PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
Interview by Helena Rosendahl
It’s always uplifting to hear about a young musician being plucked from obscurity and given the opportunity of a lifetime, especially when it’s free from the clutches of Simon Cowell and reality television. Manchester-born Luke Appleton is no exception. A hard-working musician from his early teens, Luke Appleton is the latest addition to guitarist Jon Schaffer’s Iced Earth.
After an intensive summer of touring I managed to catch up with Luke and ask him how it felt to achieve the one thing every musician dreams of, joining their favourite band.
PlanetMosh: You met Jon and his boys in 2011 on a support tour with your other band, Fury UK. So how did you get the job as the new bassist for Iced Earth?
Luke Appleton: Well Fury UK has been getting some decent tour supports with bigger bands for about 4 years now. Luckily we managed to get the tour with Saxon, and Saxon happen to be on the same management as Iced Earth. After touring with Iced Earth all over Europe their bass player decided to leave the band and Jon immediately thought to offer me the job.
PM: The previous bass player Freddie Vidales was very popular with the fans and built a strong relationship with them while filming Iced Earth’s tour diaries – were you apprehensive about replacing him?
Luke: Yes I was slightly concerned about how the fans would welcome me to the Iced Earth family. However, as soon as Iced Earth announced that I was the new bass player all of their fans have treated me very well, saying nothing but nice comments about me and Freddie’s reason for leaving the band.
PM: According to Ultimate Guitar, Iced Earth has “been through so many line-up changes that they’re beginning to make Megadeth look like a stable band.” Do you think that Jon’s finally found his perfect formula?
Luke: Yes I think that this line-up is going to last for a very long time, all of the band members get along very well with each other and the musical chemistry in Jon’s words is the best so far.
PM: Is it true that Iced Earth have been your favourite band since you first started listening to Metal? Has this inspired your own playing style?
Luke: Iced Earth have been a very big part of my life! Ever since I heard of them I instantly fell in love with their music and the raw energetic sound that they have. Since first listening to Iced Earth I have concentrated a lot more on different song structures and different ways on how to improvise with a riff or a song.
PM: Who are your other influences?
Luke: My other influences are Steve Harris from Iron Maiden, Geddy Lee from Rush and Dave Ellefson from Megadeth.
I’m influenced by Steve Harris because I love his energy every time he goes on stage; he is always moving around and entertaining the audience and is just a solid bass player and an amazing song writer. I’m influenced by Geddy Lee because I am a big fan of Progressive Rock and in my opinion he is one of the best singer bass players out there to date. Dave Ellefson influences me because he also has great energy on stage and he is a very hard hitting bass player which is similar to my playing style.
PM: What are your top 3 Iced Earth albums and why?
Luke: My top 3 favourite albums are probably Framing Armageddon, Dystopia and Horror Show. The reason I chose these 3 are because Framing Armageddon was the first album I heard of Iced Earth so this was my introduction to the band and will always remind me of the first time I heard them. With Dystopia and Horror Show, I think these two albums do not have a bad song on them and have a great sound and production.
PM: As an Iced Earth fan myself I feel that Dystopia (released in 2011) was the perfect comeback album after the departure of Matt Barlow, signalling a new era for the band with vocal-powerhouse Stu Block at the helm. Would you agree with this?
Luke: Absolutely, after the 2 previous albums the fans didn’t really understand what Jon was trying to go for. Iced Earth have always been this out and out energetic heavy metal band, so to release 2 progressive metal albums confused the fans slightly. However, once Dystopia was released everyone seemed to be very pleased that Iced Earth got their old sound back.
PM: Fury UK is a three-piece band fronted by your brother, Chris Appleton, and signed to your father’s independent record label, Rocksector Records – how did it feel to leave the family unit?
luke: It was a very strange feeling leaving home without my family for so very long, and I have never been on tour without my brother so that was also another strange feeling. Although I missed them a lot, it was a great experience for me to become a lot more independent and see the world.
Also, Chris has now started a new project called ‘Absolva’ which made me feel much better about the whole situation as I didn’t feel like I was abandoning Fury UK and my family. Quite recently their second guitarist left the band and I actually deputised as rhythm guitarist for a good chunk of their tour!
PM: You toured Europe frequently in Fury UK but never America, are American audiences different to their European counterparts?
Luke: Fury UK never made it over into America because it was much harder to reach American audiences rather than European ones. We couldn’t book shows in America as people had never heard of the band before. Also, it is very expensive to travel from the UK to the States, we were waiting for a good support slot with a bigger band to take us over there and branch out. So no, I do think the audiences are the same, I just think it’s harder to spread the word in America.
PM: In an interview with Jägermeister at Bloodstock Open Air Festival this year, Jon described your tour bus as a “steel pirate ship”. You’re used to life on the road, but how does touring in an established band differ?
Luke: It is a very different experience. In Fury UK we used to always tour in our 6-seater van, so to travel in a tour bus now with a more established band with our own road crew is a wonderful experience. It almost makes me feel a bit lazy as I don’t have to lift my own gear, tune my own bass or soundcheck any of my own equipment.
PM: You filmed your first live DVD with the band in Cyprus within just a few months of joining, how does it feel to be part of Iced Earth’s recorded history?
luke: Every time I think about the tour I have just done and think that I am going to be on Iced Earth’s next live DVD, it almost brings a tear to my eye in happiness. This is my favourite band and I am so thrilled to tour the world with them.
PM: After a long summer of festivals and an album tour lasting over half a year, what’s next for Iced Earth?
Luke: We are currently working on the live DVD which should be out in the beginning of 2013 and when that is released we plan to tour for the first half of next year. Also, Jon has asked me to send him my song ideas for the next album, so sometime very soon we will be working on a new album.
PM: Thank you for your time Luke, and we can’t wait to hear the new Iced Earth record.
Interview by Helena Rosendahl
Iced Earth’s latest live DVD ‘Live on Ancient Kourion’ was released by Century Media in the UK on 15 April. For more information, tickets and merchandise visit www.icedearth.com
Chris Appleton’s new project ‘Absolva’ have just released their debut album ‘Flames of Justice’ and are currently touring Europe with Luke Appleton on rhythm guitar. Check out their tour dates, releases and merchandise at www.absolva.com
