Tommy Henriksen is a rock’n’roll lifer. Having began out with Doro within the late 80s, he’s amassed a powerful CV as each a featured musician and for his songwriting, mixing and manufacturing, working with everybody from Meat Loaf to Girl Gaga. Since 2011 he’s additionally been a member of Alice Cooper’s band and one of many core members of sorta-supergroup Hollywood Vampires.
You’d anticipate such hefty commitments to take up all of his free time, however Henriksen is now a person with a mission, spreading the gospel for cosmic superhero Crossbone Skully, with a band of the identical identify.
“Crossbone Skully is a working-class hero who’s determining how we are able to survive and make the world a greater place,” he explains. “I can’t write love songs, that’s not on my thoughts.”
The group’s origins may be traced to soundchecks, whereas Henriksen was on tour with the Vampires. Jamming AC/DC tracks with drummer Glen Sobel, he was inspired by crew members to begin his personal undertaking in that very same stompy rock’n’roll vein. In response, he wrote The Increase Went The Increase, the Thunderstruck-like opener to Crossbone Skully’s debut album Evil World Machine.
“I’ve based mostly this report on my heroes – AC/DC, Queen, The Who, but in addition The Automobiles and Kraftwerk,” Henriksen says. “I don’t need to be boxed in.”
There’s additionally loads of Def Leppard and even Whitesnake in Crossbone Skully’s DNA. With such a give attention to 80s rock giants, naturally there was one identify that got here to thoughts when it got here to discovering a producer: Mutt Lange. Launched to Lange by guitarist Tommy Denander, Henriksen is agog as he explains how Crossbone Skully managed to coax the legendary producer out of retirement.
“Mutt referred to as and instructed me he thought there was one thing there. I began crying like a child, it was like Jesus coming again and anointing you!” he says. “Mutt has taken these songs to an entire different stage. Now I don’t thoughts what else occurs with this report.”
Lange isn’t the one VIP to pop up on Evil World Machine. Rock stars together with Nikki Sixx, Def Leppard’s Phil Collen and UFO bassist Pete Means all supplied musical contributions (“Pete did two tracks proper earlier than he handed, they’re wonderful,” Henriksen enthuses). Henriksen’s fellow Vampires additionally supplied voice-over work to an accompanying animated movie that has turned Crossbone Skully right into a multimedia franchise.
“I needed Johnny [Depp] to be the voice [of Crossbone Skully] initially,” Henriksen reveals. Depp’s schedule meant he couldn’t commit, however another was discovered utilizing an app to create a robotic voice that he might tinker with to present his creation a voice. “Now I can’t do away with this mobile phone as a result of they don’t make that app any extra!”
Evil World Machine is out now through Higher Noise.
