Staffordshire's Ryders Creed "stronger" than ever before as album number two nears - unsigned column
'It was a really awesome year'.
So says Ryders Creed frontman Ryan Antony, reflecting on a 2019 for the Staffordshire-based band that brought lots of new experiences and "remember when" moments over a busy 12 months.
"We did a lot of really awesome things and had some incredible experiences," he continued. "It was our biggest year yet, and now that we are a four-piece working on our second studio album, 2020 is set to be even bigger."
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And there's the teaser that fans will have been waiting for. Ryders Creed have been around for a while now. They released their self-titled debut record in 2018, which we at Star Towers were impressed by.
"Hands up who loves a good guitar riff?" we opened the review with, and that brand of guitar-led rock has been a successful path for the lads to tread.
At that point they were a five-piece, with former Walton High School pupil Antony, from Stafford, leading the way. They were powered by the dual guitars of Myles Cooper and Lee Spence, but Spence has since departed and they continue in the four-piece guise Anthony mentioned above.
Antony still hollers over the tunes, with Cooper his able sidekick leading the melodies. He's from Drayton Bassett in Derbyshire. Completing the band are Swadlincote lads Richard Clark on bass and drummer Lee Gilbert.
Record number two will be the next step on the journey towards what Antony describes as "redefining what it means to be at the top", and shows they are ready for another big 12 months ahead. And the line-up changes and other obstacles placed in front of the unsigned act had to be negotiated before 2019 reminded them of the highs being in a band can bring.
"We are happy with where we are at right now," he continues. "It's not been an easy ride to get here and the journey has been filled with obstacles and adversity, but nothing worth having is meant to be easy.
"We will always be grateful to Lee for the energy, love and devotion he showed while he was in Ryders Creed. He will always be a part of our journey and we hold no hard feelings or ill-will to him. He chose to leave the band in search of a simpler and happier life, which is totally fair and we wish him all the very best of luck in his future endeavours.
"We thought that we would struggle as a four-piece, especially with creating a sound as big as our first album. But after writing our second entirely this way we realised very early on in the process our sound now is much bigger than our first. The riffs are harder and dirtier, the music is more mature and it's clear we gel as musicians even tighter than we did before.
"We've taken a more emotive stand with this album, we want people to really feel something. We're stronger as a band now than we ever have been."
It's been a big period for Antony in other senses too. His clothing company - Ryan Antony Design Clothing UK - is also waking up again after a hiatus following the release of their first t-shirt. The cool black number with a hand all down the back giving it the big rock 'horns' has proved immensely popular - "we never expected so many of you to want them" they said in an Instagram post last year. And they also promise to be back for a big 2020 with new designs.
So despite being a 'man down' so to speak, Ryders Creed still feel that they are keeping the old adage "strength in numbers" alive and well. And they can start to look ahead into 2020 even if they aren't quite ready to launch their new album just yet.
"At this moment in time we can't announce the exact date of release," Antony adds. "But what we can say is that it'll be dropping just before festival season, so you can expect a brand new Ryders Creed album just before summer to blare out in the beautiful weather."
So what until then? Is there still work to be done? And can fans expect to get any sneak previews of the music on the stage before hearing the record in full?
"We are currently at Priory Recording Studio in Canwell, Sutton Coldfield, with the legendary Greg Chandler. He recorded, mixed and mastered our debut back in 2018 and as we enjoyed working with him so much we couldn't think of anyone we would rather record with for our next release.
"Our first public gig of 2020 is in February, in Scotland, at the Braw Beard & Mustache Championships. This will be our first live appearance as a four-piece and we are excited to showcase a couple of our new songs, our bigger, newer sound, our heavier tones and even more energy. We can't wait."
And beyond that?
"As far as long-term goals go we've always had the attitude where we want to reach the very top and then redefine what it means to be there. So ultimately, we want to be a band that leaves a legacy that lasts forever, but we are well aware it takes a lot of time, a lot of hard work and constant self-improvement.
"So our goals for 2020 are to work as hard as we can to play Glastonbury Festival by seriously impressing the judges in March, release an even better album than our debut, push ourselves further and harder than ever before and end 2020 more successful than we were when we started it.
"So...no pressure!"
No pressure indeed, but if the as-yet-untitled second record matches the intensity and enjoyment levels of that self-titled debut 18 months ago, then they have absolutely nothing to worry about. At. All.
Ryders Creed can be found on Facebook and Twitter, both @RydersCreed, while their self-titled debut album can be heard on their Spotify page. Ryan Antony's clothing brand can also be found on Twitter @RADClothing_UK where the relaunch will be announced in due course.
