The Writing Process…..working on a follow-up to Witch Cross’ 1984 release ‘Fit for Fight’

..we don’t really write it down like this…I don’t even think Mozart wrote ‘Freewheel Burning’ this way….

People often ask me ‘how do you start to write a song?’ Well, there is no one answer.  I’ve written alone for many years, sometimes starting with merely a title, sometimes a few chords, or a melody, even just a sound can set me off on a path that results in a complete song.

When you start factoring in a writing partner, you are often running a risk.  I’ve written with someone else before – Adrian Foster from Tubeless Hearts – and we had a good working relationship. Now, I’m working with Mike Koch, as we put together a hopefully fitting follow up to Witch Cross‘ cult Metal classic ‘Fit for Fight‘.

What made that release so great in my opinion, was the immediacy, the sheer strength, of the songs. That is what we’re faced with emulating if we can.

With the advent of the internet, ‘remotely writing’ has become much easier, and Mike and I have developed a great ‘ping-pong’ style of writing as we bounce the song back and forth across cyberspace, changing and moulding it along the way, until we arrive at a concise demo that we’re both happy with. It’s a great system, because we’re both very honest with each other, keeping true to the genre and style of the band, and recognizing that whatever we do, it has to be for the good of the song.

The band was initially born of the late 70’s/early 80’s ‘New Wave of Heavy Metal’, and while  we are planning to use all that modern production can offer, we are taking care to make sure it remains faithful to that era.  This involves a discipline, because in effect we’re writing in a different time, and you have to put aside influences that may have crossed your path along the way.  I’m enjoying writing this way, because it is very different to how I’ve written songs before. My songwriting is often eclectic – my last solo album encompassed a huge number of styles across 18 songs, and I’ve also written songs in different styles to complement articles on my radio show, but that is not what is called for here. What we’re doing is tapping into the vibe that existed when bands like Saxon, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden first came onto the scene. With that in mind, it was great when, as we toured with Swiss band Gotthard recently, their guitarist Leo commented that Mike and Paul’s guitars in Witch Cross had that ‘Saxon‘ quality – occupying different places in the sound spectrum, but complementing each other perfectly, just like Graham Oliver’s and Paul Quinn’s did on their classic hits.

I think we’re on the right track!  The most important thing, at least from a songwriter’s perspective, is that we’re not drying up, the ideas are coming thick and fast! So roll on 2013, when we’ll unleash the new Witch Cross album on the world, almost 30 years after its predecessor – it’s been a long time comin’!

Kev Moore