THE DUKE - Stuck No More Page 4
by Martin Popoff

"Obviously, after doing 13 records, I'm pretty wise to the business end," refects Ward, not harbouring any illusions. "I just think, as an artist, my time is probably better spent, speaking to you, and working on singing every day, playing guitar every day, writing songs every day, doing the things it takes to make me a better musician and a better artist. And hopefully everybody else on my team is doing their job, and at the end of the day, we may come together and have some success, sell some records. And continue to try to build the brand of Rich Ward. Because at the end of the day, I'm trying to do for myself, like a lot of the heroes I have, like Devin Townsend and Zakk Wylde, who are not scared to try different things. They've really built a brand for themselves as artists. Those kinds of guys have really encouraged me to try to think outside the box, write the kinds of records that I want to do, and let everybody else sort it out, and not really worry about sales. Because as you know, bands that sit around and formulate and worry about what kind of record is going to sell the most albums, that's like a bunch of suits sitting around a room trying to decide what kind of cover on this box of cereal is going to push this product. And I just don't even like playing that game."

We talk a bit about the criminally ignored latest Fozzy record, about its sound, its great lyrics, its huge riffs, Chris Jericho's killer vocals, and a fair bit about something that ties it all together in a big metal bow... the intense, yet groovy drumming.

"Yeah, it took me three weeks to write the drum parts," notes Rich. "Thank you, thank you very much. I really spent a lot of time on that album. But that's what I was saying. The more I listen to... if you listen to the early Stuck Mojo material, and then you listen to the Fozzy record, you hear the evolution. I've really focused it, and it's starting to change. I'm really micromanaging everything. I'm looking at things differently. I look at how the rhythms are set up, and creating counter-rhythms, and not just have the one riff and grooving with that. But how can I create counter-rhythms to that, and then create melodic passages? Not just vocal melodic passages, but guitar melodic passages."

THE DUKE - Stuck No More Page 5