The Los Angeles-based WHITE WIZZARD, who have proudly flown the flag of traditional heavy metal for the past decade, have unveiled a music video for their eight-minute epic “Chasing Dragons.”
“Chasing Dragons” comes from WHITE WIZZARD’s fourth album (and M-Theory Audio debut), Infernal Overdrive, which Loudwire recently named one of the “Best Metal Albums Of 2018 So Far.” Produced by Ralph Patlan (Megadeth, UFO), the record saw the return of original guitarist James J. LaRue and the group’s most celebrated vocalist, Wyatt “Screaming Demon” Anderson.
Says founding bassist Jon Leon, “The new album has deeper themes lyrically, so this video is not as humorous as the videos from the past that we are known for. The title of the song is a play on words on how we all chase that first high we feel in life with love, drugs, art or anything, and how even though it destroys us, we keep coming back for more. The video is a bit avant-garde and relies on visuals to tell a story but leaves a lot to the imagination. This song is the favorite among all of us from the new album, so we are hoping it gets a more focused listen having the video accompanying it. We all think it shows a strong maturity in Ralph Patlan’s production work, in Wyatt’s vocals, in my songwriting and rhythm guitar/bass playing and in James’ lead work. I feel we took a quantum leap here and the song is original and deep, so we’re very proud of this one.
“We financed the latest album recording on our own with support from the fans and we again want to say thank you to all of them,” he continues. “I also want to thank the video director and co-visionary, Mr. Israel Perez, for doing this for practically nothing for a band with very little budget. Without him, this would not have even been possible. These days in this industry, you need artists that are willing to help other artists, and for that I am very grateful. Check out his other work and support him.
“No matter what happens in the future with WHITE WIZZARD, I am thrilled we did this album and am very pleased of the work everyone put in. This song and video are the culmination of a couple years of work and dreaming – chasing those dragons – and even though this band has kicked my ass so many times, I keep coming back for more because I’m just too in love with music to ever give up. Cheers and thanks to the fans and musicians that have been with the band for years of memories both good and bad. It’s been a hell of a run, but I’m happy I got to experience it. ‘Buy the ticket, take the ride’ – that’s the only way to live your life. I moved to L.A. living in a car and then a rehearsal space with nothing but guitars and a dream. I’ve taken it this far so I can’t complain, and I’m still standing. We did what we set out to do, regardless of how popular it gets.”
In other WHITE WIZZARD news, the group has confirmed two European summer tour dates – an August 18 headlining show at London’s Underworld, and a performance the following week at Munich’s Trveheim Festival, where the group will share the stage with the likes of Satan, Praying Mantis and Witchfynde.
WHITE WIZZARD are recognized as one of the first bands to bring back classic/traditional heavy metal when they released High Speed GTO in 2009, which Metal Hammer referred to as a “fun blast of NWOBHM-centric metal.” Since then, the band has released four full-length albums and toured across the U.S., Europe and Japan. The group recently completed a West Coast tour but are anxious to return to the stage in support of their new album of timeless heavy metal.
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