Studio / Scott Atkins
After treading the boards for over
10 years as guitarist with UK metalcore underdogs Stampin' Ground,
I founded GRINDSTONE STUDIO to focus on producing metal / hardcore
and rock bands.
My interest in recording grew in the late 90's - it was a rough time
to get your tunes recorded well; and finding a good studio was like
finding your way though a minefield. Stampin' Ground had been burned
a few times, and so did almost every band we knew.
So, in 2003, I applied what I learnt from a decade of recording with
SG and set about doing it myself. From a humble beginning running
a mobile recording rig to establishing it's current premises, GRINDSTONE
STUDIO has gone from strength to strength.
Primarily setup to track demo's for unsigned bands, the studio quickly
began attracting signed bands that were looking to record full albums
- i'd been getting better results than some well known people in the
business, and it's grown from there. In recent years some of my clients
include record labels such as Nuclear Blast, Roadrunner, Earache,
Candlelight, Peaceville, Relapse and Metal Blade.
Selected credits at a glance:
2008
Sylosis 'Conclusion Of An Age' (Nuclear Blast) Producer/Mix
Cradle Of Filth 'Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder' (Roadrunner) - Guitar
Engineering/Live B side Tracks Mix. (Producer - Andy Sneap)
Ignominious Incarceration 'Of Winter Born' (Earache)
2009
Behemoth 'Evangelion' (Nuclear Blast), Mix Engineer to Colin Richardson
Man Must Die 'No Tolerance For Imperfection' (Relapse) - Producer/Mix
New Studio Open!
Gama Bomb 'Tales From The Grave In Space' (Earache), Producer/Mix
2010
Cradle Of Filth 'Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa' Producer/Mix
Sylosis 'Edge Of The Earth' Producer/Mix
2011
Romeo Must Die 'Hardships In Season'
March
2011
The 2nd SYLOSIS album is out this month, keep an eye
out for that! I'm praying for good press; the album (especially the
mix) was unbelievably tough going. Also look out for the ROMEO MUST
DIE album which is available FREE on the cover of this month's METAL
HAMMER in the UK.
Welsh chaps ANTERIOR have practically moved into the studio during
this past winter, their new album is almost finished, just wrapping
up vocals in the coming weeks and mixing in April. It's due out on
METAL BLADE in the Autumn.
The ANDY JAMES album is almost finished also. Been on this for quite
some time, and it's shaping up really great. Its easily up there with
solo albums by the likes of Jeff Loomis, John Petrucci etc etc the
list is long. I know many of you yawn at the idea of a shred album,
but this is so catchy and immediate you'll never miss the vocals.
Recently started on the 2nd album for SACRED MOTHER TONGUE. It hints
at a more metal version of Alter Bridge which is a bit different to
some of the stuff i've been at recently. Some solid rock ethics on
this one.
Also around the corner is the debut album for DIVINE CHAOS and an
EP for TED MAUL.
September
2010
Crumbs, it's been over a year
since I last did a small report, so here goes. Most of the summer
for 2010 has had me tied up with the CRADLE OF FILTH album 'Darkly,
Darkly, Venus Aversa', a good 4 months, practically a double
album's worth of music. It's all in the bag now, they have a mini-site
devoted to it online, so all the info regarding that can be found
there. I'm currently mixing the 2nd SYLOSIS album due for release
arly 2011. It's fairly epic stuff but it's shaping up nicely, working
closely with the guys to get their specific vision into the mix. Also
part finished is the debut album for ROMEO MUST DIE, and the 2nd solo
album for ANDY JAMES the shred guitarist from SACRED MOTHER TONGUE,
both of which will hopefully be finished in October. I completed work
on the new studio in Sept '09, and straight away churned out the 'Tales
From The Grave In Space' for Irish thrashers GAMA BOMB. The have
a huge tour booked for Oct to Xmas 2010, so check out their dates
if you wanna catch them. Once all these loose ends are finished, the
next two albums in the line are for ANTERIOR and DIVINE CHAOS.
July
2009
Plenty
to write about right now, but i'll keep it short and sweet (check
myspace blog for more blogs). So, jumping back to earlier in the year,
projects like The MAN MUST DIE album and the MUTANT EP were taking
shape, and are now available (MMD on pre-order thru Relapse), both
great bands. Hot on their heels is the DAMNATION ANGELS EP 'Shadow
Symphony'. A must for fans of KAMELOT. I love polished symphonic metal
and this is right up there with the competition. Hailing from Doncaster,
U.K, it makes a nice change for them not to be from mainland Europe.
Good luck to them. During May I engineered with COLIN RICHARDSON (Machine
Head, Slipknot, Trivium) on the BEHEMOTH record 'Evangelion'.
Thats due out Aug 1st. It's a right handful. I just finished the SAVAGE
MESSIAH mix. CHRIS TSANGARIDES produced it. The band obviously love
Judas Priest's 'Painkiller' album CT produced, as their direction
is comparable, with a drip of Testament. So, i'm now mid way mixing
an album for the 'Spanish Killswitch Engage' - YIDORAH, and an EP
for Newcastle's finest BOLTDOWN.
Output will be reduced for a while now, as i'm building a new improved
GRINDSTONE STUDIO through August before manning the desk for the next
GAMA BOMB record in Sept. Its all fun and games.
