The Shape Of Blues To Come The Apocalypse Blues Revue

• 1 Open Spaces 05:01
• 2 We Are One 08:32
• 3 Hell To Pay 04:24
• 4 Have You Heard?! 04:04
• 5 To Hell With You 04:45
• 6 Nobody Rides For Free 03:46
• 7 Sincere 04:32
• 8 What A Way To Go 08:12
• 9 Noumenal Blues 02:07
• Total Runtime 45:23

Info for The Shape Of Blues To Come

The forthcoming album, The Shape of Blues To Come is the follow up to the self-titled, 2016 debut album.

Larkin says, “Our mission is to see if Apocalypse can reshape the shape of blues to come. We’re a different shade of blue. Our approach is to write and play as a traditional blues band. Our original influences came from Zeppelin, Johnny Winter, Stevie Ray Vaughan, we came to the blues later in life, and we’ve found our groove and sound, and it sounds unique and original to us. We don’t try to hide our rock influences, it comes through creating a new shade of blue.”

The band again wrote together for this record, but in a strange twist of coincidence, the tracks selected were all lyrically from the pen of Shannon Larkin. In terms of lyrical content, he reveals that his lyrics are often spiritual in nature, but he hesitates to define his meanings as he defers to the imaginations of the listener to find their own meanings.

Somewhere there is a kid who has been listening to Godsmack, who will now come to know The Apocalypse Blue Revue, and from this revelation of the blues they will backpedal to discover the long and honorably trod path that leads to Robert Johnson, the Kings (B.B., Albert, and Freddie), all the way forward to The Doors and the British blues-rock boom, which finally leads straight to today.

Sonically, The Shape Of Blues To Come covers a lot of ground, from the traditional blues changes of “Sincere” to the more cerebral textures found on the Floydian “What A Way To Go” with Rombolo’s evocative late-night Strat tones, Larkin’s soft, musical touch on the drums, sweet background choirs, and Cerbone’s sung-spoken recitation of “What a way to go, when the wind’s never at your back.” “Open Spaces”, which opens the album with a nod to Jimi’s blues, then gradually ups the ante as the band’s rock blood begins to boil and cast about with heavily flanged guitars and vocals is an ideal way to get a panoramic view of what is to come. The beauty lies in the fact that this band has been six years in the making, and while the album lies rooted in very traditional blues structures and sounds, Rombola, Larkin, and Carpenter’s rock roots do shine through. The album’s closing number, “Noumenal Blues” finds Cerbone duet with Nancy Koerner, whose silky tones match Ray’s earthy baritone alongside Carpenter’s languidly loping bass line and some fingerpicked acoustic guitar before Larkin, Carpenter, and Rombola put the record to sleep with a bit of unabashed rock.

The album, The Shape of Blues To Come, promises to be an exciting ride through blues steered by rock musicians.

Ray “Rafer John” Cerbone, vocals
Tony Rombola, guitar
Brian Carpenter, bass
Shannon Larkin, drums

The Apocalypse Blues Revue
As the legend goes, Robert Johnson infamously started his career by meeting the Devil at the crossroads. By the same token, you could say Apocalypse Blues Revue began playing at the end of the world. Co-founded by Godsmack drummer Shannon Larkin and guitarist Tony Rombola and featuring vocalist Ray “Rafer John” Cerbone and bassist Brian Carpenter, the quartet honors blues traditions, while etching their stamp on the genre in blood.

“As far as blues goes, Apocalypse Blues Revue is a little heavier, a little darker, and has some punk rock attitude in the lyrics,” affirms Shannon. “We wanted to make something deep that will provoke thought. It had to be evil though. We’re not trying to make it happy. It’s called blues for a reason! It was also an opportunity to show the world what a phenomenal guitar player Tony is.”

Shannon witnessed Tony’s knack for the style firsthand, while writing together for Godsmack’s 2010 offering The Oracle. Burnt out on metal and hard rock, the pair would loosely jam without boundaries. During one impromptu session in their Southwest Florida rehearsal spot, the drummer laid down a slow, simmering groove, and another side of the guitar player reared its head.

“I couldn’t believe it,” smiles Shannon. “I didn’t even know he was into blues or could play the way he does. My reaction was immediate. We had to officially start a blues band.”

“There’s always been some blues in my playing,” adds Tony. “It came from classic rock like Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and AC/DC. Then, I got into guys like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Gales. We decided to mix it up, merging traditional blues and heavier elements.”

In between breaks from their rigorous Godsmack touring schedule, the duo amassed countless ideas and decided to begin creating songs. Impressed by his Jim Morrison-esque baritone, they welcomed Rafer—who Shannon appropriately met at a biker bar—into the fold. 2013 saw Brian join after the drummer judged a local radio contest he won. With the lineup locked and a slew of shows under their collective belt, the boys cut a demo of “The Devil In Me.” It landed in the hands of Mascot Records who offered them a deal immediately during late 2015, and it also served as the perfect introduction to the group.

