JOSIAH "No Time -there used to be an old Josiah tune of the same name that we played live but never recorded. I had a couple of riffs that worked better than the originals, dropped them in and we loved what we heard. Always been a very Josefus type of track. They are the reason we are called Josiah for Christ sake!" UK psych rockers Josiah laid down their heaviest collection of tracks yet, and their new album, "No Time" [due out on Germany's very own Elektrohasch] got the power and the feel of the band's live experience mixed with some cool production techniques. "No Time" shows Josiah taking the free exploration begun on the first couple of albums, and channelling their fuzzed-out riffola through hook-laden tunes. Josiah's mission? Bringing the Grand Funk / Sabbath / Zeppelin / Motorhead inspired heavy psych / rock / blues into the here and now... Josiah are lined up to tour Sweden at the end of March, mainland Europe through April [playing the Friday Roadburn date, April 20th] and the UK in May / June. Words | Mathew Bethancourt In August 2006 we went back to Foel studio, Wales for five days with fourteen new songs and the gear we'd been using live for the last two years. We wanted to get everything down as real as possible in one or two takes with just a few overdubs here and there, mix it nice n easy and cherry pick tracks for the album. Sometimes you get what you want... NO TIME > On to the songs... Looking At The Mountain This was one of the first songs I came up with for the new album. Ready from the first rehearsal, we just added a few time changes, locked onto the riffs and resisted the obvious move to overdub a solo. No Time There used to be an old Josiah tune of the same name that we played live but never recorded. I had a couple of riffs that worked better than the originals, dropped them in and we loved what we heard. Always been a very Josefus type of track. They are the reason we are called Josiah for Christ sake! Long Time Burning I came up with the riffs at home and stuck a lose arrangement down on a porta studio. On playback I couldve sworn ' Sie came up with this track, it's got that heavy swamp stomp feel he does so well. The Dark Just picked up the guitar at home and played this song from start to finish then I wrote down the lyrics on the second pass. An hour later we rehearsed it then recorded a demo version the next day. This ones got Pentagram and Purple all over it, with a psychedelic sting in the tail and a nice backing vocal arrangement from Sie. Harvester Of Lies Probably the heaviest track on the album and a bitch to get right but we laid it down in one complete performance after a couple of takes. I wanted a freaked out guitar sound on this track and for the first time In my life needed a Strat with a tremolo. The studio owner Dave Anderson {Hawkwind, Amon Duull II] had one I could use so I stuck it through an old Electro Harmonix Small Stone and into my usual Marshall jmp 50 watt set up. Just for the hell of it we went for some heavy stereo on the guitar solo in part two. There are some of my favourite Josiah riffs from both Sie and I in this track and again some fine drumming from Keith. Time To Kill The most straight ahead, balls out track on the album. Great to play live and recorded in one take with some of my favourite drum fills ever from Keith. Very Purple, very Moterhead, very heavy, very humble. Silas Brainchild Originally written by me a few years back this one was up for inclusion on the last album but just never clicked so it was dropped before we even got into the studio. One new drummer and a key change later we played it by accident in rehearsals and it just blew us away, a real surprise. Way better than the original with some tasty production and fine drumming from Keith. A pleasure to play live and one of my personal favourites. My Bird Of Prey Our homage the early seventies prog metal opus and yet to be played live. I can hear Budgie, Jericho Jones, Blue Cheer, Sabbath and I Teoremi in the roots of this one. I Can't Seem To Find It Sie and I came up with this track during a rehearsal way back and it was recorded for the last album but just wasn't happening so we didn't even bother to mix it. A fixture in our live set and a big favourite with the crowds for nearly three years, we even recorded a live version for the BBC back in May 2004. One of Sie's favourites, we agreed to breathe some new live into it with a few extra riffs and cleaned up the arrangement a little before taking it back to the studio for the last time. I'm glad we did. As I write, the album is being mastered and we hope to have it released by the end of the month [March 2007] on CD via Elektrohasch. Then the ltd edition gatefold vinyl version will follow this April just in time for Roadburn [fingers crossed]. We are lined up to tour Sweden at the end of March, mainland Europe through April and the UK in May/June. See you at the bar!