JOE STUMP discusses his new band and their first album:
How would you describe the new album musically/lyrically:
The music walks the line between old-school hard rock and classic European power metal with healthy doses of each heard throughout. As with everything I do it`s a product of the combination of all my influences, in this case, the main and most obvious one being Ritchie Blackmore and his work with Rainbow and Deep Purple. Anybody familiar with my stuff knows both Blackmore and Yngwie Malmsteen are my 2 biggest influences and you can, of course, Yngwie’s influence in there as well, as there`s some tracks on the record reminiscent of the early Rising Force stuff. I`m also a huge fan of the early Michael Schenker group stuff as well as the first batch of Scorpions records with Uli Jon Roth so that can be heard in there as well. I also love Rata Blanca from Argentina and Walter Giardino`s songwriting and guitar work, a lot we come from the same school of playing and share lot of the same influences.
What was the goal with making this album?
After my last solo (all instrumental record) I wanted to make a more band/song-oriented record with vocals, don`t get me wrong it`s still very guitar driven. But overall a nice mix of killer guitar work showcased inside melodic classic hard rock and metal tunes. Also with this record, I was leaning more so in the classic hard rock direction and less in the metal vein.
Any specific influences towards music or lyric subject?
Myself and vocalist Csaba Zvekan work and write well together and we`re both massive fans of the classic Dio era Rainbow period. So kind of our modern take on that and the type of partnership that both Dio and Blackmore had in relation to their approach to composing together. it’s not o too deep conceptually going just channeling my influences and combining my guitar work inside very musical and listenable classic hard rock and metal tunes. I wanted it to appeal to my core fanbase who of course buy my records to hear me play guitar but also to fans of classic hard rock and European power metal as well.
How does this differ from previous releases?
Well my last several records were solo all instrumental releases so as I mentioned previously I felt it was time to do a more band oriented type of thing and I wanted to do something brand new not just a rehash of my previous band Joe Stump`s Reign Of Terror.
How have band member changes affected the bands sound and dynamics i.e. what have the new members brought to the band?
All excellent players and they all did a killer job on the record. Their approach to the music and execution of their parts on the tracks was spot on. Drummer Mark Cross is a powerhouse and really drives the band, Maestro Mistheria added a great old school touch with his playing and keyboard orchestrations and textures that really enhances the tracks. Nicola Angileri is a monster bass played and he does some very cool unison lines with me throughout the record he also has a nice sense of time and provides a strong foundation. Csaba Zvekan really brought to tunes up to another level both melodically and lyrically. His voice is extremely powerful and suits the music perfectly.
Tower of Babel is:
Joe Stump- all guitars
Csaba Zvekan- all lead and backing vocals
Mark Cross – drums
Maestro Mistheria -keyboards
Nicola Angileri- bass
Production credits:
Francisco Palomo
Joe Stump
Csaba Zvekan
Tracklist:
Dragonslayer
It’s Only Rock’n’Roll
Lake of Fire
Addicted
Midnight Sun
Eternal Flames
Once Again
Stardust
Eyes of the World
Lamb and the Wolves
Thoth
All Out Warfare
AVAILABLE ON CD and IN DIGITAL FORMATS FROM ITUNES, APPLE MUSIC, AMAZON, SPOTIFY ETC
Official website and social network site:
https://www.facebook.com/JoeShredlordStump
https://www.facebook.com/tobbandt/
http://joestump.com/
