Who’s up for some classic heavy metal in the vein of Priest, Accept, and Motorhead? When it’s a band like Absolute Power, made up of metal royalty like Shane Embury, John Cooke, and Carl Stokes, it’s a done deal. 15 years after their storied self-titled debut, Absolute Power are back with ‘Needs Must When The Devil Drives’, which drops this month via Time To Kill, and as Shane and vocalist Simon Efemey told us, it’s a love letter to their early years as metalheads.
Six years on from the Absolute Power debut – what’s changed in your worlds and how do you feel that’s affected AP’s output?
Shane: “What’s changed in our worlds? The world itself seems to becoming more intense; the whole structure of life is something very strange to me – luckily I have been fortunate to make music for most of my life so in that sense things have been constant. Certainly the pandemic and various other issues have taken their toll, but with this album I like to think we have stayed true to our initial concept with widening the classic heavy metal pallete. We are at the end of the day fans of this music, and this album is as much for us as the people who follow us. Hopefully this time we can get to play a few festivals and have some fun.”
Simon: “So much has changed in a short space of time, with Covid and AI, but for me it hasn’t affected Absolute Power’s output, as the metal we love will always shine through!”
How do you fit in making something like this with all of your other musical projects?
Shane: “This took a while due to our other commitments and also it’s not a full time band, so we really put it all together in the studio song-wise, like I guess the old bands did; a few ideas here and a few there and slowly over time the songs form. This process Simon and I love and do a lot with our endeavours. It really is so rewarding seeing your creation grow. We make the time as we are dedicated to our cause.”
What was the writing process like for the album? Did you feel pressure to match the debut?
Shane: “I wouldn’t say we felt pressure but we are not easy on ourselves at all! I like to think we won’t accept average. Of course taste is subjective, but we like to capture the 1980s vibe of UK heavy metal, which I think we have and it’s a worthy follow up.”
Simon: “It can be difficult, as we are both busy, but we love building the songs from nothing and seeing them grow into what they are.”
There’s a wealth of guest musicians on the album; how does that work from a writing and organisational point of view? Which was the most unexpected performance you witnessed/heard while recording the album?
Simon: “l don’t think we felt pressure, just a desire to come up with a standard we have set in our own mind’s eye; mediocre will never do!”
Shane: “A tricky question. The leads from Mark and Dominic were excellent and really added a finishing touch. Ilsa Nielson’s appearance was amazing too. It would be great to have her involved live, and of course Tim’s guest vocals always being a smile to my face.”
What is it about heavy metal that still flicks the switch for you personally?
Shane: “It’s where I come from, my first love. Nostalgia, personal memories of growing up, forming friendships in Birmingham at classic metal shows. No pretensions; feel good therapy.”
Simon: “From a writing point of view, the contributions of all the musicians helped the songs, but most unexpected for me was some of the parts Mark came up with, and the almost spontaneous lead solo on the title track from Dominic. Amazing stuff!”
What do you think the teenage versions of you would think of this album?
Shane: “I would love it! I can just imagine hearing it on the Friday rock show on Radio 1 back in the day, staying up late, setting up my tape deck close to the radio and recording a track, then on Saturday morning, as we did when I was 12/13, we would huddle around my back doorstep listening to the track, imagining what the band would be like live and still talking about it when we went to school on the Monday!
What would you like listeners to take away from it?
Simon: “Put the record on turn up the volume and lose yourself in some exciting heavy metal! Play it 2 or 3 times and I guarantee you will be singing away.”
Shane: “Well, it’s a no bullshit, straight up, genuine UK metal album. A little tongue in cheek, and maybe a little rough here and there, but that’s how it was back then. Grab a beer and listen to it before a night on the town!”
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