As a founding member of UK metal pioneers Saxon, guitarist Paul Quinn is still rocking as hard as ever.
The band, led by Quinn and singer Biff Byford, are nearing the end of a lengthy US tour in support of their 2013 album, Sacrifice, along with Fozzy. You can check out the band's current tour dates right here.
We recently tracked down Quinn to discuss the tour, the band's legacy and the hard-rocking Sacrifice.
GUITAR WORLD: I'm loving the new Saxon album, Sacrifice. What was the recording process like?
We took a mobile studio into a room, we built a windowed wall — and away we went! It was great.
The booklet, layout and overall theme of the CD packaging is very strong and eye-catching.
Thanks. We really wanted to make it memorable and collectible for the fans. The lyrics and pictures in there came out cool.
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
What gear did you use on the album?
We play through Marshall JVM heads, and we usually will run another head along with it. For guitars, I love my Gibson Les Pauls.
Was there a statement of overall vibe you were going for on the album?
Yeah, we wanted it to be very "in your face." We really went for it on this one.
You guys are touring the US. What can fans expect in terms of your set list?
We will play anything they shout for, plus the new album material. It's really fun to play because it's so fresh for us, especially for me, "Guardians of the Tomb" is my favorite.
Here's a question a reader, Tim Hanson in Massachusetts: How has the songwriting changed since the departure of Graham Oliver and Steve Dawson?
They don't have any input anymore, simply put [laughs].
What is your process for composing your guitar solos?
I try to get melody, blues and shred all into the one solo.
Here's on from Jason Salger of Wisconsin: What's your favorite food?
Chicken Jalfrezi from India. Love it!
Do you have any favorite places to play?
It's so hard to choose. We are lucky enough to get to play great gigs all over the world.
How does it feel to have influenced so many great bands, including Megadeth and Metallica?
It's great. They're not overly fawning when we meet, as we wouldn't be if we met Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck or Ritchie Blackmore. It's great because we can just hang out. It's very cool to have made an influence.
Dave Reffett is a Berklee College of Music graduate and has worked with some of the best players in rock and metal. He is an instructor at (and the head of) the Hard Rock and Heavy Metal department at The Real School of Music in the metro Boston area. He also is a master clinician and a highly-in-demand private guitar teacher. He teaches lessons in person and worldwide via Skype. As an artist and performer, he is working on some soon-to-be revealed high-profile projects with A-list players in rock and metal. In 2009, he formed the musical project Shredding The Envelope and released the critically acclaimed album The Call Of The Flames. Dave also is an official artist endorsee for companies like Seymour Duncan, Gibson, Eminence and Esoterik Guitars, which in 2011 released a Dave Reffett signature model guitar, the DR-1. Dave has worked in the past at Sanctuary Records and Virgin Records, where he promoting acts like The Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson, Korn and Meat Loaf.
