BiografieBe prepared to be blown away. The new album by Randy Piper's Animal has arrived. Titled "Violent New Breed" and released in 19 countries during April and May, it is the album that should have followed the legendary W.A.S.P. debut.

Together with Blackie Lawless, co-founder Randy Piper was the man behind W.A.S.P.'s initial masterplan. In cult band Circus Circus, they began creating the unique sound that combined the sound of the British Invasion - with bands like The Who, The Beatles, The Yardbirds and The Move - with heavy guitars, blood-thirsty vocals and an outrageous image that consisted of horror and humor in equal parts.



Since having left Lawless to his own devices, Piper has survived hair bands, grunge and nu-metal. Always true to his vision of a 21 st century Animal he has constantly refined the band, looking for the perfect line-up to realise this vision. In Rich Lewis he found a soul mate as well as a vocalist with total feel. Other former W.A.S.P. members may have come and gone, but Rich and Randy have been the core of the band since day one.



Thunderous left-hand bassist Jackie Livengood makes a welcome return to the band. Also a jack of all trades, he's made Piper's tattoos and built the onstage version of Screamin' Leamin's original Animal logo.

However, it's safe to say that everything fell into place when noted Stockholm-based producer, platinum songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Chris Laney (Zan Clan) contacted the band. A longtime fan of the guys' classic stuff he initially offered to remix Animal's previous album for free. A Scandinavian Rick Rubin, Laney was a fan who also had the skills to provide the missing piece. Inevitably, the guys got on like a house on fire. Even without having met him in person, it ended up with Animal asking Laney to join the band. And before long he was coming up with the core of the songs for a new album: Violent New Breed. Here, the band are taking the sound into the new millennium, while retaining the raw, primitive in-your-face feel of early W.A.S.P . It's big, bold and brutal but also chock full of hooks. "We-co wrote and recorded the bulk of the album through sending wave files over the internet" Piper remembers. "Then, all of a sudden, Laney calls me and from Sweden and says "It's about time we meet and wrap this up. Would you let me in if I knocked on your door in Cincinatti next week? And he did!" Laney laughs when he remembers how he made it through customs with all of his equipment, saying he was only there for a vacation. "Vacation? In Cincinatti? Good luck, sir", said the guy in the customs, looking a bit strange.

But who cares if it was cold. They spent all week in at "chez Piper" anyway, putting the finishing touches to the songs, recording, and drinking massive amounts of alcohol. Hell, they even found time to celebrate Laney's birthday with his favorite brand of bourbon...
And he was mightly impressed.



"Rich's soulful vocals blew my mind - he's never sung better. And there's nothing that beats Randy's feel. He's from Texas and you can hear it. He has that bluesy, gritty Billy Gibbons vibe, even if he plays harder on his trademark B.C. Rich guitars that any guitarist I've ever come across", says Laney. "I initially wanted to use Line 6 for the guitars, but in the end Randy brought in his full live rig which he played at ear-splitting volume, to get the familiar sound that's gonna make your neighbor call and ask for mercy. Not that you will be able to hear hear him!"
Everybody loves to say that their new album is all killer, no filler. For once, this statement actually applies. The songs cover all the bases from anger and anticipation to the outright scary. The Morning After is about suicide, Eye Of The Storm is pure metal. Boom has an almost industrial feel while Animal In Me should be self-explanatory to any true fan. The surprisingly sensitive Turn And Walk Away, featuring a Piper solo that will tear your heart out, is deals with a fucked-up relationship.



But make no mistake. While Mr Lawless frequently disappears up his own *ss, doing arty concept albums, these guys still remember how to rock.

"Every track is a key track", Laney nods. He should know. Being a fan of these guys himself, Laney knows when they deliver. And they do, big time, on "Violent New Breed".
The lethal four-piece is looking forward to conquering Europe in the fall of 2006.

Make no mistake. This is where it starts.

This one's for the fans.
Quelle: http://www.animalcave.net/html/site_frame.htmDiscografie2006 - Violent New Breed

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