{"id":19219,"date":"2014-04-16T00:00:34","date_gmt":"2014-04-16T00:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=19219"},"modified":"2015-06-15T23:57:15","modified_gmt":"2015-06-15T23:57:15","slug":"feature-sebastian-bach-04-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/feature-sebastian-bach-04-14\/","title":{"rendered":"SEBASTIAN BACH – Giving \u2019Em Hell (April 2014) | Features \/ Interviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

SEBASTIAN BACH – Giving \u2019Em Hell<\/strong><\/span>
\nAnthony Morgan<\/span>
\nApril 2014<\/span><\/p>\n

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Rob Zombie \/ erstwhile Marilyn Manson<\/a> guitarist John 5 co-authored the number \u2018TunnelVision\u2019 with heavy metal vocalist Sebastian Bach (ex-Skid Row), a track which would ultimately surface on Bach\u2019s September 2011 outing Kicking & Screaming<\/em><\/a>. The pair would collaborate once more, the resultant effort appearing on April 2014 opus Give \u2019Em Hell<\/em> \u2013 Bach\u2019s third solo studio proper overall.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first songs that I got for Give \u2019Em Hell<\/em> were from John 5 and Steve Stevens (Billy Idol),\u201d Sebastian divulges. \u201cThey just sent me some musical ideas, and I wrote to them. Everybody really seemed to like \u2018TunnelVision\u2019, so me and John 5 collaborated again. He\u2019s just incredible. The song we came up with is called \u2018Temptation\u2019, and we just did a video for it with Duff McKagan (ex-Guns N\u2019 Roses \/ Velvet Revolver) on the bass. As far as the writing process though, that was the first four songs. Then I was playing in Sydney, Australia with Duff on the bass. We were sitting on the bus, and I said \u2018Hey man. Do you wanna collaborate on some tunes for my new record?\u2019 He goes \u2018What kind of tunes?\u2019, and I just said \u2018Rude.\u2019 That\u2019s all I said (laughs). He goes \u2018Baz, I can do dirty.\u2019 That\u2019s what he said (laughs). We laughed, and he became involved \u2013 he hooked me up with Devin Bronson. I am extremely happy with the record; it sounds very good to me. I\u2019m very happy with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Penning material for Give \u2019Em Hell<\/em> was a more collaborative affair. \u201cI still wrote a lot of songs on Kicking & Screaming<\/em>, such as the song \u2018Kicking And Screaming\u2019 \u2013 that was mine,\u201d the singer notes. \u201cBut yeah, this was more collaborative, just because my guitar player last time had so many great songs that I really liked. If I like a song, I don\u2019t see any reason to change it. When I first heard \u201818 And Life\u2019 (from Skid Row\u2019s January 1989 self-titled debut), I was like \u2018Okay, well that\u2019s done. Next\u2019 (laughs).\u201d<\/p>\n

Guitar parts for each respective track were recorded by their respective composers. \u201cI let whoever wrote it play on their own song, like Duff McKagan,\u201d Sebastian cites. \u201cThe song that he wrote called \u2018Harmony\u2019, he even plays guitar on and bass. If a guy writes the song, then he\u2019s on it. Steve Stevens is on all of his three songs, John 5 plays guitar on his songs, and Devin Bronson plays on the Devin Bronson songs. We also have a guy named Jeff George, who is in Danny (Worsnop, vocalist) from Asking Alexandria\u2019s band. He plays the little noodly part in the first song, \u2018Hell Inside My Head\u2019. He\u2019s on there too, but that\u2019s the only song that he\u2019s on.\u201d<\/p>\n

In crafting platters, the frontman aims towards a specific objective. \u201cMy only goal when I make a record is to make something that I want to listen to myself over and over and over again,\u201d he explains. \u201cI figure that if I feel that way, then possibly somebody else might as well. All of my records except for one I feel that way about, so I\u2019m very black and white about what comes out on the final record. \u2018Do I like this? Is this exciting? Is this interesting to me?\u2019 This whole album is very interesting for me to listen to, myself. That\u2019s my only goal. The first Skid Row record has sold around 10 million copies worldwide since it came out, so obviously I have to compare anything I do to that, because that\u2019s what people know me for. When I\u2019m long dead and gone this music will still be around, so that\u2019s not an easy task. I mean, a song like \u2018I Remember You\u2019 and \u2018Youth Gone Wild\u2019 touched a whole generation on planet earth, so following things like that up is hard, but it\u2019s fun. It\u2019s a fun thing to try and make happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