“It’s that dark blues man,” says Shannon. “It’s a good snapshot of everything we are.”

n February 2016, Apocalypse Blues Revue entered The Vibe Recording Studio and cut their self-titled debut in just nine days. Mixed by Dave Fortman, the music conjures up swampy soul colored by gusts of rock ‘n’ roll and rockabilly over the course of 12 tracks. “The Blues Are Falling from the Sky” shuffles along on a powerful beat as the six-string wails in tandem with smoky vocals.

“I wrote that when we were on tour in Australia with Godsmack,” recalls Shannon. “I was really hungover, missing my family, studio, bed, and pillow. It was raining outside that day, and I came up with the melody and lyric. I ran to Tony’s room and sang it to him. He picked up the guitar and instantly started writing the riff. It’s my favorite song we’ve ever written.”

“It had some really cool off-time signatures,” Tony describes. “I just let the strat speak!”

“Devil Plays A Strat” grinds on a lead guitar screech, wah-wah cry, ominous groove, and heavy stomp. “I love the story,” he smiles. “A guy walks in to this bar with a Les Paul, and he’s going up against Satan on a Stratocaster. It nods to Charlie Daniels Band’s ‘The Devil Went Down to Georgia.’”

Elsewhere on the record, slow scorcher “The Tower” features a guest solo from one of Tony’s heroes modern blues icon: Eric Gales.

“I wrote that one the same day I came up with ‘The Blues Are Falling From The Sky,’” Shannon recalls. “I just remember I was staying on one of the top floors in this hotel. I stared out the window, and I could see everybody down below. It was literally a ‘Tower.’”

“Evil Is As Evil Does” kicks off the record with a simmering Southern-style stomp, painting a picture of evil in the world. Ray smiles. “That’s deep heavy blues. It’s got real dark crossroads lyrics, and I gave everything I had right from my gut!”

“Junkie Hell” paints a picture of addiction’s demonic grip. “That one comes from within as well as some things I’ve seen firsthand,” Ray admits. “You’re watching someone go down. However, you wake up one morning, figure it out, and move on. It was powerful.”

Then, there’s “I Think Not,” which stops an antagonist dead in his tracks with Ray’s howl. He adds, “I was on an acoustic guitar, and I was around someone who was trying to hurt me in many ways. I got angry about it. I’ll tell you this, ‘You don’t want to piss off a songwriter and make them personally angry with you. You can end up getting ripped! It’s a true story.”

The ominous “Crossed Over” details as Shannon puts it, “Crossing over to the side. It’s that last big ride.”

“Whiskey In My Coffee” speaks to facing the day—but needing that liquid courage. Its push-and-pull is mirrored in the guitar and vocal tension, ultimately espousing a different escape than downing a bottle.

“Work In Progress” encapsulates the journey that Shannon, Tony, Ray, and Brian have collectively embarked upon together. “This is a work in progress,” says the drummer. “It’s all coming together one step at a time, and we’re rolling with it.”

Meanwhile, “Blue Cross” materialized on a day Shannon showed up to the studio rocking some blue suede shoes. They just started jamming, and the song came to life. “It was about that day,” smiles the singer. “Everybody put their touch on it, and we really gave the song a pair of balls. When Shannon hit that kick drum in those shoes, it’s awesome!”

Everything culminates on their interpretation of the Doors’ “When The Music’s Over.” “We all love the Doors,” he continues. “We end the show with the song, killing the lights and just getting into it. We wanted to play the song our way, and that’s it. All of the changes are subtle. This could be a tradition with doing one Doors song an album!”

The songs thread together the record’s themes reflected in the name.

“Back in the day, I was in a punk band called Amen,” says Shannon. “I got the nickname ‘Apocalypse’ on tour. It stuck with me, and I got it tattooed on my right forearm. Tony and I came up with the band name together. I connected it to the Blues Brothers, because at the end of the movie they do The Blues Brothers Blues Revue. Hence, the Apocalypse Blues Revue.”

Tony and Shannon’s creative union grows stronger by the gig. It traces back to 2001 when Shannon joined Godsmack. Selling 20 million records worldwide and garnering four GRAMMY® Award nominations, the juggernaut remains a hard rock institution. In 2007, Tony and Shannon would also co-found rock outfit Another Animal together. However, Apocalypse Blues Revue holds a special place in both of their hearts.

“I want people to walk away with our songs stuck in their heads,” Shannon leaves off. “The music speaks for itself on this record.”

“It’s back to basics,” concludes Tony. “I wanted to be able to go to a gig with no production—just an amp, a pedal board, and a guitar—and play.”

This album contains no booklet.