British slide guitarist Troy Redfern has released the song Ghosts as a free download. The track is taken from his upcoming album The Fire Cosmic, which will be released on 6 August.

Ghosts, which can be downloaded from troyredfern.com, features Troy’s trademark sound performed with a heavily worn 1929 National Triolian resonator guitar alongside Darby Todd’s train beat drum shuffle, and Dave Marks’ understated country feel bassline.

The album was recorded in Rockﬁeld Studios in North Wales, where Queen recorded their early albums.

“As soon as we arrived at Rockﬁeld, everyone, including Darby and Dave who’ve recorded all over the world, were excited to be there,” Troy told MetalTalk. “It’s that kind of place. It has that eﬀect on every musician who records there. Even before we started recording, the energy and vibe was there, which deﬁnitely set the tone for the entire album.”

With such a great rhythm section, The Fire Cosmic is already being marked as Troy’s most distinctive album to date.

Guitarist Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal also joins on the song On Fire, and Rockﬁeld seems a perfect choice for recording.

“I chose Rockﬁeld Studios because so much of the music I grew up listening to was recorded at this legendary studio,” says Troy. “The studio has a timeless reputation for all the iconic, classic albums that have been produced there.

“It was important for me to capture the raw energy of three guys playing live in the same place, at the same time. That’s something that you just can’t get if you’re sending ﬁles from diﬀerent locations. It doesn’t have the same vibe or feel if you do it that way.”

Rockﬁeld’s vintage mics, mixing desk, and analogue outboard gear gave producer Paul’ Win’ Winstanley options to capture the dynamic performances on the album. “It was like being a kid in a candy store,” says Paul.

“It was important for the album to sound massive,” Troy told us. “It was a much bigger sound than anything that I’ve released before. As soon as we heard the ﬁrst takes in the control, we were blown away. We knew that we captured something special. It sounded fantastic.

“For the session, Darby Todd brought his vintage Ludwig Vistalite acrylic drums of John Bonham fame. The drums are renowned for sounding massive. Hearing them in one of the best drum rooms in the world, they sounded out of this world! Roger Taylor’s drums recorded for Queen’s Sheer Heart Attack album at Rockﬁeld are some of my favourite drum sounds ever.”

Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal said, “It all starts with the drums. If you’ve got a great drummer, great sounding room, great board, it’s going to sound phenomenal, and it does!”

“I met Ron at a festival in Poland that we were both playing at. We immediately hit it oﬀ,” remembers Troy. “He let me use his signature double neck guitar to play on Anthony Gomes encore set at the festival. That was an absolute blast. He’s such a cool, generous guy. When I returned to the UK, I emailed him to ask if he’d like to play on my new album. He was ﬁred up to do it.”

Troy continues, “The album really is a step up. It’s the best album I’ve made. Hiring Rockﬁeld, getting the best players, the best producer – it was a risk, but it paid oﬀ tenfold. I’ve made an album I really couldn’t be happier with.”

The Fire Cosmic can be pre-ordered from troyredfern.com/product-category/pre-order

september

16sep8:00 pmRobert Jon & The Wreck, CardiffThe Globe

17sep8:00 pmRobert Jon & The Wreck, SittingbourneThe Bourne Music Club

18sep8:00 pmRobert Jon & The Wreck, ChesterLive Rooms

19sep8:00 pmRobert Jon & The Wreck, LeedsBrudenell Social Club

20sep8:00 pmRobert Jon & The Wreck, NewcastleThe Cluny

21sep8:00 pmRobert Jon & The Wreck, ManchesterNight And Day

22sep8:00 pmRobert Jon & The Wreck, NottinghamThe Bodega

23sep8:00 pmRobert Jon & The Wreck, LondonThe 100 Club

24sep8:00 pmRobert Jon & The Wreck, EdinburghVoodoo Rooms

25sep8:00 pmRobert Jon & The Wreck, AberdeenCafe Drummond

26sep8:00 pmRobert Jon & The Wreck, HartlepoolSouth Durham Steel Works Club

The Fire Cosmic

1. Scorpio
2. Waiting For Your Love
3. One Way Ticket
4. Love And War
5. On Fire
6. Lay That Love Down
7. Ghosts
8. Saving Grace
9. Sanctify
10. Stone

march

04mar8:00 pmWille and the Bandits - BidefordPalladium