BPMD Feat. BOBBY 'BLITZ' ELLSWORTH, MIKE PORTNOY, PHIL DEMMEL And MARK MENGHI: 'American Made' Album Details Revealed

April 15, 2020

BPMD — the new heavy metal juggernaut featuring vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth (OVERKILL),drummer Mike Portnoy (THE WINERY DOGS, SONS OF APOLLO),bassist Mark Menghi (METAL ALLEGIANCE) and guitarist Phil Demmel (VIO-LENCE, ex-MACHINE HEAD) — will release its debut album, "American Made", on June 12 via Napalm Records. The 10-track homage to some of rock music's greatest treasures is turbocharged by the experience and enthusiasm of its four creators, and its first single, "Toys In The Attic" — an AEROSMITH classic just begging for a heavy reimagining — is only the first boisterous sliver of proof.

The "Toys In The Attic" video was directed by Victor Borachuk of JupiterReturn, with art direction and motion design by Natália Tanus and Leonardo Gill. Watch the clip below.

Blitz says about "Toys In The Attic": "I remember waaaaaaaaaaay back when OVERKILL formed, we were cutting our teeth on covers as I was finding my way around the mic. The AEROSMITH covers were right in my wheelhouse, so when Mike picked 'Toys' to cover, I was like... 'Hell Yea'!"

Demmel adds about recording the track: "It was tricky because AEROSMITH have two guitarists, Joe Perry and Brad Whitford, playing different things. So, as one guitar player, I had to pick a medium place between the two that sounded good. I thrashed it up a little by adding a lot of down picking and some gallops and triplets."

It's evident within the initial seconds of BPMD's "American Made", as Blitz chants the introductory lyrics to Ted Nugent's "Wang Dang Sweet Poontang" in his signature skyscraper-high howl, that he and his equally iconic bandmates are here to have a damn good time. Featuring 10 unforgettable rock classics reimagined as heavy bangers, "American Made" is a party on wax. Tracks such as the raucous "Toys In The Attic" and rager-ready "Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers" (ZZ TOP) prove that BPMD not only manages to capture the essence of each original track on the album, but skillfully transforms each classic into an unforgettable metallic anthem for a new age. The seasoned quartet flex their musical muscles on renowned classics such as "Saturday Night Special" (LYNYRD SKYNYRD),"We're An American Band" (GRAND FUNK RAILROAD) and "Walk Away" (JAMES GANG),and introduce a whole new heavy generation to deeper cuts like blues standard "Evil" (CACTUS, WILLIE DIXON) and "Never In My Life" (MOUNTAIN). Channeling nostalgia while maintaining a fresh attitude, "American Made" is a summer soundtrack for all ages.

Menghi remarks on BPMD's origins: "Last summer, right after the Fourth of July, I was sitting in my backyard. I was listening to a bunch of '70s stuff and LYNYRD SKYNYRD's 'Saturday Night Special' came on. I said, 'Man, I would love to play that song,' and my eight-year-old son turned to me and said, 'You should do a record of all these songs, Dad.' And I was like, 'Hmmm? Yeah, why not!?!'"

After connecting over their mutual love for the classics and forming their current line-up, the members of BPMD traveled to Portnoy's home studio in Pennsylvania and set up shop. Since the whole concept of the band was born the night Menghi was listening to "Saturday Night Special", BPMD were determined to record the song for the album. Beyond that, each musician picked two '70s rock tracks and everyone had to learn them!

Menghi chose "Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers" in addition to "Saturday Night Special". Blitz's choices were a little more obscure — "Never In My Life" replete with cowbell and a blazing repeated blues lick, and CACTUS's version of "Evil", a fiercely ZEPPELIN-like take on an old Willie Dixon song. For his tracks, Demmel picked "D.O.A." and had a blast channeling his inner Eddie Van Halen, and took a deep dive with "Tattoo Vampire". Recalling the days when Ted Nugent was more of a bad boy than a gunslinger, Portnoy picked "Wang Dang Sweet Poontang", in additon to "Toys In The Attic".

Menghi, who also co-produced "American Made", adds: "We didn't go into it trying to make everything metal, we just wanted to play the way we play and this is what you get... we've all been influenced by a wide variety of bands including BLACK SABBATH, JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN and METALLICA. So, of course, we're going to attack the songs a little harder than guys that didn't grow up on heavy music."

Blitz states: "We made sure we did high-quality versions of these songs and gave them all a little twist. I think there's a place for that in the music world today. There's something really great about nostalgia, especially if it's reimagined."

"American Made" was mixed and mastered by Mark Lewis, also known for his work with METAL ALLEGIANCE (featuring Menghi and Portnoy),as well as artists such as DEVILDRIVER, TRIVIUM, and many others.

"American Made" track listing:

01. Wang Dang Sweet Poontang (TED NUGENT cover)
02. Toys In The Attic (AEROSMITH cover)
03. Evil (CACTUS cover)
04. Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers (ZZ TOP cover)
05. Saturday Night Special (LYNYRD SKYNYRD cover)
06. Tattoo Vampire (BLUE ÖYSTER CULT cover)
07. D.O.A. (BLOODROCK cover)
08. Walk Away (THE JAMES GANG cover)
09. Never In My Life (MOUNTAIN cover)
10. We're An American Band (GRAND FUNK RAILROAD cover)

Find more on Overkill
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).