By Dig Dirkler
The heavy metal landscape has transformed dramatically over the decades—from underground tape trading circles to a global, always-on streaming ecosystem. For veterans of the scene, that evolution brings both opportunity and challenge.
In this candid interview, guitarist John Ricci reflects on carving out a new path with PowerRage after years with Exciter. From creative freedom and songwriting evolution to old-school gear and touring stories, this is a deep dive into what it means to start fresh in a crowded modern metal world.
You’ve been through so many eras of the metal industry—tape trading, CDs, downloads, streaming. From your perspective, what’s the biggest change in being a metal musician today compared to when you first started?
Well, obviously the exposure is a lot better than back in the day. I mean, you reach so many different people with all the different formats on the internet. But in the ’80s, there was less competition as far as trying to be noticed. Now, to be noticed in today’s market, the market is so oversaturated, it’s hard to stand out unless you have something really original to offer that fans and people in the music business will pay attention to.
So, with me starting over, it’s a big challenge trying to stand out among all these other great metal bands that are around today. But obviously, technology makes it a lot easier to reach so many people. As witnessed by our first two singles released in the past month and a half, we have around 8,000 views on our first single on the YouTube channel from our record company. The second single already, it’s only been out a few days, and it’s way over 2,000 views. So it’s a lot easier to reach people today, but it’s a lot more challenging to be noticed because there are so many great bands out there.
Indeed. You’ve mentioned wanting a complete reset with PowerRage. What was the hardest part of stepping away from your legacy with Exciter and starting fresh creatively?
Well, I didn’t really find it a challenge. I just found it as freedom to do whatever I want because with this group I did all the songwriting, all the lyrics. So I had this new freedom. Even though I had freedom in Exciter—I wrote a lot of the riffs—I felt very comfortable stepping into the Power Rage role. Now I could write songs with no weak parts, like hook after hook. I think that’s important. Even in metal music, you have to keep the listener engaged. So I always write music from an audience point of view. I try to please the audience, but at the same time write music that I’m passionate about.
So slipping right into PowerRage coming out of Exciter was a very easy transition. I felt this creative freedom to do whatever I wanted. But I was trying to take elements of Exciter and still keep it in PowerRage because my guitar style is very noticeable. When you hear me play, you know it’s me. So I was just trying to bring that into PowerRage as well, but write more brutal music than Exciter. As far as I’m concerned, PowerRage is just an extension of what Exciter could have become. I’m quite happy with how things are developing right now with the band.
Like you said, you wrote all the music, lyrics, and melodies on Beast. What themes or ideas were driving you lyrically across tracks like “Dark Wings” and “The Black Mass”?
Well, I listen to all kinds of doom music and Swedish death metal bands—Arch Enemy, Cannibal Corpse. I like the more extreme metal as well as traditional metal. And I’ve always liked horror movies—traditional horror movies. So all that gloom and doom and satanic topics—the music sort of lent itself to the lyrics. When I was writing these guitar riffs, it just called for dark themes. That’s how the lyrics and the music came together.
Songs like “The Black Mass” are about witches getting sacrificed—just the usual topics. It’s nothing unusual, but that’s what metal’s about. How many topics can you sing about in heavy metal? You have to keep it dark and gloom and doom. That was basically my motivation.
How did your songwriting process for PowerRage differ from your earlier work in Exciter, especially given your goal to avoid rehashed riffs?
This time, for example, the guitar solos are more structured. There’s less improvising to some extent. I wanted the solos to stand on their own and be memorable—how they start, how they end. Sometimes you go see a great band and you’re waiting for a specific solo, but the guitarist plays it differently live. So with this band, it’s more structured, less improvisation, and as a result the overall songs are very strong.
With Exciter, it was more of a free-for-all songwriting approach. We didn’t really focus on specific moments—it just railroaded from start to finish, which made Exciter what it was. But with Power Rage, I wanted more structure in the arrangements.
There’s mention of a more raw, even punkish edge on “I Torture I Kill.” Were you consciously pulling from punk influences, or did that come naturally?
That came naturally. Usually when I’m writing riffs, I’m pissed off about something. The anger comes out. In today’s world, there are all kinds of things that make you upset. I’m usually pretty laid-back, but when you get pushed too far, I sit down, pick up the guitar, and the riff just comes out. So all the riffs on the album originate from anger.
Metal music is angry music anyway. It’s full of energy and drive—that’s what metal fans want. They want to crank their system up and get blown away, mentally go into a different place. That’s how I write music.
