SWORD Singer RICK HUGHES Explains How He Reunited the 'Speak of The Devil' Line-Up For Solo Album & Video
- The Metal Voice
- 29 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Jimmy Kay and Alan Dixon spoke to Sword Singer Rick Hughes about his up and coming solo album REDEMPTION which will be released on Friday, October 24 2025 on CD, Vinyl, and Digital formats
Watch Interview here
When asked about how he reunited the Speak of The Devil Line-Up to record and shoot the video of The Who's Classic song 'THE REAL ME'.
"The hard part was getting them to play on the record (Rudy Sarzo, Brad Gillis, Tommy Aldridge). Once we got that and the human connection was made, if they liked the experience they would do more, if they didn't like it they would have said said no.
He continued, "When we mixed the song we sent it to Brad (Gillis). And Brad was going wow man, it (the song) sounds amazing, he then said, maybe you should think about doing a video? I'm like ohh.. ok...(smiles).So then it was to convince the two other guys to join us in L.A., to shoot the video and they both said yes. The planets were perfectly aligned. It was something to get them to play on the album, it's another thing to get them to be in the video. Cause when you hire these three guys for a song and then you put out the album and there is no video you have to explain to people (fans) who played on the song, so the video makes things easier ands clear..
"I should mention Brad (Gillis) also wrote two songs on my new solo album 'Redemption'. Brad Gillis is the perfect example of how you should look at yourself. This guy is a living legend who replaced Randy Rhoads ( on‘ Diary of a Madman Tour’’ in 1982 after the tragic departure of the great Randy Rhoads). I feel so lucky to have brad Gillis on the project. Same applies to Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge. Rudy Sarzo is such a talented player, such a beautiful human being, this guy is incredible. As for Tommy Aldridge when we were shooting the video, we shot it all day and they took all the best parts and Tommy would always play for real, all takes, playing like he was playing in front of 20,000 people. He (Tommy) is a great drummer and such a great human being.
When asked if this could be the start of a new band
"They did the song on the album, they did the video, I leave the rest to luck. Let's see where we go from here."
Canadian-born Rick Hughes is renowned for his powerful and rangey voice as the lead singer of the legendary metal band Sword, and of the hard-rock band Saints & Sinners. A seasoned performer with hundreds of headlining shows in Canada, America, Europe and Japan over the years, and his superb stage performances while opening for bands such as Metallica, Motorhead, Alice Cooper, Black Label Society, etc.
So when it was time for him to record ‘’Redemption’’, his first international solo album, he spared no expenses and efforts to make this album a great one, hiring producer John Webster (Aerosmith, Mötley Crüe, AC/DC, etc.) and renting HippoSonic Recording Studio (formerly known as Little Mountain Studios) in Vancouver to record this opus.
The first salvo, his first single and video is a supercharged version of The Who’s classic ‘’The Real Me’’ - reuniting after 43 years Ozzy Osbourne’s superband consisting of Brad Gillis on guitar, Rudy Sarzo on bass, and Tommy Aldridge on drums. This is the band that did the last leg of the ‘’Diary of a Madman Tour’’ in 1982 after the tragic departure of the great Randy Rhoads, and that then recorded Ozzy’s classic live album ‘’Speak of the Devil’’.
"The Real Me" video can be viewed here
Pick up the Limited Edition Bundle (100 copies) that includes a collectible 7” vinyl of the “Real Me” signed by Rick Hughes, Brad Gillis, Tommy Aldridge, and Rudy Sarzo.
Pre-order limited edition releases here: https://www.dekoentertainment.com/inthesquare/rick-hughes
The resulting sound is epic, and so is the spectacular video that was shot and directed by Matthew Lucas (Kringle Time, Moonshot, We Meet Again, etc.) at the state-of-the-art L.A. Castle Studios, with post and editing by Montreal’s Jean-Marc Laurin (Jurassic World, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Game of Thrones, Assassin's Creed, etc.).
''The Real Me stands as a cornerstone of my album 'Redemption'," says Rick. "As a lifelong fan of The Who, I wanted to pay tribute to the golden age of 70s rock. To capture that spirit, I brought together a true supergroup with Tommy Aldridge, Rudy Sarzo and Brad Gillis, a unique moment where legends unite to breathe new life into a classic.''
"This very special song is part of the upcoming Rick Hughes Album 'Redemption,' a collection of great rock songs to be released on Friday, October 24 2025 on CD, Vinyl, and Digital format worldwide by Deko Entertainment, and featuring more great collaborations with some famous musicians.
Included are 2 more songs featuring the superb songwriting and inspired guitar playing of the great Brad Gillis, another featuring the extraordinary talent of The Door’s legendary guitarist Robby Krieger, and great contributions from rock royalty Lee Aaron, vocal powerhouse Amy Keys (Ringo Starr, Phil Collins, Toto, Sting, Stevie Wonder, etc.), rising guitar hot shot Jacob Deraps, as well as Rick’s gifted sister, Lulu Hughes.
With its great performances, 'Redemption' is a very special and unique rock album that brings together 7 songs in English, 1 bilingual and 2 songs in French.
'REDEMPTION' TRACKLIST:
Vinyl version:
Side A:
1 ) Dead End Road
2 ) Croire En l'Homme
3 ) The Real Me
4 ) Carry The Torch
5 ) Will of the Gun
Side B:
1 ) Shake My Soul
2 ) Someday
3 ) Dans La Peau
4 ) In a Perfect World
5 ) Ça Va Brasser
CD Version:
1 ) Dead End Road
2 ) Croire en l'Homme
3 ) The Real Me
4 ) Carry The Torch
5 ) Will of the Gun
6 ) Shake My Soul
7 ) Someday
8 ) Dans La Peau
9 ) In a Perfect World
10 ) Ça Va Brasser
11 ) Bonus Track: Dans La Peau (french version)
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