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Orange Spotlight: Desert Storm

Orange Spotlight: Desert Storm

Who are Desert Storm?

Matthew Ryan – Vocals
Ryan Cole – Guitar
Elliot Cole – Drums
Matthew Dennett – Bass
Chris White – Guitar (Studio / writing only)

Desert Storm are a five piece progressive heavy metal band that have been dealing crushing riffs and grooves into earholes for the past 17 years.  Hailing from Oxford, the city of screaming spires, the quintet deliver their own unique brand of heavy music. The sound is loud and unforgiving, but also woven with elation and electrical ecstasy. For Fans of – Black Sabbath, Crowbar, Neurosis, Mastodon

Desert Storm formed in 2007 after me (Ryan), Elliot and Matt, who we met at secondary school, decided we wanted to form a band and start jamming. We asked Chris White (guitar – studio) to join, who we’ve known since we were young and rocked with in a school band previously. The only bassist we knew was another old school friend – Chris Benoist. Chris (Benoist) was in the band for almost 15 years, but left due to not having the time to commit anymore, but we’ve remained good friends. We replaced him with Matt Dennett, who we have known from gigging with his other band Battalions, he lives in Hull, so it’s quite a trek for him, but he seems committed!
The name Desert Storm came simply because we didn’t have any other ideas that were as good, it was supposed to be temporary, but we started gigging a lot and eventually everyone knew the band as Desert Storm, so we just stuck with it.

What inspires Desert Storm?

We as a collective have quite an eclectic taste in music. Many things inspire us – the love of other bands we look up to (Black Sabbath, Metallica, Tool, Kyuss, Clutch, Karma To Burn, Mastodon to name a few), hearing great guitar riffs / guitar-based music is an obvious inspiration and reason why myself and Chris (White) learnt the instrument in the first place. Matt (Ryan) will often write lyrics to our music rather than them being pre-written. He lets that dictate his thoughts / moods / feelings before jotting lyrical ideas down. Sometimes other forms of art – film, games or personal life experiences have inspired songs to be written in the band as well.

What Orange gear is important to Desert Storm?

I am currently using an Orange Rockerverb 100 through an PPC-412 speaker cabinet. I’ve had the amp for about 15 years now, and it just rules! It’s loud, and the tone is just perfect for what we do. You see some bands whacking in fuzz pedals etc (which is great in places, don’t get me wrong) but for me the natural sound this amp provides is all I’ve ever needed. This is my first and only Orange amp I have owned, but I am looking at some more!

Future Orange amps?

We are doing more fly in shows these days, so I’d like to get an Orange head that is ideal for transporting. I’d like to try the Dual or Dark Terrors. On recent fly-ins I’ve ended up using mostly Marshall JCM 800’s which are great, but sometimes you don’t know what you will get, and that is why i need my own! When we flew to Oslo I used an Orange TH30 though which was awesome. I recently used a Rockerverb 100 MK III at a festival and that was fantastic, probably one for the future too!

What does Orange mean to you?

Orange is awesome. I’ve always loved the look and design of them as well as the sound. The first time I remember seeing Orange amps was as a teenager in PMT, and I remember thinking how much it stood out and how cool it looked. Then I noticed a wall of Orange amps during a Down show, and more and more bands seemed to be using them. The first amp I owned was a Marshall MG 50DFX which was a cool little combo, but when Chris (White) started using his Mesa Boogie Tremoverb or Diezel, I knew I needed something louder. First I had a Randall RH 100 camo head & cab which was a great solid state amp but eventually I wanted a valve amp…so I went to PMT and tried out a Blackstar and the Orange Rockerverb 100, it was then that I bought the Orange and I’ve been using it ever since – live and in the studio. I have a Sovtek as a back up, but I’ve only used it live a handful of times as the Orange is so reliable.

I think there are quite a lot of doom, stoner and sludge bands using Orange amps these days and I can see why – Killer tones!

What’s the most memorable Desert Storm moment?

We’ve had a lot of memorable moments over the years that it’s hard to pick just one. A few highlights that spring to mind are getting booked for mainstage at this years Bloodstock Open Air & performing on the Sophie Stage at Bloodstock (2016, 2021). Some other great festival slots were at Wasted Open Air (Germany), Langeln Open Air (Germany), Into the void (Netherlands), HRH Ibiza (Spain) and Desertfest (London & Berlin). We’ve had some memorable tours too, including headline UK & European tours, as well as support slot tours with the likes of Skindred, Red Fang, Orange Goblin, Corrosion of Conformity, Karma To Burn, Peter Pan Speedrock, Raging Speedhorn, Crowbar, Honky, American Head Charge, Nashville Pussy and Weedeater to name a few. Hopefully a lot more to come!

What’s on the horizon for Desert Storm?

