Category: Tower

New York City’s TOWER To Release ‘Shock To The System’ This November

Enrico

In November, New York City true metallers TOWER will release their sophomore studio album, “Shock To The System”, via Cruz Del Sur Music. The album was recorded this May and June at Artifact Audio in Ridgewood, New York, with Sasha Stroud serving as co-producer and engineer. The album’s cover was created by Morgan Jesse Lappin.

According to vocalist Sarabeth Linden, half of the music and lyrics for “Shock To The System” were written during the recent lockdown attributed to the global pandemic. The result is TOWER’s most complete outing to date — a veritable metal call-to-arms that combines the band’s energetic brand of NWOBHM and classic rock into ten anthemic cuts.

“We stayed centered around our established style but took it to new levels in some places,” says Linden. “The heavy parts are heavier than before, the fast parts are faster, the slow parts are slower, and one song is around seven minutes, which we’ve never come close to previously. Musically, there are a lot of firsts on this record.”

TOWER (who are completed by the guitar tandem of James Danzo and Zak Penley and drummer James Jones) only has one previous full-length studio album to their credit, 2016’s self-titled outing. While their 2019 “Tomorrow & Yesterday” EP featured four songs of rocked-up metal, “Shock To The System” takes TOWER’s sound to the next level.  

“The first album is already five years old!” exclaims Linden. “It seems so long ago now. The songs that are still in the live set, like ‘Flames’, ‘Raceway Rock’ and ‘Elegy’ are still very much in the vein of the new material. The EP was a bit more simple and aggressive, and those elements are on the album, too, but manifest in a different way. In general, we have grown a lot as a band and as individuals. We’ve matured, and it’s reflected in the music.”

TOWER recently celebrated its return to the stage in July. With “Shock To The System” in the can, the band plans on preparing for future live dates — and a new bassist. “We’re in the process of revamping the lineup for tour, as Jeff Filmer stepped aside to give his full attention to his bands SHADOWLAND and HUSTLER,” closes Linden. “We’ll be ready to hit the road by year’s end. See you soon! Be prepared!”

“Shock To The System” track listing:

  1. Blood Moon
  2. Prince Of Darkness
  3. Metatron
  4. Running Out Of Time
  5. Lay Down The Law
  6. Hired Gun
  7. The Black Rose
  8. On The Line
  9. In Dreams
  10. Powder Keg

New York City Metal Brigade TOWER Joins CRUZ DEL SUR MUSIC

Enrico

Cruz Del Sur Music is proud to announce the signing of New York City’s own TOWER. The label will release the band’s sophomore full-length in mid-2020.

Formed in 2015, TOWER plays a brand of classic, traditional metal inspired by legends such as JUDAS PRIEST and SCORPIONS, further propelled by the imitable, almost Pat Benatar-esque vocals of Sarabeth Linden. To date, TOWER has one studio album to their credit, 2016’s self-titled, as well as this year’s “Tomorrow & Yesterday” EP.

Shortly after the release of the video for “Run For My Life”, multiple record companies came calling for TOWER, including Cruz Del Sur. What sealed the deal for TOWER and Cruz Del Sur, though, was the good word put in by some of the label’s existing bands.

“We’re close friends with Nate Honor and Jim Hunter, whose bands SANHEDRIN and TWISTED TOWER DIRE are/were on Cruz Del Sur,” says guitarist James Danzo. “We heard so many good things about Cruz that it was pretty clear from the beginning which route we should take. In the few years we’ve been a band, we’ve learned not to rush into things and to be very deliberate, but we know we made the right choice!”

Danzo describes the first four years of TOWER’s existence as a “real wild ride,” with the band (who is rounded out by second guitarist Zak Penley, bassist Jeff Filmer and drummer Claire Vastola) going from formation to the demo stage, to playing shows, then scoring their first record deal for the release of their self-titled album. “In this crazy world of ours not everything is ice cream sundaes and cherries on top — we’ve been through some changes with lineups and labels when it became clear we had different goals in mind. We look back with pride on our debut album and especially the new EP. It’s been a huge boost in morale and poured gasoline on the fire inside us!”

The origins of TOWER date back to when Linden and Danzo were playing in THE PSYCHO HIPPIES, a group that primarily played ’50s, ’60s and ’70s pop covers, along with some RAMONES songs to boot. Because of her experience playing such music, Linden brings a unique brand of soul and style to metal, with Danzo noting she even sang at the legendary Apollo Theater as a teenager. Fret not true metal believers: Linden’s vocal idol happens to be Ronnie James Dio, further rounding out a band who is equal in music and image.


“Metal bands love to say, ‘we hate image!’” notes Danzo, “but truth be told, we have a vision and are very protective of it. It’s important to us to come across as real, first and foremost. Everyone in the band has a unique style and persona and we aren’t about to mess with it. We try to avoid clichés when it comes to album covers, too — so far photographs have worked, they’re just classic and real. We’re just here to kick some ass and I think that comes across clear as day.”

TOWER will fill up the rest of 2019 with occasional live duty, but the priority remains to get ready for their forthcoming second studio album. Danzo says “lack of material has never been a problem” for TOWER: The band has three songs leftover from the “Tomorrow & Yesterday” session, as well as another cut that has already been aired live.

“Unlike the last two releases which took forever in spaced-out sessions from weekend to weekend, we plan on blocking out 7-10 days of studio time and doing it as a concise and complete project like a band would do in the old days. Onward and upward!”