2025 is shaping up to be a banner year for Cardinal Black. After dropping their highly anticipated sophomore album, Midnight at the Valencia, the Welsh trio are gearing up for their first-ever U.S. tour – a spiritual homecoming, as guitarist Chris Buck tells Guitar World.
“Most of our influences, in some way or another, either come from America or broke in America,” he says. And, as it happens, a “good word” from none other than Slash helped make these North American dates a reality.
A new band in name only, Cardinal Black’s story began 16 years ago. Long before the sold-out shows and social media acclaim, Buck, frontman Tom Hollister and drummer Adam Roberts were just three friends from Wales, gigging under the name TH3.
“Our manager joked it was a greatest-hits album of songs nobody had ever heard,” Buck says. “Some of the tracks were weeks old; others dated back to 2009. It’s a weird Frankenstein.” The new record, though, is a snapshot of the group today.
“This time, we couldn’t rely on any older material,” Buck says. “There was something liberating, though a bit terrifying, about having a totally blank canvas. We wrote the album in the moment, and that’s why it feels so cohesive – it captures who we are now.”
The same goes for Buck’s playing. Listen to his solos – on Midnight at the Valencia, on his YouTube channel or in a sweaty club – and there’s always a moment where the notes curve sideways, blurring into something between a human voice and a steel slide.
It’s not a one-size-fits-all thing, finding your sound. It’s different for everyone, and it takes as long as it takes. You can’t force it
That identifiable fingerprint was by design, but it didn’t just appear overnight. “I spent years just trying and failing to sound like my heroes,” Buck says. “But that’s the secret – if you take enough influence from different places, it gets diluted into something that’s just you. All my favorite players – Derek Trucks, Jeff Beck, Peter Green – you could pick them out after one or two notes.”
Still, even if the worry’s unfounded, Buck is wary of predictability. A quick scroll through social media and you’ll spot a slew of guitarists mimicking his musical turns of phrase, often with the hashtag “Chris Buck style.”
“There’s a danger in becoming too predictable,” he says, “so now I use some things more sparingly, in a more musically mature way. I don’t want to become a pastiche.” As for finding your voice, he shrugs off any talk of a formula. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all thing, finding your sound. It’s different for everyone, and it takes as long as it takes. You can’t force it.”
With their first U.S. headline tour set for this year, Cardinal Black faced a major hurdle – securing a visa. “Our lawyer said, ‘You need a letter from an industry expert,’ so I texted Slash,” Buck says.
Their friendship began years ago when Buck, then 21, got a call in the “cheese aisle at the supermarket” – inviting him to jam on stage the next night in front of 12,000 people. Within the hour, Slash sent in the good word. “Our lawyer goes, ‘That’s not the Slash, is it? Fucking hell – it could have just been your manager,’” Buck laughs. The visa was approved.
Could 2025 also mark the year Buck’s signature Yamaha Revstar takes a step closer to reality? It’s an honor typically reserved for musicians with twice his mileage.
“When Yamaha do signature models, it’s almost always a legacy appreciation thing – for folks further into their careers like Nathan East or Mike Stern,” he says. “As much as I can’t categorically say it’s coming – because a Yamaha rep will probably appear out of nowhere and shoot me – there’s a good chance it’ll be sooner rather than later.”
He laughs. “It would be as close to mine as they can manage, considering mine’s been played to death. That means my inlays, my pickup choices, the wraptail bridge, a three-way switch… You know. My guitar. Hypothetically speaking…”
Though you won’t catch him on stage without his Revstar, Buck has a soft spot for vintage guitars. He’s played a few ’59 Bursts – including Bernie Marsden’s “Beast” – and owns a ’62 Strat. Still, for Buck, older doesn’t always mean better.
“I don’t subscribe to the idea that all vintage instruments are great, because I’ve definitely played some dogs. Some of my favorite guitars were made after 2020, and some were made in the ’60s. There’s a synergy between you and a great instrument. That could be a $300 Squier or a $5,000 Gibson. It doesn’t matter. If it speaks to you, it’s the one.”
His latest find? A 1962 Gibson ES-335. “The moment I strummed it, I thought, ‘This is alive,’” he says. “The guitar’s a mess, but I fell in love with it. It’s got original PAFs and original electronics. It’s been resprayed. The headstock has had a catastrophic break – but it’s just such an amazing instrument.”
- Midnight at the Valencia is out now via Jump In Records.
- This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.
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