Rock quintet Red Line Chemistry has announced an April 30th release date for the band's upcoming album TUG OF WAR. Produced by Nick Raskulinecz (Alice In Chains, Foo Fighters, Stone Sour) the 12-track offering exhibits tremendous growth in the band’s songwriting, production, and collaborative process. Following the independent releases of Chemical High & A Hand Grenade (2006) and Escape Plan (2008), Red Line Chemistry joined forces with Bulldog Productions in 2009 and released Dying For A Living in 2010. The singles ‘Dumb Luck,’ ‘You Don’t Get It,’ and ‘Ultragigantor’ all charted at active rock radio. The acoustic EP and according to the band “All of our parents favorite RLC record,” Easy Does It followed in late 2011. In 2012, as a bridge track, the single ‘Unspoken’ was released to rock radio achieving great success in the active format. It also represents the band’s first in-studio collaboration with producer Nick Raskulinecz, and marks the beginning of the Tug Of War recording sessions.
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As they approach a decade together, Andy Breit (guitar), Tom Brown (bass), Brett Ditgen (vocals), Dave Fyten (guitar), and Mike Mazzarese (drums) continue to fight with and for each other in their battle to sustain their ability to do what they love. Lead guitarist Andy Breit shares, “We’re a tight knit group from the same town and we’ve been together forever. We want our music to grow with us and reflect where we are as people and as a band. We want to explore new ideas and evolve.” Guitarist Dave Fyten adds, “The aim was to try new things and push our limits. We want to carve our own way and follow our own path.”
The growth musically is widespread, and Red Line Chemistry were the beneficiaries of the tremendous impact of working with producer Raskulinecz. Also in the fold, producer Matt Hyde (Slayer, Porno for Pyros) worked closely with Raskulinecz and the band during the early stages of preproduction and production, and also mixed Tug Of War. Drummer Mike Mazzarese reflects, “Nick pushed us to find the best within ourselves, and that was a great thing for us.”
The selection of Tug Of War as the album title reflects the dichotomy of the repertoire and the process of creating it. Breit offers, “About half the songs are heavy and aggressive, while the others are more subdued and musical. Those dynamics colliding has a lot to do with why we chose Tug Of War as the album title.” Singer Brett Ditgen adds, “We wrote this record as a democracy. We have a foundation to work through our differences when we are writing and recording. It’s about finding a balance and trying to make it come together in a way that makes all five of us happy with the result. If we can do that, we feel other people will be happy with the result as well.”
Their fifth release overall, Tug Of War is the band’s second full-length record with Bulldog Productions. The independent label has shown unlimited commitment toward giving Red Line Chemistry the support they need to achieve success. Ditgen shares, “We’re in a fortunate situation, because we have a really positive work environment. Everyone is working together toward the goals of our band, and it’s not necessarily a typical situation, which we’re thankful for.” Bassist Tom Brown adds, “Unlike a lot of guys I’ve talked to in other bands, I don’t have anything bad to say about our label. We have the freedom to be musicians and write music that makes us happy. We guide the artistic side of things and they guide the business side. That’s huge.”
Tug Of War affords Red Line Chemistry another chapter in a career that began with the simple dream of finding a future that took them away from their blue-collar midwestern roots. They grow daily as they continue to notch accomplishments on their belt, gain respect amongst their peers, and garner exponentially more fans with each release. Fyten declares, “We have all evolved and found the pocket of who we want to be.”