Stone Gods: Burn The Witch & Album
Richie Edwards on Stone Gods' Burn The Witch EP and Debut Album
In an exclusive Stone Gods interview, frontman Richie Edwards explains that, while they might be ex-members of The Darkness, they're certainly not The Darkness Part 2.
Following the break-up of British rock gods The Darkness, former members Dan Hawkins, Richie Edwards and Ed Graham metamorphosed into Stone Gods, recruiting bassist Toby MacFarlaine to complete the new line-up. Vocalist/guitarist Richie claims his new band is a different beast entirely.
Stone Gods: ex-The Darkness, not The Darkness 2
Suite 101: So, will anyone expecting a Darkness Mk II from Stone Gods be disappointed?
Richie: “Yes is the short answer - we're certainly not The Darkness Part 2. Some of the same influences are there but it is a very different beast really. For a start there's no way that I could ever sing like Justin and his unique voice was a big part of The Darkness' sound really. Even if we were playing The Darkness songs they'd sound completely different by the time I'd finished with them anyway. But the general sound of Stone Gods I'd say is far edgier than The Darkness was.”
Classic Rock and Metal Ahoy
Suite 101: How would you describe Stone Gods' music?
Richie: “Because there's four individuals, we have a very diverse set of musical tastes and I think that's reflected in the songs we write. We're certainly not a one-trick pony. There is definitely that classic rock element in there. There are also folky elements if you will, there's some out and out metal in there. The album is done and finished and ready to go and it's a very, very diverse album. There's a whole range of styles on there and that reflects the way that we wrote, which was the four of us just sat around with an acoustic guitar and a pad of paper, throwing sh*t at the wall and seeing what stuck. It was far more about writing songs than it was about writing big riffs and they just took the shapes they took. We didn't sit down and go: 'Okay, we need to be heavier than The Darkness', we just let it evolve as it would. I'd say in essence we are a heavy rock band but there's a lot of different elements on the album.”
Stone Gods Burn The Witch EP
Suite 101: Your debut EP Burn The Witch is actually out today – are you nervous? Excited?
Richie: “Hugely excited actually. I got sent a couple of copies last week and they look awesome. I'm expecting a phone call later and I believe – I read in an email this morning – that it's actually already sold out. Which is pretty cool. I mean, it's a limited edition release anyway. We just wanted to get something out there and get a bit of interest going but I understand it has already sold out, which is pretty good. I should point out, you can still get it by download though...”
Stone Gods Debut Album Slated for June Release.
Suite 101: Nice plug, sir. You say the album's finished – do you have a title and release date yet?
Richie: “We haven't got a title yet. We've got a whole pad of A4 of band name ideas that didn't quite stick but there's some fantastic album titles on there so we're going to go back through all that and pick a title. Release-wise it's going to be this summer to tie in with the start of the festival season. What we're hoping to do at this stage – and we are still putting the final plans together – is get a proper single release out in May and the album probably in mid-June. That's the plan at the moment.”
Stone Gods are:
- Richie Edwards - vocals/ guitar
- Dan Hawkins - guitar
- Toby MacFarlaine - bass
- Ed Graham - drums
Read more about Stone Gods in Stone Gods Interview: The Darkness and Stone Gods: Festivals And Tours
