Canada’s The Metal Voice recently spoke to Marillion‘s guitarist Steve Rothery.
In the chat Rothery talks about the upcoming Marillion’s weekends; the legacy of the band; their latest album; the band’s connection with Iron Maiden’s manager Rod Smallwood and the bands appeal to metalheads in the early years.
Steven Rothery is the original guitarist and the longest continuous member of Marillion.
In the interview guitarist Rothery was asked about the bands connection to Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood in the early years, he said, “Rod (Smallwood) was brought in by John Arnison ( Marillion management) as a consultant manager in the 80’s when we’re trying to break America. I’ve known him since those days. There was a period after we left John Arnison Hit and Run Management where Sanctuary managed us for a year or two. He’s (Rod Smallwood) one of a kind. “
Rothery was then asked if the band was purposely marketed by Rod Smallwood at the time to appeal to Metalheads, Rothery replied,” No, That just came about quite naturally. The logo was so distinctive on the first records. You know you’d see people with denim jackets or the leather jackets with the logo written or or painted on. I think there’s a very strong identity and it’s that wanting your own thing, wanting your own new band for your generation. We had tracks like Kayleigh and Lavender in the top of the Heavy Metal charts which obviously was about as far from Heavy Metal as you could get. But it was Rock Fans really I would say more than Heavy Metal Fans. Just people who like to hear guitars who like music with a bit of attitude and I think there was quite a crossover, especially in the Fish years with that kind of audience. “
Tickets available for Montreal, Canada and all other upcoming weekends via www.marillionweekend.com
Bay Area metal legends FORBIDDEN are reborn! FORBIDDEN are beyond thrilled to reveal their first and only European appearance this year will be at Belgium’s Alcatraz Metal Festival in August. The band is already laying the groundwork for some very exciting news and announcements, but right now they are focusing on Alcatraz and rehearsing to give Europe the very best performance possible.
FORBIDDEN’s Craig Locicero talks about the band’s rebirth, “First off, I did NOT see this coming. When Forbidden quietly disbanded the second time in 2012, I figured it was over. While I always apply the “never say never” mantra to my life, Russ made it clear that he was completely finished with touring. My wingman and main dude from the conception of Forbidden Evil, Russ was my mentor and the guy who bought me beer when I was 15! I couldn’t imagine Forbidden without him, so I had little hope of a future with Forbidden. Today Russ is happily retired and living the sober life. I have nothing but love for that and him. Everyone needs to respect his wishes like we do.
So then ….. fast forward 11 years after our last show, Bay Area vocal talent Norman Skinner walks in to help us rehearse and sing a few thrash classics for the Bay Area Interthrashional set at Dynamo MetalFest 2022. WHAMMO! That’s when it all happened by accident. Truly. Then it happens AGAIN when Norman sings Chalice of Blood onstage alongside Warbringer at the one Bay Area show of Bay Area Interthrashional. Holy fuck! We will go into detail thoroughly in the upcoming weeks. It’s an amazing and organic progression story to tell.
I now can announce that alongside my brothers Matt Camacho (bass) and Steve Smyth (guitar) we are officially introducing Norman Skinner (vocals) and Chris Kontos (drums) to the Forbidden family. As far as Kontos goes, he’s well known as one of the Bay’s very best and most respected drummers. Chris’s work in Machine Head and Attitude Adjustment alone are legendary. Historically he’s sat behind the kit in with Exodus, Death Angel, and Testament to name few. I’ve been lucky enough to play music with Chris in the past and present as well most recently with punk legends The Boneless Ones. We work amazingly well together and have remained great friends for over 30 years. In a long line of amazing drummers… Bostaph, Jacobs, Hoglan, Hernandez and Horn… Kontos is the perfect fit for Forbidden
Having 5 people all moving the same direction with enthusiasm and positivity. It’s all I’ve ever wanted with Forbidden. Making the seemingly impossible, possible.
This is not a reunion, it’s a rebirth.”
About Forbidden
Originally founded in 1985 as Forbidden Evil by singer Russ Anderson, guitarists Craig Locicero & Robb Flynn, basses John Tegio and drummer Jim Pittman, the quintet started playing house parties and Bay Area clubs such as the Legendary Ruthie’s Inn soon after.
After a couple of lineup changes (Paul Bostaph / drums & Matt Camacho / bass) in ’86, the band quickly rose through the ranks of Bay Area Thrash to gain a massive following and worldwide notoriety.
