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James LaBrie, recognized internationally because the vocalist for progressive steel icons DREAM THEATER, embarks on uncharted waters together with his fourth solo album, titled “Stunning Shade Of Gray”, due out on Might 20 through InsideOut Music. At present sees the launch of the album’s second single, “Give & Take”, and you may watch the Wayne Joyner-produced video beneath.
James feedback: “This monitor is a tackle the coercive manipulation between the company elite and the proletariat class. An atmospheric soundscape with stunning really feel and scope.”
LaBrie‘s collaborator, bassist Paul Logue (EDEN’S CURSE) provides: “Musically ‘Give & Take’ is a pleasant steadiness of DREAM THEATER, EDEN’S CURSE and a even little QUEENSRŸCHE thrown in for good measure. The darkish musical undertones permit James‘s vocals to essentially shine while his lyrics take the listener on a journey via the basic story of fine versus evil.”
The brand new endeavor sees James traverse private maturation, loss, a myriad of complicated relationships and, most significantly, LaBrie‘s burning ardour for music. On paper, the most recent studio providing from the Canadian singer first took form shortly after the worldwide pandemic started to emerge. However in actuality, LaBrie fashioned a bond with Logue practically a decade earlier.
The 2 first met in 2011, when James would lend his voice to a function for Logue‘s band, U.Ok. melodic steel outfit EDEN’S CURSE, on the track “No Holy Man”. As years glided by the 2 remained in contact, sometimes kicking the tires on the concept of working collectively on one other mission. However when DREAM THEATER carried out in Glasgow in the course of the late winter of 2020, LaBrie and Logue would run into one another on the airport — as soon as once more asking the query. However this time, armed with the data {that a} drastic change on the earth was all however imminent, LaBrie made the choice to set issues in movement.
On the album, Logue performs acoustic rhythm guitar (each six- and twelve-string) and acoustic bass, whereas guitarist Marco Sfogli, who’s contributed on all of LaBrie‘s solo albums since 2005’s “Components Of Persuasion”, dealt with the leads and solos. Logue recruited EDEN’S CURSE keyboardist Christian Pulkkinen to lend his enjoying on the file, whereas the suggestion to recruit James‘s son Probability to play drums would additionally come from Paul. “Stunning Shade Of Gray”, as LaBrie describes it, was a title that solely got here to him as soon as he recognized the file’s two core themes all through its monitor checklist.
“Quite a lot of these lyrics are coping with the fantastic thing about human beings, and lots are coping with the gray areas of the in between,” James says. “You are not precisely blissful, however you are not precisely unhappy both.”
The file begins off (and ends) with the monitor “Satan In Drag”, which emerges as a wall of synthesizers and acoustic strumming earlier than exploding right into a full-blown ensemble. LaBrie expresses that the track was written about “somebody who began out as a good human being, however alongside the way in which misplaced contact with their roots — over time turning into self-serving, narcissistic and devoid of rules or values.” Happening to say, “‘Satan In Drag’ is written from the attitude of somebody who’s recognized all of them their life and, seeing them now, asking ‘what occurred?'”
“Stunning Shade Of Gray” shall be launched as a restricted CD digipak, 180-gram LP, CD and as a digital album, with art work by Thomas Ewerhard.
