Colossa talks about the new album recordings part 1

Hi everyone. We’re 8 days in the process of recording our new album and it’s working out really great. The internet connection here at the studio is slow, so the video blogs we promised will follow later on. We’ve got some action footage coming up for you. Drums, bass and guitars have already been recorded. These songs are the most energetic rockin’ tracks we’ve ever written and recorded! We can’t wait to play them live in the near future.

So what happened during the first studio days? Well..it was a total blast! On the way to the studio Remco almost forgot his Dr. Z amp and Dennis forgot his cymbals. What a start. The studio lies in Groningen and has the biggest arsenal of top notch mics in the country, a great analog desk and the best outboard gear.

Recording engineer, producer AND mixer (he does it all!)  Guido Aalbers was siked for the new album project and completed the  Colossal pack @ wednesday august 8th.  As a present we received these awesome Fresh Pots coffee mugs (see photo) . They contained our daily dose of black gold.

Dennis and Joost immediately got their equipment ready and recorded four songs on the 1st day. They’re a freight train running at full speed. Did I already mention this record is full on rock ‘n’ roll? Dennis experimented with some new cymbals, including a nice Sabian trash cymbal with holes in it (aka the coffee cup holder!) which has quite a prominent place in some fast songs.

For all you drum(mer) lovers out there: keep an eye on the site ’cause next week you can win a signed snare drumhead which has been used by Dennis on one of the album songs.

Joost his gear consisted of his trusty Orange head and his Ampeg cabinet. He tested with an Avalon DI and a SansAmp and both got used in various songs. All with the Precision bass which made sure all songs had the best punchy bass sound they needed. I can’t imagine a bassplayer could ever look back when he has a P-bass. But what do I know, I’m the one that wants a brick wall of guitars on this album. Sadly, Dee and I had to wait and make ourselves useful with washing the dishes, serving coffee, local supermarket visits and preparing a BBQ feast!

After 2.5 days the rhythm bros were done recording all the 12 songs we’ve written for the new Colossa! These guys deserve a medal in the hall of rock ‘n’ roll next to John & John Paul..fast! The drawback for them..catering tasks for the rest of their studio days.  Dee and I got ready to release our guitarpalooza. 

<Guitartalk> We’re both fan of guitar amps which need to be pushed in volume to get that tube overdrive working at its best and these new beasts get the job done extremely well (as we hoped for). Dee ran his Matchless Independence 35 head through the matching Matchless 2×12 cab and Rem rocked his Dr. Z Remedy through a 4×12 custom cab with Greenback and Fender speakers. With these volume levels it’s quite impossible to play in the live room (These amps go to eleven!) so for a more relaxing vibe we both recorded our guitars in the control room in front of the desk. It’s also less tiring for the ears.

A Vox AC-30 Heritage (with Alnico Blue speakers) was used for guitar parts that needed a bit more chime, especially during solo’s and lead stuff to set the lead apart from the huge rhythm guitarsound. Dee used his Telecaster during the whole session, Rem swapped between his Gretsch Falcon and the Gibson Firebird.

The great news is: We’re still not sick of eachother after being in the same room for 8 days! This was a great test for the future when we’re hopefully in a touring van with even smaller beds making the same lame jokes over and over again All music has been recorded and vocals are now being tracked at the GieSound studio in Soest. Click here to see a small clip of Dee rocking out on new track ‘Go Go Go!!’ and for a sneak peak at ‘A Life Lost’ make sure to click right …here.

We thank you for reading our studio update and keep an eye on our sites for all the latest news and giveaways. If you like to help us out getting more attention for our new upcoming album please spread the word about Colossa to your friends and loved ones. Till soon!! Cheers.