阿德里安·史密斯（Iron Maiden）和里奇·科岑（Richie Kotzen

當阿德里安·史密斯（Iron Maiden）和里奇·科岑（Richie Kotzen）（釀酒廠狗）首次聯手在2021年發行了同名專輯時，好像音樂之神終於聽了我們的祈禱。

When Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden) and Richie Kotzen (The Winery Dogs) first joined forces for their debut self-titled album in 2021 it was as though the music Gods had finally listened to our prayers. Here were two of possibly the greatest guitarists of the modern era in their preferred genres, forming a sonically unlikely union that most feared would be a one-time merging of passions that dissipated once both parties overcame yet another musical challenge to emerge triumphant.

當阿德里安·史密斯（Iron Maiden）和里奇·科岑（Richie Kotzen）（釀酒廠狗）首次聯手在2021年發行了同名專輯時，好像音樂之神終於聽了我們的祈禱。這是他們首選的兩種現代時代最偉大的吉他手中最偉大的吉他手，形成了一個不太可能的聯盟，最擔心的是，一旦雙方都超越了另一個音樂挑戰，就會消散激情，這消失了，以贏得勝利。

Blending both guitarists’ loves of music, that first release was a smouldering mix of hard rock, blues, groove and R & B with splashings of metal and attitude where it mattered. The fact that both Kotzen and Smith shared guitar, bass, vocals, composing and production duties on the album added to the allure of their music, each contributing different sides of their musical psyche while experimenting with sides that were either dormant or previously non-existent.

融合了兩種吉他手對音樂的熱愛，首次發行的是硬岩，布魯斯，凹槽和R＆B的悶熱混合，並在重要的地方散發出金屬和態度的飛濺。 Kotzen和Smith在專輯中分享了吉他，貝斯，人聲，作曲和製作工作的事實，加入了他們的音樂魅力，每種都貢獻了音樂心理的不同方面，同時嘗試了休眠或以前不存在的方面。

It was that good.

那好。

But, as is their right, Smith and Kotzen played their cards close to their chest over the ensuing years, neither fully committed or non-committal to a second helping. As the years ticked over it seemed less likely that we would hear another record from Smith/Kotzen before the announcement came late last year that round two was certainly on the cards and that the friends and celebrated musicians had each found time in their busy schedules to start on the next whirlwind of expectation that a new album inevitably brings.

但是，正如他們的右邊一樣，史密斯和科岑隨後的幾年在他們的胸口附近打了卡片，既不完全承諾，也不是不承諾的第二個幫助。隨著歲月的流逝，在去年年底宣布這一消息之前，我們聽到史密斯/科岑的另一張唱片的可能性較小，肯定是在卡片上，而朋友和著名的音樂家都在忙碌的時間表中分發了時間，以在下一個期望的下一張旋風中開始，這是一張新專輯不可避免地會帶來的。

Thus Black Light/White Noise was introduced to the world, and after being teased with two singles that bear the names of each individual component of the album title, we are fast approaching the finish line when album number two is set free in the world on April 4. Black Light/White Noise is a truly magnificent collection of songs that stands shoulder to shoulder with some of Smith and Kotzen’s finest work to date. Atmospheric, ambitious, diverse and brilliant, it not only features stratospheric guitar solos and phenomenal rock vocals but soulful touches, intricate playing, beautiful songwriting and an assured poise and style that brings to mind a host of legendary bands and musicians (Thin Lizzy, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Cream, Free, Deep Purple) yet is undeniably the work of Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen in perfect harmony.

因此，黑色的光/白噪聲被引入了世界，在用兩張單曲取笑的是專輯標題的每個單獨組成部分的名稱之後，當專輯第二張專輯的第二張專輯第二張專輯在4月4日在世界上釋放時，我們正在快速接近終點線。《黑光/白色噪音》是一首真正宏偉的歌曲集合，與Smith and Kotzen最好的作品相關的是肩膀上的一面肩膀。 Atmospheric, ambitious, diverse and brilliant, it not only features stratospheric guitar solos and phenomenal rock vocals but soulful touches, intricate playing, beautiful songwriting and an assured poise and style that brings to mind a host of legendary bands and musicians (Thin Lizzy, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Cream, Free, Deep Purple) yet is undeniably the work of Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen in perfect和諧。

With the release date rapidly approaching, HEAVY jumped at the chance to spend some time with Adrian Smith, after we had the pleasure of speaking with Kotzen the first time around. We get straight to the point, reiterating claims from most who have heard the new album, who say it is quite possibly the best slab of music either of them has done individually or together. Then follow up by asking if they are right.

