“The bass was getting to the point where it was embarrassing”: Testament bassist blames Metallica for bass being “pushed down” in metal music
While the metal world can often focus on the guitar heroes, metal bassists deserve their flowers too. However, the ‘90s metal scene turned its back on the bass guitar, as Testament’s Steve Di Giorgio recalls.
Speaking in a new interview with D’Addario, Di Giorgio pin points the ’90s as a turning point for bass guitar in metal music, when the instrument was progressively pushed down in mixes in favour of guitar solos.
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“This new standard [came] out,” he says. “Bass players [were] being pushed down, pushed to the back, mixed out of there.”
Di Giorgio touches on Metallica‘s 1988 album …And Justice For All, a glaring example of a big metal album with its bass mixed very low. “It was happening before …And Justice for All, but that’s the famous example of the bass being turned off during the recording,” he says.
“A combination of that album, the time period and this style… the bass was getting to the point where it was, like, embarrassing!”
Rather than letting himself feel that embarrassment, the Di Giorgio became even more determined to make his bass lines heard. “That fuelled me to play even more obnoxious,” he laughs. “And give it a reason to be back in the mix.”
It’s a mindset he encourages amongst new players. And he notes that confidence and precision is key to making yourself heard. “Get your stuff down very well,” he says. “You get in the studio, and your stuff is really exposed. And if it’s not super clean, if it’s super tight, you’re gonna get pushed down.”
He also mentions a few iconic bass lines throughout metal, including Ozzy Osbourne’s debut solo single, 1980’s Crazy Train. “Can you imagine Crazy Train with the bass dropped out?” he asks. Would you recognise [it]? Doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo…”
“Black Sabbath and especially [Iron Maiden’s] Steve Harris, Rainbow,” he lists. “I wanted to be like these guys! I mean, you listen to Rush and that bass is growling! You listen to Yes, Chris Squire was a tone master.”
Ultimately, metal wants to be loud and heavy – and that’s exactly what a bass can enhance. “Bass just makes music heavier,” he says. “We play heavy metal, so it’s the key ingredient to make the music heavy! You know, get your shit down good, make sure you come super prepared, then you can fight for those decibels.”
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
