DREAM THEATER’s JAMES LABRIE Unveils Details Of New Solo Album ‘Beautiful Shade Of Grey’, Launches First Single ‘Devil In Drag’
James LaBrie, recognized internationally as a result of the vocalist for progressive metal icons DREAM THEATER, embarks on uncharted waters alongside along with his fourth solo album, titled “Pretty Shade Of Grey”, due out on May 20 by means of InsideOut Music. Proper this second sees the launch of the album’s first single and opening…
James LaBrie, recognized internationally as a result of the vocalist for progressive metal icons DREAM THEATER, embarks on uncharted waters alongside along with his fourth solo album, titled “Pretty Shade Of Grey”, due out on May 20 by means of InsideOut Music. Proper this second sees the launch of the album’s first single and opening observe, “Devil In Drag”, and it’s possible you’ll watch the Wayne Joyner-produced video beneath.
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The model new endeavor sees him traverse personal maturation, loss, a myriad of sophisticated relationships and, most importantly, LaBrie‘s burning passion for music. On paper, the most recent studio offering from the Canadian singer first took type shortly after the worldwide pandemic began to emerge. Nonetheless genuinely, LaBrie common a bond alongside along with his fellow collaborator, bassist Paul Logue (EDEN’S CURSE), virtually a decade earlier.
The two first met in 2011, when James would lend his voice to a attribute for Logue‘s band, U.Okay. melodic metal outfit EDEN’S CURSE, on the music “No Holy Man”. As years passed by the two remained involved, typically kicking the tires on the idea of working collectively on one different enterprise. Nonetheless when DREAM THEATER carried out in Glasgow all through the late winter of 2020, LaBrie and Logue would run into each other on the airport — as quickly as as soon as extra asking the question. Nonetheless this time, armed with the data {{that a}} drastic change on this planet was all nevertheless imminent, LaBrie made the selection to set points in motion.
On the album, Logue performs acoustic rhythm guitar (every six- and twelve-string) and acoustic bass, whereas guitarist Marco Sfogli, who’s contributed on all of LaBrie‘s solo albums since 2005’s “Components Of Persuasion”, handled the leads and solos. Logue recruited EDEN’S CURSE keyboardist Christian Pulkkinen to lend his participating in on the report, whereas the suggestion to recruit James‘s son Probability to play drums would moreover come from Paul. “Pretty Shade Of Grey”, as LaBrie describes it, was a title that solely bought right here to him as quickly as he acknowledged the report’s two core themes all by its observe guidelines.
“An entire lot of those lyrics are dealing with the great thing about human beings, and much are dealing with the grey areas of the in between,” James says. “You aren’t exactly blissful, nevertheless you aren’t exactly sad each.”
The report begins off (and ends) with the observe “Devil In Drag”, which emerges as a wall of synthesizers and acoustic strumming sooner than exploding proper right into a full-blown ensemble. LaBrie expresses that the music was written about “someone who started out as an sincere human being, nevertheless alongside one of the simplest ways misplaced contact with their roots — over time turning into self-serving, narcissistic and devoid of concepts or values.” Taking place to say, “‘Devil In Drag’ is written from the angle of someone who’s recognized all of them their life and, seeing them now, asking ‘what occurred?’”
“Pretty Shade Of Grey” will probably be launched as a restricted CD digipak, 180-gram LP, CD and as a digital album, with artwork work by Thomas Ewerhard.
