Smackbound - 20/20

[Stefan]

 

This sounds great!

From Frontiers:

Frontiers Music Srl is thrilled to announce the signing of Smackbound to a multi-album deal! Smackbound is a metal band from Helsinki, Finland featuring the multi-talented vocalist and actress Netta Laurenne, who founded the group in 2015. Guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari (WINTERSUN) was the first to join Netta in the band and they were soon joined by Rolf Pilve (STRATOVARIUS, WINTERSUN) on drums, Vili Itäpelto (TRACEDAWN) on keyboards, and Tuomas Yli-Jaskari (TRACEDAWN) on bass.

“I am so happy to belong to the Frontiers family. Smackbound was looking for a deal and wanted to partner with someone who shows true passion in working with us. After several months of discussions, we agreed that Frontiers was the right label for us. The journey is just beginning, thanks for walking with us,” says vocalist Netta Laurenne.

Soon after their formation, the band started crafting their own songs while simultaneously forming a cover band, Run for Cover, to begin developing their live chemistry without delay. Songs came together quickly and the band debuted with a string of successful videos and singles including “Drive it Like You Stole It,” “Wall of Silence,” and “Run,” which caught the attention of Frontiers A&R team, who are always on the hunt for the best emerging talent. After immediately being floored by these three songs, Frontiers reached out to the band to begin conversations, which ultimately culminated in a deal being struck. The three aforementioned singles will be included on the band’s debut album, “20/20”, which is expected to be released worldwide in early May.

"We wanted to make metal mixed with all the goodies we love in music, yet you can't beat the force and energy of metal. That's why we brought everything to it,” says Netta. She adds that the "debut album is called "20/20"! The name reflects the message of the whole album, it’s time for us all to have 20/20 vision. We wanna get to the bottom of things and cut the bullshit. We show ourselves in the good and the bad, both vulnerable and angry, and ask for honesty and integrity in return. We do this with unconditional love and by not having lost faith in the world. We call out for the truth."

"20/20" was recorded at Sonic Pump Studios, produced by the band, and mixed and mastered by Jesse Vainio (Sunrise Avenue, Apocalyptica, Poets Of The Fall).

For a taste of what's in store, enjoy the three music videos already available from the band:

+"Drive It Like You Stole It” 
"A tribute to freedom and strength and a message to be who you really are. It encourages us to stop living in fear and urges us to find our own way. It is a song of great energy aiming to leave us feeling empowered. 'Drive It Like You Stole It' is Smackbound's first single."

+"Wall of Silence”
"It is a song of great force, talking about miscommunication between people and the mistake of not being honest with one another. It happens every so often that people lose each other by simply not speaking about their true feelings and thoughts. We are prone to overthink things and out of fear we walk away leaving behind only questions, lies, and silence. 'Wall of Silence' talks about how it feels to experience this kind of violence."

+“Run” 
"It is a song about owning your life, your mistakes, and the choices you make. In life you have two options: To run from or to something. Make it count."

Smackbound is truly one of the hottest “new things” on the scene. If you love melodic metal with a twist, then this band is for you!

Live Dates: 
March 18 - Helsinki
March 21 - Kouvola
June 17-20 - Nummirock Festival
July 16-18 - John Smith Festival
For more info: https://www.smackbound.com/tour

Line up:
Vocals: Netta Laurenne
Guitars: Teemu Mäntysaari
Drums: Rolf Pilve
Keyboards: Vili Itäpelto
Bass: Tuomas Yli-Jaskari

 

www.smackbound.com

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Edited September 6, 2020 by Stefan

[heavyharmonies]

Sounds decent.  Bit of a Halestorm vibe.

[Dead Planet]

Nice...looking forward to a full release....

[KarpetRydOFunk]

I'm ok with that. "Run" is... whatever, but the other two songs are pretty strong. 

[Stefan]

Great covers by the same line-up.

How excellent is 'Still Of The Night'? Only Coverdale does it better.

 

 

 

 

[KarpetRydOFunk]

That's the same band? Now it makes sense why those were popping up on my YouTube recommendations. 

[All Nights Reserved]

On 2/19/2020 at 11:40 PM, KarpetRydOFunk said:

That's the same band? Now it makes sense why those were popping up on my YouTube recommendations. 

Yeah, same here. They were an excellent cover band, can't wait for the album. Btw is there really some nipple action in the first video? I gotta watch it again, I guess.

[AlphaMale]

Doesn't do a thing for me, just like Halestorm.

