By
Larry Petro,
News Monkey
Thursday, July 7, 2016 @ 6:26 AM
Out August 12th
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Heavy metal is more than a genre, more than an attitude and certainly more than whatever cheap epithets are dismissively thrown at it by clueless critics. At its best, metal is a lifestyle, a community, a tribe uniting people across cultural, economic and philosophical divides with the primal pulse of bombastic and majestic expression.
METAL ALLEGIANCE has announced they will release a special EP, entitled Fallen Heroes, on August 12, 2016. The band united to pay homage to the 3 legends - Lemmy Kilmister, David Bowie, and Glenn Frey - who impacted not just their lives but the world as well.
“The end of 2015 and most of 2016 has been a brutal year with many of our heroes passing," comments Mark Menghi. "When Portnoy called me in January to alert me that Glenn Frey had passed, I literally broke down. That night after having a few Tequila Sunrises in Glenn’s honor, a lightbulb went off… We’re going to record a few tunes to honor our fallen heroes. I called back Mike that evening and asked him what he thought and the next day we were in the studio recording. By weeks end, all guitars, drums and bass were complete. I can’t begin to explain the influence that Glenn Frey, Lemmy, and David Bowie had on me. Each of their music has helped me immensely during some real dark periods of my life and not to mention their influence on me as a musician and songwriter. Lemmy is God, Glenn is King and David is the Architect.”
Alex Skolnick comments: "These brilliant artists have an extensive catalogue that is sometimes on the softer side (with the exception of MOTORHEAD, of course). So when it came to THE EAGLES & Bowie, we specifically chose tunes of theirs that are riff-based and translatable to high energy arrangements. For Lemmy, we immediately crossed out "Ace Of Spades" (great tune but the last thing the world needs is yet another cover version) and chose "Iron Fist", which we already had a good handle on from playing live and to us is every bit as much a signature MOTORHEAD tune."
"I'm really excited to be a part of the Fallen Heroes EP" comments Alissa White-Gluz. "I think we have all felt the weight of losing so many great musicians this year. I think these songs are a cool way to pay tribute to a few people who contributed so much to the world of music and showcase a different side of ourselves."
Recorded at Conclave Studios in New York City, Fallen Heroes was produced by Mark Menghi and Alex Skolnick. The album was mixed by Jay Ruston in Los Angeles, CA and mastered at Sterling Sound New York City by Ted Jensen. The initial sketch of the artwork was created by Mark Menghi and Stephen Thompson (ANTHRAX) and was later finalized by Marcelo Vasco (SLAYER).
Below is the track list for Fallen Heroes:
"Iron Fist" featuring Troy Sanders
"Suffragette City" featuring Mark Osegueda
"Life In The Fast Lane" featuring Alissa White-Gluz
Guitar: Alex Skolnick
Bass: Mark Menghi
Drums: Mike Portnoy
METAL ALLEGIANCE took the news of Lemmy's passing very hard as the band's very first gig was on MOTORHEAD’s first Motörboat Cruise. It was on that boat where the idea to write a record together and carry the MA flag as a brand/band rather than a sporadic, special event show… all of us in MA are humbly grateful for the opportunity that team MOTORHEAD gave us.
In late 2015, the band scheduled a West Coast string of intimate club dates with a stop as the world-famous Whisky A Go-Go. The year concluded with the band heartbroken saying goodbye to their beloved friend. They later found out that his funeral and memorial services would be held the day of their performance. The band was asked by their tour agent who is also MOTORHEAD's agent, Lemmy's management, close friends of his, and the owner of the Rainbow & Whisky to incorporate a tribute which of course, they obliged. The day of their performance, Sunset Blvd. was shut down and their bus was parked on a street filled with tears, madness, partiers and a sea of mourning metal heads. They said goodbye to their friend that evening with help from MOTORHEAD drummer Mikkey Dee amongst a ton of other special guests.
The next day they played their final show at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco. Mid-set they were informed that David Bowie had passed. Mark Menghi comments, "I remember coming off stage to trade bass duties with David Ellefson (we would rotate songs) and he stopped me, looked me and Osegueda in the eyes and said 'Dude, Bowie just passed away.' Literally in mid-set we got that news. I looked at Mark and he was in tears. Not even a minute later, he was on stage telling the Bay area crowd of the news he just learned. I turned to the side and looked over at Mike Portnoy and he just had his head down with his hands over his head trying to comprehend what Mark was saying. The next few songs was our Lemmy tribute and tears rolled off all of our eyes while paying tribute to one while learning of the passing of another."
METAL ALLEGIANCE is performing at Bloodstock on August 14th but before they leave the U.S. they are teaming up with Loudwire for a very special warm up performance. The night will include the band playing their Bloodstock set list which consists of specially selected covers along with METAL ALLEGIANCE original music. The band will later pay tribute to 2016 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductees, DEEP PURPLE by performing Made In Japan now dubbed Made In Brooklyn in it's entirety. This makes the night at Saint Vitus extra noteworthy as DEEP PURPLE were inducted in Brooklyn.
For this special night, the band will consist of Mark Osegueda, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, Alex Scholnick, and Mark Menghi! Stay tuned as more members will be announced shortly!
Check out the show trailer below.
Don’t miss your chance to catch the METAL ALLEGIANCE brethren doing what they do best – playing some heavy metal music! Joining the band for the night is CHAINS OVER RAZORS who opened for the recent Destination (Almost) East Coast tour as well as MARTYRD and MAGUS BEAST!
General admission tickets can be purchased on Ticketfly.com.
VIP packages that include a ticket, a meet & greet with the band, early entry into the show, an exclusive tee, a poster, and VIP laminate are now available for sale at ticketspin.com/metal-allegiance
"I'm really excited to be a part of the Fallen Heroes EP" comments Alissa White-Gluz. "I think we have all felt the weight of losing so many great musicians this year. I think these songs are a cool way to pay tribute to a few people who contributed so much to the world of music and showcase a different side of ourselves."
The next day they played their final show at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco. Mid-set they were informed that David Bowie had passed. Mark Menghi comments, "I remember coming off stage to trade bass duties with David Ellefson (we would rotate songs) and he stopped me, looked me and Osegueda in the eyes and said 'Dude, Bowie just passed away.' Literally in mid-set we got that news. I looked at Mark and he was in tears. Not even a minute later, he was on stage telling the Bay area crowd of the news he just learned. I turned to the side and looked over at Mike Portnoy and he just had his head down with his hands over his head trying to comprehend what Mark was saying. The next few songs was our Lemmy tribute and tears rolled off all of our eyes while paying tribute to one while learning of the passing of another."