In 1986, the band added Glen Alvelais as the second guitarist. It was this lineup that cemented itself into the Bay Area scene and soon after recorded 1988 release ‘Forbidden Evil’ for Combat Records changing the band’s name to simply Forbidden.
In May of ’89 while on a European tour with Sacred Reich, Forbidden played their first appearance at the Legendary Dynamo Open Air in Eindhoven, Netherlands. It was here that Forbidden made their European mark and recorded the Raw Evil EP.
The band returned Stateside and replaced Alvelais with Tim Calvert. Calvert was a missing ingredient that brought the band closer together asa team. They continued to tour the U.S. first with Exodus and then again with Sacred Reich with Calvert on second guitar.
The band went on to release Twisted Into Form in 1990, Distortion in 1994 and Green in 1996 however the band having gone though many lineup changes disbanded in 1997.
In 2008 Craig being inspired at a screening of the movie Get Thrashed, called the other members of the band and suggested getting back on stage to see if they could reignite the Forbidden machine. With Anderson, Locicero, Camacho back in the mix along with new additions Glen Alvelais and Gene Hoglan they played two sold out Death Angel shows in San Francisco.
Steve Smyth came into the mix in place of Alvelais and Mark Hernandez took Hoglan’s place, the band then released Omega Wave, the 5th in the catalog and went on a US tour with Overkill. European festivals were next but afterwards Hernandez had to walk away due to personal reasons leading to a tour cancelation.
Sasha Horn was the answer to fill the drummer’s spot.
After playing Bonded By Baloff with Exodus and one Bay Area show, Forbidden embarked for Chile to play the Metal Fest in Santiago. It was on this flight back home that Russ informed the band that he couldn’t tour anymore because of the physical toll it was taking on him. With that, the band dissolved once again for 11 years.
Fast forward to 2023. The once improbable and impossible happened. Forbidden is reforming with new blood! Locicero, Camacho & Smyth remain from the Omega Wave lineup.
New vocalist Norman Skinner will take the elite position that belonged to Russ Anderson. Norman shocked everyone who witnessed his performance of Chalice of Blood with LA thrashers Warbringer accompanying him as the band. It was undeniable to all in attendance. Norman grew up in the Bay Area. His first thrash metal show was seeing Forbidden at the Omni. Russ would point to Norman at shows and call him “Little Russ” on the mic. It could ONLY be Norman Skinner that stands aside the band.
The Bay Area thrash / punk drum Legend Chris Kontos takes over the drum throne. In a long line of world renown drummers, Kontos is the most logical & qualified man for the job. Bostaph, Jacobs, Hoglan, Hernandez, Horn… World class talents. Now Kontos.
Ascending British hard rock sect, WYTCH HAZEL, will release its new album, ‘IV: Sacrament‘, on June 2 via Bad Omen Records. Recorded with long-time producer Ed Turner (Purson), and tracked in a converted Baptist chapel in rural Wales, the record is a resounding achievement and glittering treasure chest that builds on the momentum of the band’s celebrated 2020 album ‘III: Pentecost‘, glorified by Under The Radar as “an invocation of rock and roll at its purest and, more specifically, of all that made the New Wave of British Heavy Metal in the late ’70s so special” and compelled Metal Injection to opine, “Wytch Hazel is arguably one of the best heavy metal bands out there right now and everyone should be listening to them.”
“Pre-order Wytch Hazel‘s ‘IV: Sacrament‘ at this location.
Following the March release of ‘IV: Sacrament‘s first single (and it’s accompanying video by the Brighton based production-team Wild Stag Studio) “Angel of Light” which caused Metal Injection to note, “Wytch Hazel has guitar harmonies for days” and was named by Classic Rock as one of its Tracks of the Week while opining, “there’s much to enjoy here regardless of your religious persuasion…think Blue Oyster Cult-meets-Thin Lizzy, with the gallop of Iron Maiden and uplifting harmonies” – Wytch Hazel drops a lyric video, for the new track, “A Thousand Years”, a stone cold rock banger featuring classically beautiful production and a ripping Neal Schon/Aldo Nova-type guitar solo. View Wytch Hazel‘s “A Thousand Years”at this location.
