JAMES LABRIE: Solo Tour Canceled

DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie's solo tour — which was scheduled to kick off on November 26 in Charlotte, North Carolina and end on December 20 in Houston, Texas — has been canceled. His statement on the matter reads as follows:

"It is very difficult for what I am about to say. The 'Static Impulse' tour has been cancelled due to some unfortunate, unforeseen difficulties with securing work visas for a couple of the guys. It would be virtually impossible for us to have these visas processed on time to begin the tour let alone the rehearsals which were scheduled for the week prior to the first show.

"I don't know what to say other than we are all in shock and can only hope we can make this a reality at some point in the near future.

"I am really sorry to everyone who has gone out and purchased the meet-and-greets and show tickets. This totally sucks and I'm sure you're all quite upset and have every right to be. I can only ask for your understanding and forgiveness and assure you that when we are in a position (hopefully in the near future ) to tour all of this will have been taken care of well in advance or it just won't happen."

"Static Impulse", the new solo album from James LaBrie, sold around 1,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 14 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"Static Impulse" was released on September 28 (one day earlier internationally) via InsideOut Music. The CD marks LaBrie's first solo effort in over five years and is sure to please his legion of diehard fans, as well as win over many new devotees in the process.

"Static Impulse" track listing:

01. One More Time (4:16)
02. Jekyll Or Hyde (3:46)
03. Mislead (4:18)
04. Euphoric (5:09)
05. Over The Edge (4:20)
06. I Need You (4:11)
07. Who You Think I Am (3:57)
08. I Tried (3:58)
09. Just Watch Me (4:18)
10. This Is War (4:30)
11. Superstar (3:32)
12. Coming Home (4:29)
13. Jekyll Or Hyde (demo) (3:48) *
14. Coming Home (alternate mix) (4:23) *

* Limited-edition digipak bonus tracks

Mixed and mastered by Jens Borgen (OPETH, KATATONIA),"Static Impulse" features LaBrie's longtime songwriting partner and keyboardist Matt Guillory; Peter Wildoer from Swedish thrashers DARKANE on drums and screaming vocals; Marco Sfogli on guitar; and Ray Riendeau (HALFORD) on bass.

"Musically speaking, 'One More Time' is sort of a marriage of old-school progressive elements and modern melodic death metal," Guillory told Noisecreep. "We wanted to have a drastic contrast between what's going on in the verses and what's going on in the choruses. There's almost a pop feel near the end where both James' vocals and my vocals start layering in different ways. Lyrically, the song is about dealing with the loss of a loved one."

"I Need You" audio stream:

"One More Time" audio stream:

LaBrie previously stated about "Static Impulse", "This is modern metal and as heavy and relevant as any other band out there going in a similar musical direction. There are riffs that will blow your head off and melodies both musically and vocally that are hypnotic."

Added Guillory: "I'm really pleased with the way this record came out. James sounds fantastic, as well as the rest of the guys. Without a doubt, it's our heaviest record thus far yet at the same time, it's also our most melodic."

In addition to DREAM THEATER's numerous studio and live releases, LaBrie has also appeared on recordings by FATES WARNING, REDEMPTION, FRAMESHIFT and AYREON, as well as tribute albums to RUSH, EMERSON LAKE & PALMER and QUEEN.

For more information, visit www.jameslabrie.com.