Posted on: August 8, 2011 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

BURN HALO’s sophomore album, UP FROM THE ASHES, was released June 28 on Rawkhead Records (through Warner Music Group’s Independent Label Group). It was produced by Colby Wedgeworth and confirms BURN HALO’s evolution from being essentially a solo project by former 18 Visions singer/songwriter James Hart to a full-blown, collaborative band. The music has grown too, and now marries the anthemic, radio-ready hard rock of their 2009 self-titled debut to metalcore flourishes reminiscent of 18 Visions. The band is already receiving lots of radio support for the first single, “Tear It Down,” from stations such as SiriusXM’s “Octane,” WIIL (Chicago), KHTQ (Spokane), WCCC (Hartford) and WJJO (Madison). A video for the song was released today and can be seen here: http://www.guitarworld.com/introducing-burn-halo. A behind-the-scenes teaser clip can be seen on the band’s YouTube page here: http://bit.ly/iOriSG. Songs from the band’s self-titled debut album, which went on to sell over 25,000 copies, were heard frequently on WWE and ESPN, as well as the season finale of “Friday Night Lights.” It also spawned the Rock hit single, “Dirty Little Girl,” which features a guest appearance by Avenged Sevenfold’s Synyster Gates. A tour is currently in the works and should be kicking off within the coming weeks. www.myspace.com/burnhalo is their official website (for now).

The future wasn’t always so clear for BURN HALO: James Hart (vocals), Joey Roxx (guitar), Brandon Lynn (guitar), Aaron Boehler (bass), Dillon Ray (drums). It took quite a while for their current lineup to come together. “There were just a couple of things that never felt right,” said James of touring prior to the recent band additions. It was bassist Aaron Boehler who brought friend and fellow Tulsa, OK resident Brandon Lynn to the band in 2009 when the band needed a fill-in on rhythm guitar. “It just felt right after one rehearsal,” James said of Brandon joining BURN HALO. In early 2010, it was Aaron again who had targeted his best friend and previous band mate Dillon Ray to take over on the drums. “The three of us living in Tulsa just gave us a great opportunity to work on the songs for tour,” Aaron states. “I had been lobbying for Dillon to join the band since day one.”

Media page (not for fans/publication):

http://eastwest.ilgpress.com/burnhalo/media/

Album download link (not for fans/publication/sharing):

https://www.yousendit.com/download/UnlCK2VxUENrYUR2Wmc9PQ

KYNG–singer/songwriter/guitarist Eddie Veliz, bassist Tony Castaneda and drummer Pepe Clarke Magaña—will release theirdebut album, TRAMPLED SUN, September 27 on REALID Records (through ILG). The first two singles, “Falling Down” and “Trails in Veins,” were mixed by Mike Watts (Adelitas Way, Hopesfall, Quicksand, Brand New) have recently been serviced to radio stations nationwide, with early adds at SiriusXM’s “Octane” and WJJO (Madison). AOL/Noisecreep.com recently premiered “Falling Down,” which can be heard here: http://aol.it/jiKwXf. You can check out the band’s EPK on their YouTube page here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJiVCnQ_nWI.

After years of working off and on with each other on various projects, the Southern California trio decided to propagate the idea of a band that would closer fulfill their musical desires. Within months of jamming together they were sold on the chemistry and promptly headed into the studio to record their debut album. The sound they realized—which they call “California Heavy”–was exactly what they had sought after, a unique and universally appealing combination of heavy and captivating concepts, channeling influences from Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin to Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age.

Reminiscent at times of the metal and hard rock of the late 1970s in style and musical collection, with a presentation that is totally heavy, classic and modern-day all at once, they are sure to refresh the Active Rock and Metal landscapes of today and tomorrow. As drummer Pepe Clarke Magaña puts it, “I think we’re doing stuff, or a combination of stuff, that has been done before, in a way that has never been done before.”

Leave a Comment