:
The Original Heavy Metal Maniacs
An interview with the “Riff Master”
- John Ricci from
by James from Thrash Metal Times
www.thrashmetaltimes.com
were there at the birth of thrash metal. Far from jumping on the
thrash bandwagon, 's
full length debut album Heavy Metal Maniac, was released a full six months
before Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All.
has gone through several line-up changes over the years including a period
of time when John Ricci was not in the band. However,
has a solid line-up, led by John, and they are spreading metal across the
globe.
1983's Heavy Metal Maniac
I met John Ricci back in 1984 when
arrived in Austin, Texas on their tour to support the release of Violence
and Force. They were to play at the Ritz Theater on 6th Street.
As with all shows at the Ritz, my friends and I would show up about six
hours early so we could get a chance to chat with the bands that were going
to play. This usually worked and it was no different with .
I saw John Ricci standing in front of the Ritz
Theater while he was looking around at some of the other places on 6th
Street. I just threw out a quick “Hey John, how’s it going”? That
turned into a 30-minute conversation about metal and the recording process
for ’s
first two albums: Heavy Metal Maniac and Violence and Force.
John explained the sonic differences between
the two recordings and enlightened me on the status of “posers” in Canada.
His description of Canada’s poser pandemic made me laugh.
Our conversation ended when he had to get back
inside and help set up. He autographed some items for me and took
off. Since that day, I have always appreciated that John took the
time to hang out and answer some fan’s questions about guitar playing,
recording styles and how to spot a Canadian poser.
Recently, I was able to contact John when I was
doing some freelance production work for a metal podcast. John worked
with me on conducting an interview for the podcast I mentioned and then,
as the professional he is, said yes when I asked if he would autograph
some items for me and he left the door open for other opportunities to
contact him for interviews.
After establishing the Thrash Metal Times, I
wanted to give John and the boys from
the opportunity to let the metal world in on what they are up to.
On 14 January, 2012, I conducted the following e-interview with John.
As the band was preparing for a special ocean going gig 23 - 27 January,
2012 in the sunny Caribbean Sea, John and the band were too to busy preparing
for the gig and did not have time for a phone interview.
JS: John, when I contacted you about doing
some interview questions, you mentioned that the band was preparing for
a heavy metal cruise called “70,000 Tons Of Metal.” How did ’s
participation in the cruise come about?
John Ricci: Our bassist,
Clammy, had mentioned to us about this cruise taking place. After
discussing it, we contacted the promoter to see if there was any interest
in .
They responded by inviting us to be part of the line-up. This year
is apparently the 2nd annual cruise, so we are really looking forward to
it and delivering some kick-ass` horns up` metal!!!
JS: How many times will
be playing on the cruise?
John Ricci: We are
scheduled to play two 45-minute sets. At this point we don`t know
which days or which stages we will be playing on. I believe there
will be 3 concert stages throughout the ship.
JS: Looking at the cruise website, there
is quite a large list of bands playing. Have you played gigs or toured
with any of them in the past?
John Ricci: The only
bands I see in the line-up that we have shared a stage at various festivals
in Europe is Overkill , Hammerfall and Kamelot.
JS: Are you a fan of any of the others?
John Ricci: Yes,
I`m a fan of all these bands and also the other bands on the bill.
My musical taste in metal includes all genres and I will make an effort
to check out all the bands.
JS: Can you provide
fans with any updates for the follow-on to your last release - Death Machine?
Is there any timeline for recording and release?
John Ricci: We currently
have five strong ideas for songs for the next record but they are in the
very early stages and they are basically just guitar riffs that we`ve jammed
and they seem to work. At this point there are no song titles or
theme for the record. We are aiming for 10 songs, we`ll see what
happens in the next few months. We do not have a timeline from our
record company, Massacre Records, in Germany. They have not put any
pressure on us as long as we deliver a strong record when we commit to
a deadline. Depending how busy we are this year with shows, ideally
if we get a record out by the end of 2012 this would be a good thing.
On every album we try to out do ourselves and write the best
songs possible. This can be a great challenge since we have so many
classic anthems old and new.
JS: Will it be keeping with the traditional
style of music that fans crave?
John Ricci: Since
I do most of the writing, with input from the rest of the band, I stay
to `s
roots. I must say I`m afraid to experiment too much with our style
because I don`t want to alienate our fans. I think the
style has a certain essence that I`ve never heard from any other metal
band and I purposely stay to the
formula.
