With Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth reuniting publicly for the first time since 2015 at a TEDxFargo event on 30 July, tongues were always going to be a-wagging. Will they or won’t they record together again? Roth and Van Halen’s conversation, moderated by artist Robert Vargas, will soon be released on YouTube, but in the meantime, I decided to take a look at the 20 greatest songs from David Lee Roth’s solo career.
With a catalogue of almost 70 songs spanning over 40 years, ranking the Top 20 was a surprisingly difficult task given that Roth’s solo career exploded like a musical hand grenade between 1985 and 1991, and then subsequently seemed to collapse like burst soufflè.
This, of course, does not mean that he was not producing excellent music. However, his popularity did take a tumble, with chart positions following the release of his fourth solo album, Your Filthy Little Mouth, taking a downward trajectory. But you can’t keep a great entertainer down, and David Lee Roth is the ultimate entertainer.
So without further ado, here goes and may the lord have mercy upon my poor, wretched soul.
20. Tobacco Road – Eat ‘Em And Smile
This is the first track on the list from the Eat ‘Em and Smile album, released on 8 July 1986, and it is an absolute stonker of a cover.
Originally recorded by John D Loudermilk in 1959 and released in 1960, Roth’s interpretation of this track is faster and grittier. It has a really energetic feel to it. As for the combination of Vai and Sheehan on guitar and bass? Well, we will come to that later.
19. A Little Ain’t Enough – A Little Ain’t Enough
This track, which was released as a single from the album of the same name, faced some controversy. A heavily censored video and criticism of Bob Rock’s production overshadowed Jason Becker’s brilliant guitar work and seemed to stymie the track somewhat. It is, however, a great number.
It has to be said, it was nothing short of a miracle that Jason Becker was even able to take part in the recording of the album that spawned this track. The guitarist put in one hell of a performance given that he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis shortly after teaming up with David Lee Roth.
18. Stand Up – Skyscraper
Ahhh, the Skyscraper album. 1988. I remember it well, listening to that album while belting up to High Beach, Epping Forest, in my 1981 Mark V Cortina, with my girlfriend at the time, hoping to hop on the good foot and do the bad thing. She bloody hated that album.
For me, however, Stand Up was a real high point on that album. A punchy, bass synth-driven song that has some fabulous lyrics (as you would expect from DLR) but really leaned away from the hard rock genre. It is a quirky anomaly of a track, and a lot of fun to listen to.
Incidentally, the album and the car lasted longer than my girlfriend did.
17. That’s Life – Eat ‘Em and Smile
Ok, I am going to say it. David Lee Roth managed to “out-Sinatra” Frank on this one. Now everybody knows that Ole’ Blue-Eyes sang flatter than a pancake from My Old Dutch (I recommend the Banana and Chocolate pancake), but everybody’s favourite crooner chose to do that to convey emotions such as defeat or disillusionment in his songs.
That’s Life was one of those tracks that oozes capitulation on an epic scale. Then along comes David Lee Roth, who is not singing flat, and turns this into a rather jolly, upbeat ditty. GENIUS.
After listening to the way that DLR belts out this track, it becomes pretty clear that he could turn Frederic Chopin’s Death March into Knees Up Mother Brown if he wanted to.
16. Somewhere Over The Rainbow Bar And Grill
When Edward Van Halen tragically passed away on 6 October 2020, a gaping hole was left behind within the music industry. What can you do when the greatest guitarist on the planet leaves us for another realm? David Lee Roth knew the answer.
Somewhere Over The Rainbow Bar And Grill is a poignant trip down memory lane, with DLR at his lyrical best, creating a portmanteau, bridging the iconic Sunset Strip hangout, Rainbow Bar and Grill, with the song, Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
Featuring some stunning acoustic guitar and bass work by John 5 and backed by Gregg Bissonette on drums, this track really is a thing of beauty. It is a truly wonderful homage to Van Halen and the early days of the band themselves. This one really is a compelling listen.
