TAILGUNNER

Without Britain, there would likely be no heavy metal. At least, not the way that we think of it today. From the factories, forges and mines came a sound as hard and unrelenting as the men who worked in the Midlands. SABBATH, PRIEST, MAIDEN, VENOM, MOTÖRHEAD, SAXON…the list goes on.

But in recent years, metal from the UK has taken a different shape. While death metal, metalcore and black metal bands proliferate, groups working in the classic British style have been pretty thin on the vine. That’s what makes the arrival of TAILGUNNER so special. With their melodic yet aggressive approach to classic metal, they have turned a lot of heads. Their newest album “Midnight Blitz”, out of the fast-rising Napalm Records label, shows that the great days of classic metal from the UK are not yet finished.

So it was a huge privilege to speak to the man who put the band together, bassist Tom Hewson. In years to come, it might be hard to grab a chat with TAILGUNNER, so dig in to this interview so you can say you knew them when!

 WORMWOOD CHRONICLES: Hello and greetings to TAILGUNNER! It’s an honor to speak to you. The “Midnight Blitz”is now upon us! There’s a lot riding on this album. Did you feel the pressure going into it or did you keep things at a more relaxed vibe?

 TOM HEWSON: We don’t feel any pressure externally, but the pressure we put on ourselves is a totally different question. We only create for ourselves, not anyone else. The goal is to create what we love, and want to listen to, but everyone is welcome along for the ride. So we’re very brutal about our standards, and push each other extremely hard, but we don’t pay attention to outside expectations.

WC: What would you say is the biggest difference in composing and working on “MidnightBlitz” as opposed to “Guns For Hire”?

TH: I wrote the “Guns For Hire” album, more or less, by accident. I’d never written songs before, but wanted to start a band, and so had to have some demos to show people the sort of style. Over that process, I realised I could write pretty great songs, so it turned into a full record. With “Midnight Blitz”, the band actually existed, and had been out on the road playing shows, so it was a lot more collaborative and natural.

WC: Craig’s vocals have really grown and become smoother on the new album. Was there any change in technique or was it just a natural process of growth?

TH: I think it's a result of different things. Craig of course, was a lot more experienced going into this record, as we all were. He’d also made a couple of records in that time with INDUCTION, another band he was singing for, but has since left, so he had more studio experience. We also made the debut in 10 days, and keep in mind, that was to record the music too, for him to sing over! So this time, it was more relaxed. Like I was saying too, we push each other incredibly hard, and I was in the studio with Craig for a lot of the vocal work, cracking the whip haha! He really killed it, I’m proud to have a frontman like that!

WC: . How do you guys compose? Is there one “general” who calls the shots or is it more of a collaboration? Do the songs come in a flash of inspiration or do they require a lot of work?

TH: Yeah, that’ll be me! Everyone is welcome and encouraged to create whatever the hell they like though, and if it works for the band, we’ll pursue it! I think that’s important. Look at MAIDEN, some of their greatest songs aren’t Steve’s! Inspiration can happen in many ways, sometimes it’s a flash, and sometimes it’s work - but as any pro songwriter will tell you, you don’t wait for inspiration, you create it.

WC: The great K.K. Downing produced the album with you. I imagine you soaked up ideas from him like a sponge. What kind of a taskmaster was he?

 TH: KK pushed us really hard! That’s exactly what we wanted, too. He really taught us that no detail is too small to be ignored, and to really get the most out of every single second, every last note. It’s not just a great lesson for this album, but for the rest of our careers.

 WC:  There is a lot of influence from great British metal bands like PRIEST, MAIDEN and SAXON in TAILGUNNER. I also detect a strong feel of HAMMERFALL. What are some of the less obvious influences that go into the band?

TH: We like HAMMERFALLl, though I must admit before we toured together, I didn’t know anything but “Hearts on Fire”, so I can’t claim them as an influence, though I totally hear the comparisons. It has to be said that HELLOWEEN are pretty much our biggest influence, some people recognise it, but a lot don’t! I talk about MEGADETH and MERCYFUL FATE / KING DIAMOND a lot too, particularly the “Abigail” album, that is pretty much the pinnacle of how a Metal band should sound to me. There are loads of lesser known bands too that have had a huge effect on us, like DEMON, WARLORD, GRIM REAPER, GOTHAM CITY, HEAVY LOAD, etc.

WC:  Is there one song from “Midnight Blitz” that emerges as your favorite track?

TH: No, I couldn’t name one. It’s such a diverse record, that’s what I’m most proud of.

WC: What are some of the touring plans for “Midnight Blitz”? I’m hoping you can play some shows in the U.S. to get established here!

TH: Us too - and we will! The US is in our sights, it’s coming. We’ve been out on the road a lot already this year, for 2 months solid with HAMMERFALL and then FOZZY, around Europe and the UK. From this Summer we will hit festival season hard, again all over Europe, before opening ACCEPT’s 50th anniversary tour, what an honour that is to be a part of, and we’ll be pushing them hard every night as we’ll be at the very top of our game!

WC: Speaking of live shows, what would you say has been your most memorable gig so far?

TH: I couldn’t possibly tell you one. There’s a handful… Our first sold out show, which was also our 3rd ever show, in Liverpool. That was crazy, that was when I knew we were really gonna make it. Our first big show, opening for KK’s PRIEST the first supper tour with UDO, selling out the legendary Camden Underworld in London on the “Guns For Hire” tour…

WC: Along those same lines, have you ever had a “Spinal Tap” gig where things went wrong that you could share with us?

TH: Oh boy, totally. Spinal Tap really is true! I remember Craig telling me to be careful on a wet stage, so I didn’t fall over… and then totally falling himself! I’ve had my share of falls too, in Sofia on our first arena show, totally fell on my face. Craig has been unable to find the stage before, and we’ve played half the opening track without him… It’s all fun, right?

WC: Were there any songs left over from the “Midnight Blitz” sessions that might see the light of day down the road?

TH: No, I don’t like that process and it’s not something I do, at least right now. I think if something wasn’t good enough for the last record, it’s not good enough for the next. There were some cool songs that didn’t make the cut, but you hear it all the time when bands release music that didn’t make the albums… It’s interesting, but you understand why.

WC: Are there other British metal bands on the way up that we should look out for? Is the scene there pretty healthy?

TH: There’s no scene. British Heavy Metal right now is us, and us only. There are some cool bands playing adjacent styles, I really like and respect HELLRIPPER for example, they’re amazing. There are bands starting to build a name, like WAILING BANSHEE and RATTLESNAKES… hopefully they can push on. We need some bands at our level to tour with!

WC: Is it a bit early to ask if you have any ideas for what comes after “Midnight Blitz” or do you have some plans?

TH: Never too early, we are already writing album 3!

WC:  Is the skeletal character on the cover of “Midnight Blitz” going to wind up being your version of Eddie?

TH: Let’s see… He’s called Warhead and has featured on virtually all our artwork, right back to the debut single. But will he survive? I don’t know! Maybe we’ll have a whole universe of his friends, or maybe we’ll kill him off!

TAILGUNNER