Lillian Axe


"It's a bit of a departure from Metal Church!," laughs Ronny Munroe of his new position as frontman of Lillian Axe. But while Lillian Axe isn't as heavy as the now-defunct Metal Church, Munroe tells Noisecreep the change isn't all that dramatic.

"To me, it's all music," says Munroe. "Well-written music and good songs interest me. I've known Steve [Blaze, Lillian Axe founder and guitarist] for a few years. I opened up for him once with my solo project and we talked...and I really got a good feel for [the band] and I respect the guy. [Lillian Axe has] a long history and I thought it would the right thing for me to do."

Still, the timing of adding a new singer to the fold surprised a lot of Lillian fans. After all, the band is set to release 'Deep Red Shadows' July 20 -- featuring singer Derrick LeFevre. This means Munroe has not only the responsibility of carrying their older material, but also driving sales for the new effort.

"Well, this business is hard and this whole thing happened out of the blue," explains Munroe. "With Derrick leaving, that's a sad day as well for him to have to leave, but it happened. Right now, it's a situation I've inherited, and I'm going to go out there and do the song's justice as much as I can and wait until the time when we can record a record with myself. I'm in no hurry to have to go and prove my point with Lillian Axe as far as writing and singing. I've already done that with Metal Church. I want what's best for this band."

Munroe says he's hoping for opening slots on major tours as well as a few headline gigs to promote 'Deep Red Shadows' as much as possible.

Lillian Axe will play the Rock n' America festival later this month, with LeFevre still fronting the band. Munroe takes the helm in August.

"We haven't done a lot of festivals this year because we've been working on the new record," explains Steve Blaze. "I'm glad we got added! It sounds like it's going to be a good bill with the Scorpions and Twisted Sister and Ratt. We'll go out there and do our thing!"

Lillian Axe is slated to tour with Enuff Z'nuff this September.

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