15. She’s My Machine – Your Filthy Little Mouth
This particular track is the high-point from what was regarded as a pretty average album. Lyrically, Your Filthy Little Mouth was superb. However, critics felt that it lacked “punch”.
There is, however, an argument to be put that the album is rather underrated and a lot better than it is given credit for. She’s My Machine exemplifies that belief, with its radio-friendly hard rock edge. It hit a creditable No. 12 in the Billboard charts.
14. Sensible Shoes – A Little Ain’t Enough
With its gritty, bluesy tones, this number is a deviation from Roth’s usual fayre. With some rather splendid harmonica playing and the sumptuous fretwork from Jason Becker, this is probably the best track off of A Little Ain’t Enough.
13. Just Like Paradise – Skyscraper
Good God, this song is so annoying, I love it. This is bubblegum rock at its absolute finest. Everything about it evokes images of hot summer nights, cruising down the road in a soft-top alongside the beach. Basically everything that you do not see in Cleethorpes.
Taken from the Skyscraper album, this number was the first single. Produced by Roth and Stevie Vai, it peaked at No. 6 in the US but was a bit of a damp squib in the UK, creeping into the Top 30 at No. 27.
Still, it’s a great, fun song that deserves its position at No. 13 on our list.
12 I’m Easy – Eat ‘Em And Smile
Well, you cannot say that Diamond Dave’s repertoire is not eclectic. Lurching from rock god to lounge-lizard quicker than a dog eating a Scooby-Snack, I’m Easy is a cracking slice of pastiche. What he was thinking when he decided to record this track, I know not. What I do know is that there is a lot of fun to be had in a short space of time with this track.
Eat ‘Em and Smile could have been recorded by Van Halen, in another life, and this song would have stood out in the same way that Ice Cream Man or Big Bad Bill did on VH1 and Diver Down.
Originally written and recorded by Australian combo Bilky Field and Tom Price, this song sounds positively ancient. But it is not. It was actually written in 1981. DLR’s stamp on this is camp, colourful and an absolute blast. You could envisage Sammy Davis Jr and Dean Martin singing this, while imbibing in a bottle of very expensive Scotch.
11. Ladies Night In Buffalo – Eat ‘Em and Smile
Another scorcher from the house of Eat ‘Em and Smile, and this one is grubby, dirty, sleazy. It is just downright filth. Everything about it has an edgy feel, from the way Vai, Sheehan and Bissonette construct and play this number, laconic and world-weary, to DLR’s almost spoken narration on the track.
And let us not ignore a great Stevie Vai solo either, within this wonderfully constructed number. Definitely one of DLR’s best offerings.
10. Perfect Timing – Skyscraper
Another awesome track from the Skyscraper album. From the moment Stevie Vai opens with the E5, D5, D power chords, you know this is going to be an absolute barnstormer of a track. It is not particularly fast and that is the beauty of the number.
You can hear every note played by Vai and Sheehan, every beat of Bissonette’s drum, every single word of DLR’s lyrical genius. The harmonies are superb. There is just nothing bad about this song.
It could be argued that there was a prescient sign within the lyrics where DLR sang “is that light at the end of the tunnel, the front of an oncoming train.” Billy Sheehan left David Lee Roth’s band directly after recording the album, and from that point sales started to drop. One for the reader to decide, methinks.
9. California Girls – Crazy From The Heat
Ok. So first and foremost, were the Beach Boys happy with Roth’s cover of arguably their most famous and beloved track? You bet your sweet patootie they were. In fact, far from being upset about it, they actively took part in the production of the number, with Carl Wilson performing the backing vocals. The ultimate seal of approval, eh?
Ted Templeman reached out to Carl Wilson to sing background harmonies on the track, which appears on the Crazy From The Heat EP, alongside singer Christopher Cross. Brian Wilson, who co-wrote the original in 1965, loved it and became a rather outspoken fan of Roth’s rendition.
Look, we all know the track and the supporting video. It is loud, bombastic, colourful and fun. Everything that you would expect from DLR.
