POWERRAGE are ready to unleash their debut album Beast. Led by former Exciter guitarist John Ricci, the band delivers an uncompromising sound that feels powerful, direct, and alive. We spoke with John about the new album, the ideas behind the songs, the recording process, and what lies ahead for POWERRAGE.
Hi John! The record’s called Beast. Why that name? What made you go with it?
The name BEAST was inspired by the first version of the album cover we had, but we decided to alter the image of the front cover to what you see as the final album cover now. Also, a lot of the lyrics in the songs on the album refer to beast-like evil identities, simply it’s an easy name to remember, and it delivers the message that the songs on the record are going to be ferocious like a BEAST! lol!
Tracks like “Dark Wings” and “I Torture I Kill” really smash. What’s the story behind them?
DARK WINGS is basically good vs evil. A gargoyle (which actually represents goodness in the world and to protect you from evil) leaves his cave and flies in the night sky looking for evil. He flies over a cemetery and spots satan lurking on the grounds of the cemetery. He moves in for his attack and kills satan and flies back to his cave.
I TORTURE I KILL is about 2 menacing individuals who are possessed by evil, they get into a confrontation, fighting to the death, the lesser evil overcomes the more evil one and continues and repeatedly tortures him till his last breath. That is the concept of the song when I wrote the lyrics.
POWERRAGE hits fast, heavy, and raw. How did you want it to feel when people hear it?
For years, I’ve always wanted to sound ‘live’ on our recorded albums instead of a ‘polished’ sound even with my previous band, Exciter. I just imagined the listener playing our record at volume 10, and the sound would be like the band is actually in the room with you. To achieve this sound, we recorded the record ‘live’ off the floor in our rehearsal hall with the help of my friends, producer Manfred Leidecker and engineer George Henderson; they really captured the ‘live’ vibe with their mobile studio. The vocal tracks were done in Manfred’s studio.
You had Dan Swanö on the mix and master. How did he help the album punch through?
Dan Swano did a fantastic job; he definitely understands the metal mix. I also had a small part in the mix; between both of us, we accented certain parts of the songs to bring out a brutal mix (like an uncompromised mix).
You brought Jacques back on vocals. How was it working with him again?
Jacques is such a dynamic singer, I just had to ask him to participate in POWERRAGE. The vocal style I had in mind for this band called for Jacques’s talent. Jacques sang on 3 Exciter records (The Dark Command, Blood of Tyrants, and New Testament). We have an easy working relationship; it was great!
Which part of the songs came alive in rehearsal thanks to Todd or Lucas?
Even though I’ve never played in a band with Todd and Lucas, the musical chemistry eventually came together once they tuned in to my vision, but once they got it all, the songs sounded awesome!
Leaving the old band behind and starting POWERRAGE – what kicked your ass? What got you fired up?
The credit goes to Todd, our bassist. He approached me about starting a new band, which I had every intention to do, but I was in no hurry; I was enjoying my time away from music. I finally gave in and called Jacques to do vocals and we auditioned various drummers, but when Lucas auditioned, I liked his attitude, so he passed the audition with his playing ability and attitude.
You handled all the music and lyrics. Did you write differently this time around?
I wrote everything: music, lyrics, melodies, arrangements. This time I had total freedom writing the songs; I didn’t have to compromise with anyone. I would invite ideas from the other guys, but I had final say in the songwriting. You have to have one person in the band with a strong musical vision, and if that vision works and is successful, don’t mess with it, lol!
Your old band left a mark. How do you make sure POWERRAGE stands on its own?
Well, with Exciter, the exposure was more difficult to get because of technology, but today with websites, Facebook, Zoom, etc, you get known a lot faster, and that is the case with POWERRAGE. After our first single/video was released on Feb 8, we already have 6.1k views, which is amazing. I think the strong songwriting in POWERRAGE stands on its own. I’m not taking for granted anything I did in Exciter. Exciter is behind me now and buried; it`s time to move on.
What’s coming next – shows, tours, or already working on new material? Thank you for your time!
As far as the future with POWERRAGE, I’m starting from the beginning again, although I have a profile with Exciter, it doesn’t really matter.
I have to prove myself all over again (even though I have nothing to prove). Yes, the plan is to do shows, maybe tours, depending on the circumstances. I have not started to write any new music. I want to see how our record does when it is released on April 24/26.
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