HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES Feat. ALICE COOPER, JOHNNY DEPP, JOE PERRY: To Release New Album 'Rise' I
HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES return with new music in the form of their explosive second album, "Rise". Rock and roll royalty Joe Perry, Hollywood superstar Johnny Depp, and shock rock icon Alice Cooper join forces once again for the unmissable rock album of 2019. "Rise" will be released June 21 via earMUSIC. The first singe, "Who's Laughing Now", can be streamed below.
Seconds into the opening track "I Want My Now", it's clear this supergroup has created something special. The chemistry between the individuals is unmistakable when they come together on stage or in the recording studio. Forget the individual reputations of the star-studded lineup, "Rise" features some of the purest, most unapologetic, and most enjoyable rock 'n' roll of the year — made by masters of the craft and true fans of the form.
Unlike HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES' 2015 debut record, "Rise", produced by Tommy Henriksenand the band, consists mainly of original material written by the band. However, in the spirit of the VAMPIRES' original mission, there are three covers of songs originally written and recorded by some fellow rockers who died far too young: an intimate and intense version of David Bowie's "Heroes", beautifully performed by Johnny Depp; the late JIM CARROLL BAND's "People Who Died"; and Johnny Thunders's "You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory", sung by Joe Perry.
Raucous rock anthems like "The Boogieman Surprise" and first single "Who's Laughing Now" capture the natural, raw, and celebratory attitude that the HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRESdisplayed in their rowdy shows around the world. However, the album shows off their range as well with tracks like "We Gotta Rise" — a tongue-in-cheek politics song in the tradition of Cooper's "Elected" — to the psychedelic gothic epic of "Mr. Spider".
"'Rise' is not only a totally different animal than the first VAMPIRES album, it is unique to anything I've ever been a part of," says Cooper. "I approached it very differently than I usually do when working on an album. Each of us; Joe, Johnny, Tommy, and myself have written songs on this album. What is different though is that I didn't try to change any songs to be more 'Alice-like.' Because each of us has different influences, the sound of this album is very cool. I think that with this album, we are establishing what the Vampires' sound really is, whereas with the first album, we were more tipping our hats to our fallen rock 'n' roll brothers."
Perry says: "'Rise' came from pure creative energy, which is just like playing live with the VAMPIRES. The record showcases everyone doing what they do best without anyone looking over our shoulders. There was no pressure or deadlines, allowing us to write and record an album that is one of the freest and most honest sounding records I've been part of. I can't wait to perform some of these tunes live for our fans."
"Rise" track listing:
01. I Want My Now 02. Good People Are Hard to Find 03. Who's Laughing Now 04. How the Glass Fell
05. The Boogieman Surprise 06. Welcome to Bushwackers (feat. Jeff Beck + John Waters) 07. The Wrong Bandage 08. You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory 09. Git From Round Me 10. Heroes 11. A Pitiful Beauty 12. New Threat 13. Mr. Spider 14. We Gotta Rise 15. People Who Died 16. Congratulations
HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES will embark on a short U.S. tour in early May. Completing the HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES live lineup will be rock star musician friends Glen Sobel (ALICE COOPER) on drums, Chris Wyse (THE CULT) on bass, and Buck Johnson (AEROSMITH) on keyboard and vocals.
In 1969, on the Sunset Strip at the legendary club, the Rainbow Bar & Grill, the Hollywood Vampires were born in the upstairs bar. It was a gathering place for the rock stars living in or passing through L.A. "To join the club, one simply had to out drink all of the members," says Alice Cooper, a founding member of the original Vampires.
Cooper and good friend Johnny Depp got together and decided the spirit of the Hollywood Vampires should live again — minus the drinking. Cooper and Depp were joined by Joe Perry, who is an old friend of both, and the recording began: a tribute to the original Hollywood Vampires. An environment was born for great artists to hang, laugh, and play together.
As Yahoo Music said, "The word 'supergroup' gets thrown around a lot these days, but truly, it doesn't get much super-er than HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES."