“Stunning Shade Of Gray” monitor itemizing:
01. Satan In Drag
02. SuperNova Lady
03. Give And Take
04. Sundown Smash
05. Hit Me Like A Brick
06. Wildflower
07. Conscience Calling
08. What I Missed
09. Am I Proper
10. Ramble On
11. Satan In Drag (Electrical Model)
Final December, LaBrie informed Full Metallic Jackie‘s nationally syndicated radio present about how Nineteen Seventies rock music influenced and impressed “Stunning Shade Of Gray”: “I am an enormous [LED] ZEPPELIN fan. I am an enormous [fan of] PINK FLOYD and AEROSMITH and DEEP PURPLE and all that. These bands have been so iconic again within the ’70s. So a whole lot of the inspiration, once I sat down with Paul Logue, who’s the opposite musician that I wrote the album with, and he is from Scotland, I stated, ‘Paul, I simply need us to assume extra about…’ If you consider the acoustic finish of ZEPPELIN and their natural method to their songs, it was nonetheless stunning, it was nonetheless highly effective, extraordinarily melodic, and it simply type of reached deep inside, it resonated deep inside each certainly one of us that listened to any ZEPPELIN. In order that was the catalyst to set issues in movement. It turned a full ensemble. I imply, I’ve keyboards, drums, bass, rhythm guitar, lead guitar after which myself doing all of the vocals. So it is considerably acoustic however it’s additionally a full ensemble as properly. So it nonetheless has the total band type of sound and orchestration.”
Concerning the lyrical themes lined on the LP, James stated: “‘Stunning Shade Of Gray’ has lots to do with the lyrics that I wrote for this album. And a whole lot of my lyrics are coping with the human situation and all of the dynamics of life in itself that each certainly one of us expertise and, to a sure diploma, it’s normal for many of us to undergo the identical experiences. So I needed to put in writing lots about that. In order that’s type of what impressed this entire enterprise.”
Final October, James informed “The Everyman Podcast” about how his collaboration with Logue happened: “I sang on certainly one of [EDEN’S CURSE‘s] songs again in 2010 known as ‘No Holy Man’; so I visitor on that. And I actually appreciated Paul‘s writing. To me, Paul‘s writing was extra from a classical period — just like the ’70s; that basic rock method. And I had a whole lot of concepts in that vein.
“Paul and I really ran into one another — you assume destiny is not there with you; holy shit… The day after we completed the present — DREAM THEATER in Glasgow [on] February twenty third [2020]. I am ready for my flight on the twenty fourth to go to London after which Toronto, and Paul walks by me and he goes, ‘James!’ I am, like, ‘Oh my God!’ He goes, ‘ I used to be on the present final night time.’ He saved making an attempt to e-mail me on my previous e-mail handle. And he goes, ‘Hear, let me know. You wanna get collectively? You wanna do some writing?’ And I stated, ‘I might like to.’ On the time, I stated, ‘I do not know. Some freaky shit’s occurring. You are listening to about this virus?’ ‘Yeah. Yeah.’ [I said] ‘We have gotta go to Asia, then we have gotta go to freakin’ South America and North America and all that.’ I stated, ‘So we’re most likely not gonna be finished until October, however why do not we begin writing then? Or why do not we begin throwing concepts again within the meantime, and I may even be on the street and dealing on it?’ And he goes, ‘Nice.’ Swiftly, the world closes down. So we bought on it… It was most likely… Every thing closed down March fifteenth, I imagine, and by March twentieth, him and I have been already passing concepts backwards and forwards.”
Elaborating on the songwriting course of for “Stunning Shade Of Gray”, LaBrie stated: “We began as, we stated, ‘Let’s simply maintain it actual uncooked and acoustic-based — that’ll be the basic of this album,’ after which it type of morphed into extra of an ensemble, so [with] keyboards… Marco Sfogli is enjoying lead guitar on all of the tracks. Paul is enjoying all of the rhythm acoustic guitars and bass. After which [my son] Probability [LaBrie] is doing drums. Christian Pulkkinen is the keyboard participant, who’s a implausible keyboard participant, piano participant. All of the lyrics, besides one, I penned.
“It was actually fascinating the way it got here collectively, whether or not I might be throwing [Paul] a riff or I might be throwing him a melody concept that turned a refrain to one of many songs or verses,” he continued. “After which he’d throw me again his concepts musically. And we slowly however absolutely put all of it collectively. We had everyone absolutely concerned. And it got here out implausible. The label is de facto stoked about it. It has that type of ZEPPELIN-esque really feel to it, however nonetheless the modern-day facets of it as properly are there. So it is nice.”
Picture credit score: Thomas Ewerhard
