A Dirty Dozen with JOHN YELLAND from JUDICATOR  – February 2025

According to a recent press release: “American power metallers JUDICATOR have announced their highly anticipated new album Concord, due to release on March 28. Concord marks the band’s 7th full-length album, and was funded by a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign. Judicator is one of modern power metal’s most dynamic, up-and-coming bands. Since their formation in 2012, the band has become well known for their intricate character studies about historical figures like Napoleon Bonaparte and Frederick the Great, as well as personal explorations of life and loss. Their new album Concord explores ideas and themes centered around the American West.” We get frontman John to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets the band put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Concord is a power metal album about the American West. I have a lot of nostalgia and love for the West, and I’ve always wanted to make an album that pays tribute to the land I love. That being said, this album also includes songs about the Wild West, which includes both the good and the bad. So there are songs on the album that are bright and adventurous, like “Sawtooth” and “Johannah’s Song,” and there are songs that are somber and harsh, like “Imperial” and “Blood Meridian.” Regarding hidden nuggets, in the opening of “Sawtooth” there is a section which, when you first listen to it, might feel familiar. That’s because I included a musical nod to the Rohan theme from ‘The Lord of the Rings’ films. It’s a lovely portion of the song and it always brings a smile to my face. There is another in “Blood Meridian,” but I want to wait and see if fans notice it before putting it out in public.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

What got me into music in general were The Beatles. When I was a kid, a friend of mine burned a CD of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and I was immediately hooked. As a kid I was obsessed with The Beatles. It wasn’t long before I developed aspirations to learn guitar and sing.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

My first true exposure to metal music happened when another friend of mine brought over a DVD of Iron Maiden’s Rock in Rio. I was captivated by the energy, how epic the music is, and by the dynamic performance. From that experience onward I knew I wanted to be involved in the world of metal.

4. Who would be your main five musical influences?

Musically — Blind Guardian, David Bowie, Protest the Hero, Iron Maiden, and Mr. Bungle. Vocally — Hansi Kürsch, Bruce Dickinson, David Bowie, Charles Bradley, and Ronnie James Dio.

5. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

My dream has already come true in this regard. I have worked with Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian) twice. He sang “The Dying Firmament” with my old band Disforia, and he sang “Spiritual Treason” by my current band Judicator. We’ve become friends, which is the most unexpected blessing I could have imagined. We opened for Blind Guardian for their Salt Lake City show on their latest tour through the U.S. Beyond Hansi though, my next pick would be Bruce Dickinson. Iron Maiden is the band that made me fall in love with metal music, and Bruce Dickinson is the man who made me want to be a performer. His style, energy, and creativity have remained very big inspirations for me even into the present day.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

I’ll say whatever I say when a co-worker or someone I’ve just met asks about my band — it’s like Iron Maiden mixed with this other band called Blind Guardian. Regarding the second question, I really don’t think about bad reviews. After releasing a few albums that I had regrets about, I made sure to always commit myself 100% to whatever project I’m working on. As a result, I feel like every album I’ve done since then has been one I’m proud of. No album is perfect, sure, but as long as I’m true to myself and my vision and fight for what I believe in, I can be confident in myself.

7. What’s the best thing about being a musician?

I am very grateful for the ability to explore the things that interest me in the medium of music. Plus, I get to collaborate with very talented and interesting people.

8. When the band are all hanging out together, who cooks; who gets the drinks in; and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

I cook, Big Boss takes care of the drinks, and Chad is the first to play an acoustic guitar for a singalong, like the dweeb he is.

9. When was the last time you were star struck and who was it?

No matter how many times I hang out with Hansi I’m always still star struck, and it takes 20 minutes or so to acclimate.

10. If you weren’t a musician, what would be your dream job?

Creativity is in my blood. I really like creating things that bring joy to both myself and others. That being said, if I wasn’t a musician I would channel this creative energy into food, 100%. I’d be a chef, a baker, or something of the sort. Cooking and baking are already passion side hobbies of mine. I make a mean chocolate walnut cake!

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over”, even if it didn’t change your current situation?

I went through a phase 2016-2020 where I became a really toxic person. I ruined a lot of friendships and put my bandmates in really unfair situations. My behavior during that time period is something I really wish I could go back and do over. I’ve since been doing a lot of work on myself. I think I have made a lot of progress in identifying what went wrong and why, and how to avoid those traps moving forward. Luckily I have been able to make amends with a lot of people. Unfortunately the way the world works is sometimes you need to continue paying off bad karma long after you’ve learned your lesson; I’m at peace with this and simply try to be loving, patient, and my best self on a day-to-day basis.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

If I could wave my magic wand, I would love to have been a journalist following Prince and his band from beginning to end of Purple Rain.

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Category: Interviews