Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has revealed the one album he uses as a “gauge” of greatness.
The US band release their ninth album ‘Concrete And Gold’ this Friday (September 15). It’s their first record since 2014’s ‘Sonic Highways’.
Speaking to Mojo recently, Grohl explained how he used to measure every Foo Fighters LP against Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura’s 1996 album ‘Roots’.
“That record became the gauge for every studio album Foo Fighters did for ten years,” he said. “‘That sounds pretty good, but see how it stands up to that Sepultura record…’ There’s no way we ever got anywhere close. But it gave you perspective – this is heavy. What you’re doing? It’s okay, but this is heavy.”
Grohl went on to describe ‘Roots’ as “sonically the most powerful album I had ever heard”, saying that it “made everything else sound like a flea fart.”
Describing how he first got into the band, Grohl said: “The first time they played Seattle, they were just ferocious. It wasn’t that groomed heavy metal aesthetic; there were dreadlocks everywhere and the guitars were tuned down to Z. [Krist] Novoselic started getting into them too, and at one point we entertained the idea of having them open up for Nirvana. It never happened.”
Read NME‘s review of Foo Fighters’ new album ‘Concrete And Gold’ here.
NME‘s Leonie Cooper writes: “The Foo Fighters’ ninth is a little bit Queen, a little bit Prince and a lot great”.