Chris, it’s great to talk with you. You’ve always got so much going on we could really talk about almost anything but I want to spend some time talking about the new Fozzy CD. There was a huge buzz online for months about this record. You’ve got to be excited to see it finally hit the streets.

Absolutely. This album has been done and in the can for six months so we’re really excited to unleash it on everbody. You spend time working on a record and you obviously want to make it the best you can. We heard it and realized we had something really special and we wanted everybody to hear it. We wanted to make sure all of our ducks were in a row and make sure we could give it the best possible impact when it was released. This is definitely Fozzy’s “coming of age” record. We really show people what we can do as a band and who we are as a band. It’s very catchy and very hard. It will make Fozzy fans very happy and if they weren’t a fan before I think it will open a lot of eyes.

Not to take away from anything Fozzy has done before, but this album seems like the defining Fozzy album. There was just something about the first listen that made me step back a little and think “this is the one.”

This is definitely as close to a masterpiece as anything we’ve ever done. I think there’s a lot of factors for that. We first started the band as more of a fun thing; just getting together and playing some tunes for fun. We’ve been together for 10 years now. We have a great core of musicians that have the same beliefs. Our last record was kind of our first “real” record, as it was all of our songs and no covers. “Chasing The Grail” is the first time Rich and I wrote songs from scratch. I wrote all the lyrics and he wrote all the riffs. He had my lyrics as he was writing the riffs and putting it all together and playing things back and forth for me. You’re also dealing with a band that had hundreds of gigs under our belt. As a singer I had a lot more control over my voice and the direction in what I wanted to do. Rich knew exactly where he wanted to go with it. From our first ballad to our first 14-minute Dream Theater type of song and everything in between, there’s a lot of diversity. We didn’t really plan to write a ballad or a 14 minute song, it just came out that way. It’s a very honest Fozzy record and the best Fozzy record as far as what we can do as a band after all these years and experiences.

What was the entire writing process like this time around? When did you make the decision that this was going to be the defining Fozzy album?

We just knew because of our experiences. We didn’t have that to work with before. We’ve had a lot of practice and a lot of experience. Rich and I were very motivated this time. The lyrics came from a different place than before. I spent a lot of time on these lyrics. I did research. The “Wormwood” lyrics took three weeks to write. I thought the book of Revelation would make for a great song so I basically read the Bible for three weeks and wrote lyrics accordingly. We never really did any preparation before. Rich always had the riff and I’d put the lyrics to it. We really had a stronger chemistry this time. After our last record we knew we had to follow up with a great set of songs. We knew this could be huge for us if we did it right. I think we did.

I’ve talked to a few people who relied heavily on the Internet when it came to writing new material and making edits. Did you use the Internet to help make this record or were you able to work face to face most of the time?

We sent a few files back and forth but we talked on the phone quiet a bit. Rich lives in Atlanta and I live in Tampa. We just really concentrated on having a lot of communication. We did use the Internet to our advantage but more importantly we just spent a lot of time on the phone exchanging riffs and exchanging ideas. It was like we were in the same room because we were always in contact with each other.

Do you have certain gear or equipment that you prefer in the studio? Did you use anything new on this record?

It’s great because a friend of mine has a studio in Tampa. Rich would come down for a couple of days and we would record, knowing that we could do one or two tracks a day. Four or five hours of constant singing is probably the maximum for any singer. Before, we were on such a time constraint that we would record for 10 hours and we would use whatever we could get. This time we had no deadline. That’s another reason it turned out so good. We started recording in March and we finished it in June. We didn’t have a time line. That really helped. Rich has his own studio at his house and he didn’t really have to go to a “studio” to record. We didn’t have to worry about booking studio time. Another thing that really made a difference for me is I like to put up pictures in the studio of the guys that give me inspiration. I had this awesome picture of Eddie Van Halen from 1978, a photo from Metallica’s Death Magnetic photo shoot. I like having that dwelling in the background. I keep a lot of water and a lot of communication with Rich. He knows how to get the best out of me.

After visiting your website it’s obvious that you’re really dedicated to your fans and making sure they have cool things to keep them happy. It takes a dedication like that to make a difference this day and age. Is that something you take personally?

You have to do that because the music business is such shambles nowadays. People are just taking whatever music they want for free. We’ve done three records and we’ve got ripped off on all of ‘em. The only constant is your fans. The fact that this is our fourth record and we’ve been able to continue on for 10 years is all due to our fans. It started out like “This is Chris Jericho’s band” or “That’s the guy from Stuck Mojo” and it’s turned into people being into Fozzy and our music. We do try to go the extra mile for the fans.

It’s obvious when I see you on VH1 talking about music that you’re a big metal head. Who are some of the bands you listened to growing up?

My favorite band of all time is the Beatles. That’s the band that sucked me in. I was a huge fan of Iron Maiden, Metallica. I love Ozzy. Helloween. Loudness. Kiss. I have a very broad view of music. I also love the Police and the Who. I love Rush and Dream Theater and the prog side. People had a mixed view of what Fozzy was about, likening us to an 80s band. We’re not an 80s band. We have guitar harmonies and that Iron Maiden guitar style but we have a very modern element to us as well. But for me Iron Maiden and Metallica are my two favorite metal bands to this day.

Was it the Beatles that made you think you wanted to be a singer someday?

I loved their harmonies. I think that’s what attracted me to being a singer in the first place.

With a crazy schedule like you’ve got, how is the live situation looking for Fozzy?

We’d like to do as much touring as we can. We did great in the UK. We were playing in front of thousands of people. We sold a lot of records in the US. We want to hit New York, Chicago, St. Louis. Would we do a full-fledged tour and go out for three months? Probably not. My schedule won’t allow it. But we’re definitely going to do as many songs as we can and do these songs live.

Chris, I definitely appreciate your time with this. What would you like to say to your fans and all the Rock Confidential readers?

It’s hard to believe that we’ve been doing this for 10 years. The fact the fans have continued to stay interested is really cool. The fact that we’ve been able to build this band that same way I was able to build Chris Jericho in wrestling means a lot. I’m really excited for people to hear this record. For people that love the band, you’re going to love us even more. For people that have never heard the band, I guarantee there will be a whole lot of new Fozzy fans. We’re ready to kick America’s ass for sure.