Black Star Riders’ Johnson proud of bandmates

By Scott Munro
( Classic Rock )
published

Guitarist praises their creativity on upcoming album The Killer Instinct

Black Star Riders guitarist Damon Johnson says he’s proud of his bandmates after recording their upcoming album The Killer Instinct.

It launches in the UK on February 23 via Nuclear Blast and follows hot on the heels of the Thin Lizzy offshoot’s 2013 release All Hell Breaks Loose.

And Johnson says the fact they’ve recorded two albums in just two years shows how committed they are to the creative process.

He tells MetalTalk: “I guess more than anything I just have this ongoing feeling of pride in all the guys and everybody’s hard work. Because I’m sure you can appreciate that at any time in music, it’s not the easiest thing in the world to crank out two records in two years.

“A lot of bands take four or five years, so there’s a real commitment to creative output in this band that’s very exciting for me. I love to write songs and I have an amazing partner in Ricky Warwick, and certainly the other guys in the band.”

Johnson also credits producer Nick Raskulinecz with getting the most out of the band and reveals his positivity had a profound impact on everyone in the studio.

He continues: “There’s a lot of great producers out there but I don’t know that I’ve ever had the experience of working with someone that has so much positive energy in every facet of the process – starting with putting all the songs together, tearing the arrangements apart and putting them back together, and seeing if we could improve them.

“I remember early on, the first two or three days after we had tracked drums and guitars, he would just have it blasting through the speakers daily. He’d be jumping around like any other fan – and you’ve got to be flatlined if you can’t feed off that energy – and we did!”

BSR head out on tour with Europe across the UK in March for 13 dates:

Mar 06: Glasgow O2 ABC

Mar 07: Newcastle O2 Academy

Mar 08: Leeds O2 Academy

Mar 10: Nottingham Rock City

Mar 11: Cambridge Corn Exchange

Mar 13: Manchester Academy

Mar 14: Wolverhampton Civic Hall

Mar 15: Exeter University

Mar 16: Bristol O2 Academy

Mar 18: Bournemouth O2 Academy

Mar 19: Norwich UEA

Mar 20: London Shepherds Bush Empire

Mar 21: London Shepherds Bush Empire

The Killer Instict tracklist

  1. The Killer Instinct 2. Bullet Blues 3. Finest Hour 4. Soldierstown 5. Charlie I Gotta Go 6. Blindsided 7. Through The Motions 8. Sex, Guns & Gasoline 9. Turn In Your Arms 10. You Little Liar
Scott Munro
Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent 35 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott keeps Louder’s buyer’s guides up to date, writes about the best deals for music fans, keeps on top of the latest tech releases and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 10 years, Scott has written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald newspapers, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.