Led by vocalist / multi-instrumentalist Colin Hendra, Wytch Hazel is a singular source of hard rock/heavy metal dominion, offering a never ending quantum of mediaeval melodic structures and to uplifting hymns, ‘IV: Sacrament‘ is overflowing with indelible ear-worms the likes of which must be heard to be believed. And believe, you shall.
“I’ve blown my own mind a bit,” Colin states, “and even after all this painstaking work, I still feel like I’ve only scratched the surface of what Wytch Hazel could be doing musically. I wish I could have a month to work on one song, and go on a tangent a bit. I will in the future, it’s going in the right direction. It’s some of the most honest songwriting I’ve ever done, and the lyrics come from a darker place, I think. I’m getting older, that comes through in some lyrics: ‘see my body breaking’, ‘I’m digging deeper’, ‘time’s running out…’ – I struggle to see the positive a lot of the time, so the songs end up being negative, the subject matter coming from constant striving.“
It’s these deeply personal lyrics, coming from a place of faith and conviction, which make Wytch Hazel stand out further from the modern herd; although we’ve been bombarded with the cartoon diabolism of the ‘occult rock’ revival for the best part of two decades, no other band has dared to offer the other side of the story. Yet lest any heathen headbanger start to fear any kind of evangelical conversion agenda, Hendra expands on his position: “Music is created for all, it’s a common grace for everyone,” he affirms, “which is why the music that shows the glory of God the most, in my opinion, is not music created by Christians. It’s Black Sabbath, you know!“
Track listing: 01. The Fire’s Control 02. Angel of Light (watch VIDEO) 03. Time and Doubt 04. Strong Heart 05. Deliver Us 06. A Thousand Years (watch VIDEO) 07. Gold Light 08. Endless Battle 09. Future Is Gold 10. Digging Deeper
In addition to vocalist/guitarist Colin Hendra, Wytch Hazel features Alex Haslam (guitar), Andy Shackleton (bass) and Aaron Hay (drums).
Pennsylvania progressive death metal band Rivers of Nihil had quite a year in 2022. After the release of their fourth album ‘The Work‘ towards the end of 2021, the group spent the majority of their time burning the candle at both ends with a frenzied tour schedule including headline runs of the U.S. and Europe and in support of The Contortionist, but once the latter tour wrapped up, they were short a band member.
For personal reasons, founding member and lead vocalist Jake Dieffenbach and the band went their separate ways. The split took place just three days after the recording of a live video and audio session for Audiotree‘s new ‘From Nothing‘ series. And while initially the band wasn’t sure how to approach the release with the departure of a founding member and lead singer – or whether to release it at all – they decided to move forward with it to honor Dieffenbach’s contributions to the group over the years and mark the beginning of a new chapter.
So, for Audiotree‘s second installment of ‘From Nothing,’ presented to you is the end of an era and the beginning of something new for Rivers of Nihil. The session features live performances and interviews diving into the band’s creative process and recent work. Check it out now HERE! See below for a message from the band.
Guitarist Brody Uttley comments; “We’ve been big fans of the Audiotree catalog for many years now, so when Austin from Audiotree asked us if we’d be interested in being part of a new series they were doing we said ‘yes’ immediately.
Additionally, you will notice that Jake is performing with us. This shoot took place just a few days before our split with him as our vocalist, so rather than burying this project (since we are now no longer working together), we decided to release it as a finale to the chapter of the band that he spent with us.
The time when this was filmed was one of the most strenuous in our band, both from a personal standpoint and simply because we were playing SO many shows at that time nonstop. The morning that we filmed the Audiotree piece we had driven through the night from the previous gig to arrive in Chicago early enough to film with Audiotree in the morning AND still make it to our show later that day with The Contortionist.
This is the most accurate picture of our band working ourselves to the bone. A lot of what is said in the documentary still applies to where things are going, but this video definitely captures the essence of where the band was at, in late September of 2022.
Finally, we just wrapped up a recording session that birthed a ton a new music that you will be hearing much sooner than you think, featuring our previous bassist/backup vocalist Adam Biggs as the new lead vocalist (and bassist) as well as Andy Thomas’ first appearance on record with us as a member of Rivers of Nihil. We will be continuing as a four piece and we simply cannot wait to show you what this sounds like.“
Catch Rivers of Nihil live this summer when they hit the road with Between the Buried and Me and Thank You Scientist. Tour kicks off on June 16th in Charleston, SC at Music Farm and wraps up on July 31 in Winston-Salem, NC at The Ramkat. Tour dates below.
