Whether it was a big miss or not, time will tell. Nonetheless, on the short run, the end result is already there, and turned out to be glorious. Prior to fronting the new Hard Rock / Heavy Metal band Scream Taker, Jim Crean had a great opportunity to go on. Nonetheless, the pandemic happened and all the planning gone to shambles. Even so, sitting on one's hands wasn't an option and there you have Scream Taker. Just recently releasing their debut album, "Kill The Beautiful", Crean talked with Steinmetal about the foundation, working with Vinny Appice and Steph Honde, and of course, the album.
Hello Jim, it is good to have you for this talk with Metal Temple online Magazine, how have you been doing sir?
Things are going great! Thank You for having me on!
It was quite the news for me when I heard about Scream Taker, and great news it was to get to know the band and its music. I think it would be only logical to ask first, what made you three, meaning yourself, along with Vinny Appice and Steph Honde, gather around and decide to form a new band?
During the pandemic, Steph and myself started writing songs together with the idea of them going to be on my next solo album. The songs started coming out really cool & heavy, so I thought that we really needed to get these to Vinny Appice because he would really take them to the next level! The songs really fit his sound and style! All 3 of us have worked together in various form's. Vinny played on some of Steph's albums. I played on some of Steph's albums, they both played on some of my solo albums and Vinny & I both play in the Appice Brothers band together. So it was very natural for us to come together this way.
Is the Scream Taker band only a studio project, or is it also made to become a live act?
It started as being a studio project, but now with the overwhelming response we have been receiving, We really want to take it out on the road and become a working band! We have offers in South America & The states already for some of the festivals. It will be a lot of fun to play these songs live!
Only by the band's name, prior to even listening to the music, I could sense that there is a connection, even if it is mild in its image, to Dio. That statement was without taking into the account that Mr. Appice is part of it. In your opinion, is there a sort of small tribute or celebration of the Dio legacy in Scream Taker, image wise?
Well on my last solo album "The London Fog", I wrote a song called "Scream Taker" that was a tribute to Ronnie James Dio. It has Vinny on drums, Steph on guitar/ keyboards & Rudy Sarzo on bass. Rudy & Vinny both played with Ronnie in Dio! So when we decided that we were going to make It a band, rather than a project, we needed a name and I thought it be fitting to call us Scream Taker! I really like the name and it really fits us well.
Deko Entertainment is now the home of Scream Taker, releasing your debut album, "Kill The Beautiful". I have to admit that I found this title quite peculiar, while also intriguing. Can you shed some light on the decision on this particular title? What is the nature of it? How does it speak for the entire record?
Yes, the label is amazing and have really been supportive, giving us a lot of creative freedom with no pressure whatsoever! When I first approached the label with the title I thought that they might be a little worried because of the word "Kill" in it, but they understood what the song is about! The song is open to interpretation, but my meaning is about not being able to kill the beauty inside and out of mankind, no matter what obstacles life throws at you!
When I read the dossier, it appears that "Kill The Beautiful" is actually the gift of luck, because if it hadn't been for the pandemic, there was a possibility that the album would have been released way forward in time. Looking back, which isn't that long ago, I guess that it did you rather good, even if the tour with Vinnie Vincent didn't happen?
This might be true! The pandemic really allowed us to take our time and make a great album. Usually, we would be performing live a lot, not allowing time for us to write & record an album! As horrible as the pandemic was, some good came out of it that we were able to record this album. It was a shame on the Vinnie Vincent thing, because Myself, Tony (Franklin) & Carmine (Appice) would have been a great band for him and would have helped put him back on the map!
Even now, after the pandemic, did that Vinnie Vincent tour happen or was it brought to rest for good without any sign of being rebooked?
No, that Vinnie Vincent tour never happened & I do not foresee it ever happening at all. To be honest with you I really haven't given it much more thought at all.
What can you tell about the leading theme that takes the "Kill The Beautiful" album forward? What nature of events, or happenings are you sharing through the album? I know about the vampire story, and there is also a Werewolf end to it, which is quite interesting on its own, the two sides of Vampire and Werewolf
The 3 of us are really into Horror & Sci-Fi, so when I wrote the song titles and words I kept that concept in mind!
The artwork of "Kill The Beautiful" may as well be something generated from horror movies of the 50s or 60s, I may be inaccurate a bit. Was that an intention or it just looked cool enough to fit the title? Who's vision is it, who made this piece?