[lettard]

1 hour ago, AlphaMale said:

Doesn't do a thing for me, just like Halestorm.

Agree with that.

[Stefan]

New song 'The Game'.

From Frontiers:

Finland's Smackbound announce a May 8th release date for their debut album, "20/20" AND release a new music video, 'The Game'. 

'The Game' is the fourth song available from the band and shows a more introspective side to their sound. 

Smackbound is a new hard rock/metal band from the robust and acclaimed Finnish music scene, who will release their debut album, "20/20" on Frontiers Music Srl. Hard rock and metal fans can expect powerful, driving songs, impeccable musicianship, and stunning vocals from this exciting new band.

On what to expect from their debut album, singer Netta Laurenne says, ”It is a versatile album with music for all moods. The songs are melodic and have a great drive. We are trying to clear out the clutter from our hearts and heads and hope that the same process will happen to everyone listening to the album. It is all about energy in this world and we are trying to keep that energy alive and moving so that it would reach the listener and have a true impact and a connection with them. More on the musical side, everyone invested their own talent to the album. Teemu played great riffs and solos, Rolf banged the drums like no tomorrow and Vili and Tuomas played some pretty awesome stuff as well. I poured my heart into the lyrics and tried to sing the songs with grace."

Continuing on about the making of 'The Game' music video, Laurenne says, ”I had this vision for years about using clay and making these human statues. I once saw a picture with a person with clay on their face and basically took the idea from there. It never really fit anywhere before this song though. Once I had sung the song and was listening to it, I realized that this is where the idea was meant to be used. It is honest, brutal, ugly, and beautiful at the same time. It shows us, in a way, without any status or ego. And in this song, that is very important because it is a song about every human beings' longing to be loved. It tells about the hide and seek, fear of getting hurt, and the bravery of trusting love. There is also a side to the story which probably all of us have experienced: the letdown, the heartbreak. Opening up to someone only to be brutally broken. Love can be like a Trojan horse, but can we really ever afford not to let it in? The video was shot in Helsinki by director Owe Lingvall and basically we were just laughing our asses off rubbing clay on each other. It was also kind of humbling for us to be half-naked with one another, back to back, listening to this song about vulnerability. I hope we managed to make something good."

Smackbound's story started back in 2015 when singer and actress Netta Laurenne founded the group. You may have heard her before on guest spots with Amorphis, Lordi, Black Sun, and Elvenking. She is a classically trained singer who has also studied pop/jazz and folk singing. And yes, she is also an actress. Guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari was the first to join the line-up and soon followed Rolf Pilve on drums, Vili Itäpelto on keyboards and Tuomas Yli-Jaskari on bass. [Collectively, they have experience in well respected metal bands like Wintersun, Stratovarius, The Dark Element, and Tracedawn.] The band immediately started writing their own songs, but to get their live chemistry flowing, founded a cover band "Run for Cover" to be able to play gigs right away and turn Smackbound into a well-oiled live machine.

The band launched with a string of successful singles and videos including the debut “Drive It Like You Stole It,” the energetic “Wall of Silence,” and "Run”. All the singles will be included on the band’s debut, "20/20". 

 

Tracklist:
1. Wall Of Silence
2. Drive It Like You Stole It
3. Close To Sober
4. Run
5. The Game
6. Those Who Burn
7. Hey Motherfuckers
8. Troublemaker
9. Date With The Devil
10. Wind And Water

 

 

Edited March 27, 2020 by Stefan

[KarpetRydOFunk]

That works. 

[Geoff]

Sounds kind of okay... Maybe worth checking out. 

[Stefan]

New lyric video for 'Those Who Burn'.

I diggit.

 

 

[Geoff]

Riffage. 

I was totally on board but the chorus is shit. Rest is pretty cool, though. 

[Stefan]

Lockdown version of 'Drive It Like You Stole It'.

 

 

[Stefan]

New song 'Close To Sober'.

 

 

[Stefan]

The rest of the album. Good stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

[Stefan]

Smackbound 'Live at Sonic Pump Studios'.

 

 

 

[PeterS]

Drive it like you stole it my favourite song of the year. Thanks for the post. 

[Stefan]

More from 'Live at Sonic Pump Studios'.

This time 'Hey Motherfuckers'.

 

 

[Stefan]

The full Sonic Pump Studios sessions.

 

 

[Stefan]

New video for 'Wind And Water'.

 

 

[Jez]

Great album