“I love bass wah more than life itself”: Harry Armstrong on recording with Orange Goblin, his gear choices, and the new album

British heavy metal band Orange Goblin have announced the release of their new album, Science, Not Fiction, set to be available via Peaceville on July 19. This marks their first album in six years, following the 2018 release The Wolf Bites Back. In this interview with Bass Empire, bassist Harry Armstrong provided insight into his contributions to the album, which is also his first full-length with the band.

“I had a Precision for close to 30 years but drunkenly left it on a train. I still cringe in self-disgust when I recall that night.”

Armstrong shared details about his choice of bass for the album, stating, “Most of ‘Science, Not Fiction’ was recorded on a Fender Jazz. I started on a Jazz copy made by Columbus many, many years ago and have always loved the feel of that style. I had a Precision for close to 30 years but drunkenly left it on a train. I still cringe in self-disgust when I recall that night, but when I got the call to join up with Orange Goblin, I stumbled across the Jazz I now use and instantly fell in love! I also have an Aerodyne that I use for backup, and often bring out as it has the P-bass pickup in the rear that gives an extra bit of oomph! It was used on two tracks on the new album. I’ll leave it to you if you can spot the difference!”

Regarding the gear used during the recording process, Armstrong elaborated, “I use the Ampeg SVT-CL. We’ve played a few festivals where various different amp and cab combos were on offer, but I always had the most fun with the Ampegs. I know a lot of bands these days don’t even use backline, or just go straight into the PA, but I love to feel the sound of what I’m playing pushing from behind me. I like to lean into it and feel it holding me upright. An 8 x 10 is essential for this, as long as I get some help carrying it in and out of the venue!”

“I love bass wah more than life itself.”

He continued, “Pedal-wise I have a fairly simple setup. Boss TU-3 into a SansAmp Bass Driver. Often taking a clean DI from the Bass Driver while the main signal goes into a SansAmp GT2. I’ve used many different distortion pedals, but often having to deal with different backline at festivals means I’ve stuck with something that has a lot of flexibility. There’s a lot of options in such a simple pedal to fine-tune tones and crunch. In the recording process, we added an Origin Effects Bass Rig then put the whole thing through my Dunlop 105Q Bass Wah. Because I love bass wah more than life itself. Oh – also recently added an Electro Harmonix LPB-1 for one new song that has a little bass solo in.”

Discussing the creative process behind his bass lines, Armstrong said, “I’m constantly writing, always with no end result in mind. I just write whatever feels right, record it somehow and stash it away until it’s needed. Some stuff I come up with would have no place on an Orange Goblin album, and some of it would have no place anywhere else than an Orange Goblin album. Thankfully, a lot of what I brought to the OG jam room has been embraced by the band and ended up on the new record. The guys also gave me pretty much free-range to come up with bass lines around the ideas they brought to the pile. It was even Chris’s (Turner, drums) idea for me to throw a mini bass solo into the song ‘(Not) Rocket Science.’ Like everything I’ve been involved with, the only direction of any concern is to give ourselves wide vibe grins that get our heads banging!”

Addressing the track Cemetery Rats, which has been described as an anthem for metalheads and rockers alike, Armstrong remarked, “This is the song that’s mostly influenced by my contributions, as you may be able to tell by the filthy bass wah at the start! It’s on the set list for our next gig, so I’m looking forward to hearing how it goes down live!”

Reflecting on the themes and messages of Science, Not Fiction, Armstrong said, “I’ve been a fan of the band from day one, and have watched their progress from the fringes. We’ve toured together while I was in other bands, and contributed to each other’s projects a few times in the past, so despite being the new guy, I still feel I have a strong connection to the journey they’ve been on, and from a fan’s point of view, this album is a huge melting pot of everything that’s made them the world-renowned band they have become. It rocks hard and still throws in a few surprises. I could see this going down as one of the best albums they’ve ever done. So far!”

Science, Not Fiction by Orange Goblin is available for pre-order through Peaceville.