Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes at The Empire, 16/2/2019
NewsA Sonic PR promotion ...
FRANK CARTER & THE RATTLESNAKES
NEW LP "END OF SUFFERING" RELEASED MAY 3RD ON INTERNATIONAL DEATH CULT
PRE-ORDER HERE: https://fcatr.lnk.to/EndOfSufferingPR
LIVE UK/ EU INTIMATE DATES ANNOUNCED
TICKETS HERE: https://fcatr.lnk.to/PreOrderPR
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR NEW SINGLE "CROWBAR" HERE: https://fcatr.lnk.to/CrowbarVideoPR
They say the third time's the charm, and, after the breathtaking, ruthlessly efficient one-two punch of "Blossom" and "Modern Ruin", here we are – at FRANK CARTER & THE RATTLESNAKES' album number three – at once a stadium sized declaration of intent and a deeply personal cri-de-coeur called "End of Suffering".
Recorded in just six months over the heatwave that engulfed London last year, End Of Suffering - named after the Buddhist term for enlightenment- is the sound of a band entering an entirely new realm of the senses, a forty minute rock'n'rollercoaster of molten-hot bangers, scorched-soul ballads and grunge lullabies laced through with a lacerating lyrical honesty.
With Cam Blackwood (George Ezra / Jack Savoretti) at the helm and legendary mixer Alan Moulder (Nine Inch Nails / Queens Of The Stone Age) sprinkling sonic stardust, the resultant album sees Carter, co-songwriter Dean Richardson and co not so much spreading their wings as running and leaping headfirst into heretofore uncharted waters. Opener ‘Why A Butterfly Can't Love A Spider' finds Frank at full stretch, singing: "When I'm high I'm in heaven/When I'm low I'm in hell", while first single "Crowbar" is tauter than a highwire and relentlessly sharpened to a razor's edge, a sonic Molotov cocktail of a track delivered with the anarchic zeal of the gilets-jaunes rioters. "I saw an amazing bit of graffitti during the Paris riots which said: ‘We've cut off heads for less than this'" enthuses Frank. "I loved that attitude. People are sick of being force fed doom and gloom." It also comes complete with a video directed by long-time collaborator Ross Cairns (who has also directed videos for Biffy Clyro and QOTSA) and acts as a blistering clarion call to arms.
When the fury is dialled down however, even more startling shades start to surface. ‘Anxiety' is a paranoic festival anthem in waiting, while ‘Love Games' is an absolute beauty; a distortion-heavy nod to Amy Winehouse's finest moment destined to soundtrack the summer. ‘Angel Wings', meanwhile, is as bleakly poetic as Charles Bukowski. A howl of existential despair involving vodka and viocodin induced visions of ‘feathers made of diamond rings/dragons made of oxygen' it's worthy of those other harrowingly honest third albums, The Manic Street Preachers' Holy Bible & Nirvana's In Utero (both band favourites).
The album also features Tom Morello as a guest guitarist on ‘Tyrant Lizard King'. The two re-connected after many years at Resurrection Festival in Spain last summer, where Frank infamously sung Rage classic ‘Killing In The Name' to a 40,000 strong crowd, finishing the track with a stage dive worthy of the rock'n'roll hall of fame.
Indeed. In an age of say-nothing pop and codified corporate rock, End Of Suffering does what all great music should- lift the spirits and stir the soul.
TRACKLISTING
- Why a Butterfly Can't Love a Spider
- Tyrant Lizard King feat. Tom Morello
- Heartbreaker
- Crowbar
- Love Games
- Anxiety
- Angel Wings
- Supervillian
- Latex Dreams
- Kitty Sucker
- Little Devil
- End of Suffering
In the lead up to album release, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes will play intimate shows across the UK and Europe, bringing their trademark intensity and raucous stage presence to tiny venues and giving a first glimpse of End Of Suffering in a live setting. Tickets to these very intimate gigs will be available to fans early via an exclusive pre-sale on the website, head here.
End Of Suffering will be released on several exclusive, limited edition formats, full info on the band's website here.
UK LIVE DATES
- Thursday, February 7 - The Bullingdon, Oxford
- Friday, February 8 - Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
- Saturday, February 9 - Dreamland (Ballroom), Margate
- Monday, February 11 - The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth
- Tuesday, February 12 - The Fleece, Bristol
- Wednesday, February 13 - Sin City, Swansea
- Friday, February 15 - The Sugarmill, Stoke
- Saturday, February 16 - Empire, Coventry
- Monday, February 18 - Peddler, Sheffield
- Tuesday, February 19 - Arts Club Theatre, Liverpool
- Thursday, February 21 - Think Tank, Newcastle
- Friday, February 22 - Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh
- Saturday, February 23 - Fibbers, York