“We’re super honored and excited to be a part of the upcoming Parallax II 10th anniversary tour! BTBAM are one of my all-time favorite bands so you know the Rivers boys and I will be bringing our A-game and a setlist full of our best material (maybe even some new stuff!). We’re also stoked to share the stage with the uber-talented Thank You Scientist, so I think it’s safe to say this will easily be one of the best prog-metal shows of the year, so don’t miss out!” Adam Biggs (vocals/bass)
RIVERS OF NIHIL w/ Between the Buried and Me and Thank You Scientist 16-Jun – Charleston, SC – Music Farm – tickets 17-Jun – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage – tickets 18-Jun – Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia – tickets 20-Jun – New York, NY – Irving Plaza – tickets 21-Jun – Albany, NY – Empire Live – tickets 22-Jun – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground – tickets *Rivers of Nihil only 23-Jun – Worcester, MA – The Palladium – tickets 24-Jun – Montreal, QC – Club Soda – tickets 25-Jun – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall – tickets 27-Jun – Millvale, PA – Mr Smalls Theatre – tickets 28-Jun – Detroit, MI – The Majestic – tickets 29-Jun – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall – tickets 30-Jun – Chicago, IL – House of Blues – tickets 01-Jul – Minneapolis, MN – The Lyric at Skyway Theatre – tickets 02-Jul – Kansas City, MO – The Truman – tickets 03-Jul – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre – tickets 05-Jul – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex – tickets 06-Jul – Billings, MT – Pub Station (Taproom) – tickets *Rivers of Nihil only 07-Jul – Calgary, AB – MacEwan Hall – tickets 08-Jul – Edmonton, AB – Union Hall – tickets 10-Jul – Vancouver, BC – The Vogue Theatre – tickets 11-Jul – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile – tickets 12-Jul – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater – tickets 13-Jul – Sacramento, CA – Ace Of Spades – tickets 14-Jul – Bakersfield, CA – 1933 – tickets *Rivers of Nihil only 15-Jul – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues – tickets 16-Jul – San Diego, CA – The Observatory – North Park – tickets 17-Jul – Mesa, AZ – The Nile Theatre – tickets 19-Jul – Odessa, TX – The Ector Theatre – tickets *Rivers of Nihil only 20-Jul – San Antonio, TX – Vibes Event Center – tickets 21-Jul – Dallas, TX – The Factory in Deep Ellum – tickets 22-Jul – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live – tickets 23-Jul – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues – tickets 25-Jul – St. Louis, MO – Red Flag – tickets 26-Jul – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl Nashville – tickets 28-Jul – St Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live – tickets 29-Jul – Orlando, FL – The Beacham – tickets 30-Jul – Atlanta, GA – Heaven at The Masquerade – tickets 31-Jul – Winston-Salem, NC – The Ramkat – tickets
Audiotree is a Chicago-based music discovery platform producing high quality studio sessions and live performance recordings from artists all around the world. Discover your next favorite band at: audiotree.tv
Rivers of Nihil is: Brody Uttley – guitars/keyboards Adam Biggs – vocals/bass Jared Klein – drums/vocals Andy Thomas – rhythm guitar/vocals
Stoner/Doom Rock group BlackStorm have premiered a new lyric video for their latest track ‘Heavy Energy’ ahead of a special guest slot to Pitchshifter’s sold out Bristol show this July. Watch the video below.
Hailing from Brighton UK, Blackstorm’s line-up features members of Earthtone9, The Blueprint, Twin Zero, Fall of Efrafa, GNOD and King Beef. Latest single ‘Heavy Energy’ serves as an ethereal appetiser ahead of Blackstorm’s special guest slot to Pitchshifter’s sold out Bristol show, at The Exchange, on the 7th of July.
Vocalist Karl Middleton (Earthtone9) says, “It’s an honour to share the stage with the Clayden brothers once again. Our friendship runs deep, over 25 years. This show is going to be wild. The Exchange is a killer 300 capacity venue, and it’s gonna be a hot, sweaty, high energy show.”
The epic follow up to 2022’s comeback single ‘Iron Harvest’, ‘Heavy Energy’ sees Blackstorm on fiery form. This six minute lumbering behemoth blends elemental stadium doom riffery and grooves with mournful grunge-tinged vocal melodies.
