22 March 2024 - 1 Comment
The Hawkes Bay 4-piece heavy-rock outfit continue to ride the high of their driving rock, anchored by the distinctive guitar work of Wallace and the commanding vocals of Baldrick, combined with their pummelling rhythm section courtesy of bassist Dan Fulton, and drummer Josh Te Maro.
Fast becoming known for not only churning out certified 10/10 arena ready rock bangers, Black Smoke Trigger are also quickly garnering a reputation for creating arresting and often death-defying music videos.
K.M.T.L. speaks to the relentless derive and sometimes dizzying pursuit of making dreams a reality. Partly written at Nashville’s historic Sienna Studio and recorded by producer Nick Raskulinecz at his Rock Falcon Studio, the band channeled the grit and determination required to achieve success against the odds into their latest offering.
The track sprang to life in the jam room, the initial riff playing out almost as if by instinct, guitarist and band leader Charlie Wallace recounts: “K.M.T.L. began in the jam room, I was talking to the band and noticed my hands were playing the beginning motif of the song. I just kept playing it and we started jamming. It felt like it was building to something so we wanted to write a chorus with tons of energy, and I think we got just that by the end of the jam session.”
Renowned for delivering epic visuals to accompany their killer tunes, the music video for K.M.T.L. is a stunning adrenaline-fueled visual spectacle. “The opening line ‘it all keeps spinning’ was the inspiration for what was a highly energetic shoot on a circular camera dolly track”, explains Wallace.
Filmed on a massive theatre stage, it features continuous rotation mirroring the song’s theme of pushing through the spin of life’s challenges to come out victorious on the other side.“It’s lit up like a big stage because we just wanted to show what people can expect when they see us play this track live.”
K.M.T.L. follows the success of their previous singles, Proof Of Life; Perfect Torture; and The Way Down, the video for which saw the band perform at night, atop the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere with Wallace jumping off the edge, shredding a guitar solo whilst plummeting 630ft and has now clocked up over 1.3 million views on YouTube. The release sees Black Smoke Trigger continue to deliver on their promise of high-energy rock music that’s both entertaining and deeply relatable.
Prior to this new string of singles, the band put out track Caught In The Undertow, the video for which was also a feat of extreme conditions. Filmed at Muriwai Beach in Auckland and at a helicopter crash testing facility in a 3.6M deep pool, the whole band performed much of the song underwater creating a stunning visual that has clocked up 3.2 million YouTube views, and highlighting the band’s dedication to creating unforgettable visual accompaniments for their hard-hitting rock anthems.
Black Smoke Trigger will be supporting Filter on the Australian and New Zealand legs of their Algorithm World Tour next month, and will be hitting the road to support Bruce Dickinson The Mandrake Project on their run of shows in the UK, France, and Holland this May. For full dates and tickets head to www.blacksmoketrigger.com .
With their debut, full length album Horizons set for release this year, the horizon shines bright for these Kiwi rock trailblazers. Stay tuned for much more to come.
Photo Credit: Andhe Chandler
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