James Wilson
Lead and Rhythm Guitars
James joined Untamed in November 2010 replacing original guitarist Colin James. He started playing guitar when he was 15 and hasn't looked back. "I remember seeing Zakk Wylde playing 'I Don't Know' live with Ozzy, his guitar sound just hit me like a giant wrecking ball and that's what made me pick up guitar."
He started his first band Hearse when he was 17 and then went on to front Deathstorm in 2009. "Deathstorm was a lot of fun to do, we were a 3 piece band, myself and two of my best friends from college, unfortunately though due to other commitments we weren't able to keep it going. Untamed was a natural progression for me, heavy metal as it should be."
James cites bands like Megadeth and Iron Maiden as his major influences. "Youthanasia (Megadeth's 1994 album) is where it all started, then I got into Maiden and everything else just followed, guys like Randy Rhoads, Marty Friedman and Gary Moore have had a big impact on my guitar playing in the way I've progressed and developed my own style. More recently though I've branched out into European metal bands such as Edguy and Nightwish, it's cool to see how different styles and elements can be fused with metal."
And what about future goals?
"The main target is to finish writing and recording the new album, which is already well on its way; it will mark a new chapter for Untamed."
I would like to thank...
"My close friends and family who have been there along the way, special thanks to Mum, Dad, Charlie and Juliana. Kevin Starrs (AKA Uncle Acid), Dom Malins and the Demoniser Crew. All the guys at Music Street Huntingdon and Mr Ben Fry guitar luthier extraordinaire! Lastly a massive thanks to my Untamed brethren Jon, Paul, Darren and Simon and to all the fans that follow Untamed year in year out. Special thanks to Chris Sampson, Tank and Graham for keeping things rolling."
Live Rig
Jackson and Dean Guitars, Marshall Amplification, Boss and Dunlop Effects.
Bottom Line
"From day one it was Marshall Amps and nearly ten years on it's still Marshall Amps."