Rock Overdose‘s Antonis “Jey Key” Katsaros talked withReverence, a band that could be called as an all-star band! Meet them and read what the founder of the band Bryan Holland told us:
Rock Overdose: Greetings Bryan! It is an honor to have you in Rock Overdose. So, Reverence is your new band. Can you tell us something about it? Who are with you in the band and how did you come up with the idea to form this band?
Bryan Holland: The honor is all mine, many thanks for granting me this interview. Yes, Reverence is my new band which consists of Todd Michael Hall on Vocals from Jack Starr’s Burning Starr, Steve ‘Doc Killdrums’ Wacholz on Drums, a founding member of the legendary Savatage and Crimson Glory, Frank Kruckel on Bass, my partner in crime in NWOBHM band Tokyo Blade and Pete Rossi, my co-axe slinger from the US metal band Sanxtion and of course myself on guitar also formerly of NWOBHM band Tokyo Blade and Arrest.
Following the demise of Tokyo Blade after our last European tour in very late 2009 I decided I wanted to create a new band that was heavier and a more power metal in style, but in the same vein as Judas Priest, Savatage, Helloween and Primal Fear.
I immediately began hunting for the perfect vocalist that could creating soaring vocal choruses and melodies over my riffs, the combo I was looking for was akin to that classic metal sound I loved growing up but also with a hint of modern feel, I think we’ve captured just that!
Rock Overdose: How did you meet with all the guys?
Bryan Holland: I discovered Todd Michael Hall by searching on Myspace on New Years Eve 2010 my management company contacted him the next day and coincidentally he lives only a couple hours away from me, so we agree to partner and soon after began writing for a new album. After demoing a few songs I contacted Frank Kruckel my bandmate in Tokyo Blade and played him the new material and he signed on immediately.
As for Doc Killdrums, I have known Doc for 15 plus years and had played with him many times before. Doc and I had always wanted to play together and this was the perfect opportunity. With the music we were writing we knew we needed a second guitarist, so once Doc was onboard he suggested Pete Rossi from Pittsburg’s Sanxtion. We tossed the music back and forth to each other via the internet, which worked well finalizing the demos before heading into pre-production rehearsals and then into studio.
Rock Overdose: You were in the studio to record Reverence’s first album. How was the experience?
Bryan Holland: We all had a great time, we spent five days at Metro 37 north of Detroit, Michigan USA. Kevin Sharpe and Ryan Arini, the engineers there were great to work with, it was a very relaxed environment. The facilities there are excellent, without a doubt we’ll be heading back there for the second album.
We tracked all the drums, bass and rhythm guitars at Metro 37, only the vocals we’re recorded in Todd’s home studio. We did do some additional guitar tracking in my own home studio as well, extra layering and texturing, etc. Sid Garcia of Sight 16 Studios in Albuquerque, NM, USA is handling the production, mix and mastering, he has previously worked with Tokyo Blade, Seventh Sign, Ultimatum and TwoThirtySeven.
Rock Overdose: It took you one and a half years to compose the songs. That’s a long time I can say! Why did it take you so long?
Bryan Holland: Well, we did take longer than what some bands would take and a bit longer than we’d have liked but it was time well spent as we did several rewrites on the songs and then once Pete Rossi came into the band, being an exceptional guitarist, we really wanted him to put his stamp on the songs too.
Given the fact of basically building the band from the ground up and the fact that we all live some distance from each other, getting together to rehearse and record took some scheduling trickery. We promise the second album will not take nearly as long, we’ve already been writing for it, so its well underway!
Rock Overdose: If I am not wrong, you recorded 13 songs. Are you going to release them all in your new album?
Bryan Holland: We actually wrote 15 songs, two were immediately cut as they just were too light weight compared to any of the other material. We recorded the remaining 13 but are unsure how many will make it to the final album, all the songs need to fit together well, and a couple we are on the fence about, it all comes down to the final versions, we should be getting some new mixes this week and that will determine what makes the final album or not.
Rock Overdose: So, the record is planned to be released in April. Do you plan to release something before, like a single or something?
Bryan Holland: Yes, we will be releasing a single prior to the full album release, we feel we have several really strong options of singles, but I believe the first single pushed will be a song called “Too Late”. I know the title is pretty simple but the song itself its pretty heavy but has a huge catchy chorus I think everyone will really like.
Todd really shines on this one, his vocal harmony layerings are amazing, the whole band really kills it on this one, Doc’s drumming is so heavy, totally classic ‘Killdrums’ during the verses and Pete’s solo is just sick, it would make George Lynch green with envy!
Rock Overdose: Do you have a title for the album or some song titles that you can name for us?
Bryan Holland: Yes, we have just decided on a title of the album, “When Darkness Calls”. You heard it here first as we haven’t yet made that announcement yet, so you have the scoop on that! Hahaa! “When Darkness Calls” is the opening track on the album and the song is very heavy and dark, a great opening track with a really cool evil intro, we feel it fits perfectly with the cover artwork which will also be announced shortly.
These are in no particular order and are not the final track listing for the album, only the 13 songs we recorded. When Darkness Calls, Vengeance Is Mine, Too Late, Bleed For Me, Monster, Gatekeeper, Twist Of Fate, Phantom Road, Price You Pay, Lost Generation, Devil In Disguise, Revolution Rising and After the Leaves Have Fallen.
Rock Overdose: The album is going to be released by Razar Ice Records, if I am correct. How did that came up?
Bryan Holland: Razar Ice Records is my own indie label, with the demise of most major label and the lack of what labels do for artists anymore, it makes sense to keep it close to home. RIR isn’t new at all, we have worked with and released a lot of great bands and music including, TNT, Tokyo Blade, Masquerade, Midnight (Crimson Glory), Westworld, Godyva, Marcie Free, SeventhSign and many others. However, if another label came in with a decent offer we may consider it.
Rock Overdose: So, after the release of the album, what we must expect from the band? Some live shows, or maybe a tour?
Bryan Holland: Absolutely, we already had a European tour booked for last fall but we could not get the album completed in time so we decided to not try to rush the music which was absolutely the right thing to do, we took that extra time to really make sure the songs were the best they could be. So we just started this week to beginning to book another European tour for the fall of 2012 and some US shows this spring and summer.
Rock Overdose: Thank you a lot, Bryan! Do you want to add something for our readers in Greece?
Bryan Holland: Please check out our various links below, ‘Friend’, ‘Like’ and ‘Follow’ us for all the latest info. The press machine is just starting up and we will be having a lot of updates and giveaways for the albums release in a couple of months.
Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/reverenceofficial
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/reverencemetal
Website: http://www.reverencemetal.com/
Twitter: @ReverenceMetal
I just want to say thanks to you and Rockoverdose.gr for your interest and support of Reverence, we’re really looking forward to the new albums release and tour later this year, we can’t wait to get back out in front of everyone. We played Greece a few years ago in Tokyo Blade and had a fantastic time, the metal fans you have there are crazy, we loved it! The food is also amazing, we can’t wait to come back!! Opa!
For RockOverdose.gr,
Antonis “Jey Key” Katsaros