We finished up a 2-week headline UK / European tour in April, promoting the latest album ‘Death Rattle’ (which came out last year on APF Records). Coming up we have a mainstage slot on the Friday at Bloodstock Open Air with the likes of Opeth, Clutch, Hatebreed & Green Lung. We also visit Leon, Spain later in the year for a fly in show. As well as these shows there are a few other weekenders in the works which should be announced shortly, we will continue writing for the next album as well, and we have 2 new songs in the bag already.
For the future, we’ll keep doing our thing, writing and releasing music and touring hard.

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Orange Spotlight: Ritual King

Orange Spotlight: Ritual King

Who are Ritual King?

Ritual King are a 3-piece Hard Rock, Psychedelic, Blues band based in Manchester UK. It’s here where we all met during our studies, but we’ve all shared a deep passion for music. To introduce the band, we have Jordan Leppitt on guitar and lead vocals, Gareth Hodges on drums and backing vocals, then Daniel Godwin on bass with a rhythm guitar split.

Our style of music has been tweaked over the 8 years we’ve been a band, but we see it as more of a development. We’ve learnt what we’re comfortable playing, and what connects best with the people that support our music, however, we aren’t afraid to experiment to keep things interesting. 

What inspires Ritual King?

Collectively we’ve been huge fans of Elder, and ever since Gareth discovered the album Lore, we’ve seen them at multiple shows, bought their merch and listen to their songs on repeat. There are other bands that we take inspiration from, to mention a few there’s Earthless, Weedpecker, Atomic Bitchwax, and King Buffalo, but we still keep to our own style when it comes to our writing process. To be fair, we all listen to a very wide variety of music, and we take inspiration from anything that strikes our interest at the time. For example, Jordan may listen to some folk one day, then change to hip hop the next, and Danny regularly switches between dubstep and funk. .

What Orange gear is important to Ritual King?

Starting with lead guitar, Jordan has the TH100 paired with the PPC412 cab. He’s owned this combination for over 10 years, and even with the limited EQ functionality, it’s still diverse enough for him to create a fuzzed out lead distortion, and a smooth clean tone. The only thing that’s changed with his set-up are his pedals.

For Danny, his first Orange bass amp was an OB1-500, as he wanted use the Bi-amp feature to get a thicker sound, which would fill the spaces whilst Jordan does his solo’s. Now he’s upgraded greatly since then, so he has a AD200 (Paired with OBC410 and OBC115) for his bass, and a split signal into a Crush Pro 120 (Paired with PPC412 cab) for a rhythm guitar effect. It was just an experiment that stuck when it was all pieced together. To describe the sound, the bass tone is very warm with added fuzz to cut through and rumble the floor, but the guitar split has a solid distortion that greatly carries the songs without losing momentum.

Future Orange amps?

As the band start travelling more, we’re probably going to look at some of the more portable options in terms of amps. The Tiny Terrors have always been great amps, or even the Terror Stamp would be a good option. Admittedly we haven’t tried the Orange pedal range as they’re relatively new to us, but they do look very slick. We’re usually very flexible with our gear, as we’re always looking to push our sound to the next step, but we have found that the amps are perfect for diversity.

What does Orange mean to you?

From our perspective Orange has always been at the forefront of best amps to choose from, especially in the heavy rock scene. We feel that this is largely due to the fact it’s always held that retrospective classic rock tone down so well, which ties in superbly with the stoner rock we play.

We also love seeing Orange gear on stage, for sound quality and aesthetics. Aesthetically it’s by far the most beautiful amp on the market & the overall look it can bring to a stage setup is awesome. The 60s/70s retrospective style of the Orange design is brilliant. And the dynamics in sound it will bring to a band is unmatchable. 

What’s the most memorable Ritual King moment?

Collectively I think we’d have to say Freak Valley Festival last June. There was a lot of anticipation leading up to what was our biggest show we’ve ever played as a band. The scene was set so perfectly with the weather being amazing on the day and all the bands and staff being so welcoming. Not only was it the biggest show and the biggest stage we’ve played on too, but we got to meet and share the stage with bands that we’ve listened to for years. We were all nervous but once we were on stage and had settled into our rhythm the nerves were replaced with adrenaline and excitement. The show went down an absolute storm & we had an incredible response from the crowd. We sold out of our merch and went on to have an awesome weekend spectating the incredible line up of FVF 2023.

What’s on the horizon for Ritual King?

This year is already shaping up to be a big one for us. Now that we’ve released our 2nd Album ‘Infinite Mirror’, our first plan is to get on the road and perform more substantial gigs. We finished a run of shows supporting 1000 Mods in April, we’ve also been invited to play festivals around Europe, and way down the line we’re planning a trip to Australia. There’s a bunch more things that’s keeping us busy, but when we get chance, we’ll be looking at writing our 3rd album.

