Geezer Butler, Steve Stevens new project Deadland Ritual

[treeduck]

GEEZER BUTLER † FRANKY PEREZ † MATT SORUM † STEVE STEVENS

 

 

 

 

Deadland Ritual is a band that spiritually was born in the desert where legendary drummer Matt Sorum lives these days. Drawing inspiration from the “ritual symbolism of the desert badlands” paired with his love of the idea of a “ritualistic forgotten space,” the name of the group felt appropriate for the darker tone of the music he was creating with iconic bassist Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath), guitarist Steve Stevens (Billy Idol) and lead singer Franky Perez (Apocalyptica, Scars on Broadway).

 

 

 

Longtime friendships with Stevens and Perez helped to form the initial core of the lineup, but Sorum says that it was a pivotal moment when Butler agreed to join in. “Black Sabbath was my first band that I really fell in love with as a musician,” he says. “That was my entry point when I started coming up as a young drummer.” The bassist’s unmistakable tone is an important part of the foundation of the band’s sound.

 

 

 

Calling himself “semi-retired,” Butler admits that there was a lot to think about when he got the invitation to join Deadland Ritual. “I had to get used to the idea of starting from scratch again, which is good. It’s a challenge for me,” he says. “But I really liked the music that I was hearing. It's not your typical metal stuff or hard rock stuff or whatever.”

 

 

 

For Stevens, it was a revelation the first time he found himself recording with Butler. “I remember the first time that I started tracking against his bass, and I went, ‘Oh my God,’ he recalls. “There's a lot of times in the studio as a guitar player, you get a guitar sound and you're trying to make it work, you're tweaking it. There was none of that bullshit. It just fit against his bass sound and it was really exciting for me. It was like, ‘Wow, I get to hear my guitar against a bass guitarist that I've loved since I was 15 years old."

 

 

 

“This happened the way it was supposed to happen. We didn’t force it. The entire process has been so enjoyable. It’s reminded me of what it was like to be in a band when it mattered,” Perez adds. “Like, before you go to sleep, you’re thinking about the music. When you wake up, you’re thinking about the music. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt the excitement of being in a room with a band like I did when I was a kid”

 

 

 

The group worked on songs together and enlisted producer Greg Fidelman (Metallica, Slipknot, Black Sabbath) when it was time to record. They made the decision to track the material at Henson Studios in Hollywood. “We knew we wanted to make the biggest sonic rock madness that we could come up with,” Sorum explains. “Greg was the right choice for that.”

 

 

 

“Down In Flames” thunders through the speakers, a driving hard rocker with lush vocal harmonies that at the core, still feels like the sound of four guys in a room jamming. But there are additional flourishes, like the pedal steel that Stevens adds to the mystical midsection and Sorum’s tribal drums, which spontaneously emerged as the band was working on basic tracks. “It was one of those beautiful mistakes.” Stevens says, recalling how the drummer began playing the pattern on the fly.

 

 

 

But make no mistake, as the songs developed, Sorum often had a definite vision. “It's great because Matt really knows what he wants it to sound like and he just keeps going and going and going until he's got it right, until he's satisfied with his drumming,” Butler says. “It's really good to play with somebody who’s that professional. He's so knowledgeable about different drum styles and he's also a fan of Bill Ward, Sabbath's original drummer so he likes that kind of swing part of it as well.”

 

 

 

Sorum has logged decades of time behind the kit playing with Guns N’ Roses, The Cult and Velvet Revolver, to name a few, adding his signature sound to countless rock radio hits that are played to this day. With this band, he wanted to take things to the next level. “For me it was like, ‘Man, I want to get the best drum sound I've ever gotten. I want to play the best I've played,’” Sorum says. “I think I've achieved that. I feel as a drummer I've morphed through a lot of decades of rock and roll.”

 

 

 

Deadland Ritual’s “secret weapon” is Perez, a versatile vocalist who shines on the songs that the band has recorded so far, and a talented voice that Sorum has long hoped to incorporate into the right project. The singer fortunately had the full support of his bandmates as he took on what could have been a difficult job. “They've always believed in what I did vocally and they're like, ‘Dude, sing. Don't hold back. Sing like it's your last day on earth.’ And I did that. I felt that, and I went in there with something to prove. And not just for me, but for us as a whole.”

