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Lamb of God guitarist Mark Morton has badembled an impressive list of musicians for his first solo album, a collaborative effort titled Anesthetic, which arrives on March 1st.
Among his singers are his bandmate Lamb of God, Randy Blythe, former Screaming Trees band leader Mark Lanegan, Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach, Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge, Buckcherry's president , Chuck Billy of Testament, and the late Linkin Park, singer, Bennington.
While Morton takes care of all the guitars of the album, Mike Inez of Alice in Chains, David Ellefson of Megadeth, Ray Luzier of Korn and other creations bring him their help.
Heavy consequence he's talked with Morton to discuss the album, various contributors, the latest in Lamb of God, and more. Read our interview with the guitarist below, and pre-order Anesthetic in this location.
On the genesis of his solo album, Anesthetic
At first, it was just for me to write and collect songs that were pretty clear to me and that would not fit in with the Lamb of God setting. So I was writing these songs – I sort of have a consistent songwriting state, and that sort of thing started to pop up and pop up where it was obvious that it was not going to be in this Lamb of God Way. But I felt that the tunes that came together were pretty cool and deserved to be developed.
So I played some of these things for my longtime producer, Josh Wilbur, and he agreed that we should develop some of these things. So we did a little pre-production, then we went into his studio and started to flesh out some of those songs. It started to give the impression that it's his own thing, to have his own personality, just a few songs. And then Jake Oni involved, and we just started running with, and he became Anesthetic.
On the process of enlisting the many musicians including to contribute to the album
The philosophy was the same in all areas, that is to say that we would somehow preview or demonstrate a song. Josh and I could sit down and imagine, "If we could pick someone, who would sing that song?" "We sort of eliminated the doubt and drew up the list, and that's how we found someone like Chester Bennington on the album." At first, we thought, "We can not have it," but we tried it and we got it – he loved the song. Same thing with Mark Lanegan. He's one of my favorite singers, and I did not know Mark, but I just reached out and he said, "Send me the song," and when he heard the song, he wanted to to be a part of.
Some of these artists were friends of mine. Randy Blythe is one of my best friends in the world, so it was a quick text message. He was present. I was friends with Myles Kennedy at Slash camp, so it was easy to organize. In some cases, it was a bit of impromptu calls, contacting people I had never really corresponded to, and in some cases, they were close friends.
On the song "Cross Off" with Chester Bennington, and how it was to work with him
My experience with Chester was limited to our collaboration on this song. And I can tell you from this experience that he was extremely excited about music, very motivated to create and create music. He was particularly motivated by this song. The idea of doing something heavy and being able to scream again was something that he was pbadionate about. I do not think he's done it on a record for a while. He was really excited about it.
Creatively, it was pretty instant between us. We did not really know each other. We corresponded a bit, but we did not know each other when we started working on the song, on a personal level. Writing music is a fairly personal and intimate process, often because of the subject you are addressing. So what surprised me was the speed with which Chester and I gained creative confidence, working on the lyrics and discussing what we were referring to these words. He was very open, very genuine, very generous with his talent and creativity. It was a pleasure and a pleasure to work with him.
And his technical abilities, when we started recording, were absolutely incredible. There was not really a bad grip, but sometimes he asked to change a note here or there, or a height or an inflection, to try a different style. He could accept suggestions or instructions and instantly execute what was technically required of him. So it was amazing for me to watch. I have just very good memories of my work with him. He was just a great guy – an extremely dedicated father and husband, and we talked about our kids. Just a good guy, man.
On Mark Lanegan's "Axis" track, which seems to fit a Quentin Tarantino movie soundtrack
I like you saying that because there is an atmosphere, a kind of soundtrack. I agree with you about this. So this song had an interesting process. First of all, Mark Lanegan is one of my favorite singers. I'm old enough to be a fan of Screaming Trees, and I love his songs with Queens of the Stone Age, as well as all his solo work. In particular, his album Bubblegum is one of May's favorite albums.
I did not know Mark at all. I was just a fan of his work. It was a bit of a cold snap. Again, as I told you earlier, we were listening to song and demo summaries to determine who we would like to sing on each one. Mark Lanegan was at the top of the list. I thought I would reach out and my people would call their people, and he was ready to listen to the song, he heard it and was ready to do it.
The interesting thing about this song is that the version I originally sent to it was radically different from what you hear. I sent him an initial version of the song, which he liked, and I followed a voice, but hearing his voice, it sort of changed my perspective of the song. I did something I never really did before, that is, I rewrote the song on her voice and changed it dramatically, and that's the version that you hear on the album. Of course, I had to go back and everything was fine, but he also searched the review, so it was cool. So, this is the version of "Axis" that you hear on the album.
