Fast rising UK thrashers Warpath have recently conducted an interview with DistortedNews (our first interview 🙂 !!)
1) How did you guys meet, what made you form the band?
Rich: I formed the band in 2003 to begin playing thrash metal like my hero’s Metallica and Megadeth. I was just out of school and there were so many shitty nu-metal bands around and I had such disgust for that style of music I figured I’d better start writing! We had a different drummer to begin with and after he left I was contacted on MySpace by James. He’d seen us live in the UK a few times, really liked the music and asked if he could try out. We auditioned him and asked him to join immediately!
Pete: I was contacted by a strange group of young men on MySpace back in summer ’07 who went by the name Warpath, hah! Rich had seen my profile on there and that I was a guitarist and asked if I was interested in auditioning for them. I loved their songs, the riffs and drumming was so tight, the music blew me away so much I just had to say yes.
2) What are you musical influences?
Rich: For thrash metal it’d have to be Metallica, Megadeth and Testament. But I also really like the band Death, Guns N Roses, Skid Row, Judas Priest and I have a lot of classical music influences.
Pete: Iron Maiden has always been my first and main influence in metal and as a guitarist, for thrash I am heavily influenced by Annihilator, Testament, Flotsam & Jetsam etc, but I also listen to lots of 80’s melodic metal like good old King Diamond, Leatherwolf, Liege Lord, Helstar etc, where the lead guitar work and guitar harmonies are just out of this world!
3) Where and when was your first gig, what was it like? Was there a good turnout?
Rich: The first show we ever played was in our home town and it was absolutely packed with everyone’s friends! We played for around twenty minutes, maybe twenty five, covered ‘The Trooper’ and had good reviews.
4) Tell us about your instruments, what guitars/drums/basses do you play?
Rich: Jackson guitars! I’m pretty bad with guitar makes/models etc, I just plug in and play. It’s a black flying V Jackson and I think it’s one of the Randy Rhoads models. James uses Mapex drums, and Gareth plays an ESP bass.
Pete: I am the openly admitted guitar “geek” of the band! I am a Jackson nut, like Rich and love everything about them, Jacksons are the best guitars in the world and I have to know every spec and detail of the models I try. I currently play the SL3 soloist with Seymour Duncan pickups, thru neck body and Floyd rose locking trem system but am going off them rapidly and would very much like to change it for a Kahler Hybrid bridge. They are so more versatile (if not a tad more sensitive) than the Floyd and a whole lot easier to restring, which as we know is every guitarist’s ultimate pain in the ass!
5) Your debut album was released last year, and is now available in major online retailers, such as play.com and amazon, how did that come about?
Rich: We have a distribution deal for the Damnation album with Plastic Head Records. It’s available with them in HMV (in store and online) as well as Amazon and Play. We wanted to get the album in all of the major stores so I contacted them and we got it set up within a few weeks. It’s also available through The End Records in the USA and Rock Stakk Records in Japan.
6) The album was mastered by former Testament and Death guitarist James Murphy, what was it like working with him?
Rich: It was great! The guy’s a legend in the metal world. I’m a huge fan of his work with those bands so it was an honour for us when he agreed to master the album. He did a fantastic job.
Pete: I’m a big fan of James’ work in Obituary, Cancer and Disincarnate too, real old school death metal with amazing lead guitar playing! So the fact a metal legend of his stature liked our music enough to want to work on it and add his golden touch is just an honour as big as they come.
7) If you could go back in time and change 1 thing, what would it be?
Rich: For Warpath? Nothing. For music in general, I guess I’d find the people who created Torrent sites and kill them off, hah! Or maybe somehow stop the sheer crap that is most hip-hop or rap music.
Pete: I’d go back in time to the early 80’s and steal all of Iron Maiden & King Diamonds future riffs and take all the credit for them! :p
8) You’ve won many awards, but what one meant the most to you?
Rich: Hmm that’s a tough one. I think it’s a three way tie between “Best Unsigned Band” award from Terrorizer Magazine, No.1 Added Record on Metal Radio USA and No.1 Rated video on Scuzz TV. I was absolutely ecstatic the day I found out all of those things. They mean a hell of a lot to me. We worked extremely hard for those.
9) Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer all ask you to support them for a world tour, the only problem is, all the tours are at the same time, what one do you pick?
Rich: That’s another tough one! Damn! It’s either Metallica or Megadeth. I’m a huge fan of both bands but Dave Mustaine is a massive influence on my guitar playing so I’d likely say Megadeth. Actually I don’t know! Yes I do. Megadeth! Can I phone a friend?
Pete: I can’t believe you just said “phone a friend” dude! I think Metallica would have the bigger crowds by far for us to play to, but they are old and slow now and I couldn’t stand Hetfield’s yodelling for more than one night without wanting to stab a knitting needle in my ear! I was never a fan of Anthrax or Slayer, they just never impressed me so I’m going with Rich and picking Megadeth!
10) What’s next for Warpath?
Rich: We have new shows being officially announced in the next few weeks which will see us visiting a country we’ve never been to before. Really excited about this! Off to Germany next month as well to play Thrash Inferno Festival. We will be filming another video for the album, for the track ‘Life Unworthy of Life’. We’re planning a new range of merchandise, more festival appearances and then at some point next year we begin work on the follow-up album.
Warpath are a four piece thrash band from Wales, they released their debut album Damnation in May 2008, the album was mastered by legendary guitarist James Murphy, famaous for being in Testament and Death, among others. As of September 2008, all major retailers in Britain stock the album.
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October 22, 2009
Categories: Interviews . Tags: James Murphy, Warpath . Author: Sam Stowe . Comments: 3 Comments
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