You have been touring non-stop with Arch Enemy. Has there been time to work on any solo stuff?
Yes! It’s been crazy busy with the band these last few years. We just completed the world tour for the album “Deceivers” on August 20th. We have a bunch of downtime now and I will utilize it wisely to work on my third solo album for Century Media Records. No vocals on this one, just an all-metal instrumental onslaught of guitar-driven music. I know fans all over have been asking about this for quite some time now, and I very much appreciate their patience. They will not be disappointed.

You’ve also collaborated with Graham Bonnet on some new material. Any idea when that will surface?
I have most of the music written for the album with Graham! I’m currently about two songs shy of finishing it up and we are looking for a home for it and shopping a deal at the moment. I would say it definitely has an old school heavy rock vibe in the same style as Alcatraz, with a bit more updated and heavier feel. I’m hoping we will get this out later next year along with my solo album as well.

Not so long ago, you had your second signature guitar out with Jackson. What’s different with The Solist SL7 compared to your previous Kelly?
Basically, the guitars are the same with the same features minus the body style. The Kelly is a guitar I don’t see too much anymore, and I really wanted to design something with Jackson with that shape in mind for Arch Enemy. It’s a very serious metal-looking guitar that’s currently available in a USA Custom version and the more affordable import version. We will later introduce standard bridge models of both of these guitars as well. With the Soloist 7, I just wanted something that was very comfortable and balanced in mind. I’ve been a 7-string guitar player for a long time and I wanted to share something with the fans that they could also enjoy. I’ve been incredibly happy with being a part of the Jackson family and the guitars are doing extraordinarily well. Who knows, maybe we will introduce a Kelly 7 in the near future. The possibilities are endless with Jackson Guitars.

You’ve been a Toontrack user for years now. Which products do you use and where in the creative process do they come in?
I use Superior Drummer 3 mostly for my compositions. I usually have some main riffs in my mind or on my phone where I would start the overall process of demoing a song. To me it’s always about the foundation similar to building a house. I’ll lay down some beats and get a general arrangement going and just keep adding paint to the canvas until I get the idea down. Superior Drummer 3 is just so intuitive and fun to use and I’ve becoming pretty decent at it as of late. I also use EZkeys for added textures. I love the ease of the program and will just copy chords from my guitar lines and write them in so the piano or whatever I’m using has more of a human feel. This really adds so much to the clean guitar parts I write. All the Toontrack stuff is extremely essential in my composing, and it gets used on a daily basis in my home studio.

What’s next on your agenda touring and music-wise?
Basically, just taking a break at the moment from touring and i’ll be tinkering around in my studio. I’ve put some of my money into a nice home studio at my house and it’s just an awesome vibe to create in. I love the road with Arch Enemy, but it’s now time to write some music and make myself and my fans happy. Music always has been a part of my soul and a way to connect with people. I can’t wait to see what comes out of my crazy mind next, musically speaking.