CRADLE OF FILTH / IMPERIAL VENGEANCE Guitarist Charles Hedger -

CRADLE OF FILTH / IMPERIAL VENGEANCE Guitarist Charles Hedger - "I Was Drawn To Extreme Music Of All Kinds, And Still Am..."






Heavy Metal Examiner's Mark Morton reports:

Colchester-born, extreme metal guitarist Charles Hedger is a true workhorse. Since 2005, he has been a hired-gun, first as bass player (when Dave Pybus took a leave of absence), then guitarist for British goth-horror-metal mavens CRADLE OF FILTH. When not frightening children and making intricate guitar riffs seem like Chutes and Ladders, he teaches guitar and music composition at a local university.

And in 2007, he started his own band, IMPERIAL VENGEANCE, which pays homage to the United Kingdom’s rich military history. The band’s debut full-length, At The Going Down Of The Sun, is scheduled for a July release through Candlelight Records and features guest narration by Harry Patch, the 110-year-old lone surviving soldier who fought in World War I.

Read on, true believers, as Hedger takes some time from teaching and recording to offer Examiner his thoughts on music, war, and the influence of Star Wars.

Q: So, I hear you teach guitar lessons when you are not on the road with Cradle Of Filth. Are you classically-trained? Where do you teach, and what is the arrangement you have with the school?

A: "I'm not classically trained, but I do have a music degree. I teach at Colchester Institute and they are totally accommodating for when I have to be away on tour because, of course, my experience in the industry is part of what makes me a valuable teacher."

Q: How were you drawn to extreme music? Was it before or after you were schooled in guitar?

A: "I really taught myself guitar up until my degree course. I was drawn to extreme music of all kinds, and still am, from very young. Mostly it was the atmosphere that drew me, and the darkness evoked by the sound. I get the same kick from Penderecki's “Polish Requiem” as I do from EMPEROR."

Q: Tell me a bit about your relationship with Cradle Of Filth. You seem to have an odd work ethic with them. First you’re in the band, then you’re not, and then you’re their touring guitarist, but only for these runs… Is it a blond thing?

A: "No it's a busy thing. I was never in the band; I've always been a session musician. I've had input on the last two albums, and have been touring consistently with them for 5 years. I have so many things going on between bands, composition and teaching."

Read the full story/interview at Heavy Metal Examiner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMOKPb2v58M&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ebravewords%2Ecom%2Fnews%2F112462&feature=player_embedded