SoCal heavyweight rock outfit Bullets and Octane unleashes their latest single, “Vampires,” following on the heels of their previous single, “Space Lord Symphony.”
Talking about the band’s music, vocalist and songwriter Gene Louis says, “I believe that if you have a passion, you die for it no matter what.”
Formed in 1998, Bullets and Octane has been a powerhouse in the rock music scene, sharing stages with bands such as Avenged Sevenfold, Stone Sour, Social Distortion, and Eagles of Death Metal.
Bullets And Octane’s journey to stardom began in 2003 with the release of their debut EP, One Night Stand Rock N Roll Band, followed by the explosive debut album, The Revelry. Since then, Bullets and Octane has continued to captivate audiences with their high-energy performances and infectious melodies.
“Vampires” rolls out on a galloping rhythm topped by Gene’s potent, edgy vocals, giving the lyrics passionate surfaces. Heavy guitars imbue the melody with snarling energy, followed by a dazzling solo dripping with searing licks. A beautifully shaped outro ties the song off with aplomb.
Tattoo.com spoke with frontman Gene Louis and lead guitarist Clay Davies to delve into the making of “Vampires” and Bullets and Octane’s electrifying sound.
How would you describe your own music?
Gene: The sound of Bullets and Octane has been very diverse over the many years through our professional and personal growth: sonically, lyrically, melodically. But one thing that always stands true, both live and on recording, is its controlled chaos, its recklessness, and its sense of spontaneous Freedom that we love to try to capture on recordings and definitely love to bring to the stage.
Tell us more about “Vampires.” What was your experience of making it?
Clay: Gene had the song in progress. We ended up using the verses from that demo. Changed the music a bit, made the drums double time, and altered the melody slightly to match the new tempo and vibe. I wrote a chorus to match what was already there in the verses. And kept the part (‘I want your fucking blood’) as the end chorus hook which was already somewhere in Gene’s demo. Then we realized we needed a bridge to get into the chorus lol, and a solo section, and of course a RIFF. Then once it was ready to track, Gene came into my studio (one more time recording), and magically, under Gene’s leadership, we came up with the outro, which is now arguably our favorite part of the song. It was a fun process of moving things around and making things work.
Can you share the inspiration behind the track and the creative process involved in bringing it to life?
Clay: As far as inspiration for writing the song goes, Gene may have a different perspective, but for me, it’s about how everyone seems to be at each other’s throats these days. And that it feels as though there’s been a real shift in energy and how people treat each other. And if that’s the case, then no more Mr. Nice Guy lol. The song is quite heavy and aggressive but the moral to the story is that, “Hey y’all, we’re floating on a ball in outer space maybe we should try to get along. Just an idea!”
With “Vampires” what was your main focus? What did you really want to try and achieve with this track?
Clay: What we were really aiming to achieve with the writing of ‘Vampires’ was to see how our writing styles and perspectives would work together. Gene has a long history with the band Bullets and Octane so we had to get our feet wet in seeing what we could do as a writing team and how myself, the new guy, fit into all of this. We are always hard at work collaborating and evolving our writing partnership. And ‘Vampires’ is just one of those efforts that came to fruition.
Who is in Bullets and Octane and which instruments do they play?
Gene: Well, much like Eagles of Death Metal or Queens of the Stone Age, we have always had a slight revolving door when it comes to long-term band members in the studio, and on the road. It’s a lot like, who’s available and who wants to put on a backpack and go out and have some fun across many countries. Lol, but there has always been a consistency of two or three members, Gene Louis, lead singer, frontman, who writes the majority of the music throughout the years as one of the founding members since 1999, and currently, the great Clay Davies has stepped in as a co-writer, producer, and lead guitar player for the band along with Wildman guitarist, Jack Cash; there have been many friends and musicians, currently with Matthew Dennis, and Aviv Cohen on bass and drums. On this particular track, ‘Vampires,’ the wonderful Robin Diaz joined us on drums in the studio.
What kind of guitar, pedals, and amps are you using?
Clay: As far as guitars, pedals, and amps go, as a producer here at my studio, I have a good collection of gear, so each song gets its own attention as far as what sounds I’m going after to suit the song. For the song ‘Vampires,’ the main guitar sounds are a 77 Marshall JMP, with some slight mods, on the left side, and a ‘90s Mesa Boogie dual rectifier on the right. The solo was done with a Floyd Fuzz pedal into the JMP. Shout out to Evan Stanley of Amber Wild for leaving that pedal at my studio! Then any of the cleaner-type stuff would be a Waza Craft Chorus Pedal into the Mesa clean channel. All the heavy guitars would have been done on my 2005 Gibson Les Paul standard. With a few parts on my ESP baritone guitar. The cleaner stuff would have been played on a Nash Jaguar.
Now, I do want to ask as well, what’s been the highlight of your career so far? Maybe touring or who you’ve played with, something that’s really stood out.
Gene: when Bullets and Octane was recording the In the Mouth of the Young album at Capitol Records, one of the coolest moments was when Paul McCartney came into the studio, making jokes, and listening to some of the music we were making – one of the nicest guys, I can’t believe an actual Beatle was in our studio hanging out. That one is definitely hard to top that’s for sure, and there are many fun stories from the road but that one definitely stands out as the crown jewel.
Which do you enjoy the most: writing, recording, practicing, or playing live?
Gene: My goodness, the extensive list of bands that Bullets and Octane has played with is all over the board. Avenged Sevenfold, Korn, Deftones, Bad Religion, Stone, Sour, Wednesday 13, Flogging Molly, Unwritten Law, Eagles of Death Metal, Warped Tour, Story Of The Year, Letter Kills, The Used, on and on, etc., etc… that’s just off the top of my head at the moment lol.
What’s next for you?
Gene: Bullets and Octane are currently still in the studio wrapping up another album of banger songs set to release, hopefully at the end of 2024 or the very latest early 2025 along with making music videos for almost each one of the songs that are currently picked for the upcoming full-length release, including (‘Space Lord Symphony’), (‘Vampires’). And a very special guest, the legendary Steve Stevens from Billy Idol, is joining us on the studio track and music video for an upcoming release this year called ‘No One Gets Out Alive;’ so much new music and videos, it’s going to be a huge 2024/2025 for the band. Look forward to hearing an amazing full-length album that we are very proud of.
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