Certain people and bands from heavy metal’s distinguished history are considered untouchable.
Band like Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Dio and Rainbow have helped shape the metal scene into the all encompassing genre of music that it is today, pioneering a sound that has become a way of life.
While many outfits have covered any or all of these bands and countless tribute bands have toured the world making a living from someone else’s name and music, fans and music lovers of all ages have been generally accepting of their actions because it allows them to revisit a period in time that would have died out with the end of such bands.
But every so often a tribute act manages to rope in an ex member from the original bands, adding authenticity and nostalgia to the package and therefore justifying its existence on a wider scale.
Seldom, if ever, has a tribute band been assemble that boasts more than one member of the band(s) they are paying homage to. It just doesn’t happen for logistical reasons – usually the passing of one or more of the original members or the fact that the old members simply don’t get along any more.
Enter the newly formed project Metal Gods which is set to play a run of Australian shows this coming November.
Legendary Australian bass player James Morley – who has assembled a number of high profile projects over the years, including Bon But Not Forgotten – came up with idea to bring two of his collegues together to perform songs by famous bands that they had actually been part of during some of the original band’s glory years.
His vision was to bring to life the music of Judas Priest, Dio, Black Sabbath and more but to do that he needed members who would not only be able to pull it off, but, more importantly, draw a crowd that would usually remain faithful only to the original versions of the bands.
He first approached former AC/DC and Dio drummer Simon Wright before completing the quinella by successfully pursuing former Judas Priest vocalist Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens.
It was a masterstroke that has already generated mountains of enthusiastic response despite not having performed as yet in this country.
Simon Wright sat down with HEAVY earlier this week to discuss Metal Gods and the upcoming run of shows.
"My friend James Morley had the idea,” he reiterated about how Metal Gods came into being. “We did some shows in 2017 or 2018 - I can't remember - but we did a little run with Tim with us doing a Priest set, but this time James came up with the concept of lets do some Dio and Priest. I was like, do you wanna throw in some UFO and Rhino Bucket as well or what (laughs). It seemed like a really good idea. It's such a massive... you can delve into a huge catalogue there with the Priest stuff and the Dio stuff and Ronnie's back catalogue as well with Black Sabbath and Rainbow, and that's exactly what we're doing. It's gonna be a great night with some classic songs in there."
In the full interview, Wright discusses how Metal Gods pays tribute to their former bands, the importance of having original members in the band, how the set list will be structured, containing his emotions when playing songs written and performed by now deceased former bandmates, his time with AC/DC, leaving them to join Dio and more.
Intro track THE POOR 'Payback's A Bitch'