FROM ASHES TO NEW is proud to release their new album PANIC today along with a new music video for “Bulletproof”, the 3rd track to be released off of the new album.
The 11-track album is the band’s third full-length release and follows 2018’s breakthrough release, THE FUTURE. The band’s first 3 focus tracks released earlier this year have already garnered over 6.5 million streams, namely the title track “Panic” which has amassed over 4.5 Million listens and 1.4 Million video views alone since its April release, setting the tone for their album. The track currently sits Top 11 at active rock radio, poised to enter the Top 10 in short order – a format FROM ASHES TO NEW is no stranger to; the band has had 3 top 10 singles, including “Crazy” off their last album THE FUTURE, and the most recent feature with breakout act The HU’s “Yuve Yuve Yu.”
Speaking about the release of PANIC Frontman Matt Brandyberry says, “PANIC is an outside the box approach from what we normally do. Instead of focusing on lyrics that signify overcoming adversity we wrote from the angles of what it feels like while fighting those struggles. It’s not hard to see that the world is currently undergoing many different battles, so it was very organic for us to write about our view on all of the turmoil. This is our truest most genuine work we have ever created and we are honored to share it with the world.”
PANIC features the same lineup as the band’s 2018’s release The Future — vocalists Brandyberry and Danny Case as well as guitarist Lance Dowdle and drummer Mat Madiro. Brandyberry credits the undeniable musical magnetism of these eleven songs to the enduring lineup. “The chemistry between us is there and fans who have seen us recently have been very vocal about the fact that we are firing on all cylinders.” In order to reach the potential of these songs, the band reunited with producer Colin Brittain (Papa Roach, All Time Low) who previously produced the band’s single “Nowhere To Run” and shared their laser-focused musical vision. “On the last record we got the chance to do one song with Colin and it was kind of on a whim,” Brandbyberry explains. “We really liked his approach and the creativity Colin brought to that song and thought that if we could do that with the short amount of time we had together, what could we accomplish making an entire album with him?” The band also teamed up with Erik Ron (Godsmack, Motionless In White) who brought his dynamic style to the title track “Panic” and “Wait For Me.” The result is an album that showcases how much FROM ASHES TO NEW have grown over the past two years, much of which was spent on the road touring with bands like Five Finger Death Punch, Papa Roach, Ice Nine Kills and Skillet.
From the arena-worthy hooks of the album opener “Face Myself (Scars)” to the crushing power of the hip-hop/metal hybrid “Panic” and guitar-driven groove of “Death Of Me,” PANIC shows FROM ASHES TO NEW at their heaviest and most melodic. “We broke down boundaries we didn’t even know we had on this album,” Brandyberry explains. “I took what I knew and I evolved it and I think all of us did that,” he adds. “We pushed ourselves really hard as artists to take our sound to the next level.” This renewed spirit is evident on a track like “Bulletproof,” which starts with a haunting electronic hook evolving into a cathartic creation that features rapid-fire hip-hop verses and an explosive choruses that stand out in the current music scene.
“FROM ASHES TO NEW have always felt an underdog mentality but on this record we wanted to explore how you need to know where you are mentally, before you can even get to the point where you can overcome something,” Brandyberry says of the album’s lyrical theme. “‘Panic’ exemplifies the whole concept of the album in the sense that on a daily basis we feel this sense of anxiety. What we wake up to every day in media and social media is a lot of fear-mongering and I think a lot of people are trying to make each other scared — and the result is that we start to lose each other as individuals. It feels like we’ve got this shadowy figure that’s over us all the time; that sense of anxiety and what we call panic.” When Brandyberry raps on the title track about being “chased by a feeling that’s taking over me,” you can feel the impending sense of dread trying to rise up and take hold of him. We see this dread in our every waking moments.
In addition to the new album, FROM ASHES TO NEW have now released the music video for “Bulletproof”. Brandyberry describes the new music video, “Bulletproof is more than a song, it is a message to the world that we need to do better for our youth. Millions of children are exposed to violent acts each year, causing irreparable damage that is very difficult to undo. The lyrics were written from several different viewpoints to give the listener a storyline that is hard to ignore. Sometimes all it takes is a small idea to create a big movement. It’s time to make a change…our children depend on it.”
THE RETALIATORS will star, among many other prominent rockers, the members of FROM ASHES TO NEW. The film revolves around a single father and local pastor, John Bishop (Michael Lombardi – Rescue Me) who serves as a righteous role model for his faithful flock and his two daughters. When tragedy strikes, Detective Jed Sawyer (Marc Menchaca – Ozark) offers him a secret chance for vengeance, forcing not only a reckoning with himself, but the unleashing of a terrifying underground horror. Also featured in the film are members of Mötley Crüe, Five Finger Death Punch, and Papa Roach among others.
