Josh Hart of GuitarWorld.com recently spoke with BLACK STAR RIDERS guitarist Damon Johnson about growing up in Alabama & getting into music at a young age, Johnson’s journeyman career as a songwriter, and of course, producer Kevin Shirley’s production & the gear used to attain the crisp guitar tone that permeates the band’s debut album, All Hell Breaks Loose, which was just released in North America this Tuesday.
Guitar World: When writing the new album, how did you and Scott [Gorham, guitarist] develop your roles within the dual-guitar sound of the band?
Damon Johnson: The thing I've got to tell you from a guitar/writing standpoint, Scott is so free of any ego about it. Never did he make me feel like it had to be a certain way. It was kind of the opposite. He said, "Damon I want you to write anything you want. Don't try to sound like Gary [Moore, guitarist on THIN LIZZY’s landmark 1979 album Black Rose] or anyone but yourself."
I think the THIN LIZZY-ness of the songs, some of that has to do with the tempos, some of it is the chord structure, but there's no question that the instant we would put any kind of a harmony on there — when Scott Gorham bends a note, it's so uniquely him. Just in the way so many great blues players are, like an Eric Clapton, like a Jimmy Page.
GW: I’m not sure if it’s Kevin Shirley’s production, but the first track on the record, “All Hell Breaks Loose,” has a few sections that are reminiscent of another great two-guitar (well, now three-guitar) band, Iron Maiden.
Johnson: That's a heavy track. What I can tell you about Kevin on that song, is that "All Hell Breaks Loose" was another song where we wanted to think AC/DC. The original demo that we had had a little more of a shimmy in it. It was a little busier with the rhythm section and the verses. But when you listen to it now the drums are all four on the floor, and it give us room for those big ringing power chords to have space.
That was a great Scott Gorham riff.
Read the entire interview online at GuitarWorld.com:
http://www.guitarworld.com/interview-black-star-riders-guitarist-damon-johnson-talks-all-hell-breaks-loose-and-living-thin-lizzys-legacy
Classic Rock magazine is currently streaming All Hell Breaks Loose in its entirety at this location: http://bit.ly/BSRAHBL
Visit the BLACK STAR RIDERS landing page for exclusive bundles and the iTunes purchase link: http://bit.ly/BSR-AHBL
The band is ready to take the stage tonight at the Marshall Theatre in Milton Keynes, U.K. for the live, world debut of their new material.
What fans are saying about All Hell Breaks Loose:
• PAUL STANLEY of KISS - "Not surprising but happily, the two-gun, two guitar interplay of THIN LIZZY is alive, well, and living in the DNA of BLACK STAR RIDERS. Coupled with imagery filled with piss and vinegar, All Hell Breaks Loose is the welcomed return of an old friend that you didn't realize how much you have missed."
• JOE ELLIOTT of DEF LEPPARD - "BLACK STAR RIDERS has all the THIN LIZZY / Irish trademarks to satisfy the long-time fans and has the added advantage of a fresh approach making for a great combination. All Hell Breaks Loose is really strong from start to finish!"
• RICHIE FAULKNER of JUDAS PRIEST - “All Hell Breaks Loose is a great record with a lot of heart. An unmistakable sound from the band’s lineage but with its own unique, modern edge.”
• JAKE BURNS of STIFF LITTLE FINGERS - "I listened to 'Bound for Glory' and couldn't stop grinning. Hearing Scott Gorham's guitar playing again was like meeting a long-lost old friend all over again. Spirit of [Phil] Lynott, soul of [Ricky] Warwick… this is class!"
• ERIC SINGER of KISS - “BLACK STAR RIDERS just rode into town and with some great tunes that will have you watching your speedometer if you happen to be behind the wheel of a car! This stuff just plain out rocks hard and the twin guitar attack will remind you of why you always loved THIN LIZZY or any ‘70s style gui
