The genre-bending Bay Area band DOPESICK finally sees the long-awaited release of their full-length debut, A Violent Happy Place, today.
“I wanted to write a record, that was pure to me,” says DOPESICK guitarist and founder Adam Albright. “Something that didn’t sound like everything else, that had its own identity. I wanted my album to take you through many different moods, places, and I think that’s what I did with A Violent Happy Place.”
Say vocalist Jonathan Russell, “I was writing about the most painful parts of Adam’s life and mine, to make sure the world could relate. To me this is the only way to make honest music. It had to do with real life moments.”
DOPESICK‘s tunes incorporate rock, punk, metal, and a dose of balladry for good measure, and are brought to life through powerhouse beats by drummer Devin “The Sac” Lebsack (ex-Hed PE, Attica 7) and Albright’s stylish guitar and bass work. This is topped off by dynamic vocal displays from Jonathan Russell (Lethal Injektion, Stands with Fists).
Former Skinlab guitarist Albright initially created DOPESICK in the late ’90s as an outlet for his own writing. Keeping his beloved guitar close at all times while also taking on primary song writing duties, the first incarnation of DOPESICK cut their teeth by frequenting the Bay Area live scene before releasing their debut EP Vendetta in 2002.
Internal conflict led to a half-decade hiatus for DOPESICK, and Albright went on to join Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach‘s solo band. After great success with Sebastian Bach, including Albright writing the explosive title track on Bach‘s third studio record Angel Down in 2007, Albright returned to Oakland and began re-assembling DOPESICK in 2014. With new life breathed into the band, DOPESICK released the EP The Love and Terror Cultin 2016, which was produced by Patrick Burkholder at Pawnshop Studio in Van Nuys, CA, and distributed by Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson’s EMP Label Group.
DOPESICK deservedly earned recognition courtesy of the reggae/funk rock lead single “Ride the Night,” featuring Hed PE vocalist Jahred Gomes, and the alternative metal stomp of “Release Me,” which includes Cristian Machado on vocal duties.
As the old saying goes, the best things in life are worth waiting for, and DOPESICK‘s A Violent Happy Place is a testament to that.
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