Prey | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 21, 2016 | |||
Studio | Earth Analog Studios [1] | |||
Genre | Heavy metal, [2] hardcore punk, [2] post-hardcore [2] | |||
Length | 36:25 | |||
Label | Deathwish (DW193) | |||
Producer | Sanford Parker | |||
Planes Mistaken for Stars chronology | ||||
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Prey is the fourth studio album by American rock band Planes Mistaken for Stars. Following the band's 2008 breakup and their 2010 sporadic return to touring, Prey marks the band's first release since the compilation album We Ride to Fight! (2007) and first release of new material since Mercy (2006). The album was released on October 21, 2016 through Deathwish Inc. who also reissued and remastered Mercy the previous year. [3] The album debuted at number 12 at Billboard Heatseeksers.
Following the release of what was then-known as their final album Mercy in 2006, frontman Gared O'Donnell wanted to put his music and touring days behind him to start a family and lead a more stable life. [4] After a few years, O'Donnell says he went through a "pre-midlife crisis" and grew to miss being in a traveling band. Feeling that he couldn't concentrate in his home with his family and home office as possible distractions, O'Donnell drive around for four hours and ended up at a Motel Six in Waukegan, Illinois—a couple hundred miles away from his house. [5] [6] The idea to travel for creative inspiration came from writers such as Jack Kerouac and John Steinbeck. [7]
However, the trip wasn't as fruitful as he hoped it would be. O'Donnell drove around aimlessly hoping to find a quaint Midwest American town surrounded by nature, but Waukegan didn't offer what he sought. [6] Of the trip, he said: "That ended up being a hot shit show. I grabbed all these receipts and napkins and stuff that I'd written little ideas on. It was so fragmented, and I thought I'd get the fuck out of here and do some Jack Kerouac thing, drive around the country. But I'm forty. I'm not a 22–year-old Beat poet." [4] In addition to the setting not feeling right, O'Donnell was used to writing music with other people and found it difficult to take over sole writing duties. He reached out to Planes Mistaken for Stars' original bassist Aaron Wise (who only appeared on their debut self-titled EP). [4] [6] Wise ultimately told O'Donnell to return to his family. O'Donnell said: "He came out and we had a couple adventures, and then he was like, 'It sounds like you just need to go home and focus on clearing your head and being with your family.' In doing so, I figured out what the theme was for the record: waking up. Waking up and learning to tackle things head on." [4]
Most of the music on Prey stemmed from ideas O'Donnell had in his head since Planes Mistaken for Stars broke up, [5] and he describes the sound as "Thin Lizzy crossed with Sugar." [4]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metal Hammer | [8] |
PopMatters | [9] |
Punknews.org | [2] |
SLUG Magazine | (positive) [10] |
Upon release, Prey was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics. Writing for the New York Observer , Ari Rosenschein wrote: "Rivaling the best of the group's catalog, Prey is absolutely unrelenting, and it's also Planes Mistaken for Stars' most eclectic release yet, drawing from '70s rockers Thin Lizzy and ZZ Top as much as Chicago underground legends Pegboy and Naked Raygun. Angry, caged and confused, the album is like a futurist Funhouse : a dense joyride where Slint sidles up to Sisters of Mercy in the backseat." [7]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Dementia Americana" | 1:34 |
2. | "Til' It Clicks" | 5:05 |
3. | "Riot Season" | 2:43 |
4. | "Fucking Tenderness" | 3:42 |
5. | "She Who Steps" | 4:50 |
6. | "Clean Up Mean – 3:20" | 3:20 |
7. | "Black Rabbit – 2:00" | 2:00 |
8. | "Pan In Flames – 4:05" | 4:05 |
9. | "Enemy Blinds – 3:49" | 3:49 |
10. | "Alabaster Cello" | 5:17 |
Prey personnel adapted from CD liner notes. [1]
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Thin Lizzy initially consisted of bass guitarist, lead vocalist and principal songwriter Phil Lynott, drummer Brian Downey, guitarist Eric Bell and organist Eric Wrixon, although Wrixon left after a few months. After Bell left at the end of 1973 the band soon switched to twin lead guitarists: Scott Gorham, who remained with the band until their break-up in 1983, and Brian Robertson, who was replaced in 1978 by Gary Moore. Moore was replaced in turn by Snowy White in 1980, and John Sykes in 1982. The line-up was augmented by keyboardist Darren Wharton in 1980. The singles "Whiskey in the Jar" (1972), "The Boys Are Back in Town" (1976) and "Waiting for an Alibi" (1979) were international hits, and several Thin Lizzy albums reached the top ten in the UK. The band's music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or sometimes heavy metal.
Tender Prey is the fifth studio album by Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released on 19 September 1988 on Mute Records. Produced by Flood, the album was recorded during several sessions over the course of four months in West Berlin—where the band were based at the time of its release—and London and dedicated to Fernando Ramos da Silva.
The Power to Believe is the thirteenth and final studio album by English progressive rock band King Crimson. It was released on 24 February 2003 in the United Kingdom and on 4 March 2003 in the United States through Sanctuary Records and met with generally favourable reviews, with several critics appreciating its heightened aggression. The Power to Believe was preceded by the EP Happy with What You Have to Be Happy With (2002), which features alternate and otherwise unreleased tracks.
Thin Lizzy is the debut studio album by Irish rock band Thin Lizzy, released on 30 April 1971. The album was followed by the EP New Day, produced and recorded by Nick Tauber at Decca Studios on 14–17 June 1971 and released on 20 August 1971. The songs from the EP were included in later editions of the album.
