FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Haunted North Go Deep On Tone, Riffs, and Real Heavy Music On The Zach Moonshine Show
The Haunted North returned to The Zach Moonshine Show for Part II this week on Metal Devastation Radio , and this round went straight down the gearhead rabbit hole.
Guitarist Sean Francis joined the show for a laid back but seriously deep conversation covering everything from the making of the crushing new single “Savage Ghost” to vintage gear, gain stacking, classic metal influences, Black Label Society connections, and the spirit of authentic heavy music.
Right out of the gate, Sean revealed that the main riff behind “Savage Ghost” had actually been sitting around unfinished for nearly five or six years before finally clicking into place.
“We didn’t know what in the hell to do with it. Then me and Randy got together last summer and the whole song was done in about ten minutes.”
The discussion quickly shifted into guitar tone territory, where Sean proudly embraced his reputation as a full blown tone nerd.
For recording, Sean relies heavily on his prized 2001 Gibson Zakk Wylde Bullseye Les Paul loaded with older EMG pickups , paired with a Friedman BE100 amp and a J Rockett Archer IKON overdrive pedal.
Instead of maxing out amp distortion, Sean explained that his signature sound comes from carefully stacking overdrive tones together.
“I’ve never wanted to go full distortion from the amp because it gets too fizzy. I’m always about stacking overdrive and keeping both under half gain. The sustain and warmth you get out of it is just slamming.”
The conversation naturally turned toward gear collecting and Sean dropped another bombshell by revealing he owns one of the ultra rare limited edition Randy Rhoads Les Paul relic guitars .
Meanwhile, Zach shared his own excitement over recently getting his hands on one of Zakk Wylde’s Wylde Audio guitars , leading into a larger conversation about modern guitar manufacturing, setup quality, and why Wylde Audio instruments have become some of the best bang-for-the-buck guitars on the market.
Beyond the gear talk, the interview dug deep into Sean’s longtime friendship with legendary guitarist Zakk Wylde .
What started as a chance meeting during an Ozzy Osbourne tour stop in Canada back in 2007 eventually grew into a real friendship that opened doors to collaborations with members of Black Label Society including John “JD” DeServio and Jeff Fabb .
Sean explained how those relationships eventually helped shape The Haunted North’s recordings.
“Sometimes you just throw it out there and see what happens.”
That simple mindset eventually led to JD and Jeff becoming heavily involved in the project after hearing early material.
The interview also explored classic metal memories, with Sean and Zach bonding over discovering bands like Metallica , Pantera , Kiss , Alice In Chains , Cinderella , and Ozzy Osbourne during their younger years.
Sean even credited Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” as one of the first riffs that truly hooked him into guitar music as a kid.
“Nobody talks about Prince as a guitar player enough. That guy could absolutely play.”
The conversation stayed rooted in a shared appreciation for all forms of authentic music, whether it was metal, country, glam, grunge, or classic rock.
As Sean put it:
“If it’s good music, you dig it. Who gives a crap what kind of music it is?”
Toward the end of the interview, Sean hinted that The Haunted North already has six or seven new songs completed along with major announcements potentially arriving in the near future.
The band is currently focusing heavily on preparing live performances while continuing work on future material.
“It’s going to be never ending. More new music for the next forever.”
The episode wrapped with Sean encouraging fans to follow The Haunted North online, support underground music, and continue backing independent outlets like Metal Devastation Radio that keep heavy music alive outside the mainstream machine.
For fans of real amps, real riffs, and real heavy music, this interview hit exactly where it needed to.
Track List from the show:
Battle Of The Bands Top Six Winners:
1 - Trivan - Abyss Of Crawling Shadows - (269,086 votes)
2 - NIKOLA'S CAGE - RASCAL - (39,787 votes)
3 - Severed Sun - Complex - (39,787 votes)
4 - Heidbekka - Völva - (39,787 votes)
5 - Another Demon - Drawn and Quartered feat. James Murphy (Testament, Death, Obituary) - (6,002 votes)
6 - Mistress - Terrified eyes - (4,070 votes)
The Zach Moonshine Intro
7 - Ozzy Osbourne - Rock 'n' Roll Rebel
8 - Black Label Society - Lord Humungus/Suffering Overdue
The Haunted North - Interview featuring The Beast/Savage Ghost/BLEED
9 - The Red Mountain - Cosmic Guns
10 - The Prodigal Son - Silence Of Kaos
11 - Archfiend - Life Of Decay
12 - Tito Thomvs - spiraling
13 - Violence System - Endmother
14 - Enigmatical - Alien Abduction (Re-Abducted Version)
15 - PROCESS OF SUFFOCATION - Mephisthopheles
16 - Burnt Witch - Bastard
17 - THE RED MOUNTAIN - Babble On
18 - Triptykon - Abyss Within My Soul/Circle Of the Tyrants/Dethroned Emperor [Live]
19 - Metallica - So What/Am I Evil- (Live at Tushino Airfield, Moscow, Russia - September 28th, 1991)
20 - NetherDred - Spellbound
21 - Pentagram - petrified/Forever My Queen/Be Forewarned
22 - Disassemble - The Abyss
23 - Lecherous Nocturne - Fission
24 - Royal Hunt - Last Goodbye (Posada Rock Festival, 2023)
25 - Indominus - Black Lake
26 - MATANZICK - The End Is Just the Beginning
27 - The Proxima Design - Tongues Carved From Glass
28 - IATT - Walk Amongst
Streaming now on Mixcloud:
The interview segment is also available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple etc
Follow the band:
https://www.thehauntednorth.com/ />
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