 

 

 

Similarly, Stevens put a lot of thought into his guitar approach. “I wanted what I brought to this band to be unique and exclusive to this project and that took a little bit of soul searching and brain power,” he explains. "I wanted my guitar to really compliment the other members and their individual styles. I truly feel that in this band that the sum is greater than the parts.

 

 

 

Calling Stevens “an incredible guitarist,” Butler says, “He's got some great ideas and he's very inspirational. He'll come up with stuff that I'd never even dreamed of coming up with, so it inspires you and like all with good guitarists, you want to come up to their level.”

 

 

 

The ominously moody nature of “Broken and Bruised” and “Walking Into Walls,” two additional tracks that have recently been completed, reveal that there’s a lot of depth to the material that the group has been writing together. “Obviously we've all been through some stuff,” Perez says, “Life is full of ups and downs. So, if you're being honest artistically, all of that turmoil, love, loss, happiness, and pain makes its way into the music. It's a really cathartic experience performing these songs.”

 

 

 

With a stack of festival appearances and headlining dates already booked, the members promise that the shows will be something special, mixing original material with deeper cuts from their collective past, ones that are “not the typical songs you would expect,” according to Sorum.

 

 

 

In addition to the larger gigs, the band will also get a chance to play some intimate venues. Butler says he’s looking forward to both scenarios. “You get to do the 20,000 seaters and you put on the show and you do get audience feedback, obviously, but I don't know, there's just something special about smaller venues. I might hate it after a week, I don't know,” he chuckles. “It's going to be different for me but I'm looking forward to playing clubs as well as the festivals.”

 

 

 

“I'm just really excited for people to see this band live,” Perez adds. “One of the things that I want to really emphasize is that this is an honest to God, down and dirty rock and roll band. We're energized, and we want to put on an incredible show.”

 

 

 

No egos, no bullshit. Deadland Ritual is ready to take the world by storm. For Sorum, that means the 2018 equivalent of his teenage years when he was handing out handmade cassettes of his first recordings. Get the music out there where the fans can hear it and the rest will come. “Just release the material, he says. “We're ready to play.”

[canadianice]

Now that was cool.

[greyfriar]

Cool song and great to see that Geezer and S.S. are still hungry. Sounds promising.

[treeduck]

Cool song and great to see that Geezer and S.S. are still hungry. Sounds promising.

Aye!

 

Might be another Black Country Communion, only Black Idol Communion.

Edited January 23, 2019 by treeduck

[Rod in Toronto]

Great song. Bring on the full length!

[The Cat 3]

Thanks Treeduck...looking forward to this one! :cheers:

[treeduck]

Geezer Butler on New Project Deadland Ritual & Why He Went 'Nuts' After Black Sabbath Retired

 

Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath performs at Ozzfest 2016 at San Manuel Amphitheater on Sept. 24, 2016 in Los Angeles.

 

Heavy music progenitors Black Sabbath played the final show in their 40-plus-year career on Feb. 4, 2017 in the city where it all began: Birmingham, UK. Subsequently, frontman Ozzy Osbourne launched his second semi-farewell tour, No More Tours II (currently on hold due to illness), but the musical future for guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (who was not on the farewell Sabbath tour) and bassist Geezer Butler seemed in limbo.

 

The influential bassist, born Terence Michael Joseph Butler, was the primary lyricist on Sabbath's 14 albums, responsible for the iconic apocalyptic storyline of "Iron Man" as well as the indictment of warmongering on "War Pigs." Between 1995 and 2005 he put out three solo albums, as well as playing on Osbourne's Just Say Ozzy and Ozzmosis releases. Butler, 69, and his wife, artist manager Gloria Butler, have had a home in Los Angeles for nearly 15 years, and following The End of Sabbath, after a 74-date final tour that grossed close to $85 million, he enjoyed some well-earned down time.

 

But that's all changed since he joined Deadland Ritual, a new lineup formed by ex GNR/Cult/Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum, Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens and singer Franky Perez (Apocalyptica, Scars on Broadway). The band have released a single and video for "Down In Flames," a moody, swinging mid-tempo hard rocker, and are in the midst of recording a debut album with producer Greg Fidelman (Metallica, Slipknot), while simultaneously prepping for a first gig at L.A.'s Troubadour. European dates begin June 4 in Denmark. The slightly taciturn but jovial bass legend spoke with Billboard by phone from his home about throwing in the towel on retirement and how Deadland Ritual composes music together.

