Ape Vermin, the formidable 3-piece act hailing from the depths of Valdese, North Carolina, USA, is gearing up to conquer the cosmos with their latest sci-fi-infused album “Andromedas Colossus” on May 17, 2024, with a US tour to follow the release.
Want to see how "The Best of The Best of The Best" shreds guitar with speed and headbanging finesse... Then head on over to Canadian heavy metal champs STRIKER's YouTube and check out their new playthrough with Tim Brown and John Simon Fallon ripping it up for this single off their forthcoming album "ULTRAPOWER" out February 2, 2024.
“If you’re not simultaneously leaping into the bed of a truck while it’s doing a burnout as you rip through a killer riff, are you even shredding?" adds guitarist John Simon Fallon.
"ULTRAPOWER" follows their Juno Award-winning self-released full-length "Play to Win" (2018) released on their label Record Breaking Records and features the band's latest lineup addition of long-time friend and guitarist John Simon Fallon (The Order of Chaos). For the band's seventh full-length, they teamed up with producer Josh Schroeder (Lorna Shore, Tallah, King 810), entering the studio this past March. With the band writing material since 2018, "ULTRAPOWER" is a collection of Striker tinkering and exploring new avenues.
"ULTRAPOWER is the amalgamation of 5 years of writing and exploring music. With influences from AOR to Speed Metal, Hardcore to Hair Metal, Steely Dan to Deathcore, you name it, it made its way into the album. In the end with the help of Josh Schroeder’s guiding hand, we melted it all together to present something uniquely Striker. Lyrically we’ve stuck to the Striker tradition of writing montage songs for movies that don’t exist, songs about our spiraling serfdom, and lyrics about the evils that lurk in the shadows." adds the band.
The album artwork created by Al Perez / Ramone Sketch (@ramonesketch) and the track listing for "ULTRAPOWER" can be seen below.
"We wanted the album artwork to represent how we feel as a band right now. We are an engine that is fired up and ready to roll. We’re made of metal and our circuits gleam!"
The previous single "Circle of Evil" (2023), which will be featured on the album can be viewed and heard via their music video below.
"ULTRAPOWER" is due out on February 2, 2024, and is available for pre-order at http://kck.st/3P6Gws6
In additional news, STRIKER announced they will be joining the Legions of Metal 2024 lineup being hosted in Chicago, IL on May 3rd and 4th at Reggie's - info. They will be performing alongside Unleash The Archers, WatchTower, Hirax, Mourn The Light, and Ice Howl among more to be announced at a later date.
Track Listing: 1. Circle of Evil - (3:44) 2. BEST of the BEST of the BEST - (3:19) 3. Give it All - (4:14) 4. Blood Magic - (4:35) 5. Sucks to Suck - (3:15) 6. Ready for Anything - (3:56) 7. City Calling - (3:45) 8. Turn the Lights Out - (2:49) 9. Thunderdome - (4:01) 10. Live to Fight Another Day - (4:00) 11. Brawl at the Pub - (3:47) Album Length: 41:30
