Baz from MORE Talks “Destructor,” British Heavy Metal Legacy & New Music - PipemanRadio Interview

0:04 Hey, you have done to censure. For see why for you young watching searching for surfing. Ses dodns nambo replace try. This is the pipe Man here on the adventures of pipe Man W four C Y Radio. And what a great interview we're gonna do today because I'm in Costa Rica, uh, and I put my surfing aside because this band has some great new music and then you know, we're going across the pond to talk about it. And I gotta tell you the first thing before I introduce our guests.

0:55 That drew my attention, besides knowing the band from way back when it is the headline I saw in the press release that said More comes out swinging, pumping fistfolds of metal as Destructor album launches. Man, that is like the best press release hot you know headline ever. So now we got welcome to the show, Baz from More. How are you fine? Thanks very much and Dan, and thank you for the interest in our band. That's now? Is it true? Okay?

1:36 I read that this album finally being released had ten different titles till the final one. Well several yes, you know, yeah, because we were going to call it Roquium originally because of all the artists that have been passing away. Yeah, and the second track was written with that in mind. But as we went on and things developed, one track, well, one track stood out that we all loved playing, which was Destructor. It's got that edge to it, you know, it's a really nice number. So yeah, it went through various stages and in the end we decided on Destructor because we thought it would be a very good title. But I loved several tracks on that album, especially Wolf behind your Eyes that's I love that track as well. So it was a very difficult decision in the end, but we but we stuck with Destructor.

2:39 Well. I got to tell you, I love the name first of all. But second of all, I had like kind of a flashback when I was listening to this, because like of good times back when, you know, And I was like, man, it just I love the fact when bands come out in new music after a long period of time and yeah, it's modernized, but it doesn't change who they are, and I think this does that. Yeah, but we've not only got new stuff on there. We tried to link it back to the old band as well. There was a track from the nineteen eighties I'm trying to think what it is now. That one was more, that's right, the track More. We demoed that back in the eighties, right, we had that. And then there's two tracks from two thousand which were done with Kenny and that was Scream and My Obsession. We demoed them as well, So we tried to bring it through the ages to.

3:41 Where we are now and to include everything. But yeah, it's a nice mix, but this stuff is still heavy and very rift based, very new on them, and yeah, we love it. Well, here's what I love about it. Okay, so a lot and bands nowadays because there's so much metal out there now compared to back in our days back in the eighties. You know that it's almost like metal is doing what we were against back then, and they're like using a formula to make metal music. Yeah, and I didn't get that at all with this album. It's like, that's why I love it so much. It's like it's just musicianship and just great metal without like a script.

4:32 For lack of a bair way of saying, that's what I look at it is the new music. They're using a script or an algebraic equation to make the music. Well, we do it well, we do our music in a certain way, you know, But a lot of bands there was just like competition between the guitars and the vocals and everybody's and that doesn't work, you know, it really doesn't. You've got to give your vocal spice, you've got to give you your instruments and it works, you know. Yeah, yeah, we have got our own formula. But it's a very simple one. It's very basic and it works. So now, what made you release this album now in twenty twenty six, Well, it's actually you know, twenty twenty five, twenty twenty six.

5:20 What made you do this now? Well, it was basically down to problems that we couldn't release it before. First of all, Chris passing away, Yeah, that was not the time to release it. It really was not, no doubt. And we Dave Ross and myself we actually went into the studio and after a couple of months after we passed away and helped the family to break down the studio and they sold all the gear for and we did a sterling job. And then after the dust has suffered, we sat down and said, well what should we do? You know, And then we had to put a band together without Chris, which was which was good enough to promote the album because just before Chris died, Mike Frulan left the band because he couldn't tour, you know, due to personal problems. So we went through so many vocalists trying to get somebody that could sing those vocals, and it took us ages to try and find a vo Chris.

6:27 We went through several, as I say, and eventually Mike came back to the band and that was that's the point where we thought. Right, we can now think about putting. Out the album because we had because we had we had the old band back together without Chris. Unfortunately Dave left and we've got another guy in old guitar. But yeah, it was being able to promote the album properly and have a band there that was capable of. Doing it, which we actually got now, so that's good. And then what we did. Once we were in a state to look at getting the album put out, I had a word with Chris's widow, Jane Sangered is a very lovely lady that Chris has spoken to, a guy called Dan Economy remanaging the band, et cetera. Before he passed away and Jane was still in contact with him, so I asked whether she could mention whether he would still be interested in in managing the band, and that we've got the album to put out, and after due deliberation, he came on board and from there things took off. And he's done a brilliant job in actually managing the whole thing and masterminded it from there on.

