NEAL SCHON: I don't feel like this is a reunion thing for us. It's like a new beginning, because we came out with a brand new record. All new material, to me, I mean, after a long hiatus of being off, it's like a new start.

STEVE PERRY: We've all done our own separate projects. But when you put a band together, there's a different kind of energy that happens. And that energy was there.

STEVE SMITH: When we first got together was, a jam that was arranged in Los Angeles. And we hadn't played together in eleven years. And surprisingly, the chemistry felt very natural and very easy.

ROSS VALORY: It didn't seem like we lost any time, in the interim. Everybody grew, and I think it shows.

JONATHAN CAIN: We had some songs about our lives, and things that we've wrestled with, and demons we had to face.

STEVE PERRY: We definitely have as a band, participated in, and tried to pay homage to unity, which has an awful lot to do with rhythm and blues, rock and roll, mixed together so that the whole thing has a unity, as opposed to just an attitude.

STEVE SMITH: So much of it is, I think, Steve's voice. He has a very signature, unique-sounding voice. And the style of writing -- and so, this large, grandiose kind of feeling.

ROSS VALORY: Soaring vocals, strong chorus with harmonies.

STEVE PERRY: I've absolutely patterned myself emotionally, with singers like Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, and Jackie Wilson.

JONATHAN CAIN: I think the soulful part makes the music sound effortless. And it's a testimony to the musicianship of the band. I mean, we didn't struggle to make those albums. You know, we just went inthere and played.

ROSS VALORY
Bass Guitar, Vocals

STEVE SMITH: Ross is a perfect bass player for me to play with, with this type of music. His sound is very big, his feel is open and very relaxed, and together we can really lay a foundation for everything else to be built on.

STEVE SMITH
Drums

STEVE PERRY: Steve Smith is one of the kind of drummers that has an identity in playing. It's a uniquefeel. It really is a very wide open feel. And I bet there are a lot of great drummers. But with Steve Smith, itgives you ability to be more of a relaxed, emotional singer, because there's so much room in there.

JONATHAN CAIN
Keyboard, Vocals

STEVE SMITH: Jonathan, he's sort of the real musician that takes all of the ideas and helps put it all together and make sense out of it, and helps mold the ideas into a final piece of music.

NEAL SCHON
Guitar, Vocals

STEVE PERRY: Neal Schon is the most soulful, most heartful -- he can play guitar like Junior Walker, who's a saxophonist. He can play the blues, he can play the most beautiful riffs, and he can play the most aggressive, power-driven element to help drive the band Journey to another level. And then, when you're a singer, that gives you a place to be that you can't get anywhere else, either.

STEVE PERRY
Lead Vocals

NEAL SCHON: It was great, working with Steve again. Really. You know, he's definitely the voice of Journey. And it was great to get creative with him again. It had been a long time since we really hung out and played together. We used to have a lot of things going on between him and me on stage, a lot of exchange. Because my guitar playing, I think, in Journey, is an extension of his vocals.

JONATHAN CAIN: When Journey finally got back together, to write and begin the process of writing the album was just a hoot. I mean, we had a lot of fun. I think we miss each other's company, and we miss the interaction. You know, one guy would pick up the ball and then pass it on to the next guy.

ROSS VALORY: Some of the other bands that have reunited in the past, have more relied on a few new studio cuts and a live recording. I think Journey took a bigger step, in recording material that was completely new. And didn't rely so much on our past popularity. And I think we're better off with that, too.

KEVIN SHIRLEY
Producer

ROSS VALORY: Working with Kevin Shirley is, from a purely personal standpoint, a bass player's dream.

JONATHAN CAIN: He came from a remote place -- South Africa, he lived in Australia -- Journey was not a big thing. And so, when he heard the music, he loved it for what it was. I think he was a big part of why "Trial By Fire," you know, sounds so vintage. We sought out the most vintage studio, and we had definite ideas about how it should sound. And he was right, because we compare it with the old albums and to me, sonically, it sounds better than our best record.

ROSS VALORY: From a classic sense of the Journey sound, "When You Love a Woman" has got to be a favorite.

JONATHAN CAIN: Just universally, it touched so many people. That's pretty hard to do, coming out of the box.

STEVE PERRY: Trial By Fire entered at number three, and I was very surprised. I was actually dancing around the office at my house. I couldn't believe it.

NEAL SCHON: It's been such a long time since we've been back. I thought it would be good, but I had no idea it would come out that strong.

JONATHAN CAIN: I can only say one thing: Yes!

STEVE PERRY: There's been a lot of talk about touring again, and we've talked amongst ourselves about that. There's a good possibility that we're going to be on tour sometime in the summer.

JONATHAN CAIN: Journey concerts were always kind of magical. We'll be doing songs that are a part of people's memories. You know, soundtracks to their life.