PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
2014 has already been a landmark year for the Black Star Riders. They have already taken their critically and fan acclaimed live show on the road and stormed the stages of the United States and Japan for their first tours of both of those countries. The reaction has been nothing short of amazing! The guys then headed back out to Europe for the rest of the summer and brought the music to stages in Europe and the UK.
2014 is also the year where Black Star Riders will return to the studio to record their second album, the as yet titled follow up to the highly successful “All Hell Breaks Loose”. Originally, it was announced that Def Leppard front man Joe Elliott would take over production duties on the new album joined by long time Leppard sound guru Ronan McHugh. But due to unforeseen circumstances and schedule conflicts, Joe and Ronan have had to back out of the process.
Joe explains, “It is with great reluctance that I have had to pull out of the production job for the BSR 2nd album. When I agreed to do it after a great meeting with the boys, it was at was at a time when Def Leppard weren’t exceptionally busy. Things changed & I found myself in a situation where the amount of time I could allocate to the album would not have done justice to the record or the band. They deserve someone who can do the job without rushing it or having to bail out half way through due to other commitments. I KNOW they’re are going to make a great 2nd album & maybe sometime down the road we can revisit the idea of working together again. Myself Ricky & Scott have a very long standing & firm friendship which goes back decades!! I wish them nothing but the best & much success with the new album”. Ricky Warwick adds, “Joe is like a member of the family… I was very excited by the prospects of Joe working with us on the new record. But sometimes things happen that we cannot control. I know we will work with Joe in the future”.
The great news is that this change in Joe’s schedule has allowed us to find someone we are all very excited to work with. Taking over the production duties will be heralded producer Nick Raskulinecz. Nick has been at the desk for a number of incredible releases from such artists as The Foo Fighters, Alice In Chains, Rush and Mastodon.
Ricky Warwick checks in on the working with Nick. “I have been a fan of Nick’s work for sometime. So when it became apparent that Nick wanted to work with us, we were all very excited! He has done some amazing work with other artists in the past and I can’t wait to hear what we manage to create together in the studio.”
Nick chimes in, “I was a fan of the first album, and I’m really excited about the songs they’ve written for their new record. I’m really looking forward to getting into the studio with them to help bring those songs to life.”
Black Star Riders is set to enter the studio September 2014 to start recording their follow up release. Damon Johnson adds “Nick is an amazing talent and I know he is going to help take Black Star Riders to the next level. His resume is staggering, his reputation is stellar and his enthusiasm for our band and our songs is incredibly exciting.”
The new, as yet untitled, album will be released in the spring of 2015 through Nuclear Blast – the label behind acts such as Anthrax, Nightwish and Meshuggah. Black Star Riders are one of the first bands signed by Monte Conner – the former Roadrunner A&R guru who has signed acts such as Slipknot, Machine Head, Sepultura and Rush. Conner recently joined Nuclear Blast as the president of Nuclear Blast Entertainment, a new U.S. partnership he co-founded with Nuclear Blast owner Markus Staiger.
For the latest info on Black Star Riders, check out their website or official Facebook page.
Website: www.blackstarriders.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BlackStarRidersOfficial