 

 

I understand you were the final piece of the Deadland Ritual puzzle. How did you meet the guys?

 

I did some charity things with Matt drumming probably three of four years ago, but we did a tour with Velvet Revolver; they supported Sabbath in Europe a few years ago, so I met him then. I didn't even know this call was for a new band; I thought it was not for Camp Freddy (an all-star cover band), but Kings of Chaos (formed by Sorum, GN'R's Duff McKagan and Gilby Clarke, plus a revolving lineup featuring members of Def Leppard, Deep Purple, Aerosmith). I thought it was for that at first. They sent me two songs with lyrics already done and I really liked them. Then they sent me a third song and asked me to write lyrics for that, I said 'I'm not really sure about lyrics,' but when we had a meeting, and they explained, yeah, that it was going to be a totally separate new band.

 

What song did they send you? The single, "Down in Flames"? Or "Broken and Bruised" or "Walking into Walls"?

 

Yeah, "Broken and Bruised." I said 'I like the song, but some of it needs to be changed.' We got together and Franky eventually came up with the lyrics, and after I joined, I sort of pointed out the bits that needed changing and we went from there.

 

What did you want to change?

 

There was a part that sounded too much like Sabbath. The whole song has sort of a Sabbathy vibe. You'd listen to it and think it was Sabbath. So we changed that a little bit.

 

Tell me about the first in-person meeting.

 

We sat down at my favorite vegan restaurant, Crossroads on Melrose Avenue, and talked about different music, and the kind of things I was thinking about. And the end of it, they all say, 'we want you to join the band. Do you want to join?' And I says, 'yeah.'

 

You're so easy.

 

After 18 months of retirement, I would have said yes to anything! [laughs] After Sabbath finished, I just wanted to take time off and wake up every day and think, 'Oh, great, I've got nothing to do today.' That was okay for a year. After I put on about 20 pounds and watched every TV show there was I just went nuts.

 

You've done solo albums, including G/Z/R with Burton C. Bell from Fear Factory… had you not considered doing something like that again?

 

Yeah, I'll never stop writing. But it became more of a hobby than anything else. I was sorta relaxed and going off on different tangents in my little studio here, with the thought of eventually doing a G/Z/R album, but then Deadland Ritual came about, and that was it.

 

In those 18 months of retirement, was there a time when you didn't even pick up an instrument for months at a time?

 

Yeah, I probably went for a couple months. I've been doing a lot of traveling since Sabbath finished. I went on my first cruise. It started off in Italy and went through Greece, Croatia, Slovenia and finished up in Venice.

 

I'm sure you get recognized on a cruise?

 

No, everybody else is even older than me!

 

When was the first time you played with Deadland Ritual and what songs did you play?

 

We recorded the first three that were written, I suppose that would be… God, I have no concept of time whatsoever—probably October/November we went in the studio and recorded the three songs. I'd already been to Steve's house, and we came up with the third song, "Down In Flames," which is the one that's out now.

 

Lyrically, you're not on any of those, right? And what topics are you writing about these days?

 

Yeah, I'm writing lyrics for the fourth song we've done, which I think is going to be called "City of Night"; that's the working title, anyway. I just finished writing those lyrics. It's just about… it's hard to explain really...any old crap. About the end of things, the End of Days. And looking back on your life wishing you'd done things you could have done, but it's too late. It's a bit like the 'song before I died' kind of thing. I don't actually write the lyrics at home, just the music. In writing for the new G/Z/R album, I hadn't gotten as far as lyrics, because I haven't got a singer. And I'm useless at singing. I was just coming up with different riffs and stuff.

 

Did you bring any of the songs you were working on for G/Z/R into Deadland Ritual?

 

Yeah, we're doing two of them. I made a CD of about five different ideas that I had, just to see if there was any interest in them, and we've ended up doing two of them so far. It's good to have Steve's feedback on it; I had in my mind how it should go, then Steve suggested this, that and the other. And I was like 'yeah, I never thought of that,' and it made the whole thing come alive. Which is what I miss working on me own; that bounce-back. We were working on it yesterday. It's really very heavy. Probably the heaviest one we've done so far.

