On Scream Aim Fire, James has surmounted these obstacles by putting in the time to expand. “I wanted to be better than I was on The Poison,” Jay says of the band’s 2006 breakthrough record. “I didn’t know much back then, so this time I sat down for hours a day just going through all the new riffs and trying to set cool bass lines to them. I generally follow the guitar and stick with the drums. When there’s a break for me to do something I’ll do it, but less is more with the stuff we play. If everyone’s playing flashy, then it’ll just sound like a big bunch of noise.”
While Scream Aim Fire still sees James anchoring guitar-heavy textures with thick, snarling tones and solid grooves, the subtle paring down of instrumental tracks with respect to bigger vocal hooks has allowed more space for him to shine. Jay spices up “Waking the Demon” with tasty licks and moody spaciousness. “Deliver Us From Evil” features melodic development in the verses and spaced-out grooves between sections. Elsewhere, James channels Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris to full effect with galloping lines and urgent fills.
For James, the Maiden connection has been crucial to his growth on the instrument. “Steve Harris is the guy who teaches me the most. If you work out some of his stuff, that’s enough to keep you going for a while. He does a lot with harmony that I thought was really hard to do, but after a lot of listening, it’s become clearer. Now I find it easy to play a solo or cadence here and there.”
While taking a few melodic cues from Harris, Jay has a decidedly different approach regarding technique. “I’ve never really had the time to switch to playing fingerstyle. I’ve played with a plectrum since I started, and I’ve always been gigging and doing shows. So there’s always been a pick. I like the tone and the power it gives me for playing the parts.”
A bassist since age 15, James first picked up the instrument to fill a slot in a friend’s punk band, and his rise has followed a simple trajectory. “I was just thrown into it,” he says. “I just saved up some money and got a crappy, cheap bass. Because I was always in bands, I always had songs to learn. I’ve been learning songs since the day I started.”
CAN BE HEARD ON
Bullet For My Valentine, Scream Aim Fire [20-20 Entertainment, 2008]
CURRENTLY SPINNING
Lamb Of God, Ashes of the Wake [Epic, 2004]
“We all tend to listen to older stuff—Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Judas Priest, and Pantera—but I haven’t stopped listening to Lamb Of God for the past ten months.”
GEAR
Bass Sandberg Terra Basses tuned EADG, DADG, and CGEF
Rig Mesa/Boogie Big Block 750 heads, Mesa/Boogie 8x10 cabinets