SANTA CRUZ To Release 'Bad Blood Rising' Album In November

Finnish modern hard rockers SANTA CRUZ will release their third album, "Bad Blood Rising", on November 10 via M-Theory Audio. The band already released the record's infectious first single, "River Phoenix", earlier this summer, but Friday, September 15 brings the next digital single release with "Young Blood Rising"; a promo video will follow soon in the coming weeks.

"We are really excited to start working with M-Theory Audio, and be part of a new label and new team," says SANTA CRUZ singer Archie Cruz.

Praised this year by Rolling Stone magazine as "one of the Top 10 bands you need to know" for their "debaucherous, flamboyant flair," SANTA CRUZ was formed with the mutual aspiration of playing their rear ends off and kicking people's derrieres. Inspired initially by the likes of MÖTLEY CRÜE and GUNS N' ROSES, the young act developed a strong buzz through stupefying live shows and two well-received albums on Spinefarm Records where they took their throwback hard rock sound and combined it with elements of modern rock, punk and metal, put it in their own special blender, then iced the mix with blinding energetic performances and a healthy dash of bad attitude!

SANTA CRUZ guitarist Johnny stated about "Bad Blood Rising": "This album has probably both the heaviest and the softest SANTA CRUZ moments on it.

"We didn't intentionally try to come up with something totally different than before, but I guess some of the new influences we've picked up along the way can be heard on these songs. At the end of the day, the apple didn't fall all that far from the tree.

"People can still expect the SANTA CRUZ sound — the fast guitars and heavy drums are still there, just served with a different sauce.

"All in all, we see 'Bad Blood Rising' as a 'comeback album'. A start of a new era. It's like what Archie is singing in 'River Phoenix': 'We're going down like River Phoenix, to rise up from the ashes once again.'"

SANTA CRUZ's eponymous second album debuted at No. 3 on the Finnish chart upon its release in 2015 and featured "We Are The Ones To Fall", the most aired song of the year on the Finnish station Radio Rock. The band also appeared in a Mercedes-Benz commercial and on the AXS TV show "Breaking Bands".

SANTA CRUZ has toured extensively around the world, including three jaunts to America, where they performed with AMARANTHE, I PREVAIL and Sebastian Bach, as well as before thousands at the Rock On The Range festival in 2015.

The band has a European tour set for November/December, with plans to return to the U.S. in the new year.