Finnish vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and uber-energetic frontman and all-round rock ‘n’ roll legend MICHAEL MONROE released his latest album, "Sensory Overdrive", produced by Jack Douglas, in 2011. After touring throughout the UK in support of it, Monroe announced that he would go back into seclusion to prepare for the band’s next offering. Monroe’s touring and recording outfit, comprised of bassist Sami Yaffa (ex-Hanoi Rocks, New York Dolls), guitarist Steve Conte (ex-New York Dolls, Company Of Wolves), guitarist Dregen (Backyard Babies, ex-Hellacopters) and drummer Karl ‘Rockfist’ Rosqvist (ex-Chelsea Smiles, Danzig), worked tirelessly in the studio, providing creative support for a frontman whose reputation is genuinely global and whose influence continues to be felt, with musicians of all ages (from Dave Grohl to the original Guns N' Roses members) citing Michael’s ground-breaking career as a source of inspiration.
Now after several months, the wait is over. Michael Monroe can finally reveal that the band’s upcoming studio album, "Horns And Halos", will hit stores everywhere on August 27th via Spinefarm Records. The band offers a taste of the new album in the form of a new single and video for the track ‘Ballad Of The Lower East Side’, which can be watched below:
The track includes a nod to Michael’s early days in New York, a city he moved to for a decade following the mid-’80s break up of glam punk pioneers, Hanoi Rocks. The clip – directed by celebrated videographer/photographer Ville Juurikkala, who has photographed Michael for the past 10 years as well as working with Linkin Park, Good Charlotte and H.I.M., amongst others – features archive footage and photos of Michael, interlaced with current live and backstage scenes.
Michael Monroe says:“The song ‘Ballad Of The Lower East Side’ is about New York and especially The Lower East Side - what it was way back in the days when I lived there, how times have changed and how it is nowadays. (...)New York has always been an important city to me since I lived there for 10 years. Two members of our band still live there. It's the City of all Cities.”
