During a recent appearance on Trunk Nation LA Invasion: Live From The Rainbow Bar & Grill on SiriusXM Satellite Radio, bassist Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath), guitarist Steve Stevens (Billy Idol), drummer Matt Sorum (Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver) and singer Franky Perez (Apocalyptica) discussed the formation of their new band, Deadland Ritual.

The complete audio interview can be heard at this location, an excerpt has been transcribed as follows:

When questioned about how the band came together, Franky replied: "Matt, myself and Steve have been friends for years. And we've been talking about doing a project. And we had an opportunity to play with Geezer at the Adopt The Arts benefit, and I remember turning to Matt and saying, 'This is it, man. This is unreal.' And when it came time to put the band together, it just made sense."

Geezer chimned in: "Well, I retired after the last Sabbath show. I just traveled and did everything that I wanted to do when I was retired for a year. And then I got fed up watching the TV every day. And I started writing stuff again, 'cause that's what you do. I've been doing it for 50 years, so it's in your blood. You can't just stop, especially when it's your hobby as well. And I just got back into writing stuff. I was planning on doing another solo album, a GZR thing. And I got a few songs together for that. And then Matt got in touch with me about Deadland Ritual."

Deadland Ritual has unveiled a debut track and video, “Down In Flames” (via Sonik Riot Recordings / AWAL powered by Kobalt) currently available here.

Produced by Greg Fidelman (Black Sabbath, Slipknot, Metallica), “Down In Flames” features the lush and powerful vocals of Perez, alongside Stevens’ signature thundering guitar conjugating with the hard-driving tribal rhythm section of Butler and Sorum. Watch the official video for “Down In Flames” below:

Drawing inspiration from the ritual symbolism of desert badlands paired with Sorum’s love of the idea of a ‘ritualistic forgotten space,’ the name Deadland Ritual felt appropriate for the darker tone of the music the group was making. “Obviously we’ve been through some stuff,” Perez says. “If you’re being honest artistically, all the turmoil of love, loss, happiness and pain in life makes its way into the music.”

Sorum’s longtime friendships with Stevens and Perez helped to form the initial core of the lineup, but it was a pivotal moment when Butler agreed to join. Butler admits there was a lot to think about when he got the invitation. “I had to get used to the idea of starting from scratch again, which is good,” he says. “But I really liked the music I was hearing. It’s not your typical hard rock or metal stuff.”

For Stevens, it was a revelation the first time he found himself recording with Butler. “There's a lot of times in the studio as a guitar player, you get a guitar sound and you're trying to make it work, tweaking it,” Stevens says. There was none of that bullshit. It just fit against his bass sound and it was really exciting to me. I get to hear my guitar against a bass guitarist that I've idolized forever."

Sorum was determined to take things to the next level. “I wanted to get the best drum sound I’ve ever gotten, and play the best I’ve played,” says Sorum. “I think I’ve achieved that. As a drummer I’ve morphed through a lot of decades of rock and roll.”

The initial recordings are only the beginning of what fans can expect in the coming months. The band is focused on quality vs. quantity and letting the muse carry them in the appropriate direction. With festival appearances booked and headline dates in the works, they’ll use the time leading up to that trek to continue writing and recording, releasing singles along the way and perhaps, a LP.

Deadland Ritual promises the live shows will be something special, mixing the original material with deeper cuts from their collective past. “Not the typical songs you would expect,” according to Sorum.

No egos, no bullshit. Deadland Ritual is ready to take the world by storm.

Tour dates:

June
14 - Donnington England - Download Festival
22 - Clisson, France - Hellfest Festival

(Photo - Jonas Akerlund)