Vinny came up with the 50's – 60's Horror/Sci-fi concept, rather than the predictable Metal/Rock idea. The Cover artwork was done by Jeffrey Dbury and all the rest of the amazing artwork was done by Lee Stokes.
We talked about Dio as a cause for celebration, image wise, nonetheless, the main Dio signature, other than Mr. Appice's drumming, and sound, is the overall music. In fact, it circles everything that Dio touched, whether a little Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and of course his own Dio band. The fusion of styles between Rock to Heavy Metal is outstanding, providing depth for the listener to take in a legacy. How do you relate to that?
Well the initial intention was not to be or sound like a Dio / Black Sabbath album, I think it just naturally evolved that was based on Vinny's style of playing and Mine & Steph's being influenced by those bands!
The experience for the three of you gents, which have seen, and done, quite a lot in the music business, is all over the album's material. What can you tell of how you handled the songwriting sessions? How were you able to perfect that cohesion between you three, each with his own musical aspects?
We really work well together and really know how to find the best out of each other. For example, Steph really compliments my vocals with his guitar playing that really locks into my style of singing. Vinny's style really allows my vocals to breath with his open playing. Steph's bass playing really locked in with Vinny's drums and the guitar chords Steph used were not your predictable choices, allowing for a really interesting musical album.
I believe that the Dio vein of the music pushed you forward as musicians, and songwriters, to become more prominent, and demanding, as Dio was back in the day, for how the music should be written and materialized. Needless to say, how it should sound. Looking at the entire songwriting, rehearsing, and recording of "Kill The Beautiful", what did you learn from this journey?
That it much better when a band comes together naturally than being forced. This band really has a lot of chemistry based on the fact that we are really good friends, more like family!
Another great aspect of the album is its sound, similar to the fusion that is going on within the music, there is that mixture of decades soundwise, a factor on the album that I admire very much. What can you tell about the direction of sound on the record? Who produced and engineered the album that made sure that it would be up for your standards?
It was produced by Artie Dillon who Vinny & I play with in the Appice Brothers band with input from Myself, Steph & Vinny. I feel it has an old rock/metal vibe with a very modern sound! Artie did a great job finding that sound!
Starting with the last track on the album, "Shine On", proclaiming a Sabbath experience but with an early 70s driven twist to garner an advantage over a regular Sabbath fan tune. The main riff is mighty, but the course of the song, and its structure won the match. What can you share about how this song was written? On what does it deal?
That song initially was not really coming together, based on the dynamics of the song, so we were considering not completing it. Then Vinny rearranged it and it really came together well. It is a GREAT song to complete the album out!
A little lighter, melodic Hard Rock in vein, is the hooking, both in riffs, and chorus, "Love Takes". In my view, it should have been a single of the record, quite the opposite from the morbid Doom driven "Stone Cold". What is your appreciation of this track?
Yes "Love Takes" is a great song with a very melodic melody and more of a commercial success approach. Maybe we will make that the next single! Ya never know.
I expected at first that "The Curse Of The Werewolf" would be one of the heavier songs, first due to its name that at least at first left no doubt. However, I guess that the end result was a fortunate surprise. Certainly an atmospheric song, engulfing an AORish with crunchy Hard Rock vibes. For me a standout track that takes the album forward music wise, what is your take on that?
Yes that is one of my favorite track's on the album. It has that old Hammer Horror vibe and would make for a great movie soundtrack!
Talking about Dio, recently the movie "Dreamers Never Die" was released, featuring Dio's legacy. Did you have the chance to watch it? If so, what do you reckon about it?
I did! Me and my fiancée Colleen, went to the movies and saw it and were both blown away! I have worked with pretty much everyone in the Dio camp, so it was really cool to hear and see all the stories about Ronnie's legacy!
Back to the earlier question about Scream Taker being a live band, if that is the case, is there an intention to tour in order to support the record, if so, where exactly?
We are going to debut the band at The Heavy Metal Hall Of Fame award ceremony in Los Angeles in January 2023! It will be a televised event and will be great to play in front of all our peer's in the industry! We also will be planning a summer tour of South America (Brazil) and the States as well!
Jim, it was a pleasure to have you for this conversation, certainly you three surprised me with a great album that is bound to gain interest, and I hope continuity as well. All the best
Thank you again for all the support!
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