Holy Grail is without a doubt one of the most exciting new metal bands I have heard in years. I was already a huge fan of their “Improper Burial” EP and after seeing them live here in Atlanta on the Exodus tour the deal was completely sealed. This is a band to be reckoned with. They possess that determination and hunger that is rarely seen in new bands these days. I recently did a phone interview with Holy Grail vocalist James Paul Luna on the eve of the release of their Prosthetics Records debut full length album “Crisis In Utopia.” We talked about the new album, melting faces at Japan’s Loud Park festival and the huge lesson he learned while on the road with Exodus! This was a great one and I hope you all enjoy this one!
Hey Luna, how are ya man?
Good, how are you doing Don?
****************************************
I’m great man. Is this a good time for the interview?
It’s a perfect time. It’s noon here! [laughs]
****************************************
Is it breakfast time for you or something?
[laughs] Nah, I got up about 20 minutes ago. I was at Triptykon last night so it was a really fun show at the El Rey. It was Tom Fischer from Celtic Frost’s new band which is really cool. They do a lot of old Celtic Frost. It was a really good show. One of the bands on our label called 1349 played too so I was hanging out with all the label people and it kinda went late.
****************************************
For starters, congratulations on “Crisis In Utopia.” I honestly think it’s one of the best metal albums I’ve heard in years. I put it up there with some of the greats.
Wow man. That’s a really great compliment so thanks a lot.
****************************************
I’ve been listening to metal for nearly 30 years and I haven’t been this pumped on a new band in a long time. It’s really cool to hear a young band capturing that classic sound.
Thanks. We really love classic and old school stuff but we also love technical and shred. We just tried to make the best metal we could. I’m glad you’re feeling it!
****************************************
Holy Grail was just at Loud Park in Japan and from what I saw on YouTube they went ape shit over you guys there!
It was really awesome. The venue holds 15,000 and we were the first band on at 11am. The Anvil slot like in the movie. They opened the doors and there were 10,000 people there. [laughs] We were like, “What the fuck?” [laughs] If there are any shouts or stomp parts in our songs they were shouting along. They were so pumped on us and freaking out. It was awesome.
****************************************
So at what point did the music bug bite you and make you realize that this is what you wanted to do?
Music has just always be a big part of my life. My dad was always into The Beatles and Led Zeppelin or classical music. He always had music playing. When I was five years old, I was obsessed with this miniature acoustic guitar and then once I got into junior high I got my first electric guitar. I always played in bands and was just always obsessed with music. I didn’t actually start singing until a couple of years after high school. I was playing bass for a 70’s hard rock type of band and we had trouble finding a singer so I ended up being the singer and we got another guy to play bass.
****************************************
Have you ever had any kind of formal vocal training?
Yeah, I’ve had some training with a vocal coach before. I sang in the choir when I was 9. I went to Catholic school for 12 years so [laughs].
****************************************
Yeah, I went to Catholic school for 10 years and you’re pretty much bred to be in choir.
[laughs] Yeah, and you’re bred to get in to metal so it seems! [laughs]
****************************************
I feel like when you split from White Wizzard, we got two great bands. Was leaving White Wizzard a hard move for you or was it a necessary move to make in order for you to grow into your own direction?
It was hard but at the same time it just felt like it was never going to be what we wanted. Jon (Leon) the bassist is the leader and he really wouldn’t let go of the reins and wasn’t willing to bend. He’ll even admit it himself that he’s really strong headed about what he wants. We wanted to incorporate thrash metal and some Racer X type stuff or even some Trouble, some heavier stoner metal. He is very much about Iron Maiden and Judas Priest and it had to be sounding like that. Although we love that, we didn’t want to be a one trick pony. We wanted to add more variety to the sound and he wasn’t into it so we left and started Holy Grail.
****************************************
That had to be a scary move for you so how does it feel to see Holy Grail really starting to take off right now?
I feel really proud. It was definitely scary for a minute but once we saw that people were responding to what we were doing with White Wizzard it gave us confidence. We were like, “If they like what we did there, we could do what we really like” and we just went for it. It’s pretty awesome to see people digging what we do. I couldn’t be more proud.
****************************************
Is the writing process in Holy Grail a more collaborative effort or are there primary roles within the band?
There’s really no roles. I write and then James LaRue (guitarist) writes. Eli (Santana, guitarist) wrote a lot of the new material. We were recording demos which ended being part of the EP (Improper Burial) and as we were recording we found Eli who joined just in time to track solos on it. He wasn’t really involved in the writing for the EP but once it came time to do the album (Crisis In Utopia) Eli wrote something like 187 riffs. [laughs]
****************************************
Holy shit! That is sick man!
[laughs] Yeah so out of those, he got like 30 songs. We had like 40 songs in the pot to pick from for this album. We just picked our favorite 11 songs. The songs I write are more melody. I write verse, chorus, bridge parts and melodies over it. I give them to Eli and he just rearranged them and added extra shreds to them making them more intricate. It was really fun. You never know how the songs come about but we collaborated a lot.
****************************************
I read recently that there is a whole new movement called NWOTHM (New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal). How does it feel to be at the forefront of a new movement?
I’m down with it but we never made any conscious effort to be part of any kind of movement. There’s so many genres and sub-genres now that people try and pin you into a certain pocket. I don’t consider us fully traditional or old school but I don’t mind being considered that so it’s cool with me [laughs].