JS: In writing music for ,
has it come natural to you to write this style of music?
John Ricci: My writing
style comes natural to me. The turning point as far as being discovered
by a record company (Shrapnel Records) in the early 80`s was the song World
War 3. That guitar riff is my riff. We had recorded a four-song
demo and World War 3 was one of the songs on that demo. The other
three songs totally sucked and were very un-.
Since that point, I fashioned every riff based on that newly discovered
style that I accidentally came upon. The riffs I write for some reason
always turn out sounding really angry and menacing. I remember a
comment just recently back stage at our recent Chicago show; the guitarist
for co-headliners, Sleepy Hollow, said to me “you don`t play that guitar
you torture it”!
JS: After awhile, a lot of bands start
to sound repetitive. You must have a secret vault full of guitar
riffs in your head because you have avoided this problem. Has that been
easy or have you had to make an effort for songs not to sound similar?
John Ricci: I`m always
searching for the ultimate guitar riff and try to stay within the realm
of the
bible on how to play them. Trying not to sound repetitive is very
challenging. Most of the riffs I write are usually power chord based.
My riffs don`t have a lot of notes in them and I do that on purpose.
To me what`s important is the pulsation of the music so the crowd can really
get into it. I find songs, where the guitar is really busy all the
time, loses the heaviness and aggression. One of my main influences
is Motorhead. When I heard my first Motorhead record in the 70`s,
I was a fan for life. The sheer power and adrenaline of this band
just killed me. I`ve always played my guitar loud and proud even
before ,
so volume, power and distortion is, and will always be, part of the
sound.
JS: John, what do you do when
is not touring or recording?
John Ricci: My 9-5
day job is as a sales person at a music store. I`ve been working
in music stores since the early 70`s. In this one we sell all types
of instruments, and we specialize in PA and lighting systems.
JS: Have any customers asked if they can
jam with you. Has that ever turned into any type of impromptu thrash
session in the store?
John Ricci: I`ve
never jammed in the store with any customers. Basically, I`m too
busy and I`m sure that wouldn`t go over very well with my boss if I was
jamming all the time. I don`t talk about the band too much when I`m
at work unless someone asks me “what`s up with the band?”, then of
course you can`t shut me up!! I have signed autographs and posed
for photos with some customers because they tell me no one would believe
them if they said they met me in person so they need proof!
JS: What are the main guitars you play?
Do you use the same gear out on the road?
John Ricci: I play
Washburn A-10 and A-5 guitars. They are discontinued and are about
15 years old. I`ve hot-rodded them with hotter pickups and improved
their whammy bar systems. These guitars go everywhere with me, to
whatever part of the world we are playing.
J.S. What about amps and effects?
Do you have any particular favorites you use?
John Ricci: The amps
I use are Marshall JCM 800-100 watt amp heads (from 1986) and Marshall
4 x 12 cabs. I don`t use any effects or rack gear. The only stompboxes
I use are a MXR Distortion +, and a Korg PB-1 tuner. I find when
we play live if I`m going through too many effects I lose the tone of my
Marshall, and the whole idea is to hear the power and roar of a Marshall
amp, not a bunch of effects.
JS: For your style of playing, especially
with your whammy bar use, do you use heavier gauge strings?
John Ricci: I use
GHS boomer strings, .010-.46 regular gauge. I tried for a while to
use .011-49 gauge, but I found my sound was too muddy for fast
riffs. So, I went back down to .010-46. Since I`ve been using
boomers I haven`t broke many strings live as I normally do.
JS: What is in the immediate future for ?
Are there any plans for an upcoming tour or plans to play any festivals
in North America or Europe in the coming months?
John Ricci: As mentioned
before, we`re playing 70,000 Tons Of Metal cruise throughout the Caribbean
this month. On February 19, we`re playing a hometown gig in Ottawa.
This is a charity benefit gig for Multiple Sclerosis. The event is
called “Metal Therapy”. We`ve had some offers in other parts of the
world, such as Bulgaria, Greece and Germany but no confirmations at this
time.
JS: Where can fans get current
news, tour information, gig dates, etc.?
John Ricci: We have
a brand new official site, http://www.excitermetal.com there you will find
everything that is going on with the band. Our direct contact is
tyrantsblood@rogers.com