(Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat)

Fortunately for hard rock fans, most bands in the genre seem open to the idea of collaborating with each other. Ensemble lineups of established musicians can lead to really interesting, creative, and experimental music. Hopefully, the self-titled debut album of the newly formed ensemble act Dunsmuir will add a breath of fresh air into a nowadays-niche scene. Neil Fallon, front man of the popular alt-metal band Clutch, lends his vocal chops and charisma to the project. Joining Fallon is the legendary ex-Black Sabbath drummer Vinny Appice, who has lent his percussive expertise to dozens of different groups and projects. When asked about the project, Appice responded “This album is pure simple heavy ROCK that ROCKS!”.  The Company Band guitarist Dave Bone and Fu Manchu bassist Brad Davis round out the group. Davis commented, “Dunsmuir has given us the opportunity to explore some of our favorite heavy metal influences. We strove to create something I hope will inspire a lot of head banging all over the world.”

Regarding the concept and story behind the album, Fallon revealed, “We turned out some serious metal on this record and it shreds. The concept behind the lyrics is comprised of 10 tales from the survivors of a shipwreck. What had been intended as a scientific expedition, quickly deteriorates into a struggle to survive both the natural and supernatural world.” This time-tested concept of man vs. wild combined with the raw energy of hard rock will hopefully make for a raw and visceral project.

The band has been releasing a series of 7″ vinyl singles for superfans to collect, with limited runs of 500 records being produced. For those less into collecting, the self-titled full album release will be available July 22nd through the Hall of Records. The full LP will be limited to only 1,000 copies pressed, but fortunately will include a lithograph of the album cover signed by all of the members of the band.

Dunsmuir, Dunsmuir Tracklist 
01. Hung on the Rocks
02. Our Only Master
03. The Bats (Are Hungry Tonight)
04. What Manner of Bliss?
05. Deceiver
06. …And Madness
07. Orb of Empire
08. Church of the Tooth
09. The Gate
10. Crawling Chaos

Fans of classic hard rock and heavy metal should look into Graspop.