****************************************
Holy Grail was out with Exodus and Malevolent Creation this year. Did you learn any great lessons while on the road with these veterans?
On every tour we earn a number of new tools in our bag. Touring with Exodus was awesome because those guys are just so filled with old school mentality. The one thing I learned the hard way is that you can’t out drink Exodus. [laughs] Lee Altus is Russian and that guy drinks vodka like water. How can this guy drink so much? He drank us under the table every night. One night he invited me onto their tour bus to drink some vodka. He just pours me a full glass and we start drinking it like water and then Tom Hunting comes over and pours me a glass of Jagermeister and so I’m drinking vodka and chasing it with Jagermeister. I don’t know how much time went by but then I started trying to wrestle Gary Holt [laughs]. I wake up the next morning and I don’t know what had happened but I’m in a pile of puke. I was like, “What the fuck is going on?” I show up to the venue and all the guys are just shaking their heads at me. Apparently I had puked in the tour bus toilet and totally clogged it. They had me clean out the puke and then I as I was trying to leave I tripped and did a Sonic the Hedgehog type roll out the fucking tour bus and fell out onto the curb! [laughs] They said, “Don’t worry about it man. We took care of it. We know shit like that happens but now you know you can’t out drink Exodus!” [laughs]
****************************************
Seeing Holy Grail perform live had me wondering how the hell you sing like that night after night. What do you do to take care of your voice on the road?
I just try and rest and drink as much water as possible. I’ll still have a beer or a couple of shots of whiskey before I play. I now know my limits and I’ve pushed them to the extreme before. That’s part of touring. Just learning your limits and taking as close to that edge as possible. I do warm ups before each show as well usually.
****************************************
Being that metal music is the kind of music that you play and that you’re passionate about, are there any artists we’d be surprised to hear you were a fan of?
I like Funkadellic and I like old school soul music. I like Mahavishnu Orchestra and that progressive fusion kind of stuff but mainly I like a lot of 60’s and 70’s hard rock and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. I do like Die Antwoord. They’re pretty funny. It’s like this South African hip hop. It’s kind of like comedy but the guy is so serious about it. Just look up “Enter The Ninja” on YouTube. It’s pretty ridiculous! [laughs]
****************************************
So if you could put a dream band together, who would be in it but you have to be in it as well?
Depends on what kind of sound it would be. I would love to sub in for Ian Gillan on Deep Purple’s Machine Head tour! [laughs] That would be insane. If it was a shred band I would get Marty Friedman and Paul Gilbert and Billy Sheehan on bass. [laughs] Who would be drumming? Samus Paulicelli from Abagail Williams is pretty awesome so I’d love to get that guy in there. He does the fastest blast beats I’ve ever heard. [laughs] I don’t know that I’d be able to reach that bar but it would be awesome. I’d be competing with like Jim Gillette of Nitro. [laughs] Remember that Nitro stuff?
****************************************
I remember when he had his Vocal Power voice lessons in the back of Hit Parader magazine.
[laughs] Yeah! I have that video! [laughs] It’s so extreme. My favorite part of that video is after he gives you a lesson, he says, “Remember guys, don’t forget to practice but the best thing about it is guys, singers get all the chicks!” [laughs]
****************************************
Let’s not forget Doug Marks and his Metal Method guitar lessons!
[laughs] I have his first album called “Hawk!” Matt Sorum from Velvet Revolver was in that band. [laughs]
****************************************
Holy Grail has had some really impressive tours so far. What bands would you like to see yourselves hitting the road with in the future?
There’s bands that keep popping up and getting reunited. I’d be pumped to do shows with Blitzkrieg if they came back. King Diamond would be fucking awesome. Any old school thrash band like Testament, Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica, all those guys would be insane. Maiden, Priest, ya know. I know the Scorpions are done but that would’ve been awesome to go out with them. I love the Scorpions. We did have an opportunity to open for Anvil but we were recording our album and we couldn’t do it. That would’ve been sweet though [laughs]. Any classic, traditional metal would be awesome.
****************************************
Holy Grail’s been on the road for a while now but “Crisis In Utopia” is just now coming out. Will you be out for the better part of a year supporting it?
We’re going to tour the fucking death out of that album and just try to keep trucking along and trying to spread as much word as possible and hit as many continents as we can.
****************************************
You guys have the Blind Guardian tour coming up so you must be pretty pumped about that.
I honestly hadn’t listened to a lot of Blind Guardian before. I remember hearing some of their stuff but once I got a hold of this new album I was like, “Holy shit! These guys are fucking nuts!” I’m now going back to their old shit and it’s really good. I’m now really excited to tour with them. It’s going to be awesome. Their crowd will like us well I think because there are a lot of similarities in our styles. It should be cool.
****************************************
What are your plans for after the Blind Guardian tour?
After the Blind Guardian tour we’ll be out in February/March for the US and Canada and then in the spring we’ll probably go back to Europe. They’re pretty hungry for us over there.
****************************************
Luna, thanks so much for taking the time out to chat with me. It’s been a blast and I look forward to hanging with you here in Atlanta sometime! Maybe you and I can chase some 4 Locos down or something.
[laughs]Awesome Don! Just stay in touch with me and next time we’re in Atlanta we’ll kick it! Thanks a lot for talking dude. Take care!
