HOW DID THE BAND GET STUDIO-READY for tracking Wrath?We did a month of preproduction in our practice space with our producer, Josh Wilbur. We played through the songs, listened back, made click tracks, and worked on arrangements. We did that with 15 songs over the course of a month so that when we went into the studio, we already knew what we were going to do.
Guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler are Lamb Of God’s primary songwriters. How do they present their material to the band, and how do you settle into your bass parts?For Wrath, Mark and Willie brought in pieces and whole songs. I’d learn the riffs and we’d discuss what would be best. We tend to write songs that are just out of our grasp for playing, so it’s really just an organic fumbling to find what works best. I’m lucky to play with two guitarists that are completely amazing. I wouldn’t be half the bass player I am if not for them.
I can remember my heart sinking after hearing some crazy riff of Mark’s that was just stupid fast. You don’t have to move your hand as much to play a riff on guitar, so it can be a task figuring out what to do on bass with the songs these a-holes bring in [laughs]. I try to stay in the lowest register unless it makes sense to move up. The magic happens in preproduction when we’re able to record, listen back, discuss, and even make changes right on the computer. People who recorded beautiful music prior to the digital age really get my respect for the work and time they put into recording.
With so much technological flexibility, do you like to experiment with different tracking methods?I’m pretty open to new ideas. I’ve tracked live, I’ve tracked direct, and I’ve used amps. But with digital recording, you can waste a lot of time going through your work with a finetoothed comb—just look at Guns N’ Roses. You have to just trust your gut.
How did you track the bass for Wrath?I was able to record in our hometown of Richmond, so I would meet the producer for breakfast at 11 AM, and we’d be at the studio by noon. I played through my Mesa/Boogie 400+— I can’t say enough about how much I love that head—and a Mesa/Boogie PowerHouse cabinet. Those two together sounded phenomenal, and it was all recorded on Pro Tools with nothing crazy or mysterious about it, just nailing down some heavy metal bass riffs.
How final were the bass lines before you went in?I would say about 99 percent. I had some ideas that were worked out beforehand that weren’t necessarily set in stone, so I could take a little time in the studio to try for some great epiphany.
In other words, you don’t just ride the root?[Laughs.] Absolutely not. That drives me insane. I’ll do it if it’s better for the song, and it is always a consideration—the song is way more important than the individual ego—but I tend to shy away from it.
What’s your warm-up routine?About an hour before a gig or a session, I strap on a bass and just play, slowly working out the left hand and loosening up my right. I focus on loosening the muscles so that when the adrenaline is flowing, I don’t get tight and cramp up. “Laid to Rest” [Ashes of the Wake, Epic, 2004] is a song that I struggled with initially. Now that I have it down and love playing it, it’s one of my warm-up riffs, because it takes my left hand all over the neck and stretches out every finger.
What’s the band’s approach to rehearsing?At one point in our history, we decided we were going to start practicing five times a week. As soon as we did, we started sounding good. Practicing for us now is very specific: We’ve got to practice for a tour, or we need to rehearse for the studio.
How about on your own?I recently had a little baby boy, so I play a lot of acoustic guitar for him. It helps keep my fingers limber.
What’s the story with your new signature bass?It’s a Jackson Concert Series bass with a couple of tweaks. Jackson sent me a prototype bass they had lying around. I liked the feel, but I didn’t like the sound. My first bass was a Guild Pilot with EMG pickups, so I asked Jackson to swap the pickups for EMGs. I also had them put a BadAss bridge on it. I often play with my pinkie on the bridge—using it like a mute— and the BadAss is really comfortable for that. And of course, the bass has “JC” at the 12th fret and my sweet signature on the headstock.
What is your favorite thing about being in the studio?The studio is very controlled. There isn’t a lot of craziness in there. I wouldn’t exactly say it’s relaxing, but compared to touring—which is basically controlled chaos—the studio is refined and professional. And, at least in my experience recording in Richmond, I can go home at the end of every night.
CAN BE HEARD ON
Lamb Of God, Wrath [Epic, 2009]
CURRENTLY SPINNING
Willie Nelson, Red Headed Stranger [Columbia, 1975] “It’s simple stuff, but they’re great songs with a great story. Plus, my parents have been pumping Willie Nelson in the house since I was a kid, so it’s pretty much just a natural choice.”
GEAR
Bass Jackson John Campbell Signature Bass w/EMG pickups; Dean Markley Blue Steel roundwound strings; In Tune Guitar Picks (1.14mm) Rig Mesa/Boogie Bass 400+ head, Mesa/Boogie RoadReady and PowerHouse 8x10 Cabinets, Tech 21 RB1 preamp Effects dbx 266XL Compressor/Gate, Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI “I have a Tacoma Thunderchief [acoustic bass guitar]. It’s fun to pull that out, but it’s a lot more difficult to play than an electric bass. It’s almost like a trainer—one of those things you squeeze to make your hands stronger.”
CAPTURING A MONSTER
Producer Josh Wilbur knows more than most about recording heavy-metal bass the right way. Here’s his take on working with John Campbell for Lamb Of God’s Wrath:
When you think of bassists in metal, you often think they’re just trying to keep up with the guitarists. But John is fast, and he’s got the entire hand spread of the two Lamb Of God guitarists, which is impressive. They’re riffing around on frets that are a lot closer together, and they’re not thinking twice about the fact that John’s stretch has to be three inches longer during all these runs. From working on their live stuff, too— the Walk With Me in Hell DVD specifically—I know he’s solid. And he’ll be the first one to say, “Whatever, I suck.” There’s a reason why recording the bass on this record was easy to do: He’s a “get the job done and get it done well” kind of bass player. He’s basically a blue-collar bassist.
When we were doing pre-production on Wrath, I miked the band and recorded live. That isn’t such a novel concept, but there was a certain energy that came out of doing it that way. Sacrament [Epic, 2006] was very production-oriented; it’s a great-sounding record, but the drums on Wrath are much more organic, and the guitars and bass didn’t go through any preamps. It was just whatever happened to come out of their amps. We tempo-mapped off the rehearsal demos, we recorded the rehearsal, and then each player played over his own rehearsal take to get the take that they wanted.
Now, this is a good example of the raw and simple sound the band was looking for: There’s no DI on this record. The only bass sound is from a Sennheiser MD 421 on axis with one of the speakers in front of John’s bass cab, and he went from that mic into a Universal Audio 1176. He played everything straight through until it was done, and then it was never edited after that. The way he heard it when he walked away is exactly the way it is on the record. But the thing is, it didn’t have to be edited, because it was pieced so it was perfect. It was, “John, punch this one line one more time.” The only really tricky thing about capturing him playing as fast as he does is getting the articulation in the notes, so I have to be careful about sympathetic strings. That’s a player challenge, and John is very good about that. My challenge is just to stay on him and say, “I heard the D rumbling when you switched to the A.”