Balance Of Power Talk New Album, Recording Sessions And More

Who is in The Balance Of Power and what do they play?

Lionel Hicks Drums

Tony Ritchie Bass

Hazel Jade Vocals

Chris Young Guitars

Adam Wardle Guitars

When and how did you all meet?

Lionel and Tony are the longest standing band members. The band started back in 1995.

Hazel ,Chris and Adam are the newest members joining a couple of years ago.

You have your new album ‘Fresh From The Abyss’ which is out now on Massacre Records How did you want to approach the making of the album?

This was a more organic album. We tried some different ways of writing and found it refreshing. Some songs were written from the drums first, then adding guitars and melodies afterwards.

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

The album was recorded in Liquid Noise Studios UK.Vale Studios UK and Winterland Studios USA. It was produced by Toby Jepson and Lionel Hicks.

Who created/designed the album artwork?

The cover design was created by Stuart Dilley and the artwork was by Antz White.

You have also released the new single ‘Never Be Here Again’. What was the story/inspiration behind the track?

It’s a song about living for the moment .Being in the present and remembering to appreciate the here and now rather than reminiscing or wishing your life away. While always trying to remember to stop and smell the roses we thought it was time to actually write it down and commit the idea to paper. The idea for the lyrics came after the music for the verse and chorus where written .This is the first song of ours that we heard Hazel sing and it blew us away . I’m pretty sure that some of the original demo vocal is still on there because we loved the energy and passion so much . If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

The single is accompanied by an official music video. What was the thought process behind it and who did you work with on it?

We wanted to create something opulent and grand to introduce the new band members. We made 3 videos at the same location. Each video has been treated differently to reflect the feel of the songs. Toby Jepson wrote the storylines and directed all of the videos.

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

I haven’t read a novel for years now. I could imagine writing something for “The life of Pi”. That has some great imagery that would inspire a lot of musical ideas.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

Well as the bass player I love my Ampeg Bass rig . Also I keep my eyes and ears out for different distortion pedals. I have quite a collection,but keep coming back to one or two favourites.

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

London is where I’ve lived most of my life.

Vibrant

Multicultural

Changing

Historic

New

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the album recording sessions?

We first started to record the vocals at Vale Studios this was the first time we had actually met Hazel in the flesh due to the pandemic and still restrictions on gathering together. To this point we had done things remotely meeting through zoom and home demos to get vocal ideas. So it was a fantastic moment when we finally got to meet Hazel and she started to sing in the studio with us present. It was very exciting and we knew then that we had got a new vocalist that fits the band perfectly and with such a powerful voice.

Do you have any plans for live shows in Europe/UK in 2024?

We need to see how well received the new album is. We’re ready to book some shows, but realistically it’ll probably be later in the year now.

Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

Happiest would be “Monster” despite its theme of dealing with your problems head on, it’s quite a bouncy tune musically.

Angriest would be Abyss, it’s fast and Hazel’s vocal really roar.

Most reflective would be Velocity. It’s about missing someone who’s been lost and all the values that are now underlined by their absence.

Was it a difficult album to write?

No it was a fun album to write especially as we have all come through some crazy times. It was a great release of pent up ideas.

How do you look after your voices?

Well nobody smokes. That’s a big part of it. Then as long as you warm up and warm down afterwards, you should be fine.

What makes The Balance of Power happy and what makes you unhappy?

 I think making something from nothing is always very rewarding. When you hear a finished track on the album that didn’t exist when you first started with a blank piece of paper.