Bay Area thrash metal legends Forbidden are officially back in the studio today, marking their first new recordings in a decade and a half. The band is currently holed up at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California, with engineer and co-producer Zack Ohren to lay down three new tracks.
Guitarist Craig Locicero has been leading the creative process alongside bassist Matt Camacho, drummer Chris Kontos, and vocalist Norman Skinner. Joining them is Voivod guitarist Daniel Mongrain, who stepped in as a temporary replacement for Steve Smyth last July.
“Tomorrow Forbidden starts tracking our first new music since 2010’s Omega Wave,” wrote Locicero. “This isn’t lost on me either. The hyper-genius Zack Ohren will be manning the board and setting the mics. We’ve been crafting some of these songs for almost a year. Others are very fresh. All are unmistakably… Forbidden.
“Life is bizarre. From recording Forbidden Evil at the age of 18 going into 19 to this. An elder statesman of thrash in my fitties! All of those records, bands and life in between. I’m beyond grateful to still have a tiny slice of relevance in the metal community with my Boys.
“Chris Kontos, Matt Camacho, Norman L Skinner III & Dan Mongrain. Thank you for all of you contributions to the cause. We’re creating something special to US. That’s all that really matters right now and for the foreseeable future. Loving what WE’RE doing and just letting it fly.
“I know that we’ve (mostly me) got some pretty comically hilarious detractors out there. Let em hate while we create. The music is our answer. We’ve got the best group of peoole around us. Crew, management, legal and booking. We’re building our Forbidden Family from the ground up. Let’s fucking go!!!”
In another recent update prior to the above shared on the band’s social media, Locicero described an intensive and collaborative writing process:
“Hello, Forbidden people! We want to share with you that we’re deep in our writing pre-production process presently. At this point, Chris Kontos, Matt Camacho & myself spend a few nights a week banging out the details and we try new arrangement ideas to improve what’s already there. Norman comes down one day a week with new melodies, lyrics, and more arrangement suggestions. Dan Mongrain & I spend a few hours each week on WhatsApp going over the riffs, also adding and subtracting to the arrangements. He’s been absolutely fantastic to work with and a great sounding board for suggestions.”
He noted that the current lineup has formed a particularly tight-knit songwriting circle: “In a weird way, this is as tight of a writing circle that Forbidden’s ever had. Lots of listening and open-minded trying of new things.”
“We’re going into Shark Bite Studio with Zack Ohren to record and engineer the first 3 songs next week. Once those are recorded, Dan adds his parts (that we’ve been working through) from Quebec. Next, we get Norm in the studio to knock out the vocals as we slingshot solos and overdubs,” Locicero added.
He also hinted at ambitious vocal work, saying: “There’s some pretty grandiose stuff going on with his parts. We’re very impressed with his (Norm) material and work ethic.”
The production will be led by Locicero: “This record is going to be produced by myself with assistance from Kontos, Mongrain & Ohren. Who mixes it is still a bit up on the air. We have some world-class mixers who are willing to test mix a song each. We’ll see how that lands. Very exciting times with so much inspiration to draw from.”
Beyond the new recordings, Forbidden is gearing up for a major live return. Their “40 Years of Twisted Evil” European tour kicks off in August, celebrating both the band’s four-decade legacy and the 35th anniversary of their sophomore album, Twisted Into Form.
Source: metalinjection.net
