but it also healed me. I carried his loss for years
without knowing how to express it. That song was the goodbye I couldn’t say out
loud. If listeners take anything from it, I hope it’s that grief can be turned
into strength.
4. Another deeply personal track honors your father’s fight with Alzheimer’s. How did you approach turning such a painful subject into music without losing its raw honesty?
That song wasn’t just for me—it was for my mom. She’s been his rock through brutal times, and I wanted to remind her what she was fighting for. They were high school sweethearts and have been married 69 years—that kind of love deserves a song.
5. The album also features three cover songs reimagined in your own style. What made you choose those particular tracks, and how did you go about giving them your edge?
Honestly, I just threw some songs I’ve always wanted to remake into a hat and picked them. Then I tore them apart and rebuilt them my way.
6. After four years in the shadows, what was the spark that finally pushed you back into the studio to create The Storm Is Back?
Life. Loss. Rage. It piled up until I couldn’t ignore it anymore. The spark wasn’t inspiration—it was necessity. I had to get it out.
7. How different was the creative process compared to your work with Rictus of Rage? Do you approach songwriting differently when it’s under your own name?
With Rictus, it was a brotherhood—we fed off each other’s fire. Solo, it’s different. It’s me staring myself down in the mirror. Every decision, every lyric, every riff—it’s all on me. That pressure makes it more intense.
8. Hard rock is often about power and rebellion, but your record also seems to carry a lot of vulnerability. Do you think balancing raw heaviness with personal truth is what gives this album its force?
Absolutely. Pure heaviness without heart is just noise. Pure vulnerability without power gets lost. This record works because it punches hard but also bleeds. That is the same balance you find in life.
9. You’ve always had a reputation for an intense stage presence. With this new material, how do you imagine your live performances evolving?
I actually have no plans to play live at this time. We’ll see what happens in the future, but right now it’s all about the record itself.
10. The title itself—The Storm Is Back—suggests both destruction and renewal. Do you see this album as the start of a new chapter in your career?
Yeah, but it’s more than that—it’s me planting a flag. The storm is back, and it’s not passing over this time.
11. Looking back at your journey—between solo work, Rictus of Rage, and now this record—what do you feel has changed most about you as a musician and as a person?
I’ve learned the value of truth. When I was younger, it was about speed, volume, and attitude. Now it’s about meaning. If a song doesn’t carry truth, it’s worthless to me.
12. Finally, what message do you want to send to your fans—both those who’ve been waiting through the silence and those who will discover you for the first time with this new album?
To the ones who’ve been waiting—thank you for riding out the silence with me. To the new ones—welcome to the storm. This record is me, unfiltered, and I hope it hits you as hard as it hit me making it.
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