10 Years – Violent Allies – September 18th
12th August 2020‘The Unknown’ is the second song to be released from the album, following ‘The Shift,’ earlier this year. That was the band’s first new music in two and a half years and has already gone on to have over a million streams.
Growth transpired over a lifetime. The process never stops. Rather, it ramps up as time passes. The gold-certified trio—Jesse Hasek [vocals], Brian Vodinh [guitar, drums, bass, backing vocals], and Matt Wantland [guitar, synth programming]—have embraced a heightened sense of vulnerability and sonic adventurousness on Violent Allies.
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“We don’t ever try to recreate what we’ve done in the past,” explains Jesse. “We knew we had to challenge ourselves to see what we had in us. If it’s not stressful, you’re not challenging yourself to grow. From the beginning, music has always been therapy and an outlet. We let ourselves enjoy the process, be vulnerable, and talk about those emotions. We got back to why we love music with the maturity of where we’re at in our lives. We were able to harness that love of creating from a wiser and more developed perspective.”
“We were hard on ourselves,” admits Brian. “It was more intense than during records past, but it was worth it. The outcome was exactly what we wanted it to be.”
For nearly two decades, 10 Years have built a formidable catalogue, the group’s gold-selling 2005 breakthrough The Autumn Effect spawned the hit ‘Wasteland,’ which went gold, infiltrated the Billboard Hot 100, and clinched #1 at Active Rock Radio and #1 on the Billboard Alternative Songs Chart. They landed three Top 30 entries on the Billboard Top 200 with Division [2008], Feeding the Wolves [2010], and Minus the Machine [2012]. Most recently, 2017’s (How to Live) As Ghosts marked a reunion between Jesse, Brian, and Matt. Not only did the album smash into the Top 5 of the US Top Hard Rock Albums Chart, but it also provided the hit ‘Novacaine.’ The single ascended to the Top 5 of the Billboard US Mainstream Rock Songs Chart and had an incredible 29 million streams across all platforms. The album has gone on to have over 51 million streams. Along the way, they sold out countless headline shows and toured with everyone from Korn, Deftones, and Stone Sour to Chris Cornell and Linkin Park.
During 2019, the three musicians headed to Los Angeles, rented an Airbnb in Woodland Hills, and spent five weeks recording with GRAMMY® Award-winning producer and Feeding the Wolves collaborator Howard Benson [My Chemical Romance, Halestorm, Papa Roach, Three Days Grace].
When talking to the band members they share, “Time spent in the studio or simply collaborating on our vision was a catalyst in reaching creative clarity like we’ve never had before. It was fun, because we were back to being brothers. No matter how frustrated we might get, once we looked out at it, the energy was unexplainable. Our mission was to really connect with the songs, break them down, and build them back up.” Brian adds, “The younger versions of us would’ve been going to Hollywood every night and partying. It was different. We actually came up with a lot of ideas, melody tweaks, and had really good brainstorming sessions.”
On ‘The Shift,’ melodic guitars slide across a caustic beat before a rush of distortion ignites the refrain, “We are a violent virus, without a remedy.” “Lyrically, it’s about the polarization of society and the human impact on the earth itself,” states Brian. “We were thinking about how humans can be a virus to the Earth.” Airy keys echo through ‘The Unknown.’ It builds towards a sweeping celestial chorus. “We’re in a wide-open world we’ve created, but we have to step back and look at where we are and adapt,” continues Jesse. “We’re all in the unknown right now.”
There is a broad, dynamic range pierced through the album all the way from the opener to the heavy drums and distorted guitars on ‘Déjà vu,’ to the instrumental ‘Planets III’ and culminates on ‘Say Goodbye.’ The conclusion’s cinematic soundscape and poignant lyrics bid farewell to Jesse’s late grandfather and emphasize “the band at our most vulnerable,” according to the frontman.
“After all of this time, 10 Years is a brotherhood,” Jesse concludes. “I’ve spent the better half of my life accomplishing what I never thought was possible with these guys. It’s been an unexplainable, crazy, and awesome journey since Brian first asked me to join the band on his 19th birthday. We’ve beat the odds and continue to live life. It bothers me when people don’t try to push themselves to enjoy what life has to offer. Life is beautiful, if you really go for it and try. It can show you beauty—and that’s what this band has shown me.”
Track List
