Avenged Sevenfold bassist Johnny Christ was recently Matt Caughthran‘s guest on his Sailor Jerry podcast. Christ praised producer Joe Barresi, who also worked with A7X in the past on the album “The Stage.”
The bassist confirmed that Barresi is once again working with the band, saying: “He just did that Slipknot record (The End, So Far), which is incredible. He’s always worked with Tool. He’s an unsung hero, in a lot of ways. He’s not one of those big, flashy names as a producer, I don’t think.”
He continued: “‘The Stage’ was the first record we worked with him… We had a great time working with him. He’s awesome. He can really get into it in the studio with getting the right tones and the right sounds. You go to his place in Pasadena and all those pedals and everything he’s got… ‘What kind of sound are you looking for?’ And he pulls out about 10 different things to get that sound until you get it. And you run it through. It might take you four hours to lay down a five-second part, but it’s worth it every time — it’s worth it.
Christ added: “I think one of the important things… Obviously, what he does, just engineering and getting the right tone every time, his knowledge of that over the years is just so great,” added Christ. “He brings a lot of what he’s learned over the years into a modern way and makes it new every time. I love his sounds; he’s so brilliant at getting ’em. But moreover, as a producer, just having… You’re working with someone for hours upon hours, that personality has gotta be there. And he’s just got this even-keeled fucking demeanor about him always. It’s relaxing. When you start feeling all the pressure, he’s just still right there with you. And I think that that’s such an important, underrated thing for a producer, to have the right personality in there. If we were in there with someone that was high energy or wanted to butt heads back at any point, the records wouldn’t get done. We’re too stubborn. I’m just being honest. We’re way too stubborn. So he just works perfectly with us… He’s become a very good friend too. He’s an awesome dude.”