8. Elephant Gun – Eat ‘Em And Smile
This song could have numerous meanings, and all of them would be correct as far as David Lee Roth is concerned. What is in no doubt is the absolute breakneck drumming and fretwork from Bissonette and Vai. Even Roadrunner would struggle to keep up with a track THAT fast.
The song is a raucous descent into musical madness. It takes you places that you do not expect to go and is a real testament to DLR and his band’s musical genius.
One of the strange quirks about the Eat ‘Em And Smile album and this song itself, is that a completely parallel, Spanish-language version of the album called Sonrisa Salvaje was recorded at the same time, with this song recorded and titled Arma De Caza Mayor.
Translated, this means “Big Game Hunting Weapon”. Who knows which “weapon” DLR was singing about? Either way, a great song.
7. Knucklebones – Skyscraper
With its gritty opening riff and pounding bassline, Knucklebones is a monster-truck of a track. Again, as with many of DLR’s songs, lyrically it could mean anything. As an arch sesquipedalian, Roth takes his lead from gothic Americana and classic blues. The result is a dangerous, sultry and rebellious vibe.
This gets compounded by the phrase “dirty work, down by the crossroads”. This may well be a reference to blues legend Robert Johnson allegedly signing a deal with the devil. Or it could just be complete guff and as decipherable as the Beatles I Am The Walrus. We will probably never know.
With Stevie Vai drivin’ and not dreamin’, performing a masterclass of a solo, this is another track showing David and the boys’ prowess at writing and performing an epic track.
6. Goin’ Crazy – Eat ‘Em and Smile
Goin’ Crazy really is the Eat ‘Em And Smile equivalent of Knucklebones. They are very similar in how they are written. That said, the bass is far more adventurous on this track, and the dynamic interplay between Sheehan and Vai is exquisite. A perfect song from a perfect album.
5. Just A Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody – Crazy From The Heat
Good grief, this is a curveball and a bloody good one at that. Nobody does pastiche quite like David Lee Roth. He is the master of it. This song exemplifies that with aplomb.
Just a Gigolo and I Ain’t Got Nobody are, in fact, separate songs. They are, however, frequently performed together. This leads to many believing that they are a single piece of work. So here’s the tale of the tape.
Just A Gigolo began as a post-World War I Austrian song about a war hero who becomes a gigolo (the clue’s in the title). The American version moved the story to a Parisian café. The original version was written by Leonello Casucci, who composed the music and Julius Brammer, who wrote the original lyrics, in 1929.
I Ain’t Got Nobody predates Just A Gigolo by over a decade. This number was written in 1915 by Spencer Williams and Roger Graham. Cleverclogs jazz and swing musician Louis Prima then fused the two songs together in 1956, which then leads us to Roth’s version of the song.
Apart from being a fantastic cover, the video is not too shabby either, parodying the pop culture of the time, with segments involving lookalikes of Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Idol, and Boy George as well as a guitarist with his arm alight. The video itself was a barrel of laughs on its own, without having a great cover of a fantastic song attached to it.
4. Damn Good – Skyscraper
There is an incredibly nostalgic feel to this wonderful piece of work. In an era when Mr Big brought out To Be With You and Extreme pulled More Than Words out of the hat, a couple of years earlier, Steve Vai and David Lee Roth produced Damn Good, and it was damn good, too.
With its lyrical roots dating back to around 1974, Roth and Vai welded those lyrics to an acoustic piece written by the axeman when he was a teenager.
Vai layered a standard 6-string acoustic guitar, a 12-string acoustic guitar and an exotic Coral electric sitar and voila, pure genius. This number is a stunning acoustic piece which Roth squeals and yells over, but still manages to sound awesome.
3. Shyboy – Eat ‘Em And Smile
This particular piece is not really a David Lee Roth piece. It is the work of a mad scientist, doubling up as one of the world’s greatest bass players. Former Talas virtuoso Billy Sheehan wrote the track in the late ’70s, which the band then recorded in 1982 for their second studio album, Sink Your Teeth Into That.
