HUNG: Debut Album Details Revealed

HUNG's debut self-titled album will be released on May 8 via ReThink Records, the new label founded by Chris Adler (LAMB OF GOD),and The End Records. The CD features 10 tracks engineered and produced by Andy Abel and Lyris Hung at Abel Studios in Connecticut, with vocals tracked and produced by Ryan Kelly at MSR Studios and Nova Studios in New York City.

World-renowned violinist Lyris Hung (BRYAN ADAMS, INDIGO GIRLS, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA),the band's namesake, had known for a long time that she wanted to start a band focused on heavy music. The tattoo-clad, classically trained violinist (Juilliard, Columbia University) decided to bring this to fruition in early 2005. A Craigslist ad and one fateful meeting later, HUNG was born.

Jon Clark and Sam Roon (founder, SkullsNBones.com) had been playing together for many years, searching for musicians (including violinists) to play a unique style of progressive music. Naturally when the call came in to play with Lyris, the decision was easy.

Finding a singer took less than a year when Moscow native Dmitry Kostitsyn came in to front the band. HUNG went through several drummers before adding the final piece to the puzzle with renowned jazz/world powerhouse Kenny Grohowski (Richie Ray, Bobby Cruz. Cassandra Wilson, Lonnie Plaxico).

HUNG's sound was developed with the intention of blending technical proficiency with innovative songwriting while not being bound by any particular genre.

HUNG's unique sound is due, in part, to their unusual writing style. The songs are created in layers allowing each member to add their individual affect one at a time before bringing it to the rehearsal studio to be molded together. This creative process is very intensive and meticulous but invites each band member to push the limits of their own boundaries.

The lyrical content of HUNG's music often comes from religious or historical material and is heavily researched before being finalized. Dmitry Kostitsyn will sometimes spend months becoming knowledgeable on a subject before creating a story based on it and then finally turns the story into lyrics.

HUNG prides itself on being a phenomenal live band. From the New England Metal & Hardcore Festival, to the Milwaukee Metalfest, HUNG lives and breathes for the stage.

Commented Clark: "In the beginning, we set a goal to blend dynamic qualities and technical complexity with the sort of musical elements that can appeal to a wide audience. More than anything we wanted to make sure that we were making music that didn't sound like anything we'd already heard before. This isn't always something easily done with metal because it can be a very niche genre but, given the diverse backgrounds and influences of HUNG's lineup, we always end up with music that blends pieces of each of us. Staying away from formulas in our writing process has allowed us to produce songs that are not only unique within the progressive and metal genres, but distinct among one another as well."

Added Roon: "There's no better place in the world than on the stage, under the lights, banging our heads with a room full of enthusiastic listeners. We challenged ourselves to bring the intensity of our live shows to the recording studio so our fans could appreciate it at home. The debut full-length is the first time we've successfully been able to capture that live feeling on a recording."

"Hung" track listing:

01. Eos
02. Desert of Sad
03. Progeny
04. Maria
05. Left For The New Life
06. Evil Tsar
07. Inertia
08. Infernal Redeemer
09. Matter Of The Blood
10. Sediment Of War