 

 

I see there's a Deadland Ritual show at the Troubadour, which is a tiny club compared to Sabbath's arena shows.

 

That will be the first gig. I've never played there. I think I've been there once or twice years ago. It's like starting from scratch; I haven't done clubs since 1970. I've done the odd one here and there, but not a whole tour of clubs. Or fifth on the festival bills.

 

What songs will fill out Deadland Ritual's live set?

 

We're thinking about doing seven original songs, which we've done up to now, unless we write more between now and May. Probably three or four Sabbath songs. "N.I.B.," because that's what I'm associated with particularly; the bass intro and all that kind of stuff. And some stuff that Sabbath didn't do, like "Symptom of the Universe." Steve loves that one. And Franky likes "Heaven and Hell" and we might do one or two others; see which ones work out best in rehearsals. But more obscure Sabbath songs, rather than "Iron Man" or "Paranoid," that's been done a million times. A couple Velvet Revolver. "Slither" definitely, I'm not sure bout the second one, and I think we're going to do "Rebel Yell," Billy Idol! [Laughs] I have to learn them all between now and May!

 

How far into the future do you look with Deadland Ritual?

 

At the moment we're just going to see how it goes. We've written seven songs up to now, so we have to get those recorded. We've got quite a few record companies interested. But at first, it was 'have a jam, and let's do some festivals.' But it seems to have gone beyond that, people are taking it more seriously now. So if things work out with the gigs that we do we'll carry on. I'm excited about it. I really like the music we're doing, not restricted to any kind of formula. And as I say, each track stands on its own, different in its own way. I'm really looking forward looking to it.

 

 

Edited March 12, 2019 by treeduck

[RUSHHEAD666]

GEEZER BUTLER † FRANKY PEREZ † MATT SORUM † STEVE STEVENS

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep5NHWELz04

 

 

 

Deadland Ritual is a band that spiritually was born in the desert where legendary drummer Matt Sorum lives these days. Drawing inspiration from the “ritual symbolism of the desert badlands” paired with his love of the idea of a “ritualistic forgotten space,” the name of the group felt appropriate for the darker tone of the music he was creating with iconic bassist Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath), guitarist Steve Stevens (Billy Idol) and lead singer Franky Perez (Apocalyptica, Scars on Broadway).

 

 

 

Longtime friendships with Stevens and Perez helped to form the initial core of the lineup, but Sorum says that it was a pivotal moment when Butler agreed to join in. “Black Sabbath was my first band that I really fell in love with as a musician,” he says. “That was my entry point when I started coming up as a young drummer.” The bassist’s unmistakable tone is an important part of the foundation of the band’s sound.

 

 

 

Calling himself “semi-retired,” Butler admits that there was a lot to think about when he got the invitation to join Deadland Ritual. “I had to get used to the idea of starting from scratch again, which is good. It’s a challenge for me,” he says. “But I really liked the music that I was hearing. It's not your typical metal stuff or hard rock stuff or whatever.”

 

 

 

For Stevens, it was a revelation the first time he found himself recording with Butler. “I remember the first time that I started tracking against his bass, and I went, ‘Oh my God,’ he recalls. “There's a lot of times in the studio as a guitar player, you get a guitar sound and you're trying to make it work, you're tweaking it. There was none of that bullshit. It just fit against his bass sound and it was really exciting for me. It was like, ‘Wow, I get to hear my guitar against a bass guitarist that I've loved since I was 15 years old."

 

 

 

“This happened the way it was supposed to happen. We didn’t force it. The entire process has been so enjoyable. It’s reminded me of what it was like to be in a band when it mattered,” Perez adds. “Like, before you go to sleep, you’re thinking about the music. When you wake up, you’re thinking about the music. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt the excitement of being in a room with a band like I did when I was a kid”

 

 

 

The group worked on songs together and enlisted producer Greg Fidelman (Metallica, Slipknot, Black Sabbath) when it was time to record. They made the decision to track the material at Henson Studios in Hollywood. “We knew we wanted to make the biggest sonic rock madness that we could come up with,” Sorum explains. “Greg was the right choice for that.”

