Crimson Storm released the album “Livin’ on the Bad Side” on January 14th, 2025 through Fighter Records. In a brief interview you can read what their mastermind, Lögan Heads, says, not just about the album.
Hi Lögan! How are you? Congrats on your album! How is the feedback one month after you released it?
Hi Ivona! Thanks for inviting me to this interview! Everything is fine! The feedback has been absolutely great and unexpected from our side. We are receiving a huge amount of brilliant reviews from all over the world, and we couldn’t be happier.
Not so many people are familiar with your music, so the first question goes in the direction of the band’s name. It is a homage to the late Mark Reale. How much did he and Riot influence you personally and as a musician?
Well, of course, I found in Mark Reale the perfect style that fits with me. I’m a big fan of Ritchie Blackmore too, so with Reale and Riot, I had basically the evolution of that style, and the influence is quite obvious!
The band was formed in Italy. Meanwhile you moved from Sardinia to Spain. How hard was it to reform the band?
Not that hard, but when I first moved to Barcelona, I didn’t have the resources to reform the band at the beginning. New city, new life, a lot of paperwork to do, and I had to find a stable job that could work with my personal life. So, the first two years, from 2015 to 2017, were sort of “on hold”, but once we started with the new lineup, we tried to get back on track as fast as possible.
Living on an island has advantages and disadvantages. How did life in Sardinia affect the band?
It didn’t affect us at all, neither positively nor negatively. It’s an island, so you are basically confined there. There was an interesting scene between 2008 and 2012, but as we were young, without experience, and without a singer at the beginning, we didn’t participate actively in terms of gigs.
The band was formed in 2009. What was the main reason that you did not release an album for almost 16 years?
As I mentioned, we didn’t have a stable lineup, and in 2012, I joined the band Alkoholizer, so I was focused more on that. But in 2014, just to put an end to the old days, I decided to record the 4-song EP “Motor City Maniac”. Then everything changed because we received a lot of interest from listeners, and cool things started to come. As I said, then I moved in 2015. After two years of struggling, finally in 2017, we had a new lineup, we started to play around, and we recorded a new EP in 2019. But then the pandemic arrived, so you know how that goes. Finally, we restarted live activities in 2022 with a new drummer, but that year I was recording the “No Sins to Confess” debut album with my other band Löanshark, so I had to focus on that. Finally, in 2023, we started talking about recording a full-length album, and in April 2024, we entered the studio, and here we are!
“Livin’ on the Bad Side” is divided into two parts. Why did you decide to mix old and new songs?
As you said, ‘Livin’ On The Bad Side’ is basically divided into two parts: four songs that were never recorded before and the other four are taken from previous works because I think those songs deserved better production. Especially as a main foundation of the band’s history, I had to include them to ensure that new listeners know everything about us.
Obviously, the album is inspired by the eighties. Since you are the young(er) generation of metalheads, why eighties?
I started listening to music when I was 9 years old, and I followed how this kind of music evolved, from Chuck Berry to the Beatles, from Jefferson Airplane to Deep Purple, from Rainbow to Iron Maiden, etc. Basically, I love to play it because I still think that the peak was reached in the eighties, but not all the possible songs were written, so we have a little more to bring to that era.
And to be honest, I have a lot of issues understanding any new kind of ‘new metal’ that comes out nowadays! Melodic heavy metal doesn’t mean making pop music, and I think a lot of bands did not understand that.
In your opinion, was metal better, more unique/original, did it have better quality than today?
In terms of composition, yes, it was better, but just because everything they did before was unique. Today we have ‘better quality’ in terms of technology, but if I had the chance to work with Martin Birch, may he rest in peace, and follow him to do what he did with “Somewhere in Time”, for example, I would say: “Screw technology, I’m gonna work with analog only!”
I noticed, which I wrote in a review, that Pau sings like Bruce Dickinson. Is that comparison a burden or a gift for him and the band?
Pau is simply an impressive singer and is not too similar to Dickinson as many singers are out there.
The gift for the band is having him as a friend; his role as a singer comes in second place!
Tell me something more about the album cover.
It continues the story of the cover art of the last EP “Outrageous”, featuring a sort of contracted killer associated with criminal organizations in Japan who is caught off guard and falls at the hands of a hitwoman.
The highlight of the album, at least for me, is “Seven days of Mayhem”. How did you decide to write lyrics in Spanish?
I can say that the song needed to be sung in Spanish because the lyrics are about a historical event that occurred in 1909, which marked Barcelona’s legacy forever.
What does the creative process look like in Crimson Storm?
The songwriting process mostly happens in the rehearsal studio with the whole band together, starting from main guitar riffs and basic ideas about how the song should sound. Sometimes it’s quick, sometimes it’s not, but we like to take our time with it, and we are really happy with the results.
The album is released on CD and 12″LP. Where can fans buy it? Use wisely free advertising space.
Of course here you have our Linktree: https://linktr.ee/crimsonstormhm
How does the promotion of the band and the album look so far?
On the side of our label, Fighter Records, the promotion has been fantastic. On our side, we are doing our best to close as many gigs as possible between 2025 and 2026.
“Speed Hammerin’ Metal” maybe the best defines your music. Do you like any labelling and putting the music in subgenre drawers?
Not that I particularly like it, but sometimes it’s the simplest way to understand a band through its subgenre. In our case, yes, “Speed Hammerin’ Metal” is the way I choose to describe us in just three words!
What obstacles have you encountered in your work so far?
To be honest, the only obstacle has been not having the full lineup established in the city, but once I solved that, everything flowed as it was supposed to.
Now, when you have a label behind is it easier to present the music to the fans?
Absolutely! You need a label with experience to achieve better production and promotion. If you go independent, everything is in your hands and only related to your personal websites, but with good distribution and having your album in many different stores around the world, it will definitely help you reach more new supporters.
As I saw, you played in Germany once, any chance to hear you again here? Do you plan any tour?
Yes, we are currently focusing on major gigs, and then we will try to build a tour around them.
If you could choose, which band would you most like to share the stage with?
Nowadays, sharing the stage with Jag Panzer would be really appreciated!
Since obviously you cannot live from music at this point, is it hard to balance between the band and your professions?
Not at all! I basically worked hard to specialize in a career that helps me balance my job and the bands, and thanks to that, we can make it work.
Speaking of music, you are active in more bands. Is Crimson Storm priority and where do you find motivation and inspiration to play on more fields?
Crimson Storm and Löanshark are at the same level; we have rehearsals for both on the same day, and when we have gigs, we try to do the same amount for both bands.
You live in Barcelona now, so can you compare the Italian and Spanish metal scene?
This is the first question that I can’t answer! I have no idea about the Italian scene; I didn’t experience it because I’m from Sardinia and left 10 years ago, but I can say that both in Barcelona and Spain, there is a vibrant scene!”
And in the end: do you live on the bad side?
As the “Outrageous” song says: “I’m Outrageous, I wanna live on the bad side”!
Thank you so much for your time, I wish you all the best!
Thank you for your time and for having me in this chat! If you have made it this far, and if it is thanks to this interview that you have learned about Crimson Storm, I encourage you to give a listen to Livin’on the Bad Side!”
LONG LIVE ROCK `N ROLL
