Devil You Know’s Howard Jones Talks ‘They Bleed Red’ Album, Touring + More

Devil You Know frontman Howard Jones was the guest on Full Metal Jackie's weekend radio show. The vocalist discussed the band's 'They Bleed Red' album and he also talked about the band's touring and future plans. Check out the chat in full below.

We're here to talk about the new Devil You Know album They Bleed Red. Howard, what was the biggest difference writing and recording this new album compared to the previous one?

It's a different album. [Long Pause.] Ah, come on! It's a joke. I would say, it's definitely a lot more representative of who we are as a band. It's also a lot heavier. The first album we wrote before we played a show together, we wrote and recorded it. We've since spent a lot of time together, been on the road together and we were a lot more closely involved when writing this. Different producer, different surroundings, different settings. It was a lot of fun. It's definitely a lot different in a lot of ways.

Howard, what part of the collaborative process of Devil You Know is unlike any other band you've been in?

Honestly, i'm not really sure how different it is than other bands. Write the music, they send it to me, I write lyrics. We definitely sit around and listen and watch either other in the studio. So there is that. A lot of times, with most vocalists, there's usually the vocalist and the producer whereas these guys were with me pretty much the whole time. I've never recorded an album like that.

What's the most fulfilling part of the recording process that really gives you the feeling of accomplishment?

I would say trying something different and being able to pull it off and of course, walking in with nothing and then leaving with something. Going in and there's no album, then you finish and then you have a whole product there. That is absolutely fulfilling. It's basically [laughs] the happiness after sex.

Musically, what specific things did you want to try in terms of further developing this band's sound?

We wanted to make it more cohesive and heavier, these were the things we were gunning for. We were definitely happy with the first album, but we wanted something that was a little more aggressive. More melody. Expanding on who we are and what we want to do with this band and new music.

When these new songs were coming together, were you thinking artistic statement within the context of the album or was it more about crafting the music specifically to be played live?

That does come into play at times, but really we just wanted to make songs we were extremely happy with. Actually, for me, I want to be able to write stuff that I can perform. Also, I want to be able to make an album that you can listen to from front to back. Not just a few standout songs. This is definitely an album. It is an album worth listening to. At least I'd like to think so. If you don't agree with that, I don't like you anymore.

There's a European tour with FFDP coming up here. What's the plan for U.S. touring?

I know there are some things in the works, but I'm not exactly sure what's happening yet. Then again, I'm always the last one to know. But definitely excited about this European tour with FFDP, it's going to be a lot of fun. Oh, we are doing Soundwave in Australia. After that? I don't know what's going on. Ask my manager, maybe he'll call me or email me or something. I'm usually the last one to know.

Maybe we'll tell you!

This would not surprise me.

Thanks to Devil You Know's Howard Jones for the interview. The band's They Bleed Red album is out now. Pick it up at Amazon and iTunes. See their tour dates here. Find out where you can hear Full Metal Jackie’s weekend show at this location.

Watch Devil You Know's 'The Way We Die' Video