After Roth had recruited Sheehan and guitarist Steve Vai for his solo band, Sheehan brought his old song to the table. Roth loved it. The subsequent re-recording saw a significant tempo shift as well as changes to the bass and guitar solo interplay. Lyrically, the song is a fairly straightforward tale of a musician who is confident and dynamic on-stage, but turns into a completely tongue-tied, anxious “shy boy” when trying to talk to a girl in real life.
With his squeals, tics and general vocal mayhem, Roth turns this track into one of his own. That said, this is a Billy Sheehan bass lesson that no self-respecting bass player can ignore.
Marvellous.
2. Hot Dog And A Shake – Skyscraper
A bit of a surprise here at No. 2, but yet another stonking track from the Skyscraper album. It is fast, thundering at breakneck speed, and absolutely nobody misses a beat, a note or a single word. From the moment you hear that gliss from Stevie Vai’s guitar to the crazy-arsed lyrics, it is a moment of madness stretched into a three-minute and twenty-two-second song.
I nearly forgot, the harmonisation. “I’m dying, French frying, by the seat of my pants.” Who the hell says that? And who the hell harmonises that and makes it work? David Lee Roth, that is who.
As for the guitar work, it is a masterclass with everything that you could possibly want, a veritable cornucopia of notational goodness, all wrapped up in Stevie Vai’s fiery fingers. A worthy No. 2.
1. Yankee Rose – Eat ‘Em And Smile
Oh come on, what were you expecting? Stevie Vai made the guitar bloody talk for crying out loud. That in itself should be enough to get it to the top of the pile.
This number is a fabulous slice of rock, American style. The guitar work is off the scale, and Billy Sheehan does things with his bass that no man should ever be able to do. What about the drums, you say? Oh, we’ve got drums on this track. Some top-quality Gregg Bissonette tub-thumping going on there too.
Look, what does David bring to the table here? He brings charisma, more sass than you can shake a stick at, a lexicon that defies logic, an entertainment ethic second to none and a very good set of pipes.
This song epitomises what David Lee Roth is. Yankee Rose is, by any other name, a Van Halen song, and were DLR still in Van Halen, this track (in fact almost all of the Eat ‘Em And Smile album) would have been a Van Halen vehicle.
But he left. He went his own way and produced a classic album with classic tracks, and this one is top of the tree. All hail the Yankee Rose.
In the summer of 1977, a journalist for US rock magazine Circus interviewed Paul Rodgers at Bad Company’s Palm Springs HQ. The group were touring their new album, Burnin’ Sky, and had rented houses in the California resort, from where they’d fly back and forth in a private jet.
When Circus’s writer arrived at Rodgers’ place, he found the singer waiting to have a karate lesson. In fact, Rodgers was photographed wearing his karate robe, known as a gi, on the cover of Burnin’ Sky. On Bad Company’s last tour the group had lived up to their outlaw reputation, but the singer insisted he was a changed man now. “I’m working at keeping fit,” he said, “because people can get very messed up on tour.”
The records that preceded it have always unfairly overshadowed Bad Company’s fourth album. In the band’s back catalogue, Burnin’ Sky is close to being a ‘great lost album’, if any US Top 20 gold-certified record could ever truly be described as ‘lost’.
Bad Company swept into the Château d’Hérouville studio in France’s Oise Valley in the summer of 1976, just as Iggy Pop and David Bowie swept out after recording Pop’s The Idiot. They weren’t in good shape.
“We had been on the road pretty heavily and we were burned,” admitted Rodgers, who wrote the chords for the title track in his Paris hotel suite and then ad-libbed the lyrics in the studio the next day. It was a one-take affair, recorded by the Rolling Stones’ engineer Chris Kimsey, but it worked.
Burnin’ Sky’s throbbing groove sets the tempo for what follows. Boz Burrell and Simon Kirke maintain a snake-charming rhythm for 5.22 unbroken minutes, as treated vocals, Mick Ralphs’ wailing guitar, peals of thunder and pattering percussion whizz around the mix. It’s spare and economical – Bad Company at their best.
