ABSOLUTE POWER

It’s no secret that the industrial Midlands of Britain was the forge where heavy metal as we know it was hammered into existence. Hard music became an escape from a hard life and there were many who grasped desperately for that escape. The resulted in the flood of metal bands that became known as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Only a chosen few found true success but the movement as a whole was a launching pad for an entire genre.

ABSOLUTE POWER remembers that special time and they pay homage to it on the superb new album “Needs Must When the Devil Drives”. The core of this band is Shane Embury of grindcore masters NAPALM DEATH and well-known music producer Simon Efemey, who guided the sound of bands as diverse as THE WONDER STUFF, THE WILDHEARTS and PARADISE LOST. These guys never forgot what gave them the spark to choose music as a career.

“Needs Must When the Devil Drives” is full of that true NWOBHM fire…it sounds like it could have come straight out of 1982 Manchester! I was lucky enough to speak to Simon about the genesis of ABSOLUTE POWER and the unforgettable days when metal was finding itself…

WORMWOOD CHRONICLES: Greetings, Simon, and thanks for talking to us. Do you recall the exact moment when you knew ABSOLUTE POWER was a serious band?

SIMON EFEMEY: l think the first moment was when we completed the first album and knew we had something good, and thats what started our belief in the project, as we had had the idea for this band for quite a while before.

WC: Was ABSOLUTE POWER the name of the project right from the start? Did it take a while for things to evolve or were you locked in from the beginning?

SE: Yes, it was the name from the Start, named after the track on the first album and it seemed appropriate for the style of music we were coming up with.

WC: Your production duties gave you experience with a lot of different kinds of rock. Was classic heavy metal your special love all along or did you have to grow into it?

SE: Yes, classic rock and Heavy Metal was always special to me from being a kid, l got into it when l was about 15 years old thanks to a neighbour who introduced me to JUDAS PRIEST and RAINBOW.

WC: The general consensus is that heavy metal began in the industrial Midlands of England. For a lot of bands, music was a way to get out of the factories or the mines. Was that the way it was for you?

SE:  Well, l never worked in a factory or a mine, but the music was a definite escape from daily life for lots of kids in my area and the wearing of the leather and denim gave us our identity.

WC: There were so many great bands from the NWOBHM. What were the ones you drew the most inspiration from? Was there any obscure band that’s a special favorite?

SE: l was always into JUDAS PRIEST and most of the pre NWOBHM bands, but SAXON and DIAMOND HEAD were  favourites of mine, and for a bit more obscure SAMSON were another favourite, but generally the scene was very exciting.

WC: Your vocals are really strong on the album. There’s no falsetto screaming and nothing sounds forced, it has a very natural sound. Was this your approach from the beginning or did it take a while to find the right sound?

SE: Yes, l have sung since l was a kid, so l know my own limitations, so l can incorporate that knowledge into my style and play to my strengths,

WC: It sounds like your relationship with Shane Embury goes back a long ways. What is your writing partnership with him like? Being an experienced producer, that would give you some special insight.

SE: We write quite naturally together, almost like a 6th sense sometimes, and we both seem to know when a melody or riff isn't quite good enough for our standards, so it's a very good vibe when we get into the studio to try an achieve what we are looking for.

WC: Do you regard ABSOLUTE POWER as a true band or is it more of a “project”? Are guys like Carl Stokes and Mark Thwaite part of ABSOLUTE POWER or just session players?

SE: l suppose technically it is a project, but with live shows planned we will make it a proper band, hopefully with the contributing members joining us to play and forming a permanent line up

WC: Has the band played live? Is there any intention to play live? I would imagine coordinating schedules would be difficult.

SE: We played a few shows including Download around 10 years ago, and we certainly intend to do more shows with the release of the new album, we are already talking to festival promoters about this.

WC: Is there any one song on the new album that is special or important to you?

SE: l think they are all important to me, so very difficult to pick out one, as it's always the new baby that can be favourite, but listening back, it's hard to pick a particular favourite.

WC: “Within” is kind of a bold choice, a true ballad from start to finish. It has that “Planet Caravan” vibe…were you going for that from the start?

SE: Yes, we wanted to emulate what the classic bands did back in the day, so the “Planet Caravan” vibe was definitely what we wanted to do and so many of those old school bands had the ballad or strange track on their albums.  l always loved those different tracks.

WC: The title track “Needs Must When The Devil Drives” is so outstanding and memorable! It’s an odd phrase…was it your choice for title track right off the bat?

SE: Its a saying that we use in everyday life around here, so when we had it as a chorus for the song, it seemed a natural choice for the album title. Basically it means trying to achieve something and doing anything to get it.

WC: If you could have dinner with any 3 people from history, who would they be?

SE: Freddie Mercury, Christopher Lee, Ian Fleming… all icons for me.

WC: This can be from any part of your career, not just ABSOLUTE POWER. Has there been an absurd “Spinal Tap” moment that you could share with us?

SE: Good question,..probably getting lost in venues, like the Hello Cleveland sketch from Spinal Tap. It happens so often.

WC: Any last words for the faithful?

SE: Keep the faith and stay Metal forever and hopefully we’ll see you out there.

ABSOLUTE POWER