“Pretty Shade Of Grey” observe itemizing:
01. Devil In Drag
02. SuperNova Girl
03. Give And Take
04. Sunset Injury
05. Hit Me Like A Brick
06. Wildflower
07. Conscience Calling
08. What I Missed
09. Am I Correct
10. Ramble On
11. Devil In Drag (Electrical Mannequin)
Closing December, LaBrie instructed Full Metal Jackie‘s nationally syndicated radio current about how Nineteen Seventies rock music influenced and impressed “Pretty Shade Of Grey”: “I’m an infinite [LED] ZEPPELIN fan. I’m an infinite [fan of] PINK FLOYD and AEROSMITH and DEEP PURPLE and all that. These bands had been so iconic once more inside the ’70s. So a wide range of the inspiration, after I sat down with Paul Logue, who’s the alternative musician that I wrote the album with, and he’s from Scotland, I discussed, ‘Paul, I merely want us to imagine further about…’ In case you focus on the acoustic end of ZEPPELIN and their pure technique to their songs, it was nonetheless pretty, it was nonetheless extremely efficient, terribly melodic, and it merely type of reached deep inside, it resonated deep inside each one amongst us that listened to any ZEPPELIN. So that was the catalyst to set points in motion. It turned a full ensemble. I indicate, I’ve keyboards, drums, bass, rhythm guitar, lead guitar after which myself doing all the vocals. So it’s significantly acoustic nevertheless it’s moreover a full ensemble as properly. So it nonetheless has the overall band type of sound and orchestration.”
Referring to the lyrical themes lined on the LP, James talked about: “‘Pretty Shade Of Grey’ has tons to do with the lyrics that I wrote for this album. And a wide range of my lyrics are dealing with the human state of affairs and all the dynamics of life in itself that all amongst us experience and, to a certain diploma, it’s regular for many people to endure the an identical experiences. So I wanted to jot down tons about that. So that’s type of what impressed this complete enterprise.”
Closing October, James instructed “The Everyman Podcast” about how his collaboration with Logue passed off: “I sang on one amongst [EDEN’S CURSE‘s] songs once more in 2010 known as ‘No Holy Man’; so I customer on that. And I really appreciated Paul‘s writing. To me, Paul‘s writing was further from a classical interval — identical to the ’70s; that primary rock technique. And I had a wide range of ideas in that vein.
“Paul and I really bumped into each other — you assume future is just not there with you; holy shit… The day after we accomplished the current — DREAM THEATER in Glasgow [on] February twenty third [2020]. I’m prepared for my flight on the twenty fourth to go to London after which Toronto, and Paul walks by me and he goes, ‘James!’ I’m, like, ‘Oh my God!’ He goes, ‘You acknowledge I was on the current closing night.’ He saved making an attempt to e-mail me on my earlier e-mail deal with. And he goes, ‘Listen, let me know. You wanna get collectively? You wanna do some writing?’ And I discussed, ‘I’d prefer to.’ On the time, I discussed, ‘I have no idea. Some freaky shit’s occurring. You might be listening to about this virus?’ ‘Yeah. Yeah.’ [I said] ‘We now have gotta go to Asia, then we’ve got gotta go to freakin’ South America and North America and all that.’ I discussed, ‘So we’re more than likely not gonna be achieved till October, nevertheless why don’t we start writing then? Or why don’t we start throwing ideas once more inside the meantime, and I could even be on the freeway and dealing on it?’ And he goes, ‘Good.’ Unexpectedly, the world closes down. So we acquired on it… It was more than likely… All of the issues closed down March fifteenth, I take into account, and by March twentieth, him and I had been already passing ideas backwards and forwards.”
Elaborating on the songwriting course of for “Pretty Shade Of Grey”, LaBrie talked about: “We started as, we talked about, ‘Let’s merely maintain it precise raw and acoustic-based — that’ll be the fundamental of this album,’ after which it type of morphed into further of an ensemble, so [with] keyboards… Marco Sfogli is participating in lead guitar on all the tracks. Paul is participating in all the rhythm acoustic guitars and bass. After which [my son] Probability [LaBrie] is doing drums. Christian Pulkkinen is the keyboard participant, who’s a unbelievable keyboard participant, piano participant. All the lyrics, moreover one, I penned.
“It was really fascinating the best way it bought right here collectively, whether or not or not I may be throwing [Paul] a riff or I may be throwing him a melody idea that turned a chorus to one in every of many songs or verses,” he continued. “After which he’d throw me once more his ideas musically. And we slowly nevertheless completely put all of it collectively. We had all folks completely involved. And it bought right here out unbelievable. The label is definitely stoked about it. It has that type of ZEPPELIN-esque actually really feel to it, nevertheless nonetheless the modern-day factors of it as properly are there. So it’s good.”
Image credit score rating: Thomas Ewerhard