Jeff Loomis (NEVERMORE/ SANCTUARY)
\r\nMetalzone: Hello Jeff and welcome once again to Metalzone, it’s an honor to have you with us
\r\nJeff Loomis: Thanks very much.....! \r\n
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\r\nMetalzone: Let’s begin with Sanctuary. About a month ago (January 21st, 2011) you did the first reunion show in Seattle. As far as I can tell from the videos on youtube, it must have been a hell of a show and people were absolutely excited! How did it feel for you guys while on stage?
\r\nJeff Loomis: It was a great feeling. The songs are a blast to play and everyone was really super excited to see the tunes played in a live situation. We will surely do some more shows in the future and I believe a new CD will be in the works as well. \r\n
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\r\nMetalzone: According to the official news, being a member at the end of Sanctuary, you are currently replacing Sean Blosl, the original guitarist of the band, who didn’t want to go on tour. How about the recordings?
\r\nJeff Loomis: Yes i think Sean just wasn’t interested with continuing on in the band. I was only in the band for 3 months back in 1991 before it broke up and Warrel Jim and I formed Nevermore. I think if anything Lenny has always been the main songwriter for Sanctuary, so if there is going to be a new CD he will take care of 90 to 100% of the songwriting. I told him that i would always be there to help them in any situation because I’m such a big fan of the band. \r\n
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\r\nMetalzone: A really great event in the metal history took place a few weeks ago. I’m talking about 70.000 TONS OF METAL, of course, which was like an endless metal party. Would you like to tell us a few things about this experience? What was the funniest thing that happened during it?
\r\nJeff Loomis: It was crazy!!!! But at the same time it was very well coordinated.....all the bands went on on time and everyone got to play their full sets. It was kinda cool because all the fans got to interact with the bands. It was kind of like let’s all hang out and have a killer time.
\r\nOne of the funnier moments was finding out that the Ship we were on....(it is called the Majesty of the Seas) broke a record for selling alcohol even before the ship set sail!!!That’s a lot of booze! Other than that it was just great seeing all my friends from other bands
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\r\nMetalzone: Even though Nevermore is in the metal scene for almost two decades, some people still tend to “compare” them to Sanctuary, based on the fact that there are members in common. Being a guitarist in both bands, how do you perceive things and why do you think this is happening?
\r\nJeff Loomis: I don’t really know. Both bands to me have many differences. Warrel sings very high in Sanctuary and has more of a middle range with Nevermore.I use 7 string guitars and Sanctuary uses 6 string. The songwriting in Nevermore is a bit more demanding to play. I guess it’s simply because of Warrel and Jim that people would say something like that. Warrel has a voice that is very distinctive and stands out and I tend to write music that’s very dark and minor......so those are some similar traits in both bands. \r\n
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\r\nMetalzone: Sanctuary has always been one of the most favorite bands in the metal world, so I believe that it wasn’t the first time that the band thought of coming back. What led to the decision that the right time to do it is now?
\r\nJeff Loomis: Well Lenny had not even touched his guitar for like 10 years. I guess with many musicians you get that urge to just be out in front of an audience and do your thing again. It’s really like the best feeling in the world to be able to do that, and I guess it was something he really wanted.
\r\nI’ve heard some of the new music he is writing as well and it sounds really incredible. It will be very cool to hear the CD when it is done. \r\n
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\r\nMetalzone: How difficult is it for you to be both in Nevermore and Sanctuary? I mean, you are such an active musician, not only concerning the bands you are playing in, but also your personal projects.
\r\nJeff Loomis: It can be a little hard at times, especially because I’m not a very good multitasking worker. I seem to do better when I just have one project to focus on. Because I love the band Sanctuary and know the songs very well, it doesn’t really seem to be that much of a problem. \r\n
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\r\nMetalzone: So, even though it’s very early, I can’t help asking what is the “time schedule” for a new Sanctuary album?
\r\nJeff Loomis: I wish i could answer that.....my guess would be probably in a year or so. \r\n
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\r\nMetalzone: Three Nevermore members are in Sanctuary. Could that possibly “top” Nevermore ’s activities? I mean, you can’t have both bands as a top priority.
\r\nJeff Loomis: Nevermore will always be the top priority for now. We have been together much longer than Sanctuary and it is basically a corporation between Warrel and I. \r\n
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\r\nMetalzone: Zero Order Phase; You debut solo album was very close to the sound of Nevermore. There was no experimental mood or surprises in your playing. What in your opinion might that introduce to the audience?
