"WE SOLD OUR SOULS TO ROCK N ROLL AIN'T NOTHING LEFT BUT HOLLOW BONES"
Traditionally, a rift is an open space. It’s a place of possibility and promise. Los Angeles hard rock trio THE RIFT lives up to its moniker.
Bassist JOHN ANAGNOS says, “The name is the best way to describe the band, what we do, and the experience we portray live. The songs are meant to be an opening, and there’s a lot you can find within them.”
That openness has solidified the group--brothers ARIS ANAGNOS [vocals/guitar] and JOHN along with OVAIS MALIK [drums]--as one of Southern California’s most thrilling new rock upstarts. Since forming in 2009, the musicians have played alongside the likes of Exodus, Yngwie Malmsteen, The Misfits, and more as well as receiving nominations at the Hollywood Music Awards and Ventura County Music Awards. 2016’s full-length debut INVENTIONS crystallized their hard rock hooks and generated a ton of buzz on Pure Volume, JamintheVan, Screamer Magazine, Pure Grain Audio, and dozens of radio stations. The album also caught the attention of Grammy winning producer Brandon Friesen who worked famously with Alice in Chains and NickelBack, most recently the Kooks. Now in 2017 the band will release two singles “Rock Narcotic” and “Mysterious”. The band feels that with both songs they have reached a new level in song development and that they are onto something very special. “Rock Narcotic” is provocative and one can hear traces of Muse and System of a Down at times. The song is about losing yourself in the music and getting addicted to rock and roll. It has almost a reggae, flamenco vibe at times, but then hits hard with a chunky rock chorus. Aris Anagnos says it’s meant to be a tribute to the power of rock and roll. “Mysterious” has an incredible opening sequence, it starts with this airy synthesizer and crashes into a booming rock chorus fueled by a monster drum beat. It’s reminiscent of Ann Berlin in parts, and Kings of Leon in other places. John Anagnos said of the two songs “this one gave me chills”.
Punctuated by longtime friend OVAIS’s impenetrable percussion, it’s the familial bond between the brothers and close friends that brings another dimension to THE RIFT. “Being family helps with the collaborative process,” adds JOHN. “We tend to think along the same lines. There’s a certain magic to it. If I was playing with anybody else, it wouldn’t necessarily be there.
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