Once again, Rodgers handled the lion’s share of the writing, serving up the bump-and-grind rockers but also the more thoughtful Like Water, co-written with his then wife Machiko Shimizu. Elsewhere, Ralphs delivers two of the album’s best riffs on Man Needs Woman and Too Bad – the last riff cheekily reconfigured by Whitesnake for their song Girl in 1981.
Elsewhere, there’s the jokey intro to Everything I Need, in which Bad Company sing a few lines from The Happy Wanderer (‘…with my knapsack on my back!’) and which evokes a 4am refreshment session, with empty bottles on the table and the unwelcome dawn light creeping through the curtains.
Burnin’ Sky ends as it began with another fine but often forgotten track. On Master Of Ceremony, Rodgers pleads for global harmony over a mesmerising groove. The whole song is fuzzy around the edges, suggesting either the last round in that 4am drinking session or the head-spinning after-effects of one of Rodgers’ karate chops.
Burnin’ Sky maintained Bad Company’s strike rate on the UK and US charts but without a big hit single to raise the profile, it’s since slipped between the cracks. More’s the pity. It’s high time to don the gi, head back to the château and get reacquainted.
Three legged dog is the new song by the American band FreQuency7. The author describes it “Inspired by my dog, Repo, and his battle with cancer, this song evolved into a tribute to everyone affected by the disease. It’s a message of love, hope, resilience, and the unbreakable bond we share with those we love.”
I love the sound (pure grunge guitars), the solo section and the 90s vibes. It’s amazingly performed and produced and it reminds me of something in between Silverchair and Puddle Of Mudd. A very cool song, part of this Grunge and Alt. Rock playlist (click here).
Give it a go by clicking on the Spotify player below and follow FreQuency7 if you like what you hear.
Lightning Threads may sit in the blues-rock world, but they are not especially traditionalist. The Sheffield trio have a lot more swagger than the standard UK blues-club sound. Their recent single Devil Inside Me oozes filthy guitar riffs, fuzz-led solos, and vocal hooks covered in grit.
The debut album Off That Lonely Road came out in 2023. Lightning Threads followed it with the Live At 100 Club in 2024, and their second studio album Trinkets arrived digitally on 1 May 2026. The band are out on the road with Blue Nation in September. Guitarist/vocalist Tom Jane (centre, above) joins for this week’s MetalTalk Lowdown.
What’s the most Metal thing you’ve ever done off stage?
Rocking Leeds Fest at 18 with glandular fever and strict no-drinking doctor’s orders.
What’s the worst gig you’ve ever played, and why?
Driving to Wales to play a festival to three people, to have a deer run in front of my van on the way home, and cost me £2K.
What’s the best gig you’ve ever played, and why?
Our first ever time playing The 100 Club, London was pretty special. A bucket list moment. Bringing so many people from our hometown.
Would you choose a platinum record or one perfect, legendary live show?
A show that would be talked about for years to come has to be up there. We’re all about moments and capturing a feeling with the audience. I would say this was our biggest goal.
What’s your greatest fear?
Failing and feeling like I could have done more. Deep, I know.
What’s the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Overthinking. A minor situation can become all-consuming.
What’s the trait you most deplore in other musicians?
Being Egotistical. Especially when the persona is very different from their reality. I do, however, think some level of ego is required to be a successful frontman.
Describe yourself in three words.
Confident. Unassuming. Nonconformist.
What’s your guiltiest pleasure?
Countdown.
What does a great riff feel like to write?
I think the best feeling ever is being in an empty room with loud amps screaming out a new riff. When it lands, everything else disappears.
What’s the worst thing a fan has ever said to you?
If you are wearing that hat tomorrow night, I’m not coming to the show.
He didn’t come.
What’s the worst thing a critic has ever said to you?
Do up that shirt. No one needs to see that much chest.