“The lyrics to ‘Heavy Energy’ are built around the idea of a Sisyphean Trial – a task that is impossible to complete”, explains Middleton. “It refers to the punishment that Sisyphus receives in the underworld, where he is forced to roll a boulder up a hill repeatedly for eternity.
Sometimes life can feel like endless, purposeless drudgery. The verse lyrics riff around this.
The chorus lyrics are a counter-point to this, drawing upon the idea that all is impermanent and relational, and that we have the resources within us to overcome any challenge we might experience in life.”
Originally formed in 2006, Blackstorm released a 7” record on London’s Sound Devastation Records and a digital ep release via Canada’s Distort Records. The band has shared the stage with the likes of Cancer Bats, Kruger, Miramar Disaster, Saviours, Burning Love and Orange Goblin, made killer appearances at Hammerfest and Desertfest and received radio play on the Bruce Dickinson’s radio show. The band was dormant for eight years, resurfacing in 2022 with comeback single ‘Iron Harvest’ and new release ‘Heavy Energy.’
Blackstorm are relentless in their drive to create the perfect mix of epic doom, grunge, stoner and classic rock.
BLACKSTORM ARE:
Karl Middleton – Vocals Neil Kingsbury – Guitars & Backing vocals Steve McCusker – Bass Jon Perry – Drums
The CRUZADOS European tour kicks off this Spring, April 27th through May 27th of 2023 with stops in Spain, France, Belgium, and Germany. Also coming this Spring 2023, you can expect an all new 6-song EP entitled “Land of the Endless Sun” produced by Bruce Witkin, as well as a collection of live music recorded in Europe from the band’s 2022 tour. “Live from Marseille” is a full-length live album that contains performances of Cruzados band classics and some new tunes from 2022-2023.
Listen to the CRUZADOS EP “Land of the Endless Sun” – https://open.spotify.com/album/4xMLQiu8j4E2UG76bjvmCs
“Recording our new 6 song EP “Land of the Endless Sun” brought me back to our early days in the Cruzados. The guitar sounds we got thanks to Loren Molinare and Mark Tremalgia are tough as nails and set the mode for the entire EP. Ron Young belts out even stronger on this collection and the songs cover a wide range of Classic Cruzados styles from the desert sound to 60s garage, all rounded out with a backbeat by drummer Rob Klonel that propels each track”. – Tony Marsico co-founder/ bassist -The Cruzados
“This was a fun group of songs to record. It highlights so many of the band’s influences that we love to weave into our set. It keeps the Cruzados legacy going. Getting to work with our favorite Producer, Bruce Witkin again was also a blast as he makes us so comfortable all through the tracking that it makes the music flow out of us and he gets great performances from each of us.”……Ron Young- Lead Singer/Cruzados
Track listing 1- Dead Inside 2- Land Of The Endless Sun 3- Golden Child 4- A Little More Time 5- Queen Of The Quake 6- Johnny Pay To Play
Recorded at Unison Studios Feb 18-22, 2023 Produced, Engineered and Mixed by Bruce Witkin All songs written by Marsico, Klonel, Molinare, Tremalgia, Young Additional Keyboards- Bruce Witkin Mastered by Dave Schultz at D2 Mastering
The 2022 Cruzados record “She’s Automatic” features 11 songs written or co-written by Tony Marsico, the bassist and co-writer for the Cruzados and a member of the band’s punk-era precursor the Plugz. This album was issued on Deko Entertainment January 2022.
If you haven’t collected “She’s Automatic” yet, hurry while the vinyl supply lasts! This is a live, hot, no-nonsense collection of hard-hitting rockers on which Marsico is joined by the members of his ‘80s L.A. contemporaries Little Caesar. The set’s glittering group of guest musicians includes a host of noted L.A. punk vets, including John Doe (X), Dave Alvin (the Blasters), David Hidalgo and Steve Berlin (Los Lobos), and Melanie Vannem (the Muffs, the Pandoras).