7:57 That is the story, the basic story on it. That's where we are today. He sent it out to Applebaum out out in la and and he did an amazing job on the mastering and that's where we are. So now do you think that maybe from somewhere in the universe that you were led by Chris to find this USB drive. The tracks? Well, I can tell you what happened there. When we were breaking down the studio, he had a radar system that he did his recording on. Now I'm a technophobe, but even Dave didn't understand how the radar system work.

8:53 But we knew three guys from a band called Blind Tiger who were going to come into the studio and they understood this system. So while they were there, they went through everything that was on the radar system and they found the album for us and they downloaded it onto a USB stick for us. Wow. And I've still got that in my house now. Nice. I've only had copies and sent out copies. That one I've still got And this year I was sitting in this is the chair that Chris satti and at his desk in the studio. So he's here with us on the interview. Now, I take it all the time. Yeah, I love it. I love it, you know. And he's probably really proud of his final rendition of the album.

9:44 I hope. So. Yeah, it was such a nice, humble man, he really was. That's always great to hear. That's always great to hear. And to pay such homage to somebody like that, that was so important to the band. I think putting this album is the best way you could pay homage to him, my opinion. And we had to do it the right way, you know. And Dan coming on board. Yes, he's doing Chris proud. I love it. So now that we've done this and we have some amazing music, thank you. Is there more coming from more?

10:30 Yeah? Yeah. I've been in the band since nineteen eighty two, so it's been a long time coming. Yeah, is there is there anything else that you got, you guys are gonna start doing now that we've we've you know, put this album out like well for any other plans, well, there are plans. We started writing for the next one. Peter and I have started writing stuff. We did so last weekend, I think, yes, it was last weekend. We started writing new material for another album, and we are going to We're going to start at the Cars and Horses because a gig on the sixteenth of May, which is for Paul Deano's birthday and Paul Mario Day, which is Iron Maiden's first focus and our focused on the Warhead album who passed away sadly recently, soaring that gig.

11:38 For him as well to honor him. That's on the sixteenth of May, and then from there on we're going to get as many gigs as we can. But so yeah, so. But what we've been doing, we've been putting together the business side of the band just recently because we decided to do our own label and everything. So we've had it's everything up and there's been a lot of work behind the scenes. But yeah, we will be out there playing very. Shortly, very cool. Well, I'll be this summer, I'll be doing media coverage at Download and Bloodstock, So I'm just playing this out there for them. They need to put you guys on the bill of both those festivals.

12:18 I hope there. I'd love to do that. But yeah, as many festivals as we can get on. We did a few before Christmas. We did one in France, we headlined one in. Holland. Yeah, and we've done a couple of festivals in this country as well. So yeah, very cool. Well, everybody's got to check out the new music. How can they get a hold of the album? Oh, go on our website and our Facebook page and you will find the links on there. That's all I can say. A lot of technic You could get all the links on our Facebook page.

13:03 More Facebook pages. You don't even worry about. Because what we're gonna do is I'm going to tell the listeners right now that if they check the show notes of this interview, we'll list the links for your website for your Facebook. They could go check it out. You got it for me. There, there it is, and just look at that artwork. Okay, that I'm all about artwork. That's a badass of artwork, that's right. It is. You know, it's got some punch the album. And that's the only way metals should be, and that's the only way more should be in my opinion, And you have hit the nail on the head, right. I just like I always am so happy when bands like you'd have been around since I'm a teenager.

13:59 Are doing this. Right. If you have asked me in the eighties, if at almost sixty years old, I would be, uh, you know, interviewing metal bands from that time, like you're nuts. The world's gonna blow up in nineteen eighty four, anyway, we won't be here. I wish I was sixty, I think about it. You know. It's funny too when you were like sixteen you couldn't wait to be adult, and now I think, who an idiot? I was? Like, Uh, I wish I could go back to those times again too, because man, there were some fun times in metal back then. There's fun times now too, but that beginning time. And like you mentioned, Paul, you know, people may not like me for this, but I'm definitely Paul Deano team Paul Deano Maiden like I like Bruce, but to me, the best Maiden album of all time is Killers for sure. And it was a very sad when he passed away because I just thought he was amazing, absolutely amazing. Yeah, and it is sad when you see stuff like you know it is happening now. And even the fact that Oz, oh my god, whoever thought Oz would pass away? He outlived everybody.

15:31 You know. I was thinking about him on the way to this interview. And I'll tell you why, because I'm in Costa Rica, in a place where I'm in the jungle and dirt roads, and I have a quad that's my main mode of transportation, and I was thinking on late back to my places do the interview. I'm like, wait a minute, The whole thing started when Oz crashed his quad. Now, i'll tell you something Oz. He crashed his his squad at the end of his garden where he used to live and Chris had the garden which was opposite.