If you weren’t in music, what would you be doing?
Living in miserable sorrow.
What’s one album outside your genre you secretly love?
Lola Young – I’m Only F**king Myself.
What keeps you awake at night?
My bass player’s WhatsApp’s.
Riffs, royalties or recognition, if you had to choose?
Riffs. Forever laying that loud guitar out there.
How do you want to be remembered?
A respected musician and family man who forever chased the muse and good life in pursuit of true happiness.
What’s the most important lesson the road has taught you?
The world’s a big place full of amazing, crazy folk. Build the network and surround yourself with good people.
What happens when the music stops?
Everything stops.
For over four decades, Sons-N-Britches from Kennesaw has been delivering Country and Southern Rock with impressive skill. Often referred to as the “Redneck Steely Dan” due to their outstanding musicianship and songwriting, they have shared stages with artists like Travis Tritt and Kenny Chesney, made waves on 94.9 The Bull, and released four albums. Their upcoming record, *It’s About Time*, is scheduled for release on August 7, 2026. Additionally, they are launching a podcast called “On 3 With SNB,” which will blend musician interviews with sketch comedy.
I like the happy vibes of the new single Ain’t Leaving Here in a Minor Key, described by the artist as a “joyful, faith-filled farewell that refuses to treat death as a sorrowful ending. With blues, gospel, rock, and hymn references, it asks to be remembered with celebration, confidence, and a “happy tune” rather than a mournful sendoff”. I love the arrangement (classy guitars and piano) and the catchy vocals. It’s an easy listening song but with many tasty details and with a fantastic production. Also, amazingly written and performed.
Give it a go by clicking on the Spotify player below and follow Sons-N-Britches if you like what you hear.
https://sons-n-britches.bandcamp.com/album/cave-spring-sessionsDave Grohl and Foo Fighters have released a new live EP, “Foo Fighters Are Playing Where??? Vol. II.”
The post Foo Fighters Release New Live, 6-Track EP From Surprise Club Shows appeared first on Audio Ink Radio.
You can say that you saw it coming, but you’d be a liar. On October 28, 2016, Avenged Sevenfold released their seventh studio album, The Stage. It had been rumoured for some time that the California chart-toppers were working on new music, in no small part due to a seemingly standalone single coming out in mid-October. But no one who woke up that morning truly expected to have 73 minutes of new music waiting for them.
To hear them tell it, Avenged surprise-released their progressive metal opus out of fatigue. Their last album, 2013’s Hail To The King, had a months-long rollout featuring online puzzles, a radio-ruling single and countless interviews. They were also in a legal battle with their former label Warner Bros and feared some kind of sabotage. Those fears were realised when friend and wrestler Chris Jericho ‘leaked’ a fake release date for The Stage and the label hurriedly announced an unauthorised Avenged best-of album to come out one week earlier. Long story short: they were sick of the industry’s shit, and they felt that their fans were, too.
“We could sense the boredom in our fans [after Hail…],” rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance told this writer in 2017. “‘Oh, Avenged is trolling us. They’re doing the campaign and doing scavenger hunts, just release the fucking songs already! We just wanna hear the album!’ This time, we gave them nothing and then we gave them the album, like, ‘Here you go. Make up your mind!’”
Of course, Avenged didn’t invent the surprise album release. It’s been a thing since alt-rock leaders Radiohead effectively leaked their own album In Rainbows in 2007. But since The Stage, and especially in 2026, metal has embraced the tactic like no other genre. Over the last few months alone, black metal band Ultha, doomsters Spirit Adrift and returning post-metal idols Neurosis have all put out new records with no notice. Converge released their long-awaited 10th album Love Is Not Enough in February, only to reveal shortly afterwards that it was the start of a two-part series, with Hum Of Hurt swiftly following. Avenged themselves went back to the well with the divisive Statica EP last month.
