Tony Harnell, lead singer of TNT and one of the best vocalists in the business, talked with Hardrock Haven’s Derric Miller.

Listen to the interview . . . WMA

Harnell discussed some of the issues behind TNT bassist Morty Black leaving the band, the success of their new album, My Religion, how and why he can sing with a such an expansive range, tour plans in Europe and the States, working on future TNT albums, his other bands Westworld and Morning Wood, and even more.

TNT biography from the official TNT website: Go anywhere in the world and mention the name TNT to anyone with even a slight interest in hard rock and you’ll likely get a very positive reaction. Throughout it’s illustrious career TNT has garnered respect the world over by pioneering a genre known as melodic hard rock.

With influences ranging from Queen to Journey to Black Sabbath, The Scorpions and even the Beatles, TNT has created their own unique sound that is at once recognizable. With the incredible and unlikely pairing of guitarist Ronni LeTekro and singer Tony Harnell you get a powerhouse team easily comparable to Plant/Page or Mercury/May. In other words, a hard rock fan’s dream team. A songwriting and performing combination that has produced some of the classiest hard rock moments of the past two decades. Add to the mix the groove driven rhythm section of newly departed bassist Morty Black and Diesel Dahl and you have one hell of a machine.

After reforming the original line up in 2002 the band released two highly acclaimed CD’s. The Big Bang (Universal), a greatest hits collection that toped the charts and received gold status in Norway, and Give Me A Sign (MTM), an ep that was a taste of things to come.

With the success of the two CDs the band headed out on the road for a successful summer tour of Northern Europe. Upon returning home the band continued work and eventually completed their new opus entitled My Religion. An album packed with sizzling guitar and emotionally driven vocals that soar through your ears like the best candy you’ve ever tasted. Melody, harmony and big arena energy fill this incredible disc. A true classic and perfectly executed hard rock masterpiece that acknowledges the roots of hard rock and yet brings it into a new era with contemporary style and sophistication.

From the '80s era TNT sounding "Lonely Nights," "Everyone’s Got a Secret" and "You’ll Be There" to the more contemporary "Invisible Noise" and title track "My Religion," TNT drive through these amazing songs like young kids out to prove something. And they just might! It would be hard to argue that this band is not THE best of it’s kind. It’s the originality of their compositions and performances that set them apart from their peers. Just as you think you understand what kind of band they are out comes a beautiful, heart-wrenching ballad, as in Perfectly, or glammed up 70’s style Brit popper Satellite. Tony Harnell’s lyrics smile in their vulnerability and yet are strong willed and real.

Ronni LeTekro’s guitar playing is a shining star unto itself. Lyrical, imaginative, eclectic and magical. A modern day wizard and an icon in the world of hard rock, he can hold one note and make you cry or blaze faster than any human on this earth and leave you breathless. His rhythm guitar, though often ignored is equally stunning and important to the TNT sound.

Tony Harnell’s voice is a marvel. An inhuman ability channeled into a very human and personal delivery. Clear as a bell, raw as hell and everywhere in between, Tony pours his soul out on every note drawing the listener in to his world. Many know of this man’s bizarre range that leaps from a whisper to a scream, but it’s the subtleties in his voice, the little details that are most important. It’s not so much the extreme full voice high notes that strike you, (and they are some of the best and most powerful in the business) but the power and clarity in his entire instrument. There is a beautiful, almost angelic quality that seems to cut through almost anything. Even when delivering an angry, edgy song, that quality is still prominent. His is a voice you’d recognize anywhere.

My Religion has everything a TNT fan would want, but it has more. It has the ability to bring new fans to the party and to give the long time TNT fans something new to get addicted to.

With the resurgence of melodic metal, TNT is poised to reclaim their throne as the masters of a genre that they helped to create.

One listen to My Religion and you too will be worshipping TNT!