After 21 years the British thrash band Anihilated are back. The new album 'Scorched Earth Policy' will be out soon and for Lords Of Metal exclusively, Bod, Todd, Mark and Si wrote a studio report. Sit down, relax and enjoy this wonderful appetizer for the new album!
We started writing 'Scorched Earth Policy' a few weeks after the reformation of the band . It was important to us to maintain the Anihilated sound, but we decided to strip everything down and make this a much harsher, brutal and aggressive album. We worked hard in our rehearsal studio for many months on the songs, until we felt confident that we had written a comeback album that would not only satisfy our old loyal fanbase, but would appeal to all thrash fans everywhere. Everything has become faster and heavier. Todd (Manning, guitars) had joined the band and was soon up to speed with all the tracks, so we were ready to hit the studio again after a twenty one year break.
Purple Studios is located in a sleepy Norfolk village with a pub next door and accommodation on site, so we could start early and work late. The studio is also set in the middle of a graveyard, so no chance of any interference from the 'neighbours' but every opportunity to wake the dead with our noise!!
DAY 1: Mark (Beuchet, guitars), Bod (drums) and Todd arrived at the studio first to set up and began laying down the drum tracks. Bod really enjoyed the first studio session. The live room had big church style windows so there was plenty of natural light all day which was perfect for him. Andy, the engineer was great to work with, very thorough and disciplined but easy with it. Blistering thrash metal power ensued all day, and many pints of Guinness and Lager followed in the Pub afterwards.
Quote of the day... Bod: " if that isn't the 'take' we want, I'll eat my own shit"! Andy: "Most people say hat or shoes".
DAY 2: Bod thundered along with four more tracks laid down, even though he spent much of the previous night being kept awake by Todd and Mark farting and snoring like a couple of death metal Grizzly Bears. Andy, the engineer had become concerned about Bod's threats to smother Mark in his sleep if he continued to snore the roof off, but he soon became accustomed to the band's warped sense of humour and realised that Anihilated are like one big family. He soon began to relax and enjoy the atmosphere. The end of the day saw many pints of beer consumed at the pub before crawling back to the studio in the pitch dark, whilst trying to avoid falling into the ditches.
Quote of the day... Bod, talking about the nude picture on the wall: "it's nice to wake up to a pair of tits"! Todd and Mark: "We thought you were talking about us"!
DAY 3: The drum tracks were completed. Bod left the studio for a few days rest whilst the guitar parts were recorded. Drummers always feel lost when there is nothing to hit! Getting the sound for the guitars took some time but finally both guitarists agreed to use Mark's rig. The pub mourns the loss of Bod's presence as his Guinness consumption was keeping them in business! Word has spread throughout the village and the locals are asking us how the album is going.
Quote of the day... Mark "a 'D' chord? what's that"?...Todd and Andy have to show him...
DAY 4 & 5: Todd found a small isolation booth and spent hours locked away preparing for his slot. All of Mark's guitar rhythms are down, the songs are developing a raw and brutal edge. Todd begins his work and is soon thrashing like a maniac. He uses his LAG Arcane to great effect, the guitar sounds more like battering ram.
Quote of the day..."Some of the Earth is rumbling in the graveyard...could it be the anticipation of Si's pending arrival, or the police helicopter hovering above"
The weekend is used as a break
DAY 6: Si (Cobb, vocals/bass) arrived in his formidable fashion, loud, manic and eager to get stuck in but most of the day was used getting Todd's guitar rhythms done. Si entertained with his cooking skills, making a garlic, bean and chilli soup, which he claims "burns both on entry and exit"! The pub breathed a sigh of relief with the arrival of Si and the lager and cider count went up.
Quote of the day..."Dirty monkey! get back in your bat cave and work those fingers to the bone"!
DAY 7: Si gave the guitarists a break and got his razorback out. Sounding like hell itself, he began to rack up the tracks with the four string sledgehammer thrashing away. Si and Andy hit it off big time but a bizarre bass playing accident left Si with a bruised finger, six songs in, so the vocals got some attention. Once the vocals were down on five of the tracks, the band visited the pub, pretty pleased with the progress so far.
Quote of the day...."Si says he is too knackered for football but can still fuck like a beast!....Glad he's not staying here tonight..."!
DAY 8: Todd and Mark started the day tweaking some guitar work so Si could complete the bass tracks. Si got to work on the vocal tracks again. Bod returned to find that Si had vaporized the control room with Deep Heat. Tears were flowing so they retired to the lounge to listen to Motörhead until the room cleared. Si commenced vocals again but before that, was dared by Bod to wax his eyebrows with gaffer tape. He did...! Shock and intrepidation engulfed the studio, it made for great vocals.
Quote of the day..."That's the 'take' we wanted...no it's not, you're still plugged in to the tuner"!
DAY 9: Si completed of all the vocal tracks, with backing vocals from Bod and Todd. While Si was screaming the final words, some of the local kids crowded around the window in the graveyard to watch. They ran off when Si turned round to look at them. Well, a large angry looking metalhead with jagged teeth and wild eyes screaming into a microphone would scare a grown man let alone a small child!!! Si added some of his trademark chaos guitar parts to some of the songs for old times sake, then left Todd and Mark to finish off the solo's.
Quote of the day..."Well done Si, just the 'long drive home now' and I do mean that in a 'car' sense"!
DAY 10: Last of the solo's were completed and all tracks were played through to check that all was completed. The tracks were now ready to be mixed and produced.
Quote of the day... Mark "Just turn me down a bit and you wont notice my mistakes"... Bod "I think you will need a large, hefty blanket to smother that one"!
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