For Spirit Adrift, whose surprise album Infinite Illumination was also their last, the decision was born from the same music industry fatigue as Avenged. “I think bands and artists have two choices,” mainman Nate Garrett told MusicRadar. “You crawl out on your fucking hands and knees with the shit kicked out of you, or you walk away on your own two feet. That’s the way I look at it right now. I respect bands that go out that way, like, on the high-note.”
On paper, releasing an album without any singles or promotional interviews seems like commercial suicide, and it has been. The Stage was the lowest-charting Avenged album since 2007, and when A Day To Remember surprise-released Big Ole Album Vol. 1 in February 2025, they slid from the number 15 US chart position of predecessor You’re Welcome to 155. Talking to Guitar.com in May 2025, on the day his band surprise-released their final album Clockworked, Stray From The Path’s Tom Williams acknowledged the probable commercial slump yet was unfazed.
“Charting was important in 2016, but charting in 2025, no one cares,” he said. “I get an email every week about first-week sales and they’re just lower and lower and lower and lower. We charted back in the day, when it mattered, and that was cool, but right now, it’s more important for me to present the record in a way that’s fun and exciting and fulfilling.”
Zacky said similar in 2017: “Album sales [for The Stage] weren’t as good, but at what point do people critique success on how many fucking albums you sell in a week rather than how big your balls are? So for us, I think we had some pretty big fucking balls and we did some exciting shit. I think the fans appreciate that, too.”
That makes sense: in the streaming age, barely anyone makes a liveable profit from recorded music, so why not circumvent the time-consuming promo process? And for the majority of metal bands, who reside in the genre’s underground, their output is more album-focussed than single-focussed. No one could realistically accuse drone outfit Khanate, who returned out of the blue with 2023’s To Be Cruel, or panoramic stoners Sleep, whose 2018 album The Sciences stunned everyone, of being radio darlings.
Although there are major commercial drawbacks, there are also commercial benefits, albeit less obvious ones. Williams, who manages Canadian metalcore band Counterparts and oversaw the surprise-release of their 2024 EP Let Them Die, insisted that fans were relieved about the lack of a staggered preorder process, which sometimes doesn’t get the record to their doorstep in time for release day anyway.
“That’s when it really clicked for me,” he said. “Everyone was like, ‘Thank God! No fucking pre-order! The vinyl ships now!’ It’s what people want, and it’s what I want: I’m a consumer, too!”
Surprise album releases also have the potential to feel like events, in the way that traditional release days rarely do. When Neurosis came back with An Undying Love For A Burning World, it was monumental news. In the same instant, fans learned that the pioneers had reunited after a decade away, ex-Isis frontman Aaron Turner had joined, they were returning to the live circuit, and a new album was out, in full. It became a massive talking point for a cult band.
Had these stories been drip-fed, it would have been less of a moment, and the hype actually let Neurosis reverse the surprise-album commercial curse. Take a quick glance at Spotify and An Undying Love… is already one of their most listened-to albums, eclipsing even what was long assumed to be their swansong, 2016’s Fires Within Fires.
But these are all bands who are either firmly in the underground, who are breaking up or whose names are firmly established. For an up-and-coming artist looking to broaden their audience, a surprise release would be one of the worst things to do. As Sleep Token made readied breakthrough third album, 2023’s Take Me Back To Eden, the rollout was everything. Their scheme of sharing singles in rapidfire succession (five from early January to mid-February) offered the kind of frequency that social media algorithms reward, and they became a fast TikTok sensation. Safe to say, had the album just been unloaded in one go with no warning, they wouldn’t be filling arenas and headlining stadiums right now.
A surprise release is a great way to reward an active fanbase but no way to build one. For as long as heavy metal bands want to rebel against the music industry system and emphasise the album over the single, it will have a place in the genre. Whether or not it’s a good commercial move, if you’re truly set on doing a surprise release, you probably don’t care by that point either way.
It’s easy to lose track of Bill Nelson‘s creative curve: the British guitarist always seems to be competing with himself and with time – delving into his past to dust off an abandoned project while looking ahead and composing new … Continue reading
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