Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen admits the sound of his blues band Delta Deep surprised him once they started work.
He’d expected to hear a laid-back form of music – but that was before Stone Temple Pilots bassist Robert DeLeo, Crusaders drummer Forrest Robinson and vocalist Debbi Blackwell-Cook went to work.
Collen tells Alternative Nation: “It reminds me of early Led Zeppelin – it’s got a feel like that. I didn’t really expect that.
“I thought it was going to be more subdued, a bit of groove and blues. But it turned into this other thing. It’s got elements of Zeppelin, Def Leppard, STP, only it’s this soulful, funky, rock thing.”
He was particularly surprised by Robinson’s contribution. “The Crusaders is a jazz group – but when I first met him he said, ‘All I really want to play is double-kick metal.’ Never judge a book by its cover.”
Collen says the band operate as a three-piece of guitar, bass and drums, adding: “There’s so much going on that you’ll fill all of the gaps. Not just with notes, but with aggression. ‘Steroidal’ and ‘muscular’ are the only words to describe it.”
Delta Deep tour the US starting next month.
Delta Deep 2016 tour dates
Mar 28: Washington Howard Theatre, DC
Mar 29: Philadelphia Ortlieb’s Lounge, PA
Mar 30: Asbury ParkWonder Bar, NJ
Mar 31: Northampton Iron Horse Music Hal, MA
Apr 03: New York, B.B. King’s, NY
Apr 05: Boston Cavern Club at Hard Rock Cafe, MA
Apr 06: Pawling Daryl’s House, NY
Apr 08: Bay Shore YMCA Boulton Center, NY
