Chicago-based doom metal legends TROUBLE are in the studio working on their ninth album for a tentative summer release. The as-yet-untitled CD is being helmed by Bill Metoyer, who has produced albums from SLAYER, D.R.I., SACRED REICH and CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, among others, and has worked with TROUBLE in the past. Also involved in the recording process is TROUBLE's longtime engineer Larry Burns, who is entrusted with capturing the band's signature sound not only behind the studio console helm but at the group's live shows.
TROUBLE's forthcoming effort will consist of a minimum of 10 songs that not only showcase the band's legendary heavy guitar riffs that have gained the group a legion of loyal fans but a new creative edge.
"The band is really excited about this record," states TROUBLE guitarist/co-founder Rick Wartell. "We wanted to make the consummate TROUBLE studio album that also incorporates all of the innovative elements that having new talent offers us."
One of those new key elements is the addition of the new singer Kory Clarke (of WARRIOR SOUL) as this will be his first studio album with TROUBLE. Wartell continues, "Kory is an incredibly talented and dynamic singer. He's a great addition to the band as he brings a high level of professionalism, which has positively affected the creative process. Working in a no-limitation environment is great."
TROUBLE is utilizing the limitless technical advantages that exist today, conducting most of its songwriting collaboration virtually as Clarke currently resides in Berlin, Germany (where he recently opened a bar). "Bruce [Franklin] and I record our guitars separately and then would send those tracks to Kory who would in return, send us his vocals," says Wartell. "As we share a collective vision for the album, this hasn’t hampered our progress in any way." Also adding their talents to the band's vision for the album are bassist Shane Pasqualla and drummer Mark Lira, both of whom are making their recording debut with TROUBLE.
The recording of the new TROUBLE album is taking place at the band's own studio, Warburn.
"One of the luxuries of recording in your studio is that you're not under any time constraints," says Wartell. "We can work on our own schedule which allows us to focus on the creative process."
In a 2009 interview with Hellbound, TROUBLE guitarist Bruce Franklin stated about the band's forthcoming album, singer Kory Clarke's (WARRIOR SOUL) debut with the group, "There's some stuff like some of the first album — 'Psalm 9' album stuff — and then there's some of the heavy groove stuff, like in the more recent years we've done, and there might be a couple songs that sound even maybe a little bit different than stuff we've done. I don't mean radically different — it's still gonna sound like TROUBLE. It isn't like we've written a couple of songs that don't sound anything like TROUBLE. Maybe it's because with Kory singing it sounds a little different. I think it's going to be a good mix. It's definitely going to have some pretty heavy stuff. It's not the more commercial side of TROUBLE."
He added, "In the early days I'd probably write a lot of the music and there'd be a few songs we'd write together as a band in some cases. Then, in '90s-era TROUBLE we would have that same aspect and then Eric [Wagner, former singer] might have an acoustic song and then that we would take and kind of embellish it and make it more of a song as a band, and that was some stuff we started doing later on. As for this record, this may be the most songs that Rick's [Wartell, guitar] ever had of his on an album — basically Rick's written about half and I've written about half of what's gonna be the new record. So it will be different in that respect."
Berlin, Germany's PitCam Production and More-Metal.com have posted professionally filmed, multi-camera video footage of TROUBLE performing the brand new track "Hunters Of Doom", from the group's forthcoming CD, on November 30, 2009 at the Magnet club in Berlin. Watch the clip below.
