We recently caught up with Craig “Goonzi” Gowans from Bleed From Within for a little Q&A.
1. What are you guys up to currently?
We are currently concentrating on touring as much as we possibly can! We signed to the Agency group last year so that was a huge step forward for us, we’ve just returned from touring with All That Remains, Soilwork, Caliban and Neaera which was insane, getting to play with band I’ve looked up to my whole life and go all over Europe.
This year we just hope to get on as many tours as possible, do a few headline tours, and hopefully visit some countries we’ve never been to before, such as the US and Mexico. We also recently signed a management deal with Artery in the US so that should help get us across the water this year!
We’ve also begun to write album number 3, which should be ready by the end of the year at some point. I’ve just been writing and recording some riff ideas and sending them to the rest of the guys, so we’ll hopefully get into the studio soon and start piecing some songs together. Expect a much bigger and better sound from the next BFW album
2. Who are your favorite players and why?
The players I admire the most are the ones that can write killer riffs and have amazing songwriting abilities, I’m not too much into shredding or anything like that. I love Brian and Ryan from The Black Dahlia Murder, Mark and Willie from Lamb of God, Phil and Nick from As I Lay Dying, Peter and Sylvain from Soilwork, they are all masters at writing a good metal riff and song. One of my biggest idols has always been Adam Dutkiewicz from Killswitch Engage, as a guitarist, songwriter and producer. The new Times of Grace CD he’s just done with Jesse Leach is also amazing! I also love Muhammed Suicmez from Necrophagist, he’s the most technical guitarist I’ve ever seen and he’s a nice guy! I’d love to be able to play like him. Misha Mansoor, or ‘Bulb’ as he’s known is also a big influence on me, his solo stuff as well as Periphery, he has so much groove, which I always try and inject into our songs.
3. What made you want to first start playing?
When I started listening to metal when I was younger, it just made me want to pick up a guitar and start trying to play the riffs I was hearing. I remember getting my first guitar and just learning every Lamb of God song. Our drummer and I used to jam the whole ‘As the Palaces Burn’ album every week in the studio!
4. Who are you currently listening to?
I love the new As I Lay Dying album ‘The Powerless Rise’, that band just get better and better, the catchy riffs and songwriting just blows me away. Periphery’s debut album was also a big one for me last year, they’ve taken that ‘Djent’ sound and combined it with melody to create something that’s completely their own. After touring with Soilwork I can’t stop listening to their album ‘The Panic Broadcast’ and ‘Stabbing the Drama’. I’m also loving the Times of Grace album, Young Guns, Cloudkicker, new A Day to Remember album, new Dimmu Borgir album, I Am Abomination and Proceed.
5. What do you love about your Kramer?
I love the way it feels to play, the neck is nice and thin and I like that. It’s also nice and light which is good when playing live, and not to forget it looks badass! I have the white Assault 220FR, I’ve always wanted a white guitar! And I love the Les Paul shape, it never gets old. The back of the neck is also the same color as the rest of the guitar which I always like. I have EMGs in my model which also makes it sound extra sick!
6. Any playing or tone advice?
As for tone, I’m still experimenting with mine, I’ve still not found that perfect sound, I currently use a Peavey 6505+ head and Orange PPC412 cab and I’d love to try out an ENGL head, Mesa or an Orange. I hate the tone we got on our last album. I do love my Orange cab though; I won’t be getting rid of that any time soon! As for playing tips, I learned to play by just learning songs that I loved and getting them as tight as I could: practice makes perfect! I’d always encourage guitarists to write and record their own riffs/songs; it’s good for your creative output!