CRUZADOS 2023 European Tour 27/04/2023 Verviers-Belgium @ Spirit Of 66 28/04/2023 Besançon- France @ Bar De L’U 29/04/2023 Dortmund-Germany @ Blue Notez 01/05/2023 Girona-Spain @ Sala la Torrentera 03/05/2023 Madrid-Spain @ Rockville 04/05/2023 Zaragoza-Spain @ Rock & Blues 05/05/2023 Aviles-Spain @ Sala Malecón 06/05/2023 Cangas-Spain @ Salason 07/05/2023 A Coruña-Spain @ Mardi Gras 08/05/2023 Leon-Spain @ Babylon 11/05/2023 Orihuela-Spain @ La Gramola 12/05/2023 Castellon de la Plana-Spain @ Sala Because 13/05/2023 Barcelona-Spain @ La Textil 14/05/2023 Vitoria-Spain @ Urban Rock Concept 16/05/2023 Marseille-France @ Cherrydon 17/05/2023 Chambéry-France @ Brin De Zinc 19/05/2023 Kufstein-Austria @ Fufa 20/05/2023 Lauchhammer-Germany @ Real Music Club 22/05/2023 Norderstedt-Germany @ MusicStar 23/05/2023 Bremen-Germany @ Meisenfrei 26/05/2023 Krefeld-Germany @ Kulturrampe 27/05/2023 Fürth-Germany @ New Orleans Fest (Open Air)
CRUZADOS Ron Young: Lead Vocals Tony Marsico: Bass, Vocals Rob Klonel: Drums Mark Tremalgia: Guitar, Vocals Loren Molinare: Guitar, Vocals
About CRUZADOS
The Cruzados attracted national attention in the ‘80s with their stormy, Latin-inflected brand of post-punk hard rock. Signed to Clive Davis’ Arista Records, the quartet issued two albums, Cruzados (1985) and After Dark(1987). They also made a high-profile screen appearance in the 1989 cult classic Road House. However, familiar rock ‘n’ roll pressures capsized the band in 1991; guitarist Marshall Rohner died in 2005, and drummer Chalo “Charlie” Quintana died in 2018.
In the intervening years, Marsico worked on the debut album by Plugz and Cruzados singer-guitarist Tito Larriva’s band Tarantula, today based in Austin. He also carved out a notable career as a top session musician and touring sideman with such artists as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Roger Daltrey, Marianne Faithfull, and Willie Nelson. The bassist’s studio and road stories are collected in two books, Late Nights with Bob Dylan (2009) and I’m Just Here for the Gig! (2020).
With the onset of the pandemic in 2020 and the enforced solitude that followed, Marsico began to contemplate a new project under the Cruzados handle.
“Being penned up with the pandemic at home for a year, I started questioning my mortality,” he says. “I felt like I got shortchanged with the Cruzados. We never got to put out a third album, due to a lot of crazy circumstances that cropped up. I wanted to do the band justice and go out on a high note. That was my goal, and to pay tribute to Chalo and Marshall.”
Material for a new Cruzados release came quickly. It didn’t take long for Marsico to decide on the right musicians to carry on the Cruzados’ legacy in the studio: He turned to singer Ron Young and guitarists Loren Molinare and Mark Tremalgia of Little Caesar, who were also active on the L.A. scene in the late ‘80s as a Geffen Records act. The core lineup was completed by drummer Ron Klonel, who has collaborated with Little Caesar in recent years.
“The Little Caesar guys were Chalo’s best friends – they were pals from back in the day,” Marsico says. “I had to find the best guy to be the lead singer. My tastes have changed a little – the influences are blues and rock ‘n’ roll. I knew that Ron Young from Little Caesar loved blues, and we got to talking and we hit it off with the same style of music. I knew that he could pull this off and get behind it.
“Loren Molinare was in the great ‘70s L.A. band the Dogs, of course, and I loved the Dogs, and Mark Tremalgia is a new guy I’ve been working with for a couple of years now. Rob Klonel is a great, solid rock ‘n’ roll drummer. It was really important for me to get someone who hit ‘em hard like Chalo. They were a perfect combination of guys, and they had a lot of enthusiasm.”
With Bruce Witkin engineering and producing, the new Cruzados set up shop at Unison Studios in L.A. Marsico recalls, “We did it all “old style “– we just set up in a room all together, like we used to do records before they started putting everybody in isolation booths and all that crap. We got the band together and rehearsed, and we went into the studio a week later. Before we knew it, we had the album. All live, no click tracks. We all played in our own little area, with our masks on. Set up, play, cut the songs, boom. It felt great to rock with a bunch of like-minded guys. With our special guests, half of them came to the studio, and half recorded their parts at home.”
THE ROCK ALCHEMIST – Italian Rock Band from Turin with a strong sonic identity that blends modern rock with progressive, hard, alternative, and pop elements!
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
