Hollywood's ART OF SHOCK — frontman Art Geezar, lead guitarist Nicholas Ertel, bassist Brice Snyder, and drummer Adrian Geezar — have announced their second album Shine Black Light, out September 8 via Century Media. Pre-order it here.
Today, the band has share the video for "Drag Me to Hell." Watch it below.
The clip was lensed by Chilean director Carlos Toro.
"'Drag Me to Hell' is very different from anything we've done in the past both lyrically and sonically," states Art Geezar. "Initially, it was difficult for me to share this song since it reflects my personal journey of survival. It captures a time when I felt powerless and somehow responsible for the violence inflicted upon me. It represents a moment when I couldn't envision a future beyond the endless cycle I was trapped in. However, like many others, I eventually realized that I wasn't alone and discovered the strength within myself to rewrite the ending of my story."
He finishes, "Unfortunately, there are still millions of people trapped in this nightmare. By sharing our journeys and showing solidarity with those who are still suffering, we can inspire them to find their inner strength. We can change the ending of the story. We are survivors."
The album takes a massive step beyond the thrashing intensities already synonymous with the speed-limit-shattering quartet from Dark Angeles. "Shine Black Light is an album that came out of extreme times," says Art. "The lockdown felt like the end of the world for us. Like many other bands at the time, we felt crushed. It was a frustrating time, but we also found some good in it."
When it came time to select a producer, ART OF SHOCK weren't afraid to step outside their own comfort zone. They tapped fellow San Fernando Valley native Taylor Young. Known largely as a band member of boundary-bursting hardcore acts, Twitching Tongues and God's Hate, as well as the man behind the boards for the likes of Drain or Suicide Silence, Taylor was hardly an obvious choice for the band. With that, ART OF SHOCK 2023 is a much more lethal proposition now than the band that made Dark Angeles in 2019. They've grown miles past the band whose story began several years ago in Mexico City. It was there that brothers Art and Adrian grew up, inspired by classic thrash and metal bands that became the fuel for their earliest musical endeavors. Their early ambitions and push to get out of their native country brought them to Los Angeles, where a scrappy lineup of ART OF SHOCK began to make a dent playing in Hollywood.
ART OF SHOCK (rounded out by lead guitarist Nick Ertel and bassist Brice Snyder) have shared bills over the years with the likes of Trivium, Hirax, and Sacred Reich and the experience only strengthened the band's live presence, but it was on the road where ART OF SHOCK have become a machine. Now, months before the release of Shine Black Light, the band has already completed two high-profile support slots: the rescheduled Sepultura jaunt in late 2022 and a Southwest and Californian run with machete-wielding death squad Brujeria in March 2023.
Wrapped in a sleeve by the legendary metal cover artist, Travis Smith (Opeth, Nevermore), Shine Black Light is full of twists, turns and unexpected moments from ART OF SHOCK.
Shine Black Light is an album born out of chaos and frustration that’s become the start of a new chapter for ART OF SHOCK. Their fuck-all attitude is finally paying off. "We've become the band that we always dreamed about being,” says Art. “Through successes and disappointments, we’ve never given up or let anything stop us. It wasn't easy but it's been worth it – and it feels like things are just beginning."