\r\nJeff Loomis: Sure there are some similarities, but I AM the guitar player in Nevermore so you will hear little nuances in my guitar playing that are alike in both my solo CD and Nevermore. For my next one that I am currently writing I am going to go for a much different approach. Much more musical in every degree. \r\n
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\r\nMetalzone: The album has got an impressively positive feedback worldwide. Are you thinking of making another solo album soon again?
\r\nJeff Loomis: Yep I ’m really excited about it. There are going to be some very cool guests on it as well. Hopefully I will record it this summer for an early Fall release \r\n
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\r\nMetalzone: Your playing absolutely trademarks a song every time you make a guest appearance. What is the criteria for you to decide whether you are taking part in an album or not, when asked to, especially when it comes from a new artist/group?
\r\nJeff Loomis: Well the music has to be something I ’m into most importantly. I think to be honest I have been doing too much of that and might take a break from it. I must have done 4 or 5 of them in the last 2 months alone. Two of my favorites I’ve done are Racecar from Periphery and the solo I did for the Annihilator Metal CD.
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\r\nMetalzone: On the 26th and 27th of March you are coming to Greece to do guitar clinics. Can you give us some details for these two special nights?
\r\nJeff Loomis: I keep it real simple. I perform my instrumentals and I take a lot of time to talk with the audience. I really don’t get an opportunity like this when I ’m touring with Nevermore. I enjoy talking to my fans about guitar playing and what helped me progress to the level I’m at today. So basically my clinics are performance and questions from the audience. \r\n
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\r\nMetalzone: Is there a band or artist that you haven’t worked/played with so far, even though you’d really love to?
\r\nJeff Loomis: I would really love to write a piece of music with Jeff Beck or Jason Becker. They are two amazing guitar players. \r\n
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\r\nMetalzone: Going to the Nevermore chapter now. The sound of your latest album release, The Obsidian Conspiracy, is flirting a lot with the Dead Heart in A Dead World and Politics of Ecstasy sound. The structures are more diverse and “clean” I’d say, compared to The Enemies of Reality and This Godless Endeavor. In a sense, the album is less “angry” if you will, which makes it more appealing to the wide audience.
\r\nJeff Loomis: We wanted to keep things a little more simple this time around. There are still elements of progressiveness all over the CD, but we wanted to make an album that was more stripped down and easier to understand. Peter Wichers our producer really helped us out with that. I would bring a song in the studio that was 7 or 8 minutes long and we would strip it down to 4 or 5 minutes. It seemed to make the songs a bit more catchy where you will want to rewind the song and give it another listen rather than being burnt out on it from just the sheer length. \r\n
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\r\nMetalzone: A marvelous “new” piece of work (The Obsidian Conspiracy), new anthems and extraordinary imposing live shows; Nevermore are in one of the most creative and inspired phases of their history. What do you think that the future holds for the band, what is your “vision” for the years to come? In other words, can it get better than that?
\r\nJeff Loomis: We have one more CD to do in our contract with Century Media. I don’t know what will happen after that! I have always been interested in doing movie soundtrack or writing moody pieces of music so we will see what happens. We always strive to be better from each CD we do so the last one will hopefully be our best one yet. I’m already writing music for it! \r\n
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\r\nMetalzone: The last question has to do with the cover songs of the album (Tea Party: Temptation and The Doors: Crystal Ship). You guys usually come up with a different version when you cover a song, so I was expecting a guitar outburst or something, but you “followed” the original structure of the songs instead.
\r\nJeff Loomis: We are huge fans of both bands so we wanted to stick close to the original structure of the song. In the past we have been known to put our own spin on songs like Judas Priest’s Love Bites , but we wanted to see how we would do with staying close to the original pieces of music. \r\n
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\r\nMetalzone: Jeff, I know you are very busy so I really want to thank you for this interview, it’s always a pleasure talking to you. See you in Athens on March 27th!
\r\nJeff Loomis: See you soon!!! And thank you.... \r\n
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\r\nInterview by Nicoleta Sarantou for Metalzone \r\n
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\r\nLinks:
\r\nhttp://www.jeffloomis.com/
\r\nhttp://www.myspace.com/jeffloomis
\r\nhttp://twitter.com/jeffloomis \r\n
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