隨著發布日期迅速臨近，在我們第一次與Kotzen交談之後，Heave抓住了與Adrian Smith共度時光的機會。我們直接指出了這一點，重申了大多數聽過新專輯的主張，他們說這很可能是他們中的最好的音樂板，他們都會單獨或在​​一起做。然後詢問他們是否正確。

“Well…” he measured. “You write the songs the best you can, and you play them the best you can. I think… I think this is a more consistent album than the first one. It’s probably a little more up-tempo. Obviously over time, Richie and I developed our writing relationship. Our playing relationship, I think, has gone from strength to strength.”

“好吧……”他測量。 “您盡力而為地寫歌曲，並儘力而為。我認為……我認為這比第一張專輯更一致。這可能是更快的。顯然，隨著時間的流逝，我和Richie建立了我們的寫作關係。我認為，我們的比賽關係已經越來越強大。”

Black Light/White Noise ticks all of the boxes you would expect and more. There’s guitar solos, funk, groove, blues, hard rock and more guitar solos but the overriding thing HEAVY took out of our listen was that it sounds like Smith and Kotzen genuinely had fun and enjoyed the process.

黑光/白噪聲勾選了您期望的所有盒子以及更多的盒子。有吉他的獨奏，放克，凹槽，布魯斯，硬岩和更多的吉他獨奏，但是從我們聽的話來說，重大的東西聽起來像是史密斯和科岑真的很開心並喜歡這個過程。

“I play music because I wanna do it, anyway,” Smith replied. “But yeah, it’s fun. Richie and I are friends and have been for the best part of ten years. I live part time in America. I’m over there usually around Christmas, and we met up one year – I had a party at my house – and we started jamming Bad Company and Stevie Ray Vaughan and all that blues and someone said you guys should write together so that’s what we ended up doing. And we did it because it was fun and we thought we had something to say as well. I take a lot of inspiration from 70s music. I grew up and that music had a massive effect on me when I was a kid – it changed my life – so I take that as my basic inspiration. Then you try and take that to another level. You try and use it as an ingredient and write songs that stand up on their own.”

史密斯回答：“我演奏音樂是因為我想這樣做。” “但是，這很有趣。 Richie和我是朋友，已經在十年的時間裡一直處於最佳狀態。我在美國兼職。我通常會在聖誕節前後到那兒，我們見面一年 - 我在家裡舉行了一個聚會 - 我們開始了障礙公司和Stevie Ray Vaughan以及所有的藍調，有人說你們應該一起寫作，這就是我們最終做的事情。我們之所以這樣做，是因為它很有趣，我們認為我們也有話要說。我從70年代的音樂中汲取了很多靈感。我長大了，當我還是個孩子時，音樂對我產生了巨大影響 - 改變了我的生活 - 因此我將其作為我的基本靈感。然後，您嘗試將其提高到另一個層次。您嘗試將其用作成分，並寫出自己站立的歌曲。”

In the full interview, Adrian discusses the singles released and how they represent the overall album, their extra emphasis on collaboration this time around and how it impacted the finished result, the album title and how it combines two album tracks to create a mental image, the creative process and how they harnessed their individual talents into a cohesive unit, his favourite tracks on the album, taking Smith/Kotzen into a live setting and more.

在完整的採訪中，阿德里安（Adrian）討論了單身人士的發行，以及他們如何代表整體專輯，他們這次的額外強調對合作的額外重視以及它如何影響成品結果，專輯標題以及如何結合兩張專輯來創建心理圖像，創作過程以及他們如何將自己的才華納入凝聚力的單位，他最喜歡的專輯，史密斯/Kotzen的曲目中，將其最喜歡的曲目帶入實時設置和更多。