Matt Sorum Credits Guns N’ Roses For Furthering His Career — Interview
Drummer Matt Sorum recently admitted that he credits his time in Guns N' Roses for furthering his career. The drummer, who has also played in The Cult, Velvet Revolver, Hollywood Vampires and more, recently spoke with Loudwire Nights host Toni Gonzalez about his upcoming album, and reflected on his time in GN'R and Velvet Revolver.
Sorum discussed when he first learned of the Guns N' Roses reunion a few years back. "Probably about when everybody else did," he says laughing. "I was in a band, Hollywood Vampires, then for a minute. It was kind of around that time, that's basically what happened and then it just went the way it went. Life goes on."
He continues, "I looked at my time in that band as well-spent. It can never really be reimagined or replaced, that experience in my life. I give a lot of credit to my career going forward because of that experience, right? Because, I guess when you go down the list of bands that I've played with, there've been many. Some people prefer maybe The Cult over GN'R if I run into a fan on the street...There's a lot of people that maybe weren't as much into GN'R, but love Velvet Revolver because maybe it was more of a modern rock band that came, in 2004 we were formed."
When asked if he often revisits Velvet Revolver's first album Contraband, which is approaching its 15th anniversary, Sorum says, "I can't say I do, my wife loves that record. She listens to it more than I do. It's interesting, I need to go back and listen to some of these things sometimes before I play them again because I get different interpretations of what maybe I recorded the first time. I mean that record was like the same feeling, with Deadland Ritual, was the same feeling I had when going in and making Velvet Revolver's first album. It's a renewed energy, you do have to really step it up because you're unleashing something to the world that they might or might not wanna resonate towards."
Sorum goes on to describe his now healthy lifestyle so that he can be the best he can while out on tour. "As fans of rock and roll, once you got rock and roll in your blood and in your veins, that never goes away." Listen to the full interview above.
Sorum is now working with Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler and Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens in a band called Deadland Ritual. Their first show together is May 28 in Los Angeles, Calif. followed by a June 4 performance in Copenhagen, Denmark. See all the dates here and listen to their debut track "Down in Flames" here.
See Matt Sorum in the Top 66 Hard Rock + Metal Drummers of All Time