16:12 WHOA, there used to be neighbors. WHOA. Oh yeah, I'll tell you. I'll tell you something else as well. I walked into the studio I'm die Chris, and Chris was mixing an album and he said, who's that. I don't know, it sounds very familiar, he said, it's it's ass and that was on the Mountain album. I said, that's brilliant, A brilliant album. That was it was there just mixed his voice. Wow, that's cool. I have a cool eye story too. Okay, So it was nineteen remember something eighty something, but it was New Year's Eve and it was right before Randy died. Okay, and I did that thing you know you tell your I told my dad, I I'm going to sleep over my friend Bill's house. And Bill told his parents who was sleeping over my house? And we went to the Aussie show and we got to see Randy Rhoads thankfully, Like, man, what experience that was. But then we get home and we're by my house. And I lived on this place called Lake Lindero in Agraa, California, and I was, you had like a hill going down in my backyard.

17:32 So we got you know, we got. Home in the middle of the morning, so we decided to just sit at the bomb at the lake where my dad couldn't see us, but you know, we were there to be able to go home. And this woman come, that's my next door neighbor. She comes out of the house. I never met her, and we're wearing all the. Ozzy stuff, and she. Goes, oh, did you boys just go to Ozzie show last night? We're thinking should we even answer? We're in trouble now, we're busted, and we're just like, okay, yeah, yeah we did. She goes, stay right there, I want to get my husband, and we're like, oh shit. He comes out, invites us up to his house, brings us He's got a studio in his house. It was wall to wall cassette tapes, and it turned out he was Ozzie's promoter, Like who knew lived right next door to be and so he gave us all kinds of schwag and then he handed me this cassette tape. He said, this band is not in the US yet, but they're gonna be huge in the next six months. And I listened to the first song and you'll know exactly who I'm talking about when I say this. And I just heard this big scratch of it.

18:58 It was like. And then it's big scratch in the record, and the scream, the udo scream. It was as fast as a shark by except and they weren't even in the US yet, No way. We were so cool with all our friends, were like check out this music and boom. Then you know the rest of that story. So manager used to be Moore's first manager as well, except first manager was Moore's first manager. Wow. Look at all the connections, right. And when Randy Rhoades died, a guy called Bernie Tormay took his place, I remember, and we used to rehearse at his studio until he died.

19:46 Meet Chris and the rest of the band. Wow. So check this out. That year that I saw Randy, I actually saw Ozzie with two other guard and guitarists. It wasn't Bernie either. Brad Gillis and believe it or not, only played a couple of shows Pat Travers. You know. It's like, see, this is what's cool about metal, this history, this history here of how it's all started from the very beginning. When I talked to kids today and it's like they don't even know bands like Iron Maiden, I kind of scratch my head, like how are you a metal.

20:27 Head and not know who my Iron Maiden is? You know? And it's true. It's like this evolvement that we've had, and thank God for bands like you, because if it weren't for bands like you, we wouldn't have metal today. Well, the kick we're doing in May, I think it's the sixteenth twelve something like that is the Iron Maiden Pop and it's called that because that is where Iron Maiden started. Oh yeah, it's a great place. It's called the Cards and Horses. So look it up. I've heard of that place. I've heard of. Yeah, that's why we're playing. We're playing with their folks.

21:08 Nice. Yes, very cool. I think everybody should check it out. Yeah. I have a funny Maiden story too where I live. I don't know if you noticed, but Nico lives right near me because I'm in South Florida is where I live. And so I was dating this girl. There's this club, very small, it's like a little bar, and it's in Fort Laurdale and it's called Cheers, and they basically have bands played there, like cover bands, and then they have like this thing called Scaryoke. It's like punk rock karaoke. And one day she was outside the place and she calls me up and she's like, man, there's this really good Maiden cover band playing. And then she walked inside and she calls me back. She's like, holy shit, it is Iron Maiden. And you know, they were warming up for a tour, so they were playing this little bar like where nobody knew they were playing.

22:10 So yeah, well yeah, well more went on tour with them before I joined, unfortunately, but the tours with mate nice. Well, is there anything else you want to share with our listeners about more about the album that we haven't covered already. Well, I don't know. I don't think so. I think we covered it all right, we have here. Well, but just look out for us because we'll be out there. We want to get over to the America, the Americas as soon as we can. Yeah, let's get you on some festivals here. I cover all the Danny Wimmer festivals. So I'm yelling out to him he needs to put more on the lineups for twenty twenty seven.

22:54 I've never been to the States and I want to come there, and both my children have been over there, but. I have well, come on over. We want you here. And you know what, thanks for making us such great music and continuing this legacy, and thanks for being on the Adventures of Pat Man. And thank you very much. And it's people like you that keep us going. Thank you very much, my pleasure. Thank you for listening to the adventures of Patement. I'm w for Cui Radio