In a day and age where the attention span of people seems to be shrinking and shrinking. Everything is so consumable to the point that after a person binge watches an entire 16 episode season of a series in one sitting they wonder ‘ok, what’s next?’ Music is pretty much along the same lines, which is part of the reason that so many bands are singles driven. The days of a band making an album an entire piece of art from beginning to end seem to be slowly fading away. Then a band like Mad Invasion comes along and dares to push back against that curve. Here we have a band of five incredibly talented individuals. Each one with a resume of experience that would make the entire room nervous in job interview. Their debut album Edge of the World in 2021 and their creative journey began. Fast forward to 2025 and they just bestowed upon the world their second album entitled Crack in The Sky. Let me get back to what my opening was referring to.
You see, these guys have boldly put a concept album together. Albums that dare the listener to not just listen to the songs, but to hear them a little deeper. There’s a story to be found in those lyrics and the songs tie together to tell a story. Wait a minute; you want the average short attention span listener to actually pay closer attention? It’s a bit of a risk, wouldn’t you say? Well, concept albums aren’t for everybody and that’s ok. You can still listen to this album because it’s a pretty bad-ass album. Mad Invasion combines elements of 70’s and 80’s rock to create a very compelling sound that’s fresh and unique. But, if you’re into classic concept albums like Pink Floyd’s The Wall and Queensryche’s Operation Mindcrime then this album is going to be something that you’ll truly enjoy. We sat down with Mad Invasion’s Hal Marabel (guitar/keyboard) to talk about the new album and much more.
Every superhero and villain have an origin and every band is the same, hopefully minus radioactive spiders and secret government experiments. What’s the origin of Mad Invasion?
Hal Marabel/Mad Invasion: The origin of Mad Invasion captures both the intensity of our sound and the dark spirit that fuels our lyrics. “MAD” represents our untamed passion and creativity, while “INVASION” symbolizes our decisive entry into the rock world, determined to leave a lasting impact. The name reflects our mission: to break barriers, electrify audiences, and make every performance feel like a full-blown rock revolution.
Today’s average listener tends to have a short attention span, so something like a concept album seems to be a risky thing to do. What were the thoughts behind going that route?
We are all fans of the great concept albums of the past, such as Queensrÿche’s ‘Operation Mindcrime’, The Who’s ‘Tommy’, and Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’. Since it isn’t very common nowadays, we wanted to tap into the theme again, but with our own twist of having story-teller narration to soundtrack interludes running through most of the album, supporting the overall story of the Fallen Angel and her struggles to escape the grasp of the Dark Lord.
The first print run of the album is the regular version, to introduce the new album… and the plan is that the concept version will follow.
This is like the musical version of which came first: the chicken or the egg. Did you decide to make a concept album and then began writing or vice versa. Did you begin writing and then things began to organically go the route of “we could turn this into a concept album”?
We had the overall theme and storyline from the first album and also tapping into it through the course of our music videos, but the idea to actually turn it into a concept album grew during the recording sessions and organically developed into reality.
What about the average listener? Do you think they can get into it even if they are not into concept albums?
We think and hope so, as the actually storytelling is done as stand-alone interludes between the songs, so that they can be excluded if desired.
In a digital day and age where most albums don’t even have liner notes, much less cover art, you guys seem to put a lot of time and effort into stuff like that. Why is that and who contributes to that?
As we are all from the era of the ‘quality album’ and really appreciated this ourselves, we wanted to offer that experience even in this modern day and age, putting time and effort intro creating a nice visual experience, as well as the listening experience of the songs.
You’ve got Mikkey Dee playing on the entire album. Where did that connection happen?
Our singer Pete and Mikkey know each other from way back, as they both are from the city of Gothenburg, but it was guitarist Björn’s idea to reach out to him connected to shooting a few videos on the first album. We had a nice time with this so when planning the second album, it was natural to ask him to also lay down the drum tracks for the album. We’re glad that we did, since his playing style really added to the songs and our sound.
Why did you go with the song “Crack in the Sky” for the title of the album?
Both the song itself and the title fitted nicely with the overall theme of the album, the song capturing the essence of what the band is really about – stone-cracking heavy… and the album theme – the fight between good and evil, where the evil is cracking the sky to try to enter our world… while we as the ambassadors of good, mobilize to fight back.
Has it been easy to work these new songs into your setlist?
They fitted in very nicely as they complement the songs chosen from the first album, and it has worked well so far.
You’re co-producer on this album. Was that role easier or more difficult to take on than you imagined?
Björn and I work well together from previously, both on the first Mad Invasion album but also from other collaborations through the years (e.g working on two earlier Bad Habit albums together as well). Working on this album took the collaboration to the next level as this production was a bit more complex, making us go deeper than before – which improved the overall result.
Any chance of bringing these new songs and older ones too over here to the US?
We would love to, it all depends on the response on the new album and some logistical aspects. We are working on it, so let’s see if we can make it happen.
Next to last question is where I turn the mic over to you to mention anything you’d like that maybe we didn’t touch on. Promote your band now!
The Crack In The Sky album redefines the Classic Rock genre – by delivering a wide range of unique hard rock songs with bone-crushing guitars, airy keyboards, and a dynamic rhythm section. The modern production elevates the sound experience to the next level, also providing an overarching storyline running through the album.
Last question is actually a 3 parter. It’s a fun one that we call Three For The Road. They’re three fun questions that hopefully you may not be used to being asked.
Do you remember who your first celebrity crush was?
The really early ones in music were The Runaways, where I really crushed on singer Cherrie Currie and guitarist Lita Ford. Debbie Harry was also up there. In film, it was a lot about Britt Ekland, Jessica Lange and Rachel Ward.
You’ve seen in movies when a person’s inner voice starts talking for them. If you could have literally anyone be the voice of your inner voice, who would it be?
I always liked the voice of Morgan Freeman – as a voice of reason, but I wouldn’t say no to the warm and sultry British voice of Kate Beckinsale.
Lastly, if music was over and you had to go into professional wrestling, what would your wrestling name be?
Ha, ha… it would probably be either Marvelous Marabel or Rocker Hal.
Interview by I’m Music Magazine Owner/Editor Johnny Price
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