MM: Could you please introduce yourself, and the rest of the band?
Grant Eskeretti: Grant (drums) and the rest of the band is Robert Alexander (vox), Tom Draper (guitar) and Nick Smith (bass).
MM: Good to see a couple of Brummies in the band, when and how did you guys form?
GE: We formed last April. Nick the bassist; originally from Brum and I went to the same school and we’ve always played in bands together. We decided to form Crowning Glory to play the kind of metal we wanted to play. Rob our vocalist saw our ad on a Camden market stall (on a trip to London from Brum) and when he came down to our rehearsal room I think we all knew he was just what we’d been looking for. He had a really incredible range and power to his voice; we couldn’t believe he wasn’t already in a band. We found Tom after our first guitarist left to pursue a career in production. Tom was really the final piece of the puzzle; he is definitely on the same page as Nick and I when it comes to the music. He’s a talented, yet very unassuming guy and we’re glad we found him.
MM: There’s one song so far on your website, which is sounds very promising. Is there any news of a demo release?
GE: Yes. We’re back in the studio for a few days in early Jan ’06. We’re going to record a couple more songs and get the demo out there. The trouble is we can only afford to go in for a few days at a time at most – "Other Side" was recorded and mixed in a day! We want to get some stuff on vinyl as well as CD. Vinyl is important. You still can’t beat the sound of heavy metal played fucking loud on heavy-weight vinyl as far as I’m concerned.
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MM: How would you describe Crowning Glory to someone who hasn’t heard you? GE: It’s pretty simple. Fast and energetic. It’s basically where hard rock meets great British Heavy Metal. None of it is ultra heavy but equally we don’t do ballads…just yet! I like to think of it as the sound of Lemmy kicking the shit out of Robbie Williams.
MM: Who are your main influences as a band? |
MM: Are there any bands you’ve been compared to?
GE: Some people have said Maiden and some people have said Crue, others have said Priest – all of whom are massive influences like I say, but with the four members of band coming together we just sound like Crowning Glory...with the obvious cap-doffing.
MM: You’ve had a few shows now, and a number of sold out gigs, what has the reaction been like to Crowning Glory, and have you been surprised?
GE: The reaction has been excellent – and yes I think we’re all quite surprised. Having said that you always set out to write music that you think rocks, so I suppose if the crowd were to start throwing bottles at us we’d be more surprised. We’re all looking forward to playing as many gigs to as many people as we can.
MM: I’ve read that you‘ve been asked to play at a Clive Burr MS Charity gig. How did this come about?
GE: A girl Tom knows suffers from MS and is a huge Maiden fan, and a loyal follower of the London unsigned rock scene. She really wants to put on a charity show to raise awareness of MS, and to raise money to help pay for Clive Burr's treatment and care. We are thrilled that she has asked us to play. But as with all these things, we’ll have to see if it happens, nothing is confirmed as yet but it is something we’d love to do should it come off.
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MM: As 2005 is nearly over, what would you realistically like to achieve during 2006? GE: It may be a little too soon for World domination so perhaps we’ll start with a county; maybe Cornwall. Yes, we’d like to achieve the domination of Cornwall. Failing that, doing a few of the festivals around Europe in the summer and getting a deal – the holy-grail!
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MM: Thanks for talking to us, and good luck for the future. Any last words/comments?
GE: Don your Denim, strap on your leather and march forth to Glory! See you all at the next gig...wherever that may be.
Crowning Glory - http://www.crowninggloryuk.com
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