Crimson Glory’s comeback with “Chasing The Hydra” is here! This long-awaited album, the first in decades, looks set to put our favorite band back on the metal scene’s map. So we didn’t miss the chance to talk with Ben Jackson about the band’s present, past, and future. Interview: Michael Ntalakos
Rockpages.gr: Ben, welcome to our magazine. How are you? How do you feel about Crimson Glory’s return after so many years?
Ben Jackson: It’s great to talk to you. Man, it’s an amazing feeling. We took a long time, and people were waiting for this album. But we wanted to get everything right this time. We wanted to give them the best possible result.
Rockpages.gr: Crimson Glory has had quite a few hiatuses over the years. Can you briefly tell us when you got back on track for this album?
Ben Jackson: I’d say about three years ago. Maybe a little longer. I started talking to Jeff (Lords, bass) about this possibility. We had the passion again to start the band, find new members, and write new music! So the three of us got together and decided to get things going again. We started jotting down various ideas while also looking for a singer.
Rockpages.gr: Considering how long the band has been on hiatus… how fresh are the ideas we hear on the album? Did you use any older compositions?
Ben Jackson: No! I can tell you that everything you hear is fresh. We shared ideas with Dana; he had some demos as well. We didn’t dig through the archives to find older material for this album. You could say we were really eager!
Rockpages.gr: The title track opens with the riff from “Red Sharks”—you could call it a variation of that. Did you do that as a link to your history?
Ben Jackson: Yes, exactly that, though there is one key difference—its progression. In “Chasing,” the progression goes up, while in “Red Sharks” it goes down. But I think it turned out really well; it tied in with the song. It was Jeff’s idea; I think it was a nice thought and was executed with care. It wasn’t that we didn’t have other ideas or anything like that.
Rockpages.gr: You’ve released two landmark albums. Does that make it difficult for you when you’re writing new material? Do you feel it as a burden?
Ben Jackson: You know, after all these years, not really. We’ve come to terms with the fact that we released those albums. It’s a great honor and joy for us. But life goes on, right? We want to play and write good music. We know that people’s expectations are high, and that’s justified, but it’s no longer something that stresses us out. We know what we’re capable of today. We’ve all matured as musicians and as people.
Rockpages.gr: Would you say that this album is the closest thing to a logical continuation of your previous albums, as opposed to your earlier work?
Ben Jackson: Yes! I believe that. Thank you for saying that; a lot of people have told us that. The album sounds like a more logical continuation of our second album. It’s clearly much closer to that sound compared to our previous works.
Rockpages.gr: Let’s go back in time a bit. You left the band back in 1989. Was the reason the change in the band’s sound?
Ben Jackson: That was exactly the reason! It was the first week of 1990, to be precise. Jeff called me and told me that Jon had decided, along with Midnight, to make an album in a different style and they no longer needed a second guitarist. Basically, he told me they didn’t need me anymore (laughs), yeah, I know, it’s not exactly the best thing anyone could hear (laughs).
But that’s all in the past. I understand that Jon wanted to try something different. He wanted a more commercial approach and to see what would come of it. I won’t say I’m happy with how it turned out, but all that is in the past. It’s part of the band’s history.
Rockpages.gr: What do you think of “Strange And Beautiful” now? I’ve always said it’s a good album, but not a good Crimson Glory album…
Ben Jackson: Exactly (laughs). It’s definitely not a good Crimson Glory album. It has no connection to the band’s past. It didn’t have the band’s style; it was so different. But it was a good rock album. It had some pretty good tracks, in my opinion.
Rockpages.gr: Let’s talk about “Astronomica.” When it was released, it received quite a few negative reviews, even though it was clearly a more metal album. Nevertheless, in recent years, more and more people have come to admit that the album was probably underrated.
Ben Jackson: It was definitely underrated. Jon and Jeff asked me to come back, and they’d also talked to Midnight, but things weren’t going so well for him at the time, unfortunately. I do think Wade did an amazing job, though. He brought his own style to it.
We went back to the idea of writing songs for two guitars. I think it was a really good album. Maybe the expectations and the hype hurt the album back then. It definitely could have done much better. I’m not saying it didn’t have some weaknesses—for example, the use of a drum machine was a mistake.
Rockpages.gr: What do you remember about reuniting with Midnight?
Ben Jackson: Midnight got back together in 2006; we’d been invited to the Rockwave Festival in Athens, and they wanted the original lineup. We gave it a try and wanted to write some new music, too. But he wasn’t at his best; unfortunately, he also had a drinking problem. He wasn’t taking care of himself. Unfortunately, that reunion didn’t work out for the band.
But he managed to release solo material. He gave us some really beautiful songs. I wish there were more music featuring his voice. We’re grateful for all the music he gave the world.
Rockpages.gr: Your new album was released in various vinyl editions—how do you feel about that?
Ben Jackson: I’m very happy. I’m a huge vinyl fan; I grew up with this format. Nothing else sounds as good as vinyl to me. It’s a ritual. The music sounds so alive. I’m really happy that No Remorse Records released the album in so many editions. I know how much vinyl fans want this—I’m one of them. For me, it’s important that the album comes out like this—colorful, splatter, and even the edition with liquid inside!
Rockpages.gr: Aside Midnight, do you guys consider yourselves lucky when it comes to finding a singer.
Be Jackson: Yes, definitely. Midnight was a key factor on the success of the first albums. Wade Black had an amazing voice and did his thing in “Astronomica”. Tod La Torre is a great singer! And now Travis I think he has elevated our songs on a different level as well. Yes, we are very fortunate having all these amazing singers.
Rockpages.gr: What are Crimson Glory’s immediate plans? I know we’ll see you again soon in Greece.
Ben Jackson: We’ve been rehearsing for our live shows for the past two months. The new material sounds amazing live. We’ll be playing in Greece; our goal is to deliver lots of high-quality live shows for our fans.
Rockpages.gr: So we’ll get to hear some new material live
Ben Jackson: Absolutely, we’ll have quite a few new songs in our set; we really believe in this album. Of course, we’ll play plenty of classics as well. I think we’ll have a really good balance in the songs we play.
Rockpages.gr: Should I say that Crimson Glory is back for good?
Ben Jackson: Yes (laughs). You know, we’re already discussing our next album. We have material that didn’t make it onto “Chasing The Hydra” for various reasons. We also have many other ideas. We’re also planning a live recording, something we’ve wanted to do for many years.
Rockpages.gr: Wrap up this interview with a message to all your fans here in Greece!
Ben Jackson: We want to see you all again at our concert. I hope you like our new album. We worked really hard to give you the best we could!