1998\u2019s The Last Hard Men<\/em> \u2013 by the group of the same name \u2013 is the only Bach-related album to fall short of that aforementioned goal. \u201cIt has some good music on it, but you can\u2019t compare it to my other releases,\u201d Sebastian reflects. \u201cIt\u2019s just a more experimental record, recorded at a weird time (laughs).\u201d<\/p>\n

Originally issued in January 1989, Skid Row\u2019s self-titled debut effort celebrated its 25th anniversary in January 2014. Sadly, the occasion wasn\u2019t marked by a re-release. \u201cI\u2019m not in the band,\u201d the lyricist stresses. \u201cYou\u2019d have to ask those guys. They\u2019re on their own path (laughs). I think we\u2019re the only band in the world that would not commemorate something like that. I can\u2019t think of another band that would just ignore 20 million sales throughout their career, like just try to kind of pretend that it never happened. Nobody will ever forget those albums, so I don\u2019t know why. I just have no idea what to say to you (laughs). It is a shame, though. It is a shame, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Nonetheless, previously unreleased material could augment potential reissues of early Skid Row outings. \u201cThere\u2019s lots and lots of stuff \u2013 lots of stuff, yes \u2013 but I\u2019m not in that band, so I don\u2019t know how to really answer that,\u201d Sebastian chuckles.<\/p>\n

Give \u2019Em Hell<\/em> and predecessor Kicking & Screaming<\/em> share certain traits. \u201cIt has a little bit of the same production and mastering sound, because Bob Marlette was my producer on both records, and he does an incredible job,\u201d the composer acknowledges. \u201cHe\u2019s very helpful in two specific ways. Number one, he\u2019s a great songwriter himself. If we have a good verse or something, or a good chorus, he\u2019s more than capable of sitting down and writing like a band member, which is great. The other area that he helps out immensely in is sometimes when I\u2019m writing melody lines and sing on top of music, they come to me right away. As soon as I hear it, I hear something in my head. Other times though, it takes me a while to figure out whether I\u2019m gonna sing it as high as I can, or low, or clean, or dirty, or right in the middle as far as like what range of my voice to use, and so he\u2019s great at bouncing ideas off. I can try different vocal approaches, and he sits there. Between us both, we seem to come up with interesting melody lines and harmonies. He was a piano player; he played with Al Stewart way back when (laughs), so he\u2019s a musical himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cTom Baker mastered the record; those two guys together are the best in the business as far as I\u2019m concerned \u2013 as far as production and mastering goes \u2013 I plan on continuing to work with those guys in the future. As an audio file, it\u2019s really great for me to listen to. As far as recording goes, I feel like it sounds the best of any of my records, just because of the production. When I go through my phone on a long plane flight, I usually end up listening to music from the 70s, like the Eagles or Steely Dan, or I don\u2019t know. Whatever \u2013 Boston. Just the sound of the production, the sound of the vocals, the sound of the guitars, the drums, and the separation of the instruments. It\u2019s not a harsh, digital sounding record, really. It\u2019s more of a warm, classic sound to me, to my ears.\u201d<\/p>\n

By comparison, Kicking & Screaming<\/em> was recorded under different circumstances. \u201cI had a guitar player at the time who brought in about 20 songs, and I liked a lot of them,\u201d Sebastian recalls. \u201cThat album was like half done, just because the songs were completed. This album was more of the 70s style recording process, of like when I read things like \u2018Oh yeah, we did the first<\/a> Black Sabbath<\/a> record in three days,\u2019 or whatever it is (laughs). This was more like collaborating, and meeting a deadline. I think it has a sense of urgency and energy and heaviness that Kicking & Screaming<\/em> didn\u2019t have. When I write more on my records \u2013 like Angel Down<\/em><\/a> (November 2007) or Slave To The Grind<\/em> (June 1991) \u2013 when you see my name in the credits, it\u2019s gonna be a more metal album because metal comes naturally to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

