Renowned ASH drummer RICK MCMURRAY unveils his solo project as BURNED BY WITCHES with a self-titled album set for release on 17 April on all DSPs and Black Vinyl.
Hold Your Nerveis the first single from Burned As Witches, the brainchild of one Rick McMurray, prime time Ash drummer. Taken from the self-titled album, Hold Your Nerve is kinda stoner rock but not really stoned, altogether meatier and beaty and melodic.
“This was one of the last songs written for the album, it just tumbled out of my subconscious and I only figured out what it’s about as we were making the video” the main man explains. “It’s about innocence in the face of a corrupt and venal world. Is it better to take the red pill and see the world as it is, when you feel so helpless to change it, or the blue pill and remain blissfully unaware of a world that exploits you? Musically, it’s the bastard child of Iommi and Page, bringing some Led Zep swagger to Sabbath’s doom, which somehow manages to conjure an undercurrent of glam.”
Burned As Witches lands in the briefest of interludes from the day job in Ash, who have basically been working non-stop since the release of Race The Night in 2023 and the current Ad Astra album. As Rick says, “If you’re expecting some slices of power-punk-pop then think again,”because Burned As Witches positively drips with riffing heaviosity, big-boned solos and beefy chord crunchings. This is intense on all levels. McMurray also plays every note on every track. This is NOT like the day job!
Burned As Witches started as a way of dealing with the untimely passing of Ash’s long term live agent, friend and rock n roll hellraiser Steve Strange in 2021. Inspired by the Strange One’s love of metal, the record was conceived in mourning, full of chunky riffs, weighty themes and all about the doom. Rest very assured, Burned As Witches is an out and out rock album, as Rick ruminates.
“It started with me just writing some pretty dark riffs after we’d played The Roundhouse on our much postponed anniversary tour. We thought that gig would put the COVID years to bed but it turned into a wake for Strangey. By the time I started putting the music down in demo form, I realised I was writing a tribute record to him.
“That was too much to take and the demos went on the hard drive where solo projects go to die. But it kept tugging away at me. After a few months and a few tours I had another listen, which brought an epiphany in which I heard the words, ‘It doesn’t have to be about me’. Now, I’m not saying that Strangey spoke to me from beyond the veil or anything – it was probably my subconscious – but, whatever, I realised how proud he would be to have been the inspiration for me. Steve, I miss you and love you, you mad bastard. We all do.”
BURNED BY WITCHES LP | TRACKLIST
Scapegoats
Hold Your Nerve
Pay The Ferry
Truth Comes Crawling
It Comes Before The Fall
Right In Front Of You
A Spartan Mass
To The Sky
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