EMQ’s With Wounded Cross

EMQ’s With Wounded Cross

Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with UK Progressive Rock/ Thrash Metal band, Wounded Cross. Huge thanks to their Guitarist, Tom, for taking part. 

What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?

Hi! I’m Tom and I play guitar. The band was originally formed by Ian Atkinson and Graham. I joined a bit later, on but was there for the first real incarnation of the band. We’ve reformed recently as a trio with a new sound. We are calling this Wounded Cross MK II because I’m a huge Deep Purple fan. 

How did you come up with your band name?

I didn’t! Graham came up with the name and I liked it so went along with it.

What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?

I’m from the West Midlands in England, the music scene here is healthy and great. A lot of really brilliant Doom bands, especially because this is the home of that style of music. We’ve been really fortunate to play with some great bands over the years.

What is your latest release?

The latest release is our single for our upcoming 2024 album Monument of Bones. We put the track out to get a feel for how people would react to the drastically different new direction we are going in.

Who has been your greatest influence?

For me definitely Ritchie Blackmore; after that Yngwie, Prince, Randy Rhoads, Uli Roth… I’ve been inspired by a lot of different players over the years. To be honest, more recently I really love Florestan Durand from Novelists FR. I’d say Blackmore is my main influence just from his approach to doing things, and I still approach things in that way today. The idea of organised improvisation to keep things interesting and the idea of writing riffs with an importance on melody and memorability rather than on complexity. 

What first got you into music?

My uncle left an acoustic guitar at our house when he moved to Australia, and I just kinda started playing it. Very badly. I got serious when I saw the Jimi Hendrix Voodoo Child Woodstock performance. I didn’t know a guitar could even sound like that – it fascinated me so much. From there I found Blackmore, who became my favourite guitarist, and discovered Made in Japan which I absolutely love. I also really listened to MK III Deep Purple and obviously Rainbow too, as favourites. 

If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?

That’s such a difficult answer… I think Graham Bonnet would be great because of the Rainbow connection, but also I’ve always really loved his full power voice in Rainbow and Alcatrazz. He also seems like a down to earth guy and we’re both currently metal musicians with short hair; I might grow mine out again but I haven’t decided yet. 

If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?

Download for me, I remember being a teenager and always wanting to one day play Download. 

What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

It wasn’t really weird but somebody gave me some picks to try out, they were really thin nylon picks which didn’t exactly work for me because I love using really heavy picks, but with a loose grip. It was still a very kind gesture and I appreciate any fans. 

If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?

Thanks for the support and for taking the time out to listen to us. Really, that goes for anyone who takes the time out to listen to us, not just fans. There is so much music out there online now, and I appreciate everyone who takes time out of their day to give us a chance. Especially because our newest single is over 7 minutes long…! 

If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?

AProbably Randy Rhoads, he died very young and was such an original and gifted player. I read that after being with Ozzy he wanted to focus more on classical guitar and I really wish that we could’ve had a chance to listen to that.  

What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?

My favourite part is definitely writing material and just experimenting and coming up with new stuff. That’s what makes me really excited. I think the most rewarding thing about playing guitar is when you come up with something that you enjoy, it makes the occasional writer’s block worth it.

The thing that I hate is more of an internal thing. It’s second guessing myself; “will other people like this?”, “Is this really the best I can do” you know? Nagging thoughts like that which we all have. 

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

I think the only thing I have an issue with is “pay to play” gigs. I understand why they’re a thing and the principle of it, but I think it sucks that musicians have to pay to lug their gear to a venue and give their all to an audience. Don’t get me wrong, I love playing music for people and it doesn’t feel like a chore, but the idea of paying to do it just rubs me the wrong way despite me knowing why it’s something that happens. 

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