Working with hard rock singers like Josh Todd, Jacoby Shaddix and Myles Kennedy
They are all very different singers, with unique styles, and particularly talented for what they do. I am a fan of rock. I am known for my work with a heavy metal band. I like heavy metal and I really like the genre. He gave me a house and a career, and I love it. But I also like very good rock music. I'm a big fan of hip-hop – I love all kinds of music, so I appreciate the well-written songs and great singers. In that sense, it was no exaggeration for me to include these guys more rock.
"Back From the Dead" – this is one of the first songs we've composed, and to choose Josh [Todd] It seemed logical to me, because it's really this kind of sordid rock that I feel. This is the first guy I thought of. I knew someone who knew him, so I hit him, he listened to the song and hit me right in the back saying, "I'm in it." And a few days later he sent me a demo, which is basically the song you hear.
It's the same with Jacoby. I've known Jacoby for years, and the Papa Roach and Lamb of God camps are pretty cool, just because they did festivals and stuff together. I did not hear anyone else than Jacoby sing this song [“Sworn Apart”]. And really, Myles, too, [on “Save Defiance”]. It was really the process of selecting people, especially singers, on this album, it was just me and Josh Wilbur sitting in the back saying, "Who do we hear on this track?
On the question of whether there was any hesitation in recruiting Randy Blythe for the title "Truth Is Dead" in order to separate this album from Lamb of God
I guess I was wondering if it would be confusing to have Randy on a track, but the fact that Randy is one of my best friends in the world has supplanted her. It was a metal song, and I wanted a metal crier on it, and it turns out that one of my best friends in the world happens to be one of the world's best metal criers. . It's a bit like that – I did not think about it too much.
Honestly, at the very beginning of the project, I was not going to put traditional heavy metal songs on the album, because I thought I would do metal with Lamb of God, the reason for this album is of those tunes that are not so metallic for me. Josh Wilbur suggested we include some metal songs in the album. We think that Lamb of God fans will listen to this album and want to hear metal from me. So, soon enough, we decided to deliberately include pieces of metal.
What's really cool is that he became this duo with Randy and [Arch Enemy’s] Alissa [White-Gluz]and it was exciting to see how well their voices sounded together. It had a bit of that synergy when they got together in the choir, which is really cool.
On instrumental contributors like David Ellefson, Mike Inez and others
Mike Inez played on about half of the album. Mike is an old friend, and he was playing with Alice in Chains where I live in Richmond, Virginia, and I went to see the show. I caught up with him after the shoot. We were literally on the sidewalk. It was like, "Dude, I had this solo thing I'm working on." I want you to play a song or two. And he said, "I want to play more than one song or two," and that was all. I've known Dave Ellefson for years, he's a friend.
I do not want to discount the fact that these men and women were generous with their talent, but often, in cases like this, it was people who were friends, or people I knew through tours over the years. years. And I was just a little flattered and humiliated that they even wanted to be part of it, but there was a lot of goodwill.
On the progress of the next Lamb of God album
I can tell you that we are starting to gather new materials and have their own energy, and there are a lot of ideas going around, and we have been working on it for quite some time. I can not give you a schedule. I can not tell you 2019, 2020, 'because I do not know it yet, but it's certain that new Lamb things are coming together and feel really good.
How his solo project and Randy Blythe's new group, Over It All, can affect the dynamics of Lamb of God
I do not really care about that at this point. Lamb of God has been a band for two decades or better, and our creative process is pretty much in place. I think that Lamb of God still has a lot to do and I know we are always very motivated by the new material and motivated by what we are capable of doing. Regarding ancillary projects, it depends on the situation. If you are doing a side project out of spite or frustration, it may not be a positive thing. I do not think that has ever been the case in our group.
For my part, doing a side project, honestly, when I come back to Lamb, I'm a little more focused and I can say a little more about what is right for Lamb of God. Instead of forcing all these outside styles to pbad through this filter, I can focus a little more on what is appropriate for Lamb of God. Not that our story is limited, but there are certain components of Lamb of God that are the pillars. I do not think it hurts to do parallel projects, especially in your career. I think it's a good thing.
Mark Morton and Light the Torch Co-Headlining Tour Dates:
03/13 – Richmond, VA @ Broadberry
14/03 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
15/03 – Toronto, ON @ Lees Palace
03/16 – Montreal, QC @ Astral
18/03 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
19/03 – New York, NY @ Gramercy Theater
21/03 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
23/03 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep
25/03 – Los Angeles, CA @ Roxy
26/03 – Phoenix, AZ @ Club Red
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