The St. Anger 2015 Project, as it's been dubbed, is a collaboration of artists by the names of Daryl Gardner and Chris Dando (of the band GRACE THE SKIES) and Dave Cox (from ADUST). In our interview Daryl Gardner talks about the whole experience with recording, check it out below:




Overkill.pl: Hello Daryl, it's a pleasure to have you with us! How are you?

Daryl Gardner: Hi bro, I'm good, slightly overwhelmed but yeah, I'm good. Hope you are too.

Overkill.pl: First of all, tell us about your band called Grace The Skies. What kind of music do you play?

Daryl Gardner: Grace the Skies is the band I've been in with my good friends Chris Dando (who produced the #STANGER2015 record), Mark Bristow (whose drum kit I borrowed to record it with) and Lee Jarratt (who has been handling PR duties for me whilst I've been at work). We play a bunch of post-hardcore songs and released our 2nd album, 'Constant Beginnings', last June.



Overkill.pl: Which bands are the most influential for your band?

Daryl Gardner: We all have different musical backgrounds, but share the same interest in Metallica, Protest the Hero, Funeral for a Friend and Fightstar. We don't really have any sort of template, and, especially with the 2nd album, wanted an album where no 2 tracks were the same, and I feel we actually nailed it.

Overkill.pl: You're one of the members who's involved in a re-recorded version of St. Anger album which is really popular on the Internet. How did the idea of making this project come out? Tell us also about the whole experience with recording.

Daryl Gardner: Yeah it's been received better than any of us ever intended, and it's been a genuinely humbling experience.

I've always had a soft spot for the album. I was only 14 when it was released, so I just loved any music which was fast and heavy, and to me it ticked all the boxes. On the flip side of that however I did understand why some people weren't so fond of the record, especially listening to all of their previous material. So yeah, I decided to make the album sound more 'conventional', as the main problem people had with the album was the production. It's an idea I've had for quite a while but only just got around to putting it into motion. We all work full-time jobs and blah blah blah so we used every second away from our jobs over the past 6 months to get the project finished.

Chris did an absolutely fantastic job with the production, and we got the actual recording element completed pretty quickly. I already knew the songs on guitar, and I learnt the drums by air drumming on the way to work whilst stuck in traffic (honestly, I'd never played half of these songs on a drum kit before we recorded, so you are seeing genuine first ever takes on the video). I don't even own a drum kit haha.

Overkill.pl: All I can say is just... "wow!" I mean, over 350 thousands views on YouTube for the last few days! Did you expect that kind of feedback from other people? [laughs]

Daryl Gardner: Not even slightly, and the coolest thing was that it was pretty much entirely positive. It's crazy that so many people shared the same idea of the album as I did and I'll forever be thankful to the Metallica fans for supporting the project. My prediction was 10,000 views by the end of the year, so yeah, I definitely lost that bet haha but yeah, it's been incredible.



Overkill.pl: What was the reason that you chose this particular album?

Daryl Gardner: It is an album which has divided opinion for 12 years! and I really wanted to defend it and make people see it in a different light. It's turned into somewhat of a cult album, and I will always respect Metallica for putting out an album which was that uncompromising and raw.

Overkill.pl: Are you planning to record another re-recorded version of Metallica's album?

Daryl Gardner: I wasn't, at all, but the response to it has gotten us thinking [laughs] I don't know…if Q-Prime were to give us their blessing again then…who knows…



Overkill.pl: Why didn’t you add any solo? You wrote that you're not Kirk but you did a great job and Metallica has played these songs a few times live with solos. It could have been the icing on the cake and you would have given Metallica the final poke.

Daryl Gardner: …because I'm not Kirk Hammett [laughs] The intention of this was never to rewrite it, and because Metallica didn't include solos in the original record, I didn't add them. I felt it would take away from the authenticity of the reproduction if I'm honest, and again, I'm not Kirk Hammett, not even close [laughs]

Overkill.pl: Which song was the hardest to play and why?

Daryl Gardner: Thats a tough one. It wasn't really learning the songs which caused much of an issue, that part was just fun, but getting them to sound like we envisioned was a little more difficult. I'd probably say the singles, Frantic, St. Anger and The Unnamed Feeling.



Overkill.pl: How much time did you need to mix the whole album?

Daryl Gardner: Thats a question you will have to ask Chris D. because I really don't know how long he spent on it. He is a perfectionist though so I imagine he put some serious hours in [laughs]

Overkill.pl: What was your reaction when you saw that many people from around the world loved your job and gave you their support?

Daryl Gardner: Honestly, I don't think it's actually hit me yet. It's completely surreal. I will forever be thankful, and if the project stopped dead now, it has still done 1000x better than I could have ever imagined.



Overkill.pl: Daryl, I want to say I'm honoured that you wanted to talk and share your thoughts with us. Official Polish Metallica Fan Club and Chapter Overkill.pl wants to wish you all the best, we also want to thank you for your great job! I'm pretty sure we will see each other soon! Huge respect, bro!

Daryl Gardner: Thank you very much and thanks for reaching out to me. Until next time.

#STANGER2015 - Metallica's St. Anger (2003) Album Re-Recorded (FULL ALBUM):

Daryl G. (Guitars, Drums, Bass)
Chris D. (Production)
Dave C. (Vocals)



(HQ AUDIO MIX) #STANGER2015 - Metallica's St. Anger (2003) Album Re-Recorded (FULL ALBUM):