Damone, the Boston-based hard-rock band with the explosive sound and attitude to spare, is priming their worldwide fan base for a new slab of rock as they prepare for the 2009 release of ROLL THE DICE. With producers David Spreng (Lucy Walsh, Valient Thorr, Avenged Sevenfold) and Greg DiCrosta (Hatebreed, The Damn Personals) at the helm, ROLL THE DICE is the band’s first album since their departure from the crazy world of major labels.
ROLL THE DICE follows the success of Damone's 2006 Island/DefJam release, OUT HERE ALL NIGHT, also produced by David Spreng. OUT HERE ALL NIGHT spawned the vicious single "Out Here All Night," which won a Boston Music Award for 'Song of the Year' in 2006, and exploded onto radio stations from coast to coast as well as into many video games, including Madden '07 and Project Gotham, and opened the door for numerous placements in TV and film, including Veronica Mars, Day of the Dead and Stick It, as well as theme songs for the CW Network, WWE Wrestling Entertainment and even the New England Revolution soccer team. Now, having made the choice to move to the indie world as major labels remain unstable, the members of Damone are poised to prove that the success of OUT HERE ALL NIGHT was no fluke. They have persevered to make sure that their best work to date, ROLL THE DICE, sees some action on the strength of their own efforts.
“Hey, this band has always been about doing things on our own terms,” says drummer Dustin Hengst. “Being in control of our own destiny is awesome.”
After multiple stints on Warped Tour, dozens of US tours and festival performances, two successful Japanese tours, many television appearances and a triumphant set at Download Festival, Donington, UK, praise from fans and the press alike have ensured that the band’s insane career trajectory is headed for monster-sized success, bolstered by the high anticipation for ROLL THE DICE. Here’s what some of the major press outlets across the nation have already said about Damone:
"...a tried and true formula: starting punchy, then beating you over the head with power chords and a hook-y chorus. - Rolling Stone
"The band have spit-polished their already slick sound into something that's more crafty pastiche than pop-culture derivative. The glam-metal jones is intact...- Alternative Press
"...like Joan Jett fronting Pyromania-era Def Leppard. - Revolver
"Cheap Trick licks take a Cars turn into a Van Halen Eruption." - CMJ
"If there's any justice in the world, there are going to be big things for Damone..." - Classic Rock Magazine
"...the femme-led quartet...make the songs stick like bubble gum in your hair" - SPIN
"The next Aerosmith." - Boston Magazine
Infamy, debauchery and chaos has followed Damone since they first stormed onto the Boston music scene in early 2002 with their self-released debut THIS SUMMER, which immediately led to the band finding themselves at the center of a major-label bidding war. Damone quickly landed a deal with RCA Records, and in short order released their major label debut, FROM THE ATTIC.
After extensive touring in the US and abroad in 2003, the band convened in lead singer Noelle's apartment in 2004 to begin work on what would become OUT HERE ALL NIGHT. During the recording, the band decided to part ways with RCA Records and subsequently signed with Island/DefJam, literally the same day they were released from their RCA contract. Worldwide touring in support of OUT HERE ALL NIGHT would soon follow.
Beginning in late 2007, Damone split time between recording studios in LA and Connecticut to complete the masterpiece that is ROLL THE DICE. "We went in to the studio with no funding, no label, and no pressure" explains bassist Vazquez. "We were just kicking ass and making the music that we wanted to make. There was no one looking over our shoulders and no deadlines."
With all of the elements of danger, lust, rebellion, life and love, Damone have crafted one of the most brutally honest albums of the decade. ROLL THE DICE paints a stunning portrait; a sonic photograph of the trials and tribulations of life in a rock 'n roll band. From sex-fueled rockers ("Talk Of The Town", "Serial Killer") to songs about inner demons and life-long struggles ("Bored To Death, "When It Ends"), this band of hellacious rock 'n' roll saviors is making music that's both honest and innovative. World domination will follow shortly.
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