Bringing in Jacques Bélanger could raise comparisons to past Exciter albums. How did you ensure PowerRage has its own distinct identity?
Again, I wrote the lyrics and the melodies. What our singer sings, I would mimic to him—scream here, growl there, sustain a note, do a falsetto. I orchestrated the whole thing. That brings PowerRage up a notch from Exciter. In Exciter, the singer came up with his own melodies, but now I’m in control. I tried to outdo myself as a songwriter while still delivering what metal fans expect from someone with my reputation.
With Beast being described as 100% your musical vision, how collaborative was the recording process with Todd and Lucas once the songs were written?
They had ideas and gave feedback. If it worked, I welcomed it. If it didn’t make the song stronger, we went back to my idea. I’m open to everyone’s input, but I do have the final say. The response so far has been overwhelming—we’ve been doing interviews nonstop, and I haven’t seen a single negative comment. That’s a good sign.
What made Dan Swanö the right choice to mix and master the album, and how did he shape the final sound?
Dan was hired by High Roller Records. Originally he was going to mix everything, but in the end, we worked together. He’d send samples, I’d give feedback, and we refined everything over about a month and a half. He gets all the credit—he mixed it—but I guided the process. He’s been doing this since the late ’80s and introduced me to differences between European and North American mixes. We eventually nailed all eight songs.
The band name PowerRage dates back to the ’70s. What’s the story behind it?
The words “power” and “rage” define heavy metal to me. Some people compare it to the AC/DC album Powerage, but that had nothing to do with it. I just always liked those words—they stuck with me since the ’70s.
After a relatively quiet period from 2014 to 2018, what reignited your drive to create a new band?
Todd, our bass player. We’ve been friends for years, and he pushed me to start sooner than I planned. I was taking my time, but he was persistent. So I give him all the credit for getting things moving again.
Looking ahead, what are your goals for PowerRage?
We already have a festival booking for April 2027. The promoter heard an advance copy and booked us right away. We’re hoping once the full record is released, we’ll get more offers worldwide. Right now, promoters are interested but want to hear the full album first. So it’s a wait-and-see situation.
What does your current guitar and amp rig look like?
I still use my Washburn A10 I’ve had for 35 years, a Marshall JCM 100-watt head, a Blackstar 100-watt head, and a custom 4×12 cabinet. It’s basically my ’80s rig—old-school tone. For effects, I keep it simple: MXR Distortion Plus, Electro-Harmonix delay and chorus, and a Korg tuner. I’m not into digital processing—just analog stompboxes.
At Wacken Open Air in 2001, a tech asked where my rig was. I was holding one stomp box and two cables. He couldn’t believe I was going onstage in front of 30,000 people like that. But that’s all I need.
Speaking of the 80s, you toured back in, I believe it was 1984 alongside Motörhead and Mercyful Fate. Do you have any funny or memorable stories from that tour? And did you end up bonding with any of the band members?
King Diamond and all the other guys in the band—Lemmy, a fantastic person. Motörhead at that time had two guitar players, Phil Campbell and Würzel. And the drummer at the time was Pete Gill, who previously played with Saxon, right? But we got on really, really, really well. One funny story—and I don’t think King Diamond will mind me telling it—we used to play practical jokes on each other. King Diamond would have his microphone on this kind of bone cross, which you’ve seen in many videos of him.
So, I think it was one of the guys in their band—I can’t remember—we decided to put sneezing powder on his microphone, which we did. At some point, one of the roadies had his microphone backstage before they went on, because the bill was Exciter, Merciful Fate, and Motörhead. So one of the Merciful Fate roadies got King Diamond’s mic and put the powder on it. Anyway, we all watched as King Diamond made his grand entrance for the first song of the set. You could see him singing, but he looked puzzled because he didn’t know what was going on. We were on the side of the stage laughing, and then he realized we’d pulled a prank on him. But it was all in good fun.
After so many years, what still excites you about writing music?
Right now, I want to see how this album is received before writing new material. But I think I’ve found a good formula, and I’ll probably build on that going forward.
If Beast were an actual creature, what would it look like?
“I Torture, I Kill” would be its theme song—very intense, fast, almost punk. You can imagine buildings collapsing and chaos everywhere. It would fit perfectly in a movie soundtrack.
Any final thoughts?
Once people see PowerRage live, it’ll satisfy old Exciter fans and new listeners alike. The band is total intensity—no downtime, just pure energy.
In a world where metal is louder—and more crowded—than ever, standing out isn’t easy. But with a clear vision, raw emotion, and decades of experience, PowerRage is ready to make its mark.
Categories: Interviews, PowerRage
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