Vancouvers Three Inches Of Blood are renowned for their emphatic old school heavy metal. Yet third album Fire Up The Blades (on Roadrunner) finds them upping their already-furious intensity, raging like an alley scrap between Arch Enemy and Satyricon. The albums metallic density is decidedly faster, heavier and more aggressive than their first two efforts combined.
"There are parts in this record we wouldnt have considered using five years ago, admits vocalist Jamie Hooper. "Now, we feel confident enough to take chances, get a little more extreme. In the past, it felt safer to stick with what we knew but were delving out there. We have new people who can play what others couldnt, so hearing the record is both exciting and shocking. Now I feel like revising the old songs.
Inspired by recent additions guitarists Shane Clark and Justin Hagberg, bassist Nick Cates and drummer Alexei Rodriguez and aided by producer/Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison, longhorn Inchers Hooper and fellow vocalist Cam Pipes have created an endless assault on Fire Up The Blades. The fret board pyrotechnics, galloping drum beats and soaring vocals even astonish Hooper.
"The new members had strong input, which made it fun, he says. "There werent any moments like, You want that part in there? Are you serious? Everything was relevant and there was no detritus to sift through, which was helped by Jordison. He made the environment laidback and fun, a situation I was not aware could happen in a studio. He would come in and be like, Ok, cut that riff down by half; extend that one. It was important because after playing the same song for three or four hours in a row, you lose your basis of reality. Youre like, Does this even sound good anymore? My ears are destroyed!
"There are parts in this record we wouldnt have considered using five years ago, admits vocalist Jamie Hooper. "Now, we feel confident enough to take chances, get a little more extreme. In the past, it felt safer to stick with what we knew but were delving out there. We have new people who can play what others couldnt, so hearing the record is both exciting and shocking. Now I feel like revising the old songs.
Inspired by recent additions guitarists Shane Clark and Justin Hagberg, bassist Nick Cates and drummer Alexei Rodriguez and aided by producer/Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison, longhorn Inchers Hooper and fellow vocalist Cam Pipes have created an endless assault on Fire Up The Blades. The fret board pyrotechnics, galloping drum beats and soaring vocals even astonish Hooper.
"The new members had strong input, which made it fun, he says. "There werent any moments like, You want that part in there? Are you serious? Everything was relevant and there was no detritus to sift through, which was helped by Jordison. He made the environment laidback and fun, a situation I was not aware could happen in a studio. He would come in and be like, Ok, cut that riff down by half; extend that one. It was important because after playing the same song for three or four hours in a row, you lose your basis of reality. Youre like, Does this even sound good anymore? My ears are destroyed!