 

 

 

“Down In Flames” thunders through the speakers, a driving hard rocker with lush vocal harmonies that at the core, still feels like the sound of four guys in a room jamming. But there are additional flourishes, like the pedal steel that Stevens adds to the mystical midsection and Sorum’s tribal drums, which spontaneously emerged as the band was working on basic tracks. “It was one of those beautiful mistakes.” Stevens says, recalling how the drummer began playing the pattern on the fly.

 

 

 

But make no mistake, as the songs developed, Sorum often had a definite vision. “It's great because Matt really knows what he wants it to sound like and he just keeps going and going and going until he's got it right, until he's satisfied with his drumming,” Butler says. “It's really good to play with somebody who’s that professional. He's so knowledgeable about different drum styles and he's also a fan of Bill Ward, Sabbath's original drummer so he likes that kind of swing part of it as well.”

 

 

 

Sorum has logged decades of time behind the kit playing with Guns N’ Roses, The Cult and Velvet Revolver, to name a few, adding his signature sound to countless rock radio hits that are played to this day. With this band, he wanted to take things to the next level. “For me it was like, ‘Man, I want to get the best drum sound I've ever gotten. I want to play the best I've played,’” Sorum says. “I think I've achieved that. I feel as a drummer I've morphed through a lot of decades of rock and roll.”

 

 

 

Deadland Ritual’s “secret weapon” is Perez, a versatile vocalist who shines on the songs that the band has recorded so far, and a talented voice that Sorum has long hoped to incorporate into the right project. The singer fortunately had the full support of his bandmates as he took on what could have been a difficult job. “They've always believed in what I did vocally and they're like, ‘Dude, sing. Don't hold back. Sing like it's your last day on earth.’ And I did that. I felt that, and I went in there with something to prove. And not just for me, but for us as a whole.”

 

 

 

Similarly, Stevens put a lot of thought into his guitar approach. “I wanted what I brought to this band to be unique and exclusive to this project and that took a little bit of soul searching and brain power,” he explains. "I wanted my guitar to really compliment the other members and their individual styles. I truly feel that in this band that the sum is greater than the parts.

 

 

 

Calling Stevens “an incredible guitarist,” Butler says, “He's got some great ideas and he's very inspirational. He'll come up with stuff that I'd never even dreamed of coming up with, so it inspires you and like all with good guitarists, you want to come up to their level.”

 

 

 

The ominously moody nature of “Broken and Bruised” and “Walking Into Walls,” two additional tracks that have recently been completed, reveal that there’s a lot of depth to the material that the group has been writing together. “Obviously we've all been through some stuff,” Perez says, “Life is full of ups and downs. So, if you're being honest artistically, all of that turmoil, love, loss, happiness, and pain makes its way into the music. It's a really cathartic experience performing these songs.”

 

 

 

With a stack of festival appearances and headlining dates already booked, the members promise that the shows will be something special, mixing original material with deeper cuts from their collective past, ones that are “not the typical songs you would expect,” according to Sorum.

 

 

 

In addition to the larger gigs, the band will also get a chance to play some intimate venues. Butler says he’s looking forward to both scenarios. “You get to do the 20,000 seaters and you put on the show and you do get audience feedback, obviously, but I don't know, there's just something special about smaller venues. I might hate it after a week, I don't know,” he chuckles. “It's going to be different for me but I'm looking forward to playing clubs as well as the festivals.”

 

 

 

“I'm just really excited for people to see this band live,” Perez adds. “One of the things that I want to really emphasize is that this is an honest to God, down and dirty rock and roll band. We're energized, and we want to put on an incredible show.”

 

 

 

No egos, no bullshit. Deadland Ritual is ready to take the world by storm. For Sorum, that means the 2018 equivalent of his teenage years when he was handing out handmade cassettes of his first recordings. Get the music out there where the fans can hear it and the rest will come. “Just release the material, he says. “We're ready to play.”

 

 

Holy Sheep Shit! How did I miss this incredible thread????? I love STEVE AS YOU ALL KNOW!! I did Matt too and of course Geezer!! I like what I am hearing so far!!

