THE APOCALYPSE BLUES REVUE Feat. GODSMACK Members: 'Devil Plays A Strat' Song Streaming

THE APOCALYPSE BLUES REVUE (formerly BLUE CROSS BAND), the new project from GODSMACK‘s Shannon Larkin and Tony Rombola, will release its self-titled debut album on August 26 via Provogue.

A song from the CD, “Devil Plays A Strat”, can be streamed below.

The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. Evil Is As Evil Does
02. Junkie Hell
03. Devil Plays A Strat
04. I Think Not
05. Whiskey In My Coffee
06. The Tower
07. Crossed Over
08. Blues Are Fallin’ From The Sky
09. Work In Progress
10. The Devil In Me
11. Blue Cross
12. When The Music’s Over (bonus track)

THE APOCALYPSE BLUES REVUE, whose lineup is rounded out by frontman Ray Cerbone and bassist Brian Carpenter, honors blues traditions, while etching their stamp on the genre in blood.

“As far as blues goes, APOCALYPSE BLUES REVUE is a little heavier, a little darker, and has some punk rock attitude in the lyrics,” affirms Shannon. “We wanted to make something deep that will provoke thought. It had to be evil, though. We’re not trying to make it happy. It’s called blues for a reason! It was also an opportunity to show the world what a phenomenal guitar player Tony is.”

Shannon witnessed Tony‘s knack for the style firsthand while writing together for GODSMACK‘s 2010 offering “The Oracle”. Burnt out on metal and hard rock, the pair would loosely jam without boundaries. During one impromptu session in their Southwest Florida rehearsal spot, the drummer laid down a slow, simmering groove, and another side of the guitar player reared its head.

“I couldn’t believe it,” smiles Shannon. “I didn’t even know he was into blues or could play the way he does. My reaction was immediate. We had to officially start a blues band.”

Provogue/Mascot Label Group‘s CEO Ed van Zijl was equally impressed when he heard the band for the first time: “This is a very cool band and they made a very cool record,” he says.” Melodic and groovin’ blues rock with touches of Hendrix and THE DOORS. The whole album sounds very organic and natural, great songs and vibe as if they have been playing together for a long time. I love it!”

Talking about joining the label, Larkin adds: “We looked at Mascot‘s roster and track record, and made the decision on the spot. We didn’t feel we needed to shop the band to any other labels; it just felt too perfect.”