It seems the Blood Brothers reunion tour in 2024 has sparked more than just nostalgia. The new band Evil Island, featuring Blood Brothers vocalist Johnny Whitney, guitarist Cody Votolato, and drummer Mark Gajadhar, along with former OFF/…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead bassist Autry Fulbright, will release its debut album. Terraform The Afterlife this summer.
The project was produced by Ross Robinson, who also worked on the landmark 2003 Blood Brothers album. …Burn, Piano Island, Burn . The project also brings another important event: the first recorded vocal performance by Guy Picciotto since Fugazi's last studio album. The Argument, released almost 25 years ago.
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Picciotto sang backing vocals on the track "T-Hexx." Although the musician and producer remained active behind the scenes for decades, including producing Blood Brothers' final album in 2006, Young Machetes , he mostly stayed away from the microphone. According to Picciotto, the invitation came as a surprise to him.
«Last November, Cody Votolato messaged me asking how I was doing and asking if we could talk on the phone,» he says. «I was producing with Cody and his bandmates from the Blood Brothers on their latest album.” Young Machetes , "And these guys have become some of the most precious people in the world to me. Working on this album was absolutely amazing—both incredibly funny in terms of humor and antics, and incredibly inspiring, as I got to witness their musicality, creativity, and camaraderie firsthand.".
«I was blown away by their reunion shows the year before and thought they were better than ever, so I expected Cody to perhaps announce more upcoming shows,» he continues. «I certainly didn’t expect him to announce that he, Johnny, and Mark had formed a new band with Autry and that they were already hard at work on an album, with Ross Robinson producing again. I was even more surprised when Cody asked if I’d be willing to sing background vocals on one of the tracks. Given my general attitude toward the Blood Brothers—I’m willing to sacrifice myself for any of them—I felt I should at least give it a try, even though I hadn’t sung on a record since the last Fugazi album.” «The Argument »».
This album follows Evil Island's debut single, "Tiger Baby," and today's release of "Animal," a track that retains some of the Blood Brothers' frenetic, high-energy sound. The album also features Blood Brothers vocalist Jordan Bliley, Alexis Krauss of Sleigh Bells, Michael Gatto of XCOMM, and Lis DiAngelo of Filth Is Eternal. With the album's completion, Evil Island's lineup expanded to five members with the addition of former Glassjaw guitarist Todd Weinstock.
For Whitney, the Evil Island album arose directly from the creative aftermath of the Blood Brothers' return. "Evil Island was born out of the storm of creative energy that Cody, Mark, and I felt when the Blood Brothers reunion tour ended in 2024," he says. "My brain was on fire. I was in a frenzy. I had so many ideas swirling around in my head that if I hadn't created something new with my friends, the psychological trauma would probably have manifested itself as some exotic form of cancer.".
«"I knew our story wasn't over yet. More importantly, I knew our particular brand of wild pop-hardcore was needed more than ever, given the world's delusional nature," he adds. "So we wrote 11 songs, brought in Ross Robinson, then Autry joined the band, and suddenly everything clicked into place.".
«"WITH Terraform's album The Afterlife We gave Ross complete freedom. What was supposed to be a two-week recording session turned into a five-month immersion into something much bigger than we imagined. We created a musical world that is dazzling, brutal, joyful, ugly, melodic, brutal, and somehow still coherent. We poured everything we had into this record. Terraform the Afterlife "This is the most creative thing I've ever been involved in. These songs will stay in my head forever.".
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