[treeduck]

[treeduck]

[treeduck]

[treeduck]

[treeduck]

GEEZER BUTLER † FRANKY PEREZ † MATT SORUM † STEVE STEVENS

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep5NHWELz04

 

 

 

Deadland Ritual is a band that spiritually was born in the desert where legendary drummer Matt Sorum lives these days. Drawing inspiration from the “ritual symbolism of the desert badlands” paired with his love of the idea of a “ritualistic forgotten space,” the name of the group felt appropriate for the darker tone of the music he was creating with iconic bassist Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath), guitarist Steve Stevens (Billy Idol) and lead singer Franky Perez (Apocalyptica, Scars on Broadway).

 

 

 

Longtime friendships with Stevens and Perez helped to form the initial core of the lineup, but Sorum says that it was a pivotal moment when Butler agreed to join in. “Black Sabbath was my first band that I really fell in love with as a musician,” he says. “That was my entry point when I started coming up as a young drummer.” The bassist’s unmistakable tone is an important part of the foundation of the band’s sound.

 

 

 

Calling himself “semi-retired,” Butler admits that there was a lot to think about when he got the invitation to join Deadland Ritual. “I had to get used to the idea of starting from scratch again, which is good. It’s a challenge for me,” he says. “But I really liked the music that I was hearing. It's not your typical metal stuff or hard rock stuff or whatever.”

 

 

 

For Stevens, it was a revelation the first time he found himself recording with Butler. “I remember the first time that I started tracking against his bass, and I went, ‘Oh my God,’ he recalls. “There's a lot of times in the studio as a guitar player, you get a guitar sound and you're trying to make it work, you're tweaking it. There was none of that bullshit. It just fit against his bass sound and it was really exciting for me. It was like, ‘Wow, I get to hear my guitar against a bass guitarist that I've loved since I was 15 years old."

 

 

 

“This happened the way it was supposed to happen. We didn’t force it. The entire process has been so enjoyable. It’s reminded me of what it was like to be in a band when it mattered,” Perez adds. “Like, before you go to sleep, you’re thinking about the music. When you wake up, you’re thinking about the music. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt the excitement of being in a room with a band like I did when I was a kid”

 

 

 

The group worked on songs together and enlisted producer Greg Fidelman (Metallica, Slipknot, Black Sabbath) when it was time to record. They made the decision to track the material at Henson Studios in Hollywood. “We knew we wanted to make the biggest sonic rock madness that we could come up with,” Sorum explains. “Greg was the right choice for that.”

 

 

 

“Down In Flames” thunders through the speakers, a driving hard rocker with lush vocal harmonies that at the core, still feels like the sound of four guys in a room jamming. But there are additional flourishes, like the pedal steel that Stevens adds to the mystical midsection and Sorum’s tribal drums, which spontaneously emerged as the band was working on basic tracks. “It was one of those beautiful mistakes.” Stevens says, recalling how the drummer began playing the pattern on the fly.

 

 

 

But make no mistake, as the songs developed, Sorum often had a definite vision. “It's great because Matt really knows what he wants it to sound like and he just keeps going and going and going until he's got it right, until he's satisfied with his drumming,” Butler says. “It's really good to play with somebody who’s that professional. He's so knowledgeable about different drum styles and he's also a fan of Bill Ward, Sabbath's original drummer so he likes that kind of swing part of it as well.”

 

 

 

Sorum has logged decades of time behind the kit playing with Guns N’ Roses, The Cult and Velvet Revolver, to name a few, adding his signature sound to countless rock radio hits that are played to this day. With this band, he wanted to take things to the next level. “For me it was like, ‘Man, I want to get the best drum sound I've ever gotten. I want to play the best I've played,’” Sorum says. “I think I've achieved that. I feel as a drummer I've morphed through a lot of decades of rock and roll.”

 

 

 

Deadland Ritual’s “secret weapon” is Perez, a versatile vocalist who shines on the songs that the band has recorded so far, and a talented voice that Sorum has long hoped to incorporate into the right project. The singer fortunately had the full support of his bandmates as he took on what could have been a difficult job. “They've always believed in what I did vocally and they're like, ‘Dude, sing. Don't hold back. Sing like it's your last day on earth.’ And I did that. I felt that, and I went in there with something to prove. And not just for me, but for us as a whole.”

