Craig caught up with Billy from Fozzy to talk about thier albums, live shows, wrestling and much more.

Hi Billy, thanks for taking the time to sit down with me tonight.
No Problem man

What do you do in the band?
I'm the touring guitar player. I've been with the band off and on since 2002. I have another band that I play with back home. I moved to Atlanta to Jam with Rich and the guys in Sixspeed when they had that going on. I did a couple of Stuck Mojo reunion shows and was asked to do the Fozzy thing. For a time I didn't play with Fozzy, I was working with my own band. We have just released a record so when we get back to the states I'll be doing a lot of touring with them.

Who is your other band?
We're called Dangerous New Machine.

You're based in Atlanta?
That's correct.

So it's safe to say you haven't played on the new Fozzy record?
No, I didn't play on the Grail record. The guys needed a second guitarist to go on tour so they called me up and here we are.

Ok, so you started playing with Fozzy originally in 2002. It was still mostly a covers band back then?
Yeah well they started doing more original material when Happenstance came out. That's the record that I started jamming on with them.

there was still quite a few covers on that album
There was, yeah. I wasn't with them during All That Remains or Chasing The Grail because I was busy with other things.

You weren't around but do you know about how Chasing The Grail came together? Chris wrote a lot of the lyrics first, is that correct?
Yeah a lot of it was done like that. I know the song Wormwood was done like that. He wrote those lyrics beforehand. Rich and Mike Martin, another guitarist that was in the band at the time, wrote the song later and got it done. So yeah, a lot of the times he'd come to the table with lyrics first before a note is played.

That's not really the norm, it's usually the music that's written first and the lyrics are then written to fit in with that.
Yeah, a lot of times it is. Chris had some lyrics written that he really wanted used.

So Chris was happy for Rich and the other guys to interpret his lyrics even though the finished song might not have been what he envisioned?
Yeah mostly but he did have input also when the music was written but he is generally happy with what the guys write for the lyrics.

The album was released in January in the US?
It was, yes

Just a few days previous to the WWE wrestling event, The Royal Rumble where on of the songs was used as it's theme.
Yeah, it was Martyr that was used for the wrestling show.

How well has the album been received?
It's been very well received. From my knowledge and the crowd responses and everything else, it's been the most well received Fozzy record. It's mostly original and it's a very modern heavy record.

Yeah, it's quite a crossover record.
Yeah it's a crossover between heavy rock and heavy metal.

That gives it an edge because it has mass appeal, not just aimed at a niche audience.
Yeah it has a few pop hooks in there along with the heaviness.

So it's quite commercial in that sense.
It is, definitely. There's definitely a few commercial songs on there.

Which helps to reach new fans with it's appeal for radio play.
Yeah it helps that way to bring in new fans and keep the old ones also.

Let's talk a bit about the previous album, All That Remains. Off the back of that in 2004 there was a world tour.
Yeah I wasn't on that tour but I know a lot about it. The song Enemy was on that record. I think that is one of Fozzy's hit songs. They toured the world and actually came here to Belfast at that time. I think it's been 5 years since the band was here.

The song Enemy was used as a theme for a wrestling show also. The band have played at a few wrestling shows?
Yeah, I played with the guys back in 2002 at a wrestling show. Ric Flair came out and did all kinds of crazy shit while the band was playing. As far as All That Remains is concerned, I'm pretty sure they played a few wrestling shows.

Yeah, I think I remember them playing a few times at wrestling shows. So, we're on the sixth night of the tour now?
Yeah, last night we were in Edinburgh, Scotland.

How did that go?
It was very good, it was probably one of the best shows on the tour. Probably the best so far actually. Hopefully tonight the Belfast fans will kick their ass <laughs>

It's quite a hectic tour, 15 consecutive nights.
Yeah its all just bam bam bam! but it's great. The UK has been amazing to Fozzy. We played here back in May of this year. We didn't get to come to Ireland or Wales but we did the rest of the UK. That went really well for us.

It was based around Chris' availability because he had wrestling commitments?
Yeah it was

When does he return to the ring?
I think it's January when he goes back.

Being in the band must be a great release for him away from wrestling.
It's got to be. He loves heavy music. I think he's got a million times better as a singer with the band. Not that he wasn't good at first but he's grown really well into the role over the years.

The band is just another part of him, it's part of who he is?
Yeah, exactly

Well Billy, thanks for chatting with me and I'll let you go and do whatever you need to do to prepare for the show. It's been good talking to you and hopefully we can do it again sometime.
Ok, thankyou

Interview by Craig Young