By Kelley Simms
GRIMMET'S REAPER
Steve Grimmett's Grim Reaper
sing along and enjoy themselves with it. So
that’s how we decided to write, and then the
recording was old school as well. We went
back to the crowded drum, guitar and bass
— all in my studio. And there is no extra
sounds in there, what I recorded is what you
hear. I think we captured something again
and I was quite pleased with the way it came
out.
Mosh: Walking In The Shadows is the first
new recording since 1987's Rock You To Hell,
and the fans have been heavily anticipating
it. How’s it feel now that it’s finally out?
Steve Grimmett: I think when you got a formula, you need to stick with it. I don’t like
bands that do these massive changes and
confuse the fans. Basically, Walking in the
Shadows is giving the fans exactly what they
want, and that is more Grim Reaper.
Photo: Gustovo Vara
L
egendary British heavy metal band
Grim Reaper is back. Original vocalist
Steve Grimmett reformed the band in
2006 as Steve Grimmett's Grim Reaper, and
they'vejust released their first album of new
material in 29 years. Walking In The Shadows
combines 12 fiery tracks reminiscent of the
band’s early roots with a vigorous spirit.
Usually band name variations or double
usages amount to legalities amongst feuding
members. Fortunately, this slight name
change was an amicable decision between
Grimmett and original Grim Reaper guitarist Nick Bowcott, who both agreed that
using the original name minus the other
original members wouldn’t be a proper reformation. Joined by Ian Nash (guitars) Paul
White (drums) and Martin Trail (bass),
Grimmett's version of Grim Reaper is firing
on all cylinders on their current North
American tour, which includes a stop at
Tailgater's on Nov. 4.
Mosh: Walking In The Shadows does a great
job of capturing the band’s early roots. Was
it important to have that old-school Grim
Reaper spirit while writing these new
tracks?
Steve Grimmett: Absolutely. When Ian Nash,
the guitarist, and I sat down and discussed
about writing a new album, that was paramount that we got that sorted. Because it
seemed to us while we were playing live, the
reason the kids liked it is because it’s
anthemic rock, and they could join in and
34 illinoisentertainer.com november 2016
Mosh: Although you resurrected the Grim
Reaper name in 2006, how come it took this
long for new material?
Steve Grimmett: Because we were being
asked left, right and center to go and tour.
We’ve toured all over Europe. We toured the
States twice without an album, and we
toured South America twice without an
album. And then, ideas started drying up
and the conclusion was because we needed
some new material. That’s exactly what it is.
But it’s about time isn’t then?
Mosh: I believe half of this band was part of
your Steve Grimmett solo band. Was the
chemistry already present for this lineup?
Steve Grimmett: The only two that were in
my solo band was myself and Ian (Nash) the
guitarist. We have a new drummer named
Paul White and a new bass player named
Martin Trail. Paul White is the best drummer
I’ve ever worked with, and Martin compliments the way Paul plays. We have an
absolutely fantastic rhythm section, and
when you see us live, you’ll know exactly
what I’m talking about. The chemistry is 100
percent. We all get along really well; it’s four
guys having a good laugh and doing what
they do best. It’s fantastic to be on tour with
these guys.
Mosh: Although I can’t think of any classic
groundbreaking anthems such as “Rock You
To Hell” or “See You in Hell” on Walking In
The Shadows, there are some that come pretty close. Which track do you think best
exemplifies this incarnation of Grim
Reaper?
Steve Grimmett: Probably “Walking In The
Shadows” is definitely what Grim Reaper is
all about; the classic chords, the anthemic
hook, the singalong stuff. It’s a great song
and I love it. In my opinion, a song has to
have a hook, and without it, it’s really not a
good song. I’m really happy with the way
things turned out and it looks like most people like it, too. In about 30 reviews, I’ve had
one (reviewer) who gave us a 5 out of 10. The
rest of them gave us 7.5, 8, 9 and 10. Going
by that, I think we’ve hit the nail on the head.
Mosh: Fans can’t wait to hear the classic
Reaper tracks live. What have the live
shows been like so far?
Steve Grimmett: We are doing the classic
stuff off the first three albums and we’re
doing six or seven tracks off the new album.
It’s a pretty good mixture and it’s high-energy rock. Come down and party!
Mosh: I still possess a recorded VHS tape of
the 1987 MTV Hell On Wheels tour with
Grim Reaper, Armored Saint and Helloween.
What was that time period like, as I believe
that tour really introduced you to North
America?
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