Fighting is the fifth studio album by Irish rock band Thin Lizzy, released in 1975. Following the release of four studio albums, the band finally forged an identifiable sound featuring the twin guitars of Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson. This sound draws from hard rock, folk, pop and rhythm and blues. It set the stage for the big commercial breakthrough of the follow-up album, Jailbreak. The album was also their first album to chart in the UK, hitting No. 60.
Live and Dangerous is a live double album by the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy, released in June 1978. It was recorded in London in 1976, and Philadelphia and Toronto in 1977, with further production in Paris. It was also the last Thin Lizzy album to feature guitarist Brian Robertson, who left the band shortly after its release.
Black Rose: A Rock Legend is the ninth studio album by Irish rock band Thin Lizzy. Released in 1979, it has been described as one of the band's "greatest, most successful albums". It was the first time that blues rock guitarist Gary Moore remained in Thin Lizzy long enough to record an album—after previous brief stints in 1974 and 1977 with the band. The album peaked at No. 2 on the UK charts-- making it the band's highest-charting album in the UK. It was their fourth consecutive album to be certified Gold by the BPI.
Nightlife is the fourth studio album by Irish rock band Thin Lizzy, released on 8 November 1974 by Vertigo Records. It was produced by Ron Nevison and bandleader Phil Lynott, and was the first album to feature the band as a quartet with newcomers Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson on guitars.
Planes Mistaken for Stars was an American rock band formed in Peoria, Illinois in 1997. Working with several different labels, they released three studio albums and four EPs before breaking up in 2008. While rooted in the post-hardcore and emo scenes of the turn of the century, Planes Mistaken for Stars developed a distinctive musical style strongly influenced by heavy metal and rock and roll. Reuniting for live performances in 2010, they went on to release their fourth album Prey in 2016.
Deathwish, Inc. is an American independent record label conceived by Jacob Bannon of Converge and Tre McCarthy in 2000. Their first release was Deeper the Wound, a split album between Converge and Japanese band Hellchild on April 23, 2001. Deathwish established itself quickly, working with a diverse group of bands and eventually becoming one of the most respected and innovative labels in contemporary hardcore punk and aggressive music in general.
Ricky Warwick is a Northern Irish musician and the lead singer of the rock bands Black Star Riders and Thin Lizzy. He is also the frontman for the Scottish hard rock band The Almighty, with whom he achieved chart success in the UK throughout the 1990s. Warwick has released several solo albums and performed with a variety of other bands and artists, and also fronts his own band, The Fighting Hearts, to showcase his solo material.
Crisis is the third studio album from Canadian post-hardcore band Alexisonfire, released on August 22, 2006.
Darren Leigh Wharton is a British keyboardist, singer and songwriter. He has fronted his own band, Dare, since 1985, but first came to attention as a member of Thin Lizzy. In 2023, Wharton launched a second band alongside Dare, Darren Wharton's Renegade. His son, Paris, is also a musician.
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band formed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2002. The lineup currently consists of Ryan Tedder, Zach Filkins, Drew Brown, Brent Kutzle, Eddie Fisher (drums), and Brian Willett.
Rich Balling is an American musician, producer, and curator. He is best known for being a former member of Rx Bandits. He is also known for his work in Pyramids, The Sound of Animals Fighting, and being the editor of two books Revolution on Canvas and its sequel Revolution on Canvas 2.
Fuck with Fire is a studio album by the band Planes Mistaken for Stars, released in 2001.
Deafheaven is an American post-metal band formed in 2010. Originally based in San Francisco, the group began as a two-piece with singer George Clarke and guitarist Kerry McCoy, who recorded and self-released a demo album together. Following its release, Deafheaven recruited three new members and began to tour. Before the end of 2010, the band signed to Deathwish Inc. and later released their debut album Roads to Judah, in April 2011. They popularized a unique style blending black metal, shoegaze, and post-rock, among other influences, later called "blackgaze" by reviewers.
Is Survived By is the third studio album by American post-hardcore band Touché Amoré. The album was released on September 24, 2013 through Deathwish. The full track listing and artwork was revealed on July 17, 2013. The album's first single, "Just Exist", was released on July 30, 2013, and a music video for the song "Harbor" was released on September 25 the same year. It was produced by Brad Wood and feature guest vocal appearances by Jon Simmons of Balance and Composure, and Julia Blake of synth-pop band Vow.
Mercy is the third studio album by American rock band Planes Mistaken for Stars released in 2006, and was the final album of new material before the band's 2008 disbandment. After several releases on No Idea Records, the band signed to Abacus Recordings — a short-lived heavy metal imprint of Century Media Records that also featured Ion Dissonance and Sick of It All. Guitarist Gared O’Donnell commented on the transition between labels, stating: "Right after Up in Them Guts [2004] came out, other labels expressed interest. We made the decision to do something different, and No Idea backed us up. They said, 'Listen, you've hit the ceiling with what we can do for you. If you want to go to another label for the next record, you have our blessing.'" Mercy was produced by the Seattle-based producer Matt Bayles and was officially released through Abacus on October 3, 2006.
Oathbreaker is a Belgian band from Flanders, formed in 2008 and currently signed to Deathwish Inc. The band consists of guitarists Lennart Bossu and Gilles Demolder, drummer Wim Coppers, and vocalist Caro Tanghe who performs both screamed and sung vocals. They are a part of Church of Ra, an artistic collective started by Amenra, a band of which Lennart and Caro are also members. Like Amenra, Oathbreaker emerged from the Belgian underground hardcore punk scene but integrated extreme metal and art music aesthetics.
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