British hard rock band Inglorious find themselves at the beginning of a new era! The new line-up featuring original members Nathan James (vocals) and Phil Beaver (drums) are now joined by Dan Stevens (guitar), Danny Dela Cruz (guitar) and Vinnie Colla (bass). Together, they are ready to get down to business and show their fans, old and new, that Inglorious is here to stay!
Kicking off 2021 with the release of their fourth album, We Will Ride, on February 12th via Frontiers Music SRL, the rockers from across the pond remind us that “that 80’s heavy rock sound” can still hold much relevance in 2021. With loud dueling guitar solos and powerful vocals that remind us of rock frontmen David Coverdale (Whitesnake/Deep Purple) or Geoff Tate (Queensrÿche), Inglorious craft a modern day love letter to hard rock with their new LP.
DBM had an opportunity to get a quick chat in with lead vocalist Nathan James concerning the new members, new album and what we can expect in this new era of Inglorious.
Digital Beat Magazine: Hello and thank you for chatting with us!
There are 3 new members to the band: guitarists Dan Stevens and Danny Dela Cruz, along with bassist Vinnie Colla. Did you already know each other or had your paths crossed before working together? Can you tell our readers how you came to work together?
Nathan James: I met Danny when he was 15 and he actually covered one of our songs on his YouTube channel. He was good then and I kinda knew that one day he would be in the band. I was suggested Vinnie by another Brazilian bassist in London and as soon as I saw him play the first song I knew his feel and way of playing was gonna fit the band perfectly. Dan Stevens and I met on the London rock scene, jammed with him a few times on nights out and was always a fan of his playing so when the opportunity came for him to be in the band, I knew he would be the perfect guitarist and him and Danny would compliment each other as well as respect each other.
DBM: You entered the studio at the beginning of 2020. Did the Covid-19 pandemic play into the making of this album? And if so, how?
NJ: Yes, the album actually got pushed back twice as we had no idea what was going to happen. The UK finally said studios could stay open and we got in there and made the album. It took 14 days in the studio and we had to maintain social distancing with our producer and engineer, which was really tough! We were all in a bubble together which was great but we did miss celebrating every night in the pub.
DBM: Were there any struggles to getting the album made?
NJ: It just halted the creative process before the studio, the pre-production etc. I really missed going up to London to write and hang out. We all had to finish it remotely and practice our bits on our own which was very different. I kinda think we will look back and be super proud of the fact we did all this during such a terrible time.
DBM: What was it like working together in the studio for the first time? Did you write the music on spot or did different members bring in ideas and the band develop the songs from there?
NJ: With all Inglorious songs, we start with a riff. I am always inspired lyrically by how the song feels. The riff dictates the direction I take as a lyricist. As soon as someone writes the riff, we turn that into a song, and then the last part of the process is I put my vocal lines and ideas on it. The studio experience sucked because we couldn’t all be together…the guitarists didn’t even go to the studio in the first week which was super tough but it did give them time to rehearse parts. The guys all brought ideas individually and in groups to the table. I like to write this way as different formations of the band create different sounding tracks and I believe an album should have variety.
DBM: I read in the press release that one of the riffs from soundcheck actually got developed into a song on the album. Can you tell our readers which song and the story behind it?
NJ: Yeh, the song is called “Do You Like It?” – The idea for the lyrics came from the backlash we received when the line up changed. I wanted to write a song to those who didn’t know if we would be able to create new music…”Do you like it?” as in the band, the album, the songs and the fact that we are still here and happier than ever before.
DBM: This was the first time the band had worked with a producer in the studio (Romesh Dodangoda–Motörhead/Bring the Horizon/Bullet For My Valentine). How did that change the experience from albums you had made before?
NJ: I loved that someone was telling us what to do. Those decisions would previously fall to me as the head of the band so this time around it was nice to just write, sing, and enjoy the process. Romesh had great ideas and we never disagreed with anything he suggested to us. He really understood what we wanted to do and we went to him because he makes a really great sound that we are all fans of. It’s all about respect and we all respected him.
DBM: What do you hope your fans will take away from the new album?
NJ: I think anyone who was unsure of whether this band can do it like before…will be pretty impressed. This is without a doubt a step-up for us – song wise, performance wise and sonically it’s really special. I also hope they (listeners) can hear how excited we are to get these songs out there and play for them live once Covid permits. These songs are meant for live.
DBM: I know it may be hard to answer at the moment, but do you have any plans to tour behind the new album? Any possible U.S. dates?
NJ: We do have a U.K. tour booked for Spring 2021 which we hope will happen. And U.S? Not right now but if we sell enough albums there (in the U.S.) our label will make sure we tour there…soooo, GO BUY THE ALBUM!
DBM: What does the road ahead look like for Inglorious?
NJ: MORE ALBUMS, MORE TOURING, MORE FUN, MORE TRIPS TO THE PUB, MORE CUDDLES WITH FANS, MORE FESTIVALS, MORE MORE MORE… as the wise Swedish Guitar God once said “How can less be more? More is more”.
DBM: One last bonus question for our readers. I always like to ask performers who they are listening to? What is in your current rotation on your favorite streaming device?
NJ: At the moment I’m listening to a band called Big Wreck. They have a great sound and write brilliant songs. The singer has a Chris Cornell quality to his voice. Also, listening to Joel Hoekstras 13. Can’t wait for his new album, the singles are great.
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