THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Crossbone Skully is an avenging superhero from outer space, returning to Earth to save the world and reconnect with his lost deity love Piper and Kyd, the son he never knew he had. Evil World Machine is a rock concept album that echoes similar dystopian visions such as Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars and Diamond Dogs. The project, influenced by larger-than-life bands such as AC/DC, Alice Cooper, KISS, Iron Maiden and even The Sex Pistols, is the work of a collaborative team headed by veteran session musician Tommy Henriksen and Tommy Denander, alongside the legendary Mutt Lange, who emerged from retirement to executive produce the project.
Henriksen has had a successful career as a producer/mixer/arranger and songwriter for the likes of Lady Gaga, Meat Loaf, Lou Reed, Halestorm, Kesha and Daughtry. His metamorphosis into Crossbone Skully started when Alice Cooper’s lighting man, who used to work for AC/DC, heard him singing like Bon Scott (and his successor Brian Johnson) during a sound check and suggested he build a solo project around it.
The sterling group of supporting musicians includes guitarist Denander (who introduced him to Lange after collaborating on Cooper’s 2017 album Paranormal with Bob Ezrin), keyboardist Jamie Muhoberac (My Chemical Romance, John Mayer, Seal), bassist Chris Wyse (Hollywood Vampires, Ace Frehley, Cult, Ozzy Osbourne), drummer Glen Sobel (Alice Cooper, Hollywood Vampires), late UFO bassist Pete Way, mixer Olle Romo (Muse, Bryan Adams) and producer/mixer Mike Plotnikoff (AC/DC, Aerosmith).
Making spoken-word appearances are Johnny Depp as the voice of The Sorcerer, along with Cooper as The Bringer of Light, Joe Perry as Big Bad Bone Crusher, Nikki Sixx as The Crooked Crow, Kane Roberts as Alpha Watchman and others. Henriksen developed the voice of Crossbone Skully with a vocal app that makes him sound like a disembodied Stephen Hawking. Iconic creative/art director Mark Wilkinson, who has designed for Iron Maiden, Marillion, Judas Priest and The Darkness, created the album cover.”