And as well, Give \u2019Em Hell<\/em>\u2019s lyrics were written under different circumstances. \u201cThe lyrics for this album came about in a different way than previous records, because I was under such a deadline,\u201d the vocalist discloses. \u201cIn the past, I would not even acknowledge a deadline. I would be like \u2018It\u2019s done when it\u2019s done,\u2019 but the reason that I did meet this deadline is because we\u2019re almost getting to the point here where CDs maybe won\u2019t exist that much longer (laughs). I\u2019m like \u2018I get to make a new CD?\u2019 It just seems like I\u2019m very fortunate and lucky to be able to do that. I\u2019m still into it, so that\u2019s why I was excited to make a deadline, to hurry up and get this CD out before CDs no longer exist (laughs).\u201d<\/p>\n

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The record features a cover interpretation of \u2018Rock \u2019N\u2019 Roll Is A Vicious Game\u2019, originally by Canadian rock ensemble April Wine and included on March 1978\u2019s First Glance<\/em>. \u201cI think at the end of the day, I probably will be known for my ballad singing,\u201d Sebastian considers. \u201cPeople like my rock \u2019n\u2019 roll screams and everything, and I love that too, but my big hit songs have been ballads, so I\u2019m always looking or listening for a song that would be good to sing like that. I\u2019ve known that April Wine song since I was a kid and I love it, so it seemed like a good choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope that I did it justice. I hope that Myles Goodwyn \u2013 the singer of April Wine \u2013 likes it. I hope that the band likes it. When I listen to it, it reminds me kind of like when Guns N\u2019 Roses did \u2018Knockin\u2019 On Heaven\u2019s Door\u2019 by Bob Dylan (on September 1991\u2019s Use Your Illusion II<\/em>) \u2013 how they changed it, and made it their own. It kind of feels like I did the same thing, but it still stays faithful to the original in most respects.\u201d<\/p>\n

How freshly penned material weighs against the legacy of previously recorded output is a subject many artists ponder. \u201cYeah, but there are a lot of examples in music of musicians that spend their lives making records that are all good records,\u201d the singer contends. \u201cI\u2019m really solidifying my catalogue with Give \u2019Em Hell<\/em>, which is another top notch album in my estimation. As far as my legacy goes, look at a guy like Tony Iommi (guitars), who was in his mid-60s with cancer. He just put out Black Sabbath\u2019s 13<\/em><\/a> though (June 2013), and he\u2019s on tour right now as we speak (laughs). There are guys like that that are just busy being themselves \u2013 making music and playing shows \u2013 and that is their legacy, and I would hope to some day be in that kind of category.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cover artwork duties for Give \u2019Em Hell<\/em> fell to Richard Villa. \u201cHe\u2019s very closely associated with the Black Veil Brides; he does all of their album covers, their movie concepts, and their artwork in general,\u201d Sebastian informs. \u201cAndy (Biersack, lead vocals) from the Black Veil Brides hooked me up with him, and so he did the cover for Kicking & Screaming<\/em>. I really liked that, and now he did Give \u2019Em Hell<\/em> too. Album art is something that not a lot of people put a lot of thought or effort into any more. It seems like every cover that I\u2019ve seen that comes out is just a headshot of the guy with a picture and a logo, but I\u2019m into imagery. It kind of reminds me of Bark At The Moon<\/em> (Ozzy Osbourne, November 1983) meets Highway To Hell<\/em> (AC\/DC, July 1979) (laughs). That\u2019s what it looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Give \u2019Em Hell<\/em> was released on March 26th, 2014 via Avalon Records. The album was issued on April 18th in Europe and subsequently on the 22nd in North America, all through Frontiers Music Srl.<\/p>\n

Interview published in April 2014.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SEBASTIAN BACH – Giving \u2019Em Hell Anthony Morgan April 2014 Sebastian Bach Rob Zombie \/ erstwhile Marilyn Manson guitarist John 5 co-authored the number \u2018TunnelVision\u2019 with heavy metal vocalist Sebastian Bach (ex-Skid Row), a track which would ultimately surface on Bach\u2019s September 2011 outing Kicking & Screaming. The pair would collaborate once more, the resultant […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[393],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sebastian-bach"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19219"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19482,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19219\/revisions\/19482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}