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The Voice of Bass

Iron Maiden, Steve Harris

Iron Maiden ‘Beyond Flight 666’ by John McMurtrie

4 Stroke

Steve Harris, where do we begin with Steve Harris? The only constant member in legendary British hard rock band Iron Maiden alongside guitarist Dave Murray, and is also the primary songwriter of the band. Since the formation of Maiden in East London’s Leyton in 1975 the band has released sixteen studio albums, toured the world a countless time in their own airplane flown by singer Bruce Dickinson and made their mark as one of the biggest heavy metal bands in history. Steve Harris has developed a recognisable way of playing such as the “gallop”. Paired with drummer Nicko McBrain and his unexpected clever ways, three guitarists and Bruce Dickinson sprinting and jumping across the stage throughout every single Iron Maiden show, and let’s not forget, fights Maiden mascot Eddie on a regular basis, their shows are nothing but spectacular. In addition to his bass playing and songwriting, Steve Harris has also produced and co-produced their albums, directed live videos and played keys for the band while in the studio. A Jack of all trades, so say the least.

Glenn Hughes

Crush Bass 100
AD200 MK3 Head
OBC810 8×10 Bass Speaker

Glenn Hughes is not just an incredible bassist, but a remarkable singer with the most astonishing vocal range. He first made a name for himself while in Trapeze, before joining Deep Purple in 1973 where he shared vocal duties with David Coverdale, and brought the funkiest bass lines to the band. With Deep Purple MK III he released “Burn” and “Stormbringer”, before Ritchie Blackmore left the band and Tommy Bolin was brought in on guitar for Deep Purple MK IV. They released “Come taste the Band” in 1975, before all going their separate ways the following year. Since then, he’s released a one of album with Pat Travers’ guitarist Pat Thrall, recorded with Gary Moore and fronted Black Sabbath briefly in the 80s. In more recent years, he released a one off album with his short lived band ‘California Breed’ with Jason Bonham on drums and guitarist Andrew Watt, as well as playing in Black Country Communion with Joe Bonamassa, Derek Sherinian and again, Jason Bonham on drums. His latest venture is touring the world, twice, as “Glenn Hughes plays Deep Purple”, bringing back to life all the songs from way back when.

Rush, Geddy Lee

AD200 MK3 Head
OBC410 4×10 Bass Speaker
OBC810 8×10 Bass Speaker

Rush have over the past forty years pioneered progressive rock with their unusual compositions and musical craftsmanship, with each member repeatedly being listed as some of the most proficient players of their instruments. This has led to Rush being somewhat of a ‘musician’s favourite band, and they have been highly influential within their genre, although that has changed slightly over the course of the career. Geddy Lee first started playing music when he was around 10 years old, and got his first acoustic guitar at 14. Before this, he played drums, trumpet and clarinet. However, it wasn’t until he was introduced to popular music at the time and some of the great Brits such as Cream, Jeff Beck and Procul Harum, and cited Jack Bruce as one of his first and early influences.

The Bronx, Brad Magers

4 Stroke
AD200 MK3 Head

It wasn’t until in recent years that Bronx bassist Brad Magers got his hands on his first Orange and we are stoked to now have him as one of our artists. He’s got a few different set ups consisting of either the 4 Stroke, or an AD200, which he describes as: “A monster of an amp, it’s just such a simple set up but exactly what it needs to be. I hate when all these amps have all these annoying tweaks on them as there’s just a few things you really need. As long as there is gain I’m pretty much good to go – you set it up in like two seconds and then you’re just there like: “Well, that’s the best sound I’ve ever heard!”  When Brad isn’t busy with the Bronx, he puts on his mariachi suit and picks up the trumpet with side project Mariachi El Bronx. Rumour has it that there might be a surf band in the works as well, but we can’t say for sure – yet..

Radio Moscow, Anthony Meier

AD200 MK3 Head
OBC410 4×10 Bass Speaker
OBC115 1×15 Bass Speaker

Anthony Meier’s first encounter with Radio Moscow was back in 2012 when his other band Sacri Monti played a few gigs with some of Radio Moscow drummer Paul Marrone’s other bands, and they got chatting. However, it wasn’t until a year later when singer and guitarist Parker Griggs relocated to San Diego that the band started looking for a new bassist. Paul suggested Anthony and he was invited to jam with them. Needless to say, the jam worked out well, as Anthony’s still in the band over five years later. When not on the road with Radio Moscow, he still keeps busy with his other band Sacri Monti that’s due to come over to Europe this summer. He also DJs regularly at local San Diego / Oceanside bars, and is an skilled pool player, some might even say excellent.

Tom Petersson, Cheap Trick

Rockerverb 50 MKIII Head
PPC412 4×12 Speaker Cab
AD200 MK3 Head
OBC810 8×10

Cheap Trick bassist and Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame inductee Tom Petersson turned heads in the early 70s when he came up with the idea of creating a 12 string bass. The reason behind this was wanting to make the band sound as big as humanly possible, and by adding (after inventing…) the 12 string bass, he was left with an instrument that almost sounded like bass and guitar all in one. This has become a vital part of the bands sound, and his amps plays a huge part in this. He is a big fan of both the AD50 and AD200, and plays them both straight out without any pedals.

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Tag Archive for: OBC115

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