ROADRUNNER RECORDS Magic Mountain

The UK’s favourite Kentucky rockers, Black Stone Cherry are set to release their fourth studio album, Magic Mountain through Roadrunner Records. The album was produced by Joe Barresi (QOTSA, Soundgarden, Tool) at his Californian studio base. “A lot of rock music today doesn’t have any soul. It’s all really bland,” observes bassist Jon Lawhon. “There’s no attitude, no heart. We all grew up on ‘70s rock, Southern Rock, country music and bluesmen like Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters. On this album, more so than ever, those elements are all in the forefront.” The universal appeal and undeniable authenticity of Black Stone Cherry's rock anthems has won them an increasingly diverse and international fanbase (as evidenced by the #1 debut of ‘Folklore and Superstition’ on the UK’s rock album chart), converting unbelievers while playing huge arenas with rock royalty like Def Leppard, Whitesnake, Nickelback, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Alter Bridge. “We’ve made our fanbase the old school way,” Ben Wells notes. “Radio has supported us and we have really appreciated that, but it’s when people see us live that they really fall in love with us. We wanted that to come across with the sound of this album.” “We didn’t want to make a cookie cutter record and our label team and producer were down with that vision,” continues drummer John Fred Young. “We wanted to come out with our balls out and blow everyone away, so that’s what we did this time. There’s no holding back.” ‘Holding On…To Letting Go’, a stand-up-and-take-notice heavy rocker opens the album with bravado. ‘Runaway’ is probably the most mainstream track the band has ever written, yet still maintaining the heavy bite that is their signature. Barresi encouraged the band to let loose with the Ted Nugent-meets-Aerosmith vibe of ‘Fiesta Del Fuego,’ a personal favorite for Wells. Lead single, the gritty, bluesy ‘Me & Mary Jane’ is currently lighting up rock radio playlists and offering a taste of what’s to come. 2014 looks to be the year that Black Stone Cherry step it up once again and stake their claim on the big league.