 

 

 

Similarly, Stevens put a lot of thought into his guitar approach. “I wanted what I brought to this band to be unique and exclusive to this project and that took a little bit of soul searching and brain power,” he explains. "I wanted my guitar to really compliment the other members and their individual styles. I truly feel that in this band that the sum is greater than the parts.

 

 

 

Calling Stevens “an incredible guitarist,” Butler says, “He's got some great ideas and he's very inspirational. He'll come up with stuff that I'd never even dreamed of coming up with, so it inspires you and like all with good guitarists, you want to come up to their level.”

 

 

 

The ominously moody nature of “Broken and Bruised” and “Walking Into Walls,” two additional tracks that have recently been completed, reveal that there’s a lot of depth to the material that the group has been writing together. “Obviously we've all been through some stuff,” Perez says, “Life is full of ups and downs. So, if you're being honest artistically, all of that turmoil, love, loss, happiness, and pain makes its way into the music. It's a really cathartic experience performing these songs.”

 

 

 

With a stack of festival appearances and headlining dates already booked, the members promise that the shows will be something special, mixing original material with deeper cuts from their collective past, ones that are “not the typical songs you would expect,” according to Sorum.

 

 

 

In addition to the larger gigs, the band will also get a chance to play some intimate venues. Butler says he’s looking forward to both scenarios. “You get to do the 20,000 seaters and you put on the show and you do get audience feedback, obviously, but I don't know, there's just something special about smaller venues. I might hate it after a week, I don't know,” he chuckles. “It's going to be different for me but I'm looking forward to playing clubs as well as the festivals.”

 

 

 

“I'm just really excited for people to see this band live,” Perez adds. “One of the things that I want to really emphasize is that this is an honest to God, down and dirty rock and roll band. We're energized, and we want to put on an incredible show.”

 

 

 

No egos, no bullshit. Deadland Ritual is ready to take the world by storm. For Sorum, that means the 2018 equivalent of his teenage years when he was handing out handmade cassettes of his first recordings. Get the music out there where the fans can hear it and the rest will come. “Just release the material, he says. “We're ready to play.”

 

 

Holy Sheep Shit! How did I miss this incredible thread????? I love STEVE AS YOU ALL KNOW!! I did Matt too and of course Geezer!! I like what I am hearing so far!!

Earl get in here and try these live tracks. Seven new songs, plus four Sabbath songs, one Billy Idol and one Velvet Revolver.

[treeduck]

[treeduck]

[treeduck]

[treeduck]

[treeduck]

[vaportrailer]

 

Ooh! Post-apocalyptic leather with optional church and crow! :o

 

And what's with Geezer's tough-as-nails eyesight? The post-apocalyptic UV rays are obviously bothering his bandmates. :(

 

This album cover makes me feel things that I don't want to feel.

 

 

http://www.stevegrimmbadboy.com/alley_color.jpg

"I think we need a crow."

Edited May 29, 2019 by vaportrailer

[treeduck]

 

Ooh! Post-apocalyptic leather with optional church and crow! :o

 

And what's with Geezer's tough-as-nails eyesight? The post-apocalyptic UV rays are obviously bothering his bandmates. :(

 

This album cover makes me feel things that I don't want to feel.

 

 

http://www.stevegrimmbadboy.com/alley_color.jpg

"I think we need a crow."

No it's not an album cover, there is no album yet. It's just a publicity photo.

[vaportrailer]

 

Ooh! Post-apocalyptic leather with optional church and crow! :o

 

And what's with Geezer's tough-as-nails eyesight? The post-apocalyptic UV rays are obviously bothering his bandmates. :(

 

This album cover publicity photo makes me feel things that I don't want to feel.

 

 

http://www.stevegrimmbadboy.com/alley_color.jpg

"I think we need a crow."

No it's not an album cover, there is no album yet. It's just a publicity photo.

 

Now with more crows!

 

[treeduck]

[RUSHHEAD666]

Pat!!!! When the heck is this album coming out???????????

[RUSHHEAD666]

I'm in a serious Steve Stevens Mode.

[J2112YYZ]

I'm in a serious Steve Stevens Mode.

 

Did you listen to Blue Highway yet?