Sanctify is available to stream and
download HERE. Order the The Fire
Cosmic album HERE.
The new album, The Fire Cosmic,
follows five unprecedented albums
that Troy released in 2020. It was
recorded at the legendary Rockfield
Studios in North Wales, the same
studio where Queen recorded all
their early albums including Sheer
Heart Attack (1974) followed by A
Night At The Opera (1975) – the
latter featuring the legendary single
Bohemian Rhapsody. For the
recording of the new album, Troy
enlisted one of the best rhythm
sections in the UK, including the
legendary Darby Todd on drums
(The Darkness, Robben Ford, Martin
Barre, Paul Gilbert), virtuoso bass guitarist Dave Marks (Hans Zimmer), plus guitarist Ron
‘Bumblefoot’ Thal (Guns ‘N Roses, Asia, Sons of Apollo) on the song On Fire, in what Troy
describes as “the ultimate dream team” and what is arguably the British guitarist’s most
compelling release to date.
Says Troy, “I chose Rockfield Studios because so much of the music I grew up listening to was
recorded at this legendary studio (Queen, Black Sabbath, Mott The Hoople). The studio is
hallowed ground for every musician, and the rooms there are charged with so much magic and
history of all the iconic, classic albums that have been produced there.”
“It was important for me to capture the raw energy of three guys playing live in the same place, at
the same time. That’s something that you just can't get if you’re sending files from different
locations, it doesn't have the same vibe or feel if you do it that way.”
As soon as we arrived at Rockfield, everyone, including Darby and Dave who’ve recorded all over
the world, were excited to be there,” continues Troy. “It’s that kind of place. It has that effect on
every musician who records there. Even before we started recording, the energy and vibe was
there, which definitely set the tone for the entire album.”
Troy has cut his teeth and refined his style over the last few years, playing festival main stages and
blazing a trail across Europe, Scandinavia, and Russia. He’s also become a well-known draw on the
UK Blues Rock festival circuit, playing alongside rock luminaries including Robert Plant.
“Troy is a passionate, intense, free-spirited musician whose ferocious slide guitar style twists and
turns timeless themes and ideas to his own ends. He’s a musical visionary unafraid to trample on
the boundaries of restricting labels,” said Blues Matters Magazine.
The forthcoming studio album is a culmination everything Troy has learnt so far on his musical
journey, and, more importantly, brings into sharp focus a much tighter song-writing and more
visceral, muscular production style.
For production duties, Troy enlisted the Brighton- based producer Paul ‘Win’ Winstanley, best
known for his epic rock production style, and whom Troy met and had worked with previously on
the 2019 RHR album, Hotel Toledo. Troy and Win bonded immediately, and shared the same
musical aesthetic, no nonsense work ethic and dry sense of humour.
Rockfield’s vintage mics, mixing desk, and analogue outboard gear gave Win options to capture
the dynamic performances on the album. “It was like being a kid in a candy store,” says Win.
“It was important for the album to sound massive,” says Troy. “It was a much bigger sound than
anything that I’ve released before. As soon as we heard the first takes in the control, we were
blown away. We knew that we captured something special. It sounded fantastic.”
“For the session, Darby Todd brought his vintage Ludwig Vistalite acrylic drums of John Bonham
fame. The drums are renowned for sounding massive. Hearing them in one of the best drum
rooms in the world, they sounded out of this world! Roger Taylor’s drums recorded for Queen’s
Sheer Heart Attack album at Rockfield are some of my favourite drum sounds on any recording.”
Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal states, “It all starts with the drums, if you’ve got a great drummer, great
sounding room, great board, it’s going to sound phenomenal, and it does!”
“I met Ron at a festival in Poland that we were both playing at, we immediately hit it off,” recalls
Troy. “He let me use his signature double neck guitar to play on Anthony Gomes encore set at the
festival, that was an absolute blast. He’s such a cool, generous guy. When I returned to the UK, I
emailed him to ask if he’d like to play on my new album. He was totally fired up to do it.”
Troy continues, “The album really is a step up. It’s the best album I’ve made. Hiring Rockfield,
getting the best players, the best producer – it was a risk, but it paid off tenfold. I’ve made an
album I really couldn't be happier with.”
“With all the hard work that went into getting this album to sound as great as possible, there was
only one option when it came to mastering. I decided to hire Frank Arkwright (Biffy Clyro, Oasis,
Iggy Pop, Paul Weller, System of a Down). Frank is the senior mastering engineer at Abbey Road.
The mastering at Abbey Road added that final sheen. Frank did an absolutely amazing job in
bringing out every nuance of the recording.”
“When it came to the album artwork, I was originally going to get an artist from Brazil to do it for
me, however, I started working on some artwork of my own in the silver age Marvel comics style,
based on the four guys that were on the album. I posted a few visuals on the socials and was
overwhelmed by the response. It was a huge kick getting responses from Joe Satriani, Richie
Kotzen, and my slide guitar hero Denny Walley of Frank Zappa fame. As a result, I created my own
comic-style illustrations to package the album.”
MUSICIANS
TROY REDFERN – VOCALS, GUITARS
RON ‘BUMBLEFOOT’ THAL – GUITARS (TRACK 5)
DARBY TODD – DRUMS
DAVE MARKS - BASS, PIANO, KEYS, PERCUSSION
RECLORDED & MIXED AT ROCKFIELD STUDIOS BY PAUL ‘WIN’ WINSTANLEY
ASSISTANT ENGINEER – JOE JONES
MASTERED BY FRANK ARKWRIGHT AT ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS
# # #
TRACK LISTING
1. SCORPIO (4:50)
2. WAITING FOR YOUR LOVE (3:34)
3. ONE WAY TICKET (3:50)
4. LOVE & WAR (4:37)
5. ON FIRE (4:09)
6. LAY THAT LOVE DOWN (3:23)
7. GHOSTS (4:02)
8. SAVING GRACE (4:07)
9. SANCTIFY (3:46)
10. STONE (5:50)
