Greg Prato, reporting for Ultimate-Guitar.com:
The 1980s were a decade where all things were pushed to new extremes. This also goes for guitar-centric music, with the likes of George Lynch pushing the boundaries of our favorite instrument even further. In addition to that, during the '80s and the '90s, it was expected of most rock stars to look good. And George certainly fit this description with his dashing looks and snazzy fashion sense, and later in life, becoming a bodybuilder.
Although still working out and looking pretty impressive for his age, it's been a while since George abandoned these rigorous workout regimes. But while he's promoting a new project called Casandra's Crossing and the new album Garden Of Earthly Delights, we figured we could ask the guitar legend about bodybuilding and weightlifting and how it really impacted his guitar-playing skills.
Ultimate-Guitar.com: Back in the '90s, you were a competitive bodybuilder. Did weightlifting ever affect your guitar-playing ability?
George Lynch: "Oh, it definitely did, yeah. I mean, in some small ways, I think it obviously made me stronger. So I think that was beneficial to a certain extent. But also, I was starting to get these really massive cramps in my forearms. Static cramps that wouldn't go away. And I would get them when I'd try to play anything extended. And I had to try to do different things to try to alleviate that.
"But, yeah, it was a byproduct of that. All that lifting, it really made it impossible for me sometimes to play. Any kind of extended solo, my left arm would just cramp up. And my hand would be like a claw. It was frozen. It was really actually kind of scary. And, yeah, not good. I was definitely overdoing it."
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Casandra's Crossing, the new musical alliance between Lynch and powerhouse singer Casandra Carson, recently shared a new track, "Impatient", alongside a visualizer available to watch below. The single is the second off their upcoming album, Garden Of Earthly Delights, out October 25 via Frontiers Music Srl.
Casandra comments on “Impatient": "'Impatient' was one of those songs that kind of wrote itself when it came to the lyrics and the melodies. I would let the music play and just sing along in the moment to see what would come out, and I found myself singing about the hardships of being in a long-distance relationship. Wishing that person was there to celebrate the good times, help you through the bad times, and holding off on experiences so you can enjoy them together once they’re back, all require an insane amount of patience, and it’s really difficult to sustain sometimes. If anyone in a long distance relationship hears this song, I just hope they know that they’re not alone.”
The musical chemistry between these two talented artists has created a magnificent modern hard rock album that showcases Lynch's trademark riffage driven by the outstanding voice of Casandra Carson, who is set to be the next rock singing sensation.
About Garden Of Earthly Delights, Casandra adds: “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever meet, let alone collaborate with such a legend as George Lynch! It was an absolute honor and pleasure to work with him on this record. George’s tracks were so cool and inspiring, it was probably some of the most fun I’ve ever had writing lyrics and melodies. I truly couldn’t be more proud of this album, and I’m so excited to finally share it with the rest of the world.”
George Lynch emerged from the '80s hard rock scene with the L.A.-based group Dokken and went on to become a world-renowned guitarist. Aside from Dokken, he has also enjoyed great success with Lynch Mob, the group he founded after leaving Dokken.
Lynch has gone on to become a prolific music creator, continuing with Lynch Mob, releasing solo albums, and a wealth of collaborative efforts over the decades. Those include but are not limited to, KXM with Doug Pinnick (King's X) and Ray Luzier (Korn), The End Machine with Jeff Pilson (Foreigner, ex-Dokken), Mick Brown (ex-Dokken), and Girish Pradhan (Girish & The Chronicles), Sweet & Lynch with Michael Sweet (Stryper), Ultraphonix with Corey Glover (Living Colour), and The Banishment with Joe Haze.
Casandra Carson is best known for her work fronting the Midwestern hard rock band Paralandra. Founded in 2013 with a strong DIY ethic, Paralandra found themselves on radio charts and festival stages in no time and by 2018 had a record deal, national tours supporting the likes of Saliva, Tantric, and Dokken, and even found themselves performing aboard the KISS Kruise. The band remains active and their most recent studio album, produced by the legendary Michael "Elvis" Beskette, came out in April of this year.
Pre-order Garden Of Earthly Delights here.
Tracklisting:
"Stranger"
"Impatient"
"Closer To Heaven"
"Ring Me Around"
"Devastatiing Times"
"Waltzing Nites"
"Just Business"
"Mind Eraser"
"Run For Your Life"
"Wicked Woman"
"Kneel Before You"
"Stranger" visualizer:
