Interview With Junior Bourcier, Lead Guitarist Of Montreal-Based Rock Band Atomik Train

Atomik Train’s self-titled debut album is a full-throttle ride through rebellion, resilience, and raw emotion. Produced by John Webster (Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Motley Crue) and recorded at Montreal’s Planet Studios, the album features 11 explosive tracks, including the lead single “Back on Earth,” promising to climb streaming charts and rock playlists worldwide via Crown X Recordings.

The band just released a single, Supersonic Speedway on June 20th. See the video here Supersonik Speedway video : https://youtu.be/j1v040Sp7hE

With the band’s full debut album slated for a late September 2025 street date, I was lucky enough to get the skinny on all things Atomik train from their lead guitarist and one of the men wh formed the band, their guitarist Junior Bourcier. The rest of the band members are • François Babin – Lead Vocals / Rythm guitar, Alex Guilbault – Drums / Back Vocals and Nolan Babin– Bass / Back Vocals.

Is there something unique to the sound that informs/influences Canada rock bands? And how do you differ from your country mates? 

Hi Ralph, it’s a pleasure to meet you!

Good question.

I would say that it sounds like this because of the mix of the four band members that each have their own way to play. Also, John Webster’s genius mind made this album special! We did not try to copy other bands, Canadian or from other countries. We just did our best with what we had and thankfully it came out pretty good in our opinion.

What did John Webster bring to the production specifically?

He made us sound huge!  He had the global vision of the project, but he also shaped every song to make it sound as good as he could. It’s not a specific trick; it’s more all his years of experience and creativity that gave us an edge. He told me once: ” I have one talent. I get bored easily! ”

He worked on this album like he would have worked on Metallica’s album.  He made sure the foundation (drums and bass) was solid at first, making us change whatever he felt needed to be changed right before hitting the studio. Then we went into the studio and he made us try stuff on the spot while recording. He went over every detail, every instrument, every note, every syllable and was always asking himself what’s missing or what needs to be fixed. We are very lucky to have had the chance to work with him and hopefully we will do it again for the second album!

In your press you’re quoted as saying “We wanted to create something that hit like a hammer but stayed in your head like a melody you can’t forget.” So is it the riff or melody that comes first…or is it one and the same, when writing?  

For me it’s very often the riff or the musical melody. It has to mean something, even without words at first. It can’t be just a chord progression that works. It’s either that I have an image in mind and then the riff comes, or I work on a riff that brings images to my mind. If the musical part gives me shivers and makes me feel really good when I play it, I will work on it and make changes until I am satisfied. But sometimes, I already have the chorus in mind or a cool verse. So, I take what I have and work around it to make the best possible song. But for me you got to have a very strong chorus and a very strong intro. Then, the rest comes in place.

For the song “Back on Earth,” for instance, I got the inspiration when playing my acoustic guitar on a Sunday morning and at one point, I looked at the dollars I left on the kitchen table the night before and I saw an astronaut on the back of a five-dollar bill ($CAN). Then I started to have this image of an astronaut in space, fighting to stay alive and hoping to get back before it’s too late, and I just followed this feeling and the music and lyrics came pretty easily.

Following from this, how conscious are you when writing and playing to create a ‘commercial’ vibe as much as a hard and heavy one? (*note to the reader, Atomik Train’s sound is heavy hard but very melodic, so I mean ‘commercial’ in the very best sense of the word*)

Honestly, I’m never trying to do something commercial. I just play and try to find something that I like and then try to work on it until it’s something I love. If I don’t love it, I won’t propose it to the band. For the style, it’s just the way I like to play and sound. And then, when the band starts working on it, it’s because they love it too. Then it’s a lot easier and fun to build the rest because everyone is having a blast playing it.

So, the results are naturally better, I think

Could you cite some guitar players you like, players that especially influenced you?

Angus and Malcom Young are my heroes and the best musical school I could ever dream to have. I admire them for their “in-your-face” riffs as well as Angus’s showmanship  I love many others also, but my favorites are Eddie Van Halen, Mick Mars, The Edge and Slash.

What’s coming in the immediate future for Atomik Train?

We just got “Supersonik Speedway”’s video out on YouTube and we will get “Back on Earth”’s video out at the end of September.  The CD and vinyl will be available in Canadian music stores and streaming in late September, we will announce the official dates very soon. The rest of the world will have the physical available in October.

We will play at Montreal’s Foufounes Electriques on Friday October 3rd and at the Quartier de Lune in Québec on October 10th. Then, we will go play in Toronto in November and hopefully in the US in early 2026.

Thanks so much Ralph, you’ve got great questions, it was fun to answer those. Take care!

Thank you Junior.